David nervously held the papers in his hand. “Prince, um, here is—”
“Wait,” said Kazi. Not yet. The deep details weren’t going to convince him. The prince required a broader understanding of their plans. “Integrated circuits will take up half of our focus. The other half will be for smartphones and televisions.”
Which in this world were also tiny markets.
“So?” Prince Yuzin asked.
“The largest industry is of course sports. Why? Because it serves as excellent entertainment that funnels right into the biggest money maker—the Heavenly Tower.”
“Mhm.”
“On Earth in the modern era,” Kazi clarified, “the rising industry pertains to electronics. Televisions and cell phones have changed communications and information sharing forever. With a small click of a button, someone from China can talk to another in the Americas.”
This time, the prince opened his eyes and unfolded his legs. He shuffled off the desk and circled over to his seat. He sat down and put his hands on his lap. “Continue,” Prince Yuzin said.
‘Now we’re getting somewhere.’
Buying out a factory wasn't in their cards. To do that meant to reveal the blueprints of their factories, thereby risking their monopoly. The Unorthodox Sect was a distant second place in factory and labour for a reason. The same reason why the Alhambra Guardians were tight-lipped regarding their cafes and bakeries. Cooperation was a must. Convincing the prince was a must.
“Six years ago, the Wild West guild invented the walkie talkie,” Prince Yuzin began. “Six months ago, they began manufacturing them for the public. On a technical level, it is a fine replacement for when messaging features are disabled for new players. Yet at the end of the day, it failed to penetrate the public guise. The people of this world prefer Lady Fatima’s Dove Pigeons. Do you understand?”
David didn’t, fidgeting and glancing at Kazi who seemed unfazed.
“In the White Abyss, magic reigns above all. Tell me, how many factories are necessary for the plan? Ten? Twenty? Fifty?”
“Thirty-four,” Kazi said, “to manufacture a hundred thousand phones in six months.”
“Six months of no profit. Six months of bleeding my accounts.”
“Wait, wait,” David interjected. “It’s not six months of waste. For example, in the realm of irrigation and agriculture, integrated circuits could be used to monitor soil moisture levels, control irrigation systems, and optimize crop yield. A-and whose in the agriculture field? The Alhambra Guardians.”
‘Who the wives of the Emperor interact with for important meetings. Nice going, David,’ Kazi thought.
“They’re very quick to make too,” David said. That wasn’t entirely true but whatever. “We can sell them at high prices for a quick return. The devices are all very portable and simply to use. It will help with managing waste at a high level. I’m sure the Guardians will appreciate that.”
“A short-term benefit while building a long-term plan. It’s ambitious. Except…one issue. Neither of you have any backing. If this fails, who is going to fall? Us.” Prince Yuzin seemed ready to shoo them away with a backhand. “So tell me, just how much are you willing to invest in this?”
“A hundred million points,” Kazi declared.
Prince Yuzin narrowed his eyes. “...oh?”
What Kazi was saying was, “I am willing to take the burden of cost..” That specific line of thought was their biggest hook. Kazi had money, enough to supply the factory and its workers for a solid year. Moreover, he was still climbing the Heavenly Tower and still accruing points. Depending on how much he could gain, he could supply up to two years of operation even without profit.
Kazi gestured at David to hand over the papers. Prince Yuzin took the papers and began flipping through. The documents focused on two aspects; one, the logistics, including the number of workers and types of workers; two, the patents of the devices they planned to manufacture, specifically smartphones, televisions, and the agriculture sensors.
“It’s very elaborate,” Kazi explained. “I have very specific criteria for workers.”
“Engineers and carpenters,” Prince Yuzin said. He flipped to the patents and nodded along. “Very ambitious.”
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“This world lacks the automation of the modern era. David explained to me how factories function here. If they’re the same as the Unorthodox Sect, then we’re looking at very messy, dirty environments akin to that in the early 1900s. For the projects I’m planning, I can’t have ordinary workers. I need the best.”
Name dropping the Unorthodox Sect caused the prince to glance over for just a second. It was a minor thing, barely relevant to his overarching point. If there was a hook, however, then there was a line. This was it.
“Even the Alhambra Guardians wouldn’t give out a loan as hefty as that.”
“No, they wouldn’t.” The Imperial Sect were unaware, weren’t they? Because of the Emperor’s focus on his own children, there was little curiosity placed on new players and the ongoings of the Heavenly Tower prior to Gate 50. Kazi needed to choose his words proudly. “I attained a great victory during Gate 8.”
“A hundred million points is hefty for an early gate. Let us say I believe you and you have it. Trust is another matter. You have no credentials for such a large-scale operation. How about this? I buy the patents for the parts for the agriculture devices.” The prince flipped through the pages. “The Raman Spectroscopy? I will buy it off you for a million points.”
