~2539 words
Prometheus.
A titan god that once stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind.
Perhaps it was his own twisted attempt at humor, but Kiyotaka had named his car company that was responsible for selling the manufactured cars after the mythological God.
It was partly because there existed a God of Steam and Machinery, however, there was no technological development at all.
For a moment Kiyotaka had thought that he would be smote down by the God of Machinery, however, he believed that the God would not get the reference for another world, or from the past.
Kiyotaka had opened two companies: Prometheus Motors and Janus Engines.
The naming convention for Janus Engines was quite similar to Prometheus, as Janus was a roman God of doorways, transitions, and beginnings.
However, the two companies did not serve the purpose of Kiyotaka's amusement. There was a much deeper reason behind this.
The arrangement had numerous advantages, of which liability was one and Capital raising was another. The third was that accountants and tax collectors were rarely as clever as they believed themselves to be in this era.
The rules revolving taxes were not as stringent as the ones he had studied in the White Room.
Janus Engines would manufacture the engines and own the underlying designs, while Prometheus Motors would merely sell the final product.
By inflating licensing fees, technical consultation costs, and engine prices, profits could be shifted from one company to the other at will.
On paper, Prometheus would appear barely profitable despite selling hundreds of vehicles, while Janus could justify its own expenses through research, expansion, and factory construction.
It was not "true" tax evasion, at least not in the legal sense, but Kiyotaka had little doubt that if tax collectors ever understood what he was doing, they would call it exactly that.
As Kiyotaka got ready and wore his expensive suit, a man dressed in dirty rags appeared out of nowhere. His back was hunched and he had a crooked nose which casted shadow over his lips. The hunchback rubbed his hands in a greedy manner as he approached him.
"Sir, I am here."
Kiyotaka tightened the bow-tie around his neck and looked at himself. He was wearing a three-piece suit with a black coat.
"Any news?"
"She has been abducted by Capim's men. He has his fingers quite deep and has the backing of a certain MI9 member. I am not sure if it is a good idea to get on his bad side, sir..." Mal debriefed as Kiyotaka focused on grooming himself.
After a moment of silence, he huffed. "Keep your men alert. I want detailed intel on each and every movement of the MI9 Beyonders that are there to help him."
"As you say, Sir." Then, as if hesitating, Mal rubbed his hands. "Congratulations on the inauguration, Sir. I am sure this company of yours would elevate your status to unprecedented heights, yes, yes indeed."
Kiyotaka looked over his shoulder. He knew that the greedy hunchback was waiting for money, but right now, he was quite poor. He did not have enough money to pay him, yet again.
"Once you get the protection fees, distribute it among yourselves."
A rather forlorn look appeared on Mal's face as he stopped rubbing his hands and bowed his head in utter dejection. Before Kiyotaka could look back at him, he was already gone.
Turning around, Kiyotaka looked at himself once more in the mirror.
He looked rather dashing. Once he was finally done tweaking and correcting each and every aspect of his attire, he finally picked up his cane and walked out of the cramped room.
The cane let out a click as suddenly a lot of eyes turned towards him.
Underneath the natural light of the sun that filtered through the windows — given today was quite a clear day in Backlund — and the fluorescent light, Kiyotaka walked in front of a lot of people that had been gathered inside the showroom for the inauguration of Prometheus Motors.
The showroom was located on a busy commercial street near the border between Hillston and Cherwood Borough.
Its facade was made from polished stone and tall glass panels stretching from waist height almost to the ceiling. Brass letters gleamed above the entrance with the words: "PROMETHEUS MOTORS"
Unlike carriage dealerships, there were no horses outside.
Instead, three automobiles sat on raised platforms behind the glass.
A crowd had naturally formed in and outside the showroom.
Poor children from East Borough in patched coats pressed their noses against the glass, leaving foggy marks as they marveled at the machines with shocked looks on their faces.
Some of them pointed excitedly at the polished brass headlights while others debated where the horses had been hidden.
Low level laborers slowed their pace while going to work from home and stole curious glances.
Even Middle-class professionals lingered on the opposite side of the street.
While they lacked the confidence to enter, they were still fascinated enough by the possibility that these strange machines might one day become affordable, and that made them stand on the opposite end of the street, quietly waiting for the inauguration to begin so they could see these bestial machines in action.
