Chapter 182 - 182 Leon and the Bean Machine
Madame Vert, Cecily Iso Yellow was called that.
She was the second wife of the Yellow Empire Emperor and a user of plant cultivation magic. By imitating Steve's breeding techniques, she performed various plant breedings and propelled the Empire's agriculture forward, so she was called Madame Vert, meaning "Green Lady." And she had become the supreme authority in the Empire's agriculture.
Since Cecily had no children with the Emperor, she doted on her niece Isabella as if she were her own child.
So, even with a sudden visit, she welcomed them cheerfully.
And since both Steve and Isabella had become imperial nobles, they were treated politely within the Imperial Palace. They were guided to the detached palace where Cecily was without any problems.
"Big Brother, and Isabella, welcome."
"I apologize for visiting so suddenly."
Steve bowed his head.
It wasn't truly a sudden visit; he had once teleported to tell Cecily he wished to visit, confirmed her schedule, and then teleported again with Isabella.
"It is fine. You came relying on me, didn't you?"
"Yes. We absolutely want to import Empire-produced red beans."
Isabella looked straight at Cecily. With Cecily's authority, she could decide on exports to the Kingdom of Cascade. That was what they were counting on.
"Over here, the Frobel Trading Company seems to be monitoring various movements of red beans."
The Frobel Trading Company was not a faction that staged a coup when the current Emperor returned from the Kingdom of Cascade; rather, they supported the Emperor. Thanks to that, they are now the premier trading company in the Empire. And the owner of that company was the Sowell family.
So, while buying up red beans within the Kingdom of Cascade, they were also keeping an eye on exports from the Empire. However, they were not making moves to buy them up themselves.
They were merely monitoring whether there was an export volume that would cause price collapses for red beans within the Kingdom of Cascade.
That information had also reached Cecily's ears.
Isabella continued.
"It is not an exaggeration to say that all red beans within the Kingdom of Cascade have been bought up. Therefore, to crash the current market price, Empire-produced red beans are necessary."
Hearing that, Cecily made a troubled face.
"Empire-produced red beans are harvested mostly in October. If we export them to the Kingdom of Cascade from there, it would be around November. Will that be in time? You want to somehow fix this current price surge, don't you?"
In the Kingdom of Cascade, red bean harvesting begins in September and ends in October. The harvest volume for those two months is similar, but in the Empire, almost all harvesting happens in October.
With this, it will not be in time for the settlement deadline limited to October.
Isabella knew that as well. So she was left speechless.
"However, this is also a chance for the Empire. It is a chance to aggressively sell Empire-produced red beans to the Kingdom of Cascade. Since someone won't sell us a bean machine or whatever, there is a surplus of red beans."
Cecily glanced at Steve.
"If we eat up too much demand, the successor models won't sell. The bean machines made without my magic are what I really want to sell."
Steve answered.
"The purchased ones are being used for research, so there is unfortunately a small amount actually making confectionery. If you can do something about that, we can export the red beans sooner. I don't want to attach such conditions for my cute niece, but if we get too involved, people will start saying bad things soon. It would be better if there were benefits for the Empire other than just exports."
Cecily, a loyal knight who helped the Emperor, was also seeing people forget her achievements over the years and start saying bad things. To silence them, she was bringing Cascade Kingdom technology to the Empire via Steve. The bean machine was one of them, but if it was diverted to research, there would be few actually usable ones.
So, by increasing that, she wanted to show there were benefits for the Empire as well.
It was not good for Archibalt Confectionery to monopolize the bean machines, so they were also selling them to same-industry competitors within the Kingdom of Cascade. However, as Steve said, to sell bean machines made without using Industrial Machinery magic, the number of bean machines made by Steve himself was being kept low. So, if it was for other countries, the number would decrease further. There was a situation where the Empire was using the few machines for research in order to manufacture bean machines on their own.
Steve looked at Isabella.
"Can it be done in another month?"
"We have no choice but to do it."
Considering various schedules, they needed to deliver the bean machines by next month.
If they couldn't make it, Steve intended to make them with magic, but he deliberately did not mention that. Isabella also had no intention of relying on Steve.
They promised to deliver the bean machines the following month, and that day they decided to return.
However, instead of going home, they headed to Archibalt Automachinery.
There, they gathered relevant personnel and Nick to convey the promise made earlier.
"Next month, we will deliver bean machines that do not use magic to the Empire. If this is done, the Empire will export red beans. Keep in mind that whether we can break the current buying-up of red beans and deliver sweet confectionery to the children depends on this, and get to work."
Hearing that, Nick stepped forward and faced the employees.
"Listen up, you lot. For the next month, this place will become a battlefield. Think about work day and night, even if an idea pops up in the middle of the night, that is work. Think you can't even see your parents' deathbeds. So, those who don't intend to do such work don't need to participate. I don't think about giving any punishment. But you should understand that you can't do it with a half-hearted attitude. So, before it starts, move to another job."
Even after declaring that, no one declined.
"That's it. Miss, no, President, I'll be right by your side taking care of everything, so it should work out somehow."
"Understood. And, do we need support from Heavy Industries?"
To Isabella's question, Nick looked at the employees' faces.
