Chapter 11: Advisor

Li Xian was deeply engrossed in listening, and upon hearing the question, he immediately replied, "Of course not!"

Xu Ren continued, "That's right. Relying on only a few people is certainly not enough to manage everything. Therefore, a new class emerged in the world, and that is—the scholars.

The ones responsible for political decrees and daily administration are called civil scholars.

The ones responsible for military combat, and everything related to warfare, are called warriors.

The ones responsible for strategizing and also taking on some management duties are called strategists.

The ones responsible for divination, fortune-telling, and medical practices are called masters.

There are also some capable individuals with no fixed role, known as retainers.

As for me, I am a strategist.

As a strategist, I must ensure that my strategies are adopted and implemented. If a lord receives sound advice but cannot adopt it, or if he treats capable strategists with disrespect, then I, Xu Ren, would have to seek opportunities elsewhere.

What does the young master think?"

Li Xian immediately stood up, poured tea himself, and respectfully offered the cup to Xu Ren. "Sir, all of my strategies, I entrust to you."

Xu Ren raised the cup and drank it in one go. "Good."

After sitting down again, Li Xian began to show a different side of himself, now much more composed. "Since you have chosen me, sir, you must have been observing for quite some time. Could I ask for your evaluation of me, sir?"

"Certainly," Xu Ren replied without hesitation. "There's no need to evaluate your past. It seems you've recently been awakened. I've observed your actions these past few days.

First, being able to stay in the workshop for 108 days shows that you're steady, and capable of humbling yourself and getting along well with the craftsmen.

Second, the appearance of the colored lanterns, along with what you've said before, makes me believe that you have unlimited potential.

Third, your current status will ensure smooth progress for now, but it is also your status that may cause obstacles in your future development."

"Oh? There will be difficulties in my future development? Do you have a solution, sir?"

Xu Ren smiled confidently. "Don't worry, the opportunity will come soon. When the time comes, I will solve it for you."

"I have something I need to consult you about now. Here's the situation: it won’t take long, by next spring at the latest, I'll be able to produce ten thousand, or even one hundred thousand bolts of cloth per day. The quality will match the top-grade fabrics currently on the market, but the price will only be equivalent to low-grade cloth.

Given this, I will need more manpower, reliable manpower, but the requirements aren't high. The only demand is year-round work, and I can offer double the current market salary.

Additionally, I’ll need more raw materials, a larger market, and I have to consider the potential impact of all this. What do you think the solution is, sir?"

This was a bombshell thrown at Xu Ren. It was certainly no small problem.

Xu Ren did not question whether Li Xian could actually achieve this, nor did he treat it as a hypothetical problem to solve. He simply began thinking seriously. This is what a strategist does—solve problems!

The pavilion fell silent for a moment as Xu Ren closed his eyes in thought. In just a short while, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

About half an hour passed before Xu Ren finally opened his somewhat tired eyes. "Young Master, I believe we can proceed like this:

First, regarding manpower, you can recruit weaving women from the local populace. In doing so, not only will you address the large-scale impact of fabric production on the market, but you'll also find reliable helpers. These local women are generally quite dependable."

As for raw materials, you can completely purchase them at a higher price or exchange fabric for raw materials, establishing a mutually beneficial partnership. This can also solve part of the fabric sales issue.

Lastly, establish connections with nobility and more merchants so everyone can share this market. The output of your fabric will undoubtedly increase even more in the future, and relying solely on yourself for sales won’t work. To expand the market, you must have friends.

If it's just a business connection, anyone can cooperate regardless of their stance. You should reach out to everyone you can!”

After hearing Xu Ren's words, Li Xian burst into laughter. “Sir, your talents are extraordinary! To come up with such nearly perfect solutions in such a short time, and even better than what I had imagined. All three strategies achieve multiple goals at once.

Sir, your fixed annual salary will be 50 taels of gold, not including other benefits and rewards.

As for this strategy, I'll reward you with… 100 taels of gold!"

“Thank you, Young Master, for your appreciation." Xu Ren finally revealed a relaxed smile, knowing that he had truly passed Li Xian's test. The earlier tea was just an entry point—though Li Xian spoke nicely, it was just words. Now, however, he had truly gained trust and responsibility.

"Please wait a moment, sir. I will go bid farewell to my father, then take you to the workshop."

"I, Xu Ren, swear to the heavens that everything I see here with the young master will be kept secret, and I won’t disclose a single word to outsiders."

Li Xian first went to visit his father, then visited Yang Zhong, and afterward took Xu Ren to the workshop. As they walked, Li Xian realized that Xu Ren was quite talented himself—he had already reached the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment phase in cultivation.

Upon arriving at the workshop, Xu Ren saw the weaving machines operating on their own, the weavers chatting leisurely, the lively atmosphere in the jade workshop, the enthusiastic atmosphere in the ironworks, and even the never-before-seen mechanical workshop and the "off-track" magical tool workshop—where nearly everyone was focused on research.

Over the next few days, Li Xian took Xu Ren around. Xu Ren worked hard to learn and understand the workings, ideas, and practices of the place. Every day, he left the research lab filled with excitement.

Another ten days passed, and the research on the engine made further progress. Its size was reduced from three feet in height and one zhang (10 feet) in length to one foot in height and three feet in length, while its power output increased to two horsepower. The workshop was filled with enthusiastic cheers. Although the engine's current size still fell far short of Li Xian's expectations, it had already reached a highly practical level.

The weaving machine was now ready for large-scale production, and the first machine tool equipped with an engine was born.

The birth of the machine tool signified that the industry now had its "mother hen."

While carving formation arrays, Li Xian experienced another insight, and at the moment the engine research succeeded, his cultivation unexpectedly advanced to the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage.

However, the research hit a critical obstacle—formation arrays in this place relied on jade. Jade is a natural material, and its patterns are not consistent. This meant that each formation had to be carved by hand, severely limiting the possibility of large-scale production.

"Can a machine carve formations?" Li Xian immediately dismissed the idea after raising the question himself.

To carve a formation, one needed to use spiritual awareness to sense the patterns and spirit veins within the jade, and then follow those veins to carve the array. In areas where the spirit veins were broken or not smooth, true essence had to be used for repair.

In short, these challenges created a bottleneck for mass-producing engines.

"Could the spirit veins be extracted separately and used to create conduits for spiritual energy?" This thought suddenly surfaced in Li Xian's mind.

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