“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Ranger, and Miss Rowan.” Carnegie said with a faint Aurora accent, smiling graciously as he shook my hand and kissed Orna’s hand in the manner of a high class gentlemen. “Thank you for letting me impose upon your dinner.”

“It was too interesting not to.” I replied with a smile as we all sat down around the table. “I could play gracious high class host and gossip about many things at first, but I’m just too curious, and truthfully too damn tired from a vey long day.

So, I figured I’ll play the unmannered wild man from the Frontier, and simply be blunt about it.”

Carnegie smiled as he looked at me and finished my little speech for me. “Why the hell am I here?”

“And what the hell do you want?” I nodded, smiling along with him as Orna watched both of us with a mixture of nervousness and excited fascination. “We can’t forget that one. That’s arguably the most important one.”

“Not the why?” He asked back, looking like he was actually enjoying himself.

Truthfully, I found that I was enjoying myself as well. This guy was one of the richest men in the country, and his steel was in everything from ships to cities, yet he was sitting here bantering with me. And he was doing it all like we were old friends and it was the most natural thing in the world.

He certainly knew how to put people at ease.

“The why is often interesting, and useful for investigations and mysteries, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s usually not all that important. What matters is the goal, and the methods of achieving it.” I remarked, remembering the lessons I’d learned from the war. “It has its place, but really, how would it help right now? You’re here. Obviously you’re here for a purpose. What that purpose is, and how you plan on going about achieving it, are what actually matter here and now.”

“Well said,” he nodded with a respectful smile. “And very true. In this case, I imagine you can surmise that’s in regards to your centaur. Well, most of it.”

“That damn horsewoman is gonna be the death of me.” I muttered, feeling more than little sarcastic about the whole thing at this point.

“Nah, I imagine it’ll be the Lancaster sisters who will have that honor.” He quipped back, catching me off guard and electing a surprised laugh.

“You’re very well informed.” I chuckled.

“The nature of being a business titan.” He shrugged. “Though in this case, I do have some inside information.”

“Enough shuffling you two.” Orna cut in smoothly. “Just deal already.”

We both blinked and looked at her, as she stared back with a raised eyebrow and nonchalantly took a drink. We all actually chuckled together at that.

“But it was just getting good!” I mockingly whined.

“Our food should arrive soon.” She replied, ignoring me with a raised chin. “So you two can either keep dancing around while we eat, or you can get to it now, and then think it over as you chew.”

“I like her.” Carnegie remarked, looking at her with a shrewd smile.

“I saw her first.” I replied, smiling at her as well. She actually blushed from our responses, and returned to watching us silently.

“Well, she does have a point.” Carnegie shrugged and sat up straight, in pure business mode. “Obviously I know about your little bet with Ganes. And I want in on the chance to breed your centaur woman with my own herd.”

“Only someone like you could call that bet we made, little.” I rolled my eyes before continuing while he smiled a bit smugly, but good-naturedly all the same. Then I blinked and picked up on what else he’d said.

“Wait, you have your own herd of centaurs?” I asked, blinking. “I thought you were all about steel? And, just how many privately ‘owned’ centaur herds are there around here?”

“Several.” He replied with a shrug. “Their numbers are actually in the low thousands, grand total. And we send envoys out west to the Frontier to entice more of them to come out here whenever we safely can. There’s been something of a competition between several groups to get the centaur population up and running enough to start taking over inner city transportation for a few years now. All in the name of staving off the Manure Crisis.”

“That’s seriously a real thing?” I asked, shocked. “I thought that was just some newspaper gimmick to drive up readers.”

“They do that a lot, but no, it’s a real thing. The sheer number of horses in and around every area of this city makes it a real thing. And it’s not a new problem.” Carnegie replied with a shrug. “The ancient Roman Emperor Augustus banned horses from inside Rome, and they kept that ban moving forward for the rest of Roman history. The Albions are having an even worse problem with their manure inside of London than we are here in the Union currently. All of their streets are currently under several inches of manure.”

