As for why the machine is manufactured, it is entirely to enable more efficient mass production and improve the quality of Iodized Salt. It is impossible for workers to do every step, and they may not be able to do it well.
The salt-making machine studied by Claire is also semi-automatic, and workers are still required for many steps. It's not that he doesn't want to fully automate it, but it's mainly because he alone and the technology from another world can't do it. The technology tree here is completely focused on magic, and industrialization doesn't involve much. It's almost like Claire has to start from scratch.
Moreover, hiring workers can also increase the number of jobs, directly increasing the income level of Nafu City. From the time Claire came back to now, the basic salary in Nafu City has increased by nearly 50%. It is expected that it will double after the completion of Salt Factory.
The employment opportunities brought by an industrial pillar are not just workers working in the factory. For example, the production of wooden boxes for Iodized Salt requires carpenters, and the wood needed by carpenters requires people to cut down trees. In addition, the raw materials used to produce Iodized Salt, such as seawater, seaweed, kelp, etc., all need to be collected by someone.
As long as Salt Factory has this demand, corresponding upstream job opportunities will be derived, directly or indirectly bringing hundreds of jobs. If this continues, Nafu City's economy will develop rapidly.
This also illustrates how important an industrial pillar is to the development of a city.
If there were not so many benefits, Claire would not be so eager to open a factory and sell Iodized Salt.
But what Claire has to solve now is the salt-making machine. Making salt from seawater is not as simple as imagined. It is not just about boiling the seawater dry. There are many impurities in seawater. It has to be repeatedly refined and crystallized to screen out the impurities to get clean sea salt.
However, even if you get clean sea salt, it is still inedible. There are still many heavy metals in it that are harmful to the human body. You have to use their different solubility at different temperatures to add water multiple times to dissolve the heavy metals in the water and then remove them. Repeat this to get edible salt. In the last step, you have to add an appropriate amount of iodine to it. Only then can you successfully create Iodized Salt.
The first thing to solve is heat energy. Claire first engraved the modified fire system Magic Array on the furnace of the machine that needs to be heated. It can emit enough heat to cook seawater into coarse salt. He does not need to be in the factory. He only needs to connect a first-level Monster Core or a magical Magic Ore as energy, and the energy in it can be enough to run the machine for a month.
This also eliminates the trouble of burning firewood, and can better control the temperature to avoid accidents.
And the kinetic energy on the conveyor belt is provided by the energy of Magic Ore and Monster Core.
Not only that, the machine Claire for extracting iodine was also built. The process of adding iodine also uses machines.
As for the subsequent troublesome work of precipitating heavy metals at different temperatures, pouring water, and taking out wastewater containing heavy metals, workers have to use magic. Not to mention that it is difficult to manufacture Claire at its current level, and it may not be as good as the workers. A factory as developed in the previous life still needs to hire workers. Claire dare not say that its machines are more advanced than those in the previous life.
At least these machines are run separately, and workers have to move the raw materials they produce in order to extract Iodized Salt.
After working hard for several days, Claire finally took out these machines. They are different from the machines in the previous life. This is because the appearance of using magic gives people a different feeling.
However, Claire is still very satisfied. This is the fruit of his labor these days.
In the royal capital, a luxuriously decorated shop was built in the bustling streets of the royal capital. Pedestrians passing by cast curious glances inside. This new store had just opened and I had not heard what was sold in it. However, the decoration alone gave people a feeling that the goods inside were not cheap. Just looking at the luxurious store, many people did not even have the courage to walk in.
However, people were coming and going in the royal capital, and someone still walked in out of curiosity.
"What are you selling?" A middle-aged man with a big belly and a monocle walked in holding a scepter.
"Your store is newly opened, I've never seen it before."
"Welcome!" A service staff said with a smile on his face, "Please follow me, here are the products we sell."
The man with the monolithic mirror walked to the product display table and took a look, "Isn't this salt?"
"Yes, but this salt has miraculous effects and can prevent big neck disease!" The salesperson was still introducing it hard.
The man with the monolithic mirror listened to the salesperson's introduction, looked at the package containing salt, and thought that it would be good if he bought another one.
Then he asked, "I heard it's pretty good from what you said. How much did I buy it for?"
The salesperson's mouth that was eloquent just now suddenly got stuck, and he hesitated for a long time before saying, "One hundred..."
"One Gold Coins means one Gold Coins. Why do you say one hundred Silver Coins? It seems too much, right? I gave it!"
