In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

Five days later, in an old warehouse district outside Sumeru City.

This warehouse originally belonged to the Order of the Nation and had been idle for many years. Now, after simple cleaning and reinforcement, the interior space is spacious and bright.

In the center of the warehouse, an experimental toothpaste production line designed under the leadership of Kavi has been installed.

Several waist-high metal containers are connected to valves via pipes, with a small sealing machine at the end. Although the overall structure is simple, it exudes the precision characteristic of scholars of the "Wonderful Theory" school.

The production line is driven by elemental forces, and the energy source is a fragment of an element.

According to Kawi, the current production capacity does not require large-scale equipment for extracting elements from the earth's veins; a single element fragment is enough to keep the production line running for more than seven days.

Two trucks filled with sacks were parked outside the warehouse.

The sack contained the first batch of medicinal herb samples that Liam had delivered on time: mint, honeysuckle, scutellaria, cloves, bletilla... Each herb was sorted, dry and clean, and exuded a faint herbal fragrance.

Wang Yan and Kavi stood beside the production line, discussing debugging details in hushed tones. Zakaria had to stay at the Health Home and didn't have time to come over.

Today is not only the day for trial production, but also the day for the Ministry of Education to come and inspect the results.

Perhaps it was Fariha's efforts that made it possible, or perhaps the joint letter from Kavi and Zakaria that was submitted later was indeed effective.

The support from the Religious Academy, which was previously said to take seven days to process, was actually completed in just three days.

The Order of the Church not only provided this warehouse as a factory, but also promised to help train employees. After inspecting the results today, the Order of the Church will also help promote it.

That's incredibly thoughtful.

While Wang Yan and Kavi were busy, footsteps came from outside the door, getting closer and closer.

Vizier Nizam entered, accompanied by his secretary, Fariha.

He was dressed in a dark green robe, his face serious, and his gaze quickly swept across the layout of the warehouse before finally settling on the production line.

Behind him were several young people.

They were dressed simply, looked reserved, their hands hanging awkwardly at their sides, their eyes scanning their surroundings with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation.

Judging from their skin color and clothing, they were not local residents of the rainforest, but rather seemed to have just arrived in Sumeru City from the desert.

These should be the employees trained by the Education Bureau.

Of course, the main purpose of hiring so few employees is not the Academy of Educational Sciences. The main purpose is that once the toothpaste industry is established, its upstream and downstream supply chains can create more jobs.

For example, the planting, production and transportation of medicinal herbs, the production and research and development of abrasives, and even the export of toothpaste... all of these will create corresponding job positions.

"Mr. Nizam, Miss Fariha, welcome." Wang Yan stepped forward and nodded slightly in greeting.

Nizam nodded, his voice steady: "On behalf of the Council of Religious Affairs, I will be inspecting the project. Scholar Wang Yan, Scholar Kavi, are you ready?"

If things are not ready, Nizam is willing to wait a moment.

There's no other way; there are just too few high-quality projects, so giving them some preferential treatment is reasonable.

"Yes, everything is ready." Wang Yan turned to the side, gesturing towards the production line. "Next, Kavi will demonstrate."

Kavi stepped forward and gave a scholar's salute: "The production line is currently only a pilot model, but it is sufficient to verify the entire process from mixing and homogenization to packaging. We plan to conduct the first trial production today."

Nizam approached the production line and gently touched one of the valve ports.

He is also a scholar with sufficient knowledge, and he can tell that the materials used in this production line are of very good quality.

After a brief inspection, he asked, "What are the projected production capacity figures?"

"If operating on a 24-hour shift system, this pilot line can produce about 3 tubes of toothpaste per day," Kavi answered smoothly. "If we expand the scale and optimize the process later, the production capacity can be increased significantly."

One production line, 30,000 tubes of toothpaste. Before Wang Yan's time travel, this number would definitely be considered inefficient.

But this is Teyvat, and toothpaste is being mass-produced for the first time here, so Nizam can't tell whether it's too much or too little.

However, he has his own way of calculating.

"What about the cost? Is it the same as stated in the application?"

"There have been some changes," Wang Yan continued. "Based on the current formula, the cost per unit is about four molars. Including labor, energy consumption, and equipment depreciation, the total cost can be controlled within six molars."

"We plan to price the basic model at 12 moles and the professional model at 18 moles. Even after deducting taxes and channel fees, there will still be a certain profit margin."

Previously, a handful of low-level mushroom spores would only cost twenty moras, enough for a good meal.

