A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

36 – More Roads to Pave

“The magical principle is not difficult. The magic itself that intentionally lowers the temperature of substances has been developed long ago. If we change it to a format that emits cool breeze, it won’t bring much change to the magic furnace.”

“Great. Now we need to make the cool breeze spread in all directions from this machine. Is that possible?”

“Of course. It is possible. I can provide the blueprint soon. Do you have any name in mind for this? Randor?”

I laughed at Celene’s question.

“Let’s call it an air conditioner.”

The work began to progress again. The wizards of Celene and Matop started making various modifications based on the design of the magic furnace. The magic furnace changed to a tall rectangular structure, and the magic circle that emitted heat by burning magic energy gradually transformed into a structure that absorbed the energy of objects by burning magic energy.

“I made it so that you can adjust the temperature of the cold air and the strength of the wind with a simple button. And I also made the design.”

“Excellent. Very excellent! Now, let’s set up the factory!”

Once the design was completed, I immediately established a new branch of the factory near the commercial city of Porto. However, this was a factory that adopted a completely different system from the existing factories.

A division of labor-based production process operated by conveyor belts.

That was the characteristic of this air conditioning factory.

“Unbelievable! The day to make this a reality has finally come!!”

It was an idea that had been submitted several times in Matop a long time ago but was discarded due to the damn power source issue. But now, there was no problem to hinder the wizards of Matop.

Conveyor belts, powered by high-purity magic crystals, were completed and assembly lines were created throughout the long process of the factory.

“We will manufacture the outer casing here. We will fold the steel produced at the steel mill using the pressing method to create a simple yet fast and efficient exterior for the air conditioners.”

“Okay. And then?”

“Next, at the assembly line, we will go through the process of inserting the magic circle that our Matop has already produced into the casing. Afterward, the units will be tested and then released. We will try to make it as simple as possible. Right now, it’s more important to get the product into the market than the design.”

“hahahaha! That’s great! Let’s do it like that!”

All the plans were made like that. The fanatics of the Blood Corps and the construction engineers. The elementalists once again showed off their unimaginable construction abilities, and thanks to that, the factory was built in just about 10 days.

“The elementalists are really amazing scam artists.”

They perhaps did not expect work to be done with such efficiency that even modern heavy equipment couldn’t match.

Anyway, with that construction speed that made one’s jaw drop, the completed factory soon started producing air conditioners at a tremendous speed.

Out of curiosity, I turned on the air conditioner.

“Karl, how is it?”

“It’s crazy. This is really cool, you know?”

“Do you think people in the Western Continent will buy this?”

“They won’t be able to live without it. Seriously.”

“Is that so? Let’s sell it then.”

“Huhuhu. Leave it to me, Lord Landor.”

Under the leadership of Karl Hansen, the air conditioners were loaded onto carriages and started crossing over to the Western Continent.

And as expected, the air conditioners…

“What, what is this thing?”

“I will buy it right away! Give me one!”

Became a huge hit.

The trade city of Dagamba.

If Elond Viscountess was the place where goods from the western and eastern regions were exchanged, then the commercial cities of Dagamba and Porto were the intermediary points where these goods spread to various regions of the empire.

And one day, in Dagamba.

Strange goods began to be sold by eastern merchants.

“Are you hot? Come this way.”

Their sales marketing was neither flashy nor extraordinary.

They simply set up a large tent in the middle of the road, placed an air conditioner in it, and called people over.

The passersby, their skin scorched by the relentless sun of the western continent, were sensitively responsive to the coolness that emanated from the tent, as if it were a refreshing rain.

“What, what is this?”

“This is a product recently developed by our people in the East! It’s called an air conditioner! It was made for the people of the western continent who suffer from the heat!”

Seeing the merchants babbling in vague Karamba Imperial language, people rushed into the tent in no time.

The interior of the tent was filled with cold air, making it a pleasant temperature for people to stay in.

It was only natural that people crowded into the tent.

And to the crowded people, the merchants coated their tongues with honey and began to speak.

