“Uncle, is that Lord Vandire, the Minister of Intelligence, who’s exiting the room right now?” asked Solomon, rubbing his eyes with disbelief. “The very same Lord Vandire who is called a ‘Vampire’ for never leaving his office at the Ministry of Intelligence?”
Nodding his head, Anderson Grunde, the middle-aged guardian of the genius Solomon, replied, “That is indeed Lord Vandire, the Minister of Intelligence who’s referred to as the ‘Vampire’ back home. I heard that he originally wasn’t among the delegation from the Central Commonwealth, but left last night to arrive via airship after hearing news of the Son of Heaven’s research.”
“My, my, night-time travel via the airship. Do you think the poor fellow has had any time to sleep?”
“Judging from what I can see from here, I would say no.”
Solomon agreed with a ‘tut’ in reply to his observation. “Look at how much he’s smiling and bowing. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen the man bow so much even in front of our President.” He then turned to his Uncle and said, “Wow, I’m starting to feel a little nervous now. It feels like we are meeting some real big-shot.”
“Don’t humble yourself, boy. You and your research are no less valuable. You are gifted. Never forget that.”
“Now that you put it like that, I am quite something, aren’t I?” An arrogant smile showed on Solomon’s face.
The few continued their quips back and forth for a few minutes before a servant arrived before them. “Mr Grunde, please follow me to meet the Son of the Heavens.”
Solomon and his Uncle both rose from their seats. However, before they could take their first step, the servant followed with another sentence. “Only the younger Mr Grunde was granted permission to meet the Son of the Heavens. I’m afraid that I must ask Lord Grunde to wait here.”
Solomon turned around with confusion, only to meet a similar expression in his Uncle’s eyes. The two continued to stare at each other for a few seconds before the latter spoke up. “Go. I’ll wait here.”
A nervous expression immediately surfaced on Solomon’s face. “What if I say something untoward?”
“Stick to the topic of research and do not stray. If you’re confused about something, then simply do not speak.”
Just as the latter was finishing his advice, the servant interrupted once again. “Mr Grunde, if you will.” He turned around and gestured with his hands.
Swallowing a nervous gulp, Solomon nodded to the servant and began following the latter. Under the servant’s guidance, he followed for a few minutes before arriving before a set of massively ornate mahogany doors.
As Solomon stood in awe at the carving on the door’s surface, the servant summoned his strength and pushed it open. Instantly, the pungent smell of sandalwood wafted out from within the room and irritated the young inventor’s nose. Crinkling his nose a little, the youth quickly grew to ignore it. He had faced far more repulsive scents during his research and such exotic smells barely fazed him.
“Please enter.” Ushered by the servant, Solomon stepped past the threshold and entered the room. The instant he did, the doors behind him closed shut as the servant waited outside.
Inside the room, Solomon noted three individuals. Sitting on the sofa nearest to him was a middle-aged man with a typewriter before him. His stiff posture and blank expression presented all the hints for the young inventor to place him as the resident scribe for this meeting.
The second individual, also a middle-aged man, was standing against a liquor cabinet holding a glass in his hand. He smiled as he met gazes with Solomon and offered his glass. “Welcome, Mr Grunde. Would you care for a drink?”
Wasting nary an instant, Solomon immediately shook his head. “No. I don’t drink. Never.”
“Hmm,” nodded the man, the smile on his face remaining constant. He then took a sip of his drink before slowly speaking. “Interesting choice of words there.”
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Solomon immediately grew uncomfortable as he felt a familiar feeling from the middle-aged man’s demeanour and speech. This one was a true-blue politician. The kind that wouldn’t hesitate to sell their own mothers for a chance at a promotion.
It was the sort of person that Solomon reviled the most.
Turning his head away, taking extra care to hide his disgust, Solomon moved his gaze towards the farthest individual in the room. He was a tall man with an extraordinary presence about him. He stood with his back against him, staring out of the massive, iron-barred windows.
Looking at this figure, no introduction was required by Solomon to know who this person was.
He was the Star.
