Chương 12: Market Research

In a carriage, Alex had read the scrolls that Grey gave her a few nights before. The bureaucracy of the OSHA committee seemed to have gone from 0 to 100 in less than a couple of days after her announcement. 10 members under the operations staff had been assigned as safety inspectors. From then on, the committee would have weekly meetings to discuss any issues found or anything that might cause injury. The good thing was that it was good for the company to keep productivity at an acceptable level.

The bad thing was that it was a committee and bureaucracy. To Alex, this act of creating OSHA was the same as accepting a devil into her company. At first, this devil would give great benefits. Then later, it would start sucking the life out of her company through endless meaningless meetings. Then again, did it really matter if she had such a competent Chief Operations Officer? He would take the fall. Any meeting that would be about 'safety' or whatever bullshit would be put on his table.

Technically, it was Grey that made the committee at a speed that even impressed her. Having a competent operations officer had its merits, but also had its own drawbacks of them being too efficient at bureaucracy. Alex smiled. That itself was an opportunity. If he's good at bureaucracy, let him handle all the endless meetings. The carriage suddenly shook, causing her to jump from her seat and hitting the cushion too hard. This was one of the problems that needed to be addressed at a later date.

Roads were important for logistics. She had given Grey a specific request for the first testbed location. It needed to be slightly isolated from other towns or cities. It needed to have at least an average amount of population compared to the towns or cities around it. It needed to have an average economy compared to others within the same Kingdom, in this case, Dragus. This was the ideal test market.

The people of the town would have enough money to be able to buy their products at a rate affordable to the average person (this allows for price point accuracy research). Also, this would allow testing of different product lines in isolation of overlapping markets, thereby creating the perfect 'clean room' for A/B testing. Somehow, Grey managed to find this exact town. How? Alex didn't ask. Better to not ask questions. Just roll with it.

"So," Alex said.

"Tell me about this town."

"My Lady, the town is a seaside town that makes its money off fishing and selling to Dragus' capital," Grey said, pulling out one of the scrolls from his bag and opening it.

"According to our reports, this town is within the Barony of Henrik Yisaal. The town's name is Sleider's Coast. Travellers, merchants, and adventurers usually bypass this town to go to the next town over that has a much larger economic presence as it has multiple inns, taverns, blacksmiths, magicraft shops, and alchemists."

"It's average though, right?"

"Yes, my Lady. The town is as uninteresting as possible, just like you've asked."

"If you were to take one of these people from Sleider's Coast to the capital, would they be average?"

"Yes, my Lady. The town's people make on average around 1. 1 gold annually. The poorest towns usually make around 50-60 silver annually in the most extreme cases, while richest towns are around 1. 4 gold annually." An eye brow raised from Alex. This stupid sack of a king was really milking his own people. It reminded her of what the fat slob said, '100 gold would only last you 1 year'. The Royals and Nobles were out of touch, not that she cared.

The problem with this kind of economy would be how often the masses would buy her product. Ideally, they would buy a cup of coffee a day. The carriage shook again, and the coachman noticeably slowed its movement. It was then Alex noticed the carriage starting to turn more aggressively to avoid the bumps and holes on the dirt road. When Kromer crossed the roads to the spy hub where Lyra and Pandor's borders met, it took him 3 days to cross with Alex having to kill everything on his way.

Carriages having to avoid big holes and rocky terrain would slow down travel for larger commercial shipments. Speeding up shipments on bad roads would lead to the risk of having the shipment catastrophically fail in transit. Compounding all of that with needing to have a patrol crew to feed and travel with, it was a recipe for slow economic stimulation due to undeveloped infrastructure. Add the incompetent taxes by the fat slob of a king, and the result was such piss-poor salaries.

"And about the payroll issue you've mentioned?" Alex asked.

"Currently, there is an outflow of an extra 14 silver somewhere in the current scroll sheets, but I have not yet found it. It could be a rounding error from buying piker saplings."

"Did you ask Aurora?"

"Not yet, my Lady. I shall ask her when we return to HQ. I'll need to do another round of audit to see where that 14 silver went."

