~2800 words
Unit 17, Sørlund Street, Cherwood Borough.
A new morning dawned on Backlund.
Kiyotaka was in his study room, sitting in his high-back comfortable seat.
He was leaning back in the leathery embrace of the seat and was reading a book. In front of him was a sandwich he prepared for himself using braised beef and caramelized onions between a pair of two pieces of toasted white bread.
Right beside the sandwich was a cup of black coffee.
The book he was reading was thick and was titled: "A Survey of the Southern Colonies and Their Native Industries" on its spine.
He read it with no specific expression on his face. Sitting on the L-Shaped couch with the same breakfast as him in front of him was Klein, with his hair still wet and a small towel around his neck.
Klein did not say anything and instead indulged in the breakfast in front of him that was served to him by Freya. He had a lot of questions on his mind, but he was also cautious of Kiyotaka, so he decided to be very technical about what he asked and when he asked them.
On the other hand, Kiyotaka kept flipping one page after the other, reading the book at an astonishing rate. Klein even assumed for a moment that he was just doing it to appear smart, because it was almost impossible for most people to retain information if they read at this pace.
Kiyotaka flipped another page.
The book was an old geographical survey commissioned by the Colonial Office decades ago. Most of its contents were utterly useless, containing things like rainfall records, population estimates, tribal customs and shipping routes.
Suddenly, his eyes paused on a certain block of text.
[The natives of the Paz Valley cultivate a bitter bean which is fermented beneath woven leaves before consumption. The resulting paste is mixed with hot water and occasionally cane sugar during ceremonial gatherings.]
Kiyotaka paused and didn't reach out for the page to flip it, and instead read the passage again.
[The resulting paste is dark in color and possesses an intensely bitter flavor. Attempts by Loen merchants to market the product in Backlund have met with little success. However, the same Bitter Beans have seen a tremendous success in Intis, with 99% of the exports being done to the antecedent kingdom.]
A thoughtful look appeared on his face.
'Fermented... Bitter... Mixed into a drink... Grown in tropical regions.'
His gaze slowly moved toward the map of West Balam printed on the following page.
"...Cocoa."
"What?" Hearing a familiar term, Klein looked up.
"Nothing."
After a few seconds of silence during which Klein went back to eating his sandwich, Kiyotaka reached for a blank sheet of paper.
On this sheet of paper he began to draw a flowchart, connecting Fermented Beans to Paz Valley, West Balam and then to names of various posts and transport companies.
Making a guess, he began to write journals of calculations.
If the description was accurate, then somewhere in the Southern Continent there existed an entire industry unknowingly sitting on one of the most profitable luxury foods in human history.
And the best part about it was that the people growing it and the merchants transporting it did not understand its value.
On the other hand, the nobles of Backlund certainly had not realized its potential.
Kiyotaka leaned back in his chair.
'I'll have to summon Mal later on to place an order for these Bitter Beans. If they really are Cocoa Pods, then a whole industry can be established on it. That said, if the Cocoa Pods are being exported in such a huge quantity to Intis, this means that Emperor Roselle has already invested in the delicacy.
It's possible that it's prevalent in Loen as well, but only among the elites. Hmm... Regardless, it's still a good business venture to consider.
That said, the starting hype of cars will die down soon and it won't yield money unless I develop cars that target lower classes too. That means I need other business plans as well. Only that way can I guarantee a steady stream of cashflow while also penetrating the upper circle.
While it was better to stay hidden until I became a Demigod, or even an Angel, the nature of my Pathway makes it quite hard, especially when it comes to Rituals. Which means I need to focus my attention towards climbing the social ladder without making too many enemies.
After all, making enemies is inevitable, no matter how passive or peaceful you are.
Hmm, as for now, I should focus on three different business ideas, and whichever gathers traction, I can go forward with it.
The first one is probably a bakery with everything made out of chocolates as its specialty. I will have to think deeply over the other two before even committing slightly to it. With the costs of everything rising as I advance, I can't afford to waste much money over a failed venture's Research and Development.'
"Would you like some more coffee, Mr. Detective."
"Yes please."
The conversation between Freya and Klein brought Kiyotaka out of his thoughts.
The quaint, malnourished girl had her hair tied in a tight bun and had deep-set dark circles under her eyes. She nervously glanced between the two men who had left what they were doing and were now looking at her.
"Sir, do you need coffee as well?" Despite the obvious confusion, her speech did not suffer from any impediment.
"No, thanks."
"Alright. Can I go?"
"Sure."
Once the girl was gone, Klein turned towards Kiyotaka. "I won't say that I was not surprised after seeing that old woman and now these two at your place, or when I heard you are trying to employ them, or when you said you bought a new house. But well, now that you're a tycoon, it's only natural.
