Chapter 3: How to Spend All Your Money

He was dressed in noble attire, sitting on the ground without caring about his appearance, and began assembling the world's first manual lathe.

Because he had the drawings in his mind, he installed it very quickly, even faster than a skilled old worker by three minutes.

Amidst the shocked gazes of everyone, Chris assembled one part after another, explaining the principles of assembly to those around him as he went. He quickly assembled a lathe.

This was a manual lathe with a similar operating principle to a sewing machine. This machine polished wood, and its speed was ten or even a hundred times faster than manual polishing.

Then he gave a simple demonstration of how to operate it, and everyone was shocked.

"Press this pedal, and you can generate balanced rotational force... Like this, you can produce cylindrical products!" Chris stepped aside, gesturing for an apprentice to come and operate it.

  The apprentice quickly set the lathe in motion.

"If you make some improvements, you can create patterns composed of concentric circles. It's simple, just give it a try." While instructing, he explained how to carve patterns.

Soon, a cylindrical wooden rod with a thick middle and tapered ends appeared uniformly in front of everyone, all in less than a minute.

"This is a miracle!" An old craftsman, looking at the lathe, which could be operated so easily, and the complex cylindrical wooden rod it had cut, exclaimed, "It's definitely a miracle."

"Indeed, I received a divine revelation." Chris, assembling a second identical machine, smiled and pointed to his head.

In the more admiring eyes of the great craftsmen, Chris discarded a subpar component to the side and replaced it with another one, inserting it into the gear mechanism.

In fact, handcrafted parts had a very high rejection rate, and for Chris, being able to assemble most of the parts was already great news.

The second lathe was quickly assembled and added to the production line. Chris began instructing someone to assemble the third machine while he guided and pointed out important steps.

The wood-cutting machines began to multiply, with several woodworking apprentices operating the machines, quickly producing exquisite chair legs. Even with the most discerning eye, these products could definitely be considered masterpieces.

Because the cutting speed was so fast, they quickly ran out of materials. While Chris was assembling the fourth woodworking machine, several woodworkers had already completed the first chair produced by the machine.

"Although this thing is very fast, identical chairs will quickly lose their value," an old woodworker said, caressing the three identical chairs in front of him, expressing his concern to his fellow craftsmen.

"Yes, these chairs will lose their charm quickly; they lack the soul that craftsmen bestow upon them," another woodworking master commented, equally disapproving of the products produced by the apprentices.

"The aesthetic appeal will also be destroyed by uniformity; this is an artistic disaster." The leading old craftsman shook his head, rejecting the "mass-produced" products created by this production mode.

In their view, even for a set of chairs, attention should be paid to matching and variation. Completely identical things were a desecration of craftsmanship.

Unfortunately, Chris didn't see it that way. He put down the parts in his hand and walked over to the chairs.

Accustomed to mass-produced products, he saw nothing wrong with these identical chairs. He tapped the back of one of the chairs and wore a satisfied smile on his face. "There's nothing wrong with these."

"Your chairs are sold to nobles," he looked at the old craftsmen and said, then pointed to the chairs around him. "These products are sold to commoners."

"Think about it. Your chairs cost 20 or even 30 silver coins each. No matter how much demand there is, how many can you sell? These chairs, I can sell for just 1 silver coin. Who do you think will make more money?"

A master could make a chair worth 30 gold coins, but when he was making this chair, nearly 300,000 chairs worth 30 gold coins were produced in factories around the world.

Chris hoped to make 9 million, not wait for that elusive 300,000. This was the cruelty of modern industrial civilization, a blatant disregard for art.

During the conversation, the apprentices working behind them had continuously produced two more identical chairs.

Now there were five identical chairs in the woodworking workshop. It was not easy to see identical chairs before, but today, everyone here had their horizons widened.

What was even more frightening was that as some wood was prepared and brought in, the apprentices with the raw materials had new toys. In no time, they produced five more chairs like this.

In Chris's eyes, all of this was just the beginning. He still had beautiful dyeing recipes, industrial revolution weapons like weaving machines, and power devices like steam engines...

In short, once he set foot on the path of industrial civilization, nothing would be a problem anymore. He could accumulate wealth from the surrounding area at a breakneck speed.

"With this equipment, we can produce chairs and tables continuously. Calculating based on a set of chairs selling for 5 silver coins, we can earn 1 gold coin a day!" During dinner, Strid was full of excitement as he spoke to Deans.

Deans was also highly interested in the machines that Chris had created. According to Strid's calculations, they could earn about 300 gold coins a year, which was definitely a substantial amount.

"If we expand the production scale and double the output, the territory will earn twice the profit each year, enough to pay the increased taxes in gold coins."

"Unfortunately, if we keep selling wooden products so cheaply, the prices will drop quickly... We can sell them for 5 silver coins now, but in a few months, it might be down to 3 silver coins."

  Chris poured cold water on everyone's excitement.

Understanding market dynamics well, he couldn't help but feel familiar with this dumping model. Once a product started flooding the market, prices would inevitably continue to decline.

"Yes, we may have been too optimistic. But even if we only make 100 gold coins, it's still a significant amount for us," Deans reassured Chris, trying to comfort him.

"In fact, I've already started having our craftsmen build more precise equipment. With these devices, a few people can produce tables, chairs, and cabinets. We can further reduce costs." 

Chris explained while eating a piece of chicken, his tone filled with pride.

The power of industry reflected in cost reduction was straightforward and effective. Once the mass production state was established, it would obliterate all small craft workshops and dominate the widest market.

Chris couldn't help but imagine what would happen if the density board materials from the future were developed. The cost of furniture in this era could be compressed to what level?

  Perhaps a few copper coins would be enough to purchase a set of tables, chairs, and stools.

"So, selling wooden products is just a small profit!" Chris continued to talk about his plan, and his words at this moment were as enchanting as alchemy that turned stones into gold: "The real money is in selling machines!"

"We're selling these woodworking machines! 15 gold coins each! What do you think, how much can we make?" Chris extended a finger and his smile broadened, "In less than half a year, our equipment will be everywhere, squeezing out all the handcraft workshops!"

"My goodness... I can't believe it!" Strid was stunned, and Deans was the same.

Chris's plan was the same as the capitalists' strategy of using machines to replace manual labor and then selling these machines. It was not just a profit from the production line but also from the sale of the production tool.

This was the real big business that was capable of making a huge fortune.

"That's right, we're building equipment, not wooden products. We'll sell our advanced equipment to everyone and let them earn the money for us!" Chris grinned and raised his wine glass, "I would like to propose a toast to our bright future!"

As a cheer went up, the three drank up their wine. This proposal was not just a toast, but a pledge of loyalty. In front of the future of wealth, there were no betrayals.

In the short term, their profits would come from the price difference, but as the market grew, the value of machines would become apparent.

And for Chris, the hardware factory would be his inexhaustible wealth source, and all the money made would be used to develop and expand the territory.

In the future, the territory would need countless gold coins. The early investment would be massive, but once it succeeded, the return would be even greater.

"Once the hardware factory is established, the territory will become more and more powerful." 

Deans couldn't help but feel proud of the prospect of such prosperity.

In his opinion, the territory was a barren place that was unlikely to have much development potential. But now, with Chris's arrival and the hardware factory, everything seemed to be changing.

The dinner table quickly returned to a joyous atmosphere. After eating and drinking, they discussed their plans for the future, including how to sell the equipment, the price strategy, and even how to protect their production technology.

As the night deepened, Chris, Strid, and Deans stayed up late, sketching out a rough plan for the development of the territory, centered around the hardware factory.

It was destined to be a sleepless night filled with dreams of a prosperous future.