It was a motor vehicle!
But not in the truest sense of the word. From what he could see, it was true that it had the body of a car where the driver sits in the front right seat and there would be ample room for passengers.
What surprised Kiyotaka was that instead of brake and accelerator pedals, there were pedals akin to the ones in a bicycle. Through the levers a chain connected to the four wheels, allowing the vehicle to roll forward. Beside the exposed wheels were inflated rubber.
He could see all of it because the vehicle was still in the construction phase. The man who was busy looking at it didn't notice Kiyotaka until he lightly coughed.
The man bristled as he looked over to the wooden wall where a hardly average man with decent height and pale blue eyes was standing.
Kiyotaka tipped his hat. "Good evening!" He tried to inject some kind of enthusiasm into his voice.
"Ah, good evening, lad, good evening..." He then looked back at the piece of equipment left out in the open air. There was an uncomfortable silence between them.
Then, Kiyotaka was the first to break the silence. "This seems to have some problems. Or is this your final design?"
Kiyotaka knew discussing it out of the blue would strike as odd, but people of this world, or well at least Loenese, loved to make small talk here and there. Of course, the premise of small talk was that it had to be made with someone of their own class.
It would strike as really rude if an ugly and jobless bum like him were to approach a noble lady or a noble man and make small talk with them. That could even result in his imprisonment. However, from the way the man's house was built and his overall condition, Kiyotaka assumed that while the man was well-off, it was safe for him to approach him.
The man's eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked at Kiyotaka with a smile. "Well, it is a prototype, for now, of course. But this is the final blueprint. The final product will be based on it with minimal changes...what do you mean by it has some issues?" His tone wasn't lofty nor was he trying to scold the jobless bum for his ignorant ramblings. Instead, he was curious as to what made "Williams" say that.
"Well, someone is going to peddle the vehicle, yes?"
"Yes."
"Surely it won't pose an issue in winters, but in summers the stench of sweat would be unbearable. Not to mention that even if you add more gears to the overall system, the driver will have his limits. Not accounting for the fact that he won't be able to peddle if there is a slight slope due to the weight of the vehicle and the passengers sitting in the backseat." Kiyotaka explained.
The man was equally surprised by both the questions and the eloquence of the young man. After about 2 seconds, the man parted his lips. "Uhh, yes, those are a few things that I failed to consider due to my excitement for the project in general..." He paused and then reeled in his counterarguments. "But the general idea of this is to target those with low incomes. At this level, owning something new and... trendy bolsters their morale and standing in the society. Yes, trendy, the word coined by Emperor Roselle."
Kiyotaka acted nonchalant and placed an arm over the fence. "I can understand, but then it would be something that would be around for a year at max and then it would lose its appeal. On the flip side, people who would be inspired by it will quickly try to perfect the model which requires less manual labour. Don't you think so?"
The man suddenly fell into deep thought.
The reason why Kiyotaka was trying so hard to talk to this man was to, of course, gain some money. If he was able to convince the man of some defects and then suggest some kind of solution to it, he was sure that he could obtain some stake in it. Of course, he would still need to invest in it, however, he had £60 plus cash-in-hand.
Getting a RICA Certification and investment in this bike-car were both long-term matters. However, Kiyotaka was sure that this would give him long-term benefits. While becoming a Royal Chartered Accountant would've definitely done the same and helped him build a network of people to talk to, he was unsure how long he could continue being an Accountant once he consumed a potion.
After all, from what he had learnt from The Fool, wild Beyonders are usually hunted by the Churches unless there is a specific relationship involved between the two. Kiyotaka did not have any kind of relationship with any Church other than him admitting that he was a believer of the Evernight Goddess.
This was one of his attempts to suppress the subtle remnant imprint of the dead Williams, who was a Church of The Lord of Storms believer. Despite being a believer of this specific church, dead Williams' opinions regarding women weren't as low as usual believers. However, they still qualified as highly misogynistic if he was in the modern era.
"You are right..." The man's words brought Kiyotaka back from his unfocused daze.
The urge to indulge in alcohol was overwhelming. The skin over his hand was already spasming and cold sweat formed beads over his forehead. However, he let his blonde hair fall over his forehead, effectively hiding them.
"If you wish, I can help you with it. I have always been fascinated with the idea of a machine that can take a family from one place to another without the need of manual labour from servants or horses. Doesn't that fascinate you too?" Channeling the urge of debauchery into fanaticism, Kiyotaka asked. And while he wanted to sound like an enthusiastic researcher, he sounded more like a deranged tramp.
