The Mechanical Era

The bright yellow sun was at the top of the sky, looking down on a large stone building, held up with wooden columns, featuring two stories with a wooden plank roof, belonged to a skilled craftsman with multiple apprentices who all one day wanted to aspire to become a professional like him.

Like most buildings, the bottom story featured the workshop, with the top of the building featuring the home of the owner and his family. The apprentices themselves lived relatively near the workshop, with an average walking distance of 8 to 10 minutes.

The owner himself went by the name of Willie Walton. He had a round face with a scar on his left hazel eye that he got when he was a child and a small dadbod that came with fatherhood. Willie usually wore a green tunic and brown hemp breeches with calfskin shoes.

Willie had received a letter from an old friend, giving him a heads-up about their arrival today. With the help of his wife and apprentices, he made sure the workshop and home were spotless of dirt. With the place clean, he stood near the window, waiting for them patiently.

His eyes scanned the paved roads filled with people walking. They seem to be going along their day happily as ever, holding bags made of hemp, pouches made of leather, and carts carrying barrels of food and cloth.

A smile formed on his face, seeing the people's spirit alive and well. However, the smile soon disappeared as his eye spotted a cart carrying spears with mana stones attached. He suspected runic weaponry. Willie was a bit suspicious as to what the knights needed such powerful weapons for. Was a powerful demon wave incoming, or was it something else?

'Those greedy rascals might be up to something.' he thought to himself. Turning away from the window, he asked his wife for her opinion.

"You think we might want to tell them about those weapons?" he asked his wife, who was busy cleaning the floor with a broom.

"Hmm...?" she asked. The woman, wearing her white tunic and long green skirt turned around. Her black hair was hidden inside the cap she wore while cleaning the house.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Those weapons. Do you think...?"

"No. I don't think we need to," she replied. Willie turned back to the window. Before he can think further, his hazel eye spotted three horses on road, being ridden by men wearing white coats. Willie immediately rushed downstairs to greet them with a warm welcome.

"Mr. Oswald! Welcome!" he proclaimed. The men dropped down and tied their horses onto the fence before they confronted Willie. Oswald, a rich bald merchant in his middle ages, approached Wille with a smile.

"It's been a while hasn't it Willie? It's good to see you." He said. Willie smiled back in return.

"I was glad you remember me, friend. It would have been for business if you did!" Willie replied.

"Say, who are the other gentlemen behind you?" he asked. Oswald first pointed at the man on the left. His medium-long black hair was combed back, and his emerald green eyes came into contact with the artisan's hazel eyes.

"This is my friend and business partner, Jac Pratt. I am sure you two haven't met before," he said. The two men smiled and greeted each other. Oswald then pointed to the other man with blond hair. He had similar hazel eyes, with a button nose on his oval face.

"This is my other friend and business partner, Alister Cobbs."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Walton," he said. Willie smiled back.

"Come in, Gentlemen! Let's have a talk!" the men followed the artisan back into the building, and up the stairs. There, they were seated on wooden chairs, with tea served on their desks.

"So... gentlemen. How may I help you?" Willie asks the merchants. Oswald, after taking a sip from his tea, replied calmly.

"Mr. Wille. We got a... device we want you to make. Or more accurately, multiple devices that need to be made."

"Oh? Well what are they?" he asked. Oswald turned to Alister and nodded. Willie assumed Alister was going to be the one talking. As so, he turned his face away from Oswald to Alister.

ραпdα nᴏνa| сom "Recently, we acquired a large factory that produced a product called cement. When we got there, we had a realization that we could commission an artisan to make a device that could carry the materials to one place from another within the building, to the other mechanical devices," Alister said.

"The main idea is to have some sort of belt move in one direction in a loop, using the power of the steam engine. Although we don't have the technological know-how to make such a device, we are sure you can do it. You were there, right?" he added.

"Yes. I was there."

"Good. So, what do you say?"

Willie laid back on his seat and began thinking. A few concept plans got drawn inside his head. It certainly was feasible, at least according to him. With the new steam engine, he might have enough horsepower for it to be powerful enough.

"I got a few questions to ask before we move on."

"Go on."

"What's the budget?" he asks. If he going to invent a brand new piece of technology, he is going to need to spend some money, and Willie was not keen on paying out of pocket.

"We can spare 25 gold coins to develop the technology, another 10 gold coins to purchase the patent rights to the invention, and another 5 gold coins to buy multiple mechanical devices to fit into our factory."

"What if I need more money to continue research?" he asks.

"We can provide it IF it doesn't get too expensive. We are a business after all. Don't like to spend money on unnecessary things," Jac replied. Willie thought about it for a moment before giving a reply.

"Oh, alright then. I accept." A smile formed on the faces of the three merchants. Alister took out a piece of paper. He asked Willie for a quill and a bottle of ink. There, he filled out many of the gaps left by the merchants and handed them over to Willie.

"Just sign on the bottom of the page, above the dotted line," Oswald said. Willie, after reading the contract, took the quill filled with black ink and signed the piece of beige paper.