The Mechanical Era

The busy port had a new ship in town. Made out of teak and cedar wood, with its gigantic white sail and a wind mage on the pole, it could sail longer than any ship before. The royal couple had already given the message to their people that Kant would temporarily be their leader 2 days after he agreed. Now, they were to head to Nexert, to get rid of King Danial's fever.

Malinda hugged her son before she departed with her husband on the ship. Kant waited as it slowly sailed down the river before disappearing from his sight. He was already introduced to his new staff members. Arjun Boyle and Kristina Robin.

Arjun Boyle was the young yet intelligent assistant manager for his father. A man with wavy long black hair, and brown eyes, rocking a black cloak for his wear, he had earned the position after impressing the King many times before.

His opinion of Kant was rather mixed, being a manaless anti-social kid would do so, but he was intrigued by the boy as well. He heard stories from his personal maid who was the one who usually enter his room. She described interesting devices that Kant invented to help himself.

Kristina Robin was the knight commander. The tall woman had short ruby fusion hair, with sharp emerald green eyes that can spot anything a mile away. As the knight commander, she usually wore a long-sleeved silver-gray uniform, a purple skirt long enough to cover her knees and a pair of black leather shoes. In battle, she wore a lightweight enchanted steel chest plate and leggings, along with a pair of gauntlets and shoes.

Like Arjun. Kristina also had a mixed opinion of Kant. She was also intrigued by his so-called genius by the maid's stories. But she also was a bit suspicious of him. Being a teenager, she expects the castle to be filled with prostitutes by the time the royal couple comes back.

"Well. It's time to head back home." Kant said. He turns to his new staff members.

"I would like to walk home, please. Can I do that?" he asked.

"That will be a long walk sire. Are you sure?" Arjun responded.

"That's fine by me. It's good for my health and I want to look around." Kant replied. Arjun turned to Kristina awaiting her response.

"If sire wants to walk back to the palace, you will need a knight to accompany you," Kristina responded.

She called out of the elite knights. A male one. He immediately dismounted from the horse. and walked over. While she ordered the knight to protect Kant, he asked Arjun a favor.

"Arjun, I would like for me to have a tour guide of sorts. So would you follow?"

"Well sire, I gladly accept."

The two started walking along the lively streets of Hoverdam. The roads were all paved with polished cobblestone bricks, with smaller streets meant only for walking that would often have trees to give shade.

Every building Kant could see was mostly made from wood and cobblestone, with no glass windows to be found on them. Yet, there was a beauty that caught Kant's eye.

The near odorless streets had many giggling children playing along with each other. Sellers chanting 'Apples!', 'Tuna!', 'Gems!' or whatever products they were selling.

They weren't as dirty as Kant would have expected, with some seeming to have just cleaned themselves. They do, however, look to be thinner, with a faint touch of unhealthiness that could only be seen in his eye.

In fashion, many men seem to like tunics with leggings and long brown boots. Colors include coffee brown, beige, yellow, and cyan. The women prefer gowns with long shirts, while boys and girls under 5 feet were given dresses to wear. Only children aged 13 or older wore what their parents wore.

The buildings all had a great amount of order and balance to them, with them having the same width and height, yet they had been given a great amount of freedom, to fit the owner's tastes and needs.

It was not perfect, but it felt as if the city was designed for humans, not automobiles. Many questions started to form in his head but got temporarily distracted because of something that caught his eye.

Many people were all lining up in one specific building, all carrying wooden buckets with dirty brown water in them. It was two stories tall, but it was clearly built completely of expensive stone bricks, painted with a coat of white. Its design had roughly the same characteristics of the palace's classical architecture.

"Arjun, what is that building over there?" he pointed at the strange building.

"That sire is a water pub."

"A business selling water?"

"Not quite sire. Water pubs are property that rightfully belongs to the ruling royal family in charge. It belongs to his majesty Danial Maybale himself. Since his majesty is away it is controlled by you sire." Arjun replied.

"What about the dirty water?"

"They come in there to purify it. Mages cannot create water out of thin air. Even if they do, they disappear into thin air."

"You mean they turn to vapor?"

"No sire. It turns to mana and returns it to the air. It cannot be used for drinking. Many had tried before."

"Why is it called a pub then?"

"It involved a bit of history. The commoners started calling it a pub, and the royalty followed suit. I think sire can guess which family."

"Queen Diana Maybale III?"

"Exactly sire, But in reality, it's where people come there to purify the filthy water they use, to make it safe for drinking."

"How exactly? Mages?"

"Correct sire. Any mage that learned the spell of purification, but since it is very... useless and time-consuming, most of them are commoners who only learned that spell."

"How long does it take?"

"I don't know sire. I assume maybe.... 5 to 10 minutes a bucket. Maybe more?"

"For a single bucket?"

"Well I expected sire to not know this, so let me explain. For magic to be effective sire, one must use up a lot of mana for it to be powerful. The potency is what determines its effectiveness. It is true in every spell, even for the purification spell.

Since the very few commoners that possess magic does not have much mana reserves, it takes them a lot of time to do the job. It is well taught in the academy.

There are, however, some mages with a larger mana pool who attended smaller academies that tend to help out the commoners, either to teach them magic or help them more directly. That one right there is." he pointed to a woman in a black cloak.

"For them, it would only take a few seconds to complete. Their charity helps save a ton of hassle."

"I see. It seems like they carry a small amount to purify. How often do they visit? Do they use it only for drinking, washing their clothes, and such?"

"People usually come in every other day. Which is why they all form in lines. They use it for drinking and cooking only. Commoners wash their bodies and clothes in the public bathhouse. They do take baths like you do sire. Only... less often."

"I knew that Arjun. But how many times a week do they wash?"

"Only once a week. People come in and clean it when it is closed. There also is a place for them to defecate as well."

"Is there a system to clean it?"

"Yes, sire. Commoners willing to accept the job for a few coins do. They would clean it once a week."

"I see."

"Is there anything else would sire like to know?"

"Yes, Arjun. I look around this city and... Do you happen to know the reasoning for the design choices for these buildings? I am a bit curious."

"Unfortunately sire, that is an area I do not have enough expertise in. I suggest asking one of the owners in that regard. I guarantee sire will get to hear its story." he replied.

One building, in particular, caught his interest. It was a food shop, 2 stories tall. On the countertop facing the side street were pots filled with hot food that would draw anyone in.

Kant wanted to know more, but the invisible hand of anxiety and fear kept him from entering, while the commoners, noticing his clothing, looked at him with suspicion. He took a deep breath, gained up a bit of courage, and walked in.

On the inside were many tables, all with people standing around the counters, picking out what they liked from the pot, and paying for it. He entered the building to look around. As soon as Kant entered the shop, everything went silent, the people looked over and his direction, and started whispering. They all stopped and continued to shop around. Kant then was confronted by a man.

He had short black hair, and brown eyes on a sleek face with a thick mustache that would make anyone jealous.

"Sire Kant Maybale. Uh... what business do you have with us?"

"I am here to ask questions regarding your establishment."

"Oh... um of course! Would you like to come upstairs?"

"I would yes."