A marvelous sight to behold. The brightness displayed a humongous, vaulted roof. A rib vault, to be exact, similar to one in a cathedral. An immediate second, the entire roof illuminated and between each rib, the web, there were grand chandeliers tightly fastened to the ceiling. It switched on as Father Kang directed everybody straight down, passing the banquet hall’s entrance.
This was the part where it was entirely new and the first time witnessing the renovations in person. The original portion of the house was covered by the banquet hall and what used to be open space, now blocked by the new matte walls. What was ahead was a T-intersection. A wide glass window, viewing the lake and beautiful night sky.
“To my left, your right was where we lived.” Father Kang pointed in the direction before turning to his right. “While this way leads to the library and the new stuff.”
The view of the lake while walking down the hallway was really nice. Julius mindfully continued looking at the lake from his peripherals while listening to Father Kang’s tour guide's performance. After a decent amount of steps, the hallway opened to a lobby with seats and tables at a convenience.
“Welcome to the Kang’s Dream Library (康的梦境图书馆),” Father Kang announced. “If it wasn’t for Emperor Julius, we wouldn’t have a public library…so give him a warmful thanks before you leave.”
That’s so unnecessary. Julius thought about his remarks and immediately was surrounded by warm gratitude. Most were unfamiliar faces, as this was the first time they saw him in person. Same old thanks per se. Nothing unique. Hence, he played along with a general nod and smile as, of course, his mouthplate wasn’t on at this point.
Multiple handshakes and greets grew to annoy him as his mind angrily ranted the fatigue. Don’t fall for it. Don’t do this. His mind repeated consecutively. The last incoming handshake subdued it.
“It must not be easy to handle all the handshakes,” a youthful male voice said.
“You read me very well. Who are you?” Julius asked.
“Han…Song Han,” he greeted, firmly shaking Julius’ hand.
Father Kang noticed the two and walked to them. “Ah, I see you two are meeting for the first time.”
Julius gave a look at him. “You know him?”
“Of course I do. We have known each other for more than a decade. In fact, you might recognize his work through your time here.”
Julius already knew about the story. Everywhere there was his creation. A part of the daily life of the people that lived on this continent. “I heard about you. Thanks for the metal wagons you optimized. It steered the war efforts on transporting cargo on time.”
“Any issues with it in your logistics?”
“Actually, no, but I do have something for you. A request to be exact since you’re here. I think you’ll be up to the job,” Julius said while noticing Han’s qi readings to be high.
“My ears are open.” Han put off his reading glasses in his suit’s inner pocket.
“Uh, gentleman. How about we continue this conversation inside the library’s lounge?”
The two nodded and followed the rest of the crowd, who already were inside the library’s premises. All in their own ways and viewed records to their liking. Julius excused himself from the two to have a personal tour of the library space. A lounge at the center view of the library was a pleasant addition, giving off the luxury hotel vibe. The black walls were exactly matched with the new hallway. A dark academia setting would perfectly describe the place.
Julius strolled along the lines of bookshelves, finding one part to be intriguing. The ends of each bookshelf had labels that indicated genres and alphabet order by the author's last name. His eyes scanned through the rows. From the left corner down to the right, he immediately stopped at one book. No dust cover, but a vibrant gold font displayed on the spine. Tempted, he let his finger touch the top of the spine and pulled it out from the shelf, revealing the weight of the pages it encompassed.
“An epic fantasy,” Julius muttered.
He looked at the empty cover. Most of the books he has seen so far have no dust jacket. One thought about it, realizing dust jackets don't exist here. They were leatherbound, hence, the unnecessary desire for one. The book Julius got out specifically. It had some art on the pure black hardcover, while the golden font title was above. The Chronicles of the Ten Lords (十大领主的编年史).
“Oh, so a reader here.”
Julius turned to find Empress Cai and Daiyu stared across from him. “How long have you been standing there, casually watching me?”
“A few moments,” Empress Cai said. “It’s something I can’t get bored with.”
“I’m not surrendering. My time as prey hasn’t arrived yet.” Julius held the book high, unresistant, to break a smile.
“One day…one day.” She pointed to the book the former held in his hand. “That book is perfect. Anybody would recommend that if you ask.”
“Is this a fantasy or a historical fiction?”
