The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 144

Chapter 144   Aina’s Day

While the “Knights of the Black Wall” were canceling their contract with “Dragon’s Ember,” Ike Belford, the lancer of the “Winged Dragon’s Torch,” visited Lizetta at “Spirit Workshop.”

“Ike? Why are you here?”

“Come on, Lizetta, why didn’t you let us know that you were transferring to ‘Spirit Workshop’?”

“But your guild is still under contract with ‘Dragon’s Ember’…”

“I signed with ‘Dragon’s Ember’ because I was captivated by the fire spear you crafted. Now that you’re gone, there’s no reason for me to stay in contract with them.”

“Ike…”

“Our ‘Winged Dragon’s Torch’ will join the ‘Spirit Alliance.’ Show us the finest craftsmanship you’ve made, together with that S-Rank appraiser.”

*

Wayne headed to work at “Spirit Workshop,” irritated.

(Damn it… those brats were making a racket in the next room until late last night.)

The room next to Wayne’s had become a hangout for young people, and their noisy antics often went on late into the night.

For some reason, they repeatedly banged on or kicked the wall adjacent to Wayne’s bedroom, causing frequent conflicts between them.

Despite this, they had not changed their behavior at all, and Wayne found himself arguing with them again late into the night just yesterday.

As a result, Wayne was sleep-deprived.

(Ugh, I’m so frustrated…)

“Good morning, Wayne.”

Wayne turned around, responding to the greeting.

“Oh, Aina.”

“What’s with that sour face?”

“Well, you see… the people next door were making a racket until late last night.”

“Again? You said the same thing just a few days ago.”

“Those guys don’t learn their lesson at all.”

“Why don’t you just move? Being sleep-deprived is going to affect your work, right?”

“Move, huh… Maybe I should seriously think about it.”

Aina continued to listen to Wayne’s complaints, mixing in some light conversation to help him relax.

Gradually, the irritation faded from Wayne’s face, and he began to feel more at ease. By the time they reached Atelier Workshop, he was in a much better mood.

“Well, make sure you’re ready today. We’re starting to handle the ‘Knights of the Black Wall’ equipment now. I expect you to work hard.”

“You got it. Leave it to me.”

Wayne entered the workshop briskly.

(Honestly, he’s such a handful…)

Aina sighed as she watched Wayne’s back.

Making sure Wayne didn’t negatively affect Atelier Workshop was her top priority. His moods could be erratic, and while he had the ability to change the atmosphere around him, she always made a point to check in with him first thing in the morning to keep any bad vibes at bay.

(Now that Wayne’s ‘adjustment’ is done, I should get ready to welcome the ‘Knights of the Black Wall.’)

The primary mission of “Spirit Workshop” was to support adventurers in their explorations. However, they also had to make a profit to stay afloat. Even when pursuing quality, costs and deadlines had to be strictly calculated to ensure profitability.

She already had the skill and status data of the “Knights of the Black Wall” members from Laurent and knew what to expect. The estimated budget and costs for their equipment were also calculated.

Now, it was just a matter of keeping the Atelier Workshop running as planned and squeezing costs as much as possible.

When Aina entered the workshop, everyone was already at work. Wayne was intently cutting magic stones, Pat was quietly deep in thought, and Lina was humming while placing ores into the furnace.

(Good, everyone seems focused.)

For now, all the A-class alchemists appeared to be in good shape. If any new orders came in, they would likely be able to handle them without issues.

Eventually, the “Knights of the Black Wall” arrived to drop off their equipment, and Aina and her team smoothly accepted it.

“Aina.”

While Aina was working on the “Exterior Enhancement Coating,” Lizetta approached her.

“Hmm? What is it?”

Aina paused and turned toward Lizetta.

“Actually, this morning, we received an order from the Winged Dragon’s Torch’ asking us to make equipment. Would it be alright to take it on?”

“Hmm.”

Aina glanced over the order form Lizetta handed her. Lizetta watched her every move intently, not wanting to miss a thing.

(An unexpected order. This is a perfect opportunity to gauge Aina’s capabilities as a supervisor.)

Aina quickly calculated the necessary materials, budget, and deadline for the request in her head.

