"Just as I thought—you intended to start with clothing, completely shatter the most deeply entrenched model of interest distribution that had existed in this world for countless millennia, and fully open up commerce across the continent?" The Dwarf Elf Labuliekang was not surprised at all by Viscount Rost's sudden proposal that all employees wear identical clothing. Instead, he sent back a message in an appreciative tone.
"You don't seem surprised at all?"
"Why should I be surprised?" Labuliekang countered. "Ever since I learned how much importance you placed on machinery such as Magitech Spinning Machines, weaving machines, and sewing machines, I had been wondering why. Agricultural Magitech Machinery, Mining Magitech Machinery, Transportation Magitech Machinery, and Magitech Weapons—all of them seemed more important and more capable of generating profits than these. It was not until I spread the Golden Merchants' Guild across half the continent that I understood. If our Magitech Industry was to spread throughout this world, we needed things that everyone could use, as well as things that could create profits for every noble lord."
"Yes, many people needed the Druid Potions we produced. Yes, noble lords everywhere also needed many of the Magitech Devices produced in your territory. But was that enough? Clearly not. Did every intelligent lifeform need tea, coffee, sugar, or porcelain? Then I suddenly understood why you valued these Magitech Devices so much. Clothing—only clothing was something every intelligent lifeform needed. Every intelligent lifeform needed to wear clothes."
"From my observations, when most races suddenly came into a small amount of money, the first thing they spent it on was clothing. More precisely, once their income rose, the first things most intelligent lifeforms changed were their clothes and food. After that, I became even more certain of it."
What Labuliekang did not say was that