1

“Mom, how do you feel?”

"Don't worry, I will be fine after enough rest."

"Really?"

"Of course, when has Mom ever lied to you?"

"Should I write them down?"

"I'm sorryyy!!"

"Well then, just rest until you feel better. I'll take care of everything."

"But..."

Asking my mother to hand over her work to a barely six-year-old might sound crazy. And yeah, honestly it did sound crazy. But it is a fact that there is no one else who can help her with her work except me. And Erwin.

Normally, people who ruled over territory like my mother's would have some assistants to take care of everything when something like this happened. Unfortunately, people with those skills would not want to work in this place. And even if they did, we don't have the money to pay them.

"Ok. . .Maybe not everything, but I will try to reduce your workload as much as possible."

"But..."

"I may not graduated, but I have learned a lot! Not to mention, I will ask Erwin for help too, so please trust me!"

My mother weighed my proposal for a few moments while closing her eyes. And finally, she decided to let me take care of her work on the condition that I would show it to her before making any decision.

The truth is, I didn't quite agree with that condition. Because it was the same as not giving her time to fully rest. But I understand that it's impossible for my mother to just hand over the management of her territory to a two small children. No matter how small that territory is.

All I can do is to minimize mistakes in my work so that my mother can check it quickly and go back to rest.

On the following day, my job as the master of the territory began. The first thing I did was learn how to read the reports that were piling up on my mother's desk. Of course, it's not that I couldn't read the reports. But rather I couldn't understand the data. In other words, I needed to learn how to understand the format of the reports so that I could decipher their contents.

The format of the documents is all over the place. And considering the literacy level of this country is quite low. It was quite a struggle to even read through all the mistakes, misuse of words, and the lack of a table on the reports.

"Ughh..."

It was at this kind of moment that I really felt the lack of human resources in this place. If I asked someone for help to lighten my workload, there would be other tasks that would be left unattended. Besides, once again. The literacy rate in this place isn't that different either. So their help would be abysmal too.

"I hope I don't run out of energy before everything is done."

Although mentally I might be an adult, I shouldn't forget that physically. I'm still a five-and-a-half-year-old child. Issues regarding stamina and energy are physical problems that I certainly can't compensate for with grit. If I'm not careful, I can just fall asleep at my mother's desk while working.

"Okay, It's time to work."

I focused on summarizing the data from the documents in front of me into a new book that I had specifically prepared. It was an activity that took almost a full day. If my mother hadn't come because she was worried about not seeing me all day, I might have worked until dinner.

My mother looked puzzled after briefly looking at my work. But in the end, she didn't say anything. It could be because she didn't expect anything from my work from the starts. It could be for other reasons, like feeling sorry for me who needs to do her job, or whatever.

But I didn't really care why she decided to be silent.

Unlike at school, I was allowed to make mistakes. Even if I didn't do my job well, my salary wouldn't be cut. And even if my report was late, no one would threaten to make my life miserable.

After all, she is my mother.

And my mother is my ally, my number one ally.

If something is wrong, I can correct it. If something doesn't work, I can fix it. And if she isn't satisfied with my work. I can just work even harder.

That day. After taking a bath and having dinner, I went straight to bed. My body was really tired.

And the next day. I went straight to my mother's office after having breakfast with Erwin.

First, I asked him to help me lift this and that, help me cross-check this and that, and lastly, to wake me up if I fell asleep or to remind me when to take a break.

I don't want to make my mother worried again, so please be my alarm, Erwin.

With the help of the documents I made the day before, I finally could start working for real.

The first thing I did was check the expenditure and income reports from this territory. After that, I checked the budget plan submitted by my mother's subordinates for approval.

And after checking it for a few minutes, I found that...

"This territory really has nothing."

Considering its population you could say that this territory is just a village. And a small village like this, of course, cannot provide enough tax revenue to take care of even my own family's needs. Seems like my impression all this time is just false after all. Our livelihood isn't as secure as I thought.