“It’s a Xianxia epic story written by Guo Qing from two hundred years ago,” Empress Cai explained while walking with Daiyu to Julius, viewing the book. “How many does this library have?” She looked at the section of the shelf where Julius got it from. “Ah, look, there’s three more…buy this.”
A sudden suggestion. Julius didn’t have the time to read an epic story as much as he wanted to. But then again, he found out this was the cultural book for the entire populace. Either in school or career, they’ll read this from the beginning to the end. Once that background was told, Julius had no choice but to buy this book from the library. He hadn’t noticed earlier, but he saw Empress Cai and Daiyu were viewing the other three editions that were next to the edition he got. They appeared to be mass-produced hardcovers, so it may be a jackpot. Hence, he exited the section of the library with the two trailed behind.
Daiyu directed him to the clerk's counter. By surprise, he met two familiar faces.
“Ritter? Lu Yi? My goodness. What a day,” Julius said, placing the book on the counter.
“You looked delirious,” Ritter said.
“More than that, I found you two here. It feels like a promotion. Doesn't it? Free from the underground and oppression.”
Lu Yi grabbed the book. “Life can be so sudden. No matter what kind of person you are, it has unpredictability.”
“You’re not wrong with that…Anyway, I’m glad to see y’all in excellent hands.”
“Checking out?”
Julius shook his head and said: “I’m buying it.”
He went into his pockets to grab two Thaler bills while Lu Yi looked at the hardcover. Julius assumed this would probably be twenty thalers. He placed the bills on the table and saw Lu Yi give a nod with widened eyes. “Interesting choice,” she said, assumingly able to read Yue’s language. “Even in Kriegshan, these were in the book market. It was a mixed bag, but many youngsters like me then would read this in our free time.” Lu Yi showed it to Ritter.
“Good choice. I was thinking you might be buying some rare books. I stand corrected.”
Julius chuckled. “Really? That was your impression of me?” He then handed the thaler bills to Lu Yi. “Well, it’s only worth it if it’s extraordinary or some kind of relic.”
The three smiled, and not long after, Lu Yui handed Julius the change. Five thalers. She then gave him the book, and Julius greeted them, wishing for the best. He, along with Daiyu and Empress Cai, walked back into the library. They headed for the library’s central lounge. Han sat at his spot, waiting for him. Father Kang, who sat across from him, stood up, leaving him and Julius for the conversation. Empress Cai and Daiyu separated and went off, hanging out with the rest over books.
“Started a drink without you. Hope you don’t mind,” Han said through his sip of cold red wine.
“Better late than ever,” Julius said before being confronted by a butler.
“What do you want for a drink?”
“I’ll take the one he has,” Julius said, making himself comfortable on a couch-like quality chair. He laid his arms on the armrest. “I take it you are anticipating something new arriving at your doorstep?”
“As an idea…I’m waiting for one to come knocking on my head.”
“I guess I’ll be the one doing the job…There’s one coming now.”
“All ears,” Han said, putting down his cup.
Julius pulled many folded papers from his overcoat’s outer left pocket and sat them on the table. He doesn’t let him view it yet. “Let’s upgrade your carriages. I suggest we remove the horses and keep the driver. Then we pull the driver's seat inside the roof—”
He saw Han’s eyes blink a few times, trying to process what he had said. As expected, since the idea he has doesn’t exist yet in Planet Raal. Not everybody in the capital saw it either. Hence, Han had to interrupt his train of thought. “That’s quite bold…I don’t think that can be possible. Without the horses, it won’t move. Unless somebody is constantly pushing from behind.”
“When you think about it’s not that bold. I’ll ask you. Have you made anything mechanically related? Like gear-wise or technology?”
“The water roller machine. Yes. Why?”
“I want you to apply that process into the carriage,” Julius said, then sliding the folded papers to him. “That thing can operate on its own as long as it has a power source. For carriages, it could too.”
Han grabbed the paper and began reading the papers. His eyes became a magnet, reviewing the ten pages of paper. Everything should be there, and easy to explain. Julius was hoping he could understand the basics.
“What is this machinery?”
“Your carriage’s potential transformation,” Julius said. The butler arrived with his drink. He took a sip of the ice-cold grape wine. It had a similar feeling to Yaen’s wine, but the potency was lesser. However, it tasted good too. After taking another sip, he noticed Han was finished with three pages, waiting for him. “So? How is it?”