I still do not understand why these ones, when you could've hired anyone else. Sounds quite impractical. for someone like you."
Kiyotaka stood up and slid the book back into its place and adjusted it until it sat perfectly flush with the others. "Trust is expensive."
Klein looked at him.
"Ada won't steal, Liv won't gossip and Freya won't betray me once we save her sister." He dusted his hands lightly. "Not because they're exceptionally virtuous, but because I already know who they are. Learning strangers takes time, and I have taken my time learning them. With how drastically things are changing around us — both you and me — I doubt we have that luxury."
Klein leaned back into his chair. "So you're employing them because they're predictable?"
"Partly." Kiyotaka returned to his seat.
A strange look appeared on Klein's face. "That sounds disturbingly close to buying loyalty."
Kiyotaka pondered the statement for a moment before giving a small nod. "Everything is bought, Sherlock. Money, favors, affection, loyalty. Most people simply prefer pretending otherwise."
He picked up his coffee and took a slow sip. "Besides, if I can improve someone's circumstances while obtaining reliable employees in return, I fail to see the problem."
Klein stared at him for a few seconds. "Do you know what's strange?"
"Hm?"
"Your words and actions jump between genuinely disturbing and sweet. It is so strange, you know."
Kiyotaka shrugged. "I fail to see the contradiction. Good or bad—it really depends on the observer, or rather the ones making that convention. To some people, I might be a bad person for helping one person while ignoring ten others. To the ten I ignored, there is little difference between me and someone who did nothing at all."
Klein pinched the bridge of his nose. "Has anyone ever told you that your way of viewing the world is a little disturbing?"
"A few people."
"And?"
"They all continued associating with me."
"I don't think anyone would want to associate with you if they know you as much as I do."
Kiyotaka was amused, however, he didn't let it show. "You still associate with me."
Klein opened his mouth and then closed it. Unfortunately, he couldn't argue with that. Looking into his coffee he spoke slowly. "Sometimes I can't tell whether you're a good person pretending to be a bad one..." He paused for a beat, "...or a bad person pretending to be a good one."
Kiyotaka crossed his legs behind the mahogany table. "Have you reached a conclusion?"
"No."
Instead of replying, Kiyotaka pushed a piece of paper towards Klein.
Seeing it, Klein stood up and took the paper before sitting in the seat in front of him. Reading the piece of paper, he sighed and placed it down.
"Are you sure?"
"The map is not the territory." Kiyotaka rapped the edge of the table, just like how the Fool used to do above the Grey Fog.
Klein's eyebrow twitched before raising. "Meaning?"
"It means that our assumptions are not reality. The only way to verify them is to act."
Klein looked at him in a deadpan manner. "You sound like a charlatan all of a sudden."
Kiyotaka tapped the table. "Charlatan?"
"You know, like one of those self-proclaimed philosophers who write books full of meaningless statements and then charge people to explain them."
"That sounds like a profitable profession."
Klein's mouth twitched. "Of course that's the part you focused on."
"What else was I supposed to focus on?"
"The fact that normal people don't answer simple questions with cryptic nonsense."
Kiyotaka leaned back into his chair. "I felt like I made myself quite clear."
For a moment, Klein genuinely contemplated throwing the paper at him. But then, a smile appeared on his face. It was a genuine smile and it surprised even Klein himself.
It had been a long time since he was able to feel like this.
"Well, if you really plan on doing it, I will have to do my part on my own terms. I will make some preparations. Are you free later in the afternoon?"
"I am not. I have to give instructions to Leppard to make job posters for people who might be interested in machines."
"You're hiring?" Klein was a little surprised.
"Yes. The job is for a lead engineer. Do you know someone like that?"
Klein looked down at his hands and a sad smile almost crept up to his face, but he used his Clown powers to not let it show. "Unfortunately no. But if you can pay me £100 a week, I am willing to work for you."
"I don't want my cars to explode while they're being turned on."
Klein chuckled. "Come on, it's not that hard. I am sure I can do something about it. Or you can make me a General Manager of your company. I can settle down with an annual salary of just £10.000"
Kiyotaka hummed. "I will think about it."
Placing both his hands on the mahogany table, Klein stood up. "Well, I hope you get a good engineer for yourself. I will make my preparations and we can discuss everything else in... you know where."
"Sure."
"Yeah. I'll see you soon then." Klein bid his farewell to Kiyotaka and left the study room, leaving him alone.
Sitting alone in his seat, Kiyotaka sighed. Placing his hand on the piece of paper Klein had left behind, he closed his eyes and guided his spirituality towards Guile, but stopped midway.
He was going to divine about them, however, he remembered that the seal placed on the man that he had kidnapped was quite strong. He and Mal had to be specifically cautious while torturing him.
