Quantum Leap Vol. 7 Fausto japan KabushikiGaisha

C016 Have You Been Instigated To Look Into Our Affairs?

I appointed the execom to guide the new foot soldiers as well as the calvary on how to defend and protect the lives and properties of those who ply the trade routes.

Once it had been properly implemented, the trade routes for Tochigi would also be implemented and such implemented had been proposed to all the Mayors of the Town and was welcomed of the idea.

Who doesn't want free service provided by Fasuto Japan KabushikiGaisha, right?

For the following week, the trade routes had been fully protected from the terrors of would-be bandits and the delivery boys felt assured of the safeguarding of their lives.

"Little things make a huge difference in the acceptance of a person's life. With the employment of the residents in the outermost District, almost half of the households had been employed and significant changes can be seen over some time."

"No one will need to set traps and forage the forest anymore and their livelihood had jumped nearly 1.5 amount that they normally receive per month. Our wealth would be shared among our employees as they are the main backbone of our corporation. Even adding another gold coin to their salary would not cause a dent in our financial status."

"The most important thing is that we always need to remain humble and respect everyone as it would be more honourable to earn respect than to demand it. Lastly, don't ever forget where we had come from and from our humble beginnings."

The employees were also surprised to see that none of us showed our wealth by having lots of accessories adorned on our bodies and fingers as well as our toes. All we had was the medallion type of pocket watch that we had hung instead in our necks to tell the time.

"Another thing before we adjourn this meeting. All the head of the household would have a card to represent the collection of rice supplies. Even though they are either currently employed by us or not, they still are entitled with a sack of 10 kilos of rice per month and they are not allowed to sell it for profit."

"Anyone caught doing so would be brought here for interrogation."

The residents of the outermost District would vote me for being the next Mayor and the rest of the execom would be the advisers. But currently, we weren't looking forward to it and are satisfied with running our own business the same way as the first day we had started.

We had dinner of grilled fish, steamed rice and a huge bowl of vegetable soup that comprises of cabbage, long beans, carrots, potatoes, sweet corn and scraps of chicken meat and bones and it was the best soup for the soul. It was simple and yet very fulfilling and satisfying.

After a simple dinner, we had several cups of sake and a few dozens of yakiniku that we had not bought from the yatai sellers for a very long time.

"Sooooooo... Any more ideas on beauty products?"

"Not really, Sensei. Even if we have new innovative products, we need another warehouse to run effectively. If we can buy the two pieces of land in front of us, we can rest assured that another 6 warehouses would sprout and a total number of at least 200-250 manpower would be added to it."

"We can afford to pay the employees but then we need to fully utilise on the future that beholds. What we're you thinking, you have anything to suggest?"

"I was thinking of pomade, but only a certain group of people would use that and its for men who wanted to have slick hair swept back and stays there even in duels. You think it's possible?"

"Sure it's possible. Think of several scents up to a minimum of 6 manly scents that you could think of and we can produce it after we made some adjustment to the top engravings of the porcelain ware."

"Hahahahaha..... I have the scents made up already. I will let you know in a short while and then we can discuss with the Potter to supply us with 100,000 such porcelain ware."

"That's great, Sensei... If any of you guys want to implement or propose anything, please let us know and we can brainstorm together."

=*=

After the members of execom had gone back to their respective homes, we sat down in the garden and looked at the well-lighted warehouses that were churning out hundreds of product items for sale within the towns and cities nearby here.

We had added another 80 or more manpower to support in our external economic affairs, we decided to upgrade on our production of plates for the Blacksmith Alliance and produce Refined Steel instead. Although the earlier projected price of a Refined Steel plate would be set at 25 gold coins each, we decided to let the Blacksmith Alliance and Kuro-san of our Blacksmith shop decide how would it costs for them.

We decided to get 4 buckets of iron ores and one each for coal and limestone. We went to our Ops Room and entered the Realm of Mind to make the first trial batch based on the estimated amount of iron ores, coal and limestone.

I visualise a new smelting pot that was made of a stronger material to hold and melt the pieces together. The Visualization and materialisation of the new smelting pot slowly integrate in front of us. After the new smelting pot had appeared, we fired it up using the automated bellows and soon the bed of coals turned red hot.

We dropped the buckets of iron ores, coal and limestone and waited for the whole stuff become melted and we slowly scrape the slag and impurities away and dropped it into an abyss that leads to some unknown place. When the Molten steel had been cleared of slag and impurities, it was tipped over and into the dispenser pot.