Although toothpaste is a daily necessity, it is not a fast-moving consumer good. A price of less than 20 moles per tube is relatively acceptable; any higher and it may be less acceptable.

Nizam paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to the pile of medicinal herbs outside the door: "Is the supply of raw materials stable?"

Wang Yan replied, "The supplier is Liam, a merchant from Daocheng Forest. He has been dealing in rainforest goods for a long time and has a good reputation."

"This batch is a sample. He will establish a dedicated medicinal herb procurement line to ensure quality and supply."

"Very good." Nizam finally revealed a very faint smile. "Then let's try producing it."

He turned around and looked at the young people behind him: "These people were recruited through the 'Desert-Rainforest Employment Assistance Program' of the Order of the Church. They come from the vicinity of Aru Village, have done some odd jobs before, are literate, can do basic calculations, and are willing to learn new skills."

"The Order of Education provided them with intensive training, which gave them a certain level of operational skills."

Wang Yan followed his gaze.

The young people immediately straightened their backs when they came into view, their eyes showing tension, but also a cautious anticipation.

For someone who comes from the desert, finding a decent job is not easy unless they join a gilded tour group.

This isn't even rainforest people targeting desert people.

It's a simple matter of needs. Compared to the rainforest people with their well-developed education system, even though Nasida in the desert has been providing significant educational support, the results won't be seen until the next generation.

This generation of young people in the desert are bound to be at a cultural disadvantage.

Fortunately, there is the employment support program of the Education Institute; otherwise, they would either have to work themselves to the bone to become part of a gilded tour group, or they would only be able to do some low-level manual labor.

"Starting today, they will work here and learn to operate the production line. The Training Institute will provide a salary subsidy for the first month, and the project will bear the rest itself."

Nizam continued, "If the trial production goes smoothly and the project is officially approved, this warehouse can be leased to you long-term, with the first six months free and the subsequent rent reduced by 30% according to the standards for livelihood projects."

"Thank you for the support of the Order of the Church," Wang Yan said solemnly.

"No need to rush to say thank you," Nizam shook his head, then looked around the warehouse. "Let's start trial production first."

Wang Yan nodded and gave Kavi a look.

Kavi took a deep breath and walked toward the control panel.

Wang Yan beckoned to the young men, signaling them to come closer to watch.

"First, we need to weigh and pre-treat the raw materials," Kavi explained as he operated the equipment. "The medicinal herbs need to be ground into powder of a specified fineness and then added to the mixing tank according to the formula ratio..."

The machine started quietly, and a regular hum came from the gears and pipes.

The young desert apprentices stared wide-eyed as the still somewhat unfamiliar machinery operated smoothly under Kavi's control, feeding medicinal powders, bamboo salt, baking soda, and other auxiliary materials into the mixing tank one by one.

Mixing, homogenizing, degassing, filling, sealing—each step is clearly presented under the guidance of Kavi.

About half a minute later, the first tube of toothpaste slid out from the terminal. The paste was white and delicate, the seal was neat, and the surface was printed with a simple Sumeru leaf pattern. The production line then began to produce tubes of toothpaste one after another.

"Besides controlling the production line, you also need to be responsible for adding ingredients, that is, replenishing medicinal herbs and other materials."

Kavi instructed the young men.

On the other side, Wang Yan picked up a tube of toothpaste and handed it to Nizam.

Nizam took it, unscrewed the cap to examine the texture of the paste, and then sniffed it: "The scent is crisp and refreshing, definitely with a herbal fragrance. Are you sure this is effective for oral hygiene?"

Wang Yan smiled and nodded: "Why don't you give it a try?"

Nizam hesitated for a moment, but then agreed: "Okay."

Wang Yan smiled and said, "Then let's all give it a try."

As he spoke, Wang Yan directed several apprentices to fetch water and bring over a few brand-new toothbrushes.

Sumeru's toothbrush was still a boar bristle brush, and it had not yet entered the chemical era.

Several people gathered together and brushed their teeth with toothpaste. Although the toothpaste had not completely solidified, it did not affect its use.

"call…"

After brushing his teeth, Nizam covered his mouth with one hand and exhaled gently, a cool minty scent filling his nostrils.

"Great, it definitely feels much fresher." His eyes lit up, and he looked at the production line with satisfaction. "This project is all set."

Then he looked at Wang Yan and said, "You should give this toothpaste a name."

Wang Yan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's call it Sumeru Toothpaste."

It's better to use the name Sumeru than the obscure name Wang Yan.