Chapter 9

Roland came to the quest reception office to secure the personnel Lanz had requested.

"Oh, Lord Roland. Welcome."

The young receptionist, who had previously treated him with arrogance, now appeared thoroughly intimidated and approached him with an overly polite attitude.

She stood up from her chair and bowed repeatedly.

Ever since Roland became the representative of the "Spiritual Workshop," this had been the norm.

Lilian had pressured the receptionist to treat Roland with respect.

The receptionist, along with her superior, had visited Roland in a panic to apologize.

Although the "Guardian of the Magic Tree" was not as influential as the "Golden Eagle," it was still a major client, and the quest reception office could not afford to lose them.

The receptionist apologized for her overconfidence, even though it was due to a request from the "Golden Eagle," and since then, she had treated Roland with a thoroughly intimidated demeanor.

Her apologies were so desperate that Roland himself felt uncomfortable.

"What brings you here today?"

"Well, I'm here to find five people with the skill 'Ore Mining' at B level or higher and five people with the skill 'Item Storage' at C level or higher."

"Yes, understood. Please wait a moment."

She flipped through the files at an unusual speed, searching for alchemists and item storage specialists who met Roland's requirements.

"There are five people with the skill 'Item Storage C.'"

"Then please arrange interviews for them immediately."

"Yes, understood."

She quickly filled out the necessary documents.

"What about the 'Ore Mining' skill?"

"Ah, I'm terribly sorry. There are currently no job postings for 'Ore Mining' at B level or higher."

She bowed deeply in apology.

"Oh, no, it's fine if there aren't any. You don't have to bow so low."

Roland was surprised and stopped her.

After that, she continued to treat him with an overly polite and submissive attitude.

(But this is a problem. I can't meet Lanz's request without finding five people with 'Ore Mining B.' It's not easy to find freelance 'Ore Mining B' specialists.)

As Roland left the quest reception office, worrying about securing the personnel, night had already fallen over the city.

The shops were lit up, and people were stopping by the taverns after work.

(Maybe I'll stop by a tavern for the first time in a while.)

Roland remembered how he used to exchange information at the tavern during his adventuring days and get hints for his adventures.

He entered the tavern for the first time in a while.

There, he ran into someone from the Alchemy Guild he had interacted with during his "Golden Eagle" days.

"Is that you, Roland?"

"Zens. It's been a while."

Since it had been a while since they last met, they decided to sit at the same table and catch up.

"So, Roland, you're no longer a member of the 'Golden Eagle,' are you?"

"Yes, I was unfortunately expelled."

"I see. Then you can understand my complaints about Lucius."

Zens, emboldened by the alcohol, began to vent his frustrations about Lucius.

"Really, it's unbearable. He first demands that we deliver iron A for 200 gold, then he orders us to put the alchemists who can create 'Earthcraft' under house arrest. And now he wants us to make top-tier wedding gifts out of silver."

"Silver?"

"It seems a certain noble is holding a silver craft exhibition for a wedding anniversary. He wants us to create pieces for the exhibition. Essentially, he's trying to use us to please the nobles. He's excluding high-level alchemists and then demanding we create top-tier silver crafts."

Zens drank his ale, looking frustrated.

(Lucius is making such unreasonable demands. Even though Zens is from the largest alchemy guild in the city, it must be tough for him.)

Roland couldn't help but sympathize with him.

"The situation is chaotic. You know how much it costs to improve skill levels, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Once a skill is acquired, it doesn't easily degrade, but improving it requires a significant amount of money.

Zens must have made considerable investments to improve his craftsmen's skills, but all the costs were borne by his guild, with Lucius contributing nothing.

"Right now, Lucius's people are monitoring our kilns. Those with 'Ore Refining B' or higher, who can create 'Earthcraft,' are not allowed near the kilns. One of our alchemists was just about to master 'Ore Refining A' but can no longer train. He'll have to start from scratch when he returns."

(Lucius is really pushing it. Just because one dungeon was taken by the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree,' he's tightening the screws on the alchemists under his control.)

Roland felt even more sorry for Zens.

Then, an idea came to him.

"Hey, Zens. Would you like to buy the iron we're producing? I can sell you iron A for 100 gold. At 200 gold, it should still be profitable, right?"

"Iron A for 100 gold? That would be a great help, but is it really okay for you to sell it at such a price?"

"Yes, we've produced a lot, but since Lucius controls the alchemy market, no one is buying it. It's just sitting in the warehouse."