“I…had to admit. It’s fucking cool. Did you draw this?”
Julius nodded, leaning up from his seat. “Yes, by hand, onto the paper. I had a couple of drafts beforehand that never came across. This was the last batch that I’m showing to you.”
“It’s made of metal.”
“Correct. The entire frame is metal. Specifically, steel throughout the car.”
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Is that what this is called?” Han asked, gesturing to the papers.
“Yep…I know everything in there seemed alien. However, I hope the descriptive diagram will make it easier for you to understand what I’m requesting.”
Han skimmed through the remaining pages and quickly put it down. He then called for the butler to send him a full bottle of grape wine. Julius sensed that was enough to get him to talk.
“So, you’re suggesting that I build this, correct?”
Julius silently nodded and summoned fifteen thousand thalers' worth of money on the table. “I’ll give you fifteen thousand to say yes.”
“Woah, you didn’t give me time to think about it.”
“You’ll have plenty of time after a yes. This is a long-term project aimed at being a successor to your innovative wagon, and based on your record, you wanted another revolutionizing creation,” Julius said, taking another sip of the grape wine. “Imagine not having to depend on horses, and only one person has to control the vehicle, taking themselves, someone, or something far away at a shorter time.”
“That’s not what I’m thinking about. I don’t have the complete manpower or funds to do this. Even if I do this alone with a few assistants, this could take years to do.”
“If you say yes, not only will I get involved, but you’ll be in the frequent meetings related to technology and innovation. Also, the government will be responsible for your funding. That way, you can decide how to schedule this entire process.”
Julius waited for his reaction and response. He was about to hit the limit on what he wanted to say and held off as much as possible until Han said yes. So, Julius relaxed and moved away from the table, surrendering to the backseat, which was very comfortable. “Take your time. I’m not in a rush.”
That should do it. Julius’ mind steered away from the conversation. He had a look around the other parts of the library, observing everything. A couple more sips, emptying the cup. To the left, where Julius hadn’t walked to yet, was the theater. The lounge and corresponding parts of the library were on a raised platform, allowing a full, wide view below it. This library was incredible. Not a library to be seen that has a theater and a working restaurant next to it. Hopefully, people won’t be too careless and cause a mess in the future. The layout seemed to fill the ambitious thoughts as Julius mentally drafted proposals for future educational institutions. A gothic hallway and a black-themed library might do the trick. Maybe not too dark, but each institution will have its own visualization of color and architecture.
A minute later, the butler, who looked busy in the background, came up with a bottle of grape wine that Han suggested. He was nice enough to pour some for Julius and asked for any more offers. The latter looked at his face, noticing a hint of a bad day. Hence, Julius gave him a tip of a hundred thalers.
“Sir, I can’t take this,” the butler said.
“Well, you better take it. I’m going to be doing this often around the city, bringing productivity and morale…Enjoy it while you can, alright.”
The butler hesitated, but eventually bobbed his head, accepting the tip. “I will, sir. Thank you.” He then left the lounge, leaving Julius and Han.
In perfect timing, Han agreed.
“So, you agree?”
“Yes, because I want to know more,” Han replied with curiosity. “What I wanted to know is how you came up with this.”
It appeared the conversation turned out to be a long one because others had turned their attention to the two. Hence, Father Kang stepped into the lounge area, calling for his cup. He joined up with the two. “What’s up, guys? You took your time.”
“Well, we actually just got started. Han accepted the pay deal, so now we can start discussing the future of this project.”
The butler came with a spare metallic cup of ice, handing it to Father Kang.
Father Kang looked at Han. “Anyway, sorry for interrupting. You can continue.”
“Yeah, I was asking how he came up with this idea and all the stuff written on this pile of papers.”
Screw it. Everyone is going to find out, anyway. “Because I’m an alien.”
“Excuse me?” Han, confused, stared at Julius momentarily before turning to Father Kang as if he was being serious.
The latter drank his grape wine from his cup, simultaneously nodded and went blunt. “He’s not joking…A lot of his ideas and expressions were alien, however, his explanations were comprehensive to us, so we understood his intentions quickly.”
Han turned back, looking more convinced. “Does this ‘car’ exist in your place of origin?”
“Yes, it’s the standard of ground transportation. Most people use it to travel, work, or collect them for entertainment.”
“And the horses?”
