A month passed faster than Ernest expected.

The forge no longer resembled the chaotic workshop he first saw when he started working under Hollen.

The shelves upstairs were now properly categorized.

Inventory records remained updated daily.

Material shortages became rare.

Workers downstairs no longer spent half their time shouting for missing tools or searching for coal deliveries.

Even the atmosphere inside the forge changed slightly.

There was still heat.

Still smoke.

Still exhaustion.

But the workflow itself became smoother.

More organized.

Less chaotic.

And because operations improved, Hollen’s profits improved too.

The forge started completing merchant orders faster than before, which meant more contracts and more consistent payments.

Naturally, that made Hollen increasingly trust Ernest’s judgment.

At this point, Ernest was no longer treated like some temporary helper upstairs.

He had become part of the forge’s administration itself.

Every evening after work, Hollen would now hand Ernest his daily wage personally.

Six hundred riels per day.

Twice the approximate daily equivalent of Victor’s earnings.

At first, Ernest thought daily wages sounded convenient.

And technically, they were.

Workers immediately received money after labor.

No waiting weeks.

No uncertainty.

But after spending a month handling the forge records and observing spending patterns, Ernest slowly realized another problem.

People here only thought day-to-day.

Not long-term.

Workers spent wages immediately because tomorrow’s survival always came first.

Very few people actually saved money properly.

And businesses also struggled because money constantly flowed out in unpredictable ways every single day.

Back on Earth, Ernest had grown used to structured payroll cycles.

Weekly.

Biweekly.

Monthly.

It was more predictable and stable.

And because of that, people learned to plan their finances better.

One evening after work, Hollen handed Ernest his usual small pouch of coins.

"Six hundred," the owner said.

Ernest accepted the pouch before weighing it lightly in his hand.

Then suddenly, he spoke.

"Sir, can I suggest something?"

Hollen looked up from the ledger.

"That depends. Will it cost me money?"

"Not necessarily."

That immediately caught the owner’s interest.

"Go on."

Ernest sat down afterward before placing the pouch atop the desk.

"I think the forge should move away from daily wages."

Silence.

Hollen blinked once.

"...What?"

The owner frowned slightly afterward.

"Why would I delay payments?"

Fair question.

From Hollen’s perspective, daily wages were normal.

Workers labored.

Workers got paid.

It was a simple logic.

So Ernest explained carefully.

"Right now, money flows out of the forge every single day."

Then he pointed toward the financial ledgers nearby.

"That creates unstable cash reserves."

Hollen crossed his arms.

"Explain properly."

Ernest nodded.

Then he used an analogy.

"Imagine trying to fill a water barrel while someone constantly opens the drain underneath."

The owner slowly narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You mean the forge loses money too quickly?"

"Not loses," Ernest corrected.

"But the money flow becomes difficult to manage."

Then he continued.

"If wages get distributed every two weeks instead, the forge keeps larger cash reserves available temporarily."

Which was true.

Holding cash longer improved operational flexibility.

Modern businesses understood this extremely well.

Cash on hand allowed quicker responses to supply opportunities, bulk purchases, and emergencies.

Ernest continued explaining.

"And workers would also start planning their spending differently."

Hollen looked skeptical.

"They’ll just spend everything anyway."

"Some will," Ernest admitted.

"But structured payment cycles encourage budgeting."

Then he added another example.

"Right now, workers think like farmers harvesting one vegetable daily."

Hollen stayed quiet.

"But if they harvest larger baskets periodically instead, they start thinking about storage, allocation, and future use."

The owner slowly leaned back while thinking about it. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Honestly, Ernest knew this concept might take time for medieval businesses to fully accept.

Because this world largely operated through immediate survival economics.

Still, even primitive payroll systems could evolve.

Then Hollen suddenly asked.

"What schedule are you suggesting?"

"Twice monthly."

That immediately surprised the owner slightly.

"Not monthly?"

Ernest shook his head.

"A full month is too long."

Back on Earth, Ernest himself disliked monthly payroll cycles.

Waiting an entire month between wages often became stressful even in modern economies.

Unexpected expenses happened constantly.

So biweekly systems created better balance between worker stability and business cash management.

Hollen rubbed his chin thoughtfully afterward.

"...Interesting."

The owner clearly had not deeply considered payroll structure before.

Like most businesses here, the forge simply followed tradition.

Eventually, Hollen shrugged lightly.

"We’ll test it later."

Fair enough.

Changing worker payment systems overnight would probably create confusion downstairs anyway.

Still, Ernest already planted the idea.

And based on Hollen’s expression, the owner genuinely considered it now.

Then shortly afterward, Ernest left the forge carrying his daily wage pouch.

But tonight felt different.

Because after an entire month of working upstairs, Ernest finally accumulated enough personal savings to comfortably spend money without worrying about tomorrow’s food.

And honestly?

There was one thing he wanted badly.

Good food.

Not potato stew.

Not hardened bread.

Actual flavorful food.

So instead of heading directly home, Ernest stopped by the market district first.

The evening market remained lively despite the setting sun.

Lanterns illuminated merchant stalls while smoke rose from food vendors cooking over open flames.

The smell immediately hit him.

Grilled meat.

Herbs.

Fresh bread.

Fried onions.

After spending weeks eating simple home meals, the aromas alone nearly made him emotional.

Back on Earth, people often took food variety for granted.

Meanwhile here, even seasoning itself felt luxurious for poor families.

Ernest quickly purchased several things afterward.

Fresh roasted chicken.

Warm bread.

Vegetable stew with actual spices.

And even sweet pastries.

Expensive by commoner standards.

Very expensive.

But after a month of hard work?

He felt it was worth it.

When Ernest finally arrived home carrying multiple wrapped food parcels, Anna immediately looked confused.

"...What is all this?"

Victor also stared from the table.

Ernest placed everything down carefully afterward.

"Dinner."

Anna blinked repeatedly.

"...From the market?"

Ernest smiled slightly.

"Yeah."