Chapter 89 Adjusting the salary
Every action of the Frestech Chamber of Commerce was closely paid attention to by many people in Banta City and the surrounding cities, so once the news came out that Kennard would become the general manager of the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, it created a large uproar.
What people cared about first was Kennard’s identity.
It’s said that Kennard was a blood related junior from the Emma Family. According to tradition, even if he wanted to go into business, he should enter the Walmart Chamber of Commerce. So why was he working at the Frestech Chamber of Commerce?
Next they cared about the meaning of the words “general manager”.
General manager? There wasn’t a single company on the Sines Continent with this position, so what did it do?”
“The work of a general manager…..it’s actually quite similar to a chairman. They are mainly in charge of managing the matters of our Frestech Chamber of Commerce, like internal working arrangements, negotiations with other companies, and other duties. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have authority in the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, but rather you are helping me manage the company.”
For this matter, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce even held a press conference.
At the press conference, Xu Yi gave the same explanation.
The reporters of the major newspapers there carefully thought it over and felt that although the name of general manager was very strange, the work it did was like the vice chairman of many other companies. It was just helping the chairman manage the company, so it didn’t feel that strange and they started paying attention to another issue.
Although Kennard Emma came from the Emma Family and was known for being trained at the Walmart Chamber of Commerce since he was young, he was still only twenty seven. Moreover, the industries the Frestech Chamber of Commerce and the Walmart Chamber of Commerce were in were completely different, so it could be said that Kennard Emma didn’t know much about magic machines. Then if he were to become the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s general manager, could he really do a good job?
“Don’t worry about the questions of those reporters. Since I picked you, I definitely believe that you have these abilities.” After the press conference, Xu Yi patted Kennard’s shoulder as he comforted him.
Kennard revealed a faint smile and his face was relaxed like he didn’t care about the reporters at all, looking like he was filled with confidence.
“Please be assured, chairman, I believe in me more than you.”
“That’s good. If you didn’t even have this bit of self confidence, it really wouldn’t be right for me to give you a starting wage of fifty gold coins a month.” Xu Yi said with a nod.
“Speaking of wages…..” Kennard said in a thoughtful voice, “Chairman, I’ve been carefully investigating and I’ve talked about it with manager Sebas, and I feel that our company’s wage structure isn’t right.”
“Oh?” Xu Yi looked at Kennard who had quickly jumped into his work with surprise and asked him in an interested voice, “What’s wrong?”
“Look, this is the report that I made yesterday.” Kennard took out a piece of paper.
Opening it up, there was a simple graph written on it. It was displaying all the different wages for different workers of the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, clearly demonstrating everything.
Xu Yi looked at it and he couldn’t help giving a nod of praise.
“Not bad, Kennard, you really are a professional. Was this report finished by you alone? Although Sebas has the capability, he wouldn’t do something like this.”
Kennard revealed a modest smile, “It isn’t anything, manager Sebas just wouldn’t spend time on this.”
“Un, good. Then which part do you think isn’t right?” Xu Yi pointed at the report and asked.
“Chairman, look. Based on this graph, the lowest wage of our company’s workers last month was 11.6 gold coins and the highest was 17.3, which comes to an average of 13.72 gold coins. Adding in the extra benefits that we give, the average income of each worker is over fifteen gold coins.”
“Un, Sebas has already reported this to me. Is there some problem?” Xu Yi asked.
“After a small investigation over the past few days, I found that alone, our company’s workers have the highest monthly salary in Banta City. Other than our company, the monthly salaries for normal workers of other companies is around ten gold coins. Only the Amrit Chamber of Commerce’s workers who are responsible for building the roads have higher salaries than our workers. But compared to this, the Amrit Chamber of Commerce workers work over twelve hours a day and our workers only need to work eight hours a day. Even if they work overtime, they still receive overtime pay.”
“So? What is the problem?” Xu Yi asked back with a smile, “If you think that our company is paying our workers too much, then you can stop right there. Giving the workers this pay is something that I’ve carefully considered and it would take too much effort to explain this reason to you, so I won’t do it for now.”
