Night falls quietly, and the number of pedestrians on the street gradually thins out. The factory is dimly lit. Workers hang lighted kerosene lamps on long poles on the walls, barely illuminating the scene inside the factory.
Ma Wei and the others stood in front of the roaring machine, watching the tracks rotate slowly. The engineer in charge of debugging checked the machine back and forth. After confirming that it was correct, he walked up to Ma Wei and said, "Mr. Manstein, the machine has been installed. It's nothing." If something goes wrong, we will go back first. If you have any maintenance problems, you can contact us."
"Trouble, Felix, send some masters out."
Lai Wen led several engineers out of the factory and whistled for a carriage. Before getting on the carriage, he took out a few silver shillings and handed them to the engineers. He said with a smile: "This is the travel expenses my elder brother reimbursed for these people. "
A few shillings for travel expenses was too extravagant, but everyone knew that the money was more than travel expenses, so the engineers happily accepted it and kept thanking them.
After sending the engineer away, Laiwen re-entered the factory, closed the heavy iron door, and returned to the newly built machinery. He found that Mawei had already begun directing the workers to pour raw materials into the furnace.
Hercules' stick is a low-level magic potion, and the production process is not complicated. Several workers wearing gloves and masks stand on the top of the machine, twist the valve, and a large amount of clean water rushes into the furnace. When the water level reaches the specified standard, Immediately close the valve and start pouring the thick blue juice into the furnace according to the dosage standard.
The production line is outside the factory and the confidentiality is not high. In order to ensure that the formula will not be leaked, Mavitt divided the factory into two parts: the outside and the inside. The outside is responsible for assembling the potions, and the inner factory is responsible for producing the potions.
The blue juice that workers pour into the furnace is one of the ingredients for making Hercules sticks. For every 10 ounces of seaweed juice, 3 ounces of soapstone powder and half an ounce of dried sage are added... .
These high-purity juices are made by Steven and others in the internal factory, and then transported directly to the external factory for uniform dilution and blending. Finally, they are manually bottled and inspected by workers to meet the factory standards.
As the machinery was running, the first batch of diluted blue liquid soon entered the pipe. The workers sitting next to the pipe had been waiting for a long time. They picked up the glass bottles one after another, pulled the valve in front of them, and poured the liquid into the glass bottles. , put it back into the groove of the crawler track, and transport it to the next assembly point.
At the next assembly point, workers holding droppers dropped a drop of milky white liquid into the bottle. Instantly, the blue liquid that merged with the white liquid began to become transparent, as if it had been compressed. The two quickly merged. It slowly turned into a translucent liquid with blue ripples, which is the finished stick of Hercules.
"What is the white liquid added in the second step?" Freya asked curiously.
"The juice of ayahuasca rhizomes." Ma Wei said slowly: "This juice is extremely stimulating and can enhance the hardness of bones. Without it, human fragile bones cannot support expanding muscles. It will be easily crushed."
“How much do these materials cost?”
"You can get it all for a few pennies." Mavey said: "Heracles' stick is a low-level magic potion. Its materials are all common herbs, and it is not difficult to collect them."
"Boss, look!"
During the conversation, the first bottle of Hercules' Stick appeared at the end of the production line. Jacob walked over tremblingly, picked up a bottle, and said excitedly: "This is the first bottle of magic potion produced by our factory!"
The workers also had joy on their faces, as if they had done something incredible, and a huge sense of satisfaction rose in their hearts. Mavey took the glass bottle from Jacob's hand, turned it over, and found at the bottom of the bottle, Found the Manstein Potion Company's pattern - a big-horned elk leaping on its front hooves.
Glass bottles are all custom-made. Of course, a company must have its own logo. In order to prevent fakes, Ma Wei also commissioned a paper factory to purchase a kind of ink paper. This kind of ink is expensive and is used by banks to make banknotes. One of the raw materials, with it, coupled with an independent serial number and anti-counterfeiting mark....
For every bottle of potion that leaves the factory, you can find the corresponding record.
"Good job." Ma Wei nodded with satisfaction: "Each person will be given a bonus of one day's salary!"
The workers cheered, which was much more practical than verbal praise. Although Ma Wei was good to them, who would have trouble with money?
"I'll leave this to you, Steven." Mawei warned: "Several other machines and cargo ships will arrive at the port in the next few days. When the materials arrive, the factory will start formal production. You are responsible for it. Shift scheduling, night work wages will be increased by 30%, and workers who are willing to work overtime on Saturdays and Sundays will be given double wages on weekly rotations.”
