Chapter 43 - 43 Lost-wax
Steve was holding a management meeting with Factory Manager Nick at the Third Village.
The location was the factory's prototyping room. As the name suggested, the prototyping room was a room for creating prototypes, and general workers were not allowed to enter. Only Steve and Nick could enter. Otherwise, only those granted permission by one of the two were allowed. It was a rule that even Brian could not enter as he pleased.
There, Steve was showing Nick a stainless steel dragon figure. The dragon, with its wings spread wide, held a flag in its mouth, and the Archibalt family crest was drawn on that flag.
"I'm thinking of selling this to the nobility, but if we were to make it using lost-wax, do you think we can do it here?"
"This thing, sir?"
Lost-wax is, literally, a manufacturing method where products are made by melting wax. A prototype made of wax is coated with plaster or similar material, and molten metal is poured into the cavity created by melting the wax away. It has been used on Earth since quite ancient times.
Nick observed the dragon figure intently. Then he scratched his head.
"Wouldn't making the prototype be the impossible part? It'd be fine if we had someone exceptionally dexterous, but the factory workers weren't originally craftsmen, you know. I reckon the method itself is possible if we prepare the tools."
"It might be a different story if we had a metal mold to make the prototype."
For mass production, a metal mold is essential. However, they lacked the know-how to create one. Steve had dabbled in mold processing in his previous life, but when it came to mold design, he was inexperienced.
There was no way he could suddenly produce a metal mold for making lost-wax prototypes.
"What do you plan to do about that metal mold thing? Are you going to make it, Wakasama?"
"That's impossible. But it's good just to know that we can make this with lost-wax."
"I don't quite get what you mean, but with lost-wax, the surface of the product comes out cleaner than with sand casting. For things like ornaments, you can't use sand casting."
"Then, shall we make and sell rings?"
Even in modern times, rings are sometimes made using lost-wax. However, since there were no ring craftsmen in the Archibalt territory, the final process of adding value could not be done. Both Steve and Nick understood that.
"Wakasama, it might be a bit late to say this, but even if we can do lost-wax, the rings won't be finished."
"That's true. I could apprentice myself somewhere and learn, but it doesn't seem like it would be sustainable after that."
"Yeah, most likely. In that case, wouldn't it be better to start on the mass production of furniture you mentioned the other day?"
The mass production of furniture Nick spoke of was the next product Steve had conceived. Parts for tables and chairs would be made separately, threaded, and then assembled by the purchaser.
While this was common in Japan, in the Kingdom of Cascade, furniture was something craftsmen made, and they were sized according to the situation of the house.
Naturally, that made them convenient but expensive, so Steve thought that even if they sacrificed a bit of convenience, cheap furniture could be competitive. They had already conducted sales in several locations through the Emmanuel Trading Company and grasped that there was a decent demand.
"Well, for the time being, we'll have our hands full with that. Even if the second recruitment of immigrants goes smoothly, it looks like we'll end up using all of them just as workers for making furniture."
"If the population increases, we'll have to increase the daycare staff too, I suppose."
The reputation of the daycare was excellent, making it possible to utilize young women as a labor force. Moreover, since it was attached to the workplace, they could go see their children immediately if something happened. As for the medical system, if Steve was there, he could use recovery magic, so it was a much better environment than raising children at home poorly.
Furthermore, Steve did not skimp on daycare staff to ensure no accidents occurred. Especially for infants who required constant attention, he had decided that one childcare worker would look after no more than two children.
Therefore, if the number of immigrants increased, it would be necessary to hire childcare workers from among them, so not everyone could be sent to work as factory laborers.
"In the unlikely event that a child dies at the daycare, the mothers might become anxious and stop working during their child-rearing period. That would be a huge loss."
"I wish you'd been around when I was a brat, Wakasama. Not to be blunt, but parents don't have the leeway to look after their kids, so the siblings do it, but since it's kids doing it, the treatment is pretty rough. If this environment had existed when I was a kid, even I would be..."
"In a better position than Factory Manager?"
"No, I have no complaints."
Nick hurriedly denied it after being glared at by Steve.
Not limited to the Kingdom of Cascade, even in the surrounding countries, there was no concept of children's rights. It was an environment not much different from the natural world, where those who survived from a high birth and high death rate continued the species.
In such a place, if a workplace considering childcare was created, it was no wonder one would want to say they wished they had it in their time too.
"But well, it wouldn't be bad to study lost-wax for the sake of the future. I only saw lost-wax a little bit when I was young myself."
Nick decided to change the subject.
"Then shall we go see it right away?"
"Do you have a lead?"
Nick was surprised by Steve's reply. He was always amazed by how fast Steve acted, but he couldn't get used to it no matter how many times he experienced it.
Asked by Nick, Steve nodded.
"I'm thinking of getting a letter from His Excellency the Margrave and visiting a workshop in Sowell Land."
"Then even a workshop couldn't refuse. Oops, would it be the same for us if that happened?"
"Right now, that's not possible. My status is equivalent to a Margrave. Even if I'm told to forcibly show our secrets, I have no obligation or duty to comply."
"And you're not the kind of Wakasama who would yield even if threatened with military force."
The only ones with higher status than Steve were the King and Dukes; even someone like Aurora could not force him.
Even if they tried to push through with military power, they couldn't win without sealing Steve's magic. However, since Steve's side lacked the personnel for occupation, the probability of losing was also low.
Though, the noble who started the war would likely lose their life.
Nick understood that as well.
"But will the noble on the other side accept such a sudden request?"
