Magical Tool Master Dahlia Never Compromises ~ Starting Today: Life as a Freelancer ~

Firmo's knuckles were thick, and his hands were covered with scars of varying depths. Those craftsman's hands reminded Dahlia of her father, and the corners of her mouth curled up.

"Ivano, get the razor from the warehouse and give it to Mr. Fermo. Then take him to the room with the sink so he can try it out."

"OK."

"Mr. Fermo, take this opportunity to take care of yourself."

Gabriela said this, emphasizing the word "take care of."

Fermo smiled bitterly and walked out of the meeting room with Ivano.

"Dalia, are you scared to see someone so difficult to approach?"

"No, I just think he has a craftsman's temperament."

"Originally, his wife was in charge of negotiating business for the workshop, but she became ill last year. He has good skills, but unfortunately, his personality is a bit awkward..."

"I don't mind. There are probably many craftsmen like him."

There are also many magic tool makers who have the temperament of a craftsman. Some of them have strange tempers, while others are taciturn.

There weren't many magic tool makers like her father who could get along with anyone.

However, even when her father saw the slimes drying at home, he would drink and say to them, "I'm sorry, you sacrificed yourself for Dahlia, but don't hate her." They can't be used as a comparison at all.

Fermo and Ivano returned to the conference room shortly afterwards.

"This is really good!"

Fermo looked much more refined simply by shaving his beard.

He gave Dahlia a brilliant smile, so brilliant that he seemed like a completely different person.

"Mr. Fermo, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?"

"Have you ever had skin irritation from shaving?"

"Yeah, it happens more often on busy mornings. It's really annoying. If this thing becomes more common, the problems of irritation and incomplete shaving will be reduced."

Dahlia placed two empty bottles of sparkling water in front of him, who had a completely different attitude.

She disassembled one of them and laid out the parts on the table.

"This is the pressure head on the lid, the lid, the pump under the lid, and the bottle itself."

Fermo stood up, and Dalia followed suit.

"What about the powertrain design?"

"Pressing the cap increases pressure inside the bottle. The pump tube then draws up the soapy water. The pump, underneath the cap, has a mesh filter that creates foam and pushes it out. The spring is what allows the pump to return to its original position."

"I see. Can I touch the parts?"

"Yes, please touch it."

The man's gaze was no longer on Dahlia. He examined the scattered parts, quickly putting them back together and then taking them apart again, repeating this three times in rapid succession before nodding deeply.

"What are the ingredients?"

"Please read the specifications."

Fermo carefully looked at the specifications that Dahlia handed him.

"These materials and procedures appear to be correct... Our workshop is willing to take the job."

Apparently there's no need to ask whether he can do it or not.

"How many do you want to order? What's the asking price?"

He asked Dahlia, but it was Gabriella who answered.

"How many can you make? We hope to produce more than a thousand a month."

"Ms. Rossetti, are you going to let the guild sell it? They'll take 20% of the profits..."

"Yes. I just established a trade guild, so I want to let the guild sell all of this product."

"That's right, there's a guild that invested in you, right?"

The man nodded in sudden realization.

The president of the Commerce Guild served as the guarantor for the Roseti Chamber of Commerce, so it was right to say that he was investing.

Dalia couldn't handle everything on her own. She decided to talk to those around her and ask them to help her if she could, rather than shouldering the burden alone, so as to avoid death from overwork like in her previous life.

"It'll take two days to set up the production line and one day to inspect it. We hope to have President Rosetti on hand to oversee it. After that, we'll spend two days training the workshop staff. If all goes well, we can produce 100 bottles a day. Including the cost of materials, the price is two gold coins and one large silver coin for every 100 bottles."

As Fermo finished his rambling, Gabriela narrowed her deep blue eyes mysteriously.

"Mr. Fermo, does this number take into account the time difference in delivery?"

"...There are estimates involved."

"We'd like to speed up production in the first month, aiming for a monthly output of over 1,500 bottles. We'll also increase your compensation for the first month, paying you two gold coins and three large silver coins for every 100 bottles. How do you do that?"

"Okay, I'll accept that."

The deal was concluded successfully. As Dahlia shouted "Long Live" three times in her heart, the man turned to her.

"The letter says you'd like to discuss joint development. Is that another project?"

"No, I'd like you to improve the sparkling bottle. After the improved version of the sparkling bottle is released, I would like to revise the profit contract and register it under joint names."

"The bubbly bottle is already so perfect, and you still want to revise the benefit contract and change it to joint names? If you want to improve it, you can just order me directly. There's no need to change it to 'joint names', right?"

Fermo's eyes turned serious, as if he was dissatisfied with something.

He then questioned Gabriela.

"Vice-guildmaster, why didn't you stop her? You actually allowed her to do something so detrimental to our interests. Are you sympathizing with our declining workshop?"

"If I were to introduce you to a case out of sympathy, I wouldn't be worthy of being Vice Guild Master. Dahlia was the one who proposed this joint title from the beginning. Didn't I write in the letter, 'A promising and talented magic tool maker is seeking a craftsman to collaborate on development.'"