I'm sorry guys, we can't build any infrastructure to connect all the smaller villages around.

We obviously can't just raise the taxes, the people here are already poor as is. Putting more taxes would just breed resentment. And we can't raise the tax for merchants coming to this place either. If we did that, they might as well have gone instead.

Seriously. If we are not a part of the royal family, this place would be already economically dead. The territory still floating thanks to a not-small amount of direct grants from the royal palace.

"If this situation is not handled properly, I'm afraid we all need to go on a diet soon."

"Is the situation really that bad?"

Erwin, who was still busy checking the documents in front of him, indicated that the financial situation of this territory was in critical condition.

"The situation is that bad."

I came back bringing many people who needed to be fed. In other territories, the number of people I brought might not be a problem. But for my territory, increasing two or three dozen new people has the potential to bankrupt us. Considering there is no work they can do to earn money.

Now, I have asked them to do tasks such as hunting, taking care of the gardens and castle, and maintaining security. These jobs don't generate that much money or trade, and considering I even need to pay them a salary. Honestly, I'm already in the red.

My mother has tried to ask for additional funds, but they didn't grant any. The reason? well. They are my slave, not my mother's. Not to mention, they are bought without permission.

"We need a new, more reliable source of income, ASAP!"

"If it's just a matter of a steady source of income, I think the land here is more than fertile enough to grow many things."

My mother already had plans to expand the agricultural land even before I went to school. But unfortunately, that plan never materialized because, as I mentioned earlier, we lack personnel. But even though now we have enough people.

"You can give your people new jobs, and we can develop the farmland"

We still have other problems. The problem comes back to money. . .

"But what about their wage? how much I should pay them? I don't think we have enough money for that?"

Once again. We don't have enough money, instead of killing two birds with one stone. At this rate, I will be the bird that got hit twice. The expansion fails, and this territory goes bankrupt.

"They are slaves . . . Legally, you are only required to feed them"

"Are you serious, Erwin?"

"I'm just offering a solution! Sometimes, just having enough food to eat is already a blessing! believe me!"

Erwin never talked about how old he is. But I can easily guess that he is probably already around sixty or seventy when he finally climbs the stairs to heaven. So not only he is born after the war, he too has gone through a tension-filled cold war, the revolution, and more than five massive economic recessions.

His words carried a lot of persuasiveness.

"We are not that desperate yet right?If we still can help we should!"

“No! We are that desperate!”

Both of us were silent for quite some time.

"Believe me, Amelie! They have experienced worse! Compared to their previous experiences, your treatment towards them is much better."

"I'm not a politician."

I remember in the world of politics, there is a concept called the Overton Window. This concept is often used to make a crazy decision sound less extreme by making an even crazier decision first, and then gradually lowering the level of craziness. Making something that is normally unacceptable, becomes acceptable even though it feels forced.

Because the second decision seems less extreme than the first.

"Besides. . ."

We still need to prepare equipment and seeds and take care of the crops until the harvest season. The cost of which is no less than the salary we need to give to the workers.

"I already told you, we need the money ASAP."

The problem with relying on agriculture is that we can only get the money when the harvest season comes.

“First, let’s sell the gift you got from my father! The money should buy us some time”

“But they are gifts. . .”

“No but! I’m sure my father would love for them to be useful to you!”

“Ugh. . .”

“If you don't want to do that, we can sell some of your slaves! That is also an option”

“Are you seriously suggesting that?”

“The one I wanted to help is you!”

“Fine!”

I’m not comfortable with the idea of selling gifts. But, desperate times need desperate solutions. I will pen a letter for Erwin’s dad later. At least it still better than selling people.

I know it is something normal and I'm just being stubborn because of my personal bias. But I don't want to do it.

“Alright. . .”

"After that. . .. . what about demanding your rights as the lord from this person?"

"Rights?"

"If we can also get the money from him, we should be able to get us even more time"

Erwin gave me several documents. All of which had errors here and there.

