Switching to a New Product

Perhaps the gods had finally been paid, because just after noon, the long-awaited downpour came crashing down.

Raindrops the size of little fingers stung when they struck bare skin. They hit the thick log roof with a steady, muffled thud.

"This is the heaviest rain we've had yet. Think the roof will leak?" Xu Yi looked up at it with a worried frown.

"It might leak a little, but it shouldn't be a big problem," Heinz replied, unconcerned.

The sudden downpour had turned the world outside pitch-black. Through the windows, they could barely see ten meters.

The workers had already left the workshop. With only Xu Yi, Heinz, Sebas, and Canby remaining, the place felt vast and quiet.

The huge raindrops drummed against the roof, their sound echoing through the workshop.

"No, a leak would be a big problem." Xu Yi shook his head. "Heinz, we make precision machines here. If they get rained on, they could rust at best. At worst, the Magic Arrays inside could be damaged and ruin the entire machine. We have to take this seriously."

Heinz looked up helplessly. "Surely it's not that bad? They're made of iron. A little rain won't hurt them."

Canby the Dwarf gave Xu Yi a puzzled look too. He couldn't understand why Xu Yi was making such a fuss.

As a master Dwarf craftsman, Canby had forged more ironware in his lifetime than Xu Yi had probably ever seen. He didn't believe those dark iron machines would fall apart over a little rain.

Only Sebas showed no change in expression, as usual.

Xu Yi felt just as helpless. This world doesn't even have proper steel, let alone stainless steel. Rust prevention is rudimentary too, and it cuts the useful life of a lot of ironware short.

He glanced back at a completed batch of Magic Fans in the corner of the workshop and shook his head.

He couldn't help it. He was a mechanical engineer. Though he knew something about Materials Research, he wasn't an expert and couldn't produce a complete formula for plastic. If he could make the Magic Fan casings out of plastic, they would resist rust, weigh far less, and look better. Most importantly, they would cost much less to make, which would mean even higher profits.

The Magic Arrays, meanwhile, were drawn with special magical materials. Once formed, an array was difficult to damage unless the material it was attached to was damaged. That was less of a concern.

"Even setting the products aside, we'll need to renovate these workshops," Xu Yi insisted. "If the leaks get bad, they'll interfere with production. Heinz, arrange it as soon as you can."

Seeing that Xu Yi wouldn't budge, Heinz could only nod.

"All right, let's set that aside. Where were we?" Xu Yi asked.

As the four people chiefly responsible for running the guild, they had stayed after the workers left to review the past month's operations and plan its next steps.

"Canby was saying everything's going smoothly in the Magic Machine Tool Workshop, except that a lot of the Dwarves complain the work is too easy. They don't have enough to do," Heinz answered.

"Yeah, a lot of the brothers say they hardly do any work here, yet they get paid so much every month. They feel a bit guilty about it." Canby scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

Xu Yi couldn't help laughing.

The Dwarves really were earnest. They weren't happy with an easy workload and even thought they were being paid too much for it.

"Canby, tell them not to worry. Your workload is light right now because the people outside haven't realized how important Machine Tools are. Just wait until the Fasak Merchant Guild's factory in Sartan City is built. I guarantee orders for Machine Tools will come pouring in. Don't complain when you're too busy."

Canby grinned and waved a hand. "Why would we? Dwarves can put up with hard work better than anyone. As long as there's wine to drink, we can work as much as you like."

"Speaking of drinking... Canby, I know you Dwarves love wine, but try not to drink while working. The Machine Tools you make require high precision. Even a tiny mistake could cause a serious problem, so you need to stay clearheaded on the job. The Xinfei Merchant Guild is still small. As we grow, we have to pay close attention to product quality."

Canby nodded. "All right. I'll warn them. They can drink after work, but not on the job."

Xu Yi frowned. "A warning alone might not be enough. Let's make it a rule. Anyone caught drinking during Working Hours gets fined fifty Silver Coins the first time, two gold coins the second time, and their entire month's wages the third time."

"Isn't that too harsh?" Canby said, taken aback. "Chairman, those brothers love drink more than life itself. With a rule like that, I'm afraid a whole lot of them won't get paid."

"That's exactly why the rule needs to be strict." Xu Yi's expression turned serious. "Product quality has to come first. If someone causes a problem with a product through their own actions, it's only right that they face a penalty."

Seeing how serious Xu Yi was, Canby lowered his head in resignation.

"All right. I'll explain it to them."

"Of course, this rule isn't aimed only at the Dwarf brothers. Heinz, it applies to the Magic Fan workshop too."

Heinz understood that Xu Yi wanted the rule to be fair and promptly agreed.

"And don't look so dejected, Canby. There'll be rewards as well as penalties. Tell the Dwarf brothers that if they do their work well, I can place a large order with Sachi Manor on the guild's behalf. When they want fine wine, they can apply to the guild for it based on their performance."

Canby's eyes lit up. "You mean it?"

"Would I joke about that now?"

Canby's dejection vanished, and he burst out laughing.

"Good, good! That's great! I guarantee the brothers will work twice as hard when they hear they can get wine from Sachi Manor!"

"Good." Xu Yi smiled and nodded, then turned to Heinz. "Now that we've covered the Magic Machine Tool Workshop, it's the Magic Fan workshop's turn."

Heinz straightened proudly. "There's nothing to worry about in the Magic Fan workshop. The slave workers are obedient. They won't cause any trouble."

Canby shot Heinz a glare. That was clearly a dig at his people.

Xu Yi waved a hand with a wry smile. The Dwarves had been working here for a month, but a divide still remained between them and the humans.

It would take a long time to close that divide. He couldn't rush it.

"No, Heinz. The issue with the Magic Fan workshop isn't the workers. It's what we'll produce next."

Heinz blinked. "There's no problem with production. Everything's going smoothly."

"I'm not talking about whether production is going smoothly. Have you considered a more important question? We may have to stop making Magic Fans."

"What?" Heinz shot to his feet. "Stop making them? Why? Magic Fans sell so well. Why would we stop?"

Canby and Sebas also looked at Xu Yi in confusion.

The Second-Generation Variable-Speed Magic Fan had been in production for less than half a month, yet they had already sold over six thousand units and brought the guild more than five thousand gold coins in revenue. With sales that strong, why was Xu Yi suddenly talking about stopping production?

Xu Yi pointed out the window. "Because summer is almost over."

The three of them understood at once.

It was already mid-August. Summer was nearly over, and the hot weather would last a month at most.

Once the heat passed, people's desire to buy Magic Fans would naturally plummet, perhaps to nothing.

When no one was buying Magic Fans, there would be no reason to keep making them.

As soon as Heinz grasped that, he grew anxious.

"What do we do, then? Xu Yi, Magic Fans are our biggest moneymaker! If we stop making them, how will we earn anything? Think of something, quick. We can't just wait until next summer to start working again! And by then, there'll be even more Magic Fans from all sorts of brands. We might not sell nearly as many!"

Canby tugged at Heinz. "Why are you panicking? If the chairman brought it up, he must already have a solution. Just listen to him."

Heinz shook Canby off. "Of course you're not worried! Your Magic Machine Tool Workshop always has work. What about ours?" He turned to Xu Yi. "You have a solution, don't you? Then tell me already! I'm dying here!"

Xu Yi patted his shoulder, signaling him to calm down.

"Of course there's a solution. If we can't keep making Magic Fans, we'll switch to a product that isn't affected by the seasons."

Heinz's eyes immediately brightened. "What product?"

Xu Yi grinned and took a drawing from inside his coat. "This one."