“Hmm. Well, it seems we can keep it within the budget. The deadline shouldn’t be an issue either.”

(She just calculated in an instant what took me over an hour…)

“Did you explain about the ‘Spirit Alliance’ and the S-Class Appraiser?”

“Yes, they’ve agreed to join under the ‘Spirit Alliance’ umbrella and accept the appraisal from the S-Class Appraiser.”

“Good. Lizetta, I’m putting you in charge of this order. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“Considering Laurent’s appraisal work, can you get it done in three days?”

“!? It would probably take at least five days, wouldn’t it?”

“On your own, maybe. But for equipment below B-Class, the night shift team can handle it, right? They’re currently free, so you can delegate that work. I want you to focus on the silverwork.”

(Impressive. No wonder she was entrusted with managing the entire Atelier by Laurent. I never thought she had improved this much…)

“Understood. I’ll proceed that way.”

Aina was also impressed with how quickly Lizetta grasped her intentions.

(Lizetta, you’re quite competent, as expected of someone who has been with the Quartet. It’s a great help that I don’t have to spend extra effort.)

“Aina,”

This time, it was Lina who approached.

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“We’re short on Iron A…”

According to Lina, the new order from the “Winged Dragon’s Torch” had caused a shortage of iron.

“That shouldn’t be the case, right? We should have had plenty of iron in stock.”

“Well, it’s because of Laurent’s instructions. He told us to reserve Iron A in preparation for the arrival of the S-Class heavy-armored knights…”

“Ah, I see.”

“It looks like it will take some time for the new iron to arrive, and at this rate, we might miss the delivery for the ‘Knights of the Black Wall.'”

“Understood. In that case, let’s substitute with silver. Can you refine the leftover silver?”

“Is that alright? Using silver would increase the cost…”

“We can manage that by using Wayne’s ‘Magic Stone Cutting.’”

“Got it.”

After consulting with Wayne and Rody, Aina determined that they could still stay within the budget, even with the use of silver.

She revised the design, incorporating Wayne’s “Magic Stone Cutting,” and passed it to Lizetta.

With those tasks completed, Aina decided to take a short break.

As she walked down the hallway, she ran into Aize, who was transporting products.

“Aina, we’ve completed ten swords made by Cain. Where should we put them?”

“Oh, those are set for shipment tomorrow. Leave them at the shipping area.”

“Understood.”

Aize pushed the cart towards the shipping area.

That’s when Aina suddenly stopped in her tracks.

(Huh? The ten swords I assigned to the newbie Cain are already finished?)

Aina sensed something was off.

(That’s strange. Cain’s skill, ‘Metal Molding,’ is still at C-class. It should take at least six hours to forge ten swords. The fact that they’re already done means…)

“Aize, can you call Cain for me?”

When Cain arrived, Aina struck one of the newly made swords with a hammer.

The sword broke apart effortlessly.

Cain’s face turned pale.

“Cain, what is the meaning of this?”

“Uh, w-well…”

“I told you to make sure the iron is thoroughly tempered, didn’t I?”

“I’m s-sorry.”

(That was close. Almost shipped out low-quality products.)

“Huh? What’s going on here? Is it broken?”

Wayne, who happened to pass by, asked.

Rody was with him.

“Cain made this. It looks like he skipped the proper tempering of the iron.”

“What the hell, what are you doing? This is why newbies are such a pain.”

“Wayne, don’t be too harsh on him,” Rody interjected.

Aina then gave Cain a stern reprimand and quickly began to reassign tasks to make up for his mistake.

She assigned the urgent work to Aize, who had high agility, and redistributed the remaining tasks to the night shift, who were looking for more work.

Aina had already completed Aize’s assigned tasks herself, as she had finished her own work early.

Thanks to Aina’s proper management and quick decision-making, the employees of the “Spirit Workshop” were able to leave on time today, despite the unexpected new orders, trouble, and schedule changes.

Aina then went to Laurent to report on the day’s operations.

Laurent was greatly satisfied with Aina’s performance.

(Such excellent management skills. I can entrust the entire atelier to her.)

[Aina Burke’s Skills]

Workshop Management: A (↑1)