"Um. . . ."

I checked the calculations again, the expense reports, and the items listed in them.

And to my surprise, what I found was not just calculation errors. But also a list of items whose prices did not match the amount recorded in my bookkeeping. Which also did not match the amount of physical money I currently have.

If what happened was just a calculation error, I should have only found two or three instances of errors. Which of course, I could still tolerate. However, it seems that it is not as simple as that. Because the person who made the mistake is the same, and the mistakes made are the same, then all those mistakes happen to make the person in question get more money than they should.

No matter how you look at it, there is something wrong with the transactions involving this person. In other words, this is plain embezzlement.

"Take a look at this one too"

Erwin gave me another document.

"The servant bought a lot of items from this person, but even so, the tax he paid upon entering only covered his own admission fee."

It's common for merchants to be charged an entry tax when doing business in a territory, and the tax is calculated based on how much merchandise the merchant brings with them. If you only bring goods that you can carry yourself without a vehicle, then you basically only need to pay for your entrance fee.

But based on our findings, the amount of goods brought by this merchant is impossible to be carried by one person. In other words, he smuggled goods into this territory and did not pay the tax that he should have set aside.

This means that he has a partner in crime in this territory. If a local person brings in goods, they will not be taxed. And since the documentation of the goods here is not very strict or detailed, the criminal partner could be from anywhere. It could be a common person living in this territory, a guard who is responsible for monitoring the entry and exit of people from this place, or one of the workers we hired who still wants to earn extra money.

"For now, collect documents about similar cases, we will use them later."

I'm sure there is a lot more fraudulent transaction from even more people.

"You won't handle this problem."

"I will handle it, but not now."

Although I could find the people who were the partner of these problematic merchants, I am sure that we cannot simply demand our rights. Because I am sure that the extra money they get is not much and they probably have already spent it themselves. If we force them, they could flee and make this territory even more short-staffed, and even if they don't flee and decide to pay compensation, they will need time to gather the money.

If we want to catch and hold someone responsible, it would be better if we directly talk to the person himself. One by one, face to face. Even if we can't demand money, we can demand something else from them.

"Then what?"

"First, think of a new product that can be sold at a high price."

After selling gifts. . Maybe we could sell something else? Something that we created? Isn't that a more sustainable option?

"Is there such a product here?"

"If there was, I would have already sold it."

"So what do you want to create?"

"That's the problem."

I don't have any talent for art, so I can't sell artwork. Whether it's drawing, writing, or singing, all of my scores in art subjects are on the verge of failing. My creativity in art is pretty much zero. I can draw blocks and squares, and I also know the national anthem. But I'm sure no one would want to pay to look at or listen to them.

Then, even though I have a lot of ideas for making modern equipment, I don't know what I need, the methods for making it, or the energy to actually make it.

I'm hoping to find more idea that actually manageable for us from Erwin. But. . .

"I understand, leave it to me."

"Erwin?"

Erwin wants to contribute with more than an idea.

"I may be mediocre in academic stuff, and my current specialization is fighting! but I have accumulated a lot of practical knowledge from my previous life.”

I'm sure Erwin has a lot of skill and experience compared to me who grow is both younger and born at a relatively easier time. But can he really utilize his knowledge? I mean. We don't have any tools for him to use.

"Don't worry! What do you want me to make? A radio? A hot air balloon? A firearm? A steam turbine? Or an electric motor?"

"Huh? Can you really make those things?"

"I have a lot of work experience from my past life. I've been a scrap dealer, a blacksmith, an operator in a machining workshop, an employee at a weapons factory and electrician."

"A-are you serious?"

We don't even have the tools to perform machining processes here. There is indeed a blacksmith who can make metal equipment here, but I'm sure that he doesn't have modern machines for milling, turning, or stamping. All the objects he mentioned earlier clearly cannot be produced without precision tools. Hammers and anvils alone shouldn't be able to accommodate what he wants to do.

