The World Dragon's Heir - Chapter 360

Chapter 360: Big Sale
“While they work, let’s go look at the goods. I showed the last caravan the prototype, but we hadn’t worked out a price for the final product.

We’ve altered the magitech lights a little as well. The originals were made for household ceiling mount, but the new design will also work well for pole or carriage mount.” Dominic explained.

The merchant picked one up and examined it, then turned it on and off a few times.

“That’s nice. The design is sturdy enough for outdoor use, even though the panels are glass. It doesn’t put off heat like the kerosene lamps, so it should be safer while hanging in the same spots.

I like it. We can sell these nearly anywhere. Now, let’s see the fireplace inserts.”

Dominic took one out with a professional nod. “We made them to the forty-five centimetre firewood length standard, designed as a three log stack, which will fit nearly any fireplace and most wood stoves as well.

The logs are glazed clay, with the magitech orb set into them in a way that is encased for durability, but marked for removal without destroying the piece should the magitech orb fail.”

The merchant took the fireplace insert from Dominic and turned it in his hands, examining it for quality and craftsmanship before setting it on the ground and activating it.

“Nice even flame, temperature adjustment is smooth, mana requirement is low. Yes, these are an excellent product. Mass-produced quality, but better than expected for mass production.

How many experienced glaziers do you have in the factory?”

Dominic shook his head. “Only two. A journeyman and an apprentice. We didn’t have a master potter or glazier available, but we made do with what we did have.

I believe that the quality speaks for itself. It wouldn’t be embarrassing to have them even in the Manor.”

The merchant nodded. They looked enough like logs that they would pass anywhere, and nobody expected the inside of a fireplace to be fancy.

Perhaps in the Duke’s manor, the fake fireplace might be examined with more intense scrutiny, but for the people who would be looking to buy these, it was much more important that they were easy to use, and that a manageable amount of mana would keep them active for the night during the winter.

“How is the duration?” He asked.

“Twelve hours at medium settings. Twenty-four hours at a slow burn.”

The Merchant’s smile spread slowly into a toothy grin. “Now we’re talking. If it can keep the room warm all night without intervention, it will be the most popular item in my next shipment.”

Dominic laughed and gestured to the wall.

“Come over here. There is one at low output inside the stove now. We leave it running all the time to make coffee in the break area. The factory is all stone, so it’s rather cool in here most of the time, and nobody minds the heat.” Dominic explained.

They would likely turn it off in the middle of the dry season, when not even the thick stone of the building could compensate for the stifling heat outside. But this time of year, it only made the break room a bit more comfortable.

Inside an enclosed metal stove, it didn’t take much heat to keep the coffee water at drinking temperature, and some thoughtful Techno Wizard had even put a thermostat on the top, so they knew if the vents needed to be opened or closed to keep the coffee perfect.

“Is it just me, or is the coffee maker more technologically advanced than most of the factory?” The Merchant asked.

“Priorities. But you’re not wrong. The mechanical setup in the factory is brilliant and durable, but also time tested designs, not cutting-edge technology. It’s better that way because we know that even if the Master Smith who made most of the equipment is not available, we should be able to find someone who can fix it and not lose time.” Dominic explained.

“Oh? I had thought that you would be going for efficiency, or some new production method.”

Dominic shook his head. “The new method is training workers in the basics of magitech engineering. That’s not something that anyone has done before, that I know of.

A highly educated and magic using workforce isn’t common for a factory, but they’re all looking forward to getting a good price for their work.”

The Merchant chuckled and handed Dominic a piece of paper with a set of numbers written on it.

“That’s acceptable. But I was hoping that the quantity you would take would be a bit higher.” Dominic replied.

The merchant frowned as he looked at the stack of produced goods.

“I can take more next trip, if this one sells well.” He reluctantly agreed.

This was an expensive purchase, and if they had both misjudged the market, he would be in a tight spot, taking even two wagons worth of them.

They shook hands, and Dominic accepted a large bag full of gold coins. The factory workers cheered as they realized that the first deal was done, and the goods were nearly loaded.

But the caravan wouldn’t be leaving so fast.

They had repairs to be made, and some of them would take a few hours.

“If you would like, there is a break room to relax in, or the Inn is a few blocks down on your left.” Dominic offered.

“I think that a bite of lunch and a cold ale are in order. They do have cold drinks, right?”

Dominic laughed. “There are magitech refrigerators in the Inn. The drinks are as cold as you’re likely to find, and not just cellar chilled.”

“Now we’re talking. I will leave you to your duties, Lord Wistover. Once my men have finished the loading, I will retire to the Inn for the afternoon to wait on repairs.”

“You won’t be thirsty long. We’ve used the cranes to load the crates on pallets, they’re almost done already.” Dominic noted.

The Merchant stared at the process with a hint of awe. “Now that is efficient. One man to load it all, and no worries about dropped crates. Are those stacked to the dimensions of a cargo trailer?”

“As long as you’re using the standard bed dimensions, which I assume you are, or they would have hand loaded them. It should give you a little room around the edges to grab the boxes, but not enough that anything can tip.

We put a lot of effort into planning the most efficient way to load them. We even ordered nets, in case someone showed up with an open deck and insufficient rope.” Dominic agreed.

“Anything to make sure that the deal goes through, right?”

“Exactly. Plus, the river troll gets mad if we use the nets for fishing.”