A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

38 – How can we bear this combination?

“How many factories are being built right now?”

Carl Hanson was staring at the refrigerator factory and the canned beverage factory, which were being built non-stop. It was a deserted plain about 10km away from the Porto Commercial Zone. It was a land with no particular characteristics or anything special, just a few ordinary villages.

Even most of the villagers had moved to the Porto Commercial Zone in search of jobs, so now it was nothing more than an abandoned village. Prince Adran declared the area as an industrial city and started extensive factory production.

“Landor. Try using this.”

“What is this?”

“In the future, we will have plenty of construction work, right?”

“Yes.”

“We can’t rely on elementalists to transport and stack heavy materials forever, can we? That’s why it’s a device developed in Matop. It’s called the Kinetic Hand.”

And here, Selene and Matop made me ecstatic once again. Workers wearing gloves with intricate magical runes lifted heavy iron bars, and the bars floated in midair. The workers cheered with delight at the sight.

“How is it? The construction period at the factory will be significantly shortened, right?”

“It won’t just be shortened! This is amazing! Ahahahaha! Selene, you’re a genius!”

“It’s an idea that was conceived in Matop a long time ago. Well, it’s just…”

“Because of the power source issue?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m incredibly grateful. Let’s get to work, everyone!”

Thanks to Selene, the construction speed became astonishingly fast. With the Kinetic Hand, workers could easily move heavy materials, reducing both their fatigue and the construction time to a frighteningly fast pace.

Because of that, it took only 3 months.

In just 3 months, three refrigerator factories and three canned beverage factories were completed.

“Continue construction on the remaining factories!”

Now it was time to start producing canned beverages in earnest. I immediately headed to the steelworks of the Dwarves led by Karaheim Longbeard.

“A metal that doesn’t rust?”

“Yes.”

“hahahaha! There is something like that! It’s called aluminum… but it’s more difficult to produce than steel. We can make it through long research, but we still lack the technology for mass production.”

“We don’t have the technology?”

“Of course not. But who knows? If Matop’s magicians and scientists with high-purity magical stones can think of a way? It would be great for us if we can mass-produce it. Adding copper to aluminum makes it a very interesting material. It becomes as strong as steel!”

“Let’s go ask right away!”

The magicians from Matop rushed off like bullets and nodded as if it was obvious.

“We already have the blueprint for the mass production technology of industrial-grade pure aluminum. But the problem is…”

“What is it?”

“During the process, there is an electrochemical decomposition step that consumes a considerable amount of energy. With high-purity magical stones, the efficiency of the rune can be improved, so it’s not entirely impossible like before, but you will have to tolerate a significant elixir consumption.”

I burst into laughter at his words.

“Sir.”

“Yes?”

“The most useless thing in the world is worrying about my money. Don’t worry. It is a business that can withstand the cost of aluminum production and still make a profit.”

Canned beverages are expected to have tremendous demand in both the Ailam Empire and the Karamba Empire. It was sufficient to handle.

“Then I understand! I will start production immediately!”

Thus, a new aluminum production factory was added near the steel mill.

Skilled construction workers were also heavily involved here, and Matap’s new invention, the Kinetic Hand, greatly shortened construction time.

Two months later.

“hahahaha! hahahahaha!! It’s aluminum!!”

The Kara’s steel mill began mass-producing aluminum, and the well-processed aluminum plates were rolled up and transported to the factory city near the Porto commercial zone.

“Start making cans! Sebastian! Did you extract soda from the soda water vein?”

“Yes, I have! Sir Landoor!”

“Good! Start blending in large quantities according to the recipe!”

“Yes!”

Thus, after three months, the monumental production of carbonated beverages began. The cans were processed into the shape through the machine, and after being filled with carbonated beverages manufactured according to Sebastian’s recipe, the lids were closed.

One of the cans, pouring out like sausages, was placed in cold water and handed to the factory workers, Sebastian, and Carl Hanson.

“Here! Let’s try it!”

As soon as I opened the can, I heard a familiar sound of carbonation.

I was instantly moved.

This is it, sh*t.

I had forgotten this sound and feeling for living in this world!

I forcefully put the chilled can into my mouth with trembling hands and started swallowing, gulp by gulp.

The beverage inside the cold can. An intense sensation flowing down my throat.

It seemed like everyone had a similar feeling. Especially the ordinary workers who tried this for the first time were staring at me with wide eyes.

“What is this? Sir Landoor?”

“Does it taste good?”

“It’s the best! The best!!”

“We’ll eat it together with fast food from now on. It’ll go well, right?”

“hahahaha! Are you serious?”

After patting the shoulders of the cheering workers, I burst into laughter and headed towards the refrigerator factory next to me.

Numerous people were standing on the assembly line, busy assembling refrigerators.

“Where… It’s cool enough.”

I opened one of the completed refrigerators and immediately laughed when I saw the cold air coming out. The magically operated refrigerator was overwhelmingly simple in shape compared to modern refrigerators. Thanks to that, mass production was possible in a short period of time.

“Combination of air conditioner, refrigerator, and carbonated drinks.”

How can I resist this?

Well…

“What’s the name of this?”

