Leslie

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Leslie (莱斯利)
Alias(es)	Viscount Leslie 10
Gender	Male 19
Age	Thirty; recently celebrated his birthday when introduced 19
Title	Viscount of the Lampari Kingdom 22
Affiliation	Lampari nobility; Xinfei Merchant Guild 22 23
Occupation/Role	Landowner, investor, and minority shareholder in the Xinfei Merchant Guild 10 23
Residence	An estate near Bunta City’s northwest outskirts 19
First Appearance	Mentioned as the prospective factory’s landowner in Chapter 10; appears personally in Chapter 19 10 19

Background / History

Landlord and Initial Investment

Leslie owns nearly a thousand hectares west of Bunta City, more than half of which is undeveloped. Xu Yi leases one hectare for a Magic Fan factory, initially dealing with Leslie through Butler Wenlai. The original arrangement requires Xu Yi to report his development plans to the viscount 10.

During the land inspection, Xu Yi intervenes when estate guards nearly whip a young slave, later identified as Vivian, to death for losing an ox. He offers Leslie a 10% stake in the planned factory, and Wenlai transfers the child to him as a gift marking their partnership. Xu Yi also intends the investment to align Leslie’s interests with the factory and secure protection against interference on noble-owned land 11 19 20.

Partnership with Xu Yi

Leslie becomes interested in Xu Yi’s handling of dissatisfied customers and his unfamiliar concept of “branding.” Unlike Wenlai, he recognizes that the Magic Fan’s market extends beyond Bunta City and interprets Xu Yi’s large factory site as evidence of broader ambitions 19.

At their first meeting, Leslie questions the workshop’s output and prospects. Xu Yi explains that expansion must wait until production can meet demand without sacrificing quality or reputation. Impressed by this reasoning, Leslie offers improved land terms and a larger investment 22 23.

Term	Initial arrangement	Revised agreement
Lease duration	One year 23	Five years 23
Annual rent	100 gold coins per hectare 11	50 gold coins per hectare 23
Land-use rights	Restricted; development plans require Leslie’s approval 10 23	Full use rights for Xu Yi’s side; Leslie retains ownership 23
Leslie’s stake	10% 11	30%, with land contributed to the guild 23
Decision-making authority	—	Leslie may receive information and offer proposals, but Xu Yi retains final control 23
Legal standing	—	A private investment agreement not protected by kingdom law 23

Leslie accepts investment as a private merchant rather than through his noble status, avoiding the Noble Council supervision and disclosures that Xu Yi opposes. He also stops Wenlai from protesting Xu Yi’s insistence on retaining control 23.

Workforce and Financial Support

When Xu Yi requests one hundred slaves for factory expansion, Leslie initially objects: he owns only about three hundred and already lacks enough workers to cultivate his estate. Xu Yi argues that suitable industrial work could make them more productive than agricultural labor 29.

Leslie subsequently lends one hundred slaves rather than selling or gifting them, retaining the right to reclaim them. They become machine operators and assembly-line workers for the second-generation Magic Fan 30 32. Their continued ownership by Leslie complicates compensation: Xu Yi and Heinz provide goods and benefits instead of direct wages 43.

Leslie also sends Sebas as his financial representative. Xu Yi appoints him to manage the guild’s finances, and Sebas quickly organizes its previously disordered accounts. Although Heinz fears an attempt to gain control, Xu Yi considers the appointment legitimate and valuable 33.

Product Promotion and Agricultural Machinery

Leslie helps Xu Yi test the Magic Air Conditioner at his estate. He considers its proposed twenty-gold-coin price reasonable and recognizes the attraction of operating costs far below those of a Large Frost Array 37.

At Xu Yi’s request, Leslie hosts a banquet ostensibly celebrating his nephew’s birth. Its guests are selected from Bunta City’s wealthy and influential residents, including Count Sean Samo. Two air conditioners cool the reception hall, turning the gathering into a product demonstration while Xu Yi handles sales 38 39.

By this point, Leslie’s Magic Fan investment has earned him more than a thousand gold coins in less than a month. He expects his 30% stake to become increasingly valuable as the guild grows 39.

Discussing agricultural machinery, Leslie offers fifty gold coins apiece for machines capable of replacing oxen and says he would buy as many as Xu Yi could produce. His shortage of farm labor helps confirm the market for such inventions 39.

During the autumn harvest, Leslie invites local nobles to witness the Magic Harvester working in his fields. He directs interested buyers to Xu Yi. When limited production capacity forces Xu Yi to reject additional orders, Leslie offers to lend those nobles his own harvester, easing their displeasure 46 47.

Appearance

• Face: Handsome, with regular features, thick brows, and large eyes 22.
• Complexion: Bronze and slightly dark, unlike the fashionable pallor of many nobles 22.
• Build: Tall, well-proportioned, and visibly accustomed to regular exercise 22.
• Bearing: Well-mannered and relaxed; his appearance strikes Xu Yi as upright rather than frivolous 19 22.

Personality

Leslie is courteous, informal, and willing to engage seriously with a commoner. He asks Xu Yi to treat their first lunch as a friendly meal rather than a formal audience, and his wide-ranging conversation challenges Xu Yi’s expectation of an arrogant, idle noble 22.

He judges inventions by usefulness and commercial potential rather than aristocratic fashion. When Wenlai warns that using a Magic Fan could diminish his standing, Leslie mocks the nobles who dismiss it as a commoners’ device. He values ambition even when he does not fully understand the ideas behind it 19.

His openness toward business does not extend to equal treatment of slaves. He initially considers them suitable only for farming, speaks disparagingly about Vivian, and treats punishment for losing an ox as ordinary. This creates a clear moral contrast with Xu Yi despite their productive partnership 29 39.

Abilities & Skills

Commercial Judgment

Leslie identifies opportunities in unfamiliar products and evaluates their markets 19 37 39.

• Recognizes regional and international demand beyond Bunta City’s limited customer base 19.
• Assesses the air conditioner’s price, running costs, likely sales volume, and higher per-unit profit 37.
• Identifies labor shortages and uncultivated land as strong incentives to purchase agricultural machinery 39.

Social Connections and Promotion

Leslie supplies access to audiences that a small merchant guild cannot easily reach 23 38.

• Offers to use his connections to open markets, including Anvilmar 23.
• Assembles wealthy prospective customers for the air conditioner demonstration 38 39.
• Uses his harvest gathering to demonstrate machinery directly to neighboring landowners 46.

Relationships

• Xu Yi — Tenant and business partner. Leslie supplies land, labor, financial expertise, and promotional access while accepting Xu Yi’s final authority over the guild 23 30 33 39.
• Butler Wenlai — Trusted steward who handles leases, invitations, household matters, and delivery of the lent workforce 10 11 22 30.
• Sebas — Financial representative appointed to keep Leslie informed; becomes the guild’s chief financial manager 33.
• Vivian — Former household slave transferred to Xu Yi. She remains frightened of Leslie when they meet again 11 29.
• Unnamed father — A count in Anvilmar who worries about Leslie’s lack of interest in marriage, despite his popularity with noblewomen 19.
• Unnamed nephew — His birth in Anvilmar provides the stated occasion for Leslie’s air conditioner promotional banquet 38.

Notable Quotes

“Heh. Ambition is a good thing. Otherwise, why would I be discussing an insignificant little merchant with you?” 19