Chapter 77

The Failure Alchemist of the Royal Capital

Launch of a Major Industry #

Time passed, and today is the day of reporting to His Majesty the King.

On the government side, there were three people: His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Finance.

On the reporting side, it was me, Oliver, and Kachua. Ana also came along. And at our feet, my guard puppy Leaf was lying down, being a good boy.

“Thank you for your time today. We have made progress in finding a substitute for the imported ‘White’ powder, so today we would like to explain about that.”

First, Oliver explained the purpose of today’s meeting.

“Oh, so you found something to replace it!”

His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister were relieved and showed happy expressions.

Then, Oliver presented the “White Powder” in a small pottery with blue flowers on a white base, which was made by mixing powdered sericite mined in the northern part of our country with zinc oxide, a metal that was baked.

“Both materials are non-toxic, and our guild staff has confirmed that it does not have any adverse effects on the skin. Moreover, the added zinc oxide has an effect of preventing sunburn, so we can promote it as having even higher beauty effects.”

Oliver explained the “new White Powder” in detail.

“Well, then, women who are interested in beauty and new things will surely jump at it!”

The Prime Minister, who was worried about whether they could win the hearts of women who had already purchased the imported product, showed a relieved expression.

“Yes, we would like to widely publicize that we will exchange the already sold imported ‘White Powder’ for this new beauty-effective White Powder free of charge and collect them responsibly through our Kachua Trading Company.”

The Prime Minister nodded in satisfaction.

“As for the dissemination of this information, we will cooperate as a country.”

His Majesty the King also looked satisfied.

“We need to increase the number of miners who can obtain sericite and zinc. Then we can expect an increase in tax revenue from there. We need to act on this urgently.”

The Minister of Finance was concerned about money matters as expected.

“Your Majesty, just gathering those who already have the profession of ‘miner’ may not be enough. We need to coordinate with the church regarding ‘special measures concerning occupations,’ focusing on those who are in financial difficulty.”

His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Finance looked at each other and nodded.

The “special measures concerning occupations” is a measure to allow people to work in occupations other than the ones given to them by baptism, which the church considers to be absolute and at the will of God. Normally, God gives people the number of occupations needed in a country, but when a new industry arises, there may not be enough people to distribute the occupations. This is also the case with this issue, as well as when developing new farmland. In such cases, under “special measures,” permission is granted by the church, and the baptismal certificate is annotated with notes such as “allowed to work as a miner under special measures.”

“I have one more thing to report. Miss Daisy has discovered a new drug while searching for the ‘White Powder.’ This is the product, called ‘zinc starch,’ which is effective for skin diseases such as eczema and prickly heat when applied, and can be provided at a very low cost compared to potions, etc.”

The slightly plump Minister of Finance showed interest, taking the box with zinc starch offered by Oliver and examining it.

“This is made by mixing zinc oxide and ‘starch’ powder extracted from potatoes in equal parts. Since half of the ingredients are made from potatoes, if we sell it in large quantities, we can provide it for 200-300 Leele, compared to potions that cost 1000 Leele.”

The Minister of Finance reacted with “That’s cheap!” to the price.

“Your Majesty, we are currently producing only enough potatoes for food in our country. We may need to recruit pioneers to develop new farmland. If there is a shortage of farmers, we may need to adjust the ‘special measures’ as well.”

The Prime Minister explained the production status of the country’s potatoes to His Majesty.

“How do we produce this ‘starch’? Is it something that can be easily done?”

The Minister of Finance, who was interested in zinc starch, asked a question.

“This can be obtained by grinding the potatoes and squeezing them well in a cloth. If we recognize it as a side job for farmers who become new potato farmers, they can sell ‘starch’ with added value to Kachua Trading Company, which can increase their income and as a result, increase tax revenue.”

I explained while looking at the one that Mina had made.

“…My prickly heat will be cured, and tax revenue will increase…wonderful.”

The Minister of Finance muttered to himself.

…I see, he was suffering from prickly heat… I couldn’t help but stare at the Minister of Finance.

“Then, let’s carry out the pioneer recruitment for developing new farmland on undeveloped land within the country’s territory. We shall recruit nobles in charge of the pioneering project. If the result of the development is good, we will elevate their title and give them the land as their territory. This will attract hopeful applicants and encourage them to work hard. Also, regarding the mines, instruct them to increase the production of zinc and sericite. In addition, we need to urgently make arrangements with the church. Prime Minister, I appoint you as the person in charge of this matter.”

His Majesty the King summarized the matters that should be handled by the country and assigned the Prime Minister to take charge of the matter.

Thus, with the nationwide increase in the production of raw materials, the role of Kachua Trading Company began. With this, the ‘White Powder’ incident began to move towards a resolution.

Anna and I received royalties for the development of the new product from Kachua Trading Company, which acquired the rights and would be responsible for producing the ’new White Powder’ and ‘zinc starch.’

In the past, Kachua Trading Company showed a very sincere response when exchanging for safe white powder, and regained the trust of the company. Eventually, as a result of this incident, the development of safe cosmetics for women became a major industry representing our country, and Kachua Trading Company grew into a large trading company. The country that was exporting white powder made from lead and mercury also started importing safe white powder from Kachua Trading Company, and the damage gradually diminished.