"Fine. Carry on then." Truthfully, 14 silver wasn't a lot. But if the company became bigger, that could add up. If Grey had already caught it, then it's best he solve it himself. She can't have herself solving everything for the company. After about 10 hours, which was necessary for research, the carriage arrived at Sleider's Coast. It was about 2 days away from the Dragus capital while still being close to Path HQ. The ride would have taken less than half of the time if they had proper roads.

Less than that if they hadn't encountered a couple of beasts on the way. Grey stood up first, exiting the carriage. Waiting at the bottom of the carriage, he held up his hand.

"We've arrived at the coast. Please watch your step." Standing up and taking his hand to exit the carriage, Alex saw the most remarkable unremarkable town she had ever set sights on. There was exactly 1 tavern where people gathered, 1 blacksmith, a brewery, a fish market, and the rest were houses for the working folk. Not the exact target market she was looking for, but even the fishermen love their caffeine.

"My Lady, I do have to report that there is a local gang in the area aligned with the guards that come and go from the Dragus Capital," Grey said.

"Sure. Whatever," Alex said.

"Have our front line employees set up a stall. And we'll start with our test right away." Aurora was busy tending to the fields, and Fraser was optimizing the new recipe he was handed. Rand and Yulka were clearing out the Hadstead mountains of pests while maintaining order in HQ. On the other hand... Elador was talking about stimulant efficacy when caffeine water was added to a mana potion made with Blue Fraedium Hotspring. Whatever that was, Alex didn't care.

Elador talked about how it could make money and it was approved right then and there. But that did allow her the opportunity to go to the testing site personally. It felt like she was back in her start-up days where she had to do the research herself, boots-on-the-ground style.

"Unload the equipment. Be careful with the barrels," Grey said.

"Set them up at the entrance of the town." The 6 employees that had ridden with them on horses disembarked. One pulled away the cloth draped over the whole cart. The other one pulled down the cargo hold wall. Then, the rest started unloading the barrels of pre-mixed drinks. Each barrel was artificed inside to disallow the wood from touching the product for the integrity of the flavours.

"Hey!" Grey shouted at the one carrying the water barrel.

"Straighten your back! Didn't you take the safety seminars?!"

"Apologies, Sir Grey!" the employee straightened his back and then lifted the barrel with his legs instead.

"Did you want to break your back or something?!" Grey shouted.

"No, Sir Grey! I want to continue working for the Path!" the employee shouted in reply.

"That's the spirit. Now get that barrel!" Seminars? Shit. Alex forgot that was part of the documentation she outlined for the OSHA committee. Everyone had to attend a seminar after work to discuss basic safety measures based on their jobs and responsibilities. As the materials were gathered at the entrance of the town, Grey set up the table and an arch signpost labelled 'Star Cubs Refresher Samples'.

He put down three blank paper signs at even points on the table, dividing the stall in 3 lines for 3 different products. The main purpose of this was to capture the highest price point the average person would be willing to pay. At 1. 1 gold per year, that was basically 30 copper per day. This would then determine the lowest price point to be 3 copper for the lowest-priced drink. 5 and 8 would be used to see price elasticity for just slightly different products.

For today, the three products were: Cup of Cub, Arabelum Refresher, Cafe Mocha. Cup of Cub contained caffeine water and Hadstead Stalk Sugar to make it palatable. Arabelum Refresher contained caffeine water, Hadstead Stalk sugar syrup, and Arabelum Berry extract that provided a refreshing fruity flavour. Lastly, the most premium product, Cafe Mocha contained Hadstead Stalk sugar, Latia Berries Extract, Melted Brown Piker beans, and Caramel syrup made from the sugar syrup boiled even further.

Alex wrote on the three pieces of paper. 3 copper coins for Cup of Cub, 5 for Arabelum Refresher, and 8 copper for Cafe Mocha. Setting down a plate of rock and a cylindrical hollowed out rock, each one attached with a tiny Fraedium gem, the stall was finished. The rock plate was a heating element for the Cup of Cub and Cafe Mocha while the cylinder was an ice maker for the Arabelum Refresher.