Heavy Industries referred to Archibalt Heavy Industries, an elite group reigning at the top of this country's manufacturing industry. Among them, if it came to the machine tool department or production technology, the knowledge and skills possessed were worlds apart from Archibalt Automachinery.
He knew that if there was support from there, the work would progress.
Leon stepped forward.
"We will make design changes to difficult-to-process parts. For example, if it is long and warps, we will split the parts and fasten them in the middle."
Here, Nick was surprised that Leon, who had not compromised until now, had compromised. The processors also murmured.
"Well, discussion is necessary, but things that can be made easily will be copied immediately. We need to make it so that even if they see the actual product, they won't know how it was processed."
Nick drove a stake in so they wouldn't run away in an easy direction. However, he was expecting the discussion between designers and processors to progress.
And since there wasn't much time to spend, they immediately got to work.
The remaining Isabella, Steve, and Nick talked in voices the employees couldn't hear.
"So, do you think the processing part will work out?"
"Yeah, if you change the way of thinking, it might work out. If we had time, we could review the materials, though."
"Hey Dad, how do we review the materials?"
"For example, add phosphorus and sulfur to stainless steel. Then machinability improves. However, since that also has corrosion issues for food machinery, we could separate and remove the phosphorus and sulfur with Separation Magic after processing. If we solve the current lack of processing precision, there are such methods."
Steve's thoughts were a method unique to a world with magic. In current Japan, it would be creating a metal that combines the ease of machining SUS303 with the corrosion resistance of SUS304.
"Shouldn't you tell them that?"
"Nick won't allow it."
Steve looked at Nick.
Nick nodded.
"You have to do this yourself and experience it to think from there. Even with machine tools, you only realize it when the feeling of cutting is transmitted to your hands."
"Oh, I understand that. When shooting a person with a gun, there is a feeling transmitted whether it is a fatal wound or not."
To Isabella's words, Steve made a grim face.
"Isabella, Dad doesn't want you to do things like that too much."
"They are the ones attacking, so it can't be helped."
Isabella was straightforward. She often clashed with local mafia and nobles due to work. The nobles didn't dare touch her because Steve was scary, but the mafia didn't care about what kind of family Isabella was from, so assassins had been sent many times.
She had repelled them all with swords at close range and guns at long range, but Steve wanted her to stop clashing with such forceful methods. Michael felt the same, but Isabella wouldn't listen.
A few days later, while Steve and Arthur were working together, Arthur stopped his hand and spoke to Steve.
"Recently, Father seems happy."
"Does he?"
"Yes. Mother got angry that Father was playing with Nick again."
The "Mother" Arthur spoke of was, of course, Christina.
"We aren't playing, though."
"I know that, but when Father starts something with Nick, he often neglects other things. Mother is sulking because of that. Why don't you try to cheer her up a bit?"
Pointed out by Arthur, Steve scratched his head in trouble.
Since then, he had been visiting Archibalt Automachinery at night to check progress and measure finished parts, returning home late at night.
It was better compared to Nick staying overnight, but it was true that he was neglecting his family. However, if the employees were doing that, Steve couldn't take time to spend with his family alone.
If he could do that, he wouldn't have died in his previous life in the first place, and even after reincarnation, his personality hadn't changed.
"A little more. Until then, I'll leave it to Arthur."
"I thought you would say that. I'll give Mother a post-dated check, so please clean up the mess."
"I'm counting on you."
Thus, as a result of Steve sacrificing his family, the bean machines were completed in three weeks.
Everyone was exhausted, but they were smiling.
"Good work."
Nick praised them in front of the machine, and one of the processors smiled shyly.
"Really, I used up a lifetime's worth of brainpower."
"Don't talk nonsense. You will keep thinking and working from now on. Don't think this is the end."
"Ugh. But I don't want to think for a while."
When scolded by Nick like that, laughter erupted.
Then, another person opened their mouth.
"I feel like I can do it. If I save money, maybe I'll buy a machine tool and open my own workshop."
"If you can do everything from maintenance to delivery yourself."
Steve indirectly persuaded them to stop based on his experience with town workshops, but it didn't reach the ears of the processors who held dreams and hope. And this feeling was the feeling of his father in his previous life who started a company himself, so he missed his previous life's father.
Feeling like he might cry a little, he hurriedly turned the conversation to Isabella.
"So, President. Thus, the bean machines were completed by the deadline. Will this show the ending of the red bean market that will be talked about for generations to come?"
"Leave that to me. Oh, by the way, what should we name this machine? Since we went to the trouble, I want to give it a name and sell it."
When Isabella said that, someone
"Please name it after the designer, Leon."
said.
Up until now, the designer Leon had listened to the processors' opinions, looked at the actual processing site, and made design changes. Sometimes he worked through the night so they could process from morning. The processors saw that and had come to trust Leon.
So, everyone agreed with that, but there was someone opposing it.
Steve.
"You should stop that."
"Why, Dad. Everyone agrees, right?"
Only Isabella could voice opinions, so it was only her who argued back.
But Steve did not change his opinion. And no one knew the reason for that.
Leon cannot be the name of the bean machine. The reason will be understood if you investigate.