Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 83 Leading Industries 2

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Could it be that Earl Grayman intends to share the technology for manufacturing paper and porcelain with everyone?

Many people present had this thought crossing their minds.

But... could it really be possible?

If they put themselves in his shoes, possessing a unique technology worldwide that could bring enormous profits, and as a noble with sufficient power to deter those with clandestine intentions.

Would they foolishly share it with others?

"Earl Grayman probably just wants us to sell those things to even farther places, right? Although the current production is low, it will definitely increase in the future."

"Perhaps the count's intention is to provide local merchants with lower factory prices to support commercial activities in his own domain."

"Hmm... that wouldn't be bad either. We should be able to earn a lot from the price difference in transactions."

These were the thoughts of merchants like Bennett who hadn't yet engaged in buying and selling paper and porcelain.

Then they heard the following words:

"Some of you guessed correctly. I will, at the appropriate time, license certain technologies and techniques for your use, leveraging everyone's efforts to expand output within the domain."

As soon as the lord spoke these words, there was a stir among those below.

People no longer cared about formality, whispering and discussing in small groups, making the meeting hall lively.

...

Paul took the opportunity while the crowd below was discussing, to take a sip of water and clear his throat.

Technology diffusion and supporting industry had been on his mind for a long time. Although the inventions and sales of paper, porcelain, and harvesters had doubled the financial income of the lord's mansion, the corresponding expenses had also increased exponentially.

Daily military consumption, weapon manufacturing and maintenance, salaries for various officials and workers, as well as the vast expenses incurred in the extensive rural development of irrigation, all required a huge amount of money. The remaining amount of money was simply not enough to support the various follow-up plans in the lord's mind.

He had considered raising the prices of the items he sold, but these goods were not essential for life. If they were too expensive, people would simply not buy them, and they would continue to live as they had for thousands of years.

Take porcelain, for example. If people couldn't afford it, they could still use pottery, and they could still drink water and eat. That was how people had managed for centuries.

And then there was paper, a thin-profit, high-volume item. There was no need to hoard it; others could figure out how to replicate it through careful consideration.

After careful consideration, he set his sights on the power of the people and decided to support a group of strong "private enterprises" in Alden and Byerldine. Then the lord's mansion could collect more taxes.

But some industries still had to be restricted, such as mechanical manufacturing like harvesters, and future prospects such as steelmaking and ironmaking. Such "heavy industries" were to be firmly controlled by the lord's mansion to prevent technology leaks and to keep potential strong competitors at bay at this stage.