Zeke swept his eyes over the group surrounding the table. These were the people he trusted most — his inner circle. With dismay, he noticed that Leo was absent again. He was really beginning to worry about his adopted brother. Not once over the past weeks had Leo sought him out. He hoped that Leo was dealing with his grief in a healthy way. Now was not the time to dwell on the matter, however.
With a theatrical clearing of his throat, Zeke began his speech. "Thank you all for coming. I know that you are all busy as well. But before I begin the presentation, I want to congratulate Kerim and his crew for completing the construction of our workshop. Jett and I inspected it earlier and it is exactly what we need. I'll make sure that you and the crew—"
"Get a move on, boy," Jettero exclaimed good-naturedly. "I'm not getting any younger."
"Shut your trap, you pile of bones," Zeke quipped back. "Why are you even here? I could have done this alone."
"And let you steal all the credit? Not bloody likely!" the old man yelled.
Margret and Kerim couldn't suppress a snicker, and even David had a smile on his face. On the other hand, Mia and Geralt looked horrified. They had not expected their well-behaved son to speak this way to an elder. Even so, they didn't reprimand Zeke, partly because they didn't want to undermine his authority, but mostly because of the wide grin on the old man's face.
"Anyway, Jett's right, we don't have the time to waste on pleasantries or flowery words. Let me present to you the family's future!" Zeke exclaimed. Using the diadem on his head he projected an image in the center of the room.
The vessel didn't look anything like a traditional airship. There were no sails, no armor plating, and no firing holes. Instead, the ship looked like a delicate piece of art. The hull was made out of oiled timber with a glossy finish. Only in the structurally vital sections was the hull reinforced with metal. The deck was one large, open space, with the ornate steering wheel as the only obstacle.
A single cabin could be found below deck. It looked nothing like what would be seen on a regular airship. The luxurious chamber looked reminiscent of the modified rooms on the Alexandria. It was immediately clear where the creator found the inspiration for the design.
The first thing that stood out when inspecting the deck, was the extravagant lounge at the back of the ship. The stern ended in a rounded bench, carved out of a single slab of wood. The semi-circular arrangement surrounded a low table, giving the area the feeling of a secluded alcove. This looked like the perfect spot to enjoy a relaxed afternoon tea. It stood in stark contrast to the typical style of an airship, which was usually focused on rustic pragmatism.
In contrast to the rounded stern, the prow of the ship ended in a spear-like ledge. There, the figure of a winged woman could be seen facing toward the horizon. The overall shape of the vessel made it seem extravagant but also gave the impression that the craft was built for speed and comfort.
"What the hell is that?" Kerim asked in horror. "In all my years as a sailor, I've never seen anything like that!"
"We call it the Gondola," Zeke explained proudly. "It is not even half the length of a traditional transporter and almost ten times lighter. As you can see, we got rid of all the defenses in favor of style and convenience—"
"This thing will get blasted out of the sky by a single spell!" Kerim interrupted, causing Zeke to roll his eyes and Jettero to snicker.
"Get a hold of yourself, Kerim," Zeke reprimanded sternly. "Listen to the explanation first. If you still have questions after that, I'm willing to clarify." He received a nod from Kerim, but it was clear that the man was barely able to hold back from interrupting again.
"As I was saying, we got rid of all the defenses in favor of style and comfort. Believe me, this is not a decision I made lightly," Zeke said with a meaningful look toward the captain. "I collected all the data from the last 50 years I could get my hands on: sales reports, accidents, repairs, new models, technical improvements — anything and everything."
Zeke swept his gaze over the crowd. "Care to guess what I found?" There was no reply, but Zeke hadn't expected them to answer anyway. "In the last 50 years, there was not a single incident where a private transporter was attacked in this city. Let me repeat that: Not a single one."
By the furrowed brows and calculating eyes, Zeke could see that his words had an impact. With a content nod, he continued his explanation, "Despite this fact, a peculiar trend has started among engineers. With every new model, they will increase the defenses, making the ships bulkier and heavier."
"Doesn't that mean the defenses serve some kind of purpose after all?" David asked. "Maybe you just weren't able to find the reason for it."
"That was my first thought as well," Zeke confirmed. "But then I found this." He projected a sheet of paper in front of each listener, displaying its content to everybody. It turned out to be an advertorial handout. On the upper half of the sheet, a bulky airship was depicted. It soared over the clouds and was surrounded by mystical creatures.
Sky Sentinel — Defend the Skies with Unparalleled Might!
Unleash Your Defenses: Introducing the Sky Sentinel, a marvel of engineering, crafted with the mightiest hull to date.
Indestructible Fortress: With a 1.5 times thicker hull, the new model stands as an impregnable fortress, protecting you from all threats.