"Grey, tell the employees to start handing out samples," Alex said.

"Right away, my Lady." Grey waved towards the 5 employees and gave them each a thin metal tray. Each one would give out tiny wooden cups to passersby to give them a taste of the product. The last employee would be in charge of sanitization of the cups using ethanol and water. Vinegar was out of the question as it wasn't skin safe for the dishwasher. The trays carried at least 9 cups at all time, 3 cups per drink option. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Then it began. The employees started wandering further away from the stall, talking to passersby.

"Ma'am, would you like to have a taste of Star Cubs? I promise it will be worth your time!" one of the employees said.

"Sir, care to have a refresher? You're looking a little tired and our product could give you a little boost."

"Madam, how about a taste of Mocha for you and your child?" These were predetermined lines set out by Alex herself. It was peak marketing to lower the prey's guard as much as possible. And it was working. The mom and child took a sip each of the Cafe Mocha. At first, their reactions were mild. But at the second sip of the tiny small cup, the mom's face immediately brightened.

"Mom, mom. Can I have more?" the child asked. The mom looked at Employee #3.

"Sir, is there more of this drink? It's really good."

"There is, madam. Our main stall is over there, handled by Lady Alex and Sir Grey. Please go ahead," Employee #3 said. The mom and child came over to the stall. Alex smiled softly at the child.

"How do you like it? Does it taste good?" The child nodded.

"Can we have more?" While the child asked that, the mom had already taken a look at the prices. Her lips frowned at the 8 copper coins, but her eyes swayed towards the 3 and 5 copper coin mark.

"You must be... Lady Alex?"

"Correct, madam. What can I do for you?" Alex asked.

"Is it ok to have a sip of the Arabelum Refresher before buying a cup?"

"Of course, coming right up," Alex said, then to the child, "Wanna watch something cool?" The child nodded. Alex inserted exactly 1 ether unit into the Ice Maker. Taking a cup of water, she poured the water into the top of the cylinder, and ice came out of the bottom in perfect cubes. Next, one of the tiny small cups, added a small ice cube into it, and then telekinetically lifted enough Arabelum Refresher from the barrel to the cup. Extending the cup to the mom, she said, "Here you go, ma'am.

One sample of Arabelum Refresher." The mom took it, and instantly, her face lit up as much as it had for the Cafe Mocha. She handed down the remainder of the small cup to her child to drink.

"I like the Cafe Mocha more, but this one is so fruity and good! I like it too!" the child said. The mom smiled at how happy her child was. Looking back at the stall, she pointed at the 5 copper coin paper sign.

"Can we have one cup of this, please?"

"Coming right up!" Alex said.

"That'll be 5 copper coins, please." Pulling out 5 copper coins from her skirt's pocket, she handed them over to Alex. This mom marks the first sale of Star Cubs. Alex could already hear the kaching sounds echoing in her head. World Economic Domination was a go.

"Grey, prepare a cup for the mom and her child," Alex said.

"Madam, please wait by the side of the table and Grey will have your order ready." As the first sale had landed, more and more people congregated at the entrance of the coast town. While Alex handled the sales, Grey was full on busy with making the drinks. Surprisingly, he was not only efficient in bureaucratic annoying paperwork, but he was also terrifyingly good at doing physical work. Whenever a customer asked for a Cup of Cub, he'd activate the heat element right away and set down the cup.

After exactly 33 seconds, he removed the cup and then gave it to the customer. The Cup of Cub process was exactly the same process as for the Cafe Mocha. For the Arabelum refresher, he'd continuously pour water down the cylinder to create ice cubes. All drinks were done in less than 33 seconds. In the future, this process would be harder. Premixed drinks would still have lesser quality than drinks made to order. But that did not mean they were not feasible to sell.

When retail stores were established, the premixed drinks would be available for those on the go. Exactly 41 customers had bought from the stall, with sales totalling 14 for Cup of Cub, 19 for Arabelum refresher, and 8 for Cafe Mocha. Surprisingly, Cafe Mocha had done better than Alex thought. Couples would buy one Cafe Mocha and share it among each other. A welcome data point. Just as the next couple who were eyeing the Cafe Mocha, 5 men on horseback arrived at the coastal town's entrance dressed in light armour.

