165: Chapter 0165 A Difficult Problem

Payne listened with great interest, nodding in agreement from time to time, while Christine covered her mouth with a smile, her eyes filled with admiration for Li Size.

After the meal, Gelia took Christine's hand:

"Mom, let me take you to tour the factory!

Take a look at Li Size's little sorcerer donkey production line—

The Patrol Officers are all clamoring for them now!"

Christine readily agreed, and the two walked along the factory corridor:

sorcery machine tools on both sides shimmered with Demonic Energy light as workers assembled little sorcerer donkeys, the colored rune matrices on the vehicle bodies glowing like stars.

Christine pointed at a blue little sorcerer donkey:

"So this is the little sorcerer donkey? It looks quite similar to the bicycles the police usually use!"

Gelia said proudly:

"Yes! It can reach speeds of 60 kilometers per hour and can carry two people—

Patrol Officers using it for patrols have tripled their efficiency!"

Meanwhile, Li Size led Payne into his study—

The room was filled with blueprints (little sorcerer donkey, witchcraft motorcycle, automated production lines).

On the desk sat an open flying message device, next to a few bottles of successfully refined mental power amplification potion.

Payne sat on the sofa and picked up a little sorcerer donkey blueprint.

He recalled how, not long ago, he had worried that Li Size's business wouldn't withstand the De Kela Si Merchant Guild's commercial sniping. He never imagined the situation would turn completely upside down in the blink of an eye.

He sighed sincerely:

"Li Size! During your previous commercial competition with the De Kela Si Merchant Guild, the old-timers in the Police Department thought your chances were slim.

So, the matter of fully promoting the little sorcerer donkey among the Patrol Officers was temporarily shelved, pushed by certain interested parties."

Seeing Li Size's expression shift slightly, Payne continued to explain:

"Of course, it wasn't that the Police Department gave up on you.

Compared to the profit-driven old foxes of the De Kela Si Merchant Guild, most people were more inclined to cooperate with you, young and inexperienced as you are.

However, given the circumstances at the time, your position seemed rather precarious. Many believed you couldn't withstand the De Kela Si Merchant Guild's initial onslaught.

They were worried that if your invention rights were acquired by the De Kela Si Merchant Guild, intervening too early would be a waste of effort.

Hence, they chose to wait and see for the time being.

Ah, but they failed to see things as clearly as those blockheads in the military department!

Tsk tsk, I never expected you to be so capable, actually turning the situation around in an instant by leveraging the military department's support.

I heard you even caused the De Kela Si Merchant Guild to lose hundreds of thousands of gold coins!"

At this point, Old Payne couldn't help but give his son-in-law a thumbs-up in admiration. Seeing this, Li Size said modestly:

"Father-in-law, you flatter me!

It was just good luck.

On one hand, there was the military department's support, and on the other, I achieved a Breakthrough in Mechanical Alchemy. I merely won this war by chance!"

Yes, in Li Size's view, this was a war without gunpowder smoke, yet utterly brutal!

Old Payne also sighed for a moment before continuing seriously:

"Once the outcome was clear, the Police Department decided to fully promote the little sorcerer donkey among Patrol Officers to improve their survival rates and efficiency on duty.

However, the Police Department is different from the military department.

The military department follows orders strictly from top to bottom, while the Police Department is subordinate to local authorities, a mixed bag from top to bottom.

You've been with Gelia for so long, you should know that the police System in various regions primarily follows the will of the local authorities."

Pausing, Payne couldn't help but feel worried about the current state of the Duchy's police System. He sighed and continued:

"For matters involving large-scale procurement like this, headquarters simply cannot make the decisions.

Because it involves too many complex local interests, everyone discussed it for a long time without knowing how to promote it better.

But this matter cannot remain unresolved.

So, the Police Department decided to communicate with you first, to see if you, the inventor, have any good ideas.

Haha, so I volunteered to come!

Li Size, tell me, what are your thoughts?"

Li Size thought to himself with a hint of sarcasm:

This father-in-law probably just wanted an excuse to visit his in-laws.

Otherwise, why would a Deputy Director need to handle such negotiations personally?

However, Payne's information made him suddenly realize:

Why the Police Department's cooperation had been delayed for so long. He seriously pondered the information Payne had just revealed.

He suddenly thought:

With his little sorcerer donkey industry rapidly advancing under the Miners Brotherhood's push, and with Violet now able to assist him in efficiently building sorcery machine tools for the little sorcerer donkey production line,

He believed that within one to two months, it could be promoted throughout Monte Province.

He had a five-year intellectual property protection period for his inventions within the Crimson Soul Duchy.

Of course, he needed to make the most of these five years. The next step was naturally to expand rapidly to other provinces of the Duchy.

But here lay a problem: supporting a production line's sorcery machine tools for one province was already this strenuous.

To capture the national market, he and Violet couldn't possibly spend years just building countless little sorcerer donkey machine tools like this, could they?

What about doing anything else?

And this efficiency was simply too low!

After thinking it over repeatedly, perhaps the Police Department's situation, with its complex local interests, could actually benefit him and solve the problem he had just considered.

Li Size told Payne about his desire to quickly promote the little sorcerer donkey nationwide and shared all his worries and difficulties.

Finally, he stated his plan, his eyes firm:

"Father-in-law, my idea is this—

This time, I won't handle the production myself!

I plan to cooperate with the Police Departments of each province, helping the Patrol Officers while making money together!"

Old Payne showed a skeptical expression, full of curiosity about Li Size's plan:

"Cooperate? Make money together?"

Recalling the image of the little sorcerer donkey's rainbow colors spreading like wildfire across the land of the Crimson Soul Duchy, Li Size said excitedly and hopefully:

"Yes! Cooperation!

Each provincial Police Department provides land and production personnel, while I provide financial and management personnel.

Technically, I authorize the intellectual property of the little sorcerer donkey and the technology for the automated production line machine tools. The local police bureaus provide technical talent to produce the machine tools, with profits split fifty-fifty.

With local interests having something to gain, they will no longer obstruct headquarters' plans, easily solving the Police Department headquarters' problem of local resistance.

And I can not only make money but also use this five-year protection period to quickly capture and dominate the entire Duchy's little sorcerer donkey market! Haha!"

Payne's eyes lit up, and he slapped the table:

"A brilliant idea! The Police Department has been troubled by the difficulty of unified promotion due to local autonomy—

This plan is both flexible and efficient!

I'll report back to the Police Department and strive to start pilot projects next week!"

He paused, then said with a smile:

"But to be honest, I came mainly to see the in-laws...

The cooperation matter is incidental!

You'd better treat Gelia well, or I won't let you off easy!"

Li Size nodded with a smile:

"Don't worry, Father-in-law! I'll take care of Gelia for a lifetime!"

The Demonic Energy lamp in the study emitted a soft glow, illuminating their smiles—

Outside the window, Gray Mist Mountain was completely dark, but the factory lights remained bright, as if heralding the promising future of the little sorcerer donkey cooperation.