Heinz

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Heinz (海因策)
Species/Race	Human 44
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xinfei Merchant Guild; Heinz’s General Store 4 17
Occupation/Role	General-store owner; Xinfei vice chairman; factory manager, later overseeing the Household Magic Machinery Workshop 4 25 30 47
Ownership Stake	20% of the business; identified as Xinfei’s third-largest shareholder after Xu Yi and Viscount Leslie 15 43
Salary	Initially set at 30 gold coins per month as factory manager, separately from his shareholder dividends 30
Base of Operations	Bunta City and Xinfei’s factory outside the city 4 10 21
First Appearance	Chapter 4: “Selling” 4

Background / History

From Shopkeeper to Business Partner

Heinz originally ran a small general store in Bunta City, earning roughly one gold coin in daily net profit. He agreed to sell three Magic Fans for Xu Yi because the young mage was a regular customer, despite doubting that the unfamiliar devices would sell. Karl’s immediate purchase of two fans for four gold coins, followed by other interested customers, convinced him that the invention offered a major business opportunity 4.

Working for a 10% sales commission, Heinz collected 137 preorders in a single day and urged Xu Yi to increase production. He also lent Xu Yi 200 gold coins to purchase materials for the first large batch. When all 487 usable fans sold in under an hour, Xu Yi gave him 400 gold coins to cover repayment, his agreed share, and an additional 100 gold coins toward renting a larger production space 5 6.

Establishing the Factory

Heinz accompanied Xu Yi to inspect land owned by Viscount Leslie. He questioned the remote site, construction expenses, and proposed road improvements, preferring a smaller workshop suited to their immediate needs. He nevertheless deferred to Xu Yi’s plans for a full-scale factory 10.

After receiving a 20% ownership stake, Heinz took charge of production, transport, and sales, leaving his general store to his nephew Alex. He organized construction of a wooden workshop covering up to 500 square meters within ten days of the land being leased. Xu Yi trusted him with almost all routine management, while continuing to provide strategic direction 15 21.

Counterfeits and Brand Awareness

Heinz alerted Xu Yi when imitation Magic Fans appeared, fearing that every counterfeit meant a lost sale. He initially doubted the usefulness of Xinfei’s registered emblem and protested its annual cost of 1,000 gold coins 15 16.

When buyers brought broken counterfeits to his store, Heinz explained that genuine Xinfei fans bore a half-wing emblem. He then announced the guild’s offer to repair each affected fan once for free, provided no replacement parts were required. Watching the crowd shift from anger to gratitude helped him understand how customer service could build recognition and trust in the Xinfei brand 16 17.

Formal Management Responsibilities

Xu Yi formally appointed Heinz factory manager, with responsibility for production and daily affairs. Heinz initially refused a salary because he already owned shares, but accepted after Xu Yi insisted that ownership and payment for labor were separate matters. Alex became assistant factory manager at ten gold coins per month 30.

Heinz arranged accommodation for the workers lent by Leslie and the incoming dwarf craftsmen. Following Xu Yi’s instructions, he treated the enslaved workers equally and attended carefully to their daily needs. Once assembly-line production began, adjusting staffing between production steps became his responsibility 30 32.

Xu Yi also instructed him to buy as many Magic Crystal mines as the guild could afford, quickly and discreetly. Heinz agreed despite questioning the cost of mining their own crystals and not understanding the need for secrecy; the passages do not establish that the purchases were completed 32.

Transition to Household Machinery

Heinz objected to sharing Xinfei’s manufacturing technology with President Fasak, fearing lost trade secrets, new competitors, and the surrender of the Sartan City market. Xu Yi instead emphasized continued research and the long-term value of establishing industry standards 36.

As summer ended and Magic Fan orders declined, Heinz feared that his workshop would close and accused Xu Yi of favoring Canby’s busier Machine Tool Workshop. Xu Yi reassured him by renaming his operation the Household Magic Machinery Workshop, explaining the winter potential of heating Magic Air Conditioners and promising a new product within twenty days. The subsequent successful Magic Rice Cooker test provided the intended next product, though its handover to Heinz is not shown 47 48.

Personality

Heinz is meticulous, hardworking, and organized. His ownership dividends strongly motivate him, and commercial opportunities can make him enthusiastic or flattering. His concern with money is not absolute: he initially rejects both his own salary and payment for Alex because he considers their work an existing obligation 5 15 30.

His outlook is shaped by running a small shop. He understands immediate costs, sales, and practical problems better than research investment or long-term industrial strategy. Xu Yi considers him an excellent day-to-day organizer but insufficiently flexible and far-sighted to manage the entire company independently 21 22 47.

Heinz is protective of the business and prone to anxiety when its revenue or independence appears threatened. Nevertheless, he generally follows Xu Yi’s judgment, even when he does not understand the reasoning. He also notices employee needs, offering to advocate for workshop cooling when the heat begins affecting the students’ efficiency 25 32 33 36.

Abilities & Skills

Retail Sales and Customer Management

• Explains the Magic Fan’s purchase price and low operating costs to prospective buyers 4.
• Organizes preorders and manages the crowd during the first large-scale sale 5 6.
• Handles counterfeit complaints publicly and presents Xinfei’s brand identification and repair policy 16 17.

Factory Administration

• Keeps production, sales, and logistics coordinated without delaying the guild’s progress 21.
• Organizes construction, worker housing, personnel arrangements, and everyday factory operations 21 30.
• Carries a small notebook to record Xu Yi’s instructions and recruitment plans 18.
• Requires Xu Yi’s guidance on broader strategy, technical standards, and product diversification 21 25 44 47.

Local Knowledge and Contacts

• Recognizes Sloan Street in Anvilmar as an address associated with important people 7.
• Recommends the dwarf smith Master Ranu when Xu Yi needs better craftsmanship 14.
• Investigates local advertising options and establishes that Bunta City has no newspaper accessible to ordinary residents 18.

Relationships

• Xu Yi — Business partner and the source of Xinfei’s strategic direction. Heinz supplies early financing and dependable management; Xu Yi rewards him with ownership and a salary while recognizing his limitations 6 15 21 30.
• Alex — Nephew and trusted assistant. Alex takes over the general store before helping Heinz manage the factory and becoming assistant factory manager 15 30.
• Viscount Leslie — Landlord and fellow shareholder. Heinz initially objects to giving Leslie a stake, then learns Xu Yi’s reasoning about securing noble support 11.
• Sebas — Leslie’s representative within Xinfei. Heinz fears that Leslie may use Sebas to influence decisions or take control of the guild 33.
• Canby — Fellow workshop manager. Their exchanges reveal friction between the human and dwarf workers; Heinz later compares Canby’s thriving workshop unfavorably with his own declining fan operation 44 47.
• Karl — Regular customer whose purchase of two Magic Fans first demonstrates the product’s commercial promise to Heinz 4.
• President Fasak — External business partner whose access to Xinfei’s machinery and production methods makes Heinz concerned about competition 36.

Notable Quotes

“I own a share of the business. Managing this place is already my responsibility. How can I take a salary on top of that?” 30

“If the problem lies with our store, we’ll make sure it’s properly resolved!” 16