"Well, you see, this lost-wax business is related to the work I'm doing at the request of His Excellency the Margrave."
"Learning the techniques of another workshop is?"
Nick was confused, unable to see the connection in what Steve said. Steve didn't want to tell too many people about the job to outmaneuver the current Dronne Trading Company, so he didn't inform Nick about that part.
"Something like that. Me starting a business with new work will benefit His Excellency. And lost-wax is indispensable for that business. It's not like I'll have you doing it, Nick, but it's necessary to visit other workshops and come into contact with their techniques, right?"
"Well, I have confidence in my own skills, but if it's something I've never done, I reckon I'll try to learn it."
Nick was extremely serious about his work, and Steve appreciated him for that.
And this time too, he did not betray expectations and said he would accompany him to the workshop visit. He was a model craftsman who never forgot the attitude of learning, no matter his age.
Although it was called a management meeting, to prioritize the request from Aurora, the mass production of furniture was deferred to the next time, and the two teleported to Sowell Land using Steve's magic.
Since there was no need to meet Aurora in person, he asked the gatekeeper to convey his business to Harry and had the letter prepared immediately. Then, they headed to the introduced workshop.
"Hello."
Steve offered a greeting and stepped inside.
Inside the workshop were several craftsmen working on creating prototypes.
Among them, an elderly craftsman glared at Steve and Nick.
"This ain't a place for kids. Go home."
"We've come with a letter of introduction from His Excellency the Margrave."
Steve waved the letter in front of his body.
"I can't read, so I don't know what's in that letter, but if it's a recommendation from the Young Lady, I can't refuse. There's no reason to tell a lie that'd get you executed just to come to a workshop like this. What's your business?"
"I've come to see the lost-wax process."
The craftsman was surprised by the words "come to see the work." Usually, people came to place an order. Furthermore, it was unheard of for a noble themselves to come instead of sending a servant.
He considered that the man behind the boy might be there to learn lost-wax, but in that case, there was no need for the boy to come. Since the boy was well-dressed, he imagined he was a noble's child, so he didn't understand the meaning of Steve being there.
Regardless of the bewildered craftsman, Steve spoke to him.
"What you're doing now is the work of creating the prototype, right?"
"Yeah. Er, yes."
"Ah, I don't mind the way you speak. Nick behind me is also blunt with me."
Told this, Nick gave a wry smile.
"If you're listening to Wakasama's unreasonable demands, you can't exactly give a polite response. Or would you stop saying unreasonable things if I used polite language?"
"See?"
The craftsman was surprised to see the interaction between the two. When it came to noble children, they all had a strong sense of elitism. Thus, it was usually palpable that they looked down on craftsmen. However, Aurora was not like that and had treated them politely since she was small.
Therefore, they used the term "Young Lady" with respect.
Yet, regarding the child in front of him, the man named Nick showed no sign of restraint. Normally, that was an act that would be punished.
"No use thinking about the relationship between you two. If you say normal speech is fine, then I'll do that. So, what are you going to do after seeing the work? Right now, business is good thanks to the war, and we're busy with bronze statue work from the nobles. You planning to make a bronze statue?"
"It's not bronze. I'm thinking of trying lost-wax using a new metal. I want to make something like this."
Saying so, Steve used magic to create and show a dragon figure.
The craftsman was surprised by that magic, but he was even more surprised by the crest drawn on the flag the dragon held.
Due to the nature of accepting work from nobility, he also had knowledge of crests. That knowledge, upon seeing the dragon crest on the flag, told him that Steve was of high rank.
Basically, the dragon crest could only be used by royalty. As an exception, it could be used if one was bestowed with the Dragon Head or Dragon Wing Medal.
If he were royalty, he wouldn't have to come all the way to a workshop in the West. That led to the conclusion that he must be the person who recently received the Dragon Wing Medal.
"By any chance, are you the Dragon Wing Medal-sama?"
"That's right."
"I didn't know, please forgive my terrible rudeness!"
The craftsman suddenly bowed his head.
Unable to grasp the situation, Steve and Nick looked at each other.
"No, you don't have to be so formal..."
"I can't have that. The fact that we didn't have to go to the battlefield is all thanks to the Dragon Wing Medal-sama."
"What do you mean?"
When Steve asked for an explanation, the craftsman told him the circumstances.
"We craftsmen are taken to the battlefield to serve as engineers. Naturally, the enemy shows no mercy, so it's normal to be killed or taken prisoner and treated as a slave in the enemy country. That's how a certain number of established craftsmen decrease every time there's a war. If it were merchants, that wouldn't happen, though."
"So you're saying it was good because the war ended quickly."
"Yes. This time, the war ended before the talk of conscription even arrived. What's more, it ended with a victory. This current busyness is all thanks to the Dragon Wing Medal-sama."
Hearing that explanation, Steve looked at Nick.
"Is it something to be thanked for that much?"
"Wakasama should learn a bit more about how others evaluate him."
"I was just acting on His Excellency's request, though. I received a reward too."
"Didn't your parents tell you to accept gratitude and reward money? You should just accept it honestly. The world isn't a place where everything ends just because you paid money, right?"
"I guess that's true."
The attitude of "I'm paying money, so do it" was the kind of customer attitude Steve's father in his previous life hated most. If his mood soured, he would refuse the job regardless of money. Steve had been taught that such was a craftsman's pride.
This time was the opposite—receiving money and receiving gratitude as well—which, for a craftsman, was the height of professional fulfillment.
Thus, at the workshop where the treatment had improved, they were taught in detail about lost-wax.
And through this, the next move was concretely drawn inside Steve's head.