episode_0190

The content written on the paper I received from the crown prince was quite long.

There were so many letters that they filled the entire paper, but it wasn’t just one piece of paper.

But what was written on those papers could be summarized in just one line. That is, ‘The Marquis of Kurid’s situation is not so good-’.

If I were to summarize it very briefly, that would be the case, and in reality, even if I summarized it, it was bound to be at least several lines with a few items.

The first entry was about running a forge with a warlock following me.

[Due to sluggish sales of goods produced in the blacksmith shop owned by the Marquis of Kurid… … ]

Of course, the content was not very good by the standards of the Marquis of Kurid. It was about the sluggish sales of items coming from blacksmith shops and the reasons for this.

And, that content was something I also understood to some extent. This was because the content was not selling well because the quality of the products was poor.

At first, the investigation had already been completed using items that the Crown Prince had separately obtained and sent to him, as well as items secured by merchants, including Sipmed Sangjangju.

The result of the investigation was that the quality of the items made in the Marquis of Kurid’s blacksmith shop was not even up to low-end products.

Of course, it was strange that the product was selling well. No matter how cheap it was sold, there were not many people who bought low-quality items. Moreover, if it breaks after a few uses and you have to buy a new one.

If the money to buy several low-quality items or the money to buy one good item were similar, people’s choice had no choice but to be the latter. Those who needed the product immediately but did not have a lot of money only bought low-quality products in a desperate manner.

Anyway, the next thing written was that the production of items produced in the blacksmith shop was low. It was already a low-quality product that didn’t sell well, and they said there was a shortage of it.

‘… … It’s a total mess.’

I couldn’t help but think that it was a total mess. Saying that the quality was poor and the production was low was tantamount to saying that the knight lacked both combat and command skills.

Of course, it wasn’t without reason. The reason was that the skills of the warlock recruited to take charge of the blacksmith shop were insufficient. This happened because, unlike me, I lacked the skills to handle a large number of undead at the same time and apply them in a variety of ways.

The information written on the paper stated that the blacksmith shop was being operated using at most thirty undead. It was a level that could not be compared to me, who was operating hundreds of instruments at the same time.

Still, the fact that Marquis Kurid was struggling did not change, so I couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh, financial deterioration.”

Moreover, I couldn’t help but smile even brighter due to the content that followed.

The next statement about low production was because the Marquis of Kurid’s financial situation was worsening.

It is related to the previous two contents, and it states that the blacksmith’s finances are deteriorating because it is not making much profit from its operation.

Of course, finances did not deteriorate simply because low-quality products could not be produced in large quantities. To be exact, my stake was very large.

Originally, when running a blacksmith shop, losses were inevitable in the beginning, but the Marquis of Kurid tried to make up for those losses through the textile business he was running. But the plan was distorted because of me.

There weren’t many people who wouldn’t buy cheaper but better quality products. At most, there were people who were divided into factions like the aristocratic faction, or people who wanted to buy it but couldn’t because it was far away.

So naturally, the profits that the Marquis of Kurid should have received decreased, which in turn led to financial deterioration.

‘It looks bad.’

I was very happy to hear that Marquis Kurid’s finances had worsened. Not only was he trying to copy me, he even attacked my city, so I was just happy to be in a difficult situation.

However, as I was looking at the contents of the paper that continued, I couldn’t help but frown.

This is because the paper said that Marquis Kurid was making moves to introduce undead into the textile industry, just as he was trying to follow me this time.

It wasn’t just a plan, it also contained information that they had actually met with another warlock and that some workers had been laid off at a textile production site.

“I guess you saw everything? How was it?”

And, when I put down the papers because there was nothing more to read, the crown prince spoke as if he was asking me what I thought after reading the book.

“Yes. I feel like it’s a bad thing, and I also feel like I have to somehow bring down the Marquis of Kurid.”

“That’s right.”

The crown prince nodded as if he was also similar.

“Then what do you plan to do in the future? Marquis Kurid is still trying to run the blacksmith shop despite draining the family’s finances, and he is also trying to cooperate with the warlock in the textile business.”

“If you just look at what’s written on the paper, there doesn’t seem to be much to worry about right now.”

“Why?”

“First of all… … . As you know, there is an overwhelming difference in the blacksmith section, including this erythronium. You can think of it as a difference that cannot be caught up in a short period of time.”

No matter how hard Marquis Kurid tried, he couldn’t easily close the gap with my blacksmith. The gap was that big.

The Crown Prince also nodded widely as if he agreed, although it may have been because he had seen erythronium with his own eyes.

“Moreover, the gap is not just in the technical aspect. Looking here, it says that the production volume is not high, so judging from that, the level of the hired warlock seems to be a bit low.”

“Why do you think so?”

