Chapter 62.2

Everyone thought it was a long shot, but they decided to trust Arad’s plan.

After all, this was Arad, and his words always held weight.

This mission was personally requested by Her Highness the Grand Duchess.

A few months later.

The seasons shifted from summer to autumn, and eventually to winter.

By that time, Balzac and the senior knights of the Frost Knights had no choice but to acknowledge it — everything was unfolding just as Arad had predicted.

‘Just who is he, really?’

Arad claimed he had once been a low-level adventurer wandering the continent. But from what Balzac had seen, Arad was anything but ordinary.

‘Could he be the one who seized the relic of the Golden Age that Isabelle mentioned? Or perhaps, as Her Highness suggested, he’s one of the Ancients? No… neither of those seem quite right.’

The deeper he dug, the more amazed and perplexed he became. There were too many mysteries surrounding Arad.

‘But one thing is certain — Arad cares about the North and Her Highness more than anyone. And that’s all that matters.’

Once again, Balzac chose not to trust the man named Arad, but rather to trust the results of Arad’s actions.

‘The operation’s name is “Mirror Therapy.” What a fitting name. Just as the Empire used these methods against us, there’s no reason we can’t use the same tactics against them.’

With a grin, Balzac glanced at the back of Entir, who was walking ahead of him.

Although Entir was clearly an outsider, not a single person at the Arad Factory Complex stopped him.

Even the soldiers and knights from the High Tower, who guarded the area with the utmost vigilance, stepped aside with a mere glance from Balzac, like sliding automatic doors.

Thanks to this, Entir could freely explore the vast Arad Factory Complex.

“This… this isn’t a mere trading company. It’s not just a large workshop or a guild either. This… this is something completely new!”

The moment Entir set foot in the Arad Factory Complex, his mind spun with shock.

“Centralization! That’s it! It’s complete centralization! A centralized system that merges guilds, workshops, and merchant groups into one!”

To Entir, it was more dazzling than a gold mine.

“How is this possible? This brutally relentless, yet so efficient production process! How did no one think of this before?!”

He trembled with excitement like a zealot receiving a divine revelation.

“No, someone must have thought of it before. But they couldn’t implement it because of the stubborn, prideful master craftsmen and the guilds protecting their own interests!”

It felt as if a whole new world had opened before him.

But as time passed, the ecstasy on Entir’s face slowly shifted to one of seriousness.

“Hmm…!?”

“What’s wrong? Not to your liking?”

“No, it’s not that. The food is delicious. But… do you really provide this kind of meal to employees for free?”

“Of course.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“……?”

It all started with lunch.

‘This isn’t right. Providing free meals to employees? Do they realize how much money that costs? Are they doing this as a temporary measure to ease the transition to a weekly pay system?’

The shock of the factory’s production system was nothing compared to the blow Arad Company’s employee benefits dealt to Entir.

And as he toured more of the Arad Factory Complex, his bewilderment only grew.

‘I can understand giving employees one day off every seven days, but they work only half a day on the sixth day as well? And they get paid for their days off, too?! Why go to such lengths?’

Entir’s head throbbed as he staggered, his vision spinning from the shock of this new and incomprehensible business model.

“Wait… that woman just got paid in silver coins!?”

The sight of a female employee receiving silver coins as part of her weekly pay sent Entir into a full-blown shock.

“She earned quite a lot. It’s probably because she worked hard and met her performance goals.”

“No! I understand it’s a weekly pay system, but you’re paying them this much?! And what’s this about performance bonuses and overtime pay?!”

“Does that seem so strange to you?”

“This goes beyond strange — this is complete madness.”

Even high-ranking Imperial officials didn’t receive this good treatment.

‘There’s much to learn here, but even more to avoid. Running a business like this… how do they expect to save any money? Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous…’

With a deep sigh, Entir clicked his tongue in frustration.

He was convinced that, if they simply reduced these employee benefits, they could build ten more of these massive factory buildings.

For the first time, Entir began to feel the same mix of pity and exasperation that Balzac, Eote, and Carrot had felt toward him earlier.

‘But I have to give credit where it’s due.’

From a distance, Entir observed Arad Jin.

‘He’s strange… no, he’s a completely insane merchant. But a man of his caliber is still a man to be reckoned with.’

‘If I join hands with that man, maybe… just maybe… I can get my revenge!’

Entir, being a merchant, knew how to recognize value when he saw it.

And right now, this place is overflowing with potential.

A merchant, by definition, is someone who makes a profit from price differences.

Their profession is essentially to buy low and sell high.

By that logic, I thought of myself as a merchant.

Why? Because I took raw materials with little to no value, processed them, and turned them into valuable goods for sale.

That’s technically still a “price difference.”

But something about that felt incomplete.

If ordinary merchants created “more value from value,” we created “value from nothing.”

The difference was like night and day.

That’s why I didn’t call it a “Merchant Guild” or a “Trading Company.”

Instead, I named it “Arad Company.”

The term “company” encompassed more than just a trading guild or a workshop.

Because it wasn’t a “merchant guild,” I was no longer a “guild master” but a “president” or “CEO.”

“Ah, President Arad Jin. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Entir Bishop, president of Bishop Company. Hahahahaha!”

The man who now stood before me was impressively quick to adapt.

“Yes, President Entir Bishop of Bishop Company. I’ve heard much about you.”

“It’s ‘company,’ President. Not ‘merchant guild’ — it’s Bishop Company.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s right. It’s Bishop Company, and I am President Entir Bishop.”

“…?”

“So, President Arad Jin, may I ask why you’ve summoned me so directly?”

Despite being deep in “enemy territory,” Entir showed neither intimidation nor hesitation.

“Are you planning to sell us the secret to producing Northern Porcelain, Mary’s Blessing, or perhaps the technique for crafting black magic prosthetics?”

“…….”

If he was afraid, he didn’t show it.

In fact, he was downright brazen.