Rule the Skies: Command the heavens with confidence and claim dominion aboard this formidable airship. Despite its bigger size, the ship reaches the same speed as previous models, with the help of 54 middle-grade enchantments.
Conquer the Unknown: Embark on epic quests, explore the realms, or face evil with the Sky Sentinel as your trusted guardian.
"Thoughts?" Zeke questioned with an expectant look on his face.
"This looks very similar to the Sky Fortress," Kerim said while stroking his chin. "Decent airship, but it's way too slow and clunky for my taste."
"Good catch," Zeke praised as he projected another sheet of paper right next to the previous one. This handout depicted an almost identical version of the ship with the name Sky Fortress. Even the description of the features was eerily similar.
"You've got to be shitting me," Kerim exclaimed. "Those lazy cunts just make them smaller? Surely, that can't be the only change?"
"Ohh yes, it can," Zeke said with a smug smile as he projected a dozen other advertisements into the air. All of them were paired, a smaller transporter and an almost identical full-sized airship. "…And the merchants are left with no other choice but to buy them, because every manufacturer does the same. And who can blame them? There is a lot more money in the full-sized market. Why waste time and resources on designing smaller transporters? They just adopt the changes to the larger model for the transporters afterward. But herein lies their biggest mistake."
Zeke paused dramatically. "More weight means less speed, less maneuverability, less mana efficiency, and so on. Right now, the most prominent models are even worse than the vessels we had half a century ago," Zeke explained.
"This market is ripe for a change in trajectory and I think that's exactly what we will achieve with the Gondola. Instead of competing with 'defenses', we shift the focus to something the merchants are far better acquainted with — extravagance. Instead of comparing the thickness of their hull, wouldn't the rich magnates much rather brag about the opulence of their new vessel?"
A silence fell over the group after the explanation had ended. Zeke was content to give everyone time to consider the matter carefully. He really hoped the others would arrive at the same conclusions he had. After the first hurdle, it had been child's play to convince Jettero, but that didn't have to mean much when it came to his inner circle. The Grand Mages had their own experiences and expertise and Zeke could not predict how they would react to his proposal. Thankfully, the suspense didn't last long.
"Fuck me sideways, Zeke. I think you might be onto something with this," Kerim finally said. He had been the most critical of Zeke's plan earlier but now he was also the first to come around.
Margret and David perked up. Out of the three of them, Kerim had by far the most experience when it came to airships. Even though he was the weakest of the three, and often seemed unreliable because of his easygoing nature, they greatly respected his expertise.
"I know," Zeke replied smugly. "Which part convinced you?"
"None of them," Kerim said only to immediately rephrase his statement. "Well, that's not exactly right either. Your points were all convincing, but that wasn't what changed my mind. All that talk made me think back to my own experiences with those moneybags. From all the conversations I remembered, I never once heard them excited over the new transporters. I think they only ever bought the new models because they didn't want to appear cheap. That's the impression I got, at least."
"That's pretty much what I figured," Zeke agreed. "I think we might completely dominate the market with our product if we play our cards right."
"What are you thinking?" Kerim asked with interest. He had completely changed his opinion and seemed almost as excited as Zeke about the project.
"Two things: Exorbitant price and limited quantity," Zeke said with an evil smile.
"I get the high price — the merchants won't even buy it if it's too cheap, but why do you want to limit the quantity? Doesn't that run counter to your plan to take over the market?"
"The harder something is to obtain, the higher its perceived value will be," Zeke quoted from his favorite book. "And we need to increase that value by all means possible. I don't think you fully grasp what I meant by exorbitant price. How much did you think I was talking about?" Zeke asked with expectant eyes.
"Well, we can't make them too expensive, because our smaller model would only need a fraction of the materials. Around 25,000 gold max?" Kerim guessed.
"100,000 gold," Zeke stated with a gleam in his eyes.
"Are you fucking mad, boy?" Kerim yelled. "Who would pay that much for a transporter? You could buy four or five for that price. How can you even justify demanding such a sum?"
"Quality," Zeke answered immediately and with such utmost confidence that he took a lot of wind out of Kerims sails. Before anybody had the time to ask, Zeke took the initiative to explain what he meant. "How many enchantments does the Sky Sentinel use, Kerim?"
"54 middle-grade enchantments," the captain answered right away.
"Right, and how many Mages does it take to power those all continuously?" Zeke questioned further.
There was a moment of silence. "Two average Grand Mages, or around 10 True Mages, I reckon," Kerim answered after mentally crunching the numbers.
"What if I told you that the Gondola could be powered by a single True Mage alone?"
"Impossi—" the man started but cut himself off. He had lost enough face with his constant outbursts. Instead, he did the calculations. "If the ship is 10 times lighter, it could theoretically work with 8 high-grade enchantments instead. But the price for those is astronomical. It also takes forever to get your hands on them."