"Tsk tsk tsk... Did you forget that I was given a cheat?"

Erwin took a piece of paper, folded it several times, and shaped it into a cutter. Then, with that paper cutter, he sharpened the pencil he was using to mark the documents we were examining.

"Cheat... ah..."

I just remembered that, unlike me, who is still at level zero, Erwin has a special ability that he can use at will. His ability is to harden an object.

With his ability, he can literally turn anything into a machining tool. The condition for his ability to work is that the object he wants to harden must be within his touch. In addition, he can choose to harden more than one object as long as they are touching each other. The limit is only his stamina and field of view.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

With this ability, he can build his own working machine. And even though he still has to use his energy to move it and also keep the machine assembly stable, at least he can make anything without an actual machine.

"But isn't there a problem with standard and so on?"

"In a world where precise standards haven't been invented, I just need to make my own and create everything based on that."

And because he is the only person doing precision work, he doesn't have to worry if the items he makes don't fit with other people's items. Other people haven't even made anything that can compete with what he plans to make.

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

"With pleasure."

We shook hands and smiled at each other. But a few moments later, I realized that there was something I needed to tell him.

"But please don't make anything too strange."

If we make something that's too strange, at least from the perspective of normal people in this world. Our existence is unlikely to escape the attention of strange people too. That's why I want Erwin to make something interesting enough but not too attention-grabbing for the general public.

If we, who are still children, become the focus of too many people's attention, I'm afraid our peaceful life will be disrupted.

In the next few days, Erwin and I worked separately. I focused on dealing with domestic issues while Erwin focused on exploring our territory from corner to corner. Looking for something he can use to create products that would become our special commodity.

2

A week and a half had passed.

Once my mother looked a hundred percent healthy. I reported all the findings Erwin and I had to her. We also explained our plan to sell the product that Erwin had made to earn extra income. Although I was given the authority to run this territory while my mother was still sick, the final decision on what we should do still rested with her.

"So, what should we do, Mama?"

"Of course, I want to punish them but..."

Just like in my previous case, someone couldn't just be punished willy-nilly. Especially if the subject is a member of the nobility. And unsurprisingly, many merchants are second or third sons of a noble family.

So even if we could punish them, there is no guarantee that they won't be released in a few days with the help of their relatives. And of course, the person involved would never feel remorse.

There is also the possibility that his family retaliates against us by bullying mother using their social connections. Once again, just like what happened to me before.

"And most importantly..."

If that person were to leave, I'm not sure if we could find his replacement.

We have one particular merchant that is pretty much a monopoly here. His name is Jonas. A third son of a noble family.

As a small territory with unstable financial capabilities and a location far from other cities. Aside from him, honestly, there's hardly any merchant that ever comes to this place.

"There is no other choice, I will give him a warning."

"Does Mama believe that a warning will be suffice?"

"Ahaha..."

"I knew it!"

Business in this territory is basically a monopoly for that person, and as a monopoly. He has great power over us, making it difficult for us to escape his manipulation.

"For now, let's end this meeting. Let's try to come up with ideas to punish that person and also market the goods that Erwin made."

"Ugh... for some reason, I suddenly feel like I'm not really needed."

Perhaps because I continued to lead the conversation, my mother began to feel a bit sidelined. Her appearance, holding her head with a frustrated face is cute enough to make the feeling of "I want to protect her" arise within me.

Not surprising, considering she's still quite young.

"Of course not, I need you, Mom."

I hugged my mother tightly, trying to convey that no one can replace her. And as expected. Receiving such an attack from her young child, my mother responded by hugging me back just as tightly while putting on a happy face.

That night, my mother spent a lot of time thinking about how we could turn the tables and take advantage of the arrival of the merchant who had long been duping us. Of course, while lying down in bed, I also thought about it. And as for Erwin, I'm sure he was doing the same thing in his room.

I felt sorry for Erwin, who need to stay up late for almost two weeks, but I hoped he still had the energy to come up with new ideas for us.

