The Mechanical Era

It was a bright, sunny morning in the city of Hoverdam. Oswald Audley, who was all alone this time around, felt that the weather was getting a little hotter. Maybe the fact that wearing a black cloak contributed to it, and that it was the middle of the last month of spring contributed to it.

Regardless, he is currently riding down the street on top of his horse to meet up with someone he has connections with. He heard that he started an architecture firm along with a few of his buddies. Therefore, he decided to meet up with him to commission plans for a factory. He already had another one lined up.

Their office was said to be delegated in Middletown, a bit further away from the downtown. He heard it used to be an old building, waiting to rot. Conveniently, it was closeby to all their residences, therefore leading the men to purchase and refurbish the place to work there.

"Over there, boy," he told his horse, pointing to a turn. As they made their way, his eye managed to spot the building almost instantly. Standing 3 stories tall, with the top floor featuring a balcony, it looked as if it was replenished, the only fresh structure among the sea of old, even though it was just a renovation.

On the flat roof, he saw a particular sign that read "DML Designs", the name of the company they started. Though there doesn't seem to be anyone coming in and out, Oswald was about to change that.

He first heads over to a nearby stable, ties him up there, and walks the rest of the way to the firm. He knocked on the door and awaited one to come. He expected a familiar face to pick him up, but instead, he saw a rather tall bald man, about 5'11, with a large brown beard on his sleek face. There were also some freckles visible on his cheeks, and wrinkles on his forehead.

"What can I do for you?" the man asks.

"I would like a commission for a building. An associate of mine works here."

"What is your name?"

"Oswald. Oswald Audley." The man turned back and asked around. From the distance, he can hear the voice of the associate approve.

"Let him in, Decan! He is the one I was talking about!" Lenin spoke from upstairs. Decan turned to Oswald with a smile, saying.

"Sorry for the inconvenience. Come in." The door fully opened, allowing Oswald to enter. As he took his first steps, he noticed that the floor didn't creek. He looked down, to see it was all new. They must have replaced it.

The room itself didn't feature much. It was rather empty and barren, with the only thing noticeable being a door with a sign that said "stairs" attached. Due to the curtains, it was a bit dim, not allowing him to see what was beside some corners.

"Sorry about the emptiness. We have just started to set up the place. Follow me. The others are upstairs." Oswald complied, not out of fear, but out of interest. They made their way up two floors to the top, where he found himself in another room. This room was much more well-lit as the windows provided them with lots of light.

In the middle, there was a large square table, with three chairs on the front, facing the two chairs at the back on the desk. Of the three chairs, two were occupied by Melor and Lenin, who was the man Ozzy had contact with.

Oswald walked over and sat in the bottom-left chair while Decan took his place with the other three. There was a moment of silence before Lenin initiated the conversation.

"So... Mr. Audley. What brings you here today?" Lenin asked. Oswald looked at Lenin, who was sitting in the middle, and then at the other two, who occupied the side seats, before looking back at Lenin.

"I came to commission a blueprint of a factory for an investment of mine." Lenin leaned in forward, arms resting on the desk.

"What is this factory, aiming to produce?"

"Textiles. We intend on making textiles. We will also be utilizing some machinery powered by steam engines. I would like the factory to work in tandem with the steam engine, to provide maximum efficiency."

"Alright..." Lenin leaned into Melor's ear.

"Write that down." Melor, who had a piece of paper settled in front of him along with a bottle of ink and a quill, wrote down one of Oswald's requests next to a number.

"Is there anything else you need? Any form of arrangement that you would like?"

"Yes. I want separate rooms for separate operations. I want one room for caravans to easily enter the building to deliver supplies, for example, cotton.

Then I want that to be connected to where the spinning mules operate. I assume you don't know what a spinning mule is, do you?" Oswald questioned the three. Decan and Melor kept blank expressions while Lenin smiled.

"Unfortunately Mr. Audley, we do not. We do know what a steam engine is. Though, can you mind explaining it in simple terms?"

"What you need to know is that it is this mechanical device that turns cotton and any other sort of fabrics into yarn. There is also this other machine called a power loom, but I think that is self-explanatory." Oswald sat straighter on his chair before he continued.

"Speaking of which, I want the spinning mule room to be connected to the power loom room, which connects to another area for caravans to be there, to ship the final products out of the factory."

"Is that all?"

"In terms of the main parts needed, yes. I also want some chimneys installed with pipes attached. Don't want those workers to slow down due to cough. There are many others, but it will take too long for that.

In fact, I got a list right here of all the other eccentricities you might want to incorporate into the project." Oswald then takes out an envelope and hands it out to Lenin, who hands it over to Melor.

"I see. Alright then. Now then, there is one more question I would like to ask, regarding the style of architecture."

"Go on."

"We have multiple styles. You could go with the normal Gontic or a classical Rumero, or... the newest style available... Arteco."

"Arteco?" Oswald asks. Just then, Decan walked over to a bookshelf, grabbed a bunch of drawings, and presented it to Oswald. The buildings featured in the drawings were... sleek with bold geometric forms, a liner appearance and stylized with geometric ornamentation. Compared to the other styles, it was rather very unique and fresh looking.

"How expensive is it?"

"Not as much as the others. It is actually a little cheaper than the others. There is no need for detailed miniature statues of man or extensive windows. Besides, it has proven to work well."

"Has anyone else used this before?"

"Why yes, the new school building that Prince Kant had commissioned. It was his idea after all." Oswald placed the drawings down and handed them over to Decan. He took his hand and rubbed the bottom of his chin, thinking.

"Hmm... Alright. Arteco it is. You have yourself a deal."