Chapter 14

After the appraisal event, Lucius returned to the headquarters of the 'Golden Eagle' and immediately took action to respond to the 'Spirit Factory'.

He gathered his close aides to devise a strategy.

"Dianna, Roland was connected to Lilianne."

"Really? I never thought those two would be connected."

Dianna said this as if she had just learned the fact, sounding surprised.

"Now all the mysteries are solved. It turns out that Roland's guild was the one supplying 'Earthcraft' to the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree.'"

"Indeed, I should have known. If I had, I would have taken measures from the beginning."

Dianna said this calmly.

"Roland's participation in the silverware appraisal event... He probably intends to make silverware the main product of his guild. If that's the case... Immediately, secure all the silver mines and 'Earthcraft' production mines. No one except those involved should approach the mines in our possession. Buy up all the silver ore and 'Earthcraft' raw materials in the market, regardless of cost. We need to put all the silver in this city under our control!"

"Hai."

"And don't forget to pressure the alchemy guilds and the stores and dealers that handle alchemy products. Threaten them to never do business with any guild that has traded with the 'Spirit Factory'."

"Hai."

After Lucius finished giving instructions, his aides hurriedly left.

Despite giving these instructions, Lucius still couldn't feel at ease.

The 'Guardian of the Magic Tree' owns a dungeon. I can't control the ore produced there. Tch. The next dungeon will be the decisive moment. If we can secure all three dungeons at that time, we can pressure the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree'.

Lucius recalled the cold treatment he received from Lord Elsen after the appraisal event.

Lord Elsen, who had started dealing with the 'Spirit Factory', postponed his future meals with Lucius.

"No, I'm sorry, Lucius. Let's have a meal another time."

Lord Elsen said this as if he was declining a troublesome appointment.

This 'another time' will never come.

(Roland, you've taken the noble's seal that I was aiming for.)

To Lucius, it felt as if his carefully laid plans had been snatched away at the last moment.

(I won't let this go so easily.)

Since the appraisal event, the members of the 'Spirit Factory' had been busy.

The booth at the appraisal event was bustling all day, and they not only won the top prize but also received the seal of approval from the lord, leading to a flood of orders.

The workshop was constantly receiving inquiries about silverware, and orders were pouring in that were unimaginably large compared to when they were operating on a small scale.

Despite the busy workshop, Roland tried to hold morning meetings as often as possible to gather the members.

Today, Renge announced the start of the morning meeting in the workshop.

"Let's start the morning meeting. Thank you all for your hard work at the appraisal event. Not only did we get good publicity, but we also received the lord's seal of approval, leading to a large number of orders."

Arie and Chial's expressions brightened.

Both were happy to see their work recognized.

"Given this, we need to produce 50 pieces of silverware this month."

"50... pieces?"

"50 pieces!?"

Arie and Chial reacted completely differently.

Arie looked worried, thinking about having to refine 50 pieces' worth of silver.

Chial's eyes sparkled, thinking about making 50 pieces of silverware.

"Renge, have you already delivered the silver for Chial to work on today to the 'Forest Workshop'?"

Roland asked.

"Yes, the silver A for today's production has already been delivered to the 'Forest Workshop.'"

"Is it okay? Producing 50 pieces of silverware..."

Arie also had to refine 150 'Earthcrafts'.

"It's okay. Arie, you can do it."

Roland patted Arie's head to reassure her.

"Y-Yes, I'll do my best."

She said this with a slightly red face.

Chial watched her closely.

"Hmm? Wait a moment, Renge. It's not just the direct orders, but we also need to produce for the new store, right?"

Roland and his team planned to open a silverware store soon.

With Lord Elsen's approval, they could open an alchemy product store without the hassle of applying for permits.

"Ah, right. We might need a bit more."

"It won't do. You need to include that in the production plan. The people producing will be the ones in trouble later."

"But I don't know how much we'll need yet..."

"You should have an idea of how much will fit on the shelves. Look at other stores for reference."

"Oh, right."

"Can't be helped. Let's discuss it later."

"Understood. I'll clear my schedule."

Renge hurriedly took out a notebook and adjusted the schedule.

Despite his appearance, he was a serious and diligent person.

"Alright, today's schedule: Arie, I need you to refine 20 'Earthcrafts' and 5 pieces of silver. Chial, I need you to start making a goblet, a large plate, a ring, a necklace, and a brooch. I'll be going to the mine later. Roland will be out all day for meetings, so please have the visiting team members support Arie and Chial."

"Understood."

The members from Zens' guild responded.

"Alright, that's it for today's morning meeting. Please go to your assigned positions."

"Understood."

(Oh, wait. Roland. What about me? No head pat for me?)

Chial, who had prepared to receive a head pat like Arie, looked disappointed.

And she regretted it.

