Chapter : 15

I coveted the Dwarves, but it was impossible to get them right away.

Indeed, who would accept being told to suddenly leave their homeland and settle elsewhere?

In the end, I had to be content with settling just a few Dwarves from the Blackrock Mercenary Company.

Of course, separate from this, my Great Forest reclamation was going very smoothly.

“The land secured through the Great Forest reclamation project is currently about 10,000 acres. Of this, 5,800 acres have been reclaimed.”

“10,000 acres, and 5,800 of them reclaimed…. Isn't there still more undeveloped land left?”

“Yes. If we level all the territory our soldiers advanced through, it seems we can secure an additional 50,000 acres of farmland suitable for wheat cultivation.”

“I see.”

I nodded at Treasurer Palmer’s words.

5,800 acres.

Unlike the barren farmland in the existing domain, this was fertile land with irrigation channels starting from the Seine River.

Having introduced the Norfolk farming method, it was sure to show an enormous food production yield.

Moreover, this was only about 10 percent of the reclamation target. If all 50,000 acres were reclaimed, it would be vast farmland capable of supporting a population of about 50,000.

If we switched from wheat to grains like rye and barley, and raised livestock more actively, we could support an even larger population.

If that happened, my domain's scale would become roughly similar to, or even larger than, other great lords.

‘I’ve finally taken the first step.’

Only then did I let out a sigh of relief.

First, our food production capacity had to be supported so that we could endure the future [Great Famine] and plan for the days to come.

After all, soldiers were a group that consumed an enormous amount of food. In that sense, I was now just standing at the same starting line as the other lords.

“Is there anything else to report?”

“Hmm…. Although a considerable portion was lost to the fire, we have secured quite a lot of timber. Approximately 10,000 logs in total, with about 3,000 of them being high-quality grade.”

Hmm. To have secured that much.

I am very satisfied. It seems the expenses for this campaign will be fully covered by the timber.

“And….”

“And?”

“The monster corpses we acquired this time, right? Their value is high, but it is difficult to process such a large quantity all at once.

The carcasses are beginning to decompose, and there's a risk of an epidemic…. How should we handle them, my Lord?”

“Ah, is that so? Hmm….”

At Treasurer Palmer's words, I fell into thought.

Monster carcasses.

They might seem like useless trash at a glance, but [Pangea Universalise] was strictly a fantasy world. Therefore, monster carcasses had many uses.

The Kruk, for example, had hides rich in collagen, which were used for glue extraction, and their tendons were tough and elastic, making them useful for bowstrings.

Moreover, the fur of some monsters was very durable and had excellent insulation, making it a fine product in itself.

That's why just burning them all felt like a waste.

If used well, it's all money.

Then, at a sudden thought, my face brightened.

“By any chance, how much manpower can we pull from the poorhouse right now?”

“We can pull about 500 to 1,000 people. As a matter of fact, we are starting to have a surplus of labor.”

“Oh, then I'll use them.”

“Surely you don't intend to use them for processing? But there's the issue of skill, and even with them, the speed won't increase much. There are just so many new monster carcasses coming in….”

Treasurer Palmer trailed off.

He must be thinking that my idea wasn't a very good one.

Well, I understood.

At best, he'd break even, and even if they did well, the monster carcasses would likely keep piling up.

If an epidemic broke out then, it would be a true catastrophe. As a key vassal of the domain, he would want to stop his lord's seemingly reckless actions.

But have I ever moved without a plan?

I had it all figured out.

* * *

The great scholar Adam Smith said.

If ten artisans in a pin factory, each capable of making 20 pins a day, worked individually, they could only make 200 pins a day, but if the process of making a pin was divided into 18 distinct operations and assigned to ten men, they could make 48,000 pins a day.

A truly enormous increase in productivity.

‘The division of labor inevitably brings about a tremendous increase in production efficiency.’

To the point that the production speed outpaces consumption, leaving a surplus of goods.

Therefore, no matter how difficult the task of processing those monster carcasses may be, if we use the division of labor, we should be able to handle the volume.

‘Besides, a modern factory is out of the question, but a manufactory is certainly possible.’

What great things are needed to process monster carcasses?

A decent workbench, abundant water, and sturdy tools should be enough. It didn't require any particularly automated machinery or engineering facilities.

Thinking so, I immediately erected a wooden building on the reclaimed land near the Seine River.

A spacious building with a high ceiling.

Inside, following the advice of existing artisans, I divided it into various sections for washing, sorting, trimming, and so on.

Then I made the artisans foremen and put the poor from the poorhouse to work under them.

After operating like that for a month.

“My goodness, my Lord. What on earth kind of magic did you perform?”

Treasurer Palmer's jaw dropped in astonishment.

For the first few days, the factory hadn't run smoothly, just as he had thought.

But the speed gradually increased, and now they were at a point where they had to rest because there were no monster carcasses left.

On top of that, the quality was also improving, which was simply bewildering.

“Magic? It's nothing of the sort. Why are you so surprised by something so obvious?”