“Are you feeling cool, everyone?”

“Yes!”

“If I told you that you could have this coolness, what would you say?”

“You can have it?”

“Of course! If you have this machine!”

The merchants pointed to the air conditioner that was venting cold air from one side of the tent. The murmuring grew louder.

“Just leave it inside the tent and press the buttons! The ecstatic coolness will surround your body instantly! And the price is not expensive! You can buy it with 6 Karamba Imperial coins!”

6 coins. It was definitely not a cheap price. However, it was not an amount that would make it impossible to buy, even if it meant paying that much.

“6 coins? If it’s 6 coins…….”

“I’ll buy it! Give it to me right now!”

And above all, even if they called it 10 coins, the Karamba Empire was a country that was overall very hot, to the extent that people would pay for it.

The demand was overflowing.

As soon as a few pioneers stepped forward and bought a few air conditioners, people flocked in an instant.

“I’ll take it too! That air conditioner!”

“It’s not like we’re living in the desert and dying from the heat, right?”

“We’ll buy it too!”

And so, the air conditioner exploded with unprecedented success.

And so, the air conditioner in each person’s tent operated without any problems.

“Ah… this breeze… Ah, my goodness! Such coolness!”

The people of the Kambar Empire were able to escape from the torment of the scorching sunlight.

And the nomads had a culture of enjoying guest invitations.

“My goodness! The inside of the tent is this cool? How did you do it, Ali?”

“I went to Dagamba and bought this coolness. It’s possible because of a device called an air conditioner. Haven’t you heard of it yet?”

“An air conditioner?! My sheep and goats in my ranch have been struggling in the sunlight! I should buy a few of those in bulk for ranch operation, shouldn’t I?”

Once a guest visited a household with an air conditioner, they all became customers and returned.

As time went on, the demand for air conditioners exploded, to the point where there weren’t enough carts to transport them.

“I’m sorry. We no longer have any air conditioners available today.”

“What are you talking about! We’ve been waiting here for three days to buy an air conditioner!”

“Get us new air conditioners quickly!”

There were even large-scale protests in front of the shops of Eastern merchants demanding air conditioners.

“Can I curse Landoor, sir?”

“Go ahead.”

“Damn it, I f*cking love you.”

Thanks to that, the Merchant Guild faced a shortage of carts for various reasons.

There weren’t enough carts to transport air conditioners, and there weren’t enough carts to bring in gold coins.

It was the moment when the scales, slightly leaning towards the Western continent for the first time, tipped towards us.

And as we rejoiced in the accumulating pile of gold coins.

“Landoor, sir.”

“Hmm, what is it, Karl Hanson?”

“Please try this once.”

“What is this?”

“Just try it. It’s mind-blowing. This.”

One day.

Karl Hanson handed me a glass of water.

In a hurry, urging me to drink with an expression as if my soul had left, I took a sip of the water he gave me.

“Gargle… What the f*ck is this!?”

“You know the sheep farm in the South, right? It’s a gift from Seoric, the captain of the guards’ hometown!”

“Oh! I know! Why is it there?”

“They recently built multiple large-scale poultry farms to meet the demand for fast food. But guess what they discovered while building? They found a natural soda spring! And the amount is enormous! Landoor!”

“Sebastian made this?”

“Yes! He heard the sound and flew like a bullet to the soda water, adding various things to make a drink! He said it goes well with chicken, pizza, and hamburgers! Ahahahaha! Isn’t he a genius? It’s a carbonated beverage! When you drink it with fast food, it’s mind-blowing!”

“These talented guys! I want to kiss them!”

Sebastian’s food and beverage company, which I had forgotten about. Knife & Fork hit the jackpot once again.

“Landoor! Come quickly! hahahaha! Carbonated drinks! Isn’t it great? Most fast foods are greasy, so they go well with carbonated beverages!”

“Sebastian! This talented guy! He’s the best! Ahahahaha!!”

“hahahaha, I knew he would be! I will supply this to fast food chains nationwide!”

