The Mechanical Era

The sound of water residing in the river steamed upwards into the ocean calmly could be heard throughout all the farms located near the beach.  As the sun was rising back up from the horizon, marking the beginning of a new day, the people of Hoverdam start to wake up from their deep slumber.

Kyle, who slept right next to his wife on his wooden bed with its hay mattress, woke up in his farmer clothes, ready to start his day. He quickly off the bed, and went over to get dressed in the nicest clothes that he can find.

Considering the place he was going to, he went and made sure to buy a pair of new clothes. From the closet, he picked out a white shirt, a brown beige suit with a matching color pair of pants, and a black tie, along with his calfskin shoes and a fedora hat.

Kyle made his way down to the dinner table, where his wife had prepared his breakfast. On the wooden plate, he got a eat some bread, and eggs, along with fish, vegetables, and cheese. Once he finished his meal, he kissed his wife and children goodbye and walked towards the small port, where a ferry will bring him over to the city.

As he walked over to the docks, he looked on at the other farmers. Like himself, they have managed to set up a few things. As the farmers were starting from scratch, they had to start off with preparing the land. Any obstacles, such as rocks, bushes, or trees were removed, and the land was plowed to loosen up the soil.

With the land plowed, the next step was to plant the seeds. They intended on following the 4-field crop rotation technique that had surfaced recently, where they planted grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. After they are harvested, they were to be 'rotated' and planted again.

However, before they went on to plant the seeds, the farmers need a few things. First, they need fertilizer. Not just any fertilizer, however, but something called 'Lumer's fertilizer'. Invented by a wizard that went by the name 'Lumer Gain', it was this purplish substance that spurred the growth of crops, allowing farms to significantly increase the yield and growth rate of their crops.

The farmers intended of using 'Lumer's fertilizer' to help grow their crops insanely quickly before the winter months would arrive. However, 'Lumer's fertilizer' was a very expensive fertilizer, and not many farmers are able to afford it, so they will need to provide a lot of money to buy enough of the supply for them to cover their entire farm, just this once.

That was not the end of their problems. They also needed some new tools to help them plant the seeds, harvest the crops, and to set up irrigation systems to properly grow and take hold of their crops. With the advent of steam-powered machinery, they all smelled an opportunity to exploit these cold, heartless machines.

As a result, Kyle, along with a lot of other farmers, decided to go take a loan from the bank, to help him purchase the equipment needed for him to successfully kickstart his farm, to make some money.

Kyle boarded up the ship and waited for the ferry to begin. He waited with a few other men, all wearing modern suits, headed to the same destination that Kyle was going to. Once the sundial hit the mark, the anchor was pulled up, and the boat cross the other side.

Once Kyle had safely crossed the river, he walked over to a tram station and waited for one to come. There were a few others, some wearing the old hemp clothes, while others wearing newer cotton clothes, all waiting. Once the tram arrived, Kyle hopped on and waited till he reached downtown.

The downtown was a rather marvelous place in Kyle's eyes. It was an area where the roads were clean and odorless, with the only spell being the baked goods of shops, the flowers present nearby, and now, the freshest air the city has to offer.

He drops the tram and starts walking around the city once again. He asked a few of the locals where the bank was before he finally arrived. The bank was a 3 story building, made with an imperial architectural style. It was one of the old banks, being built 300 years ago. It used to serve extremely wealthy clients, providing them with a place to keep their money.

It was only very recently that it started to provide loans. The first in the city to do so. It was followed up by a few other banks in the area, who wanted to expand into this market segment. With the industrialization of the city, there was now a higher demand for loans than ever before.

Kyle, upon taking a deep breath, walked inside. He was blown away by the checkered tile floor, comprised of black and white marble stone, polished to the point it shined. The building itself was well-lit thanks to the use of the large windows and torches being held thanks to the stone brick walls, painted daisy white.

After admiring the building for a hot minute, he walked up to the polished wooden counter, where a lady wearing a normal white cotton shirt and a black bow tie was present on the other side. She looked up at Kyle, unamused, and asked him a question.

"Good morning, sir. How may I help you today?" she asked.