Then when the next morning comes.

We had another meeting. This time, we were able to agree on something. Combining ideas from the three of us, we managed to find a solid plan. Then, when the merchant we had been waiting for finally arrived, we immediately asked him to meet with my mother.

That's why now, Erwin and my mother are in the parlor together with a man in his late twenties.

"Please enjoy your tea, Mr. Jonas."

"Thank you."

"How does it taste, Mr. Jonas?"

"Um... it's quite decent."

"Hm... just decent? I thought this tea was your favorite, Mr. Jonas."

"Favorite? I don't think we've talked that much, your highness"

"Ah... that's true, I was just guessing actually."

"Guessing?"

"Because Mr. Jonas always only brings this type of tea, I thought you must really like it. It seems I was wrong."

Upon hearing my mom's comment, Jonas immediately stopped drinking his tea and placed the cup in his hand on the table. The topic brought up by my mother was a sign that he was invited to my mum's office not just for small talk, but for something more serious.

"By the way, what does your highness want to discuss with me?"

"Sorry, I should have known that Mr. Jonas is a busy person."

"No, I just don't want to take your time your highness! so what do you want to talk about?"

We are only on the opening yet he already visibly looks distressed? is this what people who have haunting guilt look like?

"I see... I want to talk about Mr. Jonas' future."

"My future...?"

"Yes."

My mother looked at Erwin standing beside his chair, instructing him to take the documents that we had compiled together in the previous days and give them to the man.

By the way, I'm sitting on my mom's lap intending to help her if she needs additional information to continue her conversation with Jonas. Asking this and that to Erwin would look strange, but if I'm the one assisting, I can camouflage clues for my mom as some childish nonsense.

"This. . . . ."

"First, Let me thank you for everything you have done for this territory . . . ."

When this place was officially made one of the kingdom's private territories and my mother became its owner, many traders came to this place with the hope that they could grow their businesses.

Unfortunately, because my mother is not popular, and doesn't have much money or power to begin with, there were only a few people who were willing to move to this place. Making the population stagnate. Which in turn, made most of the traders decide to just leave.

This small, remote, and sparsely populated place is not an ideal place to start a business after all.

"But unlike others, Mr. Jonas still comes here regularly and helps the residents live normally."

He indeed duped us, but the fact that he still bothers to sell his goods to this place is something that still deserves some appreciation.

"That's why I turned a blind eye and considered the 'extra allowance' you took without telling me as a bonus, you can say it was my token of gratitude"

Which, of course, is not what actually happened. Because the truth is that we only found out about everything after we conducted a massive audit. My mother just wants to give the impression that she already knows what kind of wrongdoing Jonas did in her territory.

We want to show that he can play freely in our territory not because we don't know, but because we deliberately let him. In other words, we want to show who is in charge of this place.

"The journey to this place, as you know, not only takes a long time but also passes through many dangerous places, which is why I need additional funds to keep myself and my belongings safe! Of course, I intend to provide the details later."

"Is that so? I understand! I will pray that Mr. Jonas always stays safe on the road."

I wanted to say that his excuse can't convince anyone. given that my mother had never received any details about the use of the supposed security funds he had taken secretly from us up until now. In addition, the fact that he always came alone to this place without any bodyguards made me wonder just what kind of security measure he was using in the first place.

However, I held back. I don't want to make this conversation long, wide, and complicated.

Because in reality we can only bluff. We don't have the power to actually punish him, and we still need his services.

"I'm just afraid that other people won't understand."

"Wa. . .what do you mean?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Jonas is no longer living with your family, right? "

". . Yes. . "

"It seems that there is a little mistake on my part, and someone sent a report that I haven't had a chance to 'fix' to the palace, I'm afraid in a few weeks auditor would knock on your door"

And when someone from the palace comes out of the capital, of course, they will not go alone. They will also come with some soldiers to handle the security issue.