How could Gabriela introduce her like this?

She'd ordered so many bottles of bubbly that she wouldn't be able to smile if they didn't sell. While she wouldn't have to pay out of pocket, she wouldn't be so stressed out that she'd have a stomachache.

"But, aren't people who have been involved in development from the very beginning usually listed on the development list?"

The man hesitated to speak, his eyes still fixed on the disassembled parts.

The passion in his eyes was familiar to Dahlia. It was the look of a craftsman as he made something, inspected it, improved it, or remade it, trying again and again.

She has seen this kind of look from her father since she was a child.

"But you can definitely improve it or make a different version, right?"

"I can."

The man immediately answered in the affirmative.

"First, the lid is too small for men to use for shaving; it's difficult to open. I'd like to make it larger so it's safer for children and the elderly. However, the design would be less stylish."

"That makes sense. We could make lids of different sizes."

"If you're going to display it in a crowded area, you'll need a large bottle. To prevent it from tipping over, you can make the bottle square or place the center of gravity at the bottom. To prevent theft, you can build a stand to stabilize it."

“I haven’t thought about this…”

As expected of a craftsman who often makes press bottles, Fermo has endless ideas, and each one makes sense.

"If you're going to use it for shaving, the foam needs to be thicker."

"You can change the concentration of the soapy water or the structure of the net."

"If the material deteriorates, the connection between the lid and the bottle body will be easily damaged, so some leak-proof treatment is also required."

"You can ask a magician to tape the seams with Kraken tape."

"That's true. Comparing like that... I'm sorry, I was so rude."

Fermo unconsciously returned to his normal way of speaking and quickly apologized, and Dalia couldn't help laughing.

"It's okay, just relax and talk."

"If it's not rude, I'll do as you say. I'm really not used to polite conversation."

The man scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.

"We can each come up with ideas. I'll pick what I can do first and show you when it's finished. If you think it's good, we can make it a new product. How about that?"

"Okay, that's perfect. I'll pay for the materials and labor for the trial run."

“You don’t have to pay me or list me as a co-developer. Just try to direct orders for new products to us.”

"That won't do. If you agree to collaborate on this project, I should include you as a co-developer. Otherwise, please register separately."

"No, the profits and respect should go to the original creator."

They thought things were going smoothly, but the two started arguing over trivial matters, with Gabriela pressing her temples.

Dalia, who was silently thinking about how to convince the other party, suddenly let out a small cry of surprise.

In terms of craftsman qualifications, Fermo is her senior.

She thought the most likely reason was that he probably didn't want his name to be mentioned next to a fledgling magic tool maker like Dahlia.

She reflected deeply on the fact that she hadn't noticed this and had been forcing the other person.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice. I'm still new here, and there's a lot I don't understand. Forcing you to do this... you should log in separately."

"No, logging in separately is not an option..."

The man looked at Dalia, who suddenly became depressed, with a confused look on his face.

"You don't want your name listed alongside a newcomer like me in the contract, right?"

Dahlia's murmured words filled with regret left Fermo completely stunned.

Gabriela watched their interaction with great interest.

"Alright! I'm willing to be a co-developer. You can put my name on the profit contract!"

Fermo opened his hands in surrender.

"Is this really okay? Putting your name next to a newbie like me—"

"What I can't accept is that I'm receiving contract money even though I'm clearly not the original creator. I admit our studio is a bit down, but I don't want to accept charity."

"I'm not giving charity!"

"I understand. You want to develop products with me, a 'senior craftsman', right?"

"Yes."

Of course, Fermo's attitude towards objects, his speed of assembly, and his eye for improvement were all worth learning from.

"Then I'll accept it. Although I owe you a favor at the beginning, you have to remember one thing."

The man smiled confidently and quickly put the scattered parts together without even looking.

He clearly didn't use any magic, but he put the bubble bottle back together smoothly and placed it on the table like the original bubble bottle.

"I will work hard to come up with a good product and produce it step by step. One day, I will make you a lot of money."

Fermo clenched his fists with his craftsman's hands and gave a trusting smile.

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it."

Dahlia responded with a genuine smile.

Volume 2: The Long Meeting of the Merchant Guild

Was there something wrong with me appearing in this room?

Dalia forced a businesslike smile, and this question had occurred to her mind for the umpteenth time since she entered the room.

This is the luxurious conference room on the fifth floor of the Chamber of Commerce, no, it should be called the VIP room.

The walls, covered in ivory wallpaper, were decorated with a magnificent painting of a wheat field. The floor was smooth gray marble, covered with a red carpet so soft your heels almost sank in. The ebony table was broad and shiny, making you worry about accidentally leaving fingerprints on it.

On her right sat Wolf, on her left sat Gabriela, and beyond that sat Ivano.

Sitting opposite were the Clothing Guild Leader and Manager, as well as the Adventurer's Vice Leader and Manager.

It was past teatime, but Dahlia was quite bewildered by the news that the Guild Master and Vice-Master would come in person. The room was spacious enough for eight people, yet she felt the density inside was unusually high.