Chương 158: An Eye-Opening Experience for the Locals

After exchanging pleasantries in the reception room, Roland led Sister Theresa, Marcus, and the others on a tour of the Roland Group.

For her first destination, Roland chose the Hot Water Workshop.

This facility, which Roland built on a whim, has now become the core of the group.

Heating, hot water supply, composting workshop insulation, and greenhouse heat source all depend on the towering Magic Furnace in front of us.

Fortunately, the other world uses magic to heat water, which is extremely efficient.

Furthermore, the pipes and other components are all made of alloy materials, ensuring their strength.

Otherwise, Roland really wouldn't have been able to rely on the little science knowledge she had left in her mind to plan all of this.

"Miss Theresa, Mr. Marcus, as you can see, the hot water workshop in front of us is the key to my ability to support so many people."

"Using the power of the Zaun Furnace, we can provide our employees with hot water and heating to ensure their quality of life during the winter."

Marcus looked up at the magic furnace steaming above, and suddenly understood.

"I see. No wonder everyone I saw on the street was so well-groomed."

He frowned as he looked at Roland.

"But this expense is probably not small, is it?"

Roland nodded.

"It is indeed quite a lot, but when combined with house insulation and waste heat recycling, the overall cost is not high when spread out."

"Especially with heating and hot water, the health of employees is greatly protected, they are less likely to get sick, and their work efficiency is also higher."

Marcus briefly showed a look of surprise.

Although he was a bishop, he also indirectly managed many factories and chambers of commerce.

From the factory owner's perspective, Roland's words really stumped him.

How to ensure employee health?

Why is it important to protect the health of employees?

Shouldn't you switch to another one if you get sick?

As for work efficiency, Marcus couldn't help but complain.

"Miss Roland, if I may be so bold, your employees are probably not very efficient. I saw them doing nothing, fooling around, and laughing and joking all the way here."

"They accepted your favors, but they didn't work diligently for you."

Roland froze, stopping in her tracks.

She heard Marcus's words and looked around the square.

Indeed, in the distance of the square, all sorts of employees from the Roland Group were gathered together.

Some people were strolling and chatting, while others simply moved tables and chairs to sit near the heating pipes and played games like mill chess and dice.

What stands out most are the animal-eared girls who can never sit still.

These adorable creatures retain some of their animal instincts.

They were building a snowman in the square, then hiding behind it and having a snowball fight, having a great time.

This is a very rare activity for them; in previous winters, they would never have wasted their energy on it.

But once I arrived at the Roland Group, there was plenty of hot water, delicious crab burgers, and cozy dormitories...

This allowed them to have a snowball fight without any worries.

The animal-eared girls keenly noticed Roland's gaze, jumping and waving to greet him, while the more cultured ones bowed deeply, showing great respect.

Roland also slightly raised her hand in response, which made the beast-eared girls even more excited.

Roland watched this scene with a smile on her face, turned her head to look at Marcus, and explained.

"They weren't slacking off; it's just that the group doesn't have many orders right now, so I gave them a break."

"Huh? A... a holiday?"

Marcus finally couldn't hold back and exclaimed in surprise, his voice slightly stuttering.

His slightly high-pitched voice, combined with his round figure and squinty eyes, made him look quite comical.

"Miss Roland, when you say 'vacation,' you don't mean you're just going to keep them on the payroll for nothing, do you?"

"Of course not."

Roland shook her head, and before Marcus, who had become as round as a ball, could even breathe a sigh of relief, she continued.

"If we take a holiday, we definitely won't pay their wages. I'll only provide them with food, heating, and shelter."

"They have to pay for any extra food and entertainment expenses themselves."

Marcus's vision went black, and he almost fainted.

In the end, he could only manage to utter one sentence.

"Miss Roland, if you treat them so well, they'll soon become lazy bums who do nothing!"

"Really?"

Roland tilted her head, thought about it carefully, and found that this was not the case.

The employees worked with incredible energy, showing more passion for work than for battle, practically shouting "Loyalty! Honesty!" from their workstations.

There are also delivery girls with animal ears; these people are even more reckless, daring to go into the Monster Forest to sell their goods.

While the adventurers and mercenaries fought to the death, they stood by, carrying insulated boxes to cheer them on.

After it was all over, they were like a small truck on a battlefield, pulling out crab burgers, hot water, bandages, and new clothes, not even afraid of being robbed or assaulted.

At first, there were indeed some beast-eared girls who were injured and escaped back. Roland directly dragged Sister Thorn to the Adventurers' Guild to confront them.

Whether it's the employer who issued the quest or the adventurer, just beat them to the ground, beat them half to death, then use healing spells and keep beating them. Only after ten rounds of this can you establish your authority.

Even now, employees on holiday will voluntarily do some work, such as collecting weeds and trees to send to the composting plant, or shoveling snow.

Roland stopped reminiscing and shook her head at Marcus.

"Mr. Marcus, I am quite satisfied with the efficiency of my employees."

"Perhaps you should try giving them better treatment; they will demonstrate surprising work abilities."

As Roland spoke, she led the group across the square.

As they passed the fox spirit statue, a little girl with bunny ears hopped over to it, bowed to it, and then placed the bouquet of flowers she was holding on the base.

The bouquet was still covered in snowflakes, indicating that it had just been picked.

The bunny-eared little girl put down the bouquet and clasped her hands together in prayer before Roland's large wooden sculpture.

"Thank you for your mercy, Lady Roland. My mother's workplace injury has been healed by the healing spell, and my cold is gone too~"

"May Lady Roland bless us to live a healthy and long life."

Roland watched this scene from afar, and the system's notification sound rang in her mind as faith was credited to her account.

Marcus, who was standing next to Roland, had been agonizing over the employee benefits, but after seeing this scene, he couldn't hold back his emotions any longer.

Is that correct?

This looks like they're praying to a statue of a god, doesn't it?

His gaze swept over the base of the Roland statue, which was covered with various bouquets, strange rectangular pieces of paper, and even two Krabby Patties... These were clearly the work of different people.

Marcus couldn't help but ask.

"Miss Roland, isn't it a bit improper to place this wooden carving here?"

"We should erect a statue of the God of Light here, otherwise the people at headquarters might be unhappy if they see it..."

Roland was taken aback, but calmly explained.

"You've misunderstood, Bishop Marcus."

She gave a forced, bitter smile.

"This thing was made by orcs. They have a custom in the south of the tribe of erecting statues to celebrate their chieftains. You know they are quite stubborn about their tribal traditions."

"In order for them to have a stable job, I have no choice but to let them be."

"Besides, to actually have them carve idols of the god of light would be a great act of disrespect!"

Marcus was greatly puzzled, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Roland forced a sincere expression and began to ramble on.

"Normally, this wooden carving is thrown directly into the bonfire to increase its heat after the celebration. If it were replaced with a statue of the God of Light, wouldn't that be cursing the God of Light?"

"Huh? Then why is this statue still here?"

"Because the craftsmanship of this statue is really good, it might fetch a high price. The group isn't wealthy, so I can't bear to part with it."

Marcus was filled with awe.

As the local church's treasurer, he looked at Roland with respect for the first time.