Chapter 22

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"I am the head of the Bruto Trading Company, but I have many things to do, so I will entrust everything to the deputy manager, Filia, who is also the store manager. I hope everyone will follow Filia's instructions and help make the Bruto Trading Company thrive."

After closing, I introduced Filia to the slaves and explained that she would be in charge of managing the Bruto Trading Company.

When the slaves heard that the young Filia would be the number two in the Bruto Trading Company, they were taken aback.

However, you must not underestimate this Filia.

Filia survived Hannah's Spartan education and was recognized by Hannah as a brave maid!

Luna, my personal maid, said it took her three years to be recognized by Hannah, so Filia's growth is truly remarkable!

"Filia here. I will do my best to make the Bruto Trading Company thrive for Master Christoph."

No, you don't have to risk your life...

"Filia, these are the four people who will handle sales and inventory management. Train them well."

Clara, Penes, Prietta, and Marmel, the female slave candidates, introduced themselves one by one.

"These are the three security guards. They will prepare their equipment tomorrow."

Klamp, Beckner, and Benesetta introduced themselves, including their weapons of choice.

"The four magicians will start learning how to make magic items tomorrow. Be prepared for that."

Julietta, Rock, Jamon, and Selka introduced themselves.

"I will give everyone a day off in rotation. The basic schedule will be six days on, one day off. Adjust the days off so they don't overlap within the current three teams. Of course, Filia can take days off too."

Filia and the slaves were surprised by the idea of having days off, but that's not the main point.

The key is how to make the slaves work efficiently. I believe that motivated and lively slaves will be more productive than those with dead eyes, so I plan to provide a suitable environment.

"Also, I will give everyone a few days off during the New Year and Harvest Festival. Of course, the store will be closed, and we will post notices in advance."

The idea of a few days off was so unexpected that everyone's eyes widened.

"The slaves' monthly salary will be one gold coin. There will also be bonuses based on sales, and we will provide food, clothing, and housing. You are free to use your salary as you wish, but I will offer to free you from slavery for twice the amount I paid for you, so you can save up to buy your freedom."

The slaves were amazed to hear they could buy their freedom.

The magicians, who were relatively expensive, would need more money, but it would give them a goal to save for.

"Excuse me, may I ask a question?"

Magician Julietta asked for permission to ask a question.

"What is it?"

"You mentioned bonuses based on sales. What exactly are bonuses?"

Is the concept of bonuses not known in this world?

"Think of bonuses as special rewards. In other words, if sales are high, I will pay you additional rewards on top of your salary. Of course, bonuses will be based on your performance, so I hope you will work hard."

The expected sales will far exceed the plan, and I have revised my strategy to buy a large number of slaves. To boost motivation, I will return a portion of the excess sales to the employees as bonuses. Of course, to increase sales, we also need to improve our product offerings.

The idea of giving slaves days off and salaries is not common in this world, so the slaves were skeptical of my words. However, Filia summed it up for them.

"Everyone, I was once a slave, but Master Christoph saved my life and freed me from slavery. Master Christoph does not treat slaves like objects. If you trust Master Christoph, I believe a bright future awaits you!"

The slaves murmured in agreement, showing that they had at least some trust in my words.

"Finally! I want you to speak your minds to me. You don't need to ask for permission to speak. I will not tolerate harming your colleagues, but minor disputes are allowed. However, bullying the weak is not allowed! If you want to start a fight, pick someone stronger than you! Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded firmly.

For now, this seems to be a good start.

I entrusted the slaves to Filia and went to a nearby inn.

I, on the other hand, headed to the Commercial Guild to find a place for everyone to live and work.

"Would this property be suitable?"

The property shown to me was a four-story building close to the store.

This is an apartment building.

"The ground floor can be used as a store or a simple workshop. The second to fourth floors have three rooms each, totaling nine rooms, providing ample living space. However, as it is over 180 years old, it will require significant renovations, which will be at your expense."

That's not what I need.

I want to move in immediately, and I know I don't have enough money to buy such a large property.

"The asking price is 2 million S!"

"Excuse me?"

"2 million S."

"Why is it so cheap?"

"The owner passed away, and the property was inherited by a relative. Since it is an old building, there are no tenants, and it would be expensive to demolish or renovate. The owner cannot afford the costs and has a tax obligation, so they want to sell it as soon as possible."

I see, so it's an inherited property that is not profitable. ... But is it really that cheap?

"Is that all?"

The Commercial Guild employee smiled wryly and continued.

This dilapidated apartment building is unlikely to attract tenants with just a simple renovation. The ground floor is a store, but I doubt many merchants would want to rent it.

The location is not bad; it faces a main street with good foot traffic. ... In that sense, it could be considered a good property.

However, there are two stores run by lower nobles on either side, and ordinary people would not want to get involved in potential trouble.

Moreover, both neighboring stores are run by lower nobles.

Renovating this property would cause inconvenience to the neighboring stores run by lower nobles, who would demand substantial compensation.

Demolishing and rebuilding would also be costly, with ridiculous demands for compensation.

However, if I were to use my family's influence, I could avoid conflicts with the stores run by lower nobles.

Of course, if I were to make unreasonable demands, I could be crushed by the nobles.

The Holy Bandam Kingdom is less racially discriminatory compared to other countries, but the arrogance of the nobility is still prominent.

I've heard that it's better than other countries, but the entrenched privilege of the noble class in this world is not going away.

Given what I've heard, I think it's best to find a way to get along with the nobility.

However, the nobility is not that easy to deal with.

To put it dramatically, think of it like having offices of yakuza groups on either side in Japan. Moreover, since the state cannot be relied upon when dealing with nobles, the situation is even worse.

"Please show me this property first thing tomorrow morning. I will buy it if I like it."

I then looked at the details of two other properties and agreed to see them if I didn't buy the old apartment building.

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There is also a side story called "The Selfish Creator God." Please read it if you like, but be aware that it contains spoilers.

http://ncode.syosetu.com/n8657cs/