Factory.
A facility that mass-produces various goods…
This was a concept that didn’t exist in the Middle Ages.
All existing industries were handcraft.
Technicians belonging to artisan guilds were the ones who personally made everything.
Naturally, production levels were not very high.
For example, pottery made from baked clay.
Even skilled artisans would only manage to make around ten a day, and that would be considered a lot.
If they sacrificed quality to mass-produce, they might only be able to make a few dozen.
Thus, the price would be quite burdensome.
Most common people used wooden bowls or hand-carved wooden utensils.
This was the reality of the medieval fantasy continent.
Except for Millenia, that is.
Bang!
Bang!!
“What… what is this?”
‘What in the world are all these things?’
Leopoldus’s eyes widened to their limit.
The factory that Wiz had brought him to for a tour.
It was the unease that was felt as soon as they arrived there.
The hot heat from the burning coal.
The sound of wings spinning inside a giant molding machine, mixing clay.
The vibrations felt every time the giant frame pressed down on the clay dough.
The sight of mass production, something completely unfamiliar to a medieval person, was overwhelming.
“This… is a factory?”
“More precisely, it’s a pottery factory.”
“…What?
Pottery?”
“Yes.
The same kind of bowl you used to eat from on the steam engine.”
‘It wasn’t glamorous, but because the quality was quite good, I thought they must have taken care to serve me with it. Was I wrong?’
He had even seen the products made from that very pottery.
The plates he had eaten from during the three-day journey on the steam engine.
There was no particular decoration, but they were smooth and felt nice to the touch, of good quality.
Even Leopoldus thought, ‘Not quite up to the king’s standards, but this is certainly not neglectful.’
And yet, those bowls were made in a factory?
Not crafted by an artisan’s hands, carefully molded and baked…
But made by those terrifying machines?
This was beyond the understanding of a medieval person.
Everyone was left speechless, mouths agape.
Wiz was quite satisfied with their reaction.
‘Just like the other four nobles, and even the humans. Everyone has the same reaction when they first see it. This is why I do research and development, really.’
“…Kihihih. It’s all thanks to the steam engine.”
“The steam engine? The one used on the steam train?”
“Yes. Since it moves the wheels, that means it can move other things too.”
After that, she started pointing out various things one by one.
“This is called a molding machine. This is a plaster mold for injection molding, and this is a tank to store the clay at a certain temperature… and so on.”
She was explaining things that would be hard for a non-technician to understand.
Naturally, the three humans didn’t understand.
“R-right.I understand now.”
“Oh? You understand?”
“What I mean is, it’s replacing the work that would normally be done by slaves or apprentices. It’s a bit like a water mill, right?”
Though he didn’t understand the principle behind it, he understood the effect.
Using a steam engine drastically reduces the labor required to make pottery.
This was the core of the factory that Leopoldus had grasped.
“Hmm, I see. You really are sharp. I thought I’d have to show you a few more times for you to understand.”
“P-Prince, how rude of you!”
“It’s fine. Anyway, Wiz. How many bowls can this thing produce?”
What mattered was the production quantity.
How much could this machine actually make?
After all, the Industrial Revolution earned its revolutionary title for a reason.
The production quantity increased so much that it even led to the loss of jobs for the existing workers.
Even a factory that hasn’t been fully automated yet already has a production level far beyond manual labor.
“If we exclude the defective items, about three thousand a day?”
“Three thousand? Three thousand bowls of this quality, the kind that would be used by low-ranking nobles or wealthy people?”
“Yes. It would be nice if we could automate even more, but precise control is still a bit difficult, so it’s only about three thousand.”
“Th-Three thousand?! That’s… a lot?!”
Thanks to this, Leopoldus was astounded.
He was shocked that 3,000 pottery bowls of the kind that could be supplied to nobles could be produced.
To a medieval person, the Industrial Revolution held this kind of meaning.
“Yes. I need to make the conveyor belt faster, but… Haa, with just that, the production could increase by several times.”
‘With the steam engine, it’s hard to control it. Unfortunately, I can’t borrow the master’s magic for this.’
For Wiz, this was still far from the results she and Teo were aiming for.
A fully automated factory that could produce tens of thousands of goods a day was still a long way off…
But that reaction was something only those two would have.
To others, even this much would be an incredibly impressive invention, almost frightening.
Leopoldus shuddered.
“Before entering here, I saw many similar buildings around. Are all of those factories too?”
“Yes. Things like rail factories or paper factories?”
“Heh…”
‘It’s a monster. A monster of manufacturing.’
How could he not understand?
He knew how much power factories could give to a nation.
This would certainly have advanced Millenia by several steps.
His shoulders slumped.
‘I have no choice but to admit it. Our Arkenia’s… no, humanity’s technology falls far behind these people.’
It was the moment when the deep-rooted disdain for other races started to peel away.
* * *
Afterward, Wiz showed the humans around various places.
“This is my workshop. This is where I made the steam engine.”
Starting with her workshop.
