Claude only brought Angelina, her students, Madam Sonia and her mother back to Anna Ranch in Anfiston five days before the new year's eve.
Faslan didn't have a tradition to celebrate the new year, but the new year's eve was more or less the same.
The first three days of the new year's eve and the first four to five days of the new year were like the new year in Claude's previous world. It was a time for people to relax, visit friends, and pray at the shrine.
Claude liked the clever and obedient Mark a lot. He was his first son, but he was an illegitimate one. He even took on Madam Sonia's surname and would inherit Liboyd's and Sonia's family business when he grew up.
Compared to the two naughty brats at home, little Mark was simply a model for other people's children.
Even Angelina was full of praises for him, especially for his talent in magic. He was the only one who was as talented as Angelina.
If possible, Claude would have loved to spend the new year's eve with Madam Sonia and her mother.
But he couldn't do so this year. His family had just moved out of Weyblon Manor and moved into Ferd Manor built for him by the war theatre.
It was the first new year's eve he had to spend in his new manor.
If there were no surprises, many people would come to visit and he had to entertain them warmly at home.
It wasn't like having more power meant more freedom. Most of the time, he was bound by all sorts of relationships and relationships.
Claude had no choice but to bid farewell to Madam Sonia and her son and bring Angelina back to Ferd Manor in Lanu to report to his mother, wife, and children.
The newly built Ferd Manor was located in the villa district of Lanu New City. It was probably the highest spot in the city.
Originally, there was a small stone hill here, but it was cut open by the residents of Blue Lake Town. They used it to build houses and roads, and the hill was gone.
During the expansion of Lanu, the city planners took a liking to the hill and the war theatre transplanted tall trees from the wilderness, turning the barren highland into a quiet and beautiful residential area.
Soon, they arrived at Ferd Manor by the lakeside of Lake Lansee.
As Claude's family loved the view of the lake, he chose to build his manor on the lakeside.
The designer cleverly planned a path to the lakeside and even built a small dock. Now, there were two small wooden boats tied to the wooden stakes of the dock ….
The great snow hound ran over excitedly and circled around Claude, sniffing at his pants and his scent.
Angelina exited the carriage and saw the great snow hound. Her eyes lit up and she called out, "Snowball!" The great snow hound immediately ran over to fawn on Claude, completely ignoring him.
A few puppies with black and white fur ran over and barked at Claude, trying to chase away the two-legged beast that had invaded their territory.
It was the puppy born of Bluto the Great Hound and a black she-hound sent by Weyblon. Claude had read about it in a letter Kefnie had sent him.
Kefnie had wanted to make a match for Bluto the great snow hound, but the she-hound wasn't interested in the she-hound at all. Not only did it ignore them, it even forbade them from entering the manor.
On one occasion, Weyblon brought a pack of hounds with him while he was out hunting. He bumped into Kefnie who was taking a walk with her mother. He got off his horse to greet her and after exchanging a few words, he noticed that Bluto the great snow hound was circling a black she-hound and wouldn't let him take it away.
Weyblon laughed and let the she-hound stay. She quickly got pregnant and gave birth to seven puppies, all of them black and white.
That was what happened when Claude was at the frontlines and Kefnie told him about it in a letter.
However, Claude was so busy after the war that he didn't stay at home for more than a few days. The moment he returned, the seven puppies thought he was an intruder.
Claude found them rather amusing, so he squatted down to play with them. As expected, they immediately forgot about his identity as an intruder and happily played with him.
"Wow, little snowball, are these your puppies?
They're so cute … "Angelina's exclamation came from behind. She flitted past Claude and hugged the two puppies who had no idea what was going on in her arms. She teased them excitedly.
Stroking the head of the proud great snow hound beside him, Claude stood up and nodded to Alek, who came out of the house. "Prepare some hot water. I need to take a bath first and prepare some food for me and the guards."
"Yes, Master.
The hot water will be here soon. Madam and the two young masters have just taken an afternoon nap. Should I wake them up? "Alek asked as he led the way.
"It's fine. Just send the food to my study," Claude said.
"By the way, Alek, there's a big box in my carriage. Have someone send it to my study as well."
After a delightful bath, Claude went to his study. There was an exquisite dining cart in front of his desk that was filled with sumptuous food.
Claude picked up two slices of white bread and stuffed a piece of venison meat between them before munching on it.
He had missed lunch on the way here and was rather hungry.
There was a big box on the ground. It contained the hand-made cigarette maker invented by Angelina. Naturally, Claude had given it some pointers.
In his previous life, when he followed his boss to a private club to deal with clients, he had seen an antique hand-rolled cigarette machine in the club. It was said that it was left behind by the famous Nanyang Tobacco Company in modern times. Sometimes, the club would even use this antique hand-rolled cigarette machine to make a batch of cigarettes for the customers to use.
After filling his stomach, Claude sipped on his black tea and thought about who he should put in charge of the cigarette maker.
It wasn't as if smoking was harmful to one's health. In this era, tobacco was still a popular luxury item. Without a certain amount of money, one wouldn't be able to enjoy smoking.