“It’s a canned drink and a refrigerator. It cools down the food inside. You can also put canned drinks in it, and if you want, you can also store food for a long time…”

“Bring this. No… bring them all!”

As expected, the canned drinks and refrigerators began to attract immense popularity. They became extremely popular items that people couldn’t get enough of, with Dambar Square and Crescent Triangle at the center, where there was plenty of money.

There was no need for stimulating and creative marketing.

Just place a refrigerator on the street, fill it with cold canned drinks in bulk, and if you say, “Have a drink to cool down,” it will naturally promote itself.

The scorching sun of the western region.

A dragon that cannot fly for long due to the scorching hot sun.

How can anyone endure when the cold carbonation scratches the heated stomach coming down from that sun?

The demand exploded.

“Lord Randolph.”

“What?”

“We don’t have enough carriages.”

“Not enough carriages?”

“Yes. They are desperately requesting them over there, but we don’t have enough carriages to deliver the goods. Carriages carrying gold coins are even more scarce.”

Carl Hansen, who appeared in front of me one day, was crying.

“My lifelong dream was to swim in a sea of gold coins. Today, although it was a small carriage size, I fulfilled that dream. It made me cry because it was covered in gold coins. Just… I’m okay with dying now.”

“Are you an idiot? We need to earn more money! Can merchants be content with just that?”

“hahahahaha! Absolutely not! Of course not!”

I had no intention of stopping. I would continue to sell goods until those guys couldn’t survive without us. I would never stop.

However, a shiny future was not the only thing waiting for us.

“Randolph?”

A few days later. I received a summon from Princess Celine and went up to the capital. She greeted me with a gloomy expression.

“I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

“I’ll start with the good news.”

“Okay. The improvement of the magical part responsible for the electrolysis of the aluminum production process has been completed, so we can reduce the production cost by about 50%.”

“Excellent! Aluminum products will be much cheaper! hahahaha!”

“That’s right. Of course.”

“hahahaha…….”

I adjusted my posture and prepared myself mentally before asking the next question.

“What’s the bad news?”

“The production of elixirs is unable to keep up with the consumption.”

“I suspected as much.”

The magic furnace. Air conditioners, refrigerators – we even exported them to the Karumba Empire. Air conditioners and refrigerators were in demand within the Ailam Empire as well and sold quite well. Several factories were established, and if trains and cars were to be produced in the future…….

“Fortunately, it’s still okay for now. We are barely maintaining a balance, but within a few years, there will be a massive shortage of elixirs.”

To charge the mana stone, you have to use elixirs to fill it with magical energy. Although the power source efficiency of the mana stone has greatly improved, the usage has also increased. Currently, the production of elixirs within the Ailam Empire is gradually catching up with the consumption.

“In other words, we need a new source of elixirs?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you know where the new source of elixirs might be?”

Celeine pointed to two places without hesitation in response to my question.

“There is usually a new source of elixirs in places where monsters gather. Unlike us, they have mana within their bodies, so they can obtain energy just from mana without needing to consume anything.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Yes. However, because of that, there is a high possibility that a massive horde of monsters will be gathered near the source of elixirs. It’s unclear whether the formation of these monster hordes is due to the elixir source or simply because there is plenty to eat.”

“Hmm…….”

“Although it’s just an estimate, there are currently three places suspected to be elixir sources. One is the southernmost point of the Green Forest, known as the Dragon’s Nest, another is the center of the Orc Legion in the southern putrid wasteland of the western continent, and the last one is presumed to be in the Raco Mountains.”

“The Raco Mountains?”

“The Raco Mountains are filled with a massive number of monsters. Not only is it difficult to access due to the rugged terrain, but the abundance of food is also insufficient, yet the number of monsters keeps increasing. Some say it’s because there is an elixir source, while others say it’s simply because there are many creatures to eat.”

“The Raco Mountains, huh?”

“If these sources are confirmed to be true, the elixir source near the Raco Mountains would have the best potential for development. The Dragon’s Nest is too far from imperial territory, and the putrid wasteland is on the western continent. If we can confirm the existence of an elixir source in the Raco Mountains and develop it……”

“Difficult terrain. Overflowing monsters. To be able to conquer an immense number of monsters, to the point of calling it a horde, would have to be done before it’s possible.”

Even if it was the Iron Blood Legion, known as the butchers of the north, or the invincible Karis, there was a high possibility of significant casualties.

It was a challenging task.

As I pondered, Celeine shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s just an estimate, Rendor. In reality, we don’t know if there are elixirs in those locations. To confirm, we would need precise measurements or for someone with senses as sharp as a measuring instrument, like a spirit user or a magician, to directly go and see. But no one has gone to check yet because there hasn’t been a need for it…….”

“Rendor!”

Interrupting Celeine’s words, Karia forcefully opened the door and entered the room.

Her face was filled with dismay.

“There’s an Elixir spring in the middle of the Raco Mountains!! The Spirit Master confirmed it by going there personally! Landor!”

“The Spirit Master went there personally to confirm it?”

“Yes!”

Celeine and I looked at each other.

So what now…

“Does that mean we have to go to war?”

It meant that we had no choice but to deal with the horde of monsters.