Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 284

How should I explain this business model to Sara? As I go over the details, I start laying out the plan.

“If we put these adventurer request pamphlets in every church in the kingdom, how much do you think it would cost?”

“Hmm, isn’t that something the church would cover?” she asks.

“Maybe, maybe not. It depends on whether the church sees enough benefit to justify the expense.”

“But isn’t this a good thing for both the villages and adventurers?” Sara reasons.

“It is. But proving it’s profitable would make it even better.”

Sara still doesn’t seem fully convinced, so I encourage her to think it through with me. “Let’s try to work it out together.”

“Sure. I’ve never thought about making a book before…”

That makes sense; Sara, coming from a farming background, wouldn’t have experience with booklets. And honestly, neither have I, at least not in this world. But even without knowing the exact details, estimating some rough numbers helps us make a practical decision.

First, I state the specific specifications I am requesting. If this image differs, it will cause misunderstandings later.

“Let’s say we create a simple booklet listing job costs for adventurers in rural areas, with examples of requests and fees written on parchment. Something like ten pages from five sheets of parchment. Are we on the same page so far?”

Sara nods. “That could work. Though, since many adventurers can’t read, diagrams or pictures might help.”

So we tentatively settle on a 10-page illustrated booklet. Now, the question is how to produce it.

“Printing on parchment isn’t really an option here, right?” I ask, knowing the limitations of the current technology.

“What’s printing?” Sara looks puzzled.

Right, printing technology isn’t exactly common in this world, though it’s possible the church or nobility might use something similar. It’s also possible I just haven’t encountered it yet, and it may indeed be more widespread among the upper class or within the church. But at least the basic principles are there, so I can explain the idea.

“Printing is when you transfer text to parchment using ink, like branding. Have you seen anything like that?”

“Hmm… like when nobles press their family seal into wax?”

“Exactly. Although, I’ve never actually seen it in use here myself.”

“Neither have I. So, Kenji, how do you know about it if you’ve never seen it?” Sara questions, sounding slightly skeptical.

She’s sharp. Still, I have no plans to dive into printing for my business. If I did, I might end up clashing with the church, which could be dangerous.

“Just something I looked into before. Anyway, without printing, we need to write everything by hand. How much do you think a skilled scribe earns per day?”

I briefly mention printing while discussing the estimated budget, and Sara seems to let the topic pass without further questioning.

“Hmm. I think it would be around three copper coins. There are very few people who can write beautifully,” she remarks.

Aside from literacy levels, I understand that skilled penmanship is rare here.

In a world where parchment and ink are valuable, practicing writing is a luxury, and examples of beautiful handwriting are often found only in the private letters of nobles, making them inaccessible to commoners.

Additionally, writing a letter involves remembering many details beyond just penmanship, including standard greetings and the proper use of honorifics for names. Individuals with that level of education are rare, with most working as document specialists for wealthy merchants or nobles.

“Even if we ask someone like that, how long would it take to copy a 10-page booklet?”

“Hmmm. If we have someone else write the first document, it takes about five days for one, even if they work on it in their spare time.”

If we ask someone who already has a job, it takes even longer since it would be treated as a side job.

“So how much will it cost?”

“About nine copper coins for labor, two for profit, and one more as a cushion. So, twelve copper coins,” she calculates.

“And with parchment costs and a simple cover, it would come to around fifteen?”

Sara nods. “That seems about right.”

So, each booklet costs fifteen copper coins and takes five days to produce. Now we need to estimate the quantity.

“How many churches do you think there are?”

“Well, if we use the number of shoes made for the Cardinal as a comparison, I’d say around 300 churches nearby.”

“And kingdom-wide?”

Sara considers it. “Probably about 2,000.”

“So the total cost would be about 30,000 copper coins. Adding distribution costs, it’s roughly 40,000 copper.”

“Which would be 400 silver coins… It sounds high, but it’s not unmanageable.”

“It’s not too costly. The bigger issue is time. Two thousand booklets at five days each would take 10,000 days… That’s a bit too long.”

The total figures are 400 silver coins and 10,000 days.

So, while 400 silver coins are affordable, the time required—10,000 days—is clearly an obstacle. This means the main challenge isn’t cost but rather the time, making it unfeasible with traditional methods.