However, the real traffic was made by the rich. Industrialists, factory owners, mine operators, shipping magnates, government officials and minor nobles—people whose pocket watches cost more than an East Borough family's yearly income—dominated the inside and kept sizing the cars up and down.
Stuck in the riff-raff was Inventor Leppard who kept explaining how it was different from Steam powered engines, and how it was much easier to drive around, in comparison to the heavy steam car.
The showroom itself was large but not absurdly so. After gifting a customized car to Prince Edessak, the prince had rewarded Kiyotaka and his company with a premises on a discounted rent and even eased the process for opening the company officially.
The showroom was about 570 square meters and had various compartments—the main showroom being 300 square meters, the customer lounge being 50 square meters, the private negotiations room for premium customers being 50 square meters, offices for Mr. Leppard, himself, and an accountant being 70 square meters and storage and maintenance 100 square meters.
Overall, it had the capacity to hold 8-10 vehicles on display at all times, with even more to be stored in storage and maintenance compartments.
As for the price, thanks to Prince Edessak, it was a total bargain. The rent was a measly £420 per year, which, all things considered, was paltry.
The display had two kinds of cars currently, with each of them having 3 similar models.
The basic model was called [Prometheus I] which was the most affordable option in Prometheus Motors. It was a compact four-passenger automobile featuring a polished steel frame, exposed engine housing, durable leather seating, and practical storage space. However, despite having good leather seating, it was not ideal for long drives.
It was priced at £500.
The executive model was called [Prometheus II], featuring an enclosed passenger cabin, superior suspension, thicker imported leather upholstery, improved weather protection, and enhanced comfort for long-distance travel, priced at only £1.000
The third tier was Premium Model and was reserved for people with connections and a viable portfolio. Kiyotaka was trying to use this tier to get close to people with influence. It was kind of like luxury companies such as Bugatti or Rolex which required you to have a pre-existing portfolio to buy it.
The Premium model was like the Executive Model, but it allowed the customer to customize everything. From the softness of seats to strange color combinations and sewing your name into the seats. The core rule of this tier was that no matter how little modifications one made, the minimum price was going to be at least £5.000
This price point was bound to scare away a lot of people, but as Kiyotaka had guessed, human existence was intrinsically greedy and helpless. If they could afford it by selling a lot of their personal assets, then they would definitely do it.
As Kiyotaka saw a lot of people asking Leppard about questions, he suddenly heard a somewhat familiar voice. Turning around, Kiyotaka saw that it was a gentleman who has loose skin with an obvious potbelly. He had blue eyes and a beautiful mustache, which made him look good.
As he walked towards Kiyotaka, many people side-stepped, letting the fat man arrive. Following closely behind him was a girl who made every head turn towards herself.
She had long blonde hair and pale green eyes. She was wearing a fluttering green dress which cinched around her waist.
Kiyotaka felt his eyes widen as he looked at her and a plethora of thoughts took the shape of a giant wave before collapsing on itself.
'Justice...'
He had his suspicions before, but something intrinsically made him arrive at the decision. Perhaps it was because he had been wary of Justice all this time and in extension, he observed her much more than the other members of the Tarot Club.
Meanwhile, Audrey who was accompanying her father, Count Hall, also looked ahead and saw Kiyotaka look away from her and focus on her father.
'He looked at me as if he recognized me. There are all kinds of looks directed at me, and all of them have distinct meanings. However, the look of familiarity is something that is absent from everyone's eyes and intentions.
Does this man know me? Have we met before?'
"Count Hall, Good morning." Kiyotaka greeted as he fixed his coat.
"Good morning, Williams. It's great meeting you again." Count Hall kept his voice low as people around them pretended to sight-see the cars. "I wished I could visit you before to thank you in person, but as you know, following that sale of bank shares from Patrick Jason, I was quite on the edge and avoided going out unless necessary."
Kiyotaka nodded and motioned towards the Private Negotiations Room.
Count Hall looked back at Audrey and then motioned for her with his head to follow him.
Audrey lifted her skirt and followed after the two men, entering the office.
Once they were inside, Kiyotaka casted a side-long glance at the absurdly beautiful girl and cleared his throat.
He was well aware of the capabilities of a Spectator. Even if it turned out that his observations were totally wrong, it did not hurt being very cautious.
