Font Size:
Aresia will be staying in the Duke’s territory for less than two months, during which time the construction of the Mage Tower and Alchemy Workshop had been expedited. She had even managed to recruit workers for the alchemy workshop.
Constructing both buildings took a considerable amount of time. If ordinary construction workers were employed, even with enough manpower, it would likely take at least half a year to complete. Aresia didn’t want to wait that long.
Although it was challenging to get the assistance of specialized mages, it would reduce the construction time significantly. Mages were known for their pride, and it was not something ordinary people could easily accomplish. However, Charlie seemed to have no hesitation and immediately agreed to the task, as if it wasn’t a difficult problem.
“In addition, we need to recruit and train a group of workers for the alchemy workshop first.”
Aresia planned to find a mechanical assembly team in the castle and have them start producing magic Hoverboards. She didn’t want to waste this time waiting for the construction of the workshop.
As for the required raw materials, they needed to be researched and obtained. The Duke’s territory had abundant mineral resources, which could provide some of the necessary materials. The remaining materials were commonly found and could be purchased from the five nearby cities.
She entrusted this task to Charlie. Although he was initially busy, it seemed that he didn’t find it too difficult. He even inquired about the requirements for recruiting workers, showing that he had a grasp on the situation.
Aresia’s requirements for ordinary workers were that they should be at least fifteen years old, regardless of gender, physically healthy, diligent, and trustworthy.
Due to the non-stop production of the assembly line, she planned to have workers in two shifts: morning and evening. Each shift would work for twelve hours, with two breaks for meals and rest.
The probation period would last for three months, with a monthly wage of two silver coins, including food and accommodation. Additionally, each month there would be two days off, and after the probation period, the salary would increase to five silver coins. Furthermore, there would be monthly bonuses based on production and sales, as well as a year-end bonus. For every year of service, the monthly salary would increase by one silver coin, up to a maximum of twenty silver coins.
This salary was the standard in the silk industry, and it didn’t require working night shifts. In general, a regular worker in the city, even a common store clerk, would earn three silver coins per month, including food and accommodation.
Factory workers in the silk industry could earn up to five silver coins per month, and laborers doing heavy work might even earn ten silver coins. Their wages were fixed and depended on luck. Some employers were stingy and deducted wages for various reasons.
The probation period salary was indeed slightly lower compared to other workers, but once they became regular employees, their wages would not only be at a normal level but also include bonuses. The longer they worked, the higher their salary would be. Once this news was announced, it was likely that many people would rush to apply.
Aresia didn’t need a large number of workers for the assembly line, as the production capacity was already high enough. Including the person responsible for handling materials, testing products, and packaging, she estimated that hiring around twenty to thirty people would be enough. These workers could easily be recruited from the surrounding tenant farmers.
While Charlie was busy with this task, Aresia took Luna and went to find the laboratory.
The ancestors of the Rogest family were also quite a few mages, and it seemed that they had left behind some magic laboratories, including one at the Duke’s residence. Although it hadn’t been used for a long time, it was still well maintained.
In addition, there were many magic practitioners in the castle who served the Rogest family. Their research preparations wouldn’t affect the activity area of the masters, and Aresia’s ancestral laboratory had reserved a large enough space without causing any inconvenience or being affected.
While Luna helped with other tasks, Aresia focused on arranging the things she didn’t need for the laboratory. She carefully placed her precious equipment and set up the mechanical arms again. This time, she would have them create a “companion” for her.
One wasn’t enough anymore.
After modifying the mechanical arms back to their original settings, which allowed them to produce another set of energy absorption panels, Aresia put aside the long-distance teleportation array for now.
Long-distance magic teleportation arrays are fixed devices that require selecting a specific location to establish the teleportation array. As for where to build the array, Aresia hadn’t decided yet. She needed to prepare the materials first.
A long-distance teleportation array can transport items weighing up to ten tons. It is not a simple device. The base of the teleportation array is a hexagonal platform resembling an altar, made of a special magic alloy. This alloy requires the infusion of magic ore and the juices of magical plants, which must contain magical materials with spatial properties, and the process of combining them is complex and mind-boggling.
After the base is constructed, a magic array for teleportation needs to be engraved on the platform. The exposed parts need to be inscribed with magical runes and spells. The materials needed for these inscriptions are not easy to acquire. They require the combination of animal blood and ground magic plant ore, which must be mixed and refined with precise incantations.
Due to the scale of the teleportation array, acquiring the necessary materials was quite a headache. The base itself weighed around five hundred pounds, and the magical potions used for the inscriptions were measured by weight.
Just gathering and preparing these materials was enough to give someone a headache.
Aresia planned to handle it herself, but she had a bunch of people willing to help her.
Fortunately, there was a group of magic practitioners in the castle.
These mages were not only attached to the castle, but some were also sponsored by the Rogest family. They varied in level, with the highest being a level seven mage, two level six mages, and several at level five, two, and three. The rest were new mages who were limited by a contract to serve the Rogest family as per the agreement. In total, there were about fifty to sixty mages.
However, most of them didn’t reside in the castle itself. In reality, only a few mages, including the three highest-level ones, would come to the castle when there was a need. The other mages would take turns coming to the castle to assist with driving away monsters on the plains, just like soldiers.
There should be around twenty to thirty mages in the castle.
Aresia guessed that Charlie had asked for the assistance of these mages in building the houses. Other than that, he might have requested their help in dealing with some magical materials. It shouldn’t be too difficult for these mage graduates to handle.
Aresia carefully selected and prepared the materials that she would hand over to others for processing. She made a list and wrote down the methods of handling each material. Some materials were already present in the Duke’s territory, so they could be purchased, while others would have to wait until the territory had enough surplus.
For the materials that she didn’t need to process, they were precious and couldn’t be wasted.
Originally, Aresia planned to give this task to Charlie, but he already had many assignments. So, she casually found someone outside and brought Martha, the head maid, to the laboratory.
“Miss Aresia, did you call for me?” Martha asked.
“Yes, I have a few questions for you,” Aresia replied, allowing Martha to enter the laboratory. She continued from outside, “Do you know who is in charge of the mining veins in our territory?”
Martha answered, “Each mining vein has its own manager. Which manager are you looking for, Miss Aresia?”
“I’m not looking for them. I need a batch of minerals, various types, and a considerable quantity. Who should I approach?” Aresia inquired.
Martha thought for a moment and asked, “If you need minerals, wouldn’t it be better to check the warehouse first? The castle has a dedicated warehouse for various minerals. The minerals produced in the Duke’s territory can be found there, and the quantity is substantial.”
Aresia realized that there was such a place and immediately became interested. “Where is it? Show me the way.”
In the early days of the castle’s establishment, the focus was on defense. As a result, there were quite a few warehouses, including several dedicated to storing minerals. The minerals were mainly for use by the castle’s residents, such as blacksmiths who repaired and manufactured weapons for the soldiers.
Additionally, professionals could purchase them as needed, although there was no set quantity. They could buy as much as they wanted at the market price.
As the owner of the castle, Aresia have the authority, and the minerals were at her disposal.
If the warehouse has been emptied, it means that someone has taken everything. It’s really…
As Aresia entered the warehouse she discover that it was not empty, there is actually so many things in there.