Yesterday we were supposed to go to the temple. Going to the celebration seemed pointless to me, especially when people in this world have such a deep attachment to sacrifice and death. Somehow, I managed to convince Durman to skip the ritual, and as always, he acted like a true father. I know he is not my father, and that he only sees me as the creature from another world who is with his daughter. But he never denies me anything and cares for me deeply, I don't know why, but I don't deserve that much.
― Durman ― You know what, you're right, we're not going anymore, how about you call Hunt and the others and we spend the day here, all together. ―
I sent a message to Hunt to call him, and they came through the subdimension. The morning was going well until Mateo, the guild master of the carpenters, arrived. He visited us because we had missed two consecutive weeks at the temple and started to worry, since the high priest of Tolmas doesn't "like" when guild masters and their families are absent.
In the middle of the argument between Durman and Mateo about whether to go to the temple or not.
●― If you let me take control, I think in 2 or 3 days we'll have the 30 printing presses ready to use, but I need to know a couple of things. ―
― Mateo ― Look kid, you've got impressive talent, but I don't think you can make 30 of those machines in 2 days. ―
― Durman ― What do you need. ―
― Mateo ― Are you serious. ―
― Durman ― I'm going to trust him, if we don't deliver the presses because of you, don't look at me. ―
― Mateo ― Are you blind or have you not seen the box of letters one of those machines had. ―
― Durman ― I'm sure he'll come up with something. ―
●― I mainly need to know two things, how many workers we have and if we have enough material. ―
― Durman ― I can tell Ruki to stop all orders and focus only on the presses. After all, it's for the marchioness, I suppose you have priority. ―
― Mateo ― We could make an exception. ―
― Durman ― In the guild's workshop, there can be about 200 blacksmiths and I have 20 foundry furnaces, so I can give you the 80 best ones for whatever you need, along with their assistants and apprentices. ―
― Mateo ― Only 200 people fit in your guild. ―
― Durman ― The furnaces take up a lot of space. As for the materials, don't worry, we have plenty of iron, and if we run out, we can go to the miners' guild for more, coal is another matter. ―
●― Don't worry about any of that, just leave it to me. ―
― Mateo ― Not to brag, but I have 200 expert carpenters, 400 assistants, and 600 apprentices at my disposal. ―
― Durman ― What. ―
●― If we have 200 expert carpenters, if I divide them into groups of 4, that's 50 groups, and there are 8 assistants per group and 12 apprentices. Taking into account that the press has… ― {Neo speaks at x5 speed}
― Mateo ― Does he usually talk that fast and alone. ―
― Durman ― Sometimes he does, he's kind of odd, I guess an odd one for my odd girl, right. ―
― Mateo ― True, how's Dalia doing. ―
― Durman ― I guess she's fine, that beast of a headmistress wants to steal one of her inventions and show it off as her own, something about a plant that's a torch, honestly, I don't always understand her when she talks, but she's just like Astrid ―
― Astrid ― Oh, so you don't understand me when I talk? ―
●― You usually repeat things several times and then ask if we understoo… ― Durman kicked me under the table.
― Durman ― I don't know who he's talking about, but I think Mateo wants to try that new cake they made with Hunt. ―
― Mateo ― I'd be delighted to try those new desserts. ― He stood up and went to the dining room with Astrid.
― Durman ― You're sure you want to make her angry. ―
●― No. ― :v
― Durman ― Putting that aside, are you sure you can make the 30 presses in 2 days. ―
●― In two days if no one rests, but if we work around (16:00) hours a day, we can do it in 3 days. ―
― Durman ― That's a lot of hours in a row. ―
●― I know, but if we do shifts like the guards, and if we pay them more and give them more food, I don't think anyone will complain, right. ―
― Durman ― The problem isn't that they complain, it's paying them and feeding them. ―
●― I have a friend who's willing to pay for everything and she's not going to say a word. ―
― Durman ― I think I know who you're talking about and I don't like it one bit. ―
After a while Mateo came back and I told them the plan. Even though it was too ambitious, they didn't complain, but both stayed quiet and thoughtful for a while. And without much more time to talk, Mateo's wife called him to leave.
The rest of the day we spent as a family. At night we all had dinner together and played a popular card game from this world. Later, when it got dark, they left, and before going to sleep, I stayed talking with Dalia. She told me more about how the headmistress was trying to take over her new discovery—a moss that produces light at night. (It could be very useful if she manages to grow it on a large scale.)
In the morning, almost before anyone had woken up, I got ready and left the house.
