The Mechanical Era

A man sits firmly on his chair. He had short black hair combed left and right, with his eyes as brown as chocolate in the 4 buttoned black renaissance suit he preferred to wore. He had just received a few letters from two particular cities and was currently reading them.

Heinrich slams his clenched fist to the desk in anger as he reads the letters he was sent. The ink bottle tips over and spills a lot of ink on the table and the floor. The stack of papers near the corner went flying down to the floor, making a mess, and a subtle mark is made on the dark oak table.

The letters had arrived from the city of Nexert and Desmon, both pressuring him to buy some product being made over at Hoverdam, whose outlandish claims it would solve their problems. He had been advised by the guild members of Albersterg to not purchase their product and continue to use it traditionally.

There was a knock on the door. After Heinrich gave his consent, the door opened to reveal his assistant minister, wearing a black cloak, paired with high-quality leather boots. Although bald and old, he is known to be blessed with wisdom that comes from being at the age of 70. He was there on the king's orders, to advise him on how he should respond.

"I arrived as soon as I could when I was informed that your majesty needed my advice. How may I be of service?"

"Well, sit down first."

"Yes, your majesty."

He pulled over the chair and sat down. He was then passed the letters that he had been reading. The assistant minister picked them up and started reading them.

"The Maybale family and their allies seem to be putting pressure on me to use Hoverdam's 'cement'. I had already given in to a lot of their ridiculous policies. What kind of fool do they take me for?"

"What is this 'cement' that they are talking about?"

"Oh yes. I had forgotten you were on sick leave. A prince of Hoverdam, the one synonymous with being born without magic, had made this... powder that apparently hardens and sticks bricks together. He claims that it would reduce the cost of the wall building, while also claiming that it would reduce the time to complete it while retaining its strength."

"That is interesting. Did you discuss this with the guild's your majesty? What was their opinion?"

"Of course! I consulted the stone mason guild on such a product. They informed me that it was highly improbable for such a material to exist. Though they might have a conflict of interest, I believe the decades of experience that they have."

He looked at him, who had his hands on his chin. Kieron sat there thinking it through.

"What do you think Kieron?"

"...Your majesty, I suggest you purchase a bit of the product they are offering."

"Excuse me, minister?"

"Let me rephrase your majesty. This might have presented us with an opportunity. If what the prince is saying is the truth, we can then use this material to construct the wall at a much faster rate for a cheaper price.

But if what he says is false, we could use this failure against the Maybale family. It would hurt their prestige if what he claims doesn't hold up to his name. Since Danial and Malina endorsed his product, they won't be able to back away if it fails."

"Won't that be a risk?"

"There is a risk to everything. But no matter what we do, buying off the cement from Hoverdam is our best option. We will gain something beneficial from either outcome."

"Won't it give the Maybale family more power if it were to be successful?"

"Like you said it yourself, your majesty. The guild members expect it to fail. The city of Hoverdam had been going through some troubled times recently. Just a few years ago, they saw it losing 25% of its population from a plague, more than any other city by a wide margin.

Then its leader, King Danial Maybale had fallen ill over the months and was forced to put the cursed prince in charge. If he comes out weakened from this, they might not be able to show much of a threat.

It had already lost a lot of its influence from before. Buying this cement will either hurt its reputation if it fails to meet expectations or just slightly increase it if it did. There is, however, a long-term benefit to it."

"Which is?"

"If the cement were to succeed. It would give the physically weak prince more legitimacy. Having someone weak as him having power could mean that Hoverdam would be easier to control and manipulate. We might be able to take on the city in a fight."

Heinrich thought of his minister's advice. Sure he might not like the Prince or the Maybales as a whole, but he had a lot of respect for his assistant minister. Kieron had served him and his father for a long time. His words are not something to be ignored.

"I will give it a thought," he responded.

...

As the sun fully sets on the city of Hoverdam, it would get dark soon. Kristina got out of her chair, grabbed her satchel bag, and went home. On her way to her house, she saw the people all heading inside. The children were out playing, telling their mothers they would come back inside in a minute.

She arrived at her house. A 2 story building that dwarfed everyone else's estates. Arriving late as usual. She went inside to find her children sleeping, and the maid cleaning up. Kristina approached the maid, informing her that she would be staying home for tomorrow.

With that, she went over to eat what they left for her. After eating her dinner, she changed took off her uniform to change into a different set of clothes and went over to her comfortable bed.