Chapter 57 - Joint Development with a Craftsman
Shortly after lunch, news arrived that the head of the workshop for small item production had arrived.
Entering the meeting room were Dahlia, Gabriella, and Ivano.
Volf, along with Dominic, was asked to wait in the reception room.
It would be difficult for the workshop personnel to relax with a knight present.
In the meeting room, waiting was a man with brown hair streaked with gray and deep green eyes. He was of medium build and height, dressed in olive-green clothing.
Whether it was due to his usual appearance or the haste of his arrival that day, his face had stubble, and his shirt was wrinkled.
"My name is Fermo from the Gandolfi Workshop. Pleased to meet you," the man said.
He stood and bowed, but his expression remained neutral, without even a hint of a forced smile.
"I'm Dahlia from Rossetti Company. It's a pleasure to meet you."
In return, Fermo gave her a look, as though he was inspecting a product.
"I heard that Gandolfi Workshop specializes in making liquid pump bottles. What else do you produce?"
"We make various bottles, sprayers, atomizers, tubes, box-shaped items, and more."
Dahlia breathed a sigh of relief. If that was the case, there should be no problem with making foaming pump bottles.
"What I would like to discuss is this 'foaming pump bottle.'"
She placed the foaming pump bottle on the table and demonstrated by putting some foam into a cup.
Upon seeing this, Fermo furrowed his brows deeply.
"Is there... a special foam inside this?"
"No, it's just regular soap water. The concentration of the soap water has been adjusted, though."
"...It seems it could be used for face washing, hand washing, barbershops, children's toys, and various other things."
"Yes, I've actually heard from a user that it's quite convenient for shaving."
"Shaving... I would love to try it once."
The man touched the foaming pump bottle as if it were a precious treasure.
Fermo's fingers were rough, with deep and shallow scars, showing signs of his craft. His hands reminded Dahlia of her father.
She couldn't help but notice her lips curving into a smile.
"Ivano, please get a razor from the stock and give it to Fermo-san. Also, take him to a room with a washbasin and let him try it."
"Understood."
"Fermo-san, since you're here, you might as well tidy up while you're at it,"
Gabriella said, putting a slight emphasis on the word "tidy up."
Fermo gave a faint wry smile and, with Ivano, left the room.
"Dahlia, were you surprised by how unapproachable he seemed?"
"No, I thought he was definitely a craftsman."
"Fermo's wife had been in charge of sales at their workshop until last year, but she has been unwell. He's good with his craft, but as you can see, he's the way he is..."
"I don't mind. I think it's common for craftsmen to be like that."
Even among magical toolmakers, there were many who were difficult or taciturn, possessing a typical craftsman's temperament.
Not many, like her father, were the type to talk brightly to everyone.
Of course, her father had been the kind of man who would apologize to the slimes drying on the tower, saying things like, "Sorry for making you work for Dahlia's sake. Please don't hold a grudge," as he drank, so he wasn’t exactly a fair point of comparison.
Later, Fermo and Ivano returned, not having spent much time away.
"This is good."
Now that his beard was completely gone, Fermo looked considerably more polished.
He smiled at Dahlia, and the smile seemed so genuine, it was as though even his character had changed.
"Excuse me, Gandolfi-san, may I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Have you ever experienced razor burn?"
"Yes, I have. It was more common in the mornings when I was in a rush, and it was quite frustrating. If this product becomes more widespread, it might reduce both razor burn and missed spots when shaving."
Clearly, his attitude had changed. In front of him, Dahlia placed two empty foaming pump bottles.
She disassembled one right in front of him and laid the parts out on the table.
"Here we have the push part on the lid, the actual lid, the pump below the lid, and the parts of the main body."
When Fermo stood up, Dahlia, too, stood up involuntarily.
"How does the mechanism work?"
"By pressing the lid, pressure is applied to the inside of the main body, which draws the soap water up from the pump tube. There’s a mesh filter in the pump below the lid that creates the foam and pushes it out. This spring is attached to return the mechanism to its original position after being pressed."
"I see. May I touch the parts?"
"Yes, of course."
By now, Fermo's gaze was no longer on Dahlia.
He checked the separate parts, immediately assembled them, and disassembled them again. After repeating the process quickly three times, he nodded deeply.
"What about the materials?"
"Here is the specification sheet."
Dahlia handed over the specification sheet, and Fermo looked at it intently.
"With these materials and procedures, there’s no problem... We can take it on at our workshop."
It seemed there was no need to ask if they could make it.
"How many would you like to order, and at what price?"
"How many can you handle? I would like a thousand per month, if possible."
The voice responding to the query directed at Dahlia came from Gabriella.
"Rossetti-san, will the guild handle the sales? They’ll take a 20% cut..."
"Yes. I’ve just started my company, and I intend to handle all sales through the guild."
"I see, so you’ve received investments through the guild."
The man nodded in understanding.
Since the guild master had agreed to be a guarantor for the Rossetti Company, it could be called an investment.
At this point, it seemed impossible to manage everything alone.
To avoid overworking and dying like in her past life, she was determined not to carry everything by herself. She planned to consult with others and ask for help when necessary.
"Two days to assemble the prototype for mass production, one day for confirmation. I would like to request the attendance of the Rossetti Company head during this time. After that, two days to instruct the workshop staff. If everything is fine, we can produce 100 per day. The price, including materials, is 2 gold coins and 1 large silver coin per 100."
Fermo said it smoothly, but Gabriella narrowed her deep blue eyes in a somewhat sly manner.
"Fermo-san, those are the numbers with a margin for the deadline, right?"
"...Well, that’s true."
"If possible, I’d like you to hurry for the first month. If we can get 1500 or more units delivered, how about 2 gold coins and 3 large silver coins per 100 for the first month?"