Kennard shook his head, “No, chairman, I don’t think that the worker wages are too high, rather the current wage structure isn’t right. Compared to this, I feel that the worker wages are actually too low.”
Hearing Kennard’s words that were different from chairman Cruise’s, saying that his wages were just too high, Xu Yi became a bit interested.
“Tell me, what ideas do you have?”
“It’s like this. Chairman, after studying the structure of our company for a few days, I’ve found that for our company, the work of the normal workers isn’t that important. Compared to workers of the other companies, it is less important.”
“Why do you say this?”
“This is because most of the work of our company is given to magic machines, forming a complete production line. The work that each worker does is rather simple and any normal person can do it with some simple training. They can even become proficient after doing it for some time.” Kennard explained.
“So you think that their work isn’t important?”
“It’s not right to say that it isn’t important, but it isn’t that important comparatively speaking. This is because from what I can see, even in the same factory, different workers have different skills, so they require different amounts of time, energy, and techniques. Since it’s like this, giving them the same wages clearly isn’t right.” Kennard said with a serious face.
“That means that you want to divide the normal workers of the factory into ranks and then give them different wages according to their ranks?” Xu Yi asked.
“Yes.” Kennard took out a sheet, “This is statistical data that I’ve taken of the workers on the Automatic Magic Rice Cooker production line from the household magic machine workshop. Based on the data, the workers responsible for the lid support beam have higher requirements because the lid support beam has high demands. The product is ruined even if there is a single millimeter difference, so the workers have to control the magic production machine and not allow a single deviation. I think that this work has the most difficulty and requires the most technique in this production line.”
“Then what has the least difficulty and requires the least technique? The workers in charge of assembling the parts?” Xu Yi asked with a smile.
Kennard was stunned. Xu Yi didn’t even look at the data, but he said what he was thinking.
“Don’t be surprised because I understand this issue better than you.” Xu Yi revealed a faint smile, “But if you want to rank the work in a factory, to separate them based on the technique required is a task that requires a lot of energy and time. You should be very clear that I lack energy and time the most, so I’ve never been able to do this before.”
After saying this, Xu Yi patted Kennard’s shoulder with a smile and said, “Before you came, no one else was capable of doing this. Now that you’ve mentioned it, it’s good that this can be your first task after joining our Frestech Chamber of Commerce. In half a month, I hope that you can give me a detailed report.”
“Half a month?” Kennard’s eyes opened wide in disbelief, “Chairman, this work is so complicated and you’re only giving me a single month? Isn’t this too exaggerated?”
“Can’t do it?” Xu Yi looked over at him and gave a deliberate sigh, “I thought that the elite merchant that the Emma Family focused on training would be exceptional, but you’re only at this level.”
Kennard couldn’t help revealing a smile, “Chairman, are you trying to rile me up as revenge? Alright, half a month it is. Even if I have to go all out, I will finish this work perfectly.”
Seeing Kennard’s confident smile, Xu Yi’s heart was filled with gratitude. 𝐛𝗲𝐝𝗻𝗼𝘃𝐞𝗹．𝗻𝐞𝘁
It had to be said, just based on the data that Kennard made over the past few days and the fact that he could catch this important point, a problem that the Frestech Chamber of Commerce needed to fix quickly, it proved that he was indeed quite skilled.
Although Xu Yi had found this problem before, neither Heinz or Sebas had the ability to solve this problem and he didn’t have time.
Now that Kennard was here, this problem seemed like it could be easily solved.
“That’s good. General manager Emma, please work hard.”
Xu Yi patted Kennard’s shoulder and left him to mull over it on his own, as he headed to Great Magician Camilla’s Magic Tower.
When he opened the door to Great Magician Camilla’s private lab at the top, Xu Yi immediately called out.
“Your excellency Great Magician, Still said that you had two pieces of good news for me. What good news is it?”
Great Magician Camilla was currently in the middle of an experiment, but hearing Xu Yi’s voice, he looked up and didn’t respond. He just waved him over, signaling to him to help.
Xu Yi was a bit surprised. With Great Magician Camilla’s abilities, what magic experiment required his help?
Looking down, Xu Yi gave a surprised gasp before his voice was filled with pleasant surprise.