"It is fascinating, yes...just like the manuscripts left by Emperor Roselle...you might share his vision!"
Kiyotaka took his hat off and pressed it to his chest. "I am Williams. Nice to meet you."
"Leppard. Nice to meet you too, Williams." After a moment, he looked back at the thing with a remorseful look as he wiped his dusty hands with a cloth. "To be honest with you, I have abandoned this project. There was a fellow who was as insightful as you. He came the other day and advised me to make something else which would satisfy the criteria of targeting the middle class. This idea of making a car based on pedals was inspired by his guidance."
Leppard then sighed. "The argument I presented to you, I assumed since you are a decent fellow..." He looked up at the deranged man whose insides were screaming for alcohol but kept a straight face on the surface.
"You flatter me." Kiyotaka breathed out.
"I thought of you as an intelligent fellow sent by God to tell me what I was doing was right. Sigh...I suppose it is not the thing I should be after all. Detective Moriarty's plan about the bicycle truly is the future."
Kiyotaka's ears twitched. "Detective Moriarty?"
There was a sense of familiarity in his tone. "Do you know the detective?"
"Perhaps. I had a relative by that name." Kiyotaka tried to dig a little. "Can you tell me his full name?"
"Ah yes, it was Sherlock Moriarty."
'The Fool?! It has to be him! He has a Midseashire accent. Thankfully, Williams was in contact with all sorts of people and hence using that knowledge I am able to discern that.'
"A relative of Detective Sherlock Moriarty? Backlund isn't as big as you'd think, eh? Hah..." A dry laugh escaped Leppard's lips.
Kiyotaka didn't linger too much on the topic of Sherlock Moriarty. Instead, he looked back at the junk and hummed. "I wish to invest in the ongoing project of yours. However, at the same time, I wish to help you with the project you're thinking about abandoning as well."
"That is possible since we would need investors anyways, however, I am curious as to why you want to work on this..." he looked back at the junk he was ready to dismantle and use the spare parts for his new project.
"Didn't I tell you; I have been fascinated by it. I used to tell my sister about it all the time. She wanted to ride in the invention with me..." Kiyotaka's expressions darkened.
Leppard's heart ached and he lowered his head. "I am sorry...you can work on it. But you have to teach me too, if you succeed in it. Of course, just working on it will grant you 50% of the shares. I will keep the other 50% for now, since you would be using my materials. Does that sound fair to you?"
Kiyotaka nodded. "Let's make a legal agreement then."
Leppard nodded. "I am confused and grateful at the same time that I was able to meet two geniuses in such a short span of time. Praise the Lord. Can you come tomorrow morning? I will call upon one of my friends who is a lawyer. He will do all the legal paperwork required for the shareholdings and investments."
Kiyotaka nodded a little in response. He then did a little small talk regarding the weather and then left.
As soon as he was home, he quickly changed into some casual clothes. On the way home, he had picked up a bowl of beef stew for himself. While he wanted to buy one for the tramp as well, having just lost his job and investing £50, he felt like he needed to prioritise himself.
Inside his home, slipped through the crack in the door was a letter left behind by Xio. According to her, there was some serious matter and Xio had to cancel her participation in the Beyonder gathering. She said she needed some time to recover as she had suffered some serious setbacks.
Much to his own delight, the resistance from the remnant imprint had gotten much weaker now.
Thankfully, now that Williams' influence is waning, the only thing that would hinder me would be the dependency on alcohol. That can be dealt with soon enough as well. I shouldn't be too hasty as it could result in a devastating relapse.
I should write Xio a letter.
He sat on the ground and took out the sheet of paper and the pen in his bag that he usually used to carry around and started scribbling.
[Hello, I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I also hope that the matter has been resolved and nothing of worrying proportions has occurred to you.
I am writing this letter to ask for a favour. I know it is quite shameless of me to ask one favour after another, but I will definitely try to pay you back as soon as possible.]
Kiyotaka cringed a little, but he continued. This was in-character with Williams while he slowly drip-fed his own ticks into it. One of these ticks was the way he talked. Kiyotaka found talking in a drunk manner and passing obscene comments to ladies as unbearable, so this was the first trait he decided to change about Williams.
Of course, this could be blamed on his sobriety.
Because no one had ever seen Williams sober!
