Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 445 Yami's Side Hustle

Yami has been having some worries lately.

The literacy class was about to end, but he still hadn't decided what he wanted to do in the future.

It is said that there is an advanced class above the literacy class, a realm that he cannot reach now. He once went to Miss Zoe to ask about it, but was kicked out. Zoe impatiently warned him, "Don't cause trouble."

Honestly, Yami felt a little wronged. Wasn't this just a normal inquiry? How did it become a disturbance?

After all, he hadn't seriously attended any literacy classes for more than a few days before the lord—no, Lord Hughes isn't the lord of Bloodharbor—ordered him to read some leisure books like "Linear Algebra," "Complex Functions," and "Probability Theory."

These books may be interesting, but they can't fill your stomach.

Therefore, Yami was unsure what to do next.

He had intended to join the expeditionary force, but recently Castells' strategy seemed to have changed; the expeditionary force was no longer in such a hurry to recruit, supposedly because the situation at the front had changed and perhaps rapid reinforcements were no longer needed.
Yami knew what this meant, of course, and he prayed in his heart for the poor people in the North.

But this did indeed disrupt his plans.

It seems that the only option now is to enter the factory. Castells has not abandoned the Great Expedition plan; on the contrary, he has increased investment. He is just not in a hurry to send troops to the North. Instead, he has started to carry out infrastructure construction in Bloodport. It is said that Bloodport will produce its own rails for the Great Expedition in the future.

This troubled Yami somewhat. He could manage to earn a living by helping Miss Zoe move books and decorate the classroom without much trouble, but the thought of him forging rails at a steel mill was a different story.
Yami looked at her thin arms and legs, and her belly that had grown from eating at literacy classes, and felt no confidence whatsoever.

I feel like the future is bleak.

Still unable to think of a good solution, Yami rolled over in bed. "It's come to this," she thought, "I might as well go to sleep."

Ta-ta-ta-ta.

A knock on the door interrupted Yami's thoughts. He rolled off the bed and carefully removed the door panel.

"Betty?"

Standing at the door was a thin little girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, but her complexion was not bad. She had recently been going to the literacy class for free meals, and it was Yami who had enrolled her.

She and her grandmother Penny lived together nearby, in the same alley as Yami.

Yami scratched his head. He didn't have much experience dealing with children and didn't know what to do.

"Brother Yami, do you think fries and fish and chips are delicious?"

Yami was taken aback. Why was he asking about this?

But before he could even begin to think, his head started nodding involuntarily.

"That's so delicious!"

French fries and fried fish.

During this period, the literacy class occasionally served these two kinds of food, which successfully won over everyone. Everyone who went to attend the class raved about them.

Yami couldn't help but swallow hard; the slightly charred and crispy texture was unforgettable once you tasted it.

"Why are you asking about this?"

Betty stepped closer and whispered mysteriously, "Brother Yami, Grandma Penny and I want to open a fish and chips stand!"

Ah this
"Where are you going to find oil? Besides, can other people afford it?"

Oil has always been expensive. If it weren't for the fact that she could eat at the literacy class cafeteria, Yami wouldn't be able to afford to eat fish and chips every day. "I heard that quite a few Castel people are coming to help build Blood Harbor, and the new factory will also start operating. They should be able to afford it, right?"

Yami was taken aback.

It is said that the newly opened factory pays the first-level trainees 20 Rios per week, which averages out to 2.85714 Rios per day. If 30% is set aside for food and drink, there is a budget of 0.2875 Rios per meal. Keep in mind that this is not a small amount of money; it can buy 1.71428 pounds of bread.

Most people probably wouldn't mind spending more money to improve their lives.

Moreover, I've heard that workers' wages can double after the internship period.

After a quick calculation, Yami's eyes lit up; this business was worth doing!

Blood Harbor is a port city where fish and potatoes are cheap ingredients. As long as the price of oil isn't too high, there won't be any problems!
oil prices
"But oil is still too expensive."

"It's okay! Brother Yami, I heard that Castel is going to open a shop here and sell goods. Anyone from Castel can buy things with coupons!"

Dumping goods in the surrounding areas was the only way for Castel to expand his territory. If industrial products could not be exchanged for Leo, they would be worthless piled up in the warehouse, and the prince did not refuse at all.

Hughes plans to open a few shops in Blood Harbor to test the waters first. If all goes well, he will expand from Blood Harbor to the entire Duchy of Tiss. Wherever the expeditionary force's railway extends, Castel's manufactured goods will naturally be sold there as well.

As for whether the local lord agrees or not
The expeditionary force was planning to go to the North to inquire about their wishes; they had to choose between dragon breath cannons and free trade.

As for Count Bazel, Hughes has already made the choice for him.

Olive oil is among the exported goods.

Hughes didn't intend to make money from this stuff; after all, it was a product of basic industry. It was just part of the employee benefits and could be obtained with a ticket.

The key issue is that neither Amy nor Betty's family are from Castells, so they can't get fuel coupons.
Yami instinctively started to back down, but before he could speak, Betty stepped aside and pulled another little girl over.

"Ta-da! This is my new friend, she can get her hands on olive oil! Let's go make a fortune together!"

Ami looked over in surprise. It was a white-haired girl, about the same age as Betty, and her appearance clearly indicated she was from the North, the White Ravens. She was looking at him timidly.

"Hello, Brother Yami, my name is Gwen, and I'm Betty's friend!"

Oh no, it's another little girl. He's terrible at dealing with little girls.

Yami extended her hand to shake hands, then realized it wasn't right and quickly withdrew it, pretending to scratch her head, stammering, "Uh, hello, I, I'm Mia, oh no, Yami."

Gwen took a step back warily, looking at Betty beside her with a troubled expression.

"It's okay, he's always been like this, acting strangely."

"No way! Cough, no, let's not talk about that. Are you from Castel? How could you get oil coupons?"

Gwen took another step back before standing still: "I'm not exactly a Castel, but High Priest Josh took me in. He's a Castel, so getting some oil from him shouldn't be a problem."

Yami was taken aback. High Priest Josh!

This man is a big shot in Bloodharbor! The secret society he founded is extremely prestigious in the lower echelons of Bloodharbor, and its name alone can scare children to tears!

Yami shivered.

(End of this chapter)