“Your excellency Great Magician, you…..You actually finished it!”
Chapter 90 Miniature Storm Arra
On the desk in front of Great Magician Camilla, there was a small Magic Array that was around the size of Xu Yi’s palm that was currently glowing with azure light.
Above the Magic Array, there was a visible small tornado that was currently spinning.
It was clear that this was the Ninth Grade Wind Magic Array, the Storm Array.
What was more clear was that since this Storm Array was this small, it meant that Great Magician Camilla had succeeded in miniaturizing Magic Arrays!
Moreover, although the Magic Array and tornado seemed very small, their might wasn’t small.
When Xu Yi wanted to approach, he felt an enormous suction coming towards him. If he hadn’t used his magic to negate the wind elemental magic energy in the air in time, he would have been pulled right in.
“It isn’t a complete success.” Great Magician Camilla pointed at the Miniature Storm Array, “Other than to tell you this good news, I called you here to let you see how it should be modified to suit your needs.”
“Needs…..” Xu Yi carefully kept his distance from the powerful and small tornado of the Storm Array and carefully examined it. After thinking for a bit, he said, “Your excellency Great Magician, you should understand the structure and the principle of the Magic Fan. What do you feel would be the result if this Storm Array was placed in the Magic Fan?”
“Magic Fan?” Great Magician Camilla knit his brows, “This Storm Array is much stronger than the Magic Array used in the Magic Fan. If this is placed in the Magic Fan, once it is turned on, the entire Magic Fan would be ripped to shreds.”
“Un, I feel the same.” Xu Yi nodded, “So your excellency Great Magician, the problem that we need to solve is how to safely and effectively use the kinetic energy that this Storm Array generates.”
“That is your specialty, what do you think?” Great Magician Camilla simply said.
“Alright, let’s try this first…...”
…...
Since Great Magician Camilla had succeeded in making the Storm Array smaller, it meant that his understanding of this Magic Array was very refined and he could casually modify it.
So the experiment the two of them did went very smoothly.
Following the experiments that Xu Yi proposed, Great Magician Camilla kept changing the Storm Array. Xu Yi kept a detailed record of the process and result of every experiment.
The two of them were currently experimenting on what would be the core power source of a wind powered engine, so any data would be very useful.
Although their domains were different, Xu Yi and Great Magician Camilla were crazy about research, so they forgot everything once they started and focused completely on it.
When Xu Yi finally received preliminary data from this Miniature Storm Array, the two stopped and prepared to rest.
But when they two stopped, there was a sound that came from their stomachs.
Xu Yi and Great Magician Camilla looked at each other before breaking out in laughter.
The two had been so focused that they had forgotten to eat.
Looking out the window, they found that it was already getting dark.
Right now it was close to late September, so that means that it was around seven at night.
Not only had the two of them missed lunch, they might even miss the dinner time of many households.
“Your excellency Great Magician, let’s tidy up and find a place to eat.” Xu Yi said.
Great Magician Camilla shook his head, “I don’t like eating out, it’s better to come home. Still shouldn’t have had dinner yet, I should be able to get him in time. You should just come along. I remember you said last time that Vivian should be leaving Banta City for her school event.”
“Forget about me. Since the Great Magician isn’t coming, I’ll just go find a casual place to get dinner.” Xu Yi shook his head and rejected him.
Great Magician Camilla looked at Xu Yi with a strange look, “Hey, kid, I suddenly thought of a problem. Why are you never willing to come to my house for dinner? You’re already in a relationship with Still, isn’t it normal for you to come to my house for dinner?”
Xu Yi laughed, “Your excellency Great Magician, it’s because I have a promise with Still. She said that she owes me a handmade meal, so I want to save this for a special and meaningful time. So if I go to your house before this and accidentally bump into a meal that she’s made, should I eat it or not?”
Great Magician Camilla was surprised, then he couldn’t help smiling, “You young people really are…..Forget it, I’m too lazy to care about this. But kid, don’t be in a rush to leave. Did you forget that I have two pieces of good news for you?”
“Oh? That’s right, what is the other piece of good news?” Xu Yi asked with an expectant look, “If this news can be as good as you successfully miniaturizing the Magic Array, I might die from happiness.”
