How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 71

79. The Start of Business Begins on the Streets (5)

I have no intention of dealing with them at all.

As I wondered what that meant, he gave a mischievous smile and continued to explain.

“Aileen, we have no reason to deal with the likes of them from the start.”

“But they will claim the rights to the potion, won’t they?”

“That’s the point. But that’s only for the potions they sell.”

“Huh? Aha… I see.”

Now I think I know.

“The potions that will be produced from now on will be valued as products developed with great effort by our talent… our collaborators.”

If they had sold and produced this potion first, they could have claimed infringement.

To claim that, they must prove that they have the rights to it first.

It means they have to prove that only they can make it.

There is no formal patent system or law here yet, but it means that they have their own means of drawing lines and asserting rights.

“Once we sell it off first, we have no reason to deal with them.”

“They won’t stay quiet, will they?”

“It doesn’t matter. If they want to, they’ll have to prove the secret of this potion’s formulation. Of course, that’s based on the premise that they don’t know how to make this, as you said, Aileen.”

“That’s for sure.”

The only person besides me who knows the recipe would never cooperate.

From the beginning, that person was destined to personally destroy the Spirit Master Guild someday.

From the beginning, the Spirit Master Guild is an enemy that the protagonist will face in the original story someday.

In the end, as long as we sell it off first, that’s all that matters.

“And our power is not insignificant either. We can somehow quell that level of complaint.”

“That’s reassuring.”

The founder of the Pileros Merchant Guild is said to be the Grand Duke of the Salpa Kingdom in the southern part of the continent.

Since the other party is a powerful figure, it means that they don’t have to keep picking on it.

“It would cost them more to antagonize us than to simply secure vested interests.”

As expected, status is power.

In this world, if I had been arrogant and said that I would start a merchant guild myself, I can imagine what would have happened to me.

“More than that, we don’t have much time.”

“I know. First of all, we need to properly prepare 100,000 bottles before discussing anything. …So, what about what I asked for?”

What I asked them for wasn’t really a big deal.

Manpower, materials, and a place.

That’s all they need to provide.

They know the rest better than I do, so there’s no need for me to interfere.

“We have secured enough materials. We have asked each branch to secure sufficient quantities.”

They even bought the remaining stock I had at a fair price.

It’s probably a favor to get me to cooperate willingly.

The remaining materials that are lacking will arrive in order.

“That’s fast.”

Oh oh oh oh.

Only a few days have passed, but what amazing skill is this?

When I was running a small store, I had to worry every day about whether there would be a shortage of materials.

“Huh? A few days?”

Huh? Come to think of it, isn’t it a bit fast?

“…Did you perhaps think I would cooperate from the beginning and give instructions in advance?”

“Well? What do you think?”

He doesn’t even bother to deny it properly.

Well, if there are no problems, it’s a great welcome.

In addition, the manpower they’re using is made up of people who are tight-lipped.

“First of all, the simple tasks that don’t matter if they are seen can be done by the slaves brought in by the merchant guild. And you can entrust the main process to them.”

As he spoke, the workers who were organizing the workshop greeted me.

I will be formally introduced to them later, but I just nodded with my eyes for now.

“By the way, you’ve allocated quite a few people.”

“The amount is significant. More than anything, if this goes well, we’ve selected people who can be used again next time.”

He says meaningfully.

Next time… In the end, it’s up to me to instruct them and induce them to make things properly.

“Well, let’s try to do well somehow.”

After all, they’ll be working harder than me.

* * *

Lowell spoke quite meaningfully, but that’s just a routine warning.

In other words, don’t be too complacent.

At first, I was a little frozen because it was my first time giving instructions to a large number of people, but soon I realized that it was an unnecessary worry when I saw the workers moving quickly.

To be honest, I think I’m the slowest and laziest of them all.

That’s definitely true.

“Aileen, what about this?”

“Ah? That herb? Boil it for another half a day.”

“Aileen! There are materials that have arrived from outside.”

“You don’t have to take out what’s in that bag right now!”

At first, I was only busy giving work instructions and distributing quotas to them.

Basically, the work process is done in parallel.

Assigning roles to each person and combining them in order.

It’s a simple factory.

Someone boils and moves water, someone mixes and infuses herbs in the water, and someone else prepares the next ingredient in real time.

We focused on simplifying each individual’s work as much as possible to increase proficiency and speed.

After the instructions for distributing each job were finished, I was surprised that I had almost nothing to do, even though only half a day had passed.

‘I’m not going to play.’

However, if there is no work at all, it is easy to have the rights taken away from them.

I have to get as much benefit as possible, but I have to exert a bee-like presence that is indispensable here.

To that end, I bluffed a bit when distributing some of the manufacturing processes.

