"This would be perfect for travelers preparing food. I'll make it right away."

"Oh, no. There's no need to go that fast..."

"Haha! Actually, I made it in advance. Would you mind taking a look at it?"

President Paul suddenly took something out of his luggage.

It was a single-hole portable safety stove, although it looked a little different from what Abel was talking about.

'You made this without even telling me?'

Frankly, it was commendable.

He didn't expect Paul to show such abilities.

"This was created in collaboration with President Theo. What do you think?"

In fact, there were some areas for improvement.

It was the perfect shape to fall over when the wind blew.

"I think we need to make it a little lower. What if we put the cartridge on the side and increase the surface area? That would be much more stable."

"Oh! I see. As expected, the Chairman has the best eye."

Actually, Abel didn't do anything.

Because it simply copied the shape of a modern gas burner.

With an embarrassed expression on his face, President Paul gathered up the portable stove prototypes one by one.

"Then I'll go now."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work."

After President Paul left, Abel focused on the remaining work.

But then, suddenly, Secretary Balisieta popped her head out.

"Mayor?"

"What's going on?"

"There are quite a lot of visitors. What should we do?"

Abel was one of the busiest people in the empire.

There were probably more people who wanted to meet him than the emperor.

If someone linked up with the Dapan Group, they could achieve tremendous business success.

So, usually, they would make an appointment in advance.

Abel was so busy that he couldn't just meet anyone.

Even though they knew that, there were still people who came without thinking, like today.

'I'll just push it in and see.'

If Abel accepted things like that, it would inevitably become annoying.

Because everyone would flock to the mayor's office.

For traffic control to work well, the connection and disconnection had to be clear.

But today, he had some free time, and for some reason, he felt a strange mood.

"How many people?"

"Five men."

"Please let them in, and don't let anyone else in again."

"Yes."

Aman Balisieta sent in five middle-aged men.

They all wore black suits and ties.

They were wearing fedoras, so they looked like Americans from the early 1900s.

"Nice to meet you, Your Highness."

"Let's skip the details. It wasn't supposed to be, but I just had some free time."

"Go—thank you."

"Please speak one by one."

Abel spoke, staring at the man on the far left.

Then, explanations poured out one after another.

"Hello. I'm Teron Wilsey, the president of Kublo Winery."

"Nice to meet you. Let's get started."

"Our product is a wine press. Turning the lever applies vertical force, quickly squeezing the grape juice."

It was a pretty good product—better than Abel expected.

It was quite crude and labor-intensive, but it was a much better method than what was available.

Nowadays, people crushed grapes with their feet and squeezed out the juice.

It was also better from a hygienic standpoint to use a wine press.

'But there are problems.'

Abel looked at President Wilsey with a meaningful smile.

"What about the bitter taste?"

"Yes?"

"If you squeeze the grape juice with this machine, the wine will be much more bitter."

"Th-that is..."

Teron Wilsey's face darkened in an instant.

He never would've thought Abel would point out the shortcomings of wine presses.

Perhaps they were planning to receive the investment first and then solve the problem.

"It's something that doesn't really need to be used."

Abel turned his head away, pretending not to care.

Then, a look of urgency appeared on President Wilsey's face.

"I'm sure we'll find a solution soon."

In fact, the method was simple.

The bitter taste came from the crushing of the grape seeds.

Before putting it in the wine press, all they had to do was remove all the seeds.

"Come back after you find it?"

"That made it difficult to run the winery. People weren't seeking out our wine because of its bitterness."

"What if I suggest a solution?"

"Yes?"

"Then, are you willing to sign an investment contract with slightly less favorable terms?"

"...."

Teron Wilsey kept his mouth shut.

Perhaps the wine press was the masterpiece of his life.

He wouldn't want to give it away for cheap.

Of course, Abel had no intention of making an unfair contract.

"The rights to the wine press are divided 40-60. This contract even includes a condition that the solution be handed over to President Wilsey."

"Huh?"

"Oh, of course we are 4dP."

"...!"

President Wilsey stood there, mouth agape, motionless for a moment.

Because the conditions were that generous.

He had probably never received an offer like this before.

If Abel had noticed the shortcomings of the wine press, he could've just taken the machine away due to its defects.

The investment amount was a pittance, but the rights ratio would've typically been around 9:1 or 8:2.

"Is it okay to offer such generous terms?"

"So you don't like it?"

"No, that's not it."

Who would refuse if offered money?

Abel sent President Wilsey out, saying they'd talk about the details later.

He couldn't talk about production facilities and solutions when everyone else was watching.

So, for now, only a preliminary contract was signed.

After a while, Abel looked back at the next person.

Everyone remaining in the office was filled with anticipation.

Having seen the outrageous contract terms with their own eyes, it made sense.

But contrary to expectations, the reality was not so easy.

"I won't do it."

"Dismissed."

"What can you use this for?"

"Goodbye."

Abel sent four bosses away, one after another.

They really brought ridiculous products.

Even the last person suggested making a bomb out of spirit wood.

'We don't even have enough for basic necessities, so weaponization is absolutely unacceptable.'

Why not boil water with it and use it to turn a turbine?

He could make some electricity.

Of course, that wouldn't be possible right away.

The only advantage of the spirit tree was that it completely burned.

The firepower was extremely weak, and production was insufficient.

"Ugh! Should we stop here for today?"

Abel slid down from the sofa, stretching out his arms and legs.

It felt like his body had turned into liquid.

It was because he had returned after a long time and had a lot of work to do.

But then Secretary Balisieta knocked on the door again.

Drip, drip.

"Mayor?"

"Now what?"

Perhaps because he was tired, a sharp answer came out naturally.

But Aman Balisieta's expression did not waver at all.

As expected, that person was a top-notch secretary.

'Where are you going, let's hear what he's talking about?'

"His Majesty the Emperor has issued an edict ordering you to enter the palace."

"Yes?"

"You came back so long ago. Why haven't you shown your face yet?"

Abel wondered why this gentleman was suddenly acting like this again.

He had no choice but to drag his tired body along, walking with trembling steps.

"Please stop calling me. Is there really no talent in the royal family?"

When he thought about it, Abel realized why Emperor Charon was looking for him.

There really were no people in the royal family.

Damn, what's going on this time?