Chapter 158.2 - Growing a Little? (2/3)
I myself have seen people wearing rain gear made out of waterproof cloth in Gimuru several times. And then there’s the demand for waterproof cloth from the Morgan Company. The amount they’re asking for has been continuously increasing. Most of the work has been taken over by the sticky slimes, so I’m somehow able to get by, but frankly… It starting to take quite a bit of work.
“What do you think? How about building a workshop to further increase the production of the waterproof cloth?” [Serge]
In other words, a business transfer.
The process of treating the cloth can be left to the sticky slimes.
But there are parts of the process other than that, such as, preparing the cloth for treatment, drying, shipping… All of which require human help.
Even if I were to hire some help in the future, I’d first need the opportunity to be able to hire people.
“I will dispatch the sticky slimes needed for the treatment.” [Ryouma]
“And then you’ll use the people you’ve gathered to increase the production rate? …It’s true that the value of products made with waterproof cloths is steadily increasing. It would be reassuring if you can implement a system that can easily increase production.” [Serge]
Serge-san was a little let down, but he didn’t have as much problem with my decision here compared to the previous topic.
I need to regulate the production output, so I don’t mind if Serge-san and the Morgan Company takes over the management of the workshop. But as the person dispatching the sticky slimes, I want to receive a part of the proceeds and be given the position of an adviser regarding the usage and management of the slimes. I need the money in order to expand the laundromat later on.
“And the right to decide the personnel?” [Serge]
“I’ll leave that to you. Don’t worry, I won’t try to hire former convicts. Changes that are too sudden and aggressive tend to cause chaos and friction to spread, so first, I want to start by securing the funds needed to expand my store and solidify its foundation, as well as increase the opportunities to hire people.
That being said, there are people in the slums who want to work but have no jobs… I think it would be great if those people could be hired.” [Ryouma]
“Hmm. If they’re just poor, then there’s no problem in including them among the candidates.” [Serge]
The construction and factory industries were relatively lax on that front, so I figured it might be possible here too.
“If those are your conditions, then I think we can look forward to a good outcome. As for the finer details, such as the scale and compensation for the slimes, let’s discuss those another time.” [Serge]
“Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]
Serge-san gave me a favorable response. This is a good sign.
Next was my proposal to Reinhart-san.
This isn’t anything new either, but I was wondering what he would think about using the scavenger slimes to dispose of the trash in towns.
“Garbage disposal is a part of the public works, but it’s also a part of the slum’s income. If we do as you’re proposing, won’t the scavenger slimes end up taking the jobs of the slum people?” [Reinhart]
“I did consider that, but from what I’ve gathered, the amount of garbage that the town of Gimuru makes is too much for the slum people to deal with.” [Ryouma]
There are people like Berk and the others who proactively collect the garbage and exchange them for cash. That’s a fact, but it’s also a fact that they aren’t able to collect the garbage of the entire town, and the townspeople themselves have to hire staff from outside the slum to deal with the garbage.
One such example is the first job I took from the adventurers guild, where I had to go to Miya-san’s place to deal with the lot next to hers that had turned into a dump site. Unfortunately, there are more lots throughout the city that have turned into dump sites.
“Moreover, when the garbage is collected, they bury them. Sometimes they burn the garbage first depending on the contents – for example, when there are animal remains – but this too requires more people. Not to mention, fuel will also have to be procured. If scavenger slimes were to be employed instead, then although a monster tamer will be needed to be present at the site, there will no longer be any need to spend money on fuel. The number of people needed to deal with the garbage will also decrease.” [Ryouma]
Furthermore, thanks to the Produce Fertilizer skill of the scavenger slimes, the garbage eaten by the scavenger slimes will be turned into fertilizer. I have been using scavenger slime fertilizer for a long time to procure food for myself, but I’ve yet to suffer any side effects. If anything, being able to rely on them makes wood magic less relevant. As far as I’m concerned, the scavenger slime fertilizer is a good fertilizer.
There is indeed a possibility of monsterification (mutation due to mana) of crops, but that’s also true for magic fertilizers. And giving too much regular fertilizer often impedes the growth of crops. As long as only the right amount of fertilizer is given, nothing bad should happen.
As such, the fertilizer produced by the scavenger slimes can be used either to bolster the agriculture sector or be sold on the market for extra coin.
“The proceeds from the fertilizer can then be used to supplement the compensation of the people helping out with the garbage disposal. Of course, it still remains to be seen whether these fertilizer will sell. And frankly, there are still a lot of uncertain factors in this proposal.” [Ryouma]
“Indeed… If it’s not too much trouble, though, could you give me some of those fertilizers? I’d like to show them to our gardener. Our gardener is privy to plants, fertilizers, and medicine so I’m sure we can get some good ideas.” [Reinhart]