Frustrated, Bill sit in a food stall near his dorm and remind himself of his place not to mess with people who are more rich and powerful than him. After all it could have gotten a lot worse like how someone in New Terra was beat up from looking at someone in a wrong way.
“If only I just shut up and nod with everything he said I would be enjoying good food right now.” Bill take a spoon of rices.
Amiel is indeed prideful and arrogant as rumors say, meeting miss Hellen make Bill change his opinion on Amiel somewhat but he’s now suspect she might be an exception rather than the norm.
“Just do your job, let go, get money and get out” Bill recite his life philosophy.
As Bill is eating a crow in merchant suit walk up to Bill and sit at his desk “Mr. Bill Henry Smit I presume?”
Hearing his full name Bill tense up and look at this male crow with caution and get ready to run.
“I don’t want to buy anything”
“Oh I’m not here to take your money Mr. Smit, no no. I’m here to offer you a way to fill your pocket.” the crow in merchant suit utter a word money like someone talking about god.
Bill who is about to get up and walk away pause at the word riches and look at this crow from top to bottom “Who are you?”
“Edward Bernays, at your service” a crow bow his head to Bill who is clearly younger.
“This money making opportunity...is it illegal?” Bill whisper. He does have history of some illegal activity here and there but he tend to avoid it unless truly necessary.
And with the core price he saw so far he really need some of that “money”
“Not at all sir” Bernays smile trying to comfort Bill but he doesn’t buy it.
“After all I know the factory where you work” Bernays throw his card out to see Bill reaction and indeed it work.
For Bill he know what this line mean, a mark of third class citizen. A poor and worthless people of New Terra who doesn’t belong here among the rich and powerful.
“You must be mistaken sir I don’t go near any of those dirty factory at all” Bill denied, trying to act disgust at the idea of going near one.
“Please, you are the first man from third class who got an internship with a remarkable score. You should be more proud of your heritage Bill, can I call you Bill?” Bernays try to get closer.
Bill didn’t replied.
Shouldn’t his score and personal information be confidential? Bill know because he check with staff already.
Bernays seeing Bill not deny he continue “So Bill, I believed such a young man in your position can benefit greatly from working with me, a smart man like you would know that rejecting my offer would be a great mistake.”
“A blackmail? Is that it?” said Bill, already give up his power over this crow remembering his place to stay out of more problem. If Bernays want to blackmail him to do his bidding, there would be little Bill can do anything about it.
Risking expose his birth and then be bully or pressure into quitting school by other is not an option. Bill saw how some third class citizen got a chance to go work up top in New Terra only to resign from peer pressure who doesn't want anything to do with him.
“No my dear boy” Bernays reject Bill thought “I want you to work with me Bill, to be a middle man between me and The forge of Alana, Professor Roy in particular”
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“School MAM workshop? What do you want with them? And what make you think professor Roy will even talk to me” Bill ask to gather more information and leave the part about how the professor might already knew about him from miss Hellen.
“Oh don’t worry I suspect he will take a liking to you Bill”
“Why would you think that”
“you see, he come from a third class too, although that not what they were called in the old day”
“Major Roy who lead a battalions of men to hundreds of battles come from a third class?” Bill couldn’t believe it. He thought only a high class can hold position of power like military.
“A war that could end your species tend to change people perspective and prejudiced.”
Bill consider what he heard and think that if he just be a middle man for Bernays it might not be too bad
“And what do I get?” When doing business you must be clear what you give and what you get.
“For start...how about a shiny new core for your MAM” Bernays put his beak inside his bag and pull a mercury ball not bigger than Bill’s pinkie out, a blue light shine out from its crack.
A real core!
Bill almost reach his hand out to touch it but he control himself “Is it even safe? Will it not explode as soon as I put it to use?”
Bill asks but he already agree to Bernays offer. He once saw a core in worse condition and it is quite stable as long as you know what you are doing. At this moment He doesn’t even care if he could be poison.
Bernays who see Bill eyes simply say “It is completely safe. I like to consider myself a trader in high quality goods, here let me prove it to you” Bernays then look down at his leg.
Once Bill noticed that a bracelet on Bernays leg is a MAM Bill forget himself “a modify MAM to fit on bird leg! I never thought other species could change it shape like this” Bill get up from table and went down to look at Bernays MAM.
Bernays don’t mind Bill touching his feet, seeing the boy enthusiasm make him confident in his decision of choosing Bill more “It just a tool after all, you see I plan to make MAM popular among other species one day.”
“But they can already use magic why would they want a MAM?”
“In time Bill in time, but for now let me show you what this little thing can do” Bernays use his right feet to slide open a MAM panel and put a core into core holder which shut completely and then use another talon to activate his MAM.
“Still working on how to activate this thing you human use finger to tap switch right? but not all of us have it easy” Bernays mock his own funny pose.
“Using other leg might not be so bad if it’s easy to turn on or off” Bill look at Bernays and imagine how most bird move and remember Doran “maybe a neckless? A bird can activate it by bend his head down to tap switch, they gloom their feather with head all the time anyway.”
“Neckles? Hmm it might be difficult to engrave a function glyph but it might work, good idea Bill”
Bill smile accept compliment, a rare occurrent for him to received one except from his mother.
“the bracelet already do it job can you tell me what does it do?” Bernays test Bill.
From the appearance there is nothing different about Bernays at all but Bill know most MAM either just give off magic to power machine or equip with glyph to do basic magic.
‘The ring doesn’t shine so it not light glyph, earth or air? But I don’t seeing any element being move around Bernays’ Bill then hold his hand just above the bracelet to feel temperature.
“It cold” Bill know immediately what this bracelet do “This MAM have been engrave with glyph of ice to help keep it wearer cool”
“Right on the money, well done”
“It just a basic knowledge really” Bill stroked his hair.
“None sense, most of the people I ask still think it’s a water glyph, different function entirely” Bernays then turn his MAM off and hand his core to Bill.
“This one is stable so it safe to handle by hand, try feeling it” Bernays let the mercury ball from his beak into Bill hand.
This is the first time Bill get to touch a core made of mercury by hand. it surface is quite smoot not rough at all even at the crack where blue light emit. There are no gag, shock or bite this core is indeed very well made.
Bill isn’t sure which grade is this core but he doesn’t care anymore.
Bernays smiles at Bill reaction and put a paper on table “Here a paper for professor Roy to sign, it just a recommendation paper so I can get a permit easier. You should have no problem convince him to sign just put in a good word in for ‘Mercurius’ my company who will be helping Alana spread human ingenuity to other races and bring them closer to unity.”
“My shop are on the west side of the city please come visit anytime” Bernays get up and put some 100 nil on the table along with Mercurius’s brochure “Consider my treat, see you around Bill” Bernays then fly off.
After finish his meal Bill read the paper one more time before take the money and go back to his room thinking of how to approach his teacher.