“I feel it’s around the same, but you can take a look.” Great Magician Camilla took the Magicians Guild periodical from his desk and threw it to Xu Yi.
Xu Yi opened it and immediately revealed a look of pleasant surprise.
“That means that the old fogies at the guild actually agreed!”
In this issue of the Magicians Guild periodical, it was mainly about the topic of magic patents.
But it was different from the past when they were discussing whether they should pass it or not. In this periodical, it was no longer discussing whether the idea of magic patents should be allowed or not, but rather they were discussing the details of magic patents.
For example, the first article was about whether patents should include all kinds of magic.
Turning the pages, he wasn’t surprised to find Great Magician Eisenkel’s article.
It was different from the cautious tone of the other articles. Great Magician Eisenkel’s article showed his support for magic patents applying to all magic from the beginning, even going on to provide some detailed rules for magic patents.
It could be seen that he already expected the magic patents to be passed by the Magicians Guild, so he had already done his research.
“Based on this situation, if it is quick, magic patents will be adopted by the end of this year.” Great Magician Camilla said, “There will be an internal conference next month and all magicians of the Great Magician level have been invited. Great Magician Eisenkel and I have both been invited. Great Magician Eisenkel has already agreed and as for me…..”
Xu Yi looked at Great Magician Camilla.
Of course he hoped that Great Magician Camilla would also participate because there would be another voice at the conference that supported the magic patents.
Great Magician Camilla deliberately kept Xu Yi waiting before nodding with a smile, “I’ve also decided to participate.”
Xu Yi patted his chest in an exaggerated manner, “Your excellency Great Magician, you really scared me. It’s not bad now, at least there is support from you and Great Magician Eisenkel. If you could let me see the other three Great Magicians of the kingdom, I can guarantee that I could convince them.”
“Don’t get your hopes up too high.” Great Magician Camilla shook his head, “Although this decision should pass, because there are many magicians who disagree with this, even if this decision passes, it might not have the effect that you want.”
“A road is taken step by step, I’m not in a rush.” Xu Yi gave a shrug with a relaxed look.
“It’s good that you know.”
When he left Great Magician Camilla’s Magic Tower, it was already dark. Seeing Great Magician Camilla reject his invitation again, Xu Yi didn’t insist and bid farewell to Great Magician CAmilla, as he walked towards the liveliest night market street in Banta City.
While talking, Xu Yi thought of the good news he received today and felt quite happy.
First there was the strong abilities that Kennard had, which allowed Xu Yi to let him take care of many matters in the company, allowing Xu Yi to be much more relaxed. It allowed him to invest more time and energy into the research that he liked and cared about the most.
He could even spend more time with Still to avoid her always complaining that he didn’t spend enough time with her.
Next, there were the two pieces of good news from Great Magician Camilla.
Compared to this, Xu Yi right now didn’t really care about when the Magicians Guild would pass the magic patents.
This is because while unveiling new products during this time, Xu Yi found a fact. It was that compared to the Magic Arrays that acted as power supplies, the unique design of the machines was more important.
The Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s magic machines had better quality and performance than other companies because of the various machine designs that Xu Yi made with his rich mechanical engineering knowledge.
Of course, that didn’t mean that Magic Array research wasn’t important.
For example, the miniaturization of the Storm Array had a very important significance.
Great Magician Camilla had not only miniaturized the Storm Array, he had also maintained most of the might of the Storm Array, making sure that the Magic Array provided enough power.
Like this, Xu Yi just needed to link this Magic Array with the outer cover of the engine that Camby’s dwarves were researching and he would be able to make a magic wind powered engine.
As for the significance of developing an engine, there wasn’t a need to say anything.
Once the engine was developed, it would bring out another industry that was very important and couldn’t be missing from a modern industrial system.
As long as this industry was developed, it would be a matter of time before the industrial system was established on the Sines Continent.
Xu Yi looked at the patches of light left on the ground by the windows on the sides of the road and looked at the irregular patches of light on the ground before revealing a faint smile.
When this industry was developed, he would immediately set up street lamps for all the streets in Banta City, eliminating all the darkness outside the patches of light.