Cash Reward

The factory on the land rented from Viscount Leslie had been completed less than three days ago, but it was already bustling with activity.

Calling it a factory was generous. For now, it consisted of just one building: a simple, single-story wooden structure covering no more than five hundred square meters.

It was more of a small workshop than anything else.

There was no helping it. Less than ten days had passed since they rented the land from Viscount Leslie, and Heinz had managed to gather enough workers to put up a wooden building of that size. That alone showed what he could do.

If only he could think more flexibly and look further ahead, he'd make an excellent CEO. Xu Yi watched Heinz bustle about supervising production in the distance, feeling a twinge of regret.

Good people were hard to find, not just in research but in management too.

Right now, Heinz was the only person Xu Yi trusted with the job, so he had handed him almost all the management work.

Heinz had done well. He kept production, sales, and logistics in order, and nothing on his end had held up their progress.

But that was as far as his abilities went.

Heinz had been an ordinary grocery-store owner, after all. He handled day-to-day details exceptionally well, but his limited experience left him unable to see the bigger picture and make changes on his own.

Xu Yi often had to keep an eye on the overall situation and give Heinz direction, which took a great deal of his energy.

If he could find a more suitable manager, Xu Yi would be free to focus on research and long-term plans. Heinz, in turn, could concentrate on production and logistics. Their efficiency would improve enormously.

Where am I supposed to find someone like that? Xu Yi wondered.

"Chairman, could I discuss something with you?" A young voice beside him interrupted his thoughts.

Xu Yi turned and paused. "Olin, have you finished your work?"

The slightly chubby young man was one of the thirty students Xu Yi had hired from Baron Rector Magic Academy. Unlike the other twenty-nine, who came from ordinary or even poor families, Olin Zetaman was the son of Viscount Zetaman of Bunta City—a noble through and through.

When Xu Yi first saw his details, he had found it strange. With a family like that, why would Olin need to work for him?

Olin's answer had left Xu Yi at a loss. He said he wanted to experience working life and was interested in the Magic Fan, so he hoped to study it while he was there.

Xu Yi had assumed the boy signed up on a whim and would quit as soon as he discovered how dull factory work was.

He had wanted to reject him, but he had no good reason. These were the first students Xu Yi had recruited from Baron Rector Magic Academy, and Olin was known there as a magical prodigy. Rejecting him without a solid reason could hurt future recruitment.

Besides, if a student from a wealthy family with outstanding magical talent was willing to work here, that might spur the others on.

If even Olin is willing to come, why wouldn't the rest of you?

So Xu Yi had hired Olin despite his misgivings.

To his surprise, more than a week after starting, Olin had not only stuck with the job but completed every assignment meticulously. Thanks to his exceptional magical talent, the Magic Arrays he drew were more precise and worked better than those of the other students.

These performances couldn't help but make Xu Yi see him in a new light.

"I've finished my entire morning quota," Olin answered loudly.

Xu Yi glanced toward the students' work area. Several others had also finished their morning work and were resting, so he nodded. "Good. What did you want to discuss? Is there something you need for work? Just say it. If it's reasonable, I'll agree."

"Well, I do have one request. It's too hot in here. I strongly suggest you set up a Large Frost Array, or the heat will affect our efficiency and enthusiasm."

Xu Yi gave a rueful smile and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't agree to that. You have a Large Frost Array at home, so you should know how much it costs to set one up and keep it running. I can't afford that right now. Bear with it for a while. Once I develop the Magic Air Conditioner, things will be much better."

"Magic Air Conditioner?" Olin's eyes lit up. "What's that? A new kind of magic machine? Chairman, could you tell me about it in detail? I'm really interested!"

Realizing he had let something slip, Xu Yi hurriedly waved him off. "It's only an idea at the moment. I haven't even started researching it, and it certainly won't be ready this summer. Don't ask."

"Oh... so it's confidential." Olin nodded in disappointment, but obediently asked no more.

"Anyway, that's not what you came to talk to me about. What is it?" Xu Yi quickly changed the subject.

Olin brightened at once and pulled a drawing from inside his clothes.

"Chairman, look. This is a Wind Spiral Array I worked out last night. What do you think?"

"A Wind Spiral Array?" Xu Yi gave him a puzzled look. Drawing Wind Spiral Arrays is already your job. Why go home and study them too?

He wasn't about to dampen Olin's enthusiasm, though. He took the drawing and glanced at it, then gave a soft exclamation and studied it closely.

After a long while, Xu Yi looked up at Olin in astonishment. "Did you work out this Wind Spiral Array on your own?"

Olin puffed out his chest. "All by myself. No one helped me."

Xu Yi looked him over as if seeing him for the first time, then patted his shoulder. "Well done. No wonder Director Hiller said you were a rare magical prodigy at Baron Rector Magic Academy and told me to take good care of you."

Olin grinned and pointed at the drawing in Xu Yi's hand. "Chairman, you still haven't told me what you think of the array. I thought this change might make it a little better than the previous Wind Spiral Array, but I wasn't sure."

Xu Yi laughed. "After all that praise, isn't the answer obvious? I haven't tested your change yet, but I can tell it'll reduce the Magic Fan's power consumption a little."

"Oh? Only a little?" Olin was disappointed. "Chairman, the Magic Array you designed was so good it barely had any flaws. Even giving it everything I had, this tiny change was all I could manage."

Xu Yi gave Olin's shoulder a firm pat, his expression turning serious. "Don't underestimate a small change. For magic machines, even the slightest change—no, improvement—can be important. Yours will slow the rate at which the Magic Fan consumes its Magic Crystal, saving its buyers money when they use it. For us, that means more people will want to buy one. More importantly, it means our Xinfei Magic Fan is a better product. You don't yet understand how much that matters."

Olin stared at him, stunned. He had made one small change. How had Xu Yi made it sound so significant?

Then his spirits lifted.

He had altered the Wind Spiral Array out of interest, without thinking about any of that. Having Xu Yi acknowledge his work was enough to satisfy him.

Xu Yi suddenly grabbed Olin by the arm and pulled him over to where the students were working.

Under the puzzled gazes of the other twenty-nine students and Heinz, Xu Yi raised Olin's arm high and announced, "Everyone, listen up! Olin has just proposed a change to the Wind Spiral Array. I've checked it, and it will improve the Magic Fan. So I'm announcing a special Research Award from the company for his proposal. The prize is... ten gold coins!"