Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Union Destroyer
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Slaves, as tools, become increasingly limited in their uses the more numerous they are.
To be precise, the methods for generating continuous and reliable profits through slaves are quite restricted.
How many fields allow for the constant input of manpower to yield profits proportional to that investment?
Large plantations require hundreds of slaves depending on their scale,
but as real estate, they can't expand infinitely just by pouring in more money.
Throwing slaves into construction sites can cut labor costs,
but too many workers only increase the risk of accidents.
Large-scale slave trading firms usually operate businesses like farms or construction companies that directly utilize slaves, but
ultimately, buying slaves en masse for resale purposes
incurs management and maintenance costs far outweighing the profitability.
"How do you plan to make use of all those slaves, Your Excellency?"
So, it was only natural for Torsso to ask such a question.
His face was filled with anticipation and curiosity.
A man staring at me with such an excited expression was burdensome in many ways, but...
I decided to explain kindly.
This guy was familiar with the 'common sense' of this era that I might not recognize,
so he was likely to point out aspects I hadn't considered.
"I'm going to start a manpower dispatch business."
"Dispatch business...? Do you mean something like exploring undeveloped lands?"
Ah. He doesn't know.
This is the essence of 21st-century plebeian capitalism's non-regular employment—
a way to destroy unions and cut fixed costs.
It's called 'temp staffing'.
You can hire skilled workers in specific fields on short-term contracts.
"It's renting slaves to farm owners or business owners who need slaves but find buying them too burdensome, or only need labor short-term without motivation to purchase outright."
"Slave rental business...? Like renting carriages, then."
"Exactly."
The rental business itself wasn't an unfamiliar concept to people in this world.
For goods like carriages with high upfront costs and heavy fixed expenses,
renting was far cheaper than owning outright.
Even in fantasy novels, characters often rent carriages to travel to other villages.
The fact that you could pick up a rented carriage from one village and drop it off in another
was because rental operators had their own stables in each village.
Rental businesses were that established.
However, no company specialized in renting out slaves existed in this world yet.
It was common in the pre-Civil War American South,
but slave rental evolved into a proper 'specialized business' only after railroads enabled slave transport
and infrastructure projects boomed in the modern era.
Before that, it was ad hoc—
paying slave owners a fair price and making loose contracts to borrow them.
There were no modern-style rates like per hour,
per industry,
or per job.
"Indeed... if the business succeeds, it could be quite profitable. Beyond just reducing fixed costs, it would create a steady revenue stream."
"Right. Plus, it helps improve slave treatment."
"Improve slave treatment...?"
"Yeah. The people renting slaves are those who find buying them a financial burden since they're paying for it. To avoid massive compensation for accidentally damaging a slave, they'll treat the dispatched slaves like their own masters and manage them with utmost care."
The greatest advantage of this slave rental business
is that lessees can't mistreat the slaves.
In my previous life, 'temp staffing' was merely a way to dodge legal responsibility for non-regular workers.
Workers weren't formally employed by the company,
so their treatment was inevitably poor.
But slave rental is different.
Slaves are the slave owner's property,
and lessees are mid-tier wealthy folks pursuing 'cost-effectiveness' because they can't afford to buy slaves outright.
Mistreat a slave and break it?
Slaves are expensive goods comparable to carriages.
For the lessee, the thought of compensation is terrifying.
They have no choice but to use and return them cleanly(?).
"...I understand. But if the owner can't mistreat the slaves, won't the slaves slack off? It'll be hard for the renter to manage them systematically through overseers. No one would rent them like that."
"That's where 'Talant' comes in."
"Pardon?"
"I'm going to provide Talants to the renters so they can pay slaves based on work performance and satisfaction."
"...Hoo. That's brilliant."
From the lessee's perspective,
Talants are just worthless scraps of paper.
But to slaves, Talants are money, bread, and hope.
Thus, separately from the 'slave owner' and 'slave' relationship,
the lessee and slave maintain an employer-employee dynamic.
"When did you come up with this business idea?"
"I've had the business in mind since creating Talant. Buying more slaves than expected hurried the preparations a bit."
This dispatch business was something I'd planned from the moment I devised the 'Talant' currency.
It improves the perception that slaves are lazy beasts tamed only by whips,
and naturally fosters an atmosphere of not mistreating them.
Moreover, slaves get accustomed to 'wage labor',
build expertise in specific fields,
and lay the foundation for self-reliance upon future emancipation.
"Long-term systemic improvement."
A societal atmosphere where slaves receive carrots, not whips.
Forming the 'experience-based' recognition that it's more efficient for productivity.
Laying the groundwork for emancipation.
This gradually and progressively improves slave human rights.
Based on 21st-century capitalism's sophisticated employment tactics to crush unions,
the pre-Civil War American slave society where slaves were treated better than factory workers,
and various knowledge from my previous life—
a perfect, thorough plan.
"...As expected, truly devilish ingenuity."
"Hm? What was that?"
"I'm sincerely impressed by Your Excellency's ingenuity."
"Well, yeah."
Seeing even Torsso in awe,
it seems there's no major issue by this world's common sense.
Ah.
This is the wisdom of a 21st-century modern person with universal education.
I can make money.
Eh?! I can make money— amazing!
"We'll start dispatching with slaves already familiar with Talant, so prepare accordingly."
"Yes."
By the way, detailed business planning, revenue structure optimization, and distribution network setup are Torsso's job.
As a novel business in this world, he'll have a tough time.
"I trust you, Ler-sor-so."
"Yes. Thank you."
"Not calling you Ler-so anymore."
"...Then call me properly."
"Ler-so suits you."
"...?"
Mophin, the Talant slave,
was enjoying every day.
Thanks to securing the honorable position of training new recruits after competing with other slaves.
It wasn't that honorable, really;
he just liked getting more Talants.
Plus, training newbies brought back old memories, which was nice.
"I get the gist. Your level. It's so boring I'm dying."
New slave recruits were ticking time bombs in many ways.
They'd rampage denying their enslavement,
jump out windows in despair at their fate, or
react violently.
In comparison, as an instructor who was also a slave, he wasn't allowed to wield a whip.
So it was challenging, but...
Mophin quickly adapted to this new role.
"Fuck. Who the hell do you think you are, same slave shit—"
"We're not the same."
"What?"
"30 Talants a month. That's the difference in 'grace' between you and me."
His madness for money outweighed the fear of failure.
Mophin hadn't known due to his impoverished upbringing,
but he was pirate-born by nature.
Selling yourself to a slave trader for gold wasn't sane.
Though the money from his sale was reinvested in his family,
the 'Talants' earned here were all his own.
As a result, Mophin's latent pirate instincts awakened.
Facing Mophin's hopeful(?) gleaming eyes,
the new slaves had no choice but to submit quietly to training.
"Don't stand before the master."
"Don't bark. Know your place, slave."
"Your actions are determined by the master."
In the end, Mophin succeeded in taming new slaves more perfectly than overseers swinging whips.
Being from the same slave background,
he was adept at delving into their minds.
"With Talants, you can do anything. Learn to read, write letters, fill your belly with white bread. This is all grace bestowed by our almighty master, Lord Karl."
The content was a bit off, but...
Anyway,
House Riddle's new slaves were equipped with the slave mentality of a new era.