Chapter 341: Dyes and Fields
Soleil had other things to check with me aside from the complaints regarding the noise. Kiel placed several documents and arranged them in a line in front of me as I answered Soleil’s questions one by one. I told her what I wanted, then the rest of the practical things and other stuff about compliance were all thrown back to her jurisdiction.
While at it, Soleil also worked out the details about issues like whether we’re going to hire people to work in the 『Fae’s Bough』, as well as the things that are needed for drawing magic circles such as pens and inks. She works fast.
Orlando-kun seemed to be the type of person that would be scared out of his wits because of ghosts and poltergeist. Even so, the 『Fae’s Bough』 seemed quite peaceful.
I confirmed that our new residents are adapting well, so I returned to the castle. After parting ways with Soleil and Kiel, I decided to check the indigo dyeing area. Auro followed me, but I decided to just let him be.
Balls of dried, fermented dyer’s knotweed and raw silks were being carried from the southern tower into the dyeing area built within the castle.
The southern tower was beside the wharf, or should I say harbor, by the citadel. It has stairs and pulleys for lifting heavy cargo installed in it, as well as storage rooms.
Oh, right, I did consider making a waterwheel here. Alright, let’s make one later in the night so that it’ll be easier to raise the cargo. The harbor is actually a natural grotto, or should I say the tower was built on top of a cliff crevice, so it’d be cool to have a water wheel — cog-wheel style — attached to it.
Ack, I know it’s useless, but I wanna put a cog wheel here! Well, even if pulleys are already installed, they still require manpower, so it’d be more efficient to have one.
Moreover, we already have a flour grinding watermill that was properly constructed by an expert here. Although we mostly rely on imports, including goods like wheat, the residents here handle the millings themselves. Wheat, firewood, salt and sugar are purchased in my name as the feudal lord, and they’re being sold at a fixed price.
I don’t actually ban the residents from purchasing the items as individuals, but it’s a lot cheaper buying the goods in bulk and the price is negotiable, so I’m monopolizing it for that reason. Besides, I’m getting the firewood from the fortress city where the Magical Woods is.
Walls had been built near the vicinity of the dyeing area so that the entrance would be hidden. They didn’t have the typical boorish, rough design, but were patterned after the walls in front of my tower. They blended well with the garden’s layout.
I told them to make the liquid pigments inside jars buried in the ground and they did so — several jars that look like the ones for olive oil found in the basement of the barn of my mountain home were lined up beside the tower. Well, it matched, it did match, but I felt back then that there’s something that wasn’t quite right. Now that they are dyed blue, the feeling of incongruity is gone.
The dyes stain the hands blue, so it’s easy to spot the people working on them. It’s a secret trade so it’s good to know, after all. Patience is also needed in this craft, because crucial adjustments must be made according to temperature and humidity plus they had to repeatedly submerge the silk and wring it out. I really hope they’ll work hard.
They showed me the dyed yarns, and all of the shades, from the pale cyan hues to the deeper, darker midnight blues, were beautifully dyed. The raw silk threads were glossy and splendid, and even the cotton yarns were flawlessly gorgeous.
The superbly dyed threads would be delivered to the weavers, who would then turn them into fabric. I also set up an area for the weavers, but many of them did their work at home, apparently.
The goods have also become quite famous, or should I say it’s priced so expensively yet many wait for an opportunity to obtain them apparently, so it’s the right choice as the island’s main industry. Soleil had been all smiles, albeit creepily, so there’s no doubt about it.
I’m also monopolizing this industry as the feudal lord, but it wouldn’t be good for us if we became too estranged to the other businessman because of that, so I give out small rewards to the dye workers.
Part of the income also goes nto the betterment of the town, such as having reserves for times of crisis, shouldering the maintenance costs of stone pavings and the like, as well as keeping schools and hospitals free of charge.
Many excellent weavers also expressed their desire to move into the island, apparently; probably because the wages are better than other places, or maybe they were moved with inspiration after seeing the blue fabric in person.
I also give a gold coin as incentive to each of those who dyed the threads beautifully, as well as those who magnificently weaved them into cloth, with the hope that they would continue diligently doing their jobs.
We toured the castle interior for one round, then we set out towards the field ー oh, why are guards on standby in front of the entrance…
「There are imprudent fellows who attempt entry. 」
Auro noticed my gaze, so he explained.
「So vegetable thieves appear, huh ー wait a sec, are those Changelings? 」
The vegetables grown here are hybrids of the veggies in my【Storage】crossed with selectively bred veggies. Thanks to the water and the spirits that came here to play, Changelings can taste them, either faintly or naturally.
My employees are so…argh! It would look like I’m not feeding them enough as their employer!! I’m already giving them snacks yet they dare!!
「The field is still in the testing stage, so the crops won’t propagate if they damage it… 」
This field’s purpose was to multiply the vegetables that I single-handedly cultivated in the mountain fields.
「About that, they are ensuring that they wouldn’t damage each of the vegetables, just picking a leaf or two, so actually, it’s not really a problem. The vegetables they steal wouldn’t even amount to one whole piece. It’s more likely that they’re enjoying sneaking a bite rather than a meal. 」
So it’s different from plain old gluttony, huh. Maybe it’s similar to little kids scavenging the kitchen in the middle of the night to snitch food while hiding from their parents?
「Whenever we catch the culprit, we deduct their snacks as penalty, but they’re improving their skills each day. 」
Why the heck would their skills improve!? And just to steal!?
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
Thanks for the treat.