Aarya had collected graphite powder, and now the next thing he needed was clay. There were four main types of clay available, so he bought a limited quantity of each to experiment with first.
For the next 15 days, he tested different types of clays and their proportions, experimenting with every possible combination. Finally, he succeeded in creating a graphite pencil.
The specific proportions of the ingredients were only known to Aarya. The workers had access to the materials but not the exact formula.
Before joining, they had signed a contract that stipulated if they revealed the ingredients, they would have to pay a penalty of 1,000 gold coins. Considering each worker earned only 50 silver coins a day with food included, this was a huge deterrent. None of them would dare to disclose the formula.
Additionally, even if they sold the ingredients, they couldn't produce graphite pencils since Aarya had already purchased all the graphite mines in the region.
Now came the bigger challenge—securing a larger supply of graphite. Though they had enough graphite to make 500 pencils, this stock was insufficient for long-term production.
To meet future demand, Aarya considered two options: gather more graphite by digging deeper into the mines or buy additional graphite mines across the continent.
These mines were often undervalued as most people considered the land unsuitable for farming or living. Such land could be purchased at a very low price, as the locals were unaware of its true value.
For now, with enough materials for the week, Aarya went to the workplace and demonstrated the process of making graphite pencils.
He divided the work among the teams—grinding graphite for one group, mixing it with clay for another, and assembling the final product for the last group.
Within four days, they had produced 500 graphite pencils, stockpiling 450 for future use. Aarya then took 50 pencils to the market to test their reception.
At the market, Aarya aimed to create a sense of rarity around the new product.
Along with Alex and Rose, he set up a stall and wrote on a poster: "New Type of Product – Only in Limited Quantity." He also added: "For Regular Customers Only." Though customer traffic had declined recently, the loyal customers still visited.
One such regular was an old man who frequently came to the market for groceries. Seeing the sign for a new product, he decided to check it out.
When he reached the stall, he saw Aarya chatting casually with Rose, while Alex seemed to be passing time idly.
Old Man: "So, guys, what do you have this time?"
Aarya: "Oh, welcome back! This is a product specially made for customers like you."
Aarya handed him a graphite pencil for testing. After a few seconds of trying it out, the old man exclaimed, "Damn, this is good! It doesn't get dusty like charcoal, and it writes smoother than anything else I've used. How much is it?"
Aarya: "As one of our regulars, we can offer it to you for 8 gold coins per pencil."
Old Man: "8 gold coins? That's expensive!"
Aarya: "So is the quality of the product."
The old man hesitated but eventually bought one. Soon, all the graphite pencils were sold out, although the charcoal pencils didn't sell well.
After returning home that evening, Aarya thought about why his customer's were leaving his product and going to buy for another market after some deep thought he came to a decision.
He decided to sell only 10 graphite pencils per day, pricing them at 9 gold coins each to maintain exclusivity.
Additionally, he planned to hire professional designers to improve the product's appeal and branding and make it more refined more like a factory made pencil rather that a rough hand made pencil so he needed to hire professional and they were also needed in the final stages of pencil making process so no need to worry about leaks.
On the next day he decide to hire professional to work for him but he didn't know what he to face theough