Chapter 144 So I Got Busy
'Ah, I just remembered! I invited Mr. James's fiancée over!'
"Mr. James, your fiancée will be arriving soon."
"Huh?"
"Earlier, Grandfather summoned her, so..."
"Haaaaaa?"
"I mentioned the brandy bottle story, and it led to this situation."
"I see."
While they were chatting, Sara was informed that James's fiancée had arrived, so she instructed the servant to escort her to the playroom.
As James's fiancée entered the playroom, Sara saw that she was a tall, slender woman, likely around the same height as Mr. James. Unlike James, who looked worn out from overwork, she had a healthy aura about her.
Her rich, curly hair was casually tied back in a single strand, and she didn't seem to be wearing much makeup. Her dress looked like it didn't quite fit her, so she probably wore more casual clothes normally. However, her facial features were well-defined, and her smile was charming. If she got her hair and makeup done, she'd likely become a stunning beauty.
'Whoa, a model-like person has arrived!'
Feeling a sense of responsibility for inviting her, Marquis walked over to James and his fiancée with Robert and Rebecca in tow.
"Your Excellency the Marquis, this is my fiancée, Cindy."
"I'm Cindy. It's an honor to meet you."
Cindy had stiffened up due to the summons from the lord.
"I'm sorry to call you out. I heard that you gave Sara a vase as a gift. Please accept my gratitude."
"I'm the one who should be thankful for my James. He has been taken care of by Miss Sara, and I wanted to give her a small gift to celebrate her magic manifestation."
"Thank you so much, Ms. Cindy. That vase is my favorite. Actually, I have a request regarding that arm of yours."
Cindy looked flustered and glanced at James. Then, James took over and responded to Sara.
"Miss Sara, it seems like Cindy is a bit nervous."
"No wonder. Let's sit down and calm down."
Sara guided James and Cindy to the sofa by the window. Of course, Marquis, Robert, Rebecca, and for some reason, Benjamin, Pollux, and Castor also tagged along.
"Oh? Are you all joining us too?"
"If it's not a bother, may we join you? It seems to be related to Elma liquor, after all."
"That's correct, but excuse them for intruding, Ms. Cindy."
"No, it's fine."
Sara sat down on the sofa, smiled sweetly at Cindy, who was sitting across from her, and said,
"I'm sorry for suddenly calling you out. You must be surprised."
"No, it's okay."
Although Cindy's face didn't look entirely okay, sitting down on the sofa seemed to have loosened her stiff body a bit.
"Actually, I wanted to discuss something about the liquor bottle, but Cindy, can you drink liquor? It's a new liquor I just developed, and it's quite strong."
"I like liquor, so I think I'll be fine."
Sara signaled to Maria, who poured a shot into a glass. Of course, water was also served as a chaser. Cindy took the glass and lightly touched her lips to it.
"Wow, this scent is amazing. The alcohol content is strong, but it's really delicious!"
"I'm glad you like it. To be honest, I've been thinking of selling this liquor in bottles, but I need someone to make those bottles for me."
"Bottles, you say?"
"This liquor is still a prototype. We're still setting up our mass production system, so it'll take a few years for it to hit the market. But I want to show off this prototype to various people and make them fall in love with it. The Grandchester family will be buying it in bulk as a gift for the royal family or for other noble families."
As Sara spoke, Cindy's face stiffened again.
"No way... are you going to use my bottles as a gift for the royal family?"
"Yes, that's the plan. I think you're the only one who can create a delicate design that won't ruin the atmosphere of this Elma brandy."
Sara smiled broadly and looked at Cindy.
"I-i-it's impossible! You can't use my bottles as a gift for the royal family!"
"Oh, don't you think so? That vase of yours is really beautiful, though..."
"At least, can't you use my father or brother's work instead?"
"Umm, time is running out, unfortunately..."
Sara tilted her head slightly, and Marquis came to her rescue.
"Sara, we need to gather a certain number of bottles. Why don't we ask multiple glass craftsmen to make different types of bottles? Since it's a prototype, having various bottles is interesting in itself. We can choose the best one and present it to the royal family."
Sara also nodded in agreement with Marquis's proposal.
"That does sound like a good idea. Then, Ms. Cindy, can you also make some bottles for us?"
"Ah, yes. That's what I'm saying."
"Excuse me, Miss Sara. There are also advantages to packing them in decorative boxes, and we should decide on a standard size beforehand. Since it's a high-end liquor, it's better to have smaller bottles anyway. We want to prioritize aesthetics over quantity."
Castor was busily taking notes beside them.
"That's true. Grandfather, why don't we order all the glass craftsmen in the territory to create bottles, and then hold a contest to see who makes the most beautiful one? We could give prizes and titles to the winners. If we hold it every year, it might even energize the glass craftsmen, don't you think?"
"Hmm, that's a interesting idea."