The runway rollers were now enclosed and had a conceal cooling chamber instead. This cooling chamber was to force cool air by using multiple cooling units and being extracted by an exhaust unit and released into the atmosphere somewhere, like a depopulated land somewhere in Africa or PNG or even the Middle East!

This method enhances the metals to cool down in a natural environment afterwards. After we had adjusted a moulding tray in the target drop area, I stepped on the release pedal and a stream of Molten steel flows on top of the moulding tray surface and flowed evenly to all the 10 empty plates slot.

The Molten metal was more reddish than the iron one and soon, trays after trays were filled and it emerges from the other end, while Hiko-sama lifted and arranged the refined steel moulding trays until the dispenser unit had drained of its content. The moulding tray emerged at the end of the roller mechanism looked like it contained mercury as the contents had cooled down by half of its temperature.

A load of that proportion had made 20 moulding trays of 200 pieces and we decided to call it a day and head back to our real world as we logged off from our meditative state and into our real world.

"How much do you think the Refined Steel plate would fetch in the open market? You had projected 25 gold piece for a single piece, right? Since Refined Iron was a second tiered class under iron, then the Refund Steel would cost between a 3rd and 4th tiered Iron... Which you termed as Super Purified Iron before, right? "

"Yes Sensei, a Super Purified Iron has not much between its higher or lower class since it was 99.5% pure Iron. No one in this era would have a scientific method to gauge on the purity of higher grade Iron besides being a Common Iron and Refined Iron. Other than that, we just leave it as it is since the Refined Iron plates had made us busy for the 2 months."

"Thankfully for the free weapon parts and the junk of construction materials provided by the head of building and construction, we were able to accumulate such wealth over nothing. Furthermore, we only had about 2 wagons full to create Refined Iron plates and then we stopped supplying and upgrade to Refined Steel instead."

"These Refined Steel would be released to the review by the Alliance and once we have almost depleted our stock. We would leave something like a 1000 pieces of Refined Iron on our inventory before we make the Refined Steel."

"To make Refined Steel we have to consider its costs, even though it doesn't impact much once a sale price is being pronounced. So, in the next duration of 2 weeks, we would have cleared all the iron junk and we can move on to produce Refined Steel and keep the stock for the future."

"Sounds good to me, a 6000 moulding tray daily would finish the whole 2 wagons by 4-5 days and produce an estimated of 300,000 pieces. At the rate we are supplying these Refine Iron plates, we should deplete it in 2 weeks at most."

"Wah seh, Sensei! Your projection is getting better and better. Alright, from tomorrow onwards we will clear the Refined Iron and tomorrow we will discuss on the expansion to other Prefecture."

We go about our nightly activities and went to sleep with a satisfied smile on our faces.

The next following day, the ambassadors had left to check on the affairs of their branch offices and had fully settled the payment of the lease. The property agents had given us free 6 months lease discount and the ambassadors brought it back for us to pool it into the float cash.

New apprentices had been hired and the delivery plans worked like clockwork as they waited to receive the goods in the manned 3rd outpost from the direction of Kitakata. A quick exchange of invoices and deposit slips were made in sealed envelopes, and our delivery boys returned with empty wagons instead.

It was a quick drop and pick procedures and our delivery boys could concentrate to load up for the next day deliveries. Every day, notes were sent to the branch offices to indicate the number of wagons needed for the exchange and every day the messengers had two-way earnings instead of being only one-sided.

The manned outposts were not forgotten as their lunches, dinners and suppers were being brought by the cavalrymen to be evenly distributed to the 12 guards on rotational duties.

One day, we had a surprise as one Imperial Guard came to the courtyard and summoned the execom members to the castle to have a formal meeting with the Mayor.

"What's up? What have we done now that ticked him off or he wanted to ask a favour from us in borrowing some gold? Better not give in, kid... It is easy to borrow and it's difficult to return."

Hide advises me as we made our way to the castle and didn't know what to expect. However, with the calm manner that we were being approached and summoned to the castle means that it would be rather neutral or good news for us.

The moment we reached there and before we could even bow, the Mayor got on his feet and welcomed the execom.

"Welcome... Welcome... Thank you for coming at a moments notice, my fellow honourable citizens. Come let's have a seat at my Sakura garden on the side here while we have tea and discuss matters of the heart."

The mayor welcomed us like friends he had not seen for a long time. I took on my guard and prepare to bombastic him with my sharp wits and tongue.

"Your Excellency, what seems to be the urgent matter that you had immediately summoned us? Is there something that we did or you had been instigated to investigate and probe into our matters? Haa... Haa... Haa..."