“And you guys are convinced that centaurs are the answer?” I asked, wondering at the obvious city problems, and their sheer scope, that I’d never even stopped to think about before. “Creatures from myth and legend that only became real after the Shattering?”

“It’s one idea for a solution.” He shrugged. “There are others who are trying to work out how to use the electricity we generate for the electromagnets on the docks to power train carts in the city streets. Still others propose using automobiles to replace horses and not bother with centaurs. Others think we may have to imitate the ancients and simply ban horses from all avenues of city life.”

“Considering how many horses are used for transportation of goods and raw materials in industry, that would kill our city in less than a decade.” Orna stated with a frown. “We Coppersmiths are all trying to make solutions to the problem as well you know.”

“Oh, we know my dear, and that’s another reason I’m here tonight.” He smiled warmly at her. “I’m interested in beating out Ganes by ensuring you win, fully, free and clear.”

“I see.” She nodded with a sudden fierce smile. “So you’ll be sponsoring me, alongside Mr. Ranger, and after I win, you’ll take Miss Halona’s offer of a, er, traveling pregnancy and seasonal visits, for, eh…”

“For breeding and basic child rearing purposes?” Carnegie finished for her as she trailed off awkwardly, chuckling as he took a drink. “When working with centaurs, one must get used to their utter frankness about things. And yes, I’d love that deal. However, I’m also interested in whatever you’re working on. I also do need to speak to Mr. Ranger here about a separate matter concerning him as well. So, a very busy night for me.”

“You seem confident you can get Ganes to go along with letting you have a crack at Halona.” I muttered, wondering what the hell he wanted with me, specifically. “If there are actually thousands of centaurs around here, why is Halona so precious? And, for that matter, what’s wrong with those other solutions that were proposed to solve the crisis?”

“There are thousands in general, but they’re split up between different groups, individuals, and conglomerates, all trying to breed them as fast as possible. So, any centaur female is worth multiple times her weight in gold.” Carnegie explained with a shrug. “We’re all in competition with each other, so any addition to the numbers is fiercely fought over. As to the other solutions? The carts have a hell of lot of logistical issues that just don’t make them practical, and they tend to overload on the electricity and burn out a lot, making them useless thus far.”

“And the automobiles?” I asked, remembering seeing a couple of the strange looking contraptions being driven around on the road, weaving in between the horse carts.

“Oh they’re great, if you can afford one, and have a team of engineers on staff to maintain them and fix them.” Orna answered, surprising both of us and laughing at the looks on our faces. “What? I’m a Coppersmith! That means among other things, I’m an engineer! The automobiles are individually built and designed, mostly for rich blokes who can afford them. They aren’t used for industry, and not available to the public.”

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“Just so.” Carnegie laughed as the waiters headed towards us with our orders. “And I have a vested interest in centaurs winning out as the solution anyway.”

“And what’s that?” I asked as our dinners were finally delivered to us.

“If centaurs become a mainstay part of society here, they’ll spread to other cities.” He smiled like cat watching an entire pack of fat mice walk right by him. “That will mean all those old buildings and streets will have to be torn down, redesigned, and rebuilt with centaurs in mind alongside everyone and everything else. Eventually, every city and town in the Union will follow through on those designs. And all of it will be built up again with steel. My steel.”

I blinked at that, then stared in shock as I slowly thought it through. The average size and scale of centaurs, combined with tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of them across the country in every major city. The sheer amount of new construction that would require was mind boggling, and the profit Andrew Carnegie stood to make from all the steel he would sell because of it was jaw dropping.

So that’s what a visionary business titan really looks like. I thought as I tipped my head towards him in respect. He smiled slightly and nodded in return. After that we were all quiet for a few minutes as we dug into our meals, and had a chance to digest everything.

“Well,” Orna began again a little later, clearly trying to get the conversation back on track. “You explained why you wanted Halona, and why you’re willing to help me out. All that remains is why you’re interested in Mr. Ranger.”

“I actually prefer to be called Jake.” I absently interjected.

“Jake then,” Orna nodded with a small smile to me, before turning back to Carnegie. “So, why the interest in someone so new to the city?”

