My interracial harem of beautiful queens

Chapter 78  Meeting with traders [2]

Marina enthusiastically shared how her business was flourishing and her ideas for further development. Adam smiled and nodded, promising to allocate funds for expansion and creating branches, receiving an airy kiss from Marina in return.

"Next... Sabrina."

"Sir Adam," responded the brunette with blue hair and stern glasses. She bowed and began her report with a serious expression.

"I'd like to address the issue of new designs and unique furniture with your assistance, which has been well-received by the nobles. However, there's a problem in selling among common folks," Sabrina sighed, reaching into her bag and pulling out papers with reports. "Here's the sales chart. It's evident that most of the products are hard to sell to ordinary people due to several reasons."

"Mhm? I have some ideas about this, but please, continue," Adam replied with a soft smile, squinting as he accepted the report.

Sabrina nodded, looking at everyone in the room before continuing, "First, the sales are low among commoners because of the aristocrats. They buy any furniture, decor, and other items at the highest prices, creating a scarcity of goods. Second, the lack of acceptance from the citizens themselves. Most of them simply cannot afford furniture and other items, considering it a wasteful expense. And third, the high cost. Until now, my assistants and I haven't found a way to lower production costs, and with the shortage of raw materials, we have to raise prices to cover expenses."

Adam closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. He took most of the furniture ideas from his previous life, and many of the items were made from trees that were scarce in this world.

Initially, he didn't understand why until he casually mentioned trees such as oak, birch, and pine. Later, it turned out that these trees were on the verge of extinction due to the lack of magical energy within them.

As a result, any items made from the aforementioned trees were expensive and considered premium goods. The aristocrats gladly purchased such furniture.

"While we can use other trees, it would greatly affect the reputation of our brand. Additionally, there's a problem with processing due to the natural protection of these trees and the lack of a large workforce," Sabrina wrinkled her nose, looking around and meeting everyone's gaze before bowing her head. "I would like you to help me find skilled workers because at this rate, our resources will deplete by the end of the year, and the only way to avoid bankruptcy is to switch to lower quality to save costs."

Adam closed his eyes and pondered. There were numerous trees in this world that could be used to make high-quality furniture, but processing and production ultimately proved too expensive. Although Adam could provide financing through the Idorvam Bank he had established, he couldn't spend too much money from the treasury.

Thinking about the elite trees, he could mention the Wisdom Elven Tree, which grew near the capital. However, obtaining this tree during wartime would be extremely challenging. Musing over this, Adam muttered, "Mhm... Ekaterina."

"Yes, Master?"

Hearing the soft and strict voice of the head maid, Adam turned to her and brought his lips close to her ear, whispering something. Ekaterina nodded, bowed, and left. Adam turned to Sabrina and smiled at her, saying, "Thank you for the report, Sabrina. Your assistance has been invaluable, and I will come up with a way to help you."

With these words, a smile finally appeared on the strict woman's face, and she took her seat. Adam announced a short break and closed his eyes, lost in thought.

"Did you think of the same thing I did?" Suddenly, he heard a gentle voice next to his ear and opened his eyes, seeing Amarantha.

Adam smiled and nodded, looking at the door. There, he saw a beautiful girl with blue hair and blue eyes, resembling a calm water surface.

Elyra. The enchanting nymph princess.

With nervousness, she approached Adam, but as soon as she looked into his face, she relaxed and smiled like a blooming flower. Adam sat her on his lap and nuzzled her neck, inhaling the pleasant floral scent.

In a soft, affectionate tone, Adam asked her, "Darling... I have issues with raw material supply for furniture. Do your lands have trees like oak, birch, and pine?"

Elyra shivered at Adam's warm breath on her ears, blushing but seriously pondered his question. Closing her eyes and mumbling something incoherent, she turned and nodded, "Actually... we have all the mentioned trees, and even too many."

Adam's eyes widened, as did Sabrina's. They looked at Elyra with adoring and loving gazes, causing the girl to blush deeply and hide her face in Adam's chest.

"Haha! Excellent, that's wonderful news," Adam hugged Elyra and kissed her on the forehead. "Sabrina, leave the negotiations to me. Avalon, you'll need assistance in supply. Amarantha, we'll require protection and a trusted escort. Can you handle this?"

"Yes, of course. Count on me."

"No problem."

"Certainly, I'll handle everything to the best of my abilities."

Smiling at Sabrina, Avalon, and Amarantha's responses, Adam leaned back in his chair, stroking Elyra's head as she curled up on his chest. Ordering Ekaterina to set the table, Adam resumed the meeting.

