Chapter 35: The Distant Slackers

“This is bad!”

“Block the entrance quick! The whole building is going to collapse!”

The two masters shouted at their disciples.

This factory was a warehouse attached to the governor-general’s office that we had hastily converted.

In a Delriat that was practically in ruins, how many intact buildings could there possibly be?

Naturally, this one wasn’t particularly sturdy either.

Hundreds of people pushing in at once created a genuinely dangerous scene.

If this keeps up, someone’s going to get seriously hurt. This won’t do.

Watching the shaking factory, I drew my iron gavel.

I had no choice but to intervene personally, or a real accident would happen.

Tap! 

THWOOM!

I leapt into the air, cut across the crowd, and landed squarely at the factory entrance.

A man had suddenly dropped from the sky, but the applicants paid no attention.

They were too busy shoving forward to snatch the bread the disciples were holding.

Beast’s Heart activated

“STOP!”

KUGUGUGUGUGU!

A ferocious roar erupted along with a heavy shockwave.

It wasn’t just a shout; I had unleashed overwhelming killing intent as well.

Only then did the people freeze.

“W-what the hell? My body won’t move.”

“Ugh! It feels like I’m frozen solid.”

“…Huff! Huff!”

Most were simply startled, but a few fell into serious panic.

They had lost their minds to transcendent bloodlust.

I spun the gavel leisurely as I walked among them.

“Now, repeat after me. Maintain order.”

I intoned solemnly, but no one echoed me.

Of course; why would they obey a stranger?

Instead, a strange hostility began to rise.

Just as ugly expressions were about to surface one by one…

Quaytun and Laglas’s trembling voices rang out.

And the crowd was forced to change their minds.

“Y-Your Excellency the Governor-General!”

“What brings you to such a humble place?”

Laglas’s words were honestly a bit much.

There wasn’t a single facility or staffing plan in the pill factory that my hands hadn’t touched.

He was probably just trying to flatter me, saying I had graced them with my presence.

But the mood among the applicants shifted instantly.

“The governor-general? He looks so young.”

“He’s the new one who just took office.”

“He’s been so quiet we thought he never actually came.”

“But… is it really okay to talk like this right in front of him?”

“Ahem!”

No matter how hunger-crazed they were, a sliver of reason remained.

They were promised bread just for waiting a little; why risk their lives right now?

Defying the governor-general in Delriat wouldn’t end with a simple beheading.

“Maintain order.”

I stared at them with cold eyes and repeated myself.

This time, the reaction I wanted finally came.

“M-maintain order!”

“Let’s all line up!”

Were these the same people who had been fighting like wild animals moments ago?

They moved with perfect discipline.

Quaytun and Laglas looked at me with dazed expressions.

“So the rumors of your majesty weren’t just rumors after all.”

“It is truly an honor to work with you, Your Excellency.”

They weren’t saying this just because they had received benefits from me.

Both masters’ loyalty had already surpassed 60.

That was proof of how bright the future I had shown them was.

I brushed off their praise with a light smile and moved to the office.

“Send them in one by one.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

The first interviewee was no different from the rest.

Filthy clothes, emaciated body.

But his eyes burned fiercely; he looked useful.

Oh?

I immediately pulled up his status window.

<Character Information> 

Name: Donson

Status: Commoner 

Relationship: No prior contact 

State: Self-loathing for living day-to-day by begging, growing numb to the guilt of theft, strong gambler mentality. 

Overall Ability: D

Wait, what? A gambler mentality?

At a glance, he was one step away from becoming a thief.

If I hired someone like this, he might run off with the pills.

The core processes would be handled by the masters, but packaging would eventually fall to laborers.

The workers I was hiring this time were only for simple manual labor anyway.

Grit and honesty mattered far more than outstanding ability.

“Go get your bread over there.”

“Huh? You haven’t asked me anything yet.”

“The interview is over. We’re short on time, so hurry.”

“Ah, yes sir.”

The applicant named Donson walked out with a bewildered expression.

As expected, the status window was the best for filtering out the bad apples.

Just looking at a face could reveal what made my skin crawl.

If I had hired him just because his eyes looked sharp, every pill would have been stolen.

Of course, I was planning thorough countermeasures anyway; it wouldn’t be easy to rob me.

***

There were nearly a thousand applicants, but the interviews ended in a single day.

I selected fifty laborers.

Half of them had at least some experience handling wood and showed good dexterity.

When Quaytun checked the hired list, he tilted his head.

“May I cautiously ask why you chose people who have worked with wood?”

For a squat old man, the gesture was oddly cute.

I smiled and answered gladly.

“To make storage boxes, of course.”

“Huh? Is that really necessary?”

Until now, cordyceps pills had been wrapped in oiled paper for delivery.

That reduced spoilage and made transport easier.

But now it was no longer needed.

They could sit at room temperature for long periods anyway.

Still, proper boxes were essential.