Zeke nodded in agreement. He had exactly guessed his plan. "Don't worry, I have a way to get us the enchantments. But this is not the only extravagant part of the ship I have planned…" Zeke promised mysteriously.
"What else?" the captain asked with a mixture of dread and excitement.
"I've planned for many such features that will elevate us above the competition. Let me give you one more example. You see the carvings and statues?" Zeke asked with a nod to the projection of the ship. The design had many ornamental carvings. One of the most prominent features, however, was the almost life-sized figure on the prow of the ship.
"Yeah?" Kerim asked carefully.
"I want all of them carved by hand," Zeke said.
"When you say 'by hand', you can't possibly mean…"
"…Without the use of any magic or machines," Zeke confirmed with glee.
"Why even bother?" Kerim asked. "The statue would most likely turn out better with magic."
"Because it's more laborious, ergo more extravagant, ergo more expensive," David explained helpfully.
"See? David is catching on," Zeke praised.
"Indeed, young lord," David said with a twinkle in his eyes. "However, you have failed to mention where you would find such a talented artisan on such short notice as well. Despite your recent 'success' in hiring a talented engineer," David said with a glance toward Jettero, "It's not very likely that you would be as lucky once again."
"Don't worry. No luck required this time," Zeke reassured his former butler. "After all, we already have the perfect candidate. Isn't that right?"
Confused, everybody followed Zeke's gaze. It had landed on the figure of Geralt. David furrowed his brows, the burly farmer didn't look like he would be particularly good with delicate work. By the furrowed brows on almost everyone's faces, it seemed the others had misgivings as well.
"Are you certain?" David questioned carefully.
"Do you think I exaggerate my father's talents?" Zeke questioned with a smirk. David didn't respond, but his silence was answer enough.
"I bet you thought the same thing when I told you that my Mom would take over your duties as the butler," Zeke stated. Again the butler remained silent. "Remind me again, how did that turn out?"
David let out an exasperated sigh, but when his eyes fell on Mia, pride could be seen radiating from his eyes. "Lady Mia is an exceptional woman, she handles her duties diligently and is beloved by the staff."
Mia's chest puffed up at the praise. She directed a complacent grin toward her husband. Her smug expression was clearly saying: 'See? See how good I am? And nobody here even trusts you with a slab of wood. Truly Shameful.'
Geralt rolled his eyes, acting like he was above such petty taunts. However, Zeke knew his father well enough to notice that the goading had been effective. "I can try if you want. But don't expect any miracles."
"Ha! Quit the act, Dad." Zeke chided playfully. "I still remember how even the big merchants from the capital used to crowd our house, every time you finished a piece of furniture. I could have sworn I even saw one of your chairs in Sophia's mansion that one time."
To Zeke's dismay, his mother's teasing smile slowly turned toward him. "What were you doing in Sophia's mansion, Zeke?"
"A-Anyway," He changed the subject. "How about we take a vote on the project now?"
"Why even vote?" Margret asked. "You are the heir, Zeke, not us. You command, we obey."
Zeke shook his head, his expression turning solemn. "I can't make the decision alone this time. I need all of you behind me. Otherwise, there is no chance I'll manage. What do you say, Kerim?"
"Aye!" the man agreed right away. "I can't wait to take this baby out for a spin!"
"You and me both, captain," Zeke said with a genuine smile.
"You can count on me as well, young lord," David stated, "I don't know much about engineering, but if you two are this excited, then that is more than enough for me. You have my full support!"
"Always," Margret said right after. She apparently felt no need to further elaborate.
"Thank you both," Zeke said with full sincerity. He truly was blessed to have them. Without Maximilian here, those three would almost certainly have been better off on their own. Instead, they had stuck with him. Zeke swore that he would not forget this favor anytime soon.
He turned to his parents next. His mother beamed at him with pride and even his stoic father sported a small smile. No words were necessary. Zeke knew he had their full support.
Jettero was the last to answer. The old man had a crafty glint in his eyes. "Well, if you are twisting my arm like that… You might be able to convince me to maybe—"
"Who even asked you, you dried up fossil?" Zeke interrupted.
"Stinking imp! Can't even wipe your own ass yet and you want to build an airship without me?!"
Zeke grinned at him. "Whatever. Are you in or not?"
"Damn brat, you know I'm in," the old man said.
Zeke once again swept his gaze over all the gathered people. His heart swelled with pride at what they had achieved so far and even more so at the thought of what they would achieve in the near future.
"Right…" Zeke said as he eyed them in turn. His lips curved into a wicked grin, "I hope you guys know how to swim, 'cause we will soon be drowning in gold."