A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 176 Factory Construction and Recruitment

"If we could bring skilled workers from Valois, we could start our own business." Pierre was amazed by the efficiency of the Stonemasons Brotherhood; they would pay you enough and use magic to move mountains and fill seas for you.

In less than ten days, the factory had taken shape, except for the lack of equipment. Mr. Hassai took over the subsequent negotiations, and Pierre used Rorschach's communication privileges to summon engineers from the main factory through the magic guild's teleportation system to guide the construction.

"Didn't they say that the Holy Kingdom's headquarters is also expanding? And since they don't deal with local groups, they have all sorts of ways to prevent you from starting up."

"Yes, I was just saying."

The main cities of the Kingdom of Bavaria are located at opposite ends of the country: Munnik-Auksburg and Würzburg-Nuremberg. After several site visits, the bottle factory and the beverage factory responsible for blending and bottling were chosen to be located in Landst, a small city situated between the north and south.

The Kingdom of Bain has a well-developed water network, connecting all major cities through the Duma River system, as well as the North-South Canal maintained by the Logistics Guild, a legacy of the old empire, which connects areas that are not accessible by waterways.

It borders Glass Town, but doesn't have any developed industries, which makes Rorschach quite satisfied. Right now, the town is hosting a grand wedding celebration, with parades throughout the town, as well as touring performances and horse races.

Don't get me wrong, it's not Bart and the little princess's wedding, but the wedding of a duke from the old empire five hundred years ago! For some reason, that man came to this town to hold a grand ceremony. The residents had never seen such a spectacle before, so they have been recreating it every four years, and now it has evolved into a carnival at the end of spring.

These residents were bored enough, but then wealthy and idle people from Munik also came to watch the ceremony. Over time, the residents also gained income from tourists from the surrounding area, which made them even more enthusiastic about organizing the event.

I heard that in the next village, there are people who insist they are from the Far East in order to resist taxes. Every year when it's time to collect taxes, they have the town mayor dress up as the emperor of the Far East and close the city gates.

When Rorschach heard about these unusual local customs and traditions, he immediately decided – "This is it!"

"Hiring! Hiring!" The residents followed the parade from the south of the city to the north, and then saw the recruitment booths at the end. Of course, the beverage factory had bribed the parade organizers to lay in wait at the predetermined end of the parade.

Meanwhile, there were also tents distributing free drinks—raw beverages transported by airship, two barrels of which were opened on the spot and mixed with soda water for distribution. Rorschach was also in the tent; his role was to make ice.

"Mr. Rorschach, another bucket has boiled." Rorschach insisted on using treated water to make ice, because if everyone drank it and got diarrhea, it would be a disaster.

[Frozen Ray] [Decomposition Technique], and then a bucket of ice is freshly made.

Although it's still spring, the chill has dissipated, and the parade under the sun is getting warmer. A glass of iced soda is still sweet! It's the most delicious thing any resident of the town has ever tasted!

"Line up! Line up! You can get another cup at the next booth!" Fortunately, there were strong men maintaining order, and many people were attracted to the recruitment area.

"I can't read, how can I get money?" "How much?" The onlookers whispered among themselves, creating a noisy scene, and with the soda moistening their throats, they talked even more enthusiastically.

"What! Two silver coins a month?" Of course, no one in a big city would want to come here, but for a small town lacking cash flow, this salary is simply unbelievable. And the flow of money in the countryside is even tighter. Small farmers can only rely on eggs, milk and livestock to exchange for cash. After eating their own food, saving seeds and paying taxes, there is very little left of the grain they grow.

Meanwhile, the glass town is also recruiting workers.

The new company borrowed Jane's shop, and the proprietress also helped maintain order and introduce the company. Inside the shop, the cobalt blue glass "Wand-wielding Magician" was "enshrined" like a holy statue. If you didn't know better, you would think it was the guild's patron saint.

The apprentices were all somewhat literate, and by listening and observing as they passed by, they quickly grasped the details of the pay and recruitment requirements. Thus, the new factory became the topic of conversation among them.

"I'll say it again, anyone who dares to go to that new factory, I'll throw them into the furnace!" In a relatively large workshop, the bearded workshop owner uttered these harsh words, then kicked the apprentice who hadn't done his job well out the door. However, as soon as he left, the apprentices and craftsmen in the workshop started chatting.

The apprentice who had been kicked rubbed his backside and complained to his friend, "We meet the hiring requirements, why do we have to put up with this lunatic?"

Someone nearby said, "They pay wages! They get paid every three months."

Do you think this will work?

"I asked Jane, and all they make are bottles, and they all use molds. What's so difficult about that?"

"It must be a scam, right? Easy and profitable? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Let's take a look around after lunch break." "I'll go with you."

Rorschach spent the morning in the small town of Lanshte before moving back to the glass town before lunch.

"Auntie Jane, how was your morning?"

"Seven apprentices are willing to come, and many more are interested."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Rorschach pulled Mr. Pierre along to personally offer warmth, or rather, "coolness."

They went to every workshop, made ice cubes in front of the apprentices and craftsmen, and then served them cups of soda.

In the blazing furnace, a glass-making apprentice shuddered after downing a glass of iced soda: "God, I'm going to heaven! Is this what the new factory makes?"

"That's right, we need a lot of bottles."

"I'll do it with you!"

The craftsman was incredulous at how easily the apprentice decided his own life: "You've been bewitched by a cup of sugar water! Ezekiel, you'd sell yourself for a pittance even if you met the devil!"

The apprentice turned and spat at his master, who usually beat and scolded him: "Go to hell, he's paying me! Even if he's a devil, I'll accept it."

The craftsman, unable to lash out in front of the mage, subconsciously took a sip of his drink to suppress his anger, then finished the rest in a second gulp, crunching the ice cubes: "My lord mage, I'll do it with you, as long as you let me continue disciplining this brat!"

After finishing distributing the drinks, Rorschach handed out the remaining beverages. Mr. Pierre was carrying a stack of contracts; some apprentices could write, while others had only a fingerprint on them. Pierre was both pleased and worried: "Won't this cause displeasure within the glass guild?"

"Glass Guild? What guild will there be tomorrow? Let the workshops that have invested and the disgruntled diehards argue about it."

The foundation of the guild is the "apprenticeship system". Now that the new factory is recruiting, it gives the apprentices new choices. Even if the recruitment results are not ideal today, the door is still open to glassmaking apprentices, which will shake the apprentices' personal dependence on their masters.

Given a choice, no one would want to be beaten or bossed around; everyone wants to be paid for their work. As for technology, once the first wave of skilled workers arrives and the factory gets running, that's enough. The mentor-apprentice system will no longer be the traditional "master-apprentice" system; it will be replaced by the company's personnel structure.

In the future, these apprentices will lose the opportunity to become workshop owners, and instead become assembly line leaders, workshop supervisors, and so on.

Of course, Luo Xia could not rule out the possibility that "some of them were laid off and became talents that the beverage factory sent to society."

"Mr. Pierre, after the beverage factory makes a profit, please donate a batch of streetlights to the two towns."

(End of this chapter)