“Oh that’s actually quite simple.” Carnegie chuckled as he took another drink. “I’m also involved in building theaters and a new musical hall, as well as libraries across the city and country.”

“Okay…?” I drew the word out, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “And that has to do with me, how exactly?”

“Well, I mentioned how I had an inside track of information about you?” He smiled wickedly. “Like how I knew about the Lancaster sisters?”

“Yeah, how do you know about that?” I asked, suddenly wary about the answer.

“Well, you see, I have many investors and financiers I work with, including more than just Unionizers, and even more than just humans. I work with elves, dwarves, the occasional merfolk, and of course, beastkin.” He smiled even wider at my twitch on the last one. “And recently, there was this big play they were all pouring money into to create. Their whole community got involved in it. Naturally I offered up my newly built theater and concert hall as venues for it.”

“Oh hell no!” I groaned, feeling a full blown migraine coming on.

“Oh hell yes!” He laughed out loud, while Orna just watched with wide eyes in riveted curiosity. “I will cover all the expenses that Miss Orna needs for her Exhibition competition, anything at all, and I’ll work with Miss Halona on her traveling pregnancy contract. In exchange, you will attend the upcoming opening night as my guest of honor.”

“Why?” I groaned, already knowing that this man was here to win, on all fronts, and he would not take no for an answer. For men like him, it wasn’t actually about the money. The money was nice, but that came with what they really wanted: to win. It was all about the winning.

The winning led to success, and the success led to money, but it was the winning that mattered, always.

I was the same way, just about different things. So I knew that I could either dig my heels in and force him to drag me, kicking and screaming the whole way, or I could just negotiate to get what I wanted out of it. So that begged the question, what did I want?

I thought about that quickly as Carnegie answered my earlier groan with a sharp smile, as if he already knew what I was thinking.

Hell, he probably did.

I sure as hell wasn’t his first rodeo.

“Because having you there will be a coup that no amount of money could really buy.” He answered, smiling. “It will add an extra, ultimate layer of fame and mystique to the entire hall. Together with the papers, the success of the music about you in my hall, and having you there, will solidify my cathedral to sound into this city for a hundred years.”

“Music about me?” I groaned, staring at him. “I thought it was a play?”

“It is, but a visiting composer heard about the whole thing, and got inspired.” Carnegie laughed while I just stared in horror. “He was overtaken with runaway passion, and wrote out several orchestra songs about you and your various, currently known exploits. I understand it was in a similar vein to Albions Jack’s the Lad. I have to admit, they’re some very catchy tunes.”

I felt like I’d been gut shot.

Doesn’t anyone here have anything better to do?! I thought darkly. I really needed to keep on traveling. If I stayed in this city for any great length of time, the hero worship would either drive me mad, or go straight to my head, neither of which would end well.

And suddenly there it was: what I wanted.

“I will do it.” I stated calmly and firmly, getting both Carnegie’s and Orna’s attention focused on me. “I’ll need a new suit.”

“No, wear what you wear out in the Frontier.” Carnegie replied immediately, grinning widely. “It’s what people, especially the well-to-do of the city’s finest, actually expect to see you in. Weapons, coat, boots, hat and all.”

“You’re kidding.” I muttered, staring at him. Now I wasn’t even allowed to dress up in a nice suit? When I could afford it and was going to an event that required it?

“As strange as it sounds, people have this image of you in their heads.” Carnegie shrugged. “Putting you in a suit, even one as normal as the one you’re wearing, isn’t what they expect, or want to see.”

“Fine.” I ground out. It was stupid, but easy enough.

“Opening night will be the night before the Exhibition.” He explained, smiling. “I’ll have a coach pick you up. Just be ready.”

“I will.” I sighed, then glanced over at Orna. “Want to come?”

She blinked in surprise, blushed as she looked at me, then frowned and shook her head, all in a matter of seconds. “It’s the night before the Exhibition. I can’t. I’ll be too busy tuning my creations, and the main attraction I’ve been working on.”

“Oh well,” I shrugged with a smile and turned back to Carnegie. “Just me then. I doubt Halona will care, or fit.”