David made a face. Kazi smiled. “A million points? Long-term, the Guardians could save up to tens of millions.”
“The technology you are displaying in these pages is beyond my understanding. I am taking a risk in this offer alone. I will have an engineer come in and evaluate its worth. Once that's done, we can sign off on the payments.”
“The patents alone will run you a million each,” Kazi corrected. “And you will also have to pay for the specific type of integrated circuit as well.”
The prince squinted. “What?”
“You should call over the best engineer you know,” Kazi said. “Maybe he will help guide your appreciation.”
Prince Yuzin studied Kazi and David. He was intrigued. He wanted to invest deeper. Understand more. “Fine,” the prince said. “I will sort out my schedule to elongate this meeting. Consider me intrigued. What were your names again?”
“Kazi Hossain.”
“David Tremblay.”
“David, Kazi.” The prince went into a lotus sitting position on his fancy chair. “Ah, there she is. Let us take a small break.”
Quietly approaching them was a black-haired woman in a red and white hanfu with a face that was a carbon copy of Prince Yuzin. The same thin eyebrows, the same incredible posture, and the same neutral tone of voice. If she had a moustache, Kazi would have been convinced she was his twin.
“This is my daughter,” Prince Yuzin gestured, “An.”
“Oh, uh…” David got up and trailed off. He glanced at Kazi, hoping he would know how to address her. She was the daughter of a prince. Did that make her royalty?
Yes, in a manner of speaking. The Kangxi Emperor followed the rules of the Qing Dynasty—his era. Thus, the daughter of a Prince of the Second Rank (Junwang was the term) was a Xianzhu, the Princess of the Fourth Rank. “Lady An.” Kazi gave her a nod. She carried with her a stray with a single cup of coffee. Kazi distinctly identified it from one of the Guardians’ cafes. Sun-young often went there alone.
Lady An nodded back and went to her father’s side. After placing the stray, she whispered something in his ear. If Kazi didn’t know how to lip read, he wouldn’t have caught the jist of her message. “These men look green,” she said.
“My daughter, you are not fooling him.” Prince Yuzin’s remark caused his daughter to stiffen. “That man has an excellent set of eyes.”
Never once did the prince take Kazi for a fool. Never once did he underestimate him. Everything was business and business was unfair and cruel. Intelligence did not matter. Ambition did not matter. It was all about logistics. Time. Money. Kazi understood that more than anyone.
He crossed his arms and smiled. “I appreciate the appraisal, Your Highness.”
"No need. An, go ahead and call over Bi Sheng."
An hour later, the engineer known as Bi Sheng arrived. Seeing the papers, he blinked, double-checked everything, and then asked Kazi questions. Kazi dutifully answered and did his best not to be overly smile. After all, Bi Sheng was a genius commoner from the Song Dynasty of China. He invented movable type printing and, though his life was not well documented due to his commoner status, was certainly among those that caused a jump in technology within the nation. In ten minutes, the genius engineer began to explain to the prince exactly how incredible Kazi’s patents were. Quite literally, the technology described was nearly a century ahead.
“I’m going to have to test them first,” Bi Sheng said, “but to be frank with you, my Prince, this appears real. I have been in contact with some of the engineers of the new era. Their technology is indeed impressive as it is effective.”
“I see…” Prince Yuzin glanced between the engineer and the papers, and settled on Kazi. “How long can you build the earliest prototype for the Raman Spectroscopy?”
“Four or five days.”
“I want to see it function. Then, we can discuss terms for the integrated circuits. Let us meet again in a week and show me what you can do. Otherwise, the deal is off.”
“Agreed,” Kazi said. “Allow me to erase all doubts, Prince Yuzin.”
The meeting ended not long after, with Lady Ann glaring at Kazi all the way and Bi Sheng asking to keep a couple devices. Kazi had to reject him but said that if the prince was able to secure a deal, then he would share his devices for sure. He smiled off her intense stare and went down the stairs. The moment they were out on the streets of the Nebulous Bazaar, David let out a large, chuckling sigh.
“Oh, man. I’m amazed,” David said. “The situation played out exactly like you said it would, Kazi. Like almost word for word. It was almost freaky.”
“Haha, consider it luck.”
Kazi made three great predictions. Three lengthy conversations depending on the kind of man the Finance Minister was. Was he bold? Stupid? Or rightfully competent? In the latter most, Kazi surmised that convincing him to a long-term plan in a single appointment was impossible. Thus, he planted two seeds. One was the mention of the Unorthodox Sect. As soon as Kazi mentioned them, in the back of the prince’s mind, he thought of the opposition and how this opportunity could slip away from him. Second, he dangled a smaller, more fruitful option, that being agriculture technology. The prince must have wanted to broaden the portfolio of the Imperial Sect. He was struggling for options—until Kazi and David arrived at his office.