A mountain of crumpled paper had formed in the corner of the study. Meanwhile, a crimson-haired boy scribbled furiously on a fresh sheet. Minutes passed in silence before the rattling of paper could be heard and the mountain rose once more.
"Shit," Zeke exclaimed while messing up his own hair in frustration.
It had been four days since the meeting with his followers. The workshop Kerim was building was starting to take shape in the basement of the mansion. David was teaching Mia about her new role. Margret and her four colleagues had started observing the Goldfinger's movements.
All seemed to be going as planned; except for one thing.
Zeke was stuck. He had been struggling with the plans for days now, barely making any progress. It was time that he admitted his mistake: He had miscalculated. As it turned out, simply having all the knowledge was no replacement for experience and proper education.
He had started out fine, and the first prototypes came out decent enough. But the moment he started adding his own ideas or changing materials, he ran into problems. There was simply too much that he hadn't considered in his designs. While his ideas worked in theory, there were many practical aspects that he completely missed while creating his schematics.
Either a component could not be produced the way he had drawn it, the materials he had used were too expensive or the design would be dangerous for the passengers. The list of his many inadequacies seemed endless. Zeke was getting a headache just thinking about all the problems he had yet to run into.
He stared at his impressive collection of discarded ideas and let out a defeated sigh. He had been sure that he would manage to complete this task on his own. But it was time to admit his defeat. If he continued like this, there was no way he would finish in time. Even if he managed somehow, the design would not be enough to catch anyone's eye.
This was not a result Zeke could accept. His goal was not only to build a private airship, but he also had to blow the competition out of the water. He had been certain that his abilities would allow him to do so. He had even scanned the existing models with his [Perfect Spatial Awareness], allowing him to take as much inspiration from their design as he wanted. None of it had helped, however.
Zeke got up and started pacing the room, as was his wont when he was stuck on a problem. His feet led him round and round his desk as he brooded. After having rounded it a couple of times, he still hadn't come up with anything.
With another, deeper sigh, he left the room in search of David. It had become clear to him that he needed help. He needed an experienced engineer to bounce his ideas off of. Right now, it took him way too long before he realized the mistakes in his designs. He was certain that a more experienced engineer could point them out to him right away.
Minutes later, the two left the estate through the front gate. David was in an obviously good mood. He seemed to be barely able to fight the smile that threatened to disturb his stoic facade.
"What's up, David? I don't think I've ever seen you this happy."
The butler finally managed to overpower his curling lip, returning his face to its usual state of stoic professionalism.
"Your mother, Mia…" he said. "She's adapting well."
"Adapting well?" Zeke repeated. "And that's enough to get you to smile like that? The fact that she is adapting well?"
There was a moment of silence as David considered the question. "She is adapting really well," he finally said.
"…okay," Zeke said in a defeated tone.
"By the way, where are we going, young lord? I don't think you've mentioned."
"Nothing special, I want to visit a couple of engineering shops. I think we are going to need somebody with experience to oversee the project. You know, somebody with actual experience doing this kind of stuff."
"Hmm," David answered noncommittally. "Who did you have in mind for that position initially?"
This question struck a nerve for Ezekiel. He had imagined himself taking on this position. Only now did he realize that he was not up to the task.
"I was under the assumption that we would be fine with just the ship engineers. However, I have changed my mind since," Zeke replied evasively.
They were walking down the main road of the third layer. Every time Zeke went out, he was flabbergasted by the level of technology in this city. The horseless carriage that had taken him to the Elementium had been the first piece of Magical engineering he had ever seen. Something like that truly was a rarity in the empire.
In Tradespire, very similar models could be found on every street corner. In fact, Zeke was certain he had not seen a single horse since arriving here. All the carriages in the top three layers of the city were horseless. This was only one example of products that were extremely common here.
One of the most convenient things Zeke noticed was the widespread use of identification tokens. When he had first received his token at Elementium, he had thought it a marvel. Here, everybody seemed to use them. At least in the upper districts of Tradespire, they were used for almost anything. Identification was only one of their many applications. Zeke had even heard that they could be used as a means of payment.
They came to a stop in front of a building in the industrial district. The enormous sign over the entrance read: 'Hermann Company, Premiere Engineering'. When the two entered they were greeted by a luxurious lobby. Zeke looked around and took in the room.
On both sides of the elongated hall stood glass vitrines. They displayed a diverse range of machinery, from primitive to relatively modern. Each had a plaque that describe what lay within. The one thing they had in common was the fact that every single one of them proclaimed the tool within to be a groundbreaking invention made by the Hermann Company over the years.
Zeke spied a figure at the very end of the hall. He immediately led the way in that direction. The woman looked up and scanned the approaching duo in a practiced manner. A smile graced her lips when she saw their attire and Zeke's young countenance.
"Greetings, I am Emilia Hermann. What can I do for you, esteemed customers?" she greeted as they came to a stop in front of her massive desk.
"Greetings, my name is Ezekiel von Hohenheim" Zeke replied courteously. "However, I didn't come here as a customer today."
The woman's bright smile diminished slightly, taking on a more businesslike appearance. "May I know what this is about then?"
"My family is working on a private engineering endeavor at the moment, and I was wondering how to go about finding competent personnel," Zeke said.