Then, because they are part of the audit team, they also have additional duties such as being an intimidation tool, or even being allowed to conduct an interrogation session with someone they suspect has committed some crime.

Upon hearing the word auditor, Jonas's face immediately turned pale.

"No way, the money I took isn't that much"

It seemed that our threat was even more effective than I thought. He even dug his own grave by directly admitting that he had deceived us.

In the grand scheme of things. The amount of money he takes through deceiving us is indeed not that much. That's why my mother often considered it just a miscalculation. He was really careful in taking his bonus, so until now, his deceit has never been clearly seen in the reports my mother received.

For the people in the palace, the amount he takes is honestly nothing. If they find any errors or fraudulent transactions in the reports we provide. No auditor would ever bother to check it directly. At most, they will send a letter showing where our mistakes are and ask us to handle them locally.

"I want to ask something . . You've been calling me Your Highness all this time"

My mother put down her cup.

"But do you actually understand the meaning of that word...Mr. Jonas?"

"Of course, Your. . . ."

My mother gave her best smile to Jonas, who seemed to have just realized the meaning behind my mother's question. And once he realized it, he immediately bowed his head and averted his gaze from my mother.

Although he always called my mother by her title. Fundamentally, he still regarded my mother as a foolish commoner woman. He never saw my mother as someone he need to respect. Therefore, consciously or unconsciously, Jonas had always underestimated my mother, who was officially part of the royal family.

"Please give me some time, I promise to repay all my debts to Your Highness."

"Please don't misunderstand, I'm not blaming you or trying to collect those "additional funds" you are talking about"

Although if Jonas still wanted to give them back, we wouldn't refuse of course.

"I don't want you to get into trouble. . . . ."

We don't want to get into trouble too. Punishing this swindler is just not worth the inconvenience.

"Does that mean . . ."

"I will do my best to help you and try to make sure you are not taken out for a walk by the auditor."

There are many ways to free Jonas to avoid punishment. First, because he is part of the nobility, he can ask for his family's help to be released. And after seeing how corrupt this country is, I'm sure that within two or three days, Jonas will be able to walk free.

However, the fact that he now lives alone and works as a merchant is proof that his ties with his main family are no longer strong. Typically, in a noble family, aside from the firstborn who inherits the leadership of the family, the second and subsequent children must determine their own fate. And it seems that Jonas' chosen path is to become a merchant and live away from his family.

Therefore, I am sure that this person will do his best not to involve his family in his problems. Even though he may still be able to get help, he does not know what kind of debt he will owe to his family. That is why my mother quickly offered help by showing that we are willing to support him.

Positioning my mother as someone he can rely on.

"Thank you very much. . ."

"However, even though I can prove that you are not guilty, Mr. Jonas's future is still not guaranteed."

"Why?"

"The news about Mr. Jonas trying to deceive members of the royal family will still spread, and you know what happens to people who have problems with the royal family?"

People will stay away from him as far as possible because they are afraid of getting into trouble. And for a merchant, being avoided by people is like being indirectly killed. In other words, if this problem becomes big, his future as a merchant is done.

". . . ."

I looked at my mother, and she immediately nodded.

"But, if Mr. Jonas is willing to help me, I can contact someone and send a report that I have fixed to the palace and say the report before is mistaken"

"Ah. . . ."

After making that statement, Jonas finally realized that he had been played for a fool.

"What do you want, Your Majesty?"

Knowing that we have been playing with him all this time, Jonas could no longer hide his anger behind his business face. However, when the conversation reached this point, he had no choice but to comply with my mother's wishes.

"Don't put on that face, Mr. Jonas. I just want to do business with you."

"Business?"

"Yes, business. I want to sell goods through Mr. Jonas to the capital."

"If Your Majesty only wants to do business with me, why does Your Majesty need to do something like this?"

"Mr. Jonas!!!"

Now it's my mother's turn to get angry.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Are you serious about asking that?"