"clear!"
Jacob, who had worked in a brewery before, knew how generous Mavey's offer was, which was a good thing that he never dared to think about!
A daily salary of 11 shillings and 6 pence is enough to meet the daily needs of a family of four or even five. You must know that the price of 1 pound of black bread is only 3 pence!
One day's work at the Manstein Potion Factory is equivalent to a week's salary for many workers!
"Are you treating your workers too well?" Freya seemed to have some objections to Mavey's decision: "The daily wage of 11 shillings and 6 pence is a violation of industry standards. Doing so will attract other factories. The boss’s dissatisfaction…”
“Do I need to care about their opinion?”
"No need, I just think that if you are willing to lower the treatment of workers, the company will get higher profits."
"Maybe."
Ma Wei smiled and did not dwell too much on this issue.
Freya didn't understand what he wanted to do, so it would be useless to say more.
late at night.
The Chamber of Secrets, the Chamber of the Gods.
"The price of the Club of Heracles?"
Above the mist, Dino's slightly surprised voice sounded: "Didn't I give you the potion price list a long time ago?"
"The situation has changed. The sales volume of Hercules' sticks has not been high, so I decided to adopt the strategy of small profits but quick turnover." Sitting in front of the stone platform with his legs crossed, Ma Wei said: "The price I set at the beginning was 10 pence. , but Freya told me that this price is too low and will destabilize the market and make more workers unemployed."
"She's right."
In the distant Mosk, in St. Basil's Cathedral, Dino, wearing a bishop's robe, said with deep conviction: "According to the current productivity and economic structure, magic medicine is not suitable for flowing into the low-end market, otherwise it will affect the original market. The economy will be impacted, the ecological environment will be damaged, and consequences will be unpredictable..."
"What do you think is the appropriate price if I want to sell the sticks of Hercules to ordinary workers?"
"Um...."
Dino pulled up the notebook and asked about the labor wages and price standards of Marvel London. He said while giving a speech: "Considering the basic prices, wage standards and market environment, the price of Hercules sticks should be set at 4 Order/bottle.”
"Isn't four shillings too high?"
Ma Wei frowned and said: "Four shillings is a price that is out of reach for many workers. Their salary can only sustain their daily life and they cannot save any money at all. Can it be lower?"
"No, if it is any lower, it will destroy the market balance and make the price of hiring ordinary labor higher than the price of taking magic potion. As a result, smart businessmen will not choose ordinary labor."
After listening, Mawei was silent. The daily wages of ordinary laborers were only a pitiful 4 pence and one-third of a shilling. A bottle of Hercules' sticks sold for 4 shillings was equivalent to their total wages for 12 days. !
How many laborers can spare four shillings at a time?
"The price of 4 shillings will ruin my original idea." Ma Wei said: "Is there any other way?"
"have."
Dino pondered: "Father, you can start a small deferred payment business and let the workers sign an agreement to deliver the goods first and pay later to ensure that every worker can afford the potion."
"But if you do this, personal credit issues must be taken into consideration... If there are workers who maliciously owe money and fail to repay it, it will have an impact on the capital chain of Manstein Potion Company. If there are too many bad debts, the company will face The risk of bankruptcy..."
"I suggest you, Father, cooperate with the bank. Since you have the support of the Second Prince, it is not difficult to get support from the bank. As long as the bank acts as a guarantor, some risks can be offset."
"..."
Ma Wei's head started to hurt when he heard that he wanted to join the bank. He wanted to do something that would inevitably cause trouble. The joint bank didn't sound like much, but there was no doubt that it was not easy to do it.
"Banks may start short-term loan business. That is to say, workers only need to pay cheap interest to get a small loan of 4 shillings to buy magic potions and use small leverage to move the market." Dino said.
"What if an accident occurs while working and the worker does not receive due compensation?" Ma Wei asked: "Unable to repay the loan will put the worker at risk of bankruptcy!"
"Well...if that's the case, you can use insurance to hedge the risk, such as paying 1 penny for work insurance, getting a longer interest-free period or half payment for a 4 shilling loan... "
In the room, Dino shook his head: "I'm not in London. I can only give you a general idea, Father. How to implement it depends on the situation there. Of course, we have the final say in the Romanov Kingdom, not London. Already...."
"I'll think about it again."