― Gorito ― Mister Neo, you have to wait for Antón to arrive before you can leave the house. ―
●― Have you been outside all night. ―
― Jurito ― Yes, sir, we can't leave you without surveillance, it's the job the marchioness personally entrusted to us. ―
●― Antón stayed to sleep, do you think we'd mind if you were inside the house, near the warmth of a fireplace, tonight don't you dare stay out here. ―
― Jurito ― That's very consider… ―
●― Right, I don't have time, one of you come with me and the other tell Antón we'll meet at the marchioness's palace. ―
I left at a brisk pace, slowed down a bit since the boy was having trouble keeping up, but we still got to the palace quickly. At the gate I had to wait for the guards to notify the marchioness.
It took her almost an hour to come out and receive me. Annoyed by the wasted time, I had tea with her, where I told her the entire plan, including the part where she would pay all the workers a high sum and provide them with food.
I don't know if it was because she was half asleep or because she just didn't care anymore about what I was saying, but she didn't say a word while I explained the plan for the next few days.
― Sorina ― Just one little thing, do you mind if I see with my own eyes how you work. ―
●― No problem at all, but be ready to walk a lot, we'll be going from one guild to another all day, I recommend not wearing heels today. ―
― Sorina ― I'll keep that in mind. ―
●― Well then, shall we go or… ―
― Sorina ― Yes, right now. ―
●― One more thing, could you lend me your printing press. ―
― Sorina ― Of course, but what do you need it for. ―
●― Just something unimportant. ―
She took me to a room where the press was. It was clear they had already been playing with it — the molds were dirty, and some still had wet ink. I stored the press and the box of molds in the subdimension and ran off. The marchioness tried to keep up, but I left her behind. I kept walking without realizing she wasn't there, and it wasn't until I arrived at the carpenters' guild that I noticed I'd left her at the palace.
In front of all the carpenters, Mateo was giving orders, explaining who I was and why for the next few days they had to follow almost all of my instructions. During his explanation, the marchioness arrived in a carriage. (She was wearing sandals.)
I took out the press in front of the carpenters and started explaining the basic operation. Then I went over each part and how it should be made. Afterward, with Mateo's advice, I divided the carpenters into 50 groups based on their relationships with one another. Each group was made up of 4 experts, 8 assistants, and 12 apprentices. I brought out the blueprints of the press (which I redrew last night because I couldn't sleep. This time the press uses A4 paper size, unlike the marchioness's version).
Together, Mateo, the carpenters, and I created the 50 groups, which I didn't assign by number of parts but by specialization—several groups worked on the same piece.
My plan was for the most complex parts to be made by a single group so we could get 2 presses ready today, while the others worked on the simpler pieces. The idea was that once those were done, the simpler groups would join the complex ones to speed up production.
Then we went to the blacksmiths' guild, where Durman was waiting for me, angry because I took so long. But when he saw the marchioness, he calmed down. Meanwhile, Antón arrived right before I began explaining how the press worked.
I explained it again and we divided the 80 blacksmiths among the 20 furnaces. That meant each group had to make 4 characters, but first, we needed to prepare the casting sand.
I explained the process, but Ruki managed to surprise me — he brought several sacks of sand. Durman, being the thief he is, had stolen my sand formula, all because I told him about my daily routine last week. Copying me, he had started making his own casting sand, so they already had plenty for everyone. We decided to make boxes with 8 characters to pour at once, creating 2 molds for the same character.
The groups were composed of 4 expert blacksmiths and 6 assistants. Each group was divided into 4 stations: one handled the steel with an assistant, another poured the steel into the molds, and the remaining two stations polished and cleaned the molds while preparing the next ones.
With the factory running, we went back to the carpenters' guild to supervise everything. There were mistakes, and I couldn't afford any, so I decided to help myself, especially with the complicated pieces. I hadn't been helping for long when a member of the blacksmiths' guild called for me, so I left my work to go back. They were having problems with the coal.
I had no choice but to take the easy route — magic. With Magiston crystals, I carved the necessary runes to create a flame within the existing fire, extending its life while consuming less coal.
I had to return to the carpenters' guild to demand that they buy or prepare food for all the carpenters, so Mateo sent his assistants to reserve the nearby taverns, where the marchioness sent her servants to pay for everyone's meals.
Then we went back to the blacksmiths' guild to ask Riki to prepare food for everyone. During the meal, I sat down with Durman, Mateo, and Sorina, where they began reporting on the progress.
