kscans

Chapter 78 - Chapter 12: Second Half - The Trade Fair

The outdoor stage at the far end of the Forum was packed with merchants. Many of them were merchants who did business with Central Garden, but there were also plenty of faces from companies I had never seen before. It seemed our advertising had been incredibly effective. I could also spot a few craftsmen here and there. A good sign.

"That’s the master of the Royal Capital’s Blacksmith Guild," Plural said.

The craftsman guilds, I recalled, are more like traditional trade associations. Naturally, their guild masters aren't honorary nobles.

"Are we really going to speak in front of all them?" Dolph asked, his face twisting.

"It’ll be fine. The plan is to focus on the demonstration, right?"

"Are you sure it’s okay to show them right here? The mold you designed is the core of the technology, isn't it?" Bogan’s eyes shifted to the simple furnace set up on the stage.

"Yes. Thanks to Alfina, or Fina to you two, and the Grand Duchess, all the legal rights have been cleared up."

At least within the kingdom, no one would be able to copy it. The secret we had to protect wasn’t the mold itself.

"They can watch us make them out of lead, but that won’t reveal our know-how for working with True Iron."

"I get it. In other words, we just need to show them that we can mass produce bearings," Bogan said.

"Exactly. On the other hand, Dolph-san, please be as discreet as possible about the jigs and such. All they need to understand is that we can replace the wheel hubs on existing carriages."

"That sounds harder for me. Well, I guess it’s not a big deal compared to explaining it all to the princess," Dolph said with a note of desperation, while Bogan finally looked like his usual self. Dolph looked like he’d just been forced to walk the edge of a cliff blindfolded. If you could see, it would have been just as scary, don’t you think?

"...And so, the travel time between the Royal Capital and Bertold will be shortened by a full day, while the loading capacity will increase by twenty percent."

Mia explained the information carriage buyers would want to hear, such as the time taken for each section of the preliminary and final races. The numbers, delivered in her usual calm, steady tone, sent a huge stir through the crowd of potential customers.

The more well-dressed spectators, the merchants, were beginning to look at this with new eyes. Meanwhile, the men dressed like the two who were about to take the stage still wore expressions of doubt. It was a story of a sudden technological leap from Vinder and Bertold, names that had no connection to carriages until now. It was no surprise they found it hard to believe. Still, no one got up to leave.

In front of the tent was the proof of our results. The First Knight Order's carriage, Prince Craig's carriage that had crossed the finish line first, and the Kenwell carriage. Having the actual vehicles here made a huge difference. The very existence of these one-of-a-kind carriages was proof that this trade fair was the real deal.

Conversely, this level of showmanship was necessary to get them to accept what we were about to explain.

"The rest will be explained by the two craftsmen who handled the modifications on the carriages in front of the tent," Luiza announced. We had asked her to come to prove that this endeavor was backed by the Grand Duchess Bertold. There was no way we could have Euphilia do it, and Alfina was completely out of the question. I really wish Prince Craig hadn't tried to make an appearance as well.

Of course, the appearance of a viscount's daughter left the venue dumbfounded. This is going to attract a lot of customers who have nothing to do with our current business.

Before the workshop's insignia, a simplified version of the Grand Duchess Bertold's crest centered around a double circle, two men stood.

"I am Bogan, the blacksmith who manages the Bertold Workshop, and this is Dolph, the woodworker."

The murmur grew louder as two men, clearly dressed as craftsmen, took the stage. For the audience, it was probably like watching a janitor walk onto a theater stage instead of an actor.

Clank!

The mold separated into two halves, and the lead bearing balls, inner race, and outer race were removed. Bogan silently showed them to the audience, then swapped them for a set that had already been polished and had its burrs removed. It was a procedure worthy of a cooking show, a time-saving measure I had suggested. While it lessened the impact of a live demonstration, our proven results were already more than persuasive enough.

The finished bearing was fitted onto an axle, and a tiny amount of lubricant was applied. Then, a weight was attached to the axle. When Mia gave the weight a light push, the axle spun round and round. After letting it rotate a few times, she gently touched the bearing to show that it wasn't generating much heat.

A cheer of "Ooh" rose from the crowd. The craftsmen who had been skeptical just moments before were now staring with wide eyes. We planned to let anyone who was interested touch it freely later.

Next, Dolph began the process of replacing just the carriage's wheel assembly with a bearing. For this, we had prepared two displays side-by-side, one nearly finished, because adjusting the size and angle of the leaf springs was a concentration of our trade secrets.

Even so, the eyes of the crowd immediately turned serious. They could give their existing carriages the performance demonstrated in the race, without buying a whole new vehicle. It was an improvement superior to buying a new carriage altogether. Unintentionally, the Carriage Guild had provided the best possible proof of its value.

Of course, it was possible that some carriages couldn't be retrofitted if the axles didn't fit. For now, we couldn't adjust the size of the bearings. That, however, was something we planned to gradually improve now that Noel's position had changed.