"Hello. I am here to apply for a loan?"

"Long or short?"

"I... I am sorry?"

"A long-term loan is a loan that lasts for over a year, while a short-term loan is a loan that lasts for less than one year," she explained.

"Ah! In that case, short-term," he replies.

"What is your name sir?" she questions again.

"Kyle. Kyle Moneymaker." she writes it down.

"Wait for me here sir, I will be right back with you." she leaves the receptionist's desk for a minute before coming back. She then hands Kyle, empty-handed.

"Go to the room down the hall and to the left. You can communicate with one of our bankers here as to why you will need the loan," she replied.

"Alright. Thank you miss." Kyle replied.

"You're welcome." Kyle then walked down the hall, and to the left. There, he found a doorway, with a man in a white shirt and a blue tie standing next to it, shouting his name. Kyle walked up to the man and greeted him. He was then told to walk inside and sit down.

"The banker will be here in a minute," he replies, before leaving the room and closing the door. Kyle found himself in a fancy room yet again, with its white walls, checkered marble floors, and large glass windows.

He sat on a cushioned wooden chair, which was very unusual for him. In front of him, was a polished wooden desk, with a cup holding pens in it, and a swivel chair behind it. As Kyle got comfortable with himself, he can hear the door swing open again.

A tall man, wearing a gray suit, with 4 buttons on it, and a red and black striped tie entered the room. He had a smooth bald head, a pair of large brown eyes, and a button nose.  Kyle immediately stood up to greet the man. He lend out his hand, which both men shook.

"Good morning Mr. Kyle Moneymaker. I hope I am not late?" he asked in his deep voice.

"Oh no, you are not. I just came here myself."

"Wonderfull. Sit down," the man pointed to Kyle's chair. Once both the men were seated, they began to talk business.

"Now, I heard that you wanted a loan. What do you want the loan for?"

"Well, I have been given a plot of land by his majesty, and I wanted to start my own farm. I will need some equipment and materials to get it started." Kyle replied. The man raised her eyebrow.

"Do you even know how to start a farm, sir?" he asked. Kyle felt that she did not trust him in the slightest.

"Well... I am a farmer." Kyle replied.

"You are? For how long?"

"Since I was the age of 10. I have about 20 years of experience in the field."

"I see. How did you manage to get the farmland then? Where is it located?"

"I lived in the area where it used to be the industrial district. As compensation for evicting me from my old home, his majesty has me a plot of land on the other side of the river."

"The other side? Isn't that dangerous? Won't your crops be attacked by a bunch of demons?" he continued to ask.

"Well, my farm is located closer to the river and further away from the forest, where the demons come from. My community is also armed with FLM-18RCs, which are kind of like those guns the Vallian soldiers brought in."

"I see. Mr. Kyle Moneymaker, considering the farm in which you are speaking of was granted to you just a few months back, are you sure that your crops will be able to grow just in time to justify taking out this loan?"

"Certainly! I intend to a fertilizer called 'Lumer's fertilizer'. It is this magical fertilizer that can be used to grow food quickly. It was supplied by the palace itself during times when famines occurred so that we could have grown enough food quicker."

"Is that so? Well, are there other things that you want to buy with the money?"

"I do. I want to buy a seed drill, a harvester, a threshing machine, a water pump, a grain mill, some tools, and a steam engine. I will also be buying more gunpowder and bullets to protect my farm.

Some of the items above can be powered by an animal, like the seed drill and harvester, while others like the threshing machine and water pump could use the steam engine." Kyle explained. The man went on to ask a few more questions before he finally came to the terms of the loan.

"Now, Mr. Moneymaker. Although I am willing to guarantee you a loan to buy the equipment you need, I will require you to agree to the following two conditions.

The first condition is that you pay back the loan on the 4th of Initium, next year. This should give you a whole month's worth of time to sell off all your products to the city.

The second condition is that you pay the loan back in full, along with the 15% interest that will be accrued in the following months.

So... do you agree?" the man asked. Kyle thinks about the offer for a while, before lending out his hand.

"It is a deal, Mr. Morgan," he replies. The two shake hands, and sign a contact.