Volume 7 Chapter 2 - The Importance Of Literacy
Although Kompany’s small hut was as small and crowded as before, the decorations inside were completely different from before.
Not only had the wall been repainted, there were also new planks above their heads. It seemed quite decent and didn’t seem as poor as before.
After entering the room, Kompany looked at Sai who was gnawing at the sweet on the table and after knocking him to the side, he invited Winnie and Joshua to sit down.
“Where’s your big sister?” Kompany sat down as he asked Winnie this.
“Big sister said that she wanted to prepare a delicious meal for us, so she went to get some groceries.” Winnie replied.
“Nonsense!” Kompany knitted his brows, “Leaving the guest at home and going out to buy groceries? Doesn’t she know to wait for me to come back before going?”
Winnie waved her hand with a smile, “Alright, brother in law, it isn’t like you don’t know big sister’s personality. No one can stop her if she wants to do something. I already told her that Joshua and I aren’t guests and there was no need to be this polite, but she insisted on going even though there’s no need.”
“No, it’s your first time back after several years and this time, it’s brother in law……It’s Joshua’s first time here, so we have to properly take care of you.” After saying this, Kompany looked at Joshua’s high end clothes and he revealed an awkward look, “Only…..our place doesn’t have anything to treat you with, so I hope that Joshua doesn’t mind.”
“Brother in law, you’re too polite.” Perhaps it was because it was their first time meeting or they had the same status, Joshua stopped talking in that polite tone and spoke in a more friendly tone, “Winnie and I don’t care about what we eat. Then again, you and big sister are Winnie’s closest family members, so you’re my family members as well. Between family, there’s no need to be this polite.”
Kompany scratched his head and gave a few laughs, not knowing what to say.
Seeing him like this, Winnie couldn’t help laughing.
“Alright, brother in law, let’s not waste words. Answer my question, what are you planning on doing with Harvat?”
Hearing that the topic went back to his eldest son, Kompany gave a sigh in his heart. He thought for a bit before saying, “There’s nothing to arrange, right? That kid can’t become a magician, so I’ll have him study some magic machine skills and he’ll enter the factory I’m working at once he grows up, that’s good enough.”
“That won’t do.” Winnie shook her head, “I talked to big sister earlier. Brother in law, your idea doesn’t seem that bad, but you can’t guarantee that this factory will last in this town, so you can’t place your hopes on it.”
Kompany was surprised, “Why wouldn’t this factory be here anymore?”
“This……” Winnie knitted her brows to think for a bit before poking Joshua beside her, “I can’t explain it properly, you can tell brother in law.”
Joshua revealed a smile. After thinking for a bit, he said, “Brother in law, I heard that this factory only produces the Magic Fan and the Magic Stove and it hasn’t changed in the past few years. Is that right?”
“Un, it’s always been these two. What is it? Is there a problem?” Kompany asked back.
“There’s no problem right now, but that isn’t certain in the future.” Joshua seemed to be considering what he should say and after hesitating a bit, he continued, “The Magic Fan and the Magic Stove are two of the lowest end products of the household magic machines, so while it can sell well in the area around Arafat Town right now, it might not be able to do the same in a few years.”
“It’s because all the countries of the continent are working hard to develop their magic machine industry, the Falk Kingdom isn’t an exception. If nothing unexpected happens, there will be more and more factories and companies that produce household magic machines. For low end household magic machines like the Magic Fan and the Magic Stove that aren’t that complex, there will be many factories producing them. That means that there will be a lot of competition for this factory in the future, so it would be hard for it to maintain the same profits as it is making now……”
“You mean……the factory won’t be able to sell its products in the future?”
“I’m not certain, but there is this possibility because there will only be more and more competition.” Joshua said with a nod, “Our company’s chairman said that there will be more competition on the continent in the future, so it will be a competition when it comes to technology. If there’s nothing special about your technology that suppresses the others, it will be eliminated in the end.”
“Your chairman?” Kompany was surprised.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Brother in law, Joshua works for the Frestech Chamber of Commerce. The chairman that he’s talking about is the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s chairman Xu.”
“Oh, oh, it’s Xu Yi, I know him, I know him.” Kompany kept nodding, “Since an important person like chairman Xu is saying this, it must be right.” After saying this, Kompany knitted his brows again, “But Joshua, based on what you said, this factory might go out of business…...What do I do……”
“I never said that it would go out of business, there was only this chance.” Joshua gave a cough, “Of course, it’s better to be prepared ahead of time. This goes back to the problem of planning for Harvat that Winnie was talking about earlier. Brother in law, you wanting Harvat to learn some skills related to magic machines is the correct idea, but you can’t place your goal on a factory in Arafat Town, you should go a bit further.”