"I see. But it feels wrong, considering we're on Lucius's side."

"In return, could you send us five staff members with 'Ore Mining B' or higher? Of course, we'll cover their salaries."

"Ah, that's fine, of course."

Zens was struggling with the excess staff due to Lucius's restrictions on refining.

"Then it's settled. How about sending the alchemists who are under house arrest to us as well? We can handle the refining of iron A and silver crafts."

"Of course, that would be perfect. But is it really okay for you to do so much for us?"

"Yes, just make sure Lucius doesn't find out. I'm currently under his scrutiny, and if he finds out we're working together, it could be bad for both of us."

"Hmm, I see."

(Something's up.)

Even Zens realized there was more to Roland's proposal.

However, Zens never imagined that the "Spiritual Workshop" had someone who could refine 100 'Earthcraft' per month alone.

Moreover, he couldn't afford to be picky about his methods. If things continued as they were, his workshop would incur huge costs, and he might have to lay off many employees, possibly even going bankrupt.

"Alright, I'll do as you say."

They decided to meet the next day at a place where they wouldn't be seen to discuss the details.

After leaving the tavern, Roland felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

(Phew. I've managed to secure the personnel. I can also clear out the inventory, and this will help Lanz improve his management skills.)

Roland had to ensure that not only Arie but also Lanz's skills continued to improve.

Securing staff was crucial for developing and maintaining Lanz's management skills.

(Having more people to hire means more things to worry about, but at least the pressure is off for now.)

With the personnel secured, Roland began to think about his next move to give Lucius a taste of his own medicine.

He visited a weapon shop that was open at night.

Currently, the Alchemy Guild was almost entirely under Lucius's control, so all the weapons in the city's shops were made by alchemists under Lucius's command.

(They're so cheap.)

As he looked at the items, he thought.

Everything was priced at a rock-bottom rate, and the "Spiritual Workshop" couldn't produce weapons any cheaper, no matter how hard they tried.

(Lucius is probably buying them at a low price, but the real difference is in capital and scale.)

Ordering large quantities of goods at once meant getting a discount.

The Alchemy Guild could use the large amounts of cash to hire personnel and improve facilities, allowing them to produce goods even more cheaply.

Lucius's 10 alchemy guilds had over 500 skilled alchemists.

These 500+ alchemists were constantly competing to find ways to produce weapons cheaply and in large quantities, supplying the market.

On the other hand, Roland's workshop had only two people.

Even with the new staff, they wouldn't reach 20.

(There's no way we can compete with them, no matter how hard we try.)

In fact, Lilian would only buy 'Earthcraft' from Roland and had to purchase regular weapons from Lucius's alchemy guilds.

Roland thought about how to compete with Lucius.

(The 'Guardian of the Magic Tree' might not always order 'Earthcraft.' Eventually, we'll have to face Lucius head-on in the weapons market. But the difference in scale and capital is too great, so we can't win on price. We need to create weapons that Lucius's guilds can't produce, something that fills a gap in the market. We need a standout product. For that, we need more than just the current staff. No matter how high the quality, we can't produce unique items. We need to find staff with more unique skills...)

As Roland walked back to his room, he saw a girl selling flowers.

She was calling out to passersby in a weak, uncertain voice, clearly not suited to the job.

"Excuse me... Ah!"

She tried to sell a flower to a passing man, but he ignored her and walked away.

The girl hung her head in disappointment.

(Poor thing. There's nothing sadder than being forced to do a job you're not suited for.)

On a whim, Roland decided to appraise her skills.

Her skills were as follows:

'Silver Crafting' B → S

'Product Development' D → A

'Product Design' E → A

'Spirit Addition' A → S

Roland was taken aback.

(What? Her potential in 'Silver Crafting,' 'Product Development,' and 'Product Design' is all A or higher!? And what's 'Spirit Addition'? I've never seen or heard of such a skill. Could it be a unique skill?)

Roland used 'Appraisal' to display the detailed description of 'Spirit Addition.'

'Spirit Addition'

A skill to imprison spirits within gold, silver, and gemstones.

Most commonly used with silver.

Special effects are bestowed upon the gold, silver, and gemstones that contain spirits.

"Hey, you."

"Yes?"

Roland couldn't help but call out to the flower girl.

When she turned around, he saw that she was an elf with flowing silver hair, deep green eyes, and pointed ears.