They discussed the city's development, taxes, and regulation of businesses according to the city's laws. An important issue of unemployment due to the large influx of people was also brought up, and Adam pondered over this matter.

The migration to Sedyon was a somewhat unexpected event, as Adam hadn't anticipated such a sudden increase in the number of citizens. It took considerable effort and expense to provide food and daily necessities.

In the initial days, there was utter chaos as migrants brought all their belongings and attempted to sell and purchase essential goods at once. The shortage of products was the mildest issue caused by this.

The city was initially designed to accommodate 7,000 citizens, not counting traders. However, the population had increased to 10,418, posing a serious problem. Some families had to sleep in tents, leading to the formation of slums.

However, Adam was not idle, and together with his aides and Amarantha, they brainstormed ways to address the slums and unemployment issues. They couldn't afford to protect citizens from whom they received nothing but expenses.

"Ladies and gentlemen, since we have touched upon the critical topic of unemployment, my Master has come up with several new ideas for the city that can attract potential workers and reduce the number of unemployed," suddenly, Catherine's voice echoed in the silent hall, capturing the attention of everyone present. Seeing all eyes on her, Catherine continued, "My Master, with his brilliant mind, has devised ingenious ways to aid the city's development, socialization, and convenience, stunning the world with his genius!"

Catherine proudly declared this, her monologue full of praise for Adam, who nodded contentedly, not paying attention to the smiles of his wives. Seeing that even the traders were listening with serious expressions, Catherine continued, "And so, with honor, I present to you the three main ideas of today's assembly!"

With Amarantha's assistance, Catherine projected Adam's idea on a large screen for all to see. Upon closer inspection, the traders saw the word "Newspapers."

"Newspa... pers?" Avalon raised an eyebrow, not fully grasping the concept.

His surprise was shared by others in the room, including Amarantha and Elyra. Adam simply leaned back in his chair, caressing his wives' heads and sipping apple juice from their hands.

Catherine smiled and proudly lifted her chin, explaining, "As we already know, information is the foundation of any society. Usually, peasants and nobles learn about most announcements either during their weekly gatherings or through rumors and trusted sources. However, my Master has ingeniously solved this problem, eliminating unnecessary complexities and rooting out any slander!"

The image on the screen changed, and everyone saw the newspaper template. Gasps and expressions of wonder filled the room, while Adam smiled, mentally bowing to his ancestors.

"With this newspaper, we can publish weekly news about the city and events in the world! Thanks to the invaluable assistance of our informants, we have already created the first newspaper prototype and received positive feedback after some research!" Catherine clapped her hands, and the door to the hall opened, allowing in charming cat tribe maids who nervously swayed their tails and twitched their ears due to the attention they received.

Each maid placed newspapers in front of everyone and then stood by the wall, bowing their heads. They were the slaves Adam received from the Skull and he ensured that each of them had good jobs.

The traders, Amarantha, and Elyra picked up the newspapers and began to read attentively. There were 12 pages in total, and the first page contained headlines and brief news summaries with illustrations. Unfortunately, everything was in black and white due to Adam's lack of knowledge.

However, it didn't diminish the impact of the newspaper. In the traders' eyes, this idea was brilliant and looked like a mouthwatering source of income.

"Ah, here's an advertisement for my shop!" Ricky suddenly exclaimed, drawing attention to himself.

"Really? Where?" Avalon asked with interest, to which Ricky replied, "Page ten!"

Avalon excitedly flipped to the tenth page and saw illustrations and a discussion about Ricky's shop, detailing the interior and product catalog. It also featured impressions and opinions gathered from commoners and aristocrats.

In the end, there was the address, the owner's name, and working hours.

The entire page was dedicated to Ricky's shop, and the text was skillfully and beautifully presented, engaging the reader and tempting them to purchase items.

Although the issue of literacy among citizens and the fact that only 5% could read remained a problem, Adam planned to address this after dealing with the city's main affairs.

"Amazing, Sir Adam! Thanks to this advertisement, more and more people will want to visit my shop!" Ricky was excited and grinning like a fool.

Adam snapped his fingers and smiled, "Thank you for the praise. For a fee, it will be possible to submit an advertisement application, and the more you pay, the more attention your advertisement will receive... in any case, I would like to say that newspapers will also help with unemployment due to the following reasons..."

Adam waited until everyone's attention returned to him and smiled.

To be continued...