"No sir, it's one hundred Gold Coins per box." The salesperson still said it.
"What!" The man with a big belly jumped up immediately, "You are robbing! How dare you sell this box of broken salt for a hundred Gold Coins!"
"You are so greedy! I don't think this store can survive for a few days and will close down!"
The man cursed and left the store. He ran a restaurant in the royal capital. Although he was not a rich man, he was still rich. However, he was only rich but not sick. He still couldn't spend a hundred Gold Coins to buy a box of salt, even if the salt had the effect of preventing big neck disease.
Going to the priest for treatment only costs four or five Gold Coins. As for buying such expensive salt!
After the customer left, the salesperson sighed and walked back to the rest area, and Shane was now lying in the rest area eating snacks. The business here was very important and he had to sit here to feel at ease. He left the caravan business to the people below for the time being.
As soon as he saw Shane, the salesperson complained with a bitter look on his face, "Boss, this is already the fifth customer. They all feel that the items are too expensive and the goods cannot be sold at all. How about we lower the price? I guarantee that I can sell three Gold Coins to you!"
But Shane still had a calm look on his face and waved his hand, "Just keep busy. When guests come, go and receive them. Don't worry about these things. If those people can't afford it, it means these products are not prepared for them."
Shane is not worried at all about whether the thing can be sold. He has contacted all the doctors and spent a total of eight thousand Gold Coins. He will start planning tonight. After the newspaper is released tomorrow, everyone in the capital will know that there is a kind of Iodized Salt for sale here.
As for what happened just now, he didn't take it to heart at all. This batch of Iodized Salt was not originally prepared for these ordinary businessmen, but was used to build a reputation.
Yes, this batch of Iodized Salt is not sold as condiments or medicines, but as luxury goods, targeting customers who are also high-ranking nobles.
First, pay those doctors to publish reports to prove the effectiveness of Iodized Salt. After the reports come out, many people will be interested in Iodized Salt sold in their stores, but they are not their final target customers yet, because most of these people will turn around and leave when they see the price of Iodized Salt, and they cannot hold back.
Because one hundred Gold Coins is still too expensive, it is better to spend a few Gold Coins to go to the church to be baptized.
But these people are not the last customers. Different customers are targeted at different price points. You think a pair of shoes costs a few hundred yuan at most, but other luxury brands dare to sell tens of thousands of yuan. You think a canvas bag can hold things, but there are still people who are willing to buy Hermès bags that cost tens of thousands of yuan and can't hold many things. You think diamonds are just stones, but there are still people who are willing to pay tens of millions to buy them.
Sometimes you think a product is expensive, which means that the customer they are targeting is not you.
The latter part is the key, and it is what Shane admires most about Claire.
Spreading panic, linking Iodized Salt with IQ, life, and physical health, giving people a psychological hint that if your children don't eat this kind of Iodized Salt, they may be worse than other people's children. You have to have a low IQ and be stupid. If your wife doesn't eat this kind of Iodized Salt, it may lead to miscarriage. If you don't eat this kind of Iodized Salt, it may cause her body to be weak and not as good as others.
Panic spread, and those customers who originally thought that Iodized Salt was not worth it suddenly changed their minds and felt that it was not a big loss to buy one hundred Gold Coins.
Don't think that spreading panic is useless. During the epidemic in Claire in the previous life, any rumor could increase the daily rice consumption several times. When the news of the shortage of masks spread, the price of masks increased dozens of times.
It is even said that this kind of panic is directly linked to IQ. Those nobles must be willing to spend money at this moment. They spend more than a hundred Gold Coins a day. They cannot let their children lose at the starting line.
And the last resort, scarcity! There are only 500 boxes. You think it's a bit expensive, but others who are richer than you don't think it's expensive. If you hesitate, they will buy them all, and you won't even be able to grab the box.
Finally, all the noble families in the entire royal capital have it, but you don't have it at home. You don't even have the dignity to go out and say hello to others.
So this is why Shane is not worried about whether the price of one hundred Gold Coins can be sold. The next thing will be left to time.
Originally, the second half of this chapter was connected to the next plot, but after reading the comments, I found that some readers were a little confused about why Iodized Salt could sell one hundred Gold Coins, so the second half was changed to this. I hope you can understand after this chapter.
In addition, thank you to "Great God Wuxie" for the reward of 100 starting coins, and "Observer of Space and Time" for the reward of 500 starting coins!!!!!
Thank you for your support!!!