Chapter 64: A Complete Plan
An idea that can change the world?
Audrey's curiosity was thoroughly piqued. She knew Nairn never boasted; if he said something could change the world, it must possess extraordinary significance.
"What is it?" she asked impatiently.
Nairn did not answer directly, but instead asked her a question: "Miss Audrey, when you travel far from home, do you find luggage to be troublesome?"
"Of course!" Audrey answered without thinking. "Extremely troublesome! Especially those large trunks—heavy and cumbersome. Every time we go to the train station or the dock, we must bring several servants, or hire specialized porters. Sometimes, when transferring platforms, we have to walk a long distance, and watching them haul those heavy boxes makes me feel exhausted."
She recalled the scene from her last vacation to East Chester County.
Her clothes, books, cosmetics, and various trinkets alone filled three large leather trunks.
The butler, Falls, along with two male servants, were drenched in sweat by the time they managed to get all the luggage onto the train.
"Yes, everyone finds it troublesome," Nairn affirmed her statement. "But everyone has grown accustomed to this trouble. People think travel is just like this, and heavy luggage is an unavoidable part of it. But what if we could make the luggage 'walk' by itself?"
"Walk by itself?" Audrey was stunned; she couldn't grasp the concept immediately. Installing a Steam Core into a suitcase? That seemed too exaggerated.
Nairn noticed her confusion, smiled, and took out a notebook and a pen from his pocket—a habit he maintained.
He quickly sketched the outline of a traditional suitcase on the paper.
"This is our current suitcase."
Then, on the bottom of the box, he drew four small circles.
"What if we put wheels on it?"
Audrey's eyes instantly lit up.
Right! Wheels! What a simple, yet brilliant idea! Carriages have wheels, factory carts have wheels—why had no one ever thought to put wheels on a suitcase?
"And add a strap, so it can be pulled along," Nairn added a rope to the front of the box.
A rudimentary design for a wheeled suitcase appeared on the paper.
Audrey could already visualize the scene after its implementation: people would no longer need to strain to carry their boxes; they would just pull lightly, and the box would obediently follow behind. What a massive liberation this would be!
"Heavens... Mr. Nairn, you truly are a genius!" she exclaimed sincerely. "This idea is magnificent! Why... why has no one ever thought of this before?"
"Because people are constrained by conventional thinking," Nairn said calmly. "However, this design is not yet perfect."
He pointed to the sketch on the paper: "Think about it, if the contents of the box are heavy, the center of gravity will be high. If you pull it while it's lying flat, won't it easily tip over? Moreover, with four wheels fixed in direction, turning is also difficult."
Audrey followed his logic and realized it was true. The excitement that had just flared up cooled slightly.
"Yes, it seems so... What should we do then?"
"So, we need a small improvement."
Nairn turned a page and began drawing again. This time, he didn't draw a box lying flat, but a standing rectangle.
"First, we stand the box upright."
His pen tip moved across the paper, the lines precise and fluid.
"Then, we don't need four wheels; we only need two, installed on one side of the bottom of the box."
"Finally, and most crucially," Nairn's pen paused at the top of the box, "we install a sturdy, retractable handle here."
After finishing the last stroke, he handed the notebook to Audrey.
On the paper, a perfect design drawing for a modern Rolling Suitcase was clearly presented before her: an upright body, dual wheels at the base, and a rigid handle extending from the top.
Audrey was completely stunned.
Her mind instantly simulated the act of using this "improved" luggage. People would only need to extend the handle and pull the case easily with one hand.
The upright posture of the box ensured stability, and the two wheels made turning simple.
This... this was simply the perfect solution!
She looked at the sketch before her, then at the man beside her.
She felt like she wasn't looking at a business partner, but gazing up at a deity walking among mortals.
He could always point out the core of a problem in the simplest, most direct way, and provide the most elegant and perfect solution.
Whether it was social reform or this small invention for daily life, he handled it effortlessly.
