The Mechanical Era

A square pocket mirror held with a fair left hand reflected the face of a man with a strong jawline, wearing a daisy white coat with polished yellow buttons. His black hair had been thoroughly combed back, with a slight roll on the back, and his green eyes with gold flecks stared right back at it.

His trousers were made of black wool, while his belt with a polished belt buckle that held it up was made of high-quality leather, strong, everlasting, yet expensive. It all went along with his pair of black shoes, made out of the same leather that holds the belt, though its texture may be different.

"You are looking too much in the mirror my friend," Oswald commented, who was wearing his violet wool coat. Jac turned his handsome face towards Oswald before replying.

"You cannot be so certain Ozzy. A few looks in the mirror might out to help with first impressions. Besides, I sense that you had done the same before during your first-time visit to the prince." he said before focusing his eyes on the mirror reflection.

Using his right hand which held a wooden comb, the man continued to perfect his hair. Oswald sighed a little.

"Even I didn't so to such an extreme extent! It's a bit unnecessary." Oswald spoke out. Jac kept his eye on the mirror.

"Well, we shall see," he replied. The two men were both in a carriage, with red leather seats stitched with yellow threads that imitated gold. The glass windows provided light inside as the red curtains stay off the side.

They went on for a while until they came to a stop. Jac, who was sitting on the right, placed the mirror and comb into his pocket and brought down the sliding window with both his hands. A knight approached the men and asked them to state their business.

"We are here for a meeting with the prince. Merchant Jac Pratt and Oswald Audley are here to see him," he said with confidence. The knight turned his head towards his buddy, which seemed to be a female.

She takes out a small note and reads it silently. She then gives a thumbs up, indicating that they were scheduled to be there. The palace gates open, and their carriage is allowed inside. It was soon stopped as the entrance was close to the palace gates.

The two merchants get off the wagon drawn by two strong black horses and went inside. There was a maid, a beautiful blonde maid wearing her black attire, waiting to greet the two men.

"Greetings. I have been tasked to bring you to Sire Kant's office," she said. The two followed her along to his office, which turned out to be empty.

"Where is Sire Kant" Oswald asks the maid.

"He is currently working on something in his room. I will call him to the room. For now, please be patient as it won't take long." she replied.

"Of course pretty lady. Say, what is your name?" he asked.

"My name is Cora sir. I am sire Kant's maid," she replied.

"Ah, I see. Well then be quick," he said. As soon as she left, Jac put on a disappointed face, while Oswald chucked, knowing full well what bothered Jac.

The two went on and sat down on the two redwood chairs. The room entered a silence, as neither of the two talked. A few minutes pass, and Kant was still nowhere to be found.

"Where is the prince?" he asked Oswald.

"I don't know. It might take him a while," he replied.

"Well until then, I might as well get ready," he said. As he takes out the mirror from his pocket, the doorknob turns and opens. From the mirror, he saw the reflection of the man, with his creepy silver hair and his soulless jet-black eyes.

He immediately put the mirror back into his pockets and stood up. Kant was seen to be wearing something... odd. It was a very sleek piece of clothing. No excessive patterns and colors. The outfit only contained two colors, black and white.

"Jac, this is Sire Kant Maybale. Sire Kant Maybale, this is my dear friend I was talking about. His name is Jac Pratt." Oswald introduced the two to each other. Kant stood 2 inches taller than both Jac and Oswald.

"It is an honor to meet your Mr. Jac Pratt," Kant says as he holds out his right hand. Jac turned his head towards Oswald, who was bobbing his head at the hand. Jac, feeling nervous, grabbed the arm his left hand, and the two shook. Kant did the same with Oswald.

Kant then walks over to his swivel chair and sits down. He maintains a straight posture, with his back on the seat, his arms on the table, and his fingers held together. On his face, he held a smile, comforting the two men a little.

"I am sorry to keep you both waiting. I was working on some new legislation. Now... what can I do for you gentlemen?" he asks.

"Well sire Kant, we came here to talk about a business opportunity. As we mentioned in the letter." Oswald replied.

"Ah yes. You came here to purchase more cement?"

"No sire. We came to acquire the factory." Jac corrected. Kant's smile did not face away.

"Go on," he said.

"Well sire, we think that cement could be used in almost any construction project. The news of cement has been passing, meaning there will be a higher demand in the future.

However, at the current rate of production, we do not think we can fulfill the increasing demand. It would mean that sire would have to personally expand the factories themselves, and since sire is very busy with your duties, you might not be able to expand fast enough." Oswald said

"If sire were to sell to us, we can greatly expand the production of cement and sell it off to many more merchants that come to the city. Higher sales mean that the city can expect more money to come back, which could be taxed and make you an immense amount of money for nothing." Jac added.

"So what you say, sire?" Oswald asks. Kant stayed still, silent. The two men waited patiently for his answer.

"Well gentlemen, I have only one question to ask both of you before I decide whether to sell or not," he said.

"Go ahead sire. We are listening?"

"What are you two offering?"

"8,500 gold coins," Jac said.

"I am sorry gentlemen, I do not believe that is sufficient enough for me to sell off the two factories," he said.

"2 factories?"

"Yes. I have recently expanded my previous factory to accommodate 55 workers, and I built another factory employing 31 workers. In total, I am producing 60 tons of cement a day. With this calculation in mind, I am instead willing to accept 12,500 gold coins for both factories." he said.

"I am afraid that is too high for the both of us sire. At least initially. Would you rather be interested if we paid in monthly payments?" Jac asked. Kant chuckled.

"No. There is no need. I was already planning on selling the factories anyhow."

"You were?" Oswald asked.

"Yes. Although not privately. Instead, I plan to incorporate a company, transferring the factories to that company, and then auctioning the stock to the public." he said.

"Stock?" Oswald asked.

"It is the share of a company. Do you remember the legislation I was talking about?"

"Oh yes, of course, sire. Is that what you meant?"

"Exactly."

"When is the auction taking place?"

"In about 1 and a half weeks I presume. There will be a notice regarding the matter."

"I see. Well then sire, we will be making our purchase at the auction then. Thank you for your time" Oswald said.

"Your welcome gentlemen. It was nice talking to you," he replied. The two men then went out of Kant's room and to their carriage. Only once they had made their way out of the palace, they began to talk again.

"We should contact the others should we?" Jac said.

"I agree. There is no way we can a majority on our own." Oswald replied.

"You got someone in mind?"

"I do. One. He should be enough." he replied.