“That’s right! Of course! Just wait. Let’s build a soda factory! About ten of them!”

Sebastian, who was laughing at my words, made a strange expression.

“Ten… Isn’t that a bit too many, Landoor? Even if we supply to nationwide chains, there might be leftover carbonated drinks, right?”

“Sebastian. Besides nationwide chains, there is one place where demand is overflowing.”

“Where is it?”

“The Karnba Empire. Be careful with the recipe! We’re going to produce it in large quantities!”

“Understood. By the way, Landoor! Are we going to give this drink a separate name?”

I laughed and shouted in response.

“Soda! Call it soda!”

After that, I teleported to the capital city with the teleportation station, along with Adrian, Carya, Selene, and Karl Hanson. Once again, the five of us gathered there, and I announced a new business.

“Selene!”

“Yes, yes! What is it, Landoor?”

“A refrigerator! A smaller one! Can you make a compact refrigerator that can be carried by the wanderers in the west and used sufficiently in households?”

Selene pondered for a moment and then nodded.

“Existing refrigerators were only available in large sizes.”

“Was that also due to power supply issues?”

“Yes. To power one refrigerator, we needed at least 20 of the old-fashioned power stones. Naturally, the size had to be bigger to fit all of them. But not anymore. It can be sufficiently downsized.”

“Perfect! Refrigerator production factory! And most importantly! We need to build a can beverage factory in large quantities!”

“Can… beverages?”

I gave everyone the cider that Sebastian had created. They ate it and made surprised expressions.

“It tastes like a type of soda water, but with sweetness. It feels refreshing, like quenching your thirst.”

“Isn’t it the best? The combination with fast food is the best, right? But I don’t intend to stop there. Think about it!”

I began explaining with exaggerated gestures.

“The scorching heat. Nomadic people from the western continent enter their tents. The cool breeze from the air conditioner cools them down. And naturally, they approach the refrigerator standing in one corner of the house. And they open the refrigerator.”

I pretend to take something out from the refrigerator.

“The cold soda can is clenched in their hands. And they open it and drink it. The cold carbonation descends as it supports their constricted esophagus. And…….Ahh!”

Everyone is watching my exaggerated actions. I smirk and look at them.

“The soda can, like the air conditioner, will become a product that cannot be sold due to its absence. Moreover, unlike the air conditioner and refrigerator, it is a product that is continuously consumed, so it can be constantly produced and sold. This… This will become a tremendous gold mine. Everyone!”

It seems like everyone has roughly imagined.

They too seem to have imagined the kind of impact the soda can will have.

“The city of Porto is already full of various production facilities, so it’s not suitable to build an additional factory. We have to create a proper large-scale industrial complex near the city of Porto. Carl Hansen, do you have any places in mind?”

“Let’s unfold the map and take a look. Your Highness Adran.”

“Landor! Don’t worry about establishing the factory site! We will take care of it!”

Adran and Carl immediately began searching for a place to establish the factory site. Selenae got up from her seat after seeing their actions.

“A miniaturized refrigerator and canned beverage production factory, right? I will draw a related design. Isn’t this exciting? I’m already collecting gold coins, so what will happen if canned drinks spread as well!”

“It will be a huge success.”

“That’s right. I better hurry too!”

Selenae also hurriedly disappeared. And Karia cautiously asked me.

“Randor. Then… What should I do?”

Honestly, Karia was surplus.

Unless there was a war or a fight, Karia, who commanded the military and violence, was not very useful.

But I knew one task that I could assign her.

“Create a reconnaissance team and extensively scout the Laco Mountains.”

“Laco Mountains reconnaissance?”

“Yes. Soon, one trade route will not be enough.”

The rugged Laco Mountains.

But if the skilled elementalists from the northern region and the well-trained Iron Blood Corps reconnaissance team could find a place to break through the region overflowing with monsters, they would certainly find a new path.

“We need to open a new trade route. Lady Karia.”

I entrusted Karia with the task that only she could do.