●― If we keep up this pace, I think we'll have at least 2 presses finished today, and all the easy parts done. As for the molds, I honestly think we'll have them all by tomorrow night. ―
― Sorina ― To be honest, I didn't expect everyone to work in unison. I thought it would be much more chaotic. ―
― Durman ― I've got a good son-in-law. ―
― Mateo ― Are they married already? ―
●― Not yet. ―
― Sorina ― So tell me, how long have you been seeing Dalia? ―
●― I don't know, about a week and a bit. ―
― Sorina ― And you already want to marry her. ―
●― It's a bit sudden, but I don't think I'll ever find another girl as wonderful, intelligent, kind, moody, sleepy, she has that something that keeps me from thinking about anything else but having children with her. ―
― Mateo ― I see, you just want to make the children. ―
●― I suppose that's true, but honestly, I want to be a father above all else, and for her to be the mother of my children. I want to see us surrounded by our kids, fighting, learning from us, enjoying creating things like she and I do. I don't know, it's something that still feels far away, but I know there are people my age who already have one or two children. ―
― Sorina ― You take it very seriously. ―
(― Durman ― See, not all young men today are like your son-in-law, Mateo. ―)
(― Mateo ― He doesn't count, he's stranger than seeing a hunter mowing a field. ―)
●― How could I not take it seriously when God gave me the calling to be a father. ―
― Sorina ― There you go again with your God. ―
●― When this madness is over, if you want, we can talk more about it. ―
We went back to work. During the afternoon, I couldn't stop moving from one guild to another. At some point, I must have lost Sorina, because I stopped seeing her. Later, I found out she had stayed to rest at the merchants' guild.
And just as I promised, by the end of the day I had two printing presses ready — I just needed to deliver them to the merchants' guild.
Today we finished nearly 40% of the molds, and as for the presses, we already had the simple parts done and drying after their coat of varnish. Of the complex pieces, we only finished six more. We could have assembled one or two additional presses, but I had to deliver the first two already.
We sent everyone home with their first day's pay — one silver coin for a full day's work. As we handed out the money, some were exhausted, others seemed braced for disappointment, but seeing that extra silver coin in their wages was enough to brighten their day.
Then I went with the marchioness to deliver the first two printing presses to the merchants' guild, where Sena and Selene were waiting for me. They had a room prepared for the presses, with paper of all sizes, ink, and plenty of space. It was a fairly large room, though the lighting wasn't great — the windows were small, and candlelight didn't do much to help.
After setting up the presses and the two boxes of movable type, I began the explanation. Inside the room, besides Sena, Selene, and Sorina, there were ten guild members. Two were in charge of the text, and the remaining eight — four per press — were the operators of each machine. The girls responsible for the texts were actually two low-ranking nobles who apparently had to work because they were poor, despite being nobles. (Noble stuff.)
With Sena and Selene's help, and following a model Hunt had designed, we created the first commercial registration form. I drew it by hand, then arranged the movable type and began printing the document. On the second press, we created another form — a goods declaration form, suggested by Sena for the upcoming week's festival.
Although it took the two young women a moment to find where each piece belonged, understand how to place them in the press, and reorganize their thinking process, they learned very quickly.
As for the four operators, at first, they made the usual beginner mistakes — using too much ink, pressing too hard or too lightly, not waiting long enough between prints. But little by little, in just over an hour, we had around fifty copies of each form.
●― I suppose these are dry already. ―
― Sena ― I knew you were capable of doing this, but I never expected such a good result. ―
― Sorina ― Are you sure this will ease the guild's workload? ―
― Selene ― Much more than you can imagine. With these forms we'll be able to register more merchants and save time from having to write everything by hand. ―
●― Even so, someone will still have to fill them out by hand. ―
― Sorina ― Wait, someone has to write on this form. Why? ―
●― I think you weren't paying attention the other day. This paper contains the information that a merchant must fill in himself — or a guild member can do it — but since everything is organized, no one will make mistakes when searching for or finding the name of a company's owner. In the second form, when declaring all goods, the guild can get an idea of what each merchant plans to sell and group or distribute them accordingly. ―
The three of them immediately started planning more forms. Some were a bit excessive, but their ideas were great, and they were clearly enjoying the thought of having them. They probably already had similar ones handwritten before, but being able to produce them so quickly meant they could now create configurations and gather data that used to be tedious.
I said goodbye and headed straight home. By the time I arrived, it was already dark. Almost by Antón's insistence, the guards came inside and had dinner with us. Then Durman ordered them to stay in the dining room overnight, since from there they could watch both the courtyard and the main entrance, while staying warm by the fireplace.
After dinner, I went straight to take a shower and then to bed — I was so exhausted I couldn't keep going. Dalia, on the other hand, was still in Durman's workshop, playing with some new invention she had in mind.