This meant that if he were to divine them, there is a high chance that it could lead to a disaster. Since Klein had just left, he did not feel like asking him to pull him above the Grey Fog.
*****
"Good evening, Sir. Are you leaving?" Liv, the haggard woman, called out to Kiyotaka as he walked through the lawn and opened the small, metallic door.
"Yes."
"What would you like to eat tonight? The house has just been cleaned so Freya and I will soon be preparing dinner." A little flustered, she scratched the back of her neck. "I hope the food she prepares is to your liking... Forgive us if it's not. She's still learning."
"It suffices. I'll eat outside tonight, so you can tell her to prepare whatever you would like to eat." Looking around, he narrowed his eyes. "Where is Ada?"
"Ah... She went upstairs, to rest..."
Nodding his head, Kiyotaka closed the gate after himself and left. After walking for about two minutes, he saw a carriage stop in front of him.
Sparing only a single glance to the carriage driver, he closed the door that looked much newer than the entirety of the carriage.
Kiyotaka did not say anything as the carriage began to roll forward.
He was wearing a white shirt with black tie, overlaid by a black vest, coat and a long-coat, all in black. Furthermore, he was wearing black glove over his left hand, a ring and a bracelet over his right. A rather lavish belt cinched around his waist.
Other than that, he was carrying a revolver, some spare bullets and a pocket knife.
After about 20 minutes, he arrived in front of a giant villa. It was located on Iris Street, and despite not being that far away from Kiyotaka's own house, it took him multiple detours to arrive here.
With his sword-cane in his hand, he walked down elegantly and paid his fare of 6 Solis before turning towards the entrance.
As he walked to the door, he was stopped by a man, but after producing something from his pocket, the man stepped aside and allowed him to go in.
The inside was much more lavish than Kiyotaka's house, however, it was much smaller.
As he walked inside, he was greeted by a man. He was about 1.65 meters tall, and he was a little plump. He didn't have any special features, but his eyes had a frightened look in them.
Capim.
"Hello there, Mr. Williams." He reached out and extended his hand.
"Good evening, Mr. Capim. It's great to finally see you." Kiyotaka shook the man's hand strongly which rattled the bones inside Capim's hand but he kept on his friendly smile.
"I won't say that I was not surprised when I first heard about you from my colleague. I really admire your work. As a matter of fact, I was about to visit your Prometheus Motors this week to buy a car for myself. It's really maddening to think that you've done something so astounding..." Capim rambled on.
"I believe you can understand that my fascination with your work and efforts is why I was surprised when I heard you wanted to acquire my... services. Heh-heh, not saying that it's wrong. Men burdened by responsibility occasionally require... diversions."
"I suppose they do."
The brief response only encouraged him further. Capim clasped his hands together. "Excellent. Then you've come to the right place. We recently received several particularly exquisite arrivals, some wild ones from the Highlands, tropical ones from Balam and a few local delicacies as well."
The words were innocuous however, the meaning beneath them was not. Years of conducting business among nobles, officers, and industrialists had refined Capim's vocabulary into something deceptively elegant, despite the hideousness of the meaning behind them.
Human beings had become merchandise, children delicacies and slavery hospitality.
"I am a conservative man," Kiyotaka replied evenly. "I prefer local stock."
Capim's smile grew wide as he continued effortlessly. "Do you have any preferences?"
"In what regard?"
"Temperament. Appearance. Education." His smile widened slightly.
Kiyotaka appeared to think about it. "What do your regular clients usually request?"
Capim chuckled. "Everything." The way he spoke, he sounded almost proud. "Some want refinement. Some want obedience. Others enjoy spirit. A surprising number believe resistance makes the experience more memorable."
The way he spoke was no different from a merchant discussing wine preferences and not once did he seem ashamed. If anything, he appeared pleased by the sophistication of his clientele.
"I see."
"Personally, I find reliability to be the most important quality." Capim adjusted his cuff. "A dissatisfied client rarely returns."
Kiyotaka studied him.
There was something strange about him. Despite appearing passionate about his job, there was a tremble in his voice.
"How thorough."
Capim laughed. "You don't remain in business for this long otherwise."
Then, he gestured toward the corridor. "Please, make yourself comfortable. I'll arrange something suitable."
Kiyotaka inclined his head and followed the indicated direction.
The room was lavishly furnished.
Heavy velvet curtains concealed the windows and imported carpets softened every footstep. The bed was large enough for three people and a crystal decanter sat upon a polished table beside several glasses.
The air had traces of perfume, incense, and scented oil.
Several minutes later, as Kiyotaka sat alone in the room, he heard faint footsteps somewhere beyond the corridor.
Then another set.
And another.
There was a distant sound of chains rattling and something heavy rumbling.
Suddenly, he lowered his head and mumbled.
"The Fool that does not belong to this era..."