Chapter 186 – Task Assignment
We didn’t go to the market but went to a shop specializing in selnic tools. After some browsing and discussion with the owner, we figured out the store didn’t have everything we needed, especially the bulkier products. It wasn’t a big issue since the store was connected to larger producers in other domes. We placed an order for the items not currently in stock and were told they would arrive a few days later. Meanwhile, we bought everything else and used my old cart to carry it all back home.
We headed back to the city center to buy a desk and chair at a different shop. After that, we spent some time furnishing the workshop and preparing a decent working environment. When this was done, Minsto had a basic setup in place. It was finally time for me to assign her some real tasks.
My idea was simple: creating a new brand, the Urtek brand. Initially, sales would happen mostly in the outer world, but there was no reason we couldn’t sell in the inner world too, especially since we could cut costs by using cheap materials from outside. As such, we couldn’t just copy what already existed, and I chose to start from scratch.
“Minsto, there are three products I want to focus on early on. Do you prefer working on one at a time, or should I tell you everything from the get-go?”
“Tell me everything.”
“All right. I want you to design and prototype our original models for a fan, a fridge, and an oven, keeping in mind the goal of mass production eventually. Is that possible?”
Since these items were proven to sell well, I had no reason to start with something else. Other products could follow later.
“Yes. I will need raw materials to build the prototypes.”
“You can write a list of your wants, and I’ll get those for you.”
“I will do that.”
Her stern responses were both reassuring and worrying.
“As promised, I won’t bother you when you work. We’ll only have one meeting per week to check on your progress. We’re living together anyway, so it’s not like we can’t chat whenever we need to.”
“I understand.”
“Now, as for your 25% of research time… Is there anything in specific you think you should investigate?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“I think one of the most interesting topics is advanced calculators. It is also one of the most promising.”
‘She wants to research computers!’
The inner world had simple calculators, which allowed people to do basic math operations, but nothing much more than this, at least not available to the public. Computers were probably either in their infancy or still something for the future. Which means it was an extremely good research choice. Advanced computing was the basis of the information revolution and a critical step toward the future.
Still, I shouldn’t act like I knew what she was talking about.
“Can you explain in a bit more detail?”
“Yes. Advanced calculation is a process of building tools that will be able to process a large quantity of information logically and generate a useful result. I believe this is a necessary tool for our civilization. It will increase our efficiency in a lot of different domains and will be a great help for all the domes.”
“That sounds amazing. Can this translate into a commercial product?”
“Yes, but I can’t guarantee massive interest initially.”
“Will you have all you need to research this here?”
“For now, yes. I might need more later.”
“How long… No, forget it.”
It was stupid to ask how long it would take to invent a computer. It would take as long as it needed, especially since she was alone for now.
“I trust you. Go ahead with this research. You can tell me whenever you get some good results from it.”
“I understand.”
“Let’s move to another topic now. I want to start planning for future factories in dome 2. Do you maybe have an idea of how much that would cost? Starting with something small that can be scaled up later.”
“Factory machinery is expensive. It’s also just one part of the process. You will need to hire factory workers, managers, and probably other people for marketing, sales, accounting, and so on. If we forget about those last categories for now and only consider the factory itself, you will probably need a couple of million lods to have even the simplest assembly line. And then, factory workers earn at least five hundred lods a week.”
“As expected, it’s very expensive.”
“I am not certain how selling food will help fund this.”
“Well, we can do it progressively. How long does it take to build such a factory?”
“It depends on how much money one is ready to invest. The more one pays, the faster it goes. At the fastest, it takes about one season. You also need to consider that the assembly lines will need to be partially customized to produce our design. We probably will need to build them ourselves.”
“Seems we’re in for some long-term work. How was it in your previous jobs?”
“I have been employed to resolve many different problems. There is also a large difference between the time I was new in the industry and now. I initially started with simple design jobs, doing calculations, and such. Nowadays, I have been hired either as a senior engineer, as a technical team leader for an engineering team, or as a researcher.”
To think there would be people crazy enough to hire her as a team leader, which was as much a people management position as it was a technical one. I could completely envision the disaster.
“Leading others must have been hard.”
“I believe I was doing well, but it seems my team members were of a different opinion.”
I smiled wryly.
“I see. All right, I won’t keep you much longer since you don’t like these sorts of meetings. Is there anything else you need from me before we finish?”
“I want you to take me outside of the domes.”
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