“Excellent!” He nodded, smiling. “And what would you like in return?”

“You know that Albion airship that just pulled into port today?” I asked in response.

“I do.” He nodded, raising an eyebrow at me with interest.

“I want a bunch of first class tickets for it. For me and whoever else travels with me on it.” I stated flatly. May as well get what I want out of this mess. The ability to move forward, to travel in style on a modern wonder, through the clouds themselves. And all of it on someone else’s dime for a change.

“Done.” Carnegie agreed immediately, reaching out his hand to shake. I nodded, and reached out my own to shake as well. After that, dinner was a more normal affair for us all, with the tension largely gone.

“Well, I need to get my siblings and get home to my lab.” Orna said after we’d enjoyed our deserts. “Between all the parts I’m going to need from you Mr. Carnegie, and that rat bastard of the guild trying to sabotage me, I need to make sure everything’s alright. And get to work since there’s only a few days left.”

“Might be best if we move your lab somewhere safe.” Carnegie muttered, looking off into the distance. “If they’re really ready to sabotage you, we need to change things up. I can have some well armed men and wagons drop by to help you move your lab somewhere better.”

“Where would you like to move it to?” I asked, looking over at her. “If you think it’s a good idea to do it.”

“It probably is.” She sighed, looking sad, then resolute as she turned back to Carnegie. “What about here? I don’t know anyone else in the city outside of where I live, or anywhere else other than Central Park.”

“Of course.” He nodded with a simple shrug. “I’ll speak to the owner and have him set up some rooms for you, your siblings, and for your equipment. Once the newspapers have had a chance to really get going over all of this, I doubt that he’ll complain.”

I chuckled at the easy power he casually tossed around to get things done.

“So, where shall my men come and find you my dear?” He asked, looking over to her. “It would probably be best to have Jake here come with them to meet you, so you know its them.”

“I don’t mind that.” I agreed, thinking of the rat bastard, and those like him, and how far I knew people of their ilk would easily go to stop what they saw as a threat.

“Thank you.” She nodded to me, before she turned to Carnegie and actually looked a little embarrassed for moment before she seemed to square her shoulders.

“I’m from Five Points.”

I stared in confusion, the name meaning nothing to me. Carnegie however, sat there looking stunned. Clearly the name meant something to him.

“And you’re entering the Exhibition? Going up against the Coppersmith Guilds from there?” He stared at her, and then smiled. “My, my, you are impressive. Is your lab safe?”

“I have a friend watching over it.” Orna nodded, then yawned.

“It’s late, and you’re probably a marked woman with the gangs down there.” Carnegie muttered, taking charge since he clearly knew what the hell the significance of the Five Points meant. “We should just have you stay here tonight, and head out with my men and Jake here first thing in the morning.”

“Someone going to tell me what the hell the Five Points is?” I asked, looking between them, tired of being lost in the sauce on this subject. Though at this point, I was just tired in general.

It had been a very long day.

“You’ll see it tomorrow morning.” He shrugged. “You’ll understand it then.”

“Fair enough.” I said as we all got up to leave the room and find someone to get Orna and her siblings a large room.

“After everythings been secured tomorrow, you should visit Central Park properly.” Carnegie told me as we headed over to the concierge’s desk.

“I saw a little of it today.” I told him as we reached the desk.

“Did you see the Bethesda Fountain?” He asked, looking curious and a touch somber for the first time tonight.

“Can’t say I did.” I replied, growing more serious in response.

“You should go.” He told me. “The centerpiece of the fountain is a beautiful angel, made to commentate the Naval Dead of the Union from the Civil War.”

I stared at him quietly for a moment, then nodded somberly in agreement. “I will.”

“Well then, get some rest tonight, Wild Ranger.” He told me, suddenly smiling again as I flinched at the nickname. “Tomorrow you’ll be descending into wild city country. A place ruled by multiple gangs, and brutal street violence as the norm, for men and women. Somehow, knowing the current situation, I don’t think you’ll have a quiet stroll through there.”

“Great.” I replied, deadpan. “Bring on the Five Points.”