I Created Scientific Magic-Chapter 231 - 218: You Actually Plan to Use Our Magic Treasure for Farming? (Seeking Subscriptions)

Chapter 231: Chapter 218: You Actually Plan to Use Our Magic Treasure for Farming? (Seeking Subscriptions)

Division of labor? Standardized processes?

The two terms Lynn mentioned made Rafael and the others frown; they could barely grasp what he meant but could not understand how this could allow someone to make a musket in just three days.

Just the crafting and polishing of a gunstock would take more than three days.

“Lydia, if I asked you to teach an ordinary craftsman all the skills needed to make a musket, how long would it take?” Lynn inquired.

“Maybe seven or eight days? No, at least half a month!” Lydia hesitated, thinking that teaching the process would require making one together to familiarize with the process.

Even so, the other party might not quickly learn or be able to produce it independently.

After all, not everyone could look at a blueprint and replicate it perfectly on their first try, as she could.

With that thought, Lydia proudly puffed out her chest.

“What if I only wanted him to learn how to make the firing lever or the trigger?” Lynn asked with a smile.

“At most two to three hours!” Lydia hesitated, as those two components were not difficult to craft; even the slowest craftsman should pick it up in three hours.

“Then why don’t we just break down each part of the musket, have a group specifically make the barrels, another solely focus on the gunstocks, and yet another to make the parts, and finally assemble them together? Wouldn’t that be both simple and easy?”

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As Lydia just mentioned, teaching one person to make a whole musket would take at least half a month, but only a few hours to learn one of its parts, drastically easing the training of a competent craftsman.

This follows the modern industrial concept where work is divided into several steps, each completed by an individual, increasing specialization as the division becomes finer.

Using this method could rapidly develop a group of skilled workers, since they would only be doing one thing each day, mastering it through repetition.

Is that even possible?

Lydia was totally stunned, feeling something was amiss yet unable to pinpoint what exactly.

“Wait, Principal Lynn, if we separate all the production processes, what if the parts don’t fit together when assembled?” Philip couldn’t help but interject.

That would involve thousands of craftsmen each making different parts; wouldn’t that make things extremely chaotic, like one person’s barrel being slightly larger, another’s firing lever spring a bit smaller…

And even such minor differences can pose a significant risk of bursting when forced together on a musket.

“That’s why we need standardization, to establish relevant standards!” Lynn spoke again, “For example, a barrel, we set its length and diameter, and establish an allowable margin of error. Only those that meet these standards are considered finished products, ensuring that any barrel made can fit into any musket, and the same goes for other parts.”

While this method might be cumbersome initially, the benefits are clear thereafter; even if a part of the musket malfunctions, you can simply replace it with readily available materials, and each worker only knows the process for the part they make, preventing the methods from spreading.

As Lynn explained, Philip and the others had their eyes opened to the advantages of division of labor and the establishment of standards, considering whether this method could be applied elsewhere, such as in the manufacture of some alchemical items.

“Orlando, release two pieces of news in the Magic Daily tomorrow: first, Yiyeta plans to establish a flintlock workshop, recruiting fifteen hundred workers; second, I plan to establish a musket team, aiming for three thousand members,” Lynn handed the musket back to Lydia and said to Orlando.

Since the flintlock had been successfully produced, it was time to consider forming the first musket team.

“But, Lord Lynn, this would require us to recruit another four thousand five hundred people; how will this year’s agriculture and fisheries manage?” Orlando hesitated, considering the previous glass, paper, and textile workshops, which had already accounted for tens of thousands of people.

The total population of Yiyeta Harbor was barely over fifty thousand, meaning one fifth of the population would be withdrawn from their original production tasks.

Not to mention this was just a preliminary plan; following this trend, Orlando had no doubts that in a few months, the entire city would be working for their City Lord.

“So, you all need to work even harder during this time, applying internal combustion engine technology to develop various alchemical instruments that can automatically plow, seed, and harvest. This way, even if most people leave the land, it won’t affect food production,” Lynn confidently stated, having planned this in advance.

“Ah?” Orlando was completely dumbfounded.

Philip and the others also looked at Lynn with strange expressions.

An alchemical internal combustion engine is a treasure of magic, and you’re planning to use it for farming?

And if there were devices that could automatically plow, seed, and harvest, what would be the need for the poor? That must be a dream…

…

In the evening, not far from the capital of Hadarata, a stealth airship silently landed in the courtyard of a manor.

This was one of the outposts William had set up outside the capital for easy accumulation and transportation of goods.

After settling Laud and others down and instructing them not to wander off, Kodi alone took a carriage into the city non-stop, quickly gaining an audience.

The short, chubby William sat in a large chair in a secret room, his layered fat making his whole face appear somewhat distorted, his eyes squinted together.

“What has happened, Kodi? You better not tell me there has been a mishap with this year’s trade…”

William was well aware of each departure and return time; normally, a cross-sea trade would take at least forty days, and yet Kodi had returned in just half a month, prompting some unpleasant suspicions.

“Reporting to you, my lord, this year’s trade went smoothly. We brought back a batch of new items from Yiyeta, things called glass and paper,” Kodi said excitedly, before hurriedly adding as if he just remembered something.

“Also, my lord, Yiyeta Harbor is now controlled by a very young sorcerer, and it is said that Master Helram unfortunately perished while dealing with an internal strife.”

“What did you say? Helram is dead…” William’s expression changed, and he stood up abruptly from his seat, his body fat shaking continuously, bringing a kind of indescribable pressure.