I opened a clinic in the Abyss World

Jellia and five female workers, each holding two sets of yarn, stood at different directions on the long table, changing positions and taking turns like soldiers in battle formation.

As the six people circled around the long table, the thread was constantly being handed over and pulled between them. In the middle of the table, a small piece of cotton cloth began to appear and slowly grew larger.

There it is! A human loom!

Charlotte couldn't help but stand up to observe their movement and the order in which the threads in their hands were alternating.

The main function of the long table is positioning, ensuring that the thread end is always kept in the position of a certain vertical stick, thereby guaranteeing the accuracy of weaving.

Compared to machine-free, purely hand-woven cloth, their efficiency is indeed quite good, but it is somewhat labor-intensive.

Look at that youngest lady at the end, running back and forth with a thread in her hand. She's already sweating profusely, acting like a shuttle.

About an hour later, the cloth in the middle of the long table had grown to a meter square.

Moreover, this is not a pure white cloth. In the middle of the white cloth, the words "Abyss" are woven with red thread, which is a unique and ingenious way to show off skills.

The female workers loosened the threads, and Jeria took off the cloth, cut the thread ends, and presented it to Diana.

"As expected of the Luce family, their weaving skills are renowned throughout Sgar City. The cloth they produce is of excellent quality, making it a top-grade material for clothing," Ernest exclaimed.

Charlotte glanced at him; their mutual flattery was quite skillful, likely something they had already discussed on the way.

Diana stroked the fabric and nodded slightly. The cotton was soft and woven quite tightly. The yarn used was finer than the yarn Ernest had spun before. Although it couldn't compare to the material of her usual clothes, it should be enough for making clothes.

She handed the cloth to Charlotte.

Charlotte reached out and touched it, then examined it closely. The fabric was similar in texture to what Ivan usually used, but the craftsmanship was even better. The cloth was woven very sturdily, which showed that the Luce family was indeed a famous weaving family in Ska City.

Six people can weave one square meter of cloth in an hour, and eight hours a day can weave eight square meters of cloth. Based on the current cloth price, the profit is not huge, but it is still possible to make a profit.

However, these are six experienced weavers who work together seamlessly. The entire weaving process is extremely complex, even Charlotte was dazzled by it. It cannot be trained in a short period of time, and it also requires a high level of skill from the workers.

If there were any foot-operated looms, a skilled female worker could easily outmaneuver this six-person team by wielding a shuttle.

"The cloth is enough to make clothes, and the weaving method has its merits," Charlotte nodded.

Diana smiled. It seemed she hadn't made a mistake in choosing this mentor; he was indeed quite capable.

Jeria was initially worried that Charlotte would talk too much, but after hearing what he said, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"We've all witnessed your excellent performance, truly worthy of being masters from the textile city of Ska. I'm very interested in your textile skills and would like to build a spinning mill and a weaving mill in the Abyss. I hope both of you can help me train workers," Diana said, looking at the two of them. "Now let's discuss the specifics of our cooperation."

  

A servant immediately brought two chairs for Ernest and Jeria to sit down.

When Diana sent people to Scarcity to look for them, she had already informed them of this matter. Those who came here were skilled enough to pass on their skills to others, and now it was time to discuss the detailed terms.

Charlotte didn't rush to speak; he wanted to see how these two planned to negotiate, as a way of setting an example for him.

He now has a spinning machine, a weaving machine, and can also make a cotton gin and a box-type cotton carding machine, which is much more efficient than the manual solutions offered by these two.

Diana was, after all, one of their own. Establishing spinning mills and weaving factories was a way of providing jobs and welfare for the people at the bottom of the Abyss.

Charlotte had no reason to keep the machines in her hands and the knowledge in her mind to herself; if she could exchange them for a few taels of silver, that would be a profit.

"How can we cooperate? We also need to know how many apprentices the master wants us to train. This line of work is not easy. The requirements for apprentices are not low. Training them requires the master to be dedicated and hardworking. Not a single day can be wasted," Ernest said.

Jelia continued, "That's right. Training an excellent weaver takes at least a year. The ones under my command are all master weavers with over thirty years of experience, which is why they have such skillful techniques. A master can only take on a maximum of five apprentices; there's no way to teach more than that. Of course, there are fifty or sixty other masters in my clan. If you need them, I can invite them all. Of course, the wages for a master teaching an apprentice will definitely be different."

Diana glanced at the two men, both shrewd and difficult to deal with, and after a moment's thought, said, "Initially, I plan to recruit three hundred employees each for the spinning mill and the weaving mill. If the factories operate smoothly, then we'll consider expanding recruitment."

"Three hundred people?!" Ernest and Jeria were both shocked.

Although Ska is a textile city, most of the workshops are family-run. Many members of the Luce family are involved in weaving, but they do not work together in one place; they also exist in the form of small workshops.

Diana, however, plans to build a spinning mill with three hundred textile workers and a weaving mill with three hundred cloth weavers, and this is only in the early stages—it's insane!

The two exchanged a glance, and their throats bobbed simultaneously.

