Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 68

The leatherworking shop introduced to me is located in the second district. This is unusual. Leatherworking shops typically handle strong-smelling materials like glue and varnish, so they are usually found in the third district.

“Kwan Workshop…? I think I’ve heard of it before.”

“Eh?! What are you saying, Kenji! Isn’t that the famous Kwan known for their composite bows?!”

Oh, I remember now. This is the famous brand of bows Sara had mentioned. They have a history of over a hundred years and are rumored to supply the royal castle and military. I didn’t know they did business with the Sword Fangs Legion. Certainly, they probably use strong glue and monster materials for the parts of their crossbows.

The person in charge at the workshop is a young man with a refined appearance and amber-colored hair, suggesting he might be from a merchant family or nobility rather than a traditional craftsman. His clothing is also of high quality and doesn’t look like a craftsman’s attire. For a famous workshop of this caliber, they likely have a sales representative for high-profile clients.

“My name is Anor. I was told you were introduced by the Sword Fangs Legion. You’re looking for someone who can handle design work?”

“Yes. We’ve made a prototype and are now searching for someone who can handle the design for mass production and produce an initial batch.”

With that, I show him the sample of the prototype adventurer’s shoes, labeled as Version 0.

Anor glances at it and says, “Excuse me, but would it be alright if we destroy this? I will make every effort to return it to its original state.”

“For internal design purposes, that’s expected. I have the blueprints as well, so that’s fine.”

As I say this, Anor looks at me with a slightly confused expression.

This is because the skill of drawing precise blueprints is typically limited to major workshops. In ordinary workshops, apprentices learn their craft by mimicking their masters, who rely on years of intuition to create products. In contrast, large workshops dealing with nobility and other high-profile clients require detailed blueprints for accurate negotiations. Mistakes in orders could result in severe consequences, so having documentation is crucial for protection and insurance. This is why those from merchant or noble backgrounds are often sought after in such roles.

“So our job is not to draw up blueprints?”

“Yes. We have blueprints. However, we would like you to create plans for mass production, including methods for obtaining more material from a single piece of leather, considering the nature of the leather and materials, reinforcing areas that need extra strength with double layers, and cutting extra material for fabrics that are likely to shrink.”

“I see. So, you want us to produce the initial production design plans and the initial batch of shoes, correct?”

“Yes. Additionally, we will retrieve the production design plans and we will also procure and deliver the necessary parts for the shoes.”

Hearting this, Anor makes an obviously displeased face. It’s only natural, considering he is being asked to create the production design plans for mass production and then we will be bringing in the parts to be assembled. This is similar to the situation in the modern world, where small and medium-sized enterprises are bullied by large corporations as subcontractors. However, I think it’s somewhat considerate that he is at least offering to take on the manufacturing.

“I haven’t dealt with such orders before, so I’m unsure if we can handle it…”

“Then let’s just have you do the production design plans! The assembly can be done by those folks over there!” Sara interjects, referring to the “folks over there” as the men from Leather Street. Those old men probably know many people who can handle shoe assembly. If the cost doesn’t add up locally, we can always outsource to cheaper options! That’s what she means.

Anor hurriedly responds, “No, it’s not that we can’t do it. I’d just like to understand the reason…”

“There are many secrets about the technology and parts. We prefer not to disclose too much.”

“I see…”

In truth, I am leaning towards Sara’s suggestion. While mass production design plans might be complex, assembly itself can be done with average skills. If it is around 100 pairs, I could ask the old men on Leather Street to make them for a small amount of copper coins.

My original intention was to keep the secrets secure by having the first 100 pairs manufactured by the workshop that already has dealings with the Sword Fangs Legion. However, as long as the secrets of the mass production design are protected, we could disperse the assembly work—one workshop for heels, another for toes, and so on.

The only issue would be the effort involved. With our current budget constraints, putting in the extra effort is manageable.

Noticing our intention to leave, Anor abruptly changes his attitude. “No! Since this is an introduction from the Sword Fangs Legion, we will take it on!”

That’s a good attitude. Salespeople need to be able to read the room.