"Mr. Nairn..." Her voice trembled slightly with excitement, "This... this is more than just a priceless idea. It really will change the world!"
She could already foresee the buying frenzy that would erupt once this type of luggage hit the market.
Nobles, merchants, Travelers... everyone who needed to journey far would go mad for it.
The profit contained within this would be an astronomical figure.
"Yes," Nairn said, taking back the notebook, his tone flat. "Therefore, it is sufficient to support our Foundation in doing whatever we wish to do."
Audrey looked up, her emerald eyes shining with an unprecedented light. She
looked at Nairn, and one thought became perfectly clear in her mind: she wanted to work with him to turn this great invention into reality.
"We must start immediately! I need to find my father and have him contact the best craftsmen and factories!" Audrey's enthusiasm was completely ignited; she wished she could turn the drawing into a physical object right away.
Her mind raced as she began considering production, materials, sales channels, and a series of related issues. As Count Hall's daughter, she had been exposed to this since childhood and was not completely ignorant of commercial operations.
"Don't rush, Miss Audrey," Nairn's voice was like a splash of cold water on her fiery head. "Have you ever considered why such a simple, even crude, invention wasn't 'thought of' until today?"
Audrey froze.
Right, why?
This design didn't require any profound Beyonder abilities, nor did it need materials science that surpassed the era.
It was just a simple combination of wheels and a handle.
Given the current industrial level of the Loen Kingdom, manufacturing it would be extremely easy. But why, throughout its long history, had countless clever people overlooked it?
"Because... people didn't think of it?" she ventured.
"Partially, but that's not the main reason," Nairn shook his head. He decided to give this future queen of commerce and politics her first lesson in 'Market Sociology'.
"The real resistance comes from people's concepts, or rather, a deeply ingrained, ridiculous social prejudice."
"Prejudice?"
"Yes, prejudice regarding 'masculinity.'" Nairn pointed out incisively. "In today's society, what is a respectable man, especially a gentleman, supposed to be like? He should be strong, powerful. Personally carrying heavy loads is seen as a manifestation of male strength."
"If a man uses a wheeled tool to drag a suitcase that he could easily lift, what do you think others will think of him?"
Audrey's "Spectator" ability allowed her to immediately grasp the key point in Mr. Nai Ya's words. She began constructing relevant images and scenarios in her mind.
A well-dressed gentleman at a train station, without having a servant assist him, instead lifts a heavy leather suitcase from the ground himself, walking onto the platform effortlessly.
People around him would cast approving glances, thinking he was strong, vigorous, and full of vitality.
Another scenario.
The same gentleman, but he pulls out a rod from under the suitcase and drags the wheeled suitcase, making a rumbling sound as he walks.
What would people think then?
"They would think... he is ridiculous," Audrey softly spoke the answer, "They would think he is weak, lacking strength, not like a real man."
"Exactly right," Mr. Nai Ya snapped his fingers, "That is the biggest obstacle. No man wants to sacrifice his 'dignity' and 'manliness' just to save a little effort."
"And for women, merchants would naturally assume that when they travel, they always have a male companion, family member, or servant to help them; they themselves don't need to carry luggage personally. Therefore, in their view, there is simply no market for this product."
Audrey fell silent.
She thought of her father, Count Hall, a typical traditional nobleman.
He always emphasized that posture must be upright and demeanor vigorous, believing it was part of the noble bearing.
She could easily imagine the disdainful expression he would show if she tried to sell him this wheeled suitcase.
She also recalled the discussions she had heard in various social settings.
Men talked about hunting and horse riding to display their strength and courage.
Women were expected to be elegant and quiet.
The entire society was invisibly reinforcing these stereotypical gender impressions.
This was a resistance that was invisible and intangible, yet omnipresent.
"I understand..." Audrey's tone held a hint of dejection, "So, even if we build it, it might not sell at all."
