Chapter 239: Glass production Part -2
Bhulpur village, glass factory, Delhi
The office chamber was lined with wooden shelves stacked with documents. In the remaining open space, there was a solitary wooden chair and a table cluttered with a few documents, a quill, and an inkpot. Aditya sat on the chair, bathed in the golden rays of the setting sun streaming through the window, which illuminated his desk and the room with a warm glow.
Bheem, his royal guard, stood to his right in chainmail armor, while Ashutosh, his newly appointed assistant for managing firms and a recently titled merchant noble, stood to his left. The small group of artisans and officials gathered around them waited in tense anticipation, with some among them visibly more anxious than others.
Aditya began, "Today’s unfortunate accident was an eye-opening and embarrassing incident. Upon investigation, I discovered that the factory lacks proper quality assessment. Despite clear guidelines for maintaining uniform scales, the artisans have been using their own measurements. This negligence compels me to introduce new rules to steer the factory in a better direction."
The room fell silent, the tension palpable. News of former Chief Artisan Govind’s temporary removal had already spread, and the group feared what severe measures might be announced next.
Aditya continued, "I’ve decided to create a new role in the factory: Quality Manager. This position will rank just below the Chief Artisan and come with a salary four times that of a regular artisan. The Quality Manager will be responsible for monitoring the quality of mixtures, inspecting the condition of equipment, overseeing the exchange of goods, and ensuring adherence to uniform scales on a daily basis. This will be their sole duty."
A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd.
"Only checking quality? Nothing more?"
"What a blessing—no hazardous tasks anymore!"
"Is it true, Prince? Will the person really be responsible only for these duties?"
Aditya nodded but then added after a brief pause, "Yes, but since quality assessment is critical, any negligence leading to damages will result in deductions from their salary, proportional to the loss caused."
The excitement quickly turned to unease. The artisans exchanged uneasy glances, realizing the heavy responsibility and the risk of salary cuts in case of mistakes.