I shrugged and said to Treasurer Palmer.

Knowing the outcome, I wasn't particularly impressed.

My mind was already thinking about the next step.

‘As expected, the division of labor is effective. Then shall I test it on the lumber mill?’

First, I immediately applied it to the lumber mill that produces Bollinwood, the domain's main specialty.

As with the previous case, the amount of timber produced per day increased explosively compared to before.

However, once it reached a certain level, the increase in production stopped, because the wood had to be dried sufficiently to become usable timber.

‘Hmm, so in cases with physical time limitations, the efficiency does decrease.’

When this happened, the artisans ended up having no work and had to rest. I realized that instead of blindly increasing production, I needed to properly allocate processes and manpower to appropriately control the speed.

And as this data accumulated, I immediately called for Treasurer Palmer.

“You called for me, my Lord.”

“It’s been hard to see your face lately. So, how are the domain’s affairs?”

“Thanks to you, things are excellent. Due to the businesses you’ve started—no, I mean, undertaken, the finances are more plentiful than ever.”

It felt like he was emphasizing the first part, but I'm probably imagining it, right?

Now that I look, it seems like the corner of his mouth is twitching slightly, too?

“Is thaaat so?”

“Kehehehem. Hmm, ahem.”

At that, Treasurer Palmer let out a dry cough.

He seems a little impertinent, but let's move on for now.

“The reason I called you is because I have something for you to do.”

“Something to do?”

At the word ‘do’, Treasurer Palmer looked at me, startled.

His expression suggested he was wondering what kind of trouble the lord was stirring up again.

And it was understandable. For a while, thanks to the projects I started, Treasurer Palmer had been busy going to the sites every morning.

Maybe that's why his head seemed to be shining particularly brightly these days.

“Ah, it's nothing major. Hasn't the factory stabilized recently?”

“Factory? Ah, you mean the workhouse at the poorhouse.”

The term was still unfamiliar by this world's standards, so Treasurer Palmer nodded as he answered.

“Yes, that workhouse. Hasn't it stabilized a lot recently? I'm saying it seems it’s time for you to stop managing it.”

“Oh, is that so!”

“Yes. From now on, hand over the management to another artisan and take your hands off it.”

“Eheheh. Of course, that's how it should be.”

At my words, Treasurer Palmer smiled brightly. It seemed he thought he was finally escaping this hellish workload.

But what can I do? I was planning to give him another job instead….

“Ahem, seeing you so happy makes me feel good.”

After a brief cough, I continued.

“After you step away from that factory, I would like you to take charge of a new workhouse. We plan to expand the division of labor to all areas.”

“……?”

“In particular, you will have to keep meticulous records from now on.

The work processes to be divided, the placement of personnel, differences in production volume according to skill level, and so on.

You'll compile all the figures and quantify them. Hmm? Why the long face?”

“Surely you're not telling me to do it all by myself?”

“Hmm? Of course not.”

“Oh, of course, right?”

At that, Treasurer Palmer’s face brightened.

Until he heard my next words.

“Of course. I'll assign you a scribe and an administrator, so lead them and give it a try. You understand it now, don't you?

The division of labor. Hmm? So distribute the work well and get it done.”

“…….”

“Why, do you not want to? You can say so if you don't. Of course….”

“If I say so, I'll be resting comfortably forever, won't I, my Lord?”

“Keh. Exactly.”

After my nonchalant words, Treasurer Palmer stared at me for a moment before finally letting out a deep sigh and saying he understood. I, feeling a pang of guilt, could only subtly avoid Palmer's gaze.

But what could I do?

Treasurer Palmer and I are the only ones who know how to do this.

It's not like I can go to the site and do everything one by one, right?

As they say, rank is king.

* * *

And just as I had wrapped up the factory issue.

“My Lord.”

Chamberlain Hamil came to see me.

“Oh, Chamberlain Hamil. So, what brings you here?”

“A merchant has come and requested an audience.”

“A merchant?”

If it was a merchant, wasn't it something Chamberlain Hamil could handle?

I remembered that lords rarely had private meetings with merchants. Besides, merchants also preferred to meet with the working officials rather than the lord, with whom they had to be formal.

Sure enough.

“He says he wants to purchase the monster byproducts and Bollinwood we've stockpiled. However, the amount is so large that it is a bit much for me to handle.”

“Is that so?”

Listening to him, it made sense.

The monster byproducts being produced now were more than enough to fill a warehouse.

The amount of Bollinwood produced was also close to a two-year supply.

To handle such a volume, he must be a massive merchant. It would be quite burdensome for Chamberlain Hamil to meet him alone.

And Chamberlain Hamil's next words turned my speculation into certainty.

“Moreover, he holds a title. He requested a private audience with you, my Lord.”

A merchant with a title.

Some merchants donated large sums of money to the country and received a life peerage, but the term was usually used in a different sense.

A purveyor to the king.

The king's moneybag and the king's agent.

‘I was wondering when he would make a move. He's finally dragged his heavy ass over here.’