“The low production volume of even low-quality products means that not many can be produced at once. You can think of it as the difference between working with ten undead at the same time and working with a hundred undead at the same time.”

When I added that the number of undead that can be controlled at once depends on the skill of the warlock, the crown prince said he clearly understood and looked at me with a strange expression.

I wondered why, but I thought that depending on the person, it might be said that I was praising myself. My skills are so good that the Marquis of Kurid cannot keep up with my blacksmithing skills.

Of course, since it wasn’t particularly wrong, I didn’t deny it or anything, and just moved on to the next story.

“And for similar reasons, there seems to be no need to worry too much about fiber.”

“Do you mean fiber as well? Why? Currently, the market share of the textiles produced by Marquis Kurid in Korea is considerable.”

“This is because simply replacing humans with undead does not make a huge difference. You can think of it as being no different from simply deploying manpower 24 hours a day. To make a difference, you’ll need to deploy a large number of undead, and for that… … .”

“The warlock’s skills must be good.”

In the case of blacksmithing, strength is an important part, so using undead may make a difference, but this was not the case with textiles. As there are elderly people who make textiles as a pastime, it is difficult to see much effect simply by using undead.

It was only possible to achieve great results if there was a loom that moves like a drum used in my weaving mill, or a machine that can separate flax stems in large quantities at once.

Simply deploying only undead was not much different from deploying more workers. That alone would have been effective enough, but it was not the key to solving the situation Marquis Kurid was currently facing.

“But it says that the workers were fired. Wouldn’t that save labor costs? Labor costs play a large part in the manufacturing of goods, so if this is resolved, we will be more competitive in price.”

“If Marquis Kurid himself was a warlock and had chosen that method, it would have been a problem. However, Marquis Kurid is not a warlock himself, but rather hires another warlock. The reduced labor costs will go to the warlock anyway. Unless you’re exploiting a warlock.”

In order to completely reduce labor costs with the undead, I had to lead the business myself like I did. If you hire another warlock to continue your business, you will only need the labor costs for the warlock.

Although he was a warlock who was not treated properly and was prejudiced against him, he could not use such a warlock for free.

“Well, no matter how noble he is, he wouldn’t try to exploit a warlock.”

He nodded at the crown prince’s words as he added, “Unless you want to be cursed or killed and turned into a corpse to be eaten.”

There were many warlocks who, if they were exploited to the point where their immediate future was at a loss, would work even if it meant giving up their status as certified warlocks. Either you die from being exploited or you die from being subjugated, that was it.

“However, there is another reason why you do not need to worry too much about fiber.”

“What is that?”

“Currently, the supply of the Marquis of Kurid’s textiles exceeds the demand. Because my Cloth Skeleton’s fiber is cheaper and better, the number of people looking for Marquis Kurid’s fiber has decreased. However, the reason why large quantities are still being sold is because the production of my cloth skeletons is not enough to cover all the demand.”

It’s a real shame, but my cloth skeleton production wasn’t enough to push out all of Marquis Kurid’s fibers.

Although the production capacity itself was sufficient, the supply of raw materials to produce finished products was not smooth. Although the elves are working hard on cultivation, there is no way that just a few elves could grow enough to support a country.

However, when he said that, the Crown Prince looked as if something had occurred to him, and his face became slightly brighter.

“I think I can help you with that part.”

“Yes… … ? Are you sure?”

“Even so, I received some requests for arbitration this time. I’m saying you’re selling textiles too cheaply.”

I was wondering why they were saying there was a request for arbitration after saying they would help with the supply of raw materials, but there was a reason.

“There are quite a few people who make and sell textiles. They say you are losing a lot of money by selling the fiber too cheaply and have asked for arbitration to adjust the price. The request from the aristocratic faction can be safely ignored, but the problem is that some nobles belonging to the royalist faction also requested mediation.”

If I just ignore it, there will be defections from those who belong to the royal faction and follow the royal family, and that doesn’t mean I can’t stop myself from doing the textile business, the crown prince sighed softly.

“Hu… … . Anyway, we need to offer carrots to those people. So, do you have any intention of sharing the profits?”

“If you say profit sharing… … ?”

“Of course, I’m not asking you to share the profits you earn. I want you to get a supply of flax and cotton from the nobles. If you pay the right price, the nobles will be satisfied, and you too can make up for the lack of production.”

I couldn’t help but think about the crown prince’s words for a moment. This is because I honestly did not like the idea of paying for flax and cotton to make fiber.

This is because now, with only the ransom of slave elves, a large amount can be obtained by spending very little money.

However, that thought had no choice but to change due to the Crown Prince’s next words.

“Don’t think too simply. Immediate profits may be slightly reduced, but if you share the profits, you will have a force to support you. Those who do everything on their own and excel on their own have no choice but to be kept in check.”