"good."
....................................................
The next day, a cargo ship from the Kingdom of Frederick arrived at the majestic Port of London along the lower reaches of the Thames River. The person responsible for transporting the goods was still the old captain who sent Daniel a letter home last time - Yuri. This time, he brought The cargo was more than last time, and the cabin was full, with an unknown number of tons. According to him, it took three days just to load the ship.
When Mavie arrived at the port, Freya was talking to the captain. When she saw Mavie, Freya took two steps back and gave up the negotiation space.
Ma Wei, who wanted to ask Freya if she had nothing to do all day long and came to the factory every day, remembered that Freya was the owner of the warehouse they rented. He swallowed the doubts on his lips and said to the captain: "I Have you brought all the required materials?"
"I've brought them all, here's the cargo list." Captain Yuri waved his hand, and the young first mate immediately brought the register and handed it to Mavi.
While Mavie was reading the list, Captain Yuri looked around and found that there was only a little girl beside Mavie, and couldn't help but ask: "Aren't the others here?"
You want to ask Daniel...
"Oh, Yannick is looking after the store, Felix has something to do, and Jonas has gone to school." Mavey said without raising his head.
"Going to school?" Captain Yuri was stunned, with a look of astonishment on his face. If Freya hadn't been there, he would have pulled Mavi to ask what going to school was all about.
Does the dignified first crown prince need to receive an education from the Kingdom of Windsor?
Frederick's Kingdom also has good schools!
"Well, it's a long story... Let's start unloading the goods first!" Mawei said, closing the register.
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Captain Yuri winked at the first mate. The first mate understood and began to direct the sailors to lift the wooden box and hand it over to Mavi... or the warehouse worker brought by Freya.
This time the goods were much more than last time. Ma Wei asked Dino for countless potion raw materials. The Romanov Kingdom had completed its internal unification. It was not difficult to collect the materials. However, in terms of expenses, the church paid A huge sum of money was paid, adding another layer of frost to the already uncertain finances.
】
Of course Ma Wei also wants to give back to his family, but the bidding has not yet started, and the money in his hand must be kept for bidding. Only when the bidding ends and various cooperations are officially launched, can the machine of Manstein Potion Company show its terrifying ability to attract money. , now it can only be counted as an initial investment.
With the first mate here, Captain Yuri didn't need to keep staring at the dock, but he didn't leave. Instead, he stood there like a straight green pine. His eyes glanced at Ma Wei from time to time, obviously he had something to say. explain.
Noticing his strangeness, Mawei licked his lips and secretly squeezed Yunia's little hand.
Yunia, who was curiously observing the large freighter, turned around and glanced at Mavie, Captain Yuri and Freya with her big eyes. After thinking for a while, she patted her head and seemed to understand something.
The next second, Yunia suddenly grabbed Ma Wei's arm and shouted: "Dad, Daddy! Emma needs to go to the toilet!"
"Toilet..." Ma Wei looked around and pointed to the cargo storage area not far away: "There is a toilet there, you go."
"Emma wants daddy to go with her!"
"But...."
Ma Wei glanced at the freighter that was unloading, and pretended to be embarrassed: "Dad has to keep an eye on it here. The potion materials are very important. It would be bad if they were lost... Why don't you let Freya accompany you? Sample?"
Yunia looked stunned. She wanted to take her father out of the dock, meet the captain privately, and leave Freya alone, but...
Ma Wei unexpectedly did a backstab.
Mavie's plan at the beginning was similar to Yunia's. The problem was that Captain Yuri had been standing here without moving. If he left with her, wouldn't Freya be able to see through their minds at a glance?
Prudent....
It's better to make the situation more reasonable.
"Freya, can you take Emma to the bathroom?" Mavey asked, looking into Freya's eyes.
"OK."
Freya smiled and stretched out her hand to Yunia: "Let's go."
Yunia hesitated, and after a long time she pursed her lips, reluctantly holding Freya's outstretched palm, and followed her towards the toilet, holding the stuffed bear in her arms, turning back three times every step.
After they walked away, Captain Yuri finally spoke: "Mr. Nicholas, someone asked me to send a letter. Please help deliver it to Mr. Jonas..."
Not surprisingly, it was a letter from home, which was the only way for Daniel to communicate with his father and mother.
"Just in time, Jonas also wrote a letter, please help me take it back."
Captain Yuri looked solemn, nodded and said: "It will be delivered."