[As you are aware of my newfound interest in the Beyonder world, I have been trying to do some research on different Pathways. During my studies, I have come to be fascinated by the Seer, Marauder and Apprentice Pathways. However, since I am a non-Beyonder and due to some unforeseen circumstances, I cannot attend the meeting myself.
As one last favour to your friend, can you help me buy the Potion formula? Of course, I will be paying for the formula myself. You can reserve the formula with the person once you get a hold of it and then write me a letter. In the meantime, I will be finding formulas myself. If I come across any, I will write it to you first, so you don't have any obligations and don't waste your time.
I hope you are doing well. And once again, thanks for considering my request.
Your old friend,
Williams.]
Kiyotaka closed his pen. He emphasised on the emotional aspect of the letter in the end to drive the point home. Mentioning their friendship at the start would've ruined it. Which is why he started with repaying the favour in the start, paying for the trouble in the middle and then reminding her of their relationship in the end.
This structure of a letter would convey the emotions that Kiyotaka would've otherwise found hard to express or put into words. While he was no stranger to emotions, he just found it unwise to express them where he didn't want to, as it would feel artificial.
Furthermore, Xio had a power that made people wary of her. He was quite sure that he would fold under the supernatural pressure from a Sequence 9: Arbiter.
Once he had penned the letter down, Williams walked out of his room and to the mailbox. He dropped the letter there and stood by its side. After about 5 minutes, the postman arrived and took the letter away.
Only then did Kiyotaka come back to his room. The stew that was still hot and the fresh white bread graced his empty stomach. He ate every bite of the slow-cooked beef and broth with relish and felt the sweet combination with white bread.
After all, for the time being, he won't be able to afford a meal as extravagant as this. He had £12 and some change. He decided to downgrade to chicken broth without meat and rye bread. And while this would definitely result in him gaining weight at a slower pace, it certainly won't stop it.
Once he had eaten everything, he stretched his feet and laid down on the mattress. The loaded revolver was right by his side. As he looked at the roof, he started to brainstorm several ideas to make money.
One of the main methods was to make a car that could run on sources other than steam. This was because the broiler used to power the steam engine would make the car really stocky and heavy. And this was something that already existed.
What he needed was a fuel source that could use lighter metals and would be cheap as well.
Steam really is a wasted potential. However, there can be certain alternatives, however, that'd need some preparations.
There might not be Crude Oil but there's different kinds of drinks, such as Wine, beer, spirits — that's alcohol...which is highly flammable. What if instead of drinking it, I burn it? That should be possible to do in this world since different distilleries already exist. All I need to do is lease a small part of it, and distill stronger, purer ethanol.
That said, I can do it at home as well. I can rent a slightly bigger place with a backyard. Sigh...I lack the resources to do that, for now. Should I meet up with The Fool and ask him to invest in me? That's one option, but he is a Beyonder, probably from Sequence 7 or even Sequence 6. He will probably kill me the moment I face him!
Then someone else? Should I find a female tycoon and seduce her into funding me? That can be possible with a rich old man as well...sigh, why am I even considering that?
However, there is a slight chance where I can partly disclose the matter to him, and he would consider investing in it. Yes, because while he might see me as an obstacle to his grand scheme of posing as a God, if I show some of my sincerity, there is a possibility of manipulating him into becoming a close to ally to myself.
That way, I do not have to live in fear of persecution until I reach at least Sequence 5. And if he comes onboard with the project, it would be even better.
Hmm...I should lightly introduce the idea and then gauge his reaction. While the Gray Fog interferes and does a good job in hiding us from each other, there are minute ticks in speaking patterns that are still visible, even if he doesn't show it on his face.
That said, it is quite strange how his face had never betrayed an emotion but there are obvious variations that one could observe to discern his reaction. It is quite possible that it might be due to him faced with me who had seen through his facade of this lofty, mysterious God.
Thinking back at it, helping me is indirectly beneficial to him as well. Since as he told me, the rest of the Tarot Club sees me as his "Angel," or someone of equal status as The Fool. With me progressing, it would solidify their image of him as an ancient being, while opening many doors of improvement for both him and me.
Hmmm...
Anyhow, there is another method that I can do and that is using Pyrolysis. If I can starve the fire of air, it will give off gas. It would be toxic but most likely combustible. Gas lights the streets already... So why not wood gas? There aren't many groups in Backlund that are rioting for the safety of trees so I can do that without any reserves.
Although the committee for smog exists, so I might get some resistance from them. However, it won't be a thing if all I am making is just one functional car. I can sell the patent for hundreds of thousands once I make it! After that whatever happens to the environment or the people who bought the patent are none of my concern.
