A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

61 – Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Today, the people of Matap were dispersing once again.

“The downsizing of the arcane engine was successful, but in doing so, we must also downsize the magic stones.”

“How can we make it smaller without compromising efficiency?”

“What if we try using the recently imported Karamba mithril to make magic circuit boards? That way, efficiency may increase, and the drawbacks of downsizing may not be emphasized.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

Working overnight, burning the midnight oil, was a routine. Yet, scientists and magicians, though tired, did not seem to be in low spirits.

“If we work like this again today, we might get some overtime pay, right?”

“Randor needs to be a bit more generous. hahahaha.”

“They said we’ll get a bonus if we finish quickly, right? Let’s hurry.”

Engaging in work in their respective fields while earning a handsome sum of money was a job they couldn’t dislike. And after investing such a huge amount of money and time, engineers and magicians were finally making progress.

Half a year since Randor first set his mind on establishing the automotive industry.

Finally, the results were beginning to show.

“We succeeded in extracting synthetic rubber?!”

“Yes. We finally succeeded in the extraction. And based on that, we made the tires you mentioned.”

“Let’s go see it right away!”

Randor happily headed to the factory as if he were about to run, where he could see that various interesting things were happening.

“When you heat petroleum, various substances come out depending on the temperature. We succeeded in extracting some of these substances to make synthetic rubber.”

“Good. And?”

“Through various magical treatments on the rubber, we enhanced its durability and then infused oxygen to make shock absorption easier, as you suggested.”

“Don’t stop this industry. Keep researching on petroleum. It’s a field that will only expand in the future, not shrink.”

“Of course. Randor, sir.”

“As for the tires, that’s settled. We’ll bring metal parts from the foundry. What about the arcane engine issue?”

“We succeeded in downsizing. However, since each engine requires over 800g of mithril, continuous imports from Karamba are necessary for production to be possible.”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll keep importing. Engine issue resolved, tires developed, vehicle parts also developed.”

“Yes. That’s correct. Once we go through making prototypes and various improvements, mass production will finally be possible. Randor, sir.”

“Start production.”

“Understood.”

Randor spared no expense in his investments.

Since it was still in the early stages of technological development, money was pouring in endlessly, but Randor was confident. He believed that as time passed, when these technologies became mainstream, they would bring in unbelievable profits.

And so time flowed endlessly, and continued to flow.

Scientists, magicians, and magical engineers silently carried on with their research.

As the world buzzed with the televisions, radios, and soccer matches Randor had introduced, almost forgetting about the automotive industry he had built.

“Lord Randor.”

“Yes, Karl Hanson. Close your mouth and try riding it once.”

“This… this is real…”

“I said, ride it.”

Randor was driving a prototype car with Karl Hanson on board.

The sensation of the arcane engine vibrating smoothly through the wheel as it sucked mana from the gemstone upon pressing the button was then transmitted to my hand. As I pressed the accelerator pedal, the car began to move smoothly forward.

“It feels more like an electric car.”

After taking Karl Hanson for a test drive, I successfully confirmed the car’s operation.

“Wow!! A truly silent moving carriage!!”

“You’ll make a fortune. It’s much faster than horses. What’s the engine output on this?”

In response to my question, one of the senior researchers involved in developing the arcane engine answered.

“It’s 50 mana. We focused on stability rather than high output for the initial model.”

“So, this has the power of 50 horses?”

“Yes. It can move up to a top speed of 100 km/h. It’s estimated that after one elixir charge, it won’t need another for about three months on average.”

“Perfect. Absolutely perfect! The perfect superior carriage!!”

But that wasn’t the end of it.

“We’ve also minimized the complexity of the arcane engine and various mechanical drive components. We tried to make it as simple as possible. This has made mass production, as requested by Lord Randor, possible. The rate of malfunctions will also be significantly reduced.”

“Mass production using conveyor belts, right?”

“That’s correct. We’re already maintaining the factory system. It should be operational within three months at most, and once it starts, cars will start pouring out. Lord Randor.”

“Good job.”

I handed a platinum credit card to the researchers.

“Take this and enjoy eating and drinking to your heart’s content. Show this, and the remaining payment will be settled by the Merchant Guild later.”

“Ha-ha! Really! Thank you!”

Watching the delighted researchers walk away with the card, I then took Karl Hanson and went straight up to the capital.

“Emperor Adran.”

“What? Randor?”

“Finally, the car is complete.”

“The car?”

“Yes. Mass production will start within a few months.”

“Excellent. Truly excellent.”

“So, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“We need to lay down extensive roads for cars all over the country. It’s an improvement on the existing carriage roads, making them larger, wider, and stronger.”

“How so?”

“Recently, while playing with petroleum, researchers have discovered many interesting things. Have you heard of asphalt?”

“Asphalt?”

“It’s easy to recycle and construct, which makes it advantageous for roadworks. I plan to lay down asphalt roads on all the carriage roads nationwide. However, having the Merchant Guild handle laying asphalt on all roads across the country is too massive a task. Emperor Adran.”