"No, quite the opposite." A gleam of wisdom shone in Mr. Nai Ya's eyes, "Only by recognizing the problem can we find the key to solving it. Since the problem lies in the 'image,' we must craft a completely new, positive image for it."
"A new image?"
"Yes." Mr. Nai Ya guided her patiently, "The reason people find it 'undignified' is because it is associated with negative words like 'weakness' and 'laziness.' So, let's associate it with positive words like 'fashionable,' 'efficient,' and 'professional.'"
He paused, giving Audrey time to think.
Audrey's mind raced. She seemed to have grasped something.
"How do we do that?"
"We don't sell it to ordinary people," Mr. Nai Ya stated a disruptive marketing strategy, "At least not at first. We mold it into... an exclusive item. A status Symbol that only certain groups can possess."
"Certain groups?"
"Exactly. For example... the Kingdom's naval officers." Mr. Nai Ya casually offered an example, "Imagine a dashing naval officer in a crisp uniform, disembarking from a warship. He doesn't ask an orderly for help, but instead pulls a simply designed, rugged-looking wheeled suitcase himself, striding briskly across the pier."
"Do you think anyone would still mock him for 'lacking manliness'?"
The scene Mr. Nai Ya described instantly appeared before Audrey's eyes.
No! Absolutely not!
People would only think that the officer was incredibly cool!
That suitcase, far from diminishing his manliness, actually made him look more capable, more professional, and more unique!
It would become the most eye-catching accessory besides his uniform!
"Then, we promote it to those government officials, big bankers, and great Lawyers who frequently travel across the Kingdom."
Mr. Nai Ya continued to paint his blueprint.
"Let this suitcase become the mark of the 'elite.' When ordinary middle-class people and merchants see these great figures they look up to all using this kind of suitcase, what will they think?"
"They will... rush to imitate!" Audrey interjected, her voice rising with excitement, "They will feel that owning such a suitcase means they have also entered that elite circle! It will become a fashion!"
"Precisely," Mr. Nai Ya smiled in satisfaction, "When it becomes a fashion, a Symbol of status, the initial prejudices regarding 'manliness' will be completely shattered. By then, when we introduce it to the mass market, there will be no resistance at all."
Audrey was completely won over.
She stared blankly at Mr. Nai Ya, feeling as if a brand new door had been opened in her mind.
This was no longer simple business planning.
This was... precise Insight into social psychology and clever guidance.
He was like the most masterful chess player, not directly confronting the rules, but utilizing and guiding them, ultimately making the entire game serve him.
She had initially thought this was a business lesson.
Now she realized it was a true lesson in an 'Open Scheme' concerning the human heart.
The way she looked at Mr. Nai Ya now held a deep sense of reverence in addition to admiration.
In fact, even in modern times, improvements to the wheeled suitcase did not arrive until 1970.
Prior to that, there were related patents in the mid-19th century.
But for a long time, they remained only on blueprints or in small-scale trials, never entering public life.
It wasn't until someone gained inspiration from seeing workers using wheeled tracks to move heavy equipment at an airport.
However, even with that.
Many problems still remained.
What Mr. Nai Ya presented was the most complete version, the one closest to the modern travel suitcase achievable under current technological conditions.
Later, its design first became popular among pilots and flight attendants. When they pulled these 'fashionable' suitcases through the airport, they immediately attracted the attention and imitation of ordinary Travelers, thus rapidly igniting the market.
Of course, these details were not for outsiders to know.
And Audrey was utterly convinced.
She had initially thought this was just a clever invention, but now she realized that what Mr. Nai Ya had given her was an entire, complete plan capable of subverting an industry.
She looked at Mr. Nai Ya; this man seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts and grasping the future.
"Mr. Nai Ya, I..."
She was so excited that she became slightly incoherent.
"I don't know what to say... This, the potential profit here is too immense. Just listening to your description, I know this will be a huge industry with annual profits of tens, even hundreds of thousands of gold pounds."