"Certainly! We take on engineering works of almost any shape or size," the woman promised. "I'm confident we'll be able to find the right person for the job."
"No, that's not what I'm talking about," Zeke corrected her. "My family is looking to hire somebody directly."
Upon hearing his words, the woman's face got ugly. She was clearly about to lash out, but thought better of it in the face of his youth. Her face changed several times over the next few seconds.
"…You must be new to the city?" she finally asked. Her tone was considerably colder now.
"I only arrived a couple of days ago," Zeke confirmed with a nod. He had not expected her to turn hostile immediately, but the fact that she had, told him a great many things.
"I didn't mean to offend. It seems there's still a lot I don't know about the city," Zeke said in a confused tone. He was playing up the role of the naive youngster as much as he could.
The woman took a long look at Zeke's face. When their gazes met, he averted his eyes quickly, seemingly startled by her harsh expression. Her own face softened considerably in reaction.
"I didn't mean to scare you, boy," the woman said with a sigh. "But what you did was very insensitive. There is fierce competition in the industry and you can't just go around asking about engineers. That's like going to a general and requesting his soldiers."
"I am sorry, miss," Zeke said with a downcast expression. "I didn't mean to step on any toes. But I think you might have misunderstood my intentions as well. My family is only looking for a single engineer. Surely, that would not put us in competition with the Hermann Company."
As he said the last part, Zeke meaningfully glanced at the many display cases decorating the room. The woman chuckled slightly, the hostile atmosphere diminishing further.
"You can't be too careful in this industry," the woman joked. "Who knows, maybe you'll turn out to be the genius of a century."
Zeke laughed politely at the friendly jab, his eyes only turning sharp for an instant as the woman was glancing at David. When her gaze returned, he was the picture of innocence once more.
"I obviously can't expect you to recommend me one of your own employees. But maybe you can point me in the direction of somebody else's?" Zeke probed.
To his surprise, the woman immediately shook her head. "That's not how we do business here. Even though we are all competitors, there is an unspoken agreement that we will stand united against outside forces."
"Beautiful and honorable," Zeke praised, causing the woman to smile slightly. "How about unaffiliated craftsmen?"
The woman was about to shake her head again but stopped at the last moment. She seemed to be considering something.
"There is somebody," she finally said. "But it is most likely going to be a waste of time."
"Why would you think so? Is he not good at his job?" Zeke inquired.
"Ohh no, just the opposite. The man is one of the best in the field, with decades of experience. He was even hailed as a genius in his youth."
"If he has worked for decades, shouldn't he be in his prime? Yet you are talking about him as if he had one foot in the grave," Zeke asked with a raised brow.
"Quite perceptive," the woman commented with a hint of suspicion. "But you are right, that's indeed the case. Herein lies the first problem: he is not a Mage. He doesn't have many years left."
"That is unfortunate," Zeke responded. For a moment there, his mask had slipped. If the woman caught on to his act now, all the goodwill he had built up would evaporate in an instant. This put him in a dilemma, as he could feel that there was more to it than what the woman had said so far.
"But if it's only a small project, maybe he would still be willing to help?" Zeke asked innocently.
"Unlikely," the woman said with a shake of her head. "It's also the reason I didn't want to bring him up at all. Despite his age, the man was invited to work for every major company around here, even some of the second-layer companies have invited him, but he turned them all down."
"Your company also tried?" Zeke asked.
The woman nodded her head with a grimace. "Indeed, and we were turned down as well. We offered him a ludicrous amount of money, but he didn't even consider the offer."
"Did he give a reason?"
"He said that he would rather spend his remaining time with his granddaughter," the woman said with a shake of her head. It was clear that she didn't think highly of the man's priorities.
"The fool" Zeke agreed with a false smile. "He could have earned all that money and given it to his granddaughter instead. Surely, that would make her far happier in the long run."
"Smart kid," the woman praised, "with thinking like that, you are gonna go far in Tradespire."
"Someday, hopefully," Zeke answered modestly. "Can you please still tell me where I can find this man?"
The woman raised a questioning brow. Clearly, she hadn't expected Zeke to still be interested after what she had just told him. If her own company had not been able to recruit the man, then what chance did Zeke have?
"It's not what you think," Zeke said hurriedly. "I'm well aware that I have no chance. But I'll still need to make the attempt, otherwise, my elders are going to claim I didn't even try. I'm sure you know how it is."
The woman nodded in understanding. She scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Zeke. "That's where you'll find him. But be warned, he's a grumpy old bastard. Still, you have to be careful. Even if he is not a mage, he has friends in high positions…"
Zeke looked at her in confusion. The woman glanced meaningfully at David. "…You can't use force against him, is what Im saying."
"Don't worry, miss," Zeke promised, "that is not my way."
"Not your way, huh?" the woman asked teasingly. "Then what is 'your way'?"
Zeke carefully pocketed the note. When he was sure that it was secured, he looked back up at the woman. Slowly, his face began to change. His childish facade morphed into that of a mature young man. His posture became straight, confident, and firm. His once guileless eyes gained a crafty edge and seemed to shine with wisdom way beyond his years.
"…my charm and wit," Zeke answered with a devilish smile. He didn't wait for a reply and immediately turned, leaving the stunned woman behind.