“It’s for ceremonial events. Unless this one sovereign nation or region retained its culture, then it would make sense to still use horses. But that only accounts for like one percent,” Julius revealed. He maintained eye contact, wanting to see how Han took the information. “Unless you are similar to the Zhao clan by look, horses are used by what they called cowboys to handle cattle.”
There was a moment of silence. Father Kang wasn’t fazed. “You’ll realize how cruel and different that world is later on. Just hear the project’s proposal,” he added.
Finally, the conversation steered back to the project. Julius let go of the lock and revealed the information one by one. The conversation of the three dragged on and lasted for fifty minutes. It attracted others into it midway through. Empress Cai, Daiyu, the rest of the Skolritters, and more took the surrounding seats of the lounge, filling it at max capacity. The staff had to take breaks to hear it, even sitting on the floors as there were no seats left. No secrets because nobody except the ones who experienced Julius’ pickup truck before it was destroyed knew what it was like. Or, of course, the ones that came from Earth.
By the end of it, the curious minds of everyone expanded. Even Mother Elaine wondered what Julius could be talking about because the project’s perspective on a vehicle was more like a fantasy. Helda had more impactful thinking as it revealed during the conversation she would be interested in driving one. She was also into street racing, but her past life refrained her from doing so. Hence, she was the most excited.
“So, three models?” Han asked.
“Correct. You and everybody else on the team can take two. I’ll take one…This is a collaboration project; it will make things more compelling.” Julius drank a gulp of his grape wine refill. “We’ll talk more about this in the second budget meeting.”
Everyone else stood after the three rose from the table. Julius shook hands with Han. The latter had confidently accepted the fifteen thousand from earlier, putting it in his secured bag.
“We’ll be in touch within the next week,” Julius said.
“I’ll see you then,” Han said his farewell to everyone and left the lounge first. Julius and Father Kang watched him depart.
“You think he can do it?” Julius whispered to Father Kang.
“Yes, sir. He will. Anything difficult and unusual motivates him.”
Julius’ mouthplate and the mask reformed around his lower face, signaling to others he was ready to leave. He turned to Father Kang, thanking him. “I appreciate this tour and the food. May I wish the best in spreading the knowledge to the world?”
Father Kang shook his hand. “It will be an honor,” he said.
The first day of the inaugural opening ceremony was a success.
----------------------------------------
5 days later (Y1010年 06月 5日)
Papers were everywhere on the floor. The space was quiet except for the sounds of movement on the table and swirls that followed, and then there was a knock on the door.
“Come in!” Julius exerted his voice at the door.
“Julius?” Daiyu opened the door.
“What is it?”
“A couple of senators want to have a meeting with you later today,” Daiyu said, placing the papers at Julius’ table. “These are their requests and what they wanted to discuss with you about.”
Julius stopped drafting his project plans, leaning back in his chair and reviewing the papers. He was about to lose it, but not in front of Daiyu. Hence, he threw the papers to the floor along with the pile of mess. “I don’t care what they want. They’re going to sneak in some deals in this budget law for their own personal gain. Especially, in the message’s mailbox, none of the people they represent were in support of these demands.”
“It was empty,” Daiyu said, closing the door.
“Right…So, next time, if they send another of these within the five days until I pass this, throw it away,” Julius ordered. “You can read it, but I suspect most of it is useless.”
Daiyu, tying her hair back, understood her directions. “How’s the project draft doing?”
Julius stood from his seat, walked to the shelf behind him, and pulled out a binder filled with data sheets. “Half good and half bad.”
“Share with me the bad news.”
He sat down with the binder slammed on the desk, not fazing her. “Well, material-wise. I want this specific metal.” Julius opened the binder and took one sheet of paper that he was looking for from the sleeves, showing it to Daiyu. “I think you might have some knowledge of this.”
She went to an empty chair in front of his desk and sat down. It took her a couple of seconds to view the paper. “Oh, Yuenite. But that’s from a different sovereign state.”
“Exactly. And I wanted some of it because Yuenite’s durability is stronger than steel. Unfortunately, we only have enough for three vehicles. So, there’s no chance for error, and I don’t want to take that risk.”
“Can Solomon duplicate the remaining Yuenite?” Daiyu suggested. “He has done some duplication before. Even the medical tents.”
“Sure, but I don’t want to waste his qi, draining him out. It’s difficult to duplicate everything, you know.”
