Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 52

With the Adventurers’ Guild matter settling down a bit, I’m reconsidering the schedule for manufacturing shoes for adventurers. First, I need to finalize the specifications for the adventurer shoes.

The design is simple. I have shoes from my previous world that I wore on a rainy casual Friday. They were short shoes worn under chino pants. The shoes I’m currently wearing in this world were made based on that design, but they are bespoke and have undergone numerous refinements for comfort, not yet suitable for mass production.

Using the specifications of the original world as a base, I need to take into account the technical capabilities of the shoes made in this world, the characteristics and price of the monster leather that Sarah procured for me, and make a mold for each part.

Having struggled through the process of making my own shoes, I know the manufacturing challenges:

1. I need to make arches and heels for each foot type on the sole of the shoe.
2. Finding an alternative material for the rubber soles.
3. Using strong glue to bond the bottom plate of the shoe to the sole.
4. Making insoles and finding suitable materials for them.
5. Crafting a soft toe cap to go over the top of the foot.
6. Incorporating a steel plate in the toe or using sturdy leather.
7. Introducing the habit of wearing socks.

It’s a showcase of new technologies. I’m ahead of shoe history by 300 years. Though listing them seems technically challenging, it’s not much different from making leather armor.

Well, in this world, it’s unusual to invest as much effort in making shoes as in leather armor. To offer them at low prices, I’ll order each simple component from separate workshops and only assemble them at the final assembly point with our skilled artisans. This manufacturing method is the essence of this business venture.

Chapter  53: Concerns About Materials

Now that the shoe specifications have been finalized, the next step is detailed design and material selection.

For the detailed design, I plan to rely on the leather artisans recommended by the Fangs of the Legion. I don’t think an amateur like me can consider factors like leather shrinkage and ease of processing when designing components.

For now, I’ll prioritize connecting with the old guys on Leather Street that Sarah has introduced to decide on materials for each component.

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For the next month, Sarah and I visited Leather Street relentlessly. We found that using hare-type monster fur for the insole material would increase friction inside the shoe to prevent slipping. Also, using tough lizard-type monster leather for the toe area would provide resistance against stepping or cutting, all while keeping costs down.

The biggest problem was finding a replacement for the rubber material for the soles. While we delegated the non-slip part to iron studs, deciding how to give it a soft rebound force while maintaining hardness was proving difficult.

“I guess it’s difficult after all…”

I was holding back my sigh for the umpteenth time as I talked with the craftsman at the workshop on Leather Street.

“Hmm… The materials you’ve brought in are truly mysterious. To be both hard and resilient, yet capable of being finely processed like this…”

“Well, it’s a special item that can never be obtained again.”

“I see. So it’s some kind of magical item, a magic item, you say…”

I wasn’t lying. Industrial rubber doesn’t exist in this world.

“I understand that it’s made from a certain type of tar, glue, and heated wax and sulfur… but…”

“What? Sulfur?”

“Yes. When you add sulfur, a yellow stone found in volcanic areas, certain types of tar can become sturdy or soft. Then, by mixing in glue and heating it, it makes it brittle and gives it elasticity.”

“Oh, I see… sulfur, huh?”

“Well, for now, it might be better to use a method of layering several tough hides with strong glue.”

“But didn’t you say earlier that you needed more elasticity?”

“Yeah, that’s right…”

Recreating rubber in this world seemed challenging. Achieving consistent hardness in rubber required extremely delicate temperature control. Moreover, it would necessitate waiting for the development of the chemical industry.

Should I attempt to make it from industrial thermometers? But how could I maintain a furnace at a constant temperature? And where would I even source uniform materials in the first place? There’s no super-dwarf artisan who can reproduce it with a little conceptual advice. Well, there might be one somewhere in this world, but it would undoubtedly cost a fortune.

For ordinary folks like me, it’s about gradually refining specifications through straightforward and diligent efforts, sitting down with regular old craftsmen like this and discussing step by step.

Suddenly, as I looked up, I saw children playing with small bouncing balls on the street in front of the workshop.

“What’s that?”

“Hey, um, can you show me that?” I desperately rushed over, must’ve looked like a suspicious character.

The children froze, their faces on the verge of tears. Sarah hurried over and crouched down to talk to them. “Sorry, sorry. Did the man scare you? Could you tell me what you were playing with just now?”

Who’s the scary man, I thought to myself, but I stayed silent and left it to Sarah.

The children exchanged glances and said, “It’s a slime core,” showing her what they held in their hands.

This could work. Standing up, I felt certain.