All three were happy, as each earned 10 golds per day. However, Aarya gave 5 golds to the household and invested the remaining 5 into the workspace. Aarya managed two bank accounts: one for his workspace and another personal account. He kept very little in his personal account, transferring most of his investment funds to the workspace account.
Alex, unable to keep his earnings in his own account without his parents noticing, decided to deposit his money into Aarya's personal account temporarily. He planned to explain the situation to his parents later.
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The nobles and commoners in the city were astounded by the trio's inventions. While the designs were simple enough to replicate, their ingenuity and practicality made them stand out. Merchants quickly seized the opportunity to mass-produce these easily replicable items.
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The next day, the trio went to the market to sell their products. To their shock, several stalls were already selling similar items in larger quantities. While Alex and Rose were dismayed, Aarya remained unfazed.
Alex exclaimed, "They're selling our products without even asking for permission!"
Aarya replied calmly, "Of course they are. It's a great product, after all."
Rose smacked Aarya on the back and said, "This isn't the time to feel proud! What should we do?"
Aarya shrugged. "Relax, Rosey. I expected this. I know how to handle it."
Despite Aarya's confidence, their stall took longer to set up that day, and they sold less than a quarter of their usual stock.
Four Days Earlier (Before the Pencil Concept):
While collecting wood in the forest for their toothbrush production, Aarya noticed a pile of black rocks. When he picked one up, his hands were coated in black dust. Realizing it was graphite, his mind raced with ideas. He asked the locals where they had found these rocks, and they directed him to a site filled with them. Aarya immediately saw the potential. If he hired locals to locate more graphite mines, he could acquire a significant supply.
The next day, Alex arrived late to the workshop, so Aarya and Rose started without him.
"Rose, put on those extra clothes and this mask," Aarya instructed. "Graphite can be messy, so I had these made by the tailor to keep us clean and safe from the dust."
After donning the protective gear, Rose asked, "Alright, Aarya, what's next?"
"Now, we grind these black rocks into powder," Aarya replied.
Since graphite is soft, the process was straightforward, though messy. By the time they were done, both were covered in black dust.
When Alex finally arrived, still groggy from oversleeping, he was startled to see two shadowy figures pounding black rocks. Panicking, he shouted, "Aaaaahhh! Please don't eat me! I don't taste good!"
Bursting into laughter, Aarya said, "Welcome to our new work, Alex."
Alex groaned. "You two are so mean! You scared the life out of me!"
In union, Aarya and Rose teased, "Please don't eat me!"
"Shut up!" Alex grumbled.
After calming down, Aarya handed Alex a set of protective clothes and a mask. The trio then worked together to grind the graphite rocks into powder.
"Why are we grinding these rocks instead of selling our products at the market?" Alex asked.
"So our product can't be stolen by anyone," Aarya explained cryptically.
Though curious, Alex and Rose refrained from pressing further, not wanting to spoil the surprise.
After processing all the graphite, Aarya stored the powder in a storage room. The three then cleaned up, taking turns using the bathroom on the second floor of Aarya's house, as he didn't allow anyone into the other rooms, claiming they were "special."
With the groundwork laid, the process of creating real pencils was ready to begin.