Chapter 196 - Chapter 196: Defect Inspection
The day after the Economic Revolution Club purchased the accounts receivable of Granville Construction, a letter arrived at Cavendish Construction in the name of House Archibalt.
Its contents stated that since they had purchased the accounts receivable of Granville Construction, they wished to inspect the defects that were being used as a reason for non-payment.
The one troubled by this was Anderson, the Quality Control Manager of Cavendish Construction. Delaying payment was an order from Marquess Cavendish, and citing defects was a forced excuse added afterwards, but it had worked because the other party was a subcontractor and held a lower rank of nobility. The same treatment could not be applied to House Archibalt.
He had reported this matter to the Marquess,
"Make it work."
That was all he received in response.
He wanted to say that on-site inspection was impossible without Viscount Nathan's permission, but Arthur saw through this, and added that House Archibalt would obtain Viscount Nathan's permission.
"What should I do... No, if it has come to this, I have no choice but to insist that some random scratches are defects. But the payment from Viscount Nathan has already been received. If this is attacked, there is nothing I can do. No, I will leave that to the Sales Department. I will only explain the quality control part, and regarding the payment, I will say I have no authority and do not know about it—"
Thus, Manager Anderson steeled himself and decided to undergo the defect inspection.
Three days later, gathered at the residence of Viscount Nathan were Anderson from Cavendish Construction, and Arthur and Lilia from House Archibalt.
The two concealed their identities and greeted them, stating they had come to inspect defects at the request of the head of House Archibalt.
"Thank you for your cooperation today. We have come at the request of the head of House Archibalt to inspect for defects."
"Today, I, Anderson, will handle this. As the person responsible for quality control, I will explain what our company's defects entail."
Anderson felt reassured that the visitors were young. Age and ability do not always match, but being young meant they had less experience, and he thought he could overwhelm them.
In Japan, too, regarding architecture and automobiles, the knowledge gap between seller and buyer often becomes a problem. This is because, compared to other transactions, the seller possesses overwhelming knowledge, and the buyer does not realize they have been deceived.
Even in the Kingdom of Cascade, architecture was like that, and there were countless defects that laypeople could not discern.
Viscount Nathan was not present. This was because House Archibalt had stated his presence was unnecessary.
This also served as material for Anderson's reassurance. The lack of sudden remarks was significant.
And when they arrived at the gazebo in question, Anderson pointed to a small scratch on the pillar.
"This is the defect."
"It looks like a very small scratch."
Arthur voiced his honest impression.
At this moment, Lilia was thinking the same thing, but she feared that her own words would ruin this scheme, so she could not open her mouth.
Arthur said I didn't need to speak, but isn't this unnatural? But I don't know what to say...
Lilia felt as if she were being crushed by anxiety.
This showed on her expression, and Anderson noticed.
The woman seems confused. Let's press the attack while we have the momentum.
Gaining confidence, his speech became lighter.
"Our company has many transactions with noble clients. Naturally, they demand the highest quality work, so we cannot overlook even a single scratch like this. It becomes a matter of trust."
"I see. Splendid. Then, we will inform Granville Construction to fix this."
"Yes. We will obtain permission for the construction from Viscount Nathan, and we will contact you once the permission is granted."
Thus, the defect inspection ended.
Anderson, who had breathed a sigh of relief having made it through, would soon find himself in a difficult situation after this.