I suddenly recalled the luxurious boxes used for Gongjindan.

A rectangular case holding multiple pills would be perfect.

No one buys cordyceps pills just once and calls it a day.

They’ll want the same effect two, three, ten more times.

From the start, it should be packaged as a premium gift set.

“Everyone knows cordyceps pills are an excellent tonic for men.”

“That’s right.”

“But what about the eastern part of the Empire?”

“They probably know almost nothing about it. The pills spoil quickly, and the raw material even faster.”

“We need them to realize at first glance that this is a precious item. And it will make gifting far better.”

Now that long-distance shipping was possible, marketing was essential.

Just talking about efficacy would only earn us the title of snake-oil salesmen.

It has to catch the eye first.

The kind of people who can afford cordyceps pills are all dripping with vanity anyway.

“Ah! Such profound intent!”

“The new hires who have worked with wood will be assigned to making the boxes. Masters, please focus on pill production with the remaining workers.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

The factory finally began full operation.

We were already short-handed, but adding laborers to minor tasks dramatically increased production speed.

It was a little clumsy, but for a medieval setting, this level of division of labor was an excellent factory system.

The dried-pill production process no longer needed any tweaks.

They’d handle that themselves.

The important thing now was churning out luxurious storage boxes.

I quickly sketched blueprints and gathered the workers.

“Who here can make this?”

No one raised a hand right away.

I had divided the parts into pieces for later assembly.

To their eyes, it must have looked insanely bizarre.

Can’t be helped. I’ll have to teach them one by one.

It would take time, but it wasn’t impossible.

Making wooden boxes isn’t that difficult.

The problem was making them look luxurious and producing them in bulk.

Then someone cautiously raised a hand.

“Um…”

“Speak.”

“I… think I can do it.”

The one who spoke with an unsure voice was a small, frail-looking boy.

Immediately, skeptical glares shot toward him from all sides.

“There’s not a single real carpenter here, and he says he can make something that complicated?”

“He’s young; he’s just full of bravado.”

His baby face probably triggered that reaction.

Honestly, as long as the skill was there, appearance and age didn’t matter to me.

I have zero prejudice.

<Character Information> Name: Elector 

Status: Commoner 

Position: Pill Factory Worker 

Relationship: Very junior subordinate 

Loyalty: 10 

State: Relief at finally having a job, eagerness to do anything, slight suspicion toward the employer. 

Overall Ability: B

Oh! It changed a bit.

His state was different from during the interview.

Back then it was something about clinging to his last shred of pride.

Probably because one was before hiring and one after.

As expected, I really know how to pick people.

“Can you make one and bring it to me?”

“Yes, Your Excellency the Governor-General.”

Elector went straight to the workbench and started tap-tap-tapping away by himself.

His hands moved without hesitation even though it was his first time seeing the blueprint.

He’s definitely done something like this before.

Not a carpenter exactly, but clearly on that level.

While Elector was completely absorbed in the work, I gathered the rest of the workers.

“Our factory will work 50 minutes and rest 10. Including a one-hour lunch break, you’ll be here a total of 9 hours.”

“So we can go home before sunset?”

“Exactly. We’ll build dormitories nearby; if you want, you can rent them cheaply. Lunch will also be provided by the factory.”

“…”

Every single worker’s mouth fell open.

Shock mixed with disbelief.

It was only natural.

The conditions here are far worse than in the Empire.

When I first arrived in this world, I was speechless countless times.

Working conditions devoid of basic humanity were the norm.

If even the Empire’s prosperous capital was like that, what about a country on the verge of collapse?

Wage theft was the default; you were lucky if you weren’t beaten while working.

Yet the very symbol of distrust—the governor-general—was offering such magnificent jobs.

It was impossible not to be stunned.

“I-is that really true?”

“Of course. But since we’re making luxury goods, the work must be flawless. Defects? Not even one. I won’t forgive it.”

“If everything you just said is truly kept, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do!”

“It will be carried out exactly as promised.”

“Woooaaaah!”

The workers erupted into cheers.

The excitement didn’t die down easily.

The electrifying relief of finally being able to feed their families coursed down their spines.

But I kept a calm expression.

At first, they’ll promise to give their liver and gallbladder.

After some time passes, that desperation will fade.

They’ll grow complacent too.

When kindness continues, people start thinking it’s their right.

But I had nothing to worry about.

I have the Employee Management Window.

Anyone slacking off could simply be fired.

There were more than enough people desperate for work.

In that sense, it’s been a while—maybe I should check how things are going back home?

The beauty of the Employee Management Window was that distance didn’t matter; all information appeared.

Even from the far-off Delriat Autonomous Territory, I could see the state of the Carius Duchy as if it were in the palm of my hand.

But then something appeared that made me frown.

“Why are so many people slacking off?”

It was broad daylight, yet over 30% of the employees were listed as “resting.”

And that included the butlers in management positions.

What the hell happened back there?