As I spoke, Adran seemed to understand, nodding his head.

“Should the Imperial Family take on this task?”

“Is that possible?”

“Isn’t it all about criticizing the basic infrastructure? It’s only natural to do it.”

Adran clasped his hands together. With an excited expression, he smiled.

“It seems all the taxes we’ve been collecting diligently have paid off.”

Thorough innovation and streamlining of the civil servant society. Eradication of corruption. Fair tax collection, and so on. Recently, the royal treasury had become so plump compared to the days of the late Emperor Trassel.

It seemed like they might have to build a few more vaults for the gold reserves considering how financially abundant the royal family had become.

“We’ll take care of this. Randor. The Merchant Guild will focus on producing asphalt.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

After receiving a firm answer regarding the construction of roads for automobiles, I headed to the main headquarters of the Merchant Guild in the capital with Karl Hansen. There, Karl and I sat down for some refreshments and began to talk.

“Karl Hansen, you’ll be staying in the capital for a while. Isn’t the National Carters Association located here?”

“Yes. The association is here.”

“Go and fetch the chairman of the association. Bring all the officials under him.”

Quick on the uptake, Karl immediately understood my words.

“…When cars hit the market, carters will likely be the first ones to lose their jobs!”

“One of the jobs that many workers are engaged in is carting. The moment the foundation of their jobs disappears, they’ll all end up on the streets, immediately turning into dissident forces. Or they might try to stop the development of the automobile industry as much as possible while they still feel valuable.”

There might be a revival of the British Combination Laws and the Luddite movement.

“The discontent will be no ordinary matter. Certainly. So, what do we do?”

“It’s simple. Let’s exchange their words for cars.”

At my words, Karl Hansen’s eyes widened.

“If I remember correctly, the price of one car is roughly… between 260 and 300 gold?”

“Yeah, around that.”

“The market price of a horse ranges from 80 to 100 gold. A racehorse goes for 300 to 400 gold. Are you suggesting swapping a 260-gold car for an 80-gold horse, Your Highness?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Are you out of your mind? That would incur massive losses!”

“I’m willing to bear that loss. We’ll collect horses on a large scale, sell them as racehorses or for personal use by nobles, and whatever is left, we’ll slaughter them for meat and sell them to the Karambaans. They eat horse meat too.”

“But that’s not the issue at hand! Why on earth would you willingly incur such a loss?”

I chuckled.

“Most carters affiliated with the Carters Association are individual business owners. They are self-employed, right?”

“That’s right. When individuals bring horses, they register with the Carters Association, pay a certain fee, and in return, they receive work assignments. That’s the structure, right? And the guild that provides them with the most work is our Merchant Guild.”

“Right. We will keep that basic structure familiar to the carters. We will acquire the Carters Association.”

“And then?”

“We’ll exchange horses for cars. And we will invest heavily to teach carters how to drive cars.”

“And then?”

“Then, the carters will have no reason to be discontent. The mode of transportation has simply changed from horses to cars. The way they receive work assignments and earn money remains the same. They’ll still be transporting goods and getting paid.”

“…So, the Merchant Guild will take over the transportation industry?”

“Exactly. Let’s try our hand at a highly professional transportation industry.”

“But if you practically give away cars for free from the early stages of the industry, won’t it lead to financial distress for car companies?”

In principle, that would be true. However, the Merchant Guild was not a typical business.

“Well, so be it. Eventually, car companies are under the Merchant Guild. They can offset the losses from the automotive industry with profits from other businesses.”

“Of course, that may be true, but what I mean is, if you give away cars for free to your major customers, will they still want to buy cars?”

After taking a sip of my drink, I chuckled softly.

The speed of technological advancement is frightening. A 50-mana engine will be replaced by a 100-mana engine, and the elixir fuel efficiency will only improve as time goes by. From the perspective of a self-employed individual making money in the transportation business, there will be a need to feel the necessity of buying a new, high-performance vehicle as soon as some money is saved up. And that’s not all.

Making cars familiar to the public. I felt that was important.

It was to inform that this was far superior to a carriage and a much more efficient means of transportation.

“Seeing cars frequently on the streets, observing their efficiency, shouldn’t it make others besides the drivers feel the need to buy a car? Drivers are just bait. In a nutshell.”

Carl Hansen started to find it amusing.

“Let your mind wander for a moment. Soothing the discontent of the Drivers’ Association and promoting products in such a way.”

“Inserting car advertisements in between football games and drama broadcasts would be the cherry on top, wouldn’t it?”

“What will you name the transportation company, acquiring the name of the car and the Drivers’ Association?”

I’ve thought of that as well.

“The car will be called Quinault. Let’s go with Quinault Cars.”

The name of the person who made the world’s first steam car.

And for the transportation company’s name.

“Ranpang. Let’s go with Ranpang.”