Some herbalists even considered tobacco to be a medicinal herb that could clear the mind. It was good for mental depression, dizziness, and loss of appetite.
Myjack?
Nope, he's doing well in the military.
He'll be promoted to colonel after the war and he'll definitely become a general in the future.
Bloweyk?
Claude shook his head. That kid definitely wouldn't want to retire.
Angelina couldn't do it either. She had to educate her students and let House Ferd have a secret magical force.
Madam Sonia was already in charge of Blackstone Firearms Workshop. She couldn't leave at all.
Claude wasn't prepared to share the lucrative business with others, so he didn't have to worry about Weyblon and the others.
The tobacco business would give House Ferd a fortune as vast as a mountain.
In the colonies, he believed that with his status and ability, he could protect his family and monopolize the lucrative industry. All he needed now was a few suitable executors.
During dinner, her mother started her routine nagging, which was directed at her sister Anna.
She said that Bluto the Great Snow Hound already had seven children. Why hadn't there been any news from Myjack's womb after so many years of marriage? She said that the two of them should go to the herbalists to see if there were any problems with their bodies. Some illnesses had to be treated and couldn't be dragged on like this.
Angelina's face darkened as she looked at Claude with a troubled expression. He knew what she meant. That was the reason why Angelina didn't like going home anymore.
But there was nothing he could do about it. He could only shrug and say that there was nothing he could do.
Kefnie, on the other hand, helped Angelina a lot by talking to her mother about Bloweyk's marriage. Only then did her mother shift the target of her nagging.
Claude believed that Bloweyk and Myjack, who would only be home for the holidays in two days, would both be in trouble. One would be forced by his mother to go on a blind date, while the other would be forced to sleep with his first wife.
After dinner, Claude summoned Kefnie, Alek, and the first retainer of the house, the retired Sergeant Kester, to the study.
"Alek, I recall that your eldest son, Svenson, is already 31 years old. He's learning to be a butler from you, right?" asked Claude.
"Yes, Master. I've handed over the stable and kitchen to him to train his ability to control the servants. Did something happen to him?" asked Alek worriedly.
"No, he's doing well.
But I'm going to remove you from your position and let your eldest son, Svenson, take over. "
Alek's face paled. "Master, I'm only 53 this year. I can still work for another decade or so.
Svenson isn't experienced enough. It'll be easy for him to slip up if he's a butler now. "
"No, I'm sorry, Alek. You've misunderstood. I'm not chasing you away."
Claude gestured for Alek to calm down. He had forgotten that Alek had once been chased out of the house by the count he had served for three generations, so he was especially sensitive about it.
"You've already become the most trustworthy person in House Ferd, Alek. I've seen your loyalty and diligence in the past few years. You're now part of our family. We won't chase you away," Claude consoled.
Seeing that Alek had calmed down quickly, he nodded and continued.
"I'm removing you from your position as butler and letting your eldest son, Svenson, take over because I have something more important for you to take care of.
This concerns the fate of House Ferd for the next century. I can't think of anyone else I'd be satisfied with. "
Claude pointed at the large box in the middle of the study. "Sergeant Kester, bring the things in the box to the table."
Staff Sergeant Kester, who was standing at the side, walked forward, opened the box, and moved the cigarette rolling machine to the desk.
"Come here, all of you."
Claude called for Kefnie, Alek and Kester to come to the table and introduced, "This is a cigarette machine. Anna just invented it. It's used to roll cigarettes.
You don't know what a cigarette is yet, but you'll understand once I demonstrate it. "
"The small wooden box above contains shredded tobacco. There's a switch here. When you break it, some of the shredded tobacco will fall to the bottom. It's exactly the same amount as a cigarette.
This thin white paper is cigarette paper, used to roll the cigarette.
We'll put this cigarette paper on this curtain and leave it there.
Then, we'll spread the Clear Rice Lake inside the small bottle on the edge of the cigarette paper. Turn the switch and the shredded tobacco will fall to the center of the cigarette paper.
Now, we'll turn the crank of the curtain. Look, the curtain will roll up by itself. When it's released, the cigarette will be rolled up by itself. "
Claude picked up the cigarette and said, "You should be wondering what the purpose of rolling tobacco is. Sergeant Kester, you like to use a pipe. Now, have a taste of this cigarette.
Oh, I also have a cigarette holder here. Stick the cigarette in and light the other end with a match. Take a puff. "
Kefnie was soon intoxicated by the nicotine. "Master, this is much more convenient than using a pipe. Also, the smell of tobacco is really strong. It's addictive."
By then, Kefnie and Alek understood Claude's intentions. Kefnie asked, "Claude, you want Alek to be in charge of this cigarette business?"
"Yes. This will become the biggest source of income for House Ferd."
Claude nodded. "Don't underestimate this tobacco business. Think about it. If it becomes a supply for the army, even if it earns one black iron penny per cigarette, a hundred thousand soldiers will consume one a day. That's a hundred thousand cigarettes. However, they won't only consume one cigarette. Those who like it will smoke twenty to thirty cigarettes a day.