If I'm not on her lap, I can easily picture my mom hitting the table. But who can blame her? Even I wanted to punch his face just the same. And she enough even the shameless man feel it.

"Forgive me."

"It's good that you understand."

Although knowing that we are part of the royal family, this person still casually tricks us. This shows that he really underestimated us.

Of course, the fact that Jonas did not reap too much profit from our territory through underhand means shows that he still has some conscience. But this time, we don't want to get some spare change. If we do business with him and get a lot of profit while still not resolving this problem. He would just deceive us again, only on a bigger scale.

"As a note, Mr. Jonas can refuse if you feel that doing business with us will not produce results! But of course, in exchange, an auditor may still come to your place."

We can't let him do that. That's why we need to be stern with him.

"...."

In theory, we could use the services of other merchants who have more connections or funds. But unfortunately, we don't know anyone and because this country is known for its level of corruption, I am sure that the likelihood of us getting someone far worse than Jonas is just too high.

"The product that we will release is something that I can guarantee has a high value."

So if we want, we can contact any merchant and they will be happy to come to this place. Theoretically that is.

"But as I mentioned earlier, I feel indebted to Mr. Jonas, that's why I am offering this opportunity to you first."

Finding someone we can trust may be safer than making someone who has cheated us before a partner, but we need quick money. And finding someone like that will take a long time. Once again, considering that this country is full of corrupt people.

So, practically speaking, we have no choice but to entrust the distribution of the products we make through Jonas.

"So what do you say?"

Jonas remained silent for a few moments, then he looked back at my mother. Not with a forbidden love, but with an effort to read my mother's mind. Who still plastered a smile on her face that could make someone shudder.

We need him, and he needs us. If he refused our offer the ending is just both of us suffering. That's why, be reasonable! suck it up! and just accept this goddam deal.

"Alright, but before that, let me see the products that your highness wants me to sell."

Fuuhh. . . . good choice.

"Of course, after you sign this document, I will take you to see the products."

Always put everything important on a paper. Is my motto. We can't have him being slimy.

"Alright."

Jonas seemed reluctant to sign the document we gave him, but he had no choice. And with a face that looked like someone forced to drink super bitter medicine, he signed the business agreement between this territory and himself. Yeh, even without knowing what business we are going to deal with.

After the legal and documentation issues were resolved, we all went to Erwin's workshop, which was not far from our house.

As soon as we entered, we were greeted by machines that even to me looked strange. From their shapes, I could guess the function of some of them, but since Erwin didn't have access to objects like electric motors, most of them were designed to be operated by manual power.

In other words, levers, gears, belts, and pulleys were visible everywhere. It could even be said that the entire room itself was part of the machinery within it.

By the way, the main driving force behind this workshop is a creature with the power of one horsepower. Literally, this workshop is powered by the strength of a horse that we borrowed from one of our farms.

Alright, forget the bad joke.

The animal is tied to a long lever that is connected to a large shaft in the middle of the room. When the horse walks and moves to turn its main shaft, another shaft can be connected to the main shaft to drive the machines there.

If you remove the horse from the view I see now, what I see is exactly like a workshop in fantasy steampunk-themed games.

"Come here, Mr. Jonas."

Following Erwin, who was the guide, we arrived at his workbench. He and the other craftspeople in the workshop might have tried to clean it up as much as possible, but in the end, the place still looked very messy.

"The first thing is this."

"Candle?"

"Yes, but not just any candle. Please try to smell it, Mr. Jonas."

Following Erwin's request, Jonas smelled the candle that Erwin gave him. And in an instant, he knew that the candle he was holding was different from the one already on the market.

"This... doesn't smells bad"

"Yes, we made it not from animal fat or beeswax."

"Then where did you make it from?"

"That's a company secret."

The candles that are currently available in the market are made from animal fat or beeswax, while Erwin's candle comes from paraffin. The difference between them may not be visible from the outside, but when burned, the difference is clear as day.