Maybe I should have complained like Arie, she thought.

"Chial, Arie."

Renge's voice brought Chial back to reality.

"About the future production plan..."

Renge started a discussion with the two of them right there.

Chial spread out the design drawings she had prepared the day before and explained how much silver would be needed.

Renge planned when and how much silver to transport.

Arie looked at this and planned the refining process.

The three of them worked together seamlessly to complete the discussion.

Roland felt happy watching his members work hard and grow in a harmonious atmosphere.

Eventually, they won't have the luxury of such moments.

He knew this better than anyone.

But for now, he wanted to savor this moment of happiness.

After the morning meeting, Roland and Renge visited the silverware store that had placed orders, to see how many items would fit on the shelves.

"See, the number of items that can fit on the shelves is fixed, right? Use that as a hint to predict how many orders we'll get this month."

"Ah, I see."

Renge took notes eagerly.

"On the way back from the dungeon, stop by the store again. Investigate how many items are selling to make more accurate predictions."

"Understood."

Renge took more notes eagerly.

Roland watched Renge's busy figure with a mix of amusement and guilt.

(Sorry, Renge. I'm putting a lot of burden on you. But if you don't do this, it will get even busier in the future.)

"By the way, is it okay to turn down orders from other stores?"

Renge asked as they left the store.

"Yes."

The 'Spirit Factory' was receiving requests from retail stores to sell their products, in addition to direct orders from individuals.

However, Roland was currently turning down all such requests.

"Is it related to the 'Golden Eagle'?"

Renge asked, pressing for an answer.

Rolius smiled wryly.

(Indeed, you have a good sense.)

"Tell me. As the manager of the workshop, I need to know. I won't say anything to anyone."

"You can't hide anything from me."

Roland sighed and began to speak.

"I don't think Lucius will let this end. I believe he will try to pressure us in some form to bring us down."

"Of course..."

"Since we don't know how the other party will act, it's dangerous to increase production recklessly. This month, we were able to obtain 'Earthcraft' and silver ore thanks to Lilianne, but there's no guarantee that the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree' will secure a dungeon next month to obtain silver ore and 'Earthcraft'."

"So, to be safe, we should limit production and prepare for any situation."

Renge had also felt the difficulty of obtaining raw materials.

Previously, merchants who were happy to sell raw materials when asked were now hesitant to do so.

Now, the 'Spirit Factory' was increasingly limited to the mines of the dungeon that the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree' had secured.

"Keep this conversation with Arie and Chial. I don't want them to worry unnecessarily and I want them to focus on their work."

"Understood."

"Go to the mine, Renge. We need to secure as many resources as possible this month. I'm counting on you."

Roland patted Renge's back.

"Understood. I'll go."

"Sorry, but I need to return the people I've assigned to you."

At their usual meeting place, a tavern, Zens said to Roland.

His face, which had been open and friendly when he confided his troubles, was now cold and stern.

(As expected.)

"Is this sudden? What happened?"

"Lucius found out that we were collaborating with you. I heard that your guild was supplying 'Earthcraft' to the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree.'"

"..."

"That's a problem. If such things come to light, it will affect us. We receive large orders from the 'Golden Eagle.' If they stop trading with us, our guild will go under. I have to support many employees."

Zens said with a bitter expression.

He seemed to be torn between his gratitude for Roland, who had helped him in a difficult situation, and the reality that his guild would fail if he didn't prioritize his relationship with Lucius.

"In any case, our relationship ends here. Please don't take it personally."

"Understood."

(Indeed, other alchemy guilds will prioritize their relationship with the 'Golden Eagle' over us. That's to be expected.)

After finishing the meeting with Zens, Roland had some free time before his next appointment, so he wandered around the alchemy stalls.

Most of the items displayed were weapons for adventurers.

(To pull other alchemy guilds away from Lucius, we need to offer better terms than the 'Golden Eagle.' However, most of the alchemy guilds' work is making weapons for adventurers. To attract them to our side, we need to secure weapon orders from sources other than the 'Golden Eagle.' For that, we need the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree' to grow.)

Later, Roland met with Lilianne.

It was at their usual meeting place, a cafe.

"Congratulations on winning the award at the appraisal event. It must have been a good publicity boost."

"Thank you. I hear that the management of the dungeon is going well for you. Are you making a decent profit?"

"I wish. The 'Guardian of the Magic Tree' can't handle all the resources in the dungeon. We are currently collecting resource extraction fees from the guilds under the 'Golden Eagle,' but they have the advantage of scale. We are at a disadvantage in negotiations."

"I see. It's not that simple."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Lilianne then said what she had been wanting to tell Roland.

"Lucius is now putting pressure on us, the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree.'"

"Understood."

"Previously, we were considered a minor guild. The