Since we had a full three days, we would be taking consultations on such matters at the business meetings from tomorrow onward.

"I understand the power of that new wheel hub. But I find it hard to believe. It seems that mold is the key, but how did you prepare a mold with such precision?"

A large man in the audience stood up, arms crossed. He had an air similar to Bogan's and looked to be in his late forties. The master of the Royal Capital's Blacksmith Guild, if I remembered correctly.

"This mold was created with alchemy," Luiza replied.

A great stir ran through the venue. Bogan added that by using the mold, they could work with True Iron, a difficult material to process. An actual bearing made of True Iron was then passed to the Blacksmith Guild Master who had asked the question.

After looking at it with an expression of disbelief, the guild master glanced at the elderly man next to him, the Carriage Guild Master who had brazenly shown his face, and shook his head.

"S-Sell me that mold, craftsman! I’ll pay whatever you want!" the Carriage Guild Master shrieked, jumping to his feet.

"I’m afraid I can’t help you with that. We are not the owners of this mold."

"W-Who is? No, it doesn’t matter who! The right to sell carriages belongs to the Carriage Guild! If you refuse to sell, we will take appropriate measures!" the guild master yelled, looking around frantically.

"The work done by the Bertold Workshop is strictly wheel assembly repairs. For the record, the ownership rights to the alchemy mold belong to the Vinder Company. The company has granted the right to use that mold to the Bertold Workshop, managed by Bogan and Dolph, based on a contract. I should also mention that the Vinder Company is funded by the Grand Duchess Bertold. The workshop's clients include the Monster Knight Order and companies from the Food Guild, starting with Kenwell, standing by as backers," I explained as I stood up. The Carriage Guild Master's face turned pale when he saw Luiza nod in confirmation.

"It seems your subordinate, the Pegatta Company, was quite active during this race, weren't they?" Luiza's words completely silenced the guild master.

"I want to ask the most important question. How much does it cost to replace these bearings?" asked a particularly large, well-dressed merchant. Mia whispered in my ear. A Gold-tier distribution company. He was a big shot.

"Y-Yes. Um, well, the time for adjustments varies depending on the size and type of the carriage, but it’s about two or three gold coins," Dolph answered.

From the back, there was a loud clatter. I looked over to see the Carriage Guild Master had fallen out of his chair. Incidentally, every time that mold clanked, a silver coin came into Vinder's pockets. It wasn't a huge amount for the Vinder Company now, but passive income is a beautiful thing. It’s the ultimate form of security.

"Carriages contracted to transport metal or wood to the Grand Ducal House of Bertold will be given priority," Luiza added.

For merchant companies, this meant they could get the exchange done while on a business trip. It was an incentive to come to Bertold. It would also facilitate the flow of metals and other resources that Bertold tended to lack. If more merchants visited Bertold, the economic impact would be significant, and the transport costs for agricultural products from the west would decrease.

Furthermore, the applications for bearings are extremely broad. If this continues, it won't be limited to carriages. It could turn Bertold into a major manufacturing hub... right, the Grand Duchess told me not to rush things. First, we need to expand the scale of the Bertold Workshop. Once wood and other materials are brought in, we'll fill up that currently empty warehouse.

To do that, what we need even more than materials is... I looked at the people fading into the background of the crowd.

It wasn't just the merchants who were excited. Men clearly dressed as craftsmen, especially the younger ones, were looking up at Bogan and Dolph on stage with eyes full of admiration.

I had heard that with the extensive damage to Kurtheite, many displaced craftsmen had flowed into the Royal Capital. Unlike modern Earth, where moving between countries for a chance was possible, in this world, even moving from one village to another was not common. Barring exceptional circumstances, people spent their entire lives in the place they were born.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire new talent in a society entangled by ties of land and blood.

"Starting tomorrow, we will be offering test drives in the modified carriages owned by Kenwell and our affiliated companies. If you wish, you may load them with cargo," Jean announced as he appeared.

We had transported three modified carriages to the capital in case of breakdowns or other trouble. From tomorrow, they would be used for test drives.

The merchants' expressions changed. This had a dual meaning. One was that they could actually test the technology. The other was that the Central Garden companies, who were clearly closely connected to this trade fair, were the first to get their hands on the improved carriages. I could see their fear that their rivals would acquire the modified carriages before they could.

"Did I overdo it a little?" I asked Mia.

"More than a little. How many orders do you think we’re going to get?" Mia said, looking at the guild master who was now in a daze.

Looks like we might have to supply them with just the parts at some point. At a price that maintains our competitive advantage, of course.

The merchants began their journey home, earnestly discussing the events of this most unusual trade fair. I could see some of them holding packages of "Take," likely as souvenirs for their families.

Beside them, the carriage of the First Knight Order finally headed for the goal, both horses and men utterly exhausted. But tragically, not a single person paid them any attention.