Moving towards the cabinet that had an expensive bottle of alcohol in it, Kiyotaka took it out and held it up for the Count to see.
Count Hall smiled and nodded, approving the drink.
Kiyotaka poured the man a glass and then looked at the girl. "I am afraid, Count, but I am unsure about the age of your guest. Will she require the same serving as you?"
Count Hall looked at Audrey and then laughed. "Ah? Well, I suppose for someone as ingenious as you, you would not be caught up with menial things. This is my daughter, Audrey."
Audrey nodded and smiled sweetly at Kiyotaka by bowing her head. "Pleasure meeting you, Mr. Williams."
"As for alcohol..." He turned towards Audrey, as if waiting for her to answer him directly.
"Thank you for the offer, but I will abstain from it this time."
Kiyotaka nodded. "Sure." Then, he poured himself some liquid too and sat down. "So, Mr. Hall, how may I help you?"
Count Hall crossed one leg over the other and smiled. "Well, I am here to buy this alcohol-fueled car that has caused so much uproar in my community." A smirk formed on his face. "So much that even the royal family has been stirred."
Kiyotaka looked at Mr. Hall with a straight face but in the back of his head, he could almost feel his fate churning. There was definitely something concerning incoming.
*****
Unit 17, Minsk Street
Sitting inside his room, Klein gently added a Mutated pituitary gland of a Thousand-faced Hunter and then a Human-Skinned Shadow's Characteristic to a clean bottle.
Once he added that, he began adding the supplementary ingredients in quick succession which consisted of 80 milliliters of a Thousand-faced Hunter's Blood, 5 drops of Black Jimsonweed Juice, 10 grams of Dragon Tooth Grass Powder and 3 strands of hair from a Deep-sea Naga.
The moment all of the ingredients were added, the potion began to mix itself. After a few seconds, the potion settled. It was a blackish-green in color and on its still surface, it occasionally produced eye-sized bubbles that emitted a life-like burping sound every few seconds.
When the bubbles reached the surface, the bubbles burst, reflecting light in a myriad of colors that form random combinations resembling different faces.
Klein picked it up and drank it as a slightly tingling sensation swished in his mouth and esophagus, and finally, it fermented into a numbing sensation as he suddenly jerked his head back.
Countless blobs of flesh grew all over his face as whispers began to intensify in his mind.
*****
After settling the deal with Count Hall and agreeing on a final price of £6.000, Kiyotaka made sure to excuse himself.
In the duration of the meeting, Kiyotaka had solidified that Audrey really was Justice. Her facial features were just like Justice and while him and Count Hall were discussing the features to customize, despite having strong mental capabilities, he often felt Audrey disappear, as if she was just a very forgettable spectator.
After dealing with a few more customers, Kiyotaka was finally able to rest.
Or so he thought.
Once most of the buyers were gone, Leppard arrived with a huge grin and a long report.
On their first day, after some test drives, they had sold a total of 6 units. 3 of them being Basic Model (£1.500), 2 Executive (£2.000)and 1 Premium (£6.000), totaling their sales to £9.500
However, revenue was different from net turnover.
Making 3 Prometheus I costed him £450, 2 Prometheus II being £500, and the premium, by Leppard's estimate would cost £2.000
Other than that, Leppard was employed as an employee in Prometheus Motors and as a shareholder in Janus Engines, hence he had a salary of £50 a month. Other than this there were cleaners, workers whose monthly salary totaled to £67.
There was also rent of £35 a month and refreshment costing £15 every month, if sales like today happened every month.
All in all, after giving out profit to shareholder such as Mr. Dwayne, the net profit was going to total to £6.500
Looking at the calculations, Kiyotaka clutched the bridge of his nose.
'Hmm, I should probably sell the Werewolf Beyonder Characteristic and only turn the Zombie Beyonder Characteristic into a Mystical Item. Otherwise, it's getting way too expensive. I also have to buy materials for Briber as well, since I am quite close to digesting my Barbarian potion.'
Kiyotaka thought as he looked up at Leppard. "Transfer the money to the company bank account and prepare a deposit into my bank account."
"The full amount? We need funds for research and development." Leppard rebutted.
"I will return it. Record it as drawings in the records."
Leppard hesitated for a moment but nodded regardless. "If you say so..."