On their armour was a lion's paw and two crossed swords. None had any Fraedium gems on them. Dragus guards. The people started dispersing, and the sales stopped coming. Alex's smile instantly disappeared. The 5 knights disembarked their horses and walked towards the stall. The lead one, a blond man with short hair and a blue earring, walked at the front.

"My Lady, let me handle them," Grey said.

"Is this an illegal stall I see?" the lead man said.

"We are currently just providing drinks to the populace at a low price, as you can see. I don't believe we are doing anything illegal by the kingdom's laws," Grey said.

"May I know the name of the leader of this guard troop?"

"You may call me Sir Otto," the man said.

"And you forget, you are in the lands of Baron Henrik. There are additional rules here."

"Are the rules accepted by the court of the capital?" Grey asked.

"Of course," Otto said.

"The additional rules are for security purposes of course. You're selling illegally on the Baron's land, yet you've not come to pay tribute to the Baron or registered your business."

"We've only meant to come here for a single day to give refreshers to the populace. We don't mean to come back again so we assumed that we do not need to register," Grey said." Any form of business is counted, regardless of the duration of sale," Otto said.

"I must argue that the scroll statements by the Baron himself do not address such clauses."

"Perhaps the scrolls you've read are outdated. This change has been rather recent."

"I don't believe that's the case. I've fetched the document myself just a couple of days ago."

"And what I'm saying is that you've fetched an outdated scroll," Otto said." Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Actually, no, I don't," Grey said.

"Perhaps it would be best to go to the Baron himself and ask for the legitimacy of your statements."

"I recognize you," Otto said.

"And those men too. You're former bandits from the Southern Hadstead Mountains."

"We are no longer bandits, we are now employees of the Path," Grey said.

"Should you pursue this action further, then we shall pack up our stuff and have this discussion in front of the Baron."

"The Hadstead Mountains are known for the Star Seeking Flower." Otto looked back to his own troops.

"Isn't that classified as narcotics by the King?" His men all nodded, drawing their swords.

"For the safety of the people, you are hereby detained for selling illegal substances." Otto drew his own sword.

"Hand me a cup and I shall audit the product myself to check for any drug contaminants."

"This is ridiculous!" Grey shouted.

"The King has classified the flower as narcotics for no purpose other than to choke us of our livelihood!"

"Is that an admission of guilt?" Otto asked. Grey clenched his teeth. His hand moved towards his own sword. Putting a hand on his shoulder, Alex stepped up.

"So what?"

"Hmph. Do you not understand that selling drugs could cost you your life?" Otto said.

"How much?" Alex asked. For a single second, Otto looked at her dumbfounded. He cleared his throat before speaking with a smile.

"The daily fine for illegal sales would be 20 silver. And due to your product having narcotic properties, I would have to add another 20 silver to appease the Baron."

"Right right. Appease the Baron," Alex said.

"Are you the Baron though?"

"I act as a representative of the Baron. By that definition, my words are his."

"You see, that doesn't make sense since you just said that the scroll statement my operations officer got was outdated even though he got it a couple of days ago. So does that mean the Baron's system is faulty?"

"Things can change in a matter of days. In fact, I believe that's the efficiency of the Lord in being able to apply laws so fast that scroll statements can become outdated easily."

"Then you admit that the Baron's system has no system to cover its own ass and he has no knowledge of how to roll out new laws, correct?"

"Watch your mouth, you lowly woman," Otto growled.

"Do not disgrace the Baron's name or you shall incur further fines."

"So how much silver are we at?" Alex asked.

"You are at a fine of 60 now that you have sullied the Baron's name." At this point, the crowd of Sleider Coast's working people have gone back to their own houses and left the vicinity, emptying the streets. The only ones left in the town's entrance were the 5 knights, Alex, Grey, the 6 employees, and the coachman who was also part of the Path. Alex snapped her finger and 5 cups of Cafe Mocha lifted up from the table, heated to the perfect temperature of 54C at the same time.