“Apologies for making you wait, Mr Grunde,” Yuelong began, as he turned around to face the young inverter with a quiet smile. “My name is Mu Yuelong, the Eldest Young Master of the Mu Household and the Star of this generation.”
Walking a few steps forward, Yuelong pulled on the cushioned chair situated before the only desk in the room and seated himself. He then placed his elbows on the table, locked his fingers, and rested his chin atop his hands, narrowing his eyes to gaze at the nervous-looking guest.
“I understand you requested a meeting with me?” he asked.
Solomon gulped audibly as he felt an invisible pressure, unlike any other, press upon his shoulders. “I– Yes– Meeting–” He fumbled as words eluded him.
Solomon was quick to recognise his blunder and immediately shut up in hopes of gathering his nerves. Unfortunately, with each passing second, the air within the office only seemed to grow heavier and more tense. It also didn’t help that the sound of metal clacking against metal as the scribe recorded the meeting with his typewriter, seemed to introduce an element of impatience.
As the young inventor’s silence and nervousness grew, Yuelong took the lead to speak. “Please calm yourself, Mr Grunde. There is nothing to be nervous about. I understand that you and I are not too dissimilar in our ages. Please treat me as you would your peer.” His smile grew more relaxed as he sought to unwind the nerves that his guest was suffering.
“Also, Adjutant Yun, if you could take a short break from recording.”
The scribe spoke nothing and immediately took his hands off the typewriter.
Almost instantly, Solomon felt a wave of relief wash over him. He felt his tense shoulder relax and looked at Yuelong with an expression of gratitude and friendship. Feeling a lot more comfortable, he then proceeded to clear his throat and began speaking.
“First of all, allow me to tell you how honoured I am to finally meet you, Son of the Heavens. I must say that your research on the extraction and harnessing of Worldly Energy {AN: Worldly Energy is a lesser, diminutive form of Heavenly Energy, as the latter is still incredibly unstable in its form.} is a work of genius! I read your papers and must admit that the difference between a regular genius and a Star is a gulf neigh uncrossable by mere dedication or hard work.”
As Solomon fell into his usual habit of rambling, Yuelong quickly noticed it and raised his hand to interrupt the youth.
“Mr Grunde.”
“Oh, please call me Solomon, Son of the Heavens!”
“Then, Solomon it is. Could you please be brief in your content and tell me your agenda for this meeting? It is not that I mean to hurry you but simply that I only have a limited time to spare before leaving for a meeting with the Heavenly Emperor.”
“Right! Oh, right! I’m extremely sorry! Dammit, I fell into my bad habit of rambling again.” Solomon knocked himself twice on his forehead. He then opened the briefcase in his hand and haphazardly gathered a set of papers which he proceeded to hand over to Yuelong. The latter curiously received the papers while asking, “This is?”
“My research,” replied Solomon, a smile of pride showing on his face. “It’s what I’m presenting before the world tomorrow night.”
Nodding his head, albeit with confusion, Yuelong proceeded to read the title and the abstract on the first page. It only took him a few paragraphs in before his mouth unconsciously slackened with awe.
Seeing that reaction, Solomon grew more confident and grinned with ease and a tinge of arrogance. “While it is unequal to your own, I do believe that my work has some merit, Son of Heaven. And so, here is my request and that of my country; please join me in my work and help me complete this research. It is my honest belief that the end result of our work together will not only benefit our respective backgrounds but also empower and elevate Mankind as a whole.”
A dazed expression coloured Yuelong’s face as Solomon’s words went unheard in his head. His mind was blank, save for the title and starting paragraph of the abstract typed onto the paper in his hand.
[Title: A Study of the Automation of the Manual Workforce and the Introduction to the ‘Automaton.’]
[Abstract: The Age of Man toiling away at fields and shedding lives in wars draws to a close. It is now the Advent of the Age of the Machines…]
If Yuelong’s work was considered ‘revolutionary’ by the world, Solomon’s search held within it the power to overthrow the very future.
Such was the will of the heavens!