The Landmark Knight Family struck it rich long before the first grain was even harvested.
It was the handcart money.
The local woodworkers and blacksmiths were pulling double shifts, their hammers ringing out day and night. They were swamped with orders, but with the gold flowing in, no one was complaining.
"Master Ryu, it's a madhouse!" one of the head smiths shouted over the din. "We can't build them fast enough! I've hired on extra hands, but they don't have the skill to finish a whole cart yet!"
The town of Landmark was small, and no single shop was big enough to handle a boom of this magnitude.
"Then why not try an assembly line?" Ryu suggested, watching the craftsmen struggle.
"An assembly line?" the smith asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
Up until now, every craftsman had built each handcart from the ground up, one at a time. Ryu explained his new system: each worker would master a single part, and they'd only come together at the very end to bolt the pieces into a finished product.
This meant even the greenest apprentices could be useful. They didn't need to be master carpenters; they just needed to learn one simple job.
"I see... We break the work down," the smith muttered, his eyes lighting up.
With Ryu's plan, the work became a well-oiled machine. Even with a small army of new hires, efficiency didn't drop - it skyrocketed. Landmark was a small domain, and when the economy started to move, the wealth trickled down fast.
The farmers didn't spend every second in the fields, so they spent their downtime in the shops as part-time assemblers. For the people of Landmark, the "Handcart Bubble"¹ was the best thing to ever happen to them.
* * *
"And here I was, worried we'd be broke by June," Faza said with a heavy sigh of relief.
The family had gathered in the main office to talk strategy as the harvest season drew near.
"My grandson is a natural-born genius! Wahahaha!" Camiza, the boy's grandfather, let out a thunderous roar of laughter.
"Tauro-sama is maturing into a fine leader, and Jiro-sama is right there to back him up," Captain Sugo added, slapping his knee. "And with Ryu-sama bringing in this kind of coin, our family is set for life!"
Sebastian, the butler, gave a stiff, respectful bow. "I'll make sure my grandson, Seema, keeps working his tail off so he can keep pace with them."
"Seema's a good kid, Sebastian," Camiza said, offering a rare bit of praise. "It's just that my grandsons are... well, they're a tough act to follow!"
"He's right," Faza agreed, looking at the butler. "Seema's doing great work. Don't forget to tell him that every once in a while."
"Thank you, My Lord. I'll be sure to pass that along," Sebastian replied, his face as calm as ever.
"By the way," Camiza asked, looking around the room, "shouldn't Ryu be here? This whole harvest is basically his doing."
"He should be here any second," Faza said.
A sharp knock echoed through the room.
"Come in," Faza called out.
"Pardon the intrusion," Ryu said, stepping through the door.
"There he is! Ryu, get over here and sit down!" Camiza shouted, patting the empty chair beside him.
"Thanks, Grandpa," Ryu said, taking a seat.
"Now that everyone's here, let's talk about the crops," Faza began. "I did a tour of the villages yesterday. It looks like we're looking at a record-breaking harvest."
"Music to my ears," Sugo cheered. "The whole domain's going to be eating like kings."
"We owe that to Ryu's plan," Faza continued. "The village elders say the soil's completely different since we brought in that loam from the forest. The Kohin"² fields are looking healthy, too. We won't get a huge yield this year, but the next few years look incredible. I'm planning to take our current profits and sink them right back into expanding those fields."
It was a big play. Faza had clearly decided that Kohin was going to be the family's new lifeblood.
"That's going to be a problem," Sebastian interjected, his voice grounding the room in reality. "If we want to expand, we have to push into the Great Forest. Clearing the timber is easy enough, but pulling the stumps and leveling that much ground... it's going to be a nightmare of a job."
"Actually," Ryu said, a confident smirk crossing his face, "I think I've got a solution for that."
Summary:
The Landmark domain experiences a massive economic boom due to Ryu's handcart invention. Ryu introduces the concept of an assembly line to help local craftsmen meet overwhelming demand. The chapter concludes with the family planning to expand their coffee (Kohin) plantation, despite the logistical challenges of clearing the forest.
Trivia:
- Farmers are working as part-time assemblers during their downtime.
- Ryu's previous suggestion of using forest soil (loam) is the reason for the record harvest.
- Seema is Sebastian's grandson and is being groomed to support the heirs.
- The 'Handcart Bubble' is directly funding the expansion of the Kohin fields
Character Insight:
Ryu demonstrates his modern organizational knowledge by implementing the 'division of labor,' showing he is more than just an inventor—he's a strategist. Lord Faza shows growing confidence in Ryu, transitioning from worry to bold reinvestment.
Behind the Scenes:
The 'Handcart Bubble' reflects the Japanese economic bubble of the 80s, localized here as a literal business boom. The name 'Kohin' is a phonetic play on 'Kōhī' (Coffee).
TL Notes:
1 ↩ Handcart Bubble: A play on the economic term 'bubble economy,' referring to the rapid wealth generated by Ryu's invention.
2 ↩ Kohin: A fantasy iteration of coffee, likely derived from the Japanese 'Kōhī'.
Notes:
• Ryu - Formerly Yokohama Ryusei, a yakuza. Reincarnated as the third son of the Landmark family. Has red hair and blue eyes. Possesses memories of his previous life and the ability to see names of objects.
• Faza - The Lord of the Landmark Domain. A slender but sturdily built man with red hair and brown eyes.
• Camiza - Ryu's grandfather.
• Tauro - Ryu's older brother. The eldest son of the Landmark family. He has the 'Knight' skill and is proficient in various melee weapons. Described as kind and supportive of his younger brother.
• Jiro - Ryu's second older brother. He has the 'Priest-Warrior' skill, combining martial arts with healing magic.
• Sugo - Captain of the territorial guards. Responsible for teaching martial arts. Large, grim-faced, and protective of Ryu.
• Sebastian - The family's elderly, white-haired butler who has served since the grandfather's generation. Highly knowledgeable.