The Volvo Department Store was open for ten hours a day.
Including preparation time, the employees actually worked twelve hours a day.
No one objected, and no one asked Ferdinand for overtime pay.
Firstly, the salary Ferdinand provided was slightly higher than the market rate, which satisfied everyone.
Secondly, at that time, factories in Vienna generally operated on twelve-hour shifts; some individual factories even had sixteen-hour shifts.
Thirdly, working in a supermarket was easier than in a factory.
On one hand, there was the comfortable environment of a department store; on the other, there were dull workshops where danger could strike at any time.
In any case, to the people of that era, working in a department store was considered a very decent job.
Ferdinand had slightly blurred the concepts.
On the surface, it looked similar to a department store, just with a bit more work involved.
After all, a supermarket was a new thing, and people didn’t know what it was for.
To make it easier for people to accept, Ferdinand added the words ‘Department Store’.
Many people applied specifically because of the department store’s reputation.
Ferdinand managed to fill all positions in a short time, which could be considered a stroke of luck.
Three days passed in a flash.
Butler Karl was very efficient and had investigated the flour processing plants near Vienna thoroughly.
“Your Highness, there are thirteen flour processing plants of various sizes in Vienna.
Only two large ones are profitable, seven are basically breaking even, and the other four are already operating at a loss.
The competition is very intense!” Butler Karl reported dutifully.
Butler Karl did not approve of Ferdinand’s plan to build a flour mill.
In his view, the flour processing market was already saturated and the competitive pressure was too high.
It would be difficult to make money by entering now.
After listening to Karl’s report, Ferdinand also hesitated.
After all, if a small place like Vienna had thirteen flour mills, how many were there in the entire Austria-Hungary?
After a moment of silence, Ferdinand decided to stick to the plan.
He still had an advantage: he could produce and sell his own product, making his costs much lower than theirs.
If necessary, he could develop related by-products.
Why fear competition?
“I see.
Thank you for your hard work, Karl!” Ferdinand acknowledged the old butler’s work.
“It is my honor to serve Your Highness!” Karl said happily.
“Karl, how much do you think it would cost me to acquire a flour processing plant?” Ferdinand asked seriously.
In 1881, establishing a factory was not that simple.
You had to build the workshops, order machinery, train workers, and handle various other matters.
It would be considered good if production could start within a year.
Acquiring a factory was much simpler; it could be put into production with very little effort.
As long as the price wasn’t too high, Ferdinand preferred an acquisition.
Butler Karl was silent for a moment, seemingly estimating the factory’s value, and then said, “Your Highness, if it’s a small bankrupt factory, it might only cost a few thousand pounds.
For the two profitable flour mills, I estimate it would take seventy to eighty thousand pounds!”
Ferdinand was shocked.
The gap was too large!
Then he thought: if a factory is losing money, there must be various issues—obsolete equipment, poor management, or a scale too small to be competitive.
Under current circumstances, if someone is willing to take it over, they shouldn’t be picky.
“Hmm, then first contact those factory owners to see if they intend to sell.
I’ll make a decision after an evaluation!” Ferdinand said.
“Very well, Your Highness, as you wish!” After saying this, Butler Karl saw that Ferdinand had no intention of keeping him further and turned to leave.
Having sent off the old butler, Ferdinand stayed home to read the newspaper.
Today he had an important banquet to attend in person: the birthday of his uncle, the tragic emperor—Franz Joseph I.
Franz Joseph I (August 18, 1830 – November 21, 1916) is known to the world for his achievement in establishing Austria-Hungary.
In 1879, he allied with the Prussian-led German Empire to establish the Central Powers.
In 1914, he issued an ultimatum to Serbia, dragging Austria and Germany into World War I.
In 1916, he died of pneumonia in Vienna at the age of 86.
Recalling the life of the Old Emperor, Ferdinand was filled with emotion.
A living legend was right before his eyes!
“A great diplomat!” This was the world’s evaluation of him.
It seemed God had misplaced his talent points; compared to his sharp diplomatic skills, his other aspects could be described as mediocre.
He used diplomatic means to establish Austria-Hungary.
However, this decaying empire was plagued by constant problems.
Endless ethnic issues always troubled him, hindering the empire’s progress and eventually leading to its collapse.
Regrettably, Franz Joseph I’s performance in this area was truly lackluster, revealing his indecisiveness.
Although he took many measures to alleviate ethnic tensions, the results were minimal.
His later years were even more miserable.
His brother was executed by firing squad in Mexico, his wife was stabbed to death in Geneva by an Italian anarchist, his son committed suicide at a young age, and his chosen heir was assassinated by the Serbian Black Hand.
The retaliatory war he launched for this caused tens of millions to fall in a sea of blood, and the Austria-Hungary he spent his life fighting for was left crumbling.
“Ferdinand, it’s time to go.
You won’t cause any more trouble, will you?” Princess Clementine said with some concern.
Recently, she clearly felt that Ferdinand had changed.
He had become more eccentric, liking to tinker with various odd things, which worried her.
“How could I, my dear mother?
How could you think that!
You must trust me!” Ferdinand said, quickly walking over.
It was clear that Princess Clementine gave him quite a headache.
The original Ferdinand had been somewhat eccentric, differing from most nobles, with few friends and a fondness for messing with strange things.
Princess Clementine didn’t suspect he had been replaced.
Seeing Ferdinand approach, she directly ushered him into the carriage.
Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna has a history dating back to the Middle Ages.
The Old Emperor, Franz Joseph I, was born at Schönbrunn Palace, and it was his favorite and longest-held residence.
Now this magnificent palace was bustling with people.
With the establishment of the Three Emperors League, Austria-Hungary’s political and diplomatic situation was in its most relaxed era.
Nobles and ministers of Austria-Hungary, envoys from various countries, and great nobles from other parts of Europe had all sent representatives.
The prestige of the Habsburg Family was fully displayed at this moment.
The banquet was different from what Ferdinand had imagined.
There weren’t many formalities; the Old Emperor accepted everyone’s congratulations, and it began immediately.
Ferdinand was not the protagonist.
Aside from becoming a familiar face to a group of big figures, the legendary melodramatic plots did not happen.
Oh, Ferdinand, who was quite good-looking, also got to know several noble ladies.
If he were willing, there was the possibility of further development.