I will change my identity and go as far away as possible from The Fool. He is a dangerous man, fraud or not.
Anyways, if I were to do this, I can make an engine that has two modes of power. The primary one can be denatured alcohol or spirit while the backup can be small quantities of methanol that can be burnt via a generator inside it. If that isn't feasible, there is always a method of direct ignition.
The major drawback of the cars powered by steam is the weight. I can use a rather light metal since the engine won't weigh too much using a mix of metal and plastic. Of course, this could raise the price, but the company that would potentially buy the patent can buy in bulk and save hundreds.
It would probably weigh around 250 to 400 kgs maximum. And with this method of fuel and single-cylinder engine, I can easily target a continuous mechanical power of 5 to 6 HP. That means if the surface is flat, it can reach up to 80-90 km/h.'
Suddenly, Kiyotaka stood up and started scribbling on his hand. Once the area on his hand was finished, he started doing it on his feet, legs and then thighs. After about 10 minutes of religiously carving numbers in his body with ink, he heaved a sigh of relief.
'If my calculations aren't too far off, it would need around 2-3 kilos of gas per hour. Of course, I have to use kilos to measure the gas instead of the cubic volume, since that would just confuse people too much. The tank can be of around 20 kilos, which means it can last 10 hours.
'Once I patent it, I can also become the first and leading supplier of fuel! That way my mode of earning won't be restricted to interest from the fixed deposit from the bank. This way I can not only maintain a good lifestyle, but I can also spend on Beyonder ingredients without being worried.'
Satisfied with his plan for the future, Kiyotaka started to take mental notes for what he'd need from Leppard.
He made a plan for the next 1 to 1.5 months. He wanted to do it as soon as possible and become a Beyonder. The reason why he had started to panic so much over it was because he was getting involved in things outside his realm of comprehension. And that was leaving a very nagging, uncomfortable feeling inside him.
Having the feeling of being watched all the time without being watched was a scary feeling.
He quickly took notes.
I have to spend the next 1-2 days securing a brewer or a distiller, acquire barrels, yeast, and feedstock. Once that is done, I have to set up a 100 litres mash vat.
Day 3-10 can be used for mash and fermentation. While fermenting, I can hire a cheap smith who can begin with the left-over engine parts from Leppard's model.
Once that is done, I can run the first distillation run, collect low Alcohol-By-Volume spirit and then do a second pass to concentrate it to 50–80%.
Once I have the right concentration of ABV, I can complete the engine assembly, make a carburettor chamber, fit the hot tube, build chain reduction and mount to axle.
After that, it is just a matter of trial and error. I just have to repeatedly run static engine tests on methanol or ethanol while adjusting the mixture and hot-tube timing. If that achieves success, all that would be left would be road tests, tuning of gears, the installation of a suitable small fuel tank and safety vents.
As for the outer design, it can have some screws. Based on that, it can be customised to each customer...but no, that sounds cheap. Maybe it should look luxurious enough but not enough to make it look unaffordable. After all, the prospect of one purchase of £1,000 is less lucrative to investors than 20 purchases costing £50 each.
Perhaps I would name it Mercedes. Maybe Sherlock Moriarty would be alarmed, or he'd be intrigued. Regardless, I think I should avoid doing that. He would know about my meeting with Leppard anyways, so I should avoid provoking him further. At least until I am a Sequence 6 or 5 myself.
He laid out the whole plan in his mind.
Kiyotaka's lips pursed. 'I hope this works, or otherwise there is no way for me to escape the series of events that have started to roll. In a world which I know almost nothing of, I have no real advantage. All I can do is become strong enough, and uncover the knowledge hidden in the depths and then use it to save myself from those who are after me.'
Sighing, Kiyotaka laid down. With his mind at its limit, he reached to the side and grabbed the revolver. Holding it in his left hand, he grabbed the giant bottle of whiskey in the other as he downed it.
The Crimson Moonlight was pale and glinted in the rapidly slushing surface of the whiskey inside the old, glass bottle.
A wave of relief washed over him as he closed his eyes. His lips moved but words never came out, as if muffled by something. He pressed the gun to his temple and felt the cold metal burn against his skin.
In the corner, the featureless face that had been staring at Kiyotaka all this time drifted a little closer.
Despite not having eyes, it came close and tried to "look" at the scribbling on his legs and arms.
Despite not having any features, it looked exceptionally surprised. At the same moment, the creature popped and disappeared.