Aoi, after a few minutes of playing games on the Game Boy, finally looked up, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "Thank you again, Ryu-kun. This is amazing!"
With the Game Boy clutched tightly in her hands, Aoi bowed politely before leaving with the servants.
Daimyo and Ikkyu watched Aoi leave with a happy expression on Aoi's face. Ikkyu thought to himself, 'I'll have to try that later; this game is fun.'
The Daimyo turned his attention back to Ryu, his expression serious once more. "Ryu Hamura, I must insist that you allow me to repay you for your kindness. You may say I owe you nothing, but in my eyes, you have earned my gratitude for showing me this cheerful smile of my granddaughter."
Ryu shook his head and said, "Lord Daimyo, I truly appreciate your offer, but I don't want anything in return for helping Aoi. I, as a professional, cannot seek to benefit from my patient."
Daimyo asked, "Was she your patient when you gifted her that one-of-a-kind toy?"
Ryu smiled and thought, 'At least he knows when to be grateful. This deal will be good for both of us.'
Daimyo continued, "If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to come to me. I will not forget what you've done for my granddaughter."
Ryu bowed deeply, his voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Daimyo. Your kindness is greatly appreciated."
The Daimyo's eyes lit up with interest. "Ikkyu told me that you are an inventor and looking for a place to set up a factory. I didn't believe him at first, but I do now. What kind of factory do you want to set up?"
Ryu leaned forward slightly, his hands resting on his knees. "It's for the production of various goods, various tools and construction materials. Mainly iron and steel machinery. I will be building various finished and unfinished goods from there."
Ryu then asked, "Has Lord Ikkyu told you about the roofing done on his mansion?"
Daimyo replied, "Yes, Aoi told me about that. That technology is really impressive."
Ryu replied, "I am going to manufacture that too in your country. I'm in need of land and resources and raw materials, and I believe your land could be an ideal location."
The Daimyo nodded thoughtfully, considering Ryu's proposal carefully. He said, "I see. I can lease you the land, but I must warn you, the terms will not be cheap. The condition of my country is... not the best, and I cannot afford to give you a discount even if I want to."
Ryu smiled understandingly. "I wouldn't expect you to, Daimyo. I know the conditions of your nation. Lord Daimyo is a good, honest man to admit the poor condition of his nation to an outsider and a nobody like me."
Daimyo said, "You are not a nobody, and after you saved my granddaughter's life, you are also not an outsider. I am sure Lord Ikkyu will agree with me."
Ikkyu nodded in agreement as well.
Ryu replied, "I am very honoured with your praise. I'm willing to pay the standard lease price. However, I do have one condition."
Both Daimyo and Ikkyu were surprised. It's not common for a Daimyo, the highest authority of a country, to visit your home and for you to set conditions on him. Dan was sweating buckets while thinking, 'For someone so smart, this brat has no sense of authority.'
Daimyo asked, "What condition?"
"I was thinking", Ryu began, his tone cautious, "that the lease could start from the day manufacturing begins."
The Daimyo fell silent, his eyes narrowing as he considered the proposal. He thought, 'Setup time could take months, even years. I will have no profit from his setup till then. But if he is willing to pay the standard price, it might be worth the risk.'
Ryu interrupted his thoughts and said, "In exchange for my condition, I will hire all the semi-skilled and unskilled labour exclusively from the Land of Rivers for the construction and operation of the factory, and for skilled labour and high-level posts, I will give a fair chance to everyone who is qualified enough and will apply for recruitment."
Noticing the Daimyo's silence, Ikkyu decided to speak up and said, "Lord Daimyo, if I may, Ryu's proposal is quite reasonable. It benefits both parties. The common masses of your nation get employment opportunities, and Ryu doesn't have to bear the cost during the setup phase."
The Daimyo looked at Ikkyu, then back at Ryu. "I see your point," he said finally. "But I must admit, I'm curious. What makes you think this is a fair deal for both of us?"
Ikkyu and Ryu were both surprised by this.
Daimyo added, "You will have to hire those labourers from Land of Rivers anyway."
Ryu replied and said, "That is true, but not for skilled labour and high-level posts. I will give a fair chance to all of your artisans in your country. The artisan village in your country has workers that know metal works. I need them, and I will be hiring them in masses."
"That's exactly my point," Daimyo said.
Ryu continued, "I am well aware of the conditions of the Land of Rivers. The rivers flowing in the east are the only source of agriculture, and the west is almost barren, and people in the western part are too vulnerable and do not have many work opportunities. So many migrate to the east for work opportunities, leaving behind their family in the west. And because all rivers flow from Hidden Rain Village to the sea, there is not much to transport from there, as that country has not much to offer. I will change that and set up the factory in the western port of your country near the Land of Wind."
Daimyu and Ikkyu both were surprised by this. Ryu's move had a major flaw in their eyes. That was transport cost. The east side of the Land of Rivers had rivers connecting to oceans and thus providing a natural transportation medium for the transport of goods to other countries through sea routes. Also, it was the nearest region to the Land of Fire. They both questioned Ryu's motive for this move.
Ikkyu stepped forward, adopting a serious tone and said, "Ryu, setting up your factory in the west may lead to higher transportation costs and longer travel routes to the Land of Fire. The western region is also barren and lacks proper resources for such endeavours. The population is also not very large for the factory workforce."
Ikkyu attempted to assist Ryu, expressing concern that Ryu's decision may not be in his best interest. Daimyo did not say anything to Ikkyu, but it was evident from his face that his intervention was not taken kindly by the Daimyo.
Ryu glanced up at Ikkyu, a sly twinkle in his eye, subtly revealing his confidence. He replied, "I understand your concerns. But I assure you, I've already thought of a solution. The initial setup might be challenging, but once the factory is operational, the benefits will far outweigh the costs."
Ikkyu asked, "How will making a factory in that unsuitable region benefit you?"
Ryu replied, "The question you should be asking is how is that region going to benefit from me?"
Ryu replied, "I know that you mean well, but I already know the disadvantages that come with that region, but I have a solution to that in the long term. So it will only be a problem in the short term, and for that short time, it will not last long once the factory is operational. That is why I presented the condition for the lease to start from the day manufacturing starts."
Ryu continued, "I also have another reason for specifically choosing that region."
Ikkyu asked, "What reason?"
Ryu smiled and said, "That region is near the land of Wind, and it will be easy to transport goods to the land of Wind from the western region of the land of Rivers."
Ikkyu exclaimed in disbelief, "You intend to expand business to the Land of Wind as well?"
Ryu replied, "Yes. And I will be very grateful if Lord Daimyo will introduce me to the Daimyo of the Wind Nation. As the country of origin for my product will be your country, your introduction will open doors to me."
Ikkyu nodded in understanding, a glint of admiration in his eyes as he acknowledged Ryu's strategic foresight. He knew that forming alliances with neighbouring lands, even through Ryu's company, could be beneficial for their own country as well. But as a future Lord of the Fire Nation, he had some reservations, as this would mean loss of business to the Land of Fire.
Ryu then said, "I am willing to have the Lord Daimyo himself inaugurate the factory so that you can take the credit for the employment that comes with profit from the Land of Wind to the citizens of the western regions of the Land of Rivers. I am sure the citizens of that region will be grateful to Lord Daimyo."
##PoWeR StOnEs##
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