“Have you contacted or gotten any information about the Green State’s loyalty (绿色州).”
Julius shook his head, denying any attempts from their side being made. “So far…Only two of the thirty states immediately responded after the letter was sent. Sounded like the rest didn’t take this seriously.”
“There was one type of oil there that also helped for future projects and construction. It’s located in Green State’s Jade Desert. All of it is there.”
When Julius heard her suggestion, one idea popped into his head, easing a little of his frustration. He took a blank piece of paper and began writing something on it. A brief and brief paragraph. It was handed to Daiyu, and she read what was written. Her eyes then stared back at Julius. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I have no choice but to,” Julius said in a monotone, pointing to the paper. “Have this delivered to Lin, so she can copy it multiple times. Send this to everyone in power and the military. I’ll declare martial law in about an hour.”
Daiyu stood up from her seat, almost doubting the certainty. She took one deep breath. “Anything else?”
“Nothing for now, thank you,” Julius said. “Are you ok? You look a little pale for a moment.”
Daiyu shook her head. “It’s nothing. I never lived in a period when this would occur. All news to me.”
“I see…But listen, I always had thoughts on what was going to happen minutes, hours, and days ahead when I used to be in the military back on Earth. My superiors always told me to get enough sleep because you never know what might happen and when a mission happens, you’re up till completion,” Julius advised. “Uncertainty is painful but must be embraced.”
“If this uncertainty is true, then when can we get peace?” Daiyu asked.
“Like I said…embrace the uncertainty and if we understand that, it will be far quicker.”
“Ok,” Daiyu muttered. She took a deep breath again and departed his office, heading to the Moon Registry.
Julius was left alone once more in his private office, which was next to his public office and the black meeting room. Ever since the Emperor’s office building was built near the East Wing, he had been in his office more than his official residence. Despite the constant reminders from the ones close to him to get some rest, he had been ignoring their concerns. Not counting the time spent at Level 2 of the Merit Universe, Julius had not slept for the past twenty days.
It was strange to not sleep for such a long time and nothing health-wise happened. Julius’ random thought of how energy-absorbing and efficient Planet Raal humans compared to Earth was astronomical. That new organ is next to my stomach. It was pretty anomalous. He wished he could be distracted longer but an announcement about to happen in an hour and finishing the project’s draft before it, stopping him from easing for long.
Luckily, the drafting didn't take much longer. He drew the last bits of the engine of the car. A V10 into this motherfucker of a beast. This world ain't ready for this masterpiece. He took influence from the 1969 Dodge Charger in terms of the overall frame structure. However, he proposed the rear to extend back further, matching the length of a 1973 Buick Riviera. Everything from the end of the front row doors to the headlights was Dodge Charger-influenced. While to the rear take from the Riviera. He took a bit from the boat tail design that the Buick Riviera was known for from 1971 to 1973.
Instead of one spot, Julius drafted the vehicle to have each rear side have a tailpipe. One requirement of the exhaust and tailpipe was to be built by using any kind of metal that could handle high magnitudes of energy. Despite being a V10, the engine will be optimized to unleash jet-like performances. Hence, it required a strong and sturdy exhaust system.
The interior will be more modernized but basic as he doesn’t want any touch screens. For this draft, the most will be buttons and switches to fully go with the jet-optimized V10 engine. Two seats will be constructed comfortably and durable for insane trips. No sedan. Julius wished this to be a vehicle not only for two people at most but also on the battlefield, and he didn’t want distractions of potential disarray from the inside.
It will be more work for Julius to craft this machine. To be honest, he wanted this. He missed driving a vehicle, especially being born in America. The one factor he had to keep in mind was to fully go by the Earth’s standards, but Planet Raal. Luckily, Han will be the perfect help for that.
After reviewing it one more time, he placed it in a spare folder, along with other pages of drafts. Julius stood and closed his binder, returning it to the shelf. His private office was messy because of so many papers, but he didn’t care. It was the only place where he didn’t have to worry about causing a ruckus.
He departed his private office with the folder in his grip, crossing through a separate hallway that leads to his public office called the Emperor’s Compound. Julius exited through the secured doors, which directed back to the hallway that on the right led to the Black Room. He flash-stepped out of the building, arriving at the Moon Senate, where he would make the announcement. Here we go.