“You mean……”
Joshu turned to Winnie and seeing her give a nod, he turned back to Kompany with a serious look, “Brother in law, Winnie and I discussed this with big sister earlier. I have a better arrangement for Harvat that I hope you can agree to.”
“Tell me.”
“Brother in law, our Frestech Chamber of Commerce has set up a Magic Practical Use Academy for normal people, specializing in teaching people the foundations of magic, while also teaching them how to combine magic and machines. Students that graduate from this school will be able to directly enter our Frestech Chamber of Commerce. If they work hard, they can even become a new generation of Magic Engineers. So I think that if we let Harvat enter this school, it’s very likely that he’ll work for our Frestech Chamber of Commerce in the future. No matter what, it would be better than staying here and working for a company, right?”
“It would naturally be countless times better if he could go to your Frestech Chamber of Commerce, but…..you’re talking about magic…..Harvat doesn’t have any talent with magic at all, alright?” Kompany had a doubtful look.
“No, based on the research of our Frestech Chamber of Commerce four years ago, everyone has talent with magic, it’s just that some people have more of it and it is easier to manifest, so they have a chance to become magicians. Most people’s magic talent isn’t that clear and need some guidance to display it. Our company has created a special academy just to prove this theory. Perhaps Harvat doesn’t have as much talent as other magicians, but that doesn’t matter in the face of the research of our company.”
“You’re saying that Harvat can learn magic?” Kompany’s eyes lit up.
“There’s the possibility, but the magic that he learns won’t be the same magic that brother in law knows.”
“I know, it’s the new type of magic that’s used for the new magic machines that the newspapers talked about, right?” Kompany asked.
Joshua revealed a surprised look.
“Brother in law, how did you know this…..Ah, I didn’t mean to offend you……”
Kompany gave a laugh and waved his hand, “It’s fine, I know what you mean. For a crude person like me to know this is indeed strange. Moreover, this is what I’ve heard from other people reading the newspaper. If you want me to read the newspaper, I wouldn’t even recognize the words, ha, ha……”
Joshua’s expression changed, “Brother in law, speaking of not understanding the words…..Sai is six years old, right? Does he know how to read?”
Kompany shook his head, “No one taught him, so of course he doesn’t.”
“Then there isn’t a place in Arafat Town to learn how to read?”
“Of course there is, but it’s a private school that mayor Viscount Razor had set up for the children of nobles. Other than the children of nobles, if commoners want to study there, they have to pay three hundred gold coins a year and I don’t have that much money.”
“Then…..brother in law, if there was a school that was opened in this town that specialized in teaching kids to read and only cost ten gold coins a year, do you think people would be willing to go?”
Kompany was stunned, “Only ten gold coins a year? Not to mention ten, even if it was twenty, as long as there was this kind of school, I would definitely send my two boys there! Damn, because I couldn’t read, I suffered quite a bit. Even learning the higher grade magic machine skills and getting a higher grade certification is hard enough. I don’t want my two kids to suffer the same!”
Seeing the look of suffering on Kompany’s face, it seemed like he almost couldn’t help swearing.
Joshua didn’t mind at all and rather his smile became even brighter.
“Brother in law, tell me first, do you agree with me and Winnie taking Harvat with us to let him enter our Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s academy?”
Kompany looked at Joshua with a bit of doubt, “You can work for the Frestech Chamber of Commerce after graduating from this school, is it that easy to enter?”
Joshua revealed a faint smile, “I have a special quota, so you don’t need to worry about this.”
“It’s like this……”
Kompany knitted his brows for a while to think before giving a strong nod.
“Alright! It’s a rare chance, so of course I would agree! But…..wouldn’t Harvat need to go to your Frestech Chamber of Commerce like this? That place is that far away……”
Winnie on the side grabbed Kompany’s arm to shake, “Brother in law, you don’t need to worry about this. The school will prepare special lodgings for him and Joshua and I will look after him, so there won’t be any problems. If you miss him, then when New Years comes, we can send him back or you and big sister can just come and see him. It’s only two days by car to reach our company’s main base, so it’s very convenient.”
Kompany was silent for a bit before giving a slight nod, “Alright, when your big sister comes back, I will discuss this with her.”
“Alright, then let’s put it aside for now.” Joshua said, “Brother in law, I’ll be meeting Viscount Razor early in the morning tomorrow, are you willing to come with me?”
Kompany looked at Joshua in a daze. He thought that the two of the were just talking about that kid Harvat, how did the topic suddenly jump to meeting the lord mayor?
The gap between this was just too big.
Moreover……it was fine if Joshua wanted to see the mayor, but why was he dragging him along?