"We still need to figure out the judges and make sure there's no biased judging or bribery, though."
Castor, who had been taking notes, looked up and added to Sara and Marquis's opinions.
"If we need decorative boxes too, we'll need to arrange for woodworkers to handle them, but will they be exempt from the contest?"
"Hmm, what should we do? I think simple boxes would be fine for just the liquor..."
"Is there something going on, Grandfather?"
Sara looked slightly troubled, and Rebecca, as if sensing it, had a nearby maid bring over a musical box made by Alicia the Alchemist Girl. Rebecca had instructed her to bring it to the playroom earlier, since they had discussed it in the previous product planning meeting.
"Mr. Castor, could you open this box for us?"
"This one, you mean?"
At first glance, it's just a simple, unadorned box. However, the moment Castor quietly opened the lid, piano music flowed out, and everyone in the playroom turned to look their way. In other words, the sound was playing at a volume that could be heard even amidst the chatter.
"What is this?!"
"It's a product developed in the Maiden's Tower. The magic stone set inside this box records sound beforehand, and when you open the box, the recorded sound plays back."
Castor opened and closed the lid of the box, which was producing sound, with a curious expression.
"Haha, this is an amazing product. Are you going to sell this at the merchant guild?"
"That's the plan. Actually, the first bottle of Elma Brandy we took out of the barrel was stored in this box. In other words, this box is a new product that plays sound, and it also serves as a decorative box for Elma Brandy."
"Does it have to be this big?"
"No, it just so happens that we made a prototype with this box, and in reality, it can be any size. However, since a magic circle needs to be engraved, it may require a certain minimum size. Ms. Alicia (Alchemist Girl) from the Maiden's Tower is currently writing the specifications for the box."
"So, we'll ask a carpenter to make a box that meets those specifications?"
"That's right, Mr. Castor. Since this is such a unique product, it would be great to add various decorations, such as carvings, to the box. Of course, a simple box is also nice."
"I'm sure it'll be a big hit, even if it's sold separately from the Elma Brandy we had earlier."
"I'm expecting that to happen, and I'm also looking forward to it. And if it's Mr. Castor, you should already know, but this product requires a magic stone. The truth is, this product selects the quality of the magic stone. If the quality isn't high enough, the magic array can't be engraved properly. So, we need to create a system that can stably supply high-quality magic stones."
"I see, that makes sense."
Up to that point, Sara smiled sweetly at Castor.
"Hey, didn't I say that Mr. Castor would get busy too?"
"Indeed, that's true. But it's going to be a huge workload, so I'm getting a little scared."
"Speaking of which, I just realized that we need to secure a large amount of materials to make glass bottles, right?"
"I'll take care of it."
"Do we need to import a lot of materials from outside the territory?"
"No, we can mostly get the materials within the territory. The Aklar Mountains are a treasure trove of resources, and we can even get silica sand from the rivers nearby."
"Grandchester is a wealthy territory, isn't it..."
The other bureaucrats nodded in agreement.
"It's true that our wheat cultivation has been successful, but it's undeniable that we have an abundance of natural resources."
"I see. But we must keep in mind that natural resources will eventually run out. In that sense, we can't thank our ancestors enough for establishing our wheat cultivation."
"Miss Sara is saying the same thing as the founder of the Grandchester house, aren't you?"
"Is that so?"
Sara's expression stiffened.
"Hmm. Sara, haven't you thoroughly learned about the achievements of your ancestors yet?"
"It's well-known that the person who opened up the Grandchester territory, which was a vast forest about 500 years ago, and was granted a title for their achievements."
'Plus, they're a reincarnator who wanted to eat ramen and Shogayaki!'
"It's said that while he developed this land, he was also careful not to over-logging the mountains and forests."
"Is that so?"
"He especially warned against cutting down trees on mountain slopes, predicting that landslides would occur."
"Is that because he didn't want to anger the mountain gods?"
'Hey, what's that?'
"That's not a prophecy, but a prediction."
"What do you mean?"
"The trees growing on the mountain slopes help retain rainwater and prevent soil erosion. If the trees are cut down excessively, the soil will be exposed, making it prone to floods and landslides. This is a natural phenomenon that can occur in any mountain, and it's not a divine punishment."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Forestry is an important aspect of disaster prevention plans. Mr. Ben from the Walt family must be aware of that, don't you think?"
"That's right, Miss Sara. Thinning and selective logging, as well as clearing underbrush, are all important tasks."
"But from the perspective of preventing natural disasters, you could say that it's like a divine punishment if you don't manage it properly. After all, if you don't take care of it, you'll be punished."
Marquis laughed in response to this.
"Indeed, as rulers, both I, the lord, and the king, must bow to the power of nature. It's truly a divine punishment. We can only do what we can, and we must do it."
Marquis laughed heartily. It seemed that the alcohol had lowered his laughter threshold since earlier.
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