The cups floated in front of each guard.

"Look, fellas. I think we've gone the wrong way on this. Have a cup. It's on me," she said with a smile.

"Woman!" Otto shouted.

"Have you no shame to let us taste your narcotics?"

"Shhh," Alex held up a finger on her mouth.

"We both know you don't care. Just. Have. A. Sip."

"Lowly telekinesis talent," Otto's nose wrinkled as he took the floating cup. Nodding at one of the guards behind him, the guard took off his helmet before taking a small sip. Immediately, the guard who had taken a sip started taking larger sips until he was basically just drinking the beverage. Otto's eyes widened. The other guards also took notice as well. Each one took off their helmets and took a sip of the hot drink. Surprise crossed all of their faces, especially Otto, who had also taken a sip.

"What is this... drink?" Otto asked.

"Cafe Mocha," Alex said.

"It's Star Cubs' signature drink. A drink that feels like it's one twinkle of the stars at every sip."

"What is Cafe Mocha?" Otto asked.

"Sir Otto, I surprisingly feel refreshed," one of the guards behind him said.

"I feel like I could go on patrol for another couple of hours, to be honest," another guard said.

"Woman! Have you drugged us?!" Otto shouted.

"It's not a drug. It's a potion detoxified by Elador Lain himself, did you not know?" Alex asked.

"I see... I do remember hearing of Elador's research on the flower. But you still have to pay a fine!"

"Now, now, Otto boy," Alex said.

"How about we make a deal?"

"What deal could possibly be better than gaining the fine from your busi-" Otto bit his tongue.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Alex's smile suddenly grew sharper.

"How about this. You have a girl waiting for you at home, right?"

"So what? Most guards do."

"Ah, but this one loves you a lot, and it seems you want to buy her gifts as well."

"You don't know that. We live a modest life just like all the guards."

"The blue earring? Come on now. That's a defensive water artifact," Alex stared at the earring.

"Is it not?"

"Get to your point."

"You see, wouldn't your wife or girlfriend love to share a cup of Cafe Mocha with you? And maybe, that goes for all your guards too."

"Go on..." Otto muttered.

"How about this. We don't tell your Baron that you're doing this thing you're doing. And you and your 4 other guards get a free single cup a day once our business starts." Otto looked at each of the guards. Most of them seemed to have eyes pleading with him to say yes. One of them even continued to try to drink up the remaining residue from the cup he held.

"Is your word true?" Otto asked.

"This is where it gets fun, Otto boy," Alex said.

"If you protect our store from any harassment from bad people, we'd even give you a free refresher. How about it?" Otto gulped as Alex stared up at his eyes.

"Will you have cups that can be transported easier in the future?" Otto asked.

"Of course. That's the plan. We're still just starting up our business after all," Alex said.

"I shall relay this to the other guards-""Nope. No can do," Alex said.

"This deal special only for you and your guards over here." The sentence made the guards behind him smile. Otto tried his best not to smile as well, but he couldn't help but show it.

"Men, let's get back to our patrol," Otto said, turning from the stall.

"Nothing to see here. Let us continue east."

"Yes, Sir Otto!" The guards shouted. All 5 guards mounted their horses and headed east in a slow gallop. Alex's eye twitched. Only thing that annoyed her about that stupid deal was that those idiots took her cups.

"My Lady, is that fine?" Grey asked.

"Yep. They took my fucking cups though," Alex said. In fact, this deal was top tier. Without clear and stable infrastructure, Rand's security personnel would have patrols that would last days per cycle. That was completely inefficient and unacceptable. Instead of using the Director of Security's employees, using the Baron's own corrupt guards for a meagre price of one Cafe Mocha each was basically a highway robbery.

Each Cafe Mocha cost her less than 1 copper to make due to bulk production and Aurora's druidic abilities in growing the necessary ingredients. On top of that, this idiot Otto would be a vector for word of mouth. It was a small deal, but even though it was small, it qualified as a golden deal.