The Mechanical Era

It was a very sunny day, in the middle of summer. On the paved road, Decan, Melor, and Lenin walked on the paved roads of the downtown area. The men were wearing suits, heavily inspired by Kant's own black suit, originally intended to appease the OSAC group and the king, who had taken a new liking to the fashion.

They were made primarily out of cotton, thanks to the HugoFabrics company churning out lots of cheap cotton fabrics. All of their suits were black in color, matching the color of their pants, with their ties matching to be acorn-gray, and their shoes being a pair of brown leather shoes.

For over 2 months, Decan, Melor, and Lenin have experimenting and designing the Hoversam Institute of Scientific Advancement and Research. Using kind of the same principles it promotes, the men experimented with Kant's ideas of using a material called 'concrete' and reinforced concrete. Though they did use wrought iron instead of steel, they noted its increased strength.

They managed to go so thanks to the near-endless supply of contracts coming over to them. Though their competitors are starting to notice, and even attempting to copy their style. Regardless, they intend on using their competitive advantage and cement themselves as a major player in the business.

They managed to complete the design about 4 days ago, thereby sending a letter to the palace to inform the King of its completion. They receive a letter back 2 days later, informing them that his majesty wants to meet up with them on the 3rd of Pecunia. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, they decide to clear anything out for the day and went to the meeting.

As they walked in unison, with Decan holding a briefcase, the people's heads turned as they see this distinctive new fashion popping up. At this point, they have so far been seen to be a sign of one's wealth, and personal connection to the king. There was a rumor going around that it was him that started the trend. Regardless, it was slowly gaining interest among the public.

The men arrived at the palace gates, where two knights were seen guarding the entrance. He restricted access for the men to let them enter. It was when they handed over the letter, which clearly states their invitation, still decided to send someone up to ask if there truly was anyone who intended to come here.

A butler soon arrived, told the guard off, and escorted them to the meeting room. The room had a long table, with 4 chairs in total. One chair sat facing toward the wall, while the other three were next to each other, facing away from the wall.

"Please wait till his majesty arrives. He was not expecting you gentlemen to come a little early."

"No worries. When will he finish?" Melor asked.

"He will be here in 15 minutes on the dot. Would you all like some tea if you prefer?" the butler asked. They all whispered to each other and agreed.

"Sure. Can we all have some plain tea, along with a cup of sugar for us to add?" Decon asked.

"Of course. I will be quick." With that, the butler left the room, allowing the men to look around. The room was painted with daisy white paint, with the floor tiled out of polished tiles that were a little hot thanks to the summer heat.

Soon, the butler deliver them three cups made of polished white ceramic, a teapot, and a small metal container with a lid and three spoons next to it. The butler poured in their tea, before leaving the room. As they wait, they drink their tea. As soon as they were done, the door receives a knock, before a man enters.

The three put the tray aside, stands up, and bow. Then, they all share handshakes. Melor and Lenin introduce themselves for the first time to the king. Kant comes around and sits on the lone chair. He keeps his hands on the desk, holding them together before he began to speak.

"Good morning gentlemen. I hope you all feel refreshed from the tea you just had."

"We sure did, your majesty," Decan remarked, who was sitting on the middle chair.

"Good. Now, let's get to business, shall we?"

"Of course." Decan opened the briefcase and presented the following blueprints, all detaining every inch, every room within the proposed facility. The building appeared to have 4 stories in total, with the first story being 5 meters (16.4 feet) tall, with the other stories being 4 meters tall (13.1 feet), giving the building a total height of 17 meters (55.7 feet).

The building itself looked to be rectangular in shape, with a rectangular hole in the center. The dimensions of the building are about 26.25 meters in length, and 17 meters in width, giving each story an internal floorspace of 407.5 square meters, after taking out the section dedicated to nature. After discounting the area for internal walls and such, this gives the building a total internal floor area of 1,428 square meters, which is about 1/5 the area of a football field.

To ensure that anyone from one side of the room can get to another area, there are a total of 6 staircases for anyone to easily find and move. 4 of the staircases were in the middle corners of the building, while the other 2 were located at the midway point from one stair from the north, to another at the south.

The building utilizes the Arteco Architectural style, which closely resembles the Classical Moderne Art Deco Style in the old world. The main materials listed to be used in the building are cement, bricks, concrete, reinforced concrete, and wood. For the windows, it utilizes glass, instead of using wooden windows.

"Just as you requested, we decked the whole building with everything you wanted. We have about half a dozen libraries to store all the information you need. We also incorporated a great number of rooms to be suited to conduct experiments under similar conditions.

Though, he has considered labeling the areas that would be best suited for the tasks. We have marked the libraries, laboratories, and such. We have also experimented with the material that sir suggested, being concrete and reinforced concrete.

We have determined that it was strong enough to be able to support the build, along with another 3 more stories. Although, we did use wrought iron instead of steel, so we assume that it could be stronger," Decan explained.

"So... what do you think sir?" Lenin asked. Kant analyzes the blueprints further. They have made not just 1 type of room, but several, with each of them having its strengths and weaknesses. Some rooms were said to have wooden floors, while others were designed towards incorporating tiled floors.

"This is an impeccable design. Well done." he rolls up the blueprints and keeps them to the side. He then held his hands together while they rested on the desk.

"Now, do you have an idea of the costs and time it would take to construct the building?" Kant asked.

"The building could take up as much as 330,000 bricks for the internal walls throughout all 4 stories. If we also account for the exterior walls, it would also add up to 280,000 bricks. As for the roofs of each building, we could see about nearly 500,000 bricks. Add to that the amount of cement, concrete, and steel that needs to be utilized, it could be in the 5 figures.

Although it is possible to build it in a few months, the project could be delayed if an adequate amount of materials won't be brought. With the current projects going around, I do not think that we do not have the capacity to build the headquarters unless, of course, you are willing to pay significantly more for the materials, and wait for years till we see its completion." Melor explained while making a slight smirk.

He was always very skeptical of Kant's abilities as king, Could this 16-year-old teenager REALLY be up to the task of managing a powerful trading kingdom? As a result, he wanted to see what Kant could do and waited for his response.

"You do not have to worry about the materials, Mr. Melor. I have a plan underway to increase the production of the necessary materials that you all desire. In the meantime, I suggest you all wait. Maybe perfect the design or see if there are any failure points."

"Alright, we will sir."