“Aileen, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Unfinished potions that have been around the workshop once and only have the final blending left.

Five bottles of liquid, still light blue in color, arrived.

“Put it on that table over there.”

The five unfinished potions they left.

First of all, it was made for practice.

And this is what I have to do!

I put the potions they left on the table, prepared the medicine in advance, and summoned Undine [a water spirit] to pour and mix some spirit water.

As plausible as possible, I even showed off the feat of mixing the liquid without touching it, using Undine’s moisture manipulation.

“Yap~.”

As if to claim that this cannot be completed without my power.

‘…What is this nonsense?’

It’s embarrassing and cumbersome, but I can’t help it.

It’s a necessary job.

A show to solidify my position, not to complete the potion.

In fact, the workers are watching everything I do, even my fingers, with wide eyes.

It’s not just to learn the work, but to fully accept the manufacturing method of the potion itself.

“What exactly is the meaning of that process…?”

“Ah~ It’s about finishing with medicine made with the power of spirits.”

I recited the prepared answer appropriately as planned.

“The finishing of the potion requires an elixir containing my spirit’s power.”

“Oooooooo!”

“Indeed. That’s how it is!”

When I explained it this way, everyone paid attention with sparkling eyes.

This is because the potion bottle, which had been blue until then, turned orange when I mixed the medicine.

This completes ‘Baghest’s Fresh Blood’.

‘…More than half of it is a lie.’

It’s just a small trick to prevent them from taking all of this work.

It’s also a lie that only I make this finishing medicine.

‘I can’t help it.’

Division of labor by a large number of people is convenient and has the advantage of mass production.

What’s important is that they are all members of the merchant guild.

And I’m the only outsider here.

‘My position is still ambiguous.’

If I let go completely, it is clear that I will lose control someday.

Even in an ordinary workshop, there are cases where someone with slightly more outstanding skills than others is kicked out after being careless and having all the secrets of the technology figured out.

There needs to be a reason why I have to be here.

Of course, after this deal is over, I plan to make some concessions to them after proper consultation, but now I need to emphasize my importance.

That’s what this pretense is for.

‘In reality, the water Undine uses is also ordinary spirit water, and this medicine is just a combination of what I made separately. It’s not difficult to make either.’

If they know the secret, they will be able to produce it even without me, since they will be able to somehow get ordinary spirit water.

‘Well, Lowell is probably half aware of my intentions.’

I don’t think the other person is stupid.

I guess it’s a kind of business ethics to pretend not to see this little trick.

And anyway, someone has to be in this position to give instructions to them.

Then it would be reasonable to entrust it to me, who is still an outsider.

In the worst case, they can pass on some of the responsibility.

‘Well, that won’t happen.’

Anyway, that’s the end of the work!

I took all kinds of poses in front of them, but in the end, all I do is mix the medicine I made in advance and have Undine mix it.

The end!

Exciting! There’s so much to do!

At that point, I realized.

I am now in a management position.

That’s right. Management. Just a boss sitting still.

‘…Oh? Is that okay?’

Well, what does it matter? As long as there is no problem with the result.

And originally, if you interfere with everything, things don’t work out.

‘Then, should I do ‘my work’ in the meantime?’

I can’t really play around just because I’m relatively free.

More than anything, the reason I made time was because I needed my personal time.

I locked myself in my private room in the workshop, reached out my hand, and activated space expansion.

As the gap in the dark red space, the entrance to the subspace, opened, several pieces of parchment, a pen, and a wooden ruler fell onto the desk in turn.

This is what I have to do from time to time!

Let’s hurry because we need to have some semblance of it until the potion production is over.

‘Then where? What should I think about first?’

I smiled contentedly and began to dip the pen tip in ink and draw on the parchment.

* * *

That’s how the first day of the potion workshop was spent practicing the steps to learn the work process rather than full-scale production work.

Fortunately, everyone is good with their hands, so it didn’t take long for the quality of the first potion to stabilize.

“If you practice a few more times, it will be good enough, right?”

As I guessed, after practicing about five times, the quality of the potions they brought was not much different from what I had been making and selling leisurely.

No, maybe this one is better in quality.

The difference in facilities cannot be ignored.

Now we can go into full-scale production right away from tomorrow.

‘It’s going smoothly.’

It’s natural that it’s going smoothly.

If you think about it, potion making itself is a simple task, with only a lot of troublesome processes.

You can’t fail unless you fall asleep.

…I have failed after falling asleep.

Unlike me, an amateur, they can’t do that.

‘Well. There’s no reason to deliberately attach someone who can’t do the job before that.’

Lowell himself clearly said that he carefully selected the personnel.

If you don’t want to ruin it, you can’t create flaws.