“This is a bookstore. They print text on paper and bind it into books to sell.”
“This is the market. There are a lot of things, right? The races here have different needs.”
“Over there is a chicken farm. They raise a lot of chickens. It’s under Aurelia’s jurisdiction, though, so I wouldn’t want to bring any of the high-ups there because of the smell.”
“And over there…”
The bookstore, the market, the chicken farm, etc.
She showed them various facilities to demonstrate the level of Millenia.
It was as per Teo’s instructions.
[Before bringing them to the dragon palace, give them some culture shock. Let them realize which side is truly primitive.]
‘Kihihih. Master, look at their expressions.’
The effect was clear.
Court magician Bella was pinching her cheek, unsure if this was a dream or reality.
The captain of the knights, Seras, forgot all about his dignity and was left gaping.
Even Leopoldus, usually composed, let out deep sighs, abandoning his usual solemn demeanor.
‘They’re reacting like this after seeing just this much… if I had shown them ‘that,’ they would have fainted.’
This was still only the tip of the iceberg, but still.
The changes that the steam engine and factories had brought to Millenia in just one year.
The overwhelming cultural difference.
It had crushed all three of them.
“Seras, are you telling me this place was a forest just a year ago?
Is this place even more developed than Villeburg?”
“There was some city-like formation even back then, but it was nothing like this.”
“This… this is impossible.
To think this was achieved in just one year?
This can’t be anything but magic.
It has to be magic…”
“Bella, I understand how you feel, but snap out of it. Please.”
The three of them, unconsciously huddling close together.
In a land full of other races, they were naturally drawn to each other, an understandable reaction.
Squish.
“…Bella, please move away from His Majesty. This is disrespectful.”
“Seras? I’m fine.”
“Move away.”
“H-Hii?! Sorry!! I didn’t mean to do anything improper to His Majesty!!”
“…”
‘Seras is too devoted.’
Though Seras gave a sharp look, it didn’t last long, but still.
The three of them were still tightly knit.
Wiz smiled.
It was a sneer, one she had worn since her goblin days, a mocking grin that had become second nature to her.
“Kihihih. How was the tour of Millenia?”
“It was amazing.
The people’s living standards are exceedingly high, and the various goods produced in the factory are actively traded. It’s comparable to the Kaiser Empire.”
“Well, it is impressive. Other regions aren’t quite up to Ermion’s level yet, though.”
“That’s how the capital of a nation is.”
Leopoldus didn’t care about the suspicious smile.
Still sitting in the carriage, he simply turned his head to the side.
“But… there’s one thing I don’t understand.”
“What is it?”
“Teo’s intentions.”
His gaze was fixed on a werewolf, walking by with a basket full of bread and fruits.
“From what I can see, a factory must be a facility managed by Millenia. Am I right?”
“Well, everything in Millenia belongs to my master.”
“Then why is everything so cheap?”
“…Huh?”
“Why is he not even trying?
Why isn’t he making an effort to gather gold and increase the national wealth?”
Such food.
Various manufactured goods.
If the nation were to take the initiative and produce them, wouldn’t the wealth generated be enormous?
As a ruler of a nation, it would be hard to resist the temptation.
Setting personal greed aside, it’s natural to want to fill the national coffers.
Especially since Teo was known to have a particular obsession with gold.
“But he didn’t do that. If he had, a mere werewolf wouldn’t be able to casually buy food like that.”
That was why Leopoldus had been observing the market so closely.
He thought that if he understood the prices, he could understand Teo’s mindset.
But rather than understanding, he was left even more confused.
Anyway.
Because of this, his noble blue eyes turned toward Wiz.
He asked, as though trying to probe her,
What in the world was Teo thinking?
“He’s probably part of the dragon palace, right?
“…Ahem. He was a first-year newbie, so his salary must be pretty good.”
“Anyway. What I’m asking is, why are the prices so cheap?”
“That’s obvious. My master is such a person. Kihihih.”
“What does that mean?”
“Ah, can’t you see? The true intention of the great Teo.”
Wiz’s mouth curled into a smile.
Not a mocking one, but a genuinely happy smile.
A smile from a servant who found happiness only in serving him.
With a skip, she jumped out of the carriage and spoke in a blissful tone.
“Teo, the one who will destroy all the hatred and wars that have spread across the world. With his mere existence, he will save the oppressed races, and even embrace humans. He will bring prosperity to this continent, and create true peace.”
“He is my one and only master, Teo!♡”
“…I see. I understand now.”
‘Teo, he must be blessed with loyal subordinates. How enviable.’
Leopoldus could only nod in response.
* * *
A short while later.
“I’ve heard the rumors. That you boil water to move the world, create fertilizer from the air, and even invented a unique script called Hangul…”
“That wasn’t me.”
“-The Dragon of Destruction and Creation, King Sejong, perhaps?”
“…Kraang?”
‘Did something grand and exaggerated just get added to my name?’
With this misunderstanding, the summit between the two nations began.