"Understood. I’ll accept the offer."
The deal was settled quickly.
As Dahlia silently cheered in her heart, the man turned toward her.
"By the way, you mentioned a joint development proposal in the letter. Is this separate from what we’re discussing now?"
"No, I’d like to ask for a joint improvement of this product. Also, once the improved version becomes a product, I’d like to rewrite the profit contract to make it under joint names."
"Hah?"
Fermo’s gaze turned stern.
"You’ve already completed this, and shipments are planned, but you want to rewrite the profit contract and make it joint ownership? For an improvement, all you need to do is tell me 'fix this here.' There’s no reason for it to be 'joint ownership.'"
He seemed to be somewhat offended, and his irritation was directed at Gabriella as well.
"Vice Guildmaster, why don’t you stop this? It’s strange to allow something so disadvantageous. Are you feeling sympathy for my struggling workshop?"
"If I were introducing you out of sympathy, I wouldn’t have been able to sit in the Vice Guildmaster’s chair. The joint ownership idea was something Dahlia first proposed to me. It was written in the letter, remember? 'A promising and talented magical toolmaker is looking for a craftsman for joint development.'"
Gabriella’s introduction was something else.
After all, if a large order of foaming pump bottles didn’t sell and flopped, it would be a laughing stock.
For now, Dahlia’s wallet wouldn’t suffer, but her stomach certainly would.
"However, in joint development, it’s normal for those who have been involved from the beginning to share ownership..."
The man hesitated, his gaze still focused on the disassembled parts.
She recognized that look, the way his eyes lingered on the parts, familiar to her.
It was the look of a craftsman, always working, confirming, tweaking, or remaking, endlessly repeating trial and error.
It was the same look she had seen in her father since she was small.
"But, Gandolfi-san, you can definitely improve this design or create different versions, right?"
"Yes, I can."
He answered confidently without hesitation.
"First, if it’s for shaving, the lid is too small for a man’s hand. For shaving, I’d want it a bit bigger. That would also be safer for children and elderly people too."
"I see. In that case, we should try a few different sizes for the lid."
"For places with a large number of users, a bigger bottle would be more appreciated. We could prepare square bottles to prevent them from rolling, or add weight to the bottom. If theft is a concern, a fixed stand might be a good option."
"I hadn’t thought about that..."
As expected, Fermo, who was experienced in making liquid pump bottles, came up with ideas one after another.
Each of them made perfect sense.
"For shaving, it would be better if the foam were a bit heavier."
"That could be adjusted by changing the soap water concentration or the mesh."
"As it deteriorates, the part where the body connects could easily get damaged, so water leakage prevention might be needed."
"In that case, I think it would be fine to ask a magical toolmaker to apply kraken tape only to that part."
"I see. That’s one way to approach it... I’m sorry if my words were rude."
Fermo had unconsciously switched to speaking in his natural tone and quickly apologized, making Dahlia smile involuntarily.
"No, it’s fine. Shall we just speak normally from now on?"
"If it’s not too much trouble. I’m not very used to polite language."
The man scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.
"We’ll exchange ideas and make whatever we can. Once we have something, we’ll have it reviewed by you, Rossetti-san. If there’s something good, we’ll move forward with it as the next product, how does that sound?"
"Yes, that would be very helpful. I will pay for the prototype materials and time spent on the work."
"I don’t need either of those. I don’t need my name on a joint development either. Instead, please try to send as many orders for new creations as possible to our workshop."
"That won’t work. If you’re going to help develop it with me, then please add your name to the joint development. If not, please register it as a new product."
"No, I believe the person who originally created it should be given respect and compensation."
Just when things seemed to be going smoothly, a slight argument began between the two. Gabriella, standing by their side, pressed her temples.
It was a conversation she couldn’t easily insert herself into.
"Oh..."
As Dahlia searched for words to convince him, she suddenly realized something.
From the perspective of a craftsman, Fermo in front of her was a senior.
As a magical toolmaker still starting out, Dahlia probably wasn’t someone he wanted to list next to his name on a profit contract.
To Dahlia, that seemed to be the most understandable reason.
Realizing that she had unintentionally asked too much, she deeply regretted it.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. I’m still a novice and don’t understand many things. I was asking too much... Please register it as a new product instead."
"No, registering it as a new project is even less ideal..."
The man, with a confused expression, looked at the dejected Dahlia.
"You really don’t want your name alongside mine, do you...?"
Before Dahlia could express her regretful words, Fermo froze completely.
Gabriella watched the exchange with a look of interest.
"Alright! I’ll accept the joint development. You can put my name on the profit contract."
Fermo raised his hands as if surrendering.
"Um, is it really okay? To have your name alongside someone like me, a novice?"
"I didn’t want to take the contract money without doing the original work. I’ll admit the workshop is in a bit of a rough spot, but I didn’t want charity."
"I wasn’t thinking of it that way!"
"I know. You’re choosing me as a senior craftsman to be your joint development partner, right?"
"Yes."
That was, of course, true.
Dahlia admired Fermo’s way of handling materials, his speed in assembly, and his ability to spot improvements. All of it was something she wanted to learn from.
"Then I’ll happily accept. I might be in your debt at first, but remember this."
With a confident smile, Fermo quickly reassembled the disassembled parts with almost no need to look at them.
"I’ll come up with good ideas, make them, and eventually, I’ll make sure you profit from them, Rossetti-san."
Fermo, making a fist with his craftsman’s hands, was dependable and inspiring to watch.
Perhaps it was because he was a senior, or maybe he reminded her of her father—she couldn’t tell which.
"Yes, I’m looking forward to it."
With a sincere smile, Dahlia responded.
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