A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 197 Preparing for Super Evolution

Luo Xia went to a dye manufacturing plant on the verge of bankruptcy and staged a "domineering CEO falls in love with me" drama. After the boss only said about thirty sentences, he not only gave him a long-term business deal, but also proposed to acquire and invest in the company.

Hassai looked left and right but couldn't figure out what kind of human nature-savvy male lecturer Angorhorn was, and he himself was also confused as to why he had suddenly received the angel's vote.

Well, now this strange young master is an angel of hope in his eyes. Angelhorn also realized who really had the power, and he pulled Roscia aside to explain the production line and the company's original bright plans in detail.

Although the work has been suspended for three days, only ammonia water stubbornly continues to emit its odor.

The two walked down the logistics direction of the production line, followed by Hasai, who was racking his brains trying to persuade Luo Xia to calm down.

Angelhorn treated Rorschach with the same respect one would show a wealthy patron, detailing the bottles, jars, furnaces, and reactors he had staked his entire fortune on. Yet, whenever he was only halfway through his explanation, Rorschach would be able to fully grasp the function of the equipment and even propose seemingly feasible improvements.

"You're an expert in this field!" Angelhorn exclaimed in surprise, asking if Rorschach had studied at Munnik's university. Rorschach simply showed his badge, and the young man immediately realized, "Oh, so you're a mage, then it's alright."

No, do all of you Bain people have a superstitious belief in mages? You think adding magic to something illogical makes it perfectly reasonable?

However, this also gave Rorschach an idea of ​​how to persuade Mr. Hassai.

Before leaving, Rorschach and Hassai took out ten gleaming gold coins from their own pockets and stuffed them into Angelhorn's hand, instructing him not to rush to repay the debt, but to quickly bring back the master craftsman and skilled workers as soon as possible. "As for the debt, I'm not a professional either. Why don't you gather the creditors in three days? I'll also ask Mr. Hassai and a lawyer to work together to resolve the debt repayment and investment matters."

Anglehorn, a former goldsmith, hadn't touched such heavy gold in a long time. He bid farewell to the angel and his servant, Mr. Hassai, with tears in his eyes.

After the two left the factory, the businessman couldn't help but speak up, since there was still room for negotiation since no contract had been signed yet.

"This isn't standard business practice!" Since Rorschach had paid with his own gold coins, Hasai couldn't say anything more. "You're really that optimistic about a bankrupt factory?"

"Because of my innate prophetic magic! My spiritual intuition tells me that Mr. Anglehorn's business will have immeasurable growth! Of course, both of these sentences are secrets, and Mr. Hassai must keep them absolutely confidential." Rorschach stared straight at the other man, making the businessman swallow back all the pros and cons he was about to expound.

Rorschach wasn't a lecturer well-versed in human nature, but magicians who claimed to be masters of prophecy and were actually masters of the "Fireball" spell were all skilled persuaders; they all arrived at the same goal through different paths.

"So what did you foresee?" Hassa still had a last bit of doubt and a little curiosity.

Rorschach's gaze followed the stream into the distance, until he saw the horizon reflecting the sunlight—the Duma River: "From the university of Istani to the alchemy department of the Holy Kingdom's magic tower, and now to this riverbank, an industry with limitless potential is rising. If we manage it carefully, we will nurture a behemoth that can control the Kingdom of Bain."

"A behemoth?" Mr. Hassai's vision was not yet ahead of its time, and he could not see the potential for the small factory's "super evolution".

Rorschach couldn't say much either. He only saw a turning point from his past life's experience: he saw the seed of a towering tree here, and he could buy it at the lowest possible price. In the present Kingdom of Bain and throughout the entire Alliance, commercial organizations are dominated by guilds. If this continues, monopolistic groups in the same industry, which the Valuwa people call "cartels," will emerge.

In a past life, there was an extraordinary entity called "IG Faben," which at its peak completely monopolized the alchemy industry of a major industrial nation. Even after being dismantled, its three constituent companies remained behemoths. As for why it was dismantled, the group had developed a highly effective insecticide during the "Second Season of the Global Industrial Nation Super League," but most of it wasn't used for pest control. After the major industrial nation lost, this monopolistic behemoth was also "severely" eliminated.

Seeing that Rorschach remained silent, Hassa asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just thought of a sad story." He got into the carriage and discussed the acquisition with Hassai.

"Since it was Mr. Angelhorn who offended the Mining and Metallurgy Association, it's unlikely he'll continue producing colorants for ore raw materials. In fact, coal tar is just a byproduct of coal gas. Since the guild has already secured the main product business, there's no need to cause trouble for 'Basif' anymore."

"So as long as we provide orders and prevent Angelhorn from taking away business from other paint workshops, the association should stop pressuring us." Hassai also heard the young man talk about his debt problem; the current debt was a small amount for "Fonda".

"But if this workshop is to continue to develop, it must return to its original business—synthetic dyes." The manufacture of synthetic dyes was the first light bulb lit by the organic industry. Those colorful things can not only be used for dyeing, but also contain ingredients with therapeutic effects.

The first commercially available antibiotic wasn't penicillin, but a sulfonamide called "Prontosil," which was originally a red dye. Of course, the problem with this drug is that it's not easily metabolized after ingestion; mild side effects can lead to urinary tract obstruction, and in severe cases, it can be fatal.

Rorschach believed that even in a world with magic, these medicines still held great potential. Current "Rejuvenation" spells, often applied to the body, especially wounds, not only promoted tissue repair but also encouraged the proliferation of microorganisms in the wound. Mariano, whose fatal wound Rorschach healed, suffered from a persistent low-grade fever, proof of a bacterial infection, particularly in his lungs and respiratory tract. He was only fully cured after Master Humboldt's visit, but not everyone is fortunate enough to receive treatment from an archmage.

Moreover, once war breaks out, even the most expensive antibiotics will be cheaper than the [treatment roll].

Hassai was somewhat troubled when he heard that Rorschach hoped the acquired workshop would continue its synthetic dye business: "Will the mining and metallurgical associations or the dyeing and textile industry suffer this time?"

Rorschach gave the overthinking Mr. Hassai a smile: "I'm neither a tyrant nor a jinx, just a lowly mid-level mage. How could I possibly reshuffle the pillar industries that have taken over Bain all at once? Besides, the destruction of a family and clan can happen once, twice, but not three times. I can't let 'Fonda' end up on every businessman's blacklist, can I?"

"You've already done it, isn't this just a matter of once or countless times? Who would believe you'd retire?" Hasai thought to himself, silently complaining. In just one month, the grass on the graves of the glass guild had grown tall. The workshops that refused to cooperate with "Fonda" were all in dire straits. Not only did their products lose competitiveness, but their prices and yield rates were also crushed by their competitors who had gone on to large-scale production. Finally, the merchants from the logistics guild terminated their contracts one after another, delivering the final blow and ensuring that these veteran artisans could never rise again.

Also benefiting from the historical context, those outdated old-fashioned people could not use the banner of intangible cultural heritage inheritance, nor did they have the gimmick of handmade customization.

"I'm going back to the Holy Kingdom soon. Mr. Pierre has been urging me on. There haven't been any major incidents these past few days," Roscha told Hassai to relax. However, Pierre, who had returned to Valuana first, complained to Roscha that his nephew had no business acumen and that the situation in the Holy Kingdom had changed.

Rorschach thought for a moment and decided to go back after finishing the last bit of work: "I may have to ask you to take full responsibility for the acquisition. Help Mr. Angelhorn out if he has any difficulties, but don't interfere with the operation of 'Bassf' after the acquisition."

(End of this chapter)