Ernest's face darkened. "If that's the case," he said, "to teach these three hundred workers who know nothing about textiles, we would have to devote all our energy to the spinning mill and weaving mill. We would then be stuck in the abyss. This is not an easy decision for us to make."

“That’s right. To train three hundred new recruits, I’ll need to move all my people to the Abyss, away from the city of Ska where we’ve lived for generations. And as far as I know, the Abyss has never had a good reputation. It’s known as a chaotic and disorderly place. How to convince them to come here is a big problem,” Jeria said with a serious expression.

Diana promised, "The Abyss has now been built as a city, and the chaotic situation has been greatly improved. Moreover, it is located next to Kalva, so its location is quite good. If your people move to the Abyss, my Harriman family can guarantee their safety and provide them with good housing and a secure life."

Ernest and Jeria both nodded in agreement.

Ernest looked at Diana and said, "I have sensed the sincerity of our master's family. In that case, let's get straight to our terms. We will teach our workers textile skills without reservation, establishing a textile industry in the Abyss that rivals that of Sgar City. In exchange, we want half the shares of the spinning mill and weaving mill, as well as actual control. With the Abyss's low labor costs and its closer proximity to Kalva, we can make money together."

Jeria nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right. Our Luce family's fabrics are among the suppliers for the Kalva Merchant Guild. I can guarantee that the Abyss will be able to consistently produce fabrics of the same quality within one or two years. Of course, in order to train the workers who have moved here, you will also need to provide them with separate accommodations and a decent salary."

"Half the equity and actual control?" Diana frowned, looking at the two of them. "Do you know how much capital I need to invest in these two factories? Your terms are a bit outrageous."

Dirk also frowned, but after glancing at Diana, he chose to remain silent.

"You invited us from Ska City, so you must know that skilled masters like us aren't easy to hire, let alone move our entire tribe to a small place like the Abyss." Ernest's expression carried a hint of pride. "We're willing to grow alongside you, but we've also taken on risks. If the spinning mill and weaving factory don't thrive because the workers aren't talented enough, wouldn't we have wasted our time?"

"That's right. Our six masters alone generate hundreds of thousands of copper coins a year in Ska City, and the entire Luce family's output is even more than that," Jelia chimed in.

"laugh--"

Hearing this, Charlotte, who was sitting next to her, finally couldn't help but laugh.

The two looked at him with some displeasure.

"What brilliant idea does this gentleman have?" Ernest asked with a hint of displeasure, as Charlotte's earlier comments had already made him somewhat unhappy.

Diana also looked at Charlotte and asked with a smile, "Do you think this deal is feasible?"

She was genuinely asking the question; when it comes to running a factory, she really didn't have much experience.

Last time, under Charlotte's guidance, she invested in Ivan's clothing factory. She invested the majority of the shares, but again, she didn't have any management rights and only got 40% of the shares.

However, Ivan only acquired a 30% stake through his technical investment, while Charlotte was in charge of overseeing the factory and invested one million copper coins, also taking a 30% stake.

Of course, all of this was based on her trust in Charlotte, Ivan's unique ready-to-wear philosophy, and the fact that the factory could employ one hundred female workers.

The two people in front of her were asking for half the shares and the right to operate the business. Although it seemed reasonable, she was somewhat displeased with them.

She had the idea of ​​making the textile industry the second largest industry in the Abyss. If she handed over the management rights, she would lose her say in matters such as expanding production, employee wages, and benefits.

So she wanted to hear Charlotte's opinion, since her father also had little experience in this area.

"I don't think we should do this kind of unprofitable business," Charlotte said, shaking her head with a smile as she looked at Ernest and Jeria.

Upon hearing this, both of their expressions changed.

"Sir, your words have been rather unpleasant since earlier. Why don't you have a proper talk with the old man and explain how the terms we negotiated with the master turned out to be a losing deal?" Ernest said with a stern face.

"Technology as equity is fine, but old man, don't you have any idea whether your spinning technology is worth 50% of the spinning mill's shares?" Charlotte shook her head with a smile and said, "Following your set of processes, the requirements for employees are too high. Employee recruitment will be a big problem in the Abyss. We may not be able to recruit enough people for the first 300, let alone expand production later. The upper limit is too low."

Secondly, the spinning efficiency is low. Compared with the spinning workshops in Sgar City, the skills are not significantly superior. For just ten gold coins, you can definitely buy a similar complete set of techniques from the small workshops in Sgar City.

You're saying you want 50% of the shares even with this? If she agrees, and you get half of a factory that's worth tens of millions invested in, wouldn't that be a losing proposition?

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Ernest was so angry that his face turned red.

Jeria also said with a stern face, "Ernest is a famous spinning master in Ska City. It is very disrespectful of you to speak to him like that."

"Your six-person rotary weaving method does have its unique aspects, and its efficiency may be higher than traditional pure hand weaving techniques. However, it also places higher demands on the physical strength of the weavers. The complex movement between points and the six-person collaborative operation make worker training complicated." Charlotte looked at him and shook her head slightly: "This is about building a weaving factory, not taking on apprentices. Workers will have to be paid wages regularly, and with a training period of up to a year, it's still unknown how many workers will stay in the end. The profits generated are also not significant. Even so, you want a 50% stake, which is still a losing proposition."