Firstly, paraffin candles burn cleaner, in other words, there is no thick smoke coming out of them. Secondly, it doesn't have a pungent smell, and thirdly, depending on the mixture, we can change the aroma as we, please.

Since paraffin comes from petroleum, we cannot produce it on a mass scale because no one is actively drilling for oil. However, in some places, there is a natural oil that comes out in the form of mud. For now, it is mostly treated as medicine and can only be bought in small quantities.

Erwin stumbled upon it in one of the smaller villages around this territory.

"Next up is. . ."

"What is this?"

"A lighter, let me show you how it works, Mr. Jonas."

"Um. . ."

This time, Erwin demonstrated a lighter. Of course, it was not an electric lighter, but a more traditional one. Erwin said that making his own lighter was not difficult because all he had to do was bend a metal plate, make the ignition wheel, and then put cotton into it.

The hardest part was making the ignition source. I heard he spent a lot of time finding the right mixture of chemicals and metal as the source of the spark.

Once again, because the process was difficult to do, we also could not mass-produce this item.

"Unlike a regular matchstick, this lighter can be used multiple times, and of course, if it runs out, you can refill the oil yourself."

The matchsticks that are currently used are pieces of wood mixed with sulfur and potassium. In other words, they are the early version of the chemical matchsticks that exist in my world.

If it comes to convenience, the matchstick may not have a problem. But unfortunately, in terms of maintenance, the item has many weaknesses. Firstly, if the wood is wet or damp, it will be difficult to make a fire. Then, if you don't store it carefully, the stick may catch fire, and the fire may spread to other matchsticks. Furthermore, you need to buy it constantly.

"I can see its potential."

"In that case, I'll show you the last item."

"This. . ."

"This object is a tool for making holes."

Erwin showed two hand drills with different shapes.

"Making holes?"

In my current world, furniture, household appliances, and even buildings have a fairly simple construction. Erwin suspects it was the result of the difficulty in making small holes in the material.

If you want something elaborate, you have to carve out large material. Which is super time consuming and expensive.

Making holes in wood in this world is a difficult job to do. Because what most people use is just a metal drill with a curve at the end as a handle for you to turn. A gimlet.

The hand drills that Erwin made are still manual, but their shape is very different from the gimlet that is now widely used by carpenters. The first one, is a hand drill with a U-shaped handle, while the second is a hand drill with a handle located on a vertical gear.

"I'll show you how it works."

Erwin quickly demonstrated how his two creations worked. And as soon as I saw the process of using his hand drill, I suddenly got the idea to make a lot of money from it.

"So, the drill bits and the handle are separate products?"

"That's right, if you want to make holes in different sizes, you just need to replace the drill bits."

"Oh. . ."

And it seems Jonas also realized it.

The drill that Erwin made has two different parts, the main body and the drill bit. Just like a razor that has the blade and handles separated, and just like a printer that has the printing machine and ink sold separately.

Although the main body of Erwin's drill is a bit difficult to make, the drill bits can be easily mass-produced. In other words, we can profit from selling the drill bits even if we can only sell one or two machines.

Initially, the main strategy I wanted to pursue was to make a few high-value products. Low sales, low volume. But if Erwin's tool could gain traction, I think we could get more than we expected.

"Mama. . ."

"I understand. . ."

My mother left me and then invited Jonas out and asked for his opinion. And from what I saw, his response was quite positive. In other words, I can assume that Erwin's hard work has not gone wasted.

The three of us returned home, but Erwin and I decide to not follow my mother. I'm sure she can make this deal works.

That day, my and Erwin's plan to relax on the terrace while enjoying the evening air ended up with us sleeping with our backs against each other until the sky turned dark. Our tired bodies are finally able to get some rest.

And the next day, suddenly my father sent me a letter. Inside, he said that I need to learn more about the world and he will send a private tutor for me.

I'm kinda excited but a bit worried too. After all, the education for women in this country is like that. Not really an education. More so for someone with low standing like me.

I hope I will get a good teacher.