Then, how many cigarettes will be consumed in a year of 365 days? How much profit will our family get? "
Kefnie and Alek shuddered uncontrollably. They knew how great the benefits Claude was talking about would be. That was just for the army. If it was promoted to the general public, there would be more people smoking and the benefits would be even greater.
Kefnie, on the other hand, couldn't read and wasn't good at math, so he only cared about smoking.
"How … how many cigarettes can a cigarette machine like this produce in a day?" Kefnie asked.
Claude replied, "Anna did some calculations. If you get used to it quickly, you can produce at least ten cigarettes in a minute. Six hundred in an hour.
If you work ten hours a day, you can produce at least five thousand cigarettes. If you get used to it, you can even double that. "
In this era, there were no eight-hour workdays and two days off per week.
Most workers hired by private workshops had to work at least twelve hours a day. Only the technicians were given special treatment, but most of them only had to work ten hours a day.
Like the workers at the Black Stone gun-making workshop, Madame Sonya had wanted to work day and night, and had wanted to work in double shifts.
In the end, Claude managed to convince Madam Sonia to hire three shifts of workers and implement an eight-hour workday, using the excuse that the long working hours would cause her to lose focus and lower productivity. That was how the workers saw him as the most foolish and softhearted boss in the world.
"I have the blueprints for this cigarette machine here. You can find someone to copy it." Claude took out a folder from his bag.
He opened it. Apart from the blueprints for the cigarette machine, there was also a proposal.
"Master, I feel a little dizzy after smoking it," Kefnie said.
Claude knew right away that it was a drunken cigarette.
In the past, Kefnie would only put some tobacco in his pipe and puff a few times. He would never finish a cigarette like this.
"This is Anna's refined tobacco. Kefnie, you idiot. That puff is comparable to the pipe you usually stuff.
Of course you'll feel dizzy after smoking more than ten pipes in one go. You'll be fine after lying down for a while. "
Claude could only shake his head. He only wanted to let Kefnie have a taste or two. He didn't expect him to finish a cigarette without saying a word.
Pointing at the proposal in the folder, Claude said, "There are five tobacco recipes here. They were all created by Anna.
There's a minty one, suitable for ladies. There are also four types of tobacco of different qualities. From high to low, we can produce five types of cigarettes.
The highest quality tobacco can be used to make cigars. This is what it looks like, handmade. The green bark paper needs to be customized. It's wrapped differently from cigarettes, but it can be sold at a high price as a luxury consumable.
The other four types can be made into cigarettes. Twenty sticks per pack. The price varies. The cigarettes made from tobacco residue are the most pungent and have the strongest flavor. They're the cheapest and the least profitable. However, they rely on quantity and I believe they'll be popular among the people at the bottom of society.
The other three types can be mixed with some herbs to reduce the smell of smoke and make the smoker's breath more fragrant.
The ratio of the recipe is written here. You just have to follow it. "
Claude handed the proposal to Alek, who was visibly agitated. "Master, are … are you really leaving this to me?"
Claude nodded. "Of course. You're the person our family trusts the most. This business concerns the prosperity of House Ferd for the next hundred years. Who else would it be if not you?"
"Master, Madam, I promise I'll do my best to complete this task. I won't let you down," Alek said with determination.
"Kefnie, how much money do we have left?" Claude asked.
Kefnie replied, "I still have more than 34,000 crowns."
"I'll transfer 70,000 crowns to the bank tomorrow. Our family will invest 100,000 crowns in the construction of the cigarette factory," Claude said after some thought.
"You'll be in charge of the finances. Alek will be in charge of the production outside. You'll be in charge of all the necessary funds. Kefnie will have him in charge of the security of the factory.
By the way, what's that old man called Zakarason doing at home? "
Zakarason was the old man sent by the viceroy of Tyrrsim to persuade Claude. In the end, he suffered three slaps from Gum and was tied up by Claude and brought to Tyrrsim.
After the three colonies were brought under the control of the theatre, the old man saw the opportunity and joined Claude's side. In the cleansing operation that forced the nikancha in the three colonies to go north, he was considered to have contributed quite a bit.
When Claude left Tyrrsim, he made Zakarason a civil servant of Tyrrsim on account of his contributions. He was prepared to give him a job as a civil servant to help him settle down.
He didn't think that the old man would only rely on his mouth and not his hands. He often made mistakes in his work and couldn't stay there any longer. So, he resigned and came to join Claude.
Because he could talk and chat with his mother, Claude decided to just treat him as an informant. He didn't need someone to do nothing anyway.
"Master, Zakarason has been teaching the young master how to play chess these days," Alek replied.
"Tesoray has the temperament to learn chess?"
Claude asked, surprised, "You might as well just say that Zakarason is playing with Tesoray.
Have Zakarason report to you tomorrow. That old man has a glib tongue. Have him buy some tobacco from Aduras.
Oh, I remember there's a lot of tobacco stored in the docks at Decaucus Port. Have Zakarason look for General Skri and ask if the theatre is willing to sell the tobacco there. "
"Yes, Master. I'll have him do that tomorrow," Alek said.
Claude waved his hand. "There's no need for that. Let him get through the new year's eve first. You too."
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