Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 251

Ideally, I want to obtain a commitment from Father Nicolo during this meeting regarding selling the Cardinal’s favored shoes to the citizens, but judging by his demeanor, that seems impossible. I should step back, relay the information to Deacon Michelino, and then demand a reward for fulfilling Father Nicolo’s unreasonable delivery request.

In any case, since I have taken on this task, I must ensure its success. This is a significant job, and a mistake in the arrangements could cost me dearly.

For now, I’ll request that the clergy in the town cooperate with measuring foot sizes and then return to the office.

As we hurriedly leave the cathedral, Deacon Michelino sends us off with an apologetic look on his face.

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Back in the office, I prepare several small pieces of wood and begin to write on them. The wood scraps are also used to manage the craftsmen reporting to the workshop, so we have plenty available. If there are any shortages, the craftsmen can easily carve out more from leftover firewood.

Curious about what I am so focused on, Sara asks, “Hey Kenji, what are you doing? Didn’t you get a big job? Shouldn’t you be getting started?”

Since Sara has been helping manage the workshop for about a year and occasionally takes over management duties when I am away, she has an idea of the workload that Father Nicolo has assigned me, and it seems she is feeling the pressure because of it.

It is reassuring to see Sara’s growth, but there isn’t much we can do even if she feels anxious. To align our understanding, I succinctly explain the situation to her.

“At this rate, we only have one month to produce the shoes.”

“What? But the priest said he’d give us two months, right?”

“Exactly. He said there are two months until delivery.”

If we can start production immediately and continue until the delivery date, we will have two months. However, we need pre-production and post-production processes to make the delivery.

For the pre-production phase, we require a large quantity of raw materials to make a significant number of shoes, and we also need to survey the foot sizes of many clergy members and collect data for the shoe designs.

We cannot begin shoe production until we complete those two steps. And after finishing the shoes, we can’t just deliver them.

Despite the name, these pioneer shoes are a political tool for the clergy, so they must meet high-quality standards as gifts.

In terms of post-production, we need not only to pack the shoes in nice wooden boxes but also prepare box inscriptions with the clergy members’ names and sizes, as well as gather numerous small items like oils for maintenance and shoehorns.

If we were to execute those periods sequentially, we would end up with the ridiculous schedule of making 300 pairs in one month.

“Absolutely impossible! There’s no way we can make them in one month!” Sara exclaims loudly.

“Yeah, that’s right; it’s impossible,” I agree. The previous methods definitely wouldn’t work within that time frame.

“Then, what should we do? Should we go back now and apologize to the priest, saying it’s impossible, or ask for a bit more time…?” Sara insists we return to the church.

I shake my head. “That’s even more impossible.”

Unfortunately, the schedule has already been set among the higher-ups at the church. I can’t change that for my own convenience.

“Then what do we do…?” Sara says, on the verge of tears.