Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The manager of Slime House is a subordinate from Earl's Castle, just like Peter, serving the Cavendish family for generations.

She used to be in charge of the leather trade at Earl's Castle and was recommended by Lancelot.

She is a shrewd woman.

The moment Lorant met this lady named Nia, he had this thought.

She is a middle-aged woman with long golden hair neatly tied back into a bun with hair oil.

She wears a pure black robe and leather gloves on her hands.

At first glance, she easily brings to mind a stern headmistress.

Nia sat gracefully on one side of the chair in the reception hall of Earl's Castle. She had just received news that the young master wanted to see her, so she hurriedly left the ongoing leather business negotiations to come over.

This was Nia's first time meeting Lorant.

She did indeed know that the store 'Slime House' she was about to manage was not purely an Earl's Castle business.

There was another owner involved, though with a smaller share, who was quite important.

That same person was also the other owner of the 'Animal Pet Shop,' where the young master had invested considerable effort recently.

However, this was the first time Nia had seen this incredibly young owner.

"This is Nia, who has been handling some of the trade affairs at Earl's Castle. She has extensive experience in commercial matters and is the manager I chose for Slime House," Lancelot said as he gestured for Nia, who had quickly stood up upon seeing them, to sit opposite them.

"This is Manager Lorant. I assume you already know him?" Lancelot nodded slightly at Nia.

"Of course, Lord Earl. I have heard much about Mr. Lorant," Nia nodded promptly.

Her respect towards Lancelot was evident, making Lorant feel somewhat uncomfortable.

But then he realized that the servants around those high-ranking nobles usually had such attitudes.

"I called you here today mainly to discuss your plans for Slime House in the coming period," Lancelot leaned back on the sofa, waiting for Nia to present her plans.

Lancelot did not choose Nia as the manager of Slime House lightly.

Nia, being a servant of several generations, had absolute loyalty, and having managed the leather business at Earl's Castle for years, she had proven herself capable. Naturally, Lancelot thought of her.

Nia nodded, adjusted her posture, and began speaking somewhat cautiously: "Mr. Lorant, Lord Earl, the renovation of Slime House is mostly complete, and some products have already been set up."

"The renovation of the backyard is nearing completion and should be ready for business within three days."

"The exact opening date is up to you both to decide."

Lancelot nodded and glanced at Lorant for his opinion: "We can discuss the timing later. Please continue with your other points."

Nia continued: "The Slime Ranch now has ten thousand Fluffy Slimes and ten thousand Feathered Slimes, and both production facilities are running at full capacity."

"According to calculations, the current facilities cannot fully meet the biweekly production needs of the Slime Ranch. If possible, it would be best to expand the facilities soon to avoid a backlog of raw materials."

"Currently, the output of by-products is sufficient to supply Slime House for about a week."

Nia crossed her hands and spoke earnestly: "Considering the hasty opening of Slime House and the lack of prior promotion, plus the fact that we are selling a completely new product, there won't likely be many customers initially."

"But I am quite optimistic about the market potential of these two types of Slime by-products."

"Our current positioning of these products is precise. With some time, I am confident we can capture sixty to seventy percent of the city's middle-class market."

"Within two years, I guarantee to expand the business of this store by more than double." Nia smiled confidently: "Let the people of Mauplan wear Slime House products during winter!"

Lancelot looked at Lorant: "Lorant, do you have any other requirements?"

He was quite satisfied with Nia and felt that his choice of manager was indeed competent.

Lorant nodded: "Yes, while what you've said is fine, it lacks clarity and specificity."

"If possible, I hope Miss Nia could prepare a written plan for us, detailing how to promote the products, the methods to be used, and the budget required. This would help us better understand the development plan for Slime House."

"It would be best to break it down into phases—how long the initial promotion will take and what results are expected."

"How to proceed in the second phase and what potential issues might arise."

"Yes, something like a detailed plan."

Lorant recalled in his mind; he had no experience with such work, but he believed such basic documentation was necessary.

Hearing Lorant's words, both Nia and Lancelot were taken aback.

The concept of a 'plan' was unfamiliar to them.

However, they understood Lorant's request despite never having heard of such a thing.

Lancelot thought about it and realized that having such a document would make it easier for him to understand and manage the future plans of Slime House efficiently.

Lancelot turned to Nia and said firmly: "I think Lorant's suggestion is excellent. How long will it take you to prepare such a plan, Nia?"

Nia carefully considered the matter. While Lorant's request seemed simple, as someone who had long managed the leather trade at Earl's Castle, she knew that creating a clear and effective plan would be challenging.

But how difficult it would be, even for her, was uncertain until she tried it herself.

"Count, I apologize for not having seen such a 'proposal' before. However, I believe I can complete it in about a week," Nia said after a moment's thought, determination in her voice.

Lancelot did not push; asking her to produce a detailed proposal by tomorrow was unrealistic: "Then we'll give you a week. After that, we need to see the written report. You may go now, and we'll notify you once we finalize the opening date."

Nia nodded in agreement and quickly left.

As soon as Nia departed, Lorant, seeing it was getting late, teleported back to the Animal Pet Shop.

Lancelot remained seated, his gaze complex as he watched the direction Lorant had left.

Why does this guy always come up with so many new and interesting ideas?

I really want to know what makes his mind different from others.

...

The opening date for the Slime House was quickly determined.

On the third day after the completion of the renovations in Mauplan, a grand opening ceremony was held at the 'Slime House.'

Unlike the cold and quiet opening of the Blue Star Pet Shop, this event, hosted by Peter, was organized on the scale of a major business of the Count's family.

Early in the morning, the Lorant family dressed formally and headed to the Slime House.

Peter and Lancelot arrived even earlier. Three employees, wearing uniformed outfits with small badges of fluffy slimes or thick-feathered slimes on their chests, were cleaning the store.

These small pins were newly designed merchandise for the Animal Pet Shop by Lorant.

The design concept came from Lorant, while Liszt was responsible for turning them into tangible products.

From material selection to manufacturing processes, everything was assisted by the enthusiastic Liszt.

He designed a massive machine nearly ten meters long.

By adjusting the settings and inserting the appropriate materials, the machine processed the raw materials into pins and ejected them from the outlet.

It was incredibly convenient and easy to use, making it accessible to anyone.

Lorant personally designed several adorable shapes: a standing glass ice flame dog with its tongue out, a sitting glass ice flame dog, and three-dimensional fluffy slimes and thick-feathered slimes made from fluffy slime fur.

Their cute designs and soft textures charmed Stephanie, who visited Little Yi, into buying several of them.

Lancelot directly purchased the patent rights for these adorable badges from Liszt and registered them under the name of the Animal Pet Shop.

Before long, the invited guests began arriving one after another.

Since their father's passing, the Lorant family had rarely been in touch with relatives.

Their only relative was Ruth's sister, but three years ago, Lorant's aunt moved with her husband to run an inn near the Lopulo Mountains, cutting off contact.

Even with the convenience of teleportation arrays, the distance between them was too vast for the Lorant family to ever meet again.

Even exchanging letters was a luxury.

Once separated, it was a farewell forever.

Thus, the only guests invited to the opening ceremony by the Lorant family were the Simon family.

The rest were customers invited by Lorant on behalf of the Animal Pet Shop.

Lancelot, however, had many more guests. Apart from the nobles he closely associated with, who were mandatory invites,

he also invited numerous professionals to attend the opening ceremony.

Regardless of his personal preferences, his status dictated that Lancelot could not avoid social obligations like Lorant.

He was both a genius knight and mage and the sole heir to the Cavendish family.

Facing such occasions, Lancelot wore a standard smile and handled each guest with ease.