Now, Ernest and Jeria were both enraged, glaring at Charlotte with dark faces, and their apprentices also looked rather unfriendly.

Diana looked at Charlotte with some surprise. She wanted Charlotte to give her some advice, but she didn't expect that his words would offend both of her masters.

However, what he said makes a lot of sense.

The investment in these two factories was no less than ten million copper coins, but the craftsmanship of these two masters was probably not worth that price.

Dirk also looked at Charlotte with a smile. He hadn't had much contact with Charlotte, but he had heard a lot about her from Diana during this time. After spending a short time with her today, he found her to be an interesting person.

Ernest looked at Charlotte and said coldly, "This gentleman speaks so eloquently, invited by the master to assess your skills. Does he perhaps possess superior weaving techniques? If he is a fellow craftsman, why not demonstrate his skills for us? We two are men of standing in Ska City. If you are truly as incompetent as you claim, we will not take a single penny and will return to Ska City today!"

"I'm a doctor, not one of your colleagues," Charlotte said with a smile and a shake of her head.

"Doctor?" Ernest and Jeria were both taken aback, but quickly showed a hint of anger.

"Then why are you, an outsider, getting involved?!"

"That's right, our master is a famous craftsman in Scarcity."

Ernest's apprentices complained angrily.

"Although I am a doctor, I do know a little about textiles." Charlotte ignored the young man's clamor and looked at Ernest and Jeria, saying, "Since you want to see my textile methods, let's make a three-day agreement. We'll meet here in three days and have a contest of spinning and weaving."

Ernest scoffed, "You, a doctor, want to compete with us in spinning and weaving? Even if you win, it's an unfair victory for us. What benefit would we gain?!"

Diana smiled and said, "If you win, I will agree to your previous conditions."

Ernest and Jeria exchanged a glance, and the latter nodded slightly, then said, "Alright, since the host has said so, then we will have the competition here in three days. If we lose, we will return to Sga City that same day without taking a single penny!"

"Take the masters to the villa to rest," Diana ordered, and immediately servants led the two groups away.

"How did you suddenly become knowledgeable about textiles? Are you confident?" Diana asked Charlotte after she left, her eyes full of curiosity.

"I think you're even more confident than me. You didn't care about anything else and just placed a huge bet," Charlotte said to her with a hint of helplessness.

"Didn't you propose the three-day agreement?" Diana said matter-of-factly, "If you're willing to bet, I'm willing to follow. I know you."

Charlotte laughed and said, "Their technology is too backward. This is why there are no large-scale textile factories in Ska City. Even very skilled textile workers can only make a living and are not enough to support a large-scale factory."

They believe that the workers in the Abyss are cheap, which is a sign that they want to exploit the workers to the death, which is completely contrary to your original intention of establishing the textile factory.

If we let them own half the shares and give them control of the business, the textile factory will most likely go bankrupt soon, which would defeat the purpose of creating more jobs. So I wanted to sabotage this business.”

"So, you don't know how to weave at all?" Diana looked at Charlotte, somewhat amused and exasperated.

Dirk remained calm: "It's nothing. They can't cause any trouble in the Abyss. If the deal falls through, they can't force us to buy or sell. Arrange two carriages, and we can send them back today."

Charlotte quickly replied, "I am indeed not a qualified weaver, but I have consulted a lot of information these days and also learned some weaving knowledge from elves who are skilled in weaving. I have designed several sets of weaving tools, which I am currently weaving and testing. Perhaps in three days I can use them to compete with them."

"You can design tools?" Dirk looked at him with considerable surprise.

"They're just some small gadgets, and we're not sure if they'll be effective," Charlotte said modestly.

"I'll be there to watch in three days. I imagine it'll be an interesting match." Dirk looked at him admiringly, then stood up and said, "You guys keep chatting. I have some things to take care of, so I won't keep you company any longer."

"Goodbye, Father," Diana said, rising to her feet.

"Goodbye, Mr. Dirk." Charlotte also stood up and watched Dirk walk towards the door.

"Let's go too. It's too quiet sitting here. Come to my place for a drink," Diana said.

"No problem." Charlotte nodded slightly. He still had some things he wanted to say to her, but it was indeed a bit inconvenient to do so here.

"When did you design the textile tools? Are they more efficient than those two groups today?" On the way back to the villa, Diana couldn't help but ask curiously.

"If it succeeds, the efficiency should be much higher," Charlotte nodded.

Diana smiled, looking forward to it, and said, "If the price can be doubled, the textile factory will make money, and the workers will also earn a good income."

If all the machines can run smoothly, the efficiency will definitely be more than double!

Charlotte didn't say this aloud, since it was still unknown whether the machine would be effective. Machines always need to be debugged and improved, and it's rare for one-time molding to be completely flawless.

This is why he gave himself three days to set up the cotton gin and box-type cotton gin, and at the same time get the most crucial spinning machine and weaving machine in place.

"You did something really big yesterday afternoon." As they entered the villa, Diana, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped, turned around to look at Charlotte, her eyes full of smiles. "By the way, when did you become a high-ranking knight?"