Zeke and Lara exchanged a glance as the horseless carriage came to a stop in front of them. Even she, as a decorated veteran of countless battles, was visibly tense. Zeke couldn't say if it was from excitement or nerves, but the casual ease Lara usually projected was absent now.
As per usual, one of the waiting staff members opened the carriage. With a fluttering heart, Zeke waited for somebody to emerge. When a figure finally appeared, Zeke could barely hide his shock.
The person was covered from head to toe in a flowing, black dress. Not even their eyes were visible. However, this was not what had surprised him. Zeke had seen too many people in strange clothing for this to startle him. No, what truly stunned him was the fact that he could not see through the person's clothing at all. Even while concentrating with all his might, his [Perfect Spatial Awareness] could not penetrate that thin layer of fabric.
All that showed up in his sphere of perception was a gaping black void. It reminded Zeke of how Voidiron appeared to his senses — this realization managed to give him pause. Was this it? Did they somehow incorporate a mana-repellent material into the fabric? He didn't have long to ponder this matter as the figure approached with swift steps.
"Greetings," Zeke said hastily. "I'm afraid I don't know your name, sir messenger."
"Messenger suits me just fine, Ezekiel von Hohenheim," the figure responded in a raspy voice.
From the tone alone, Zeke wasn't even able to figure out if the speaker was a man or a woman. Furthermore, the clothing made it impossible to figure out if the person in front of him was a Mage or not. Usually, one could tell the approximate strength of a Mage by how much Mana their core passively attracted, but this type of robe prevented the phenomenon from happening at all.
"It is an honor… sir Messenger," Zeke said somewhat awkwardly. "Please come right this way, we have been awaiting your arrival."
He shot another glance at Lara. Compared to him, she didn't seem overly surprised by Messenger's appearance. Her face had returned to its usual, relaxed state. Zeke led the group down the hallway, Lara just a step behind him and Messenger silently following, with David bringing up the rear.
Nobody spoke a word until they reached the entrance to the dining hall. The two guards that were posted on either side saluted smartly before opening the door for Zeke and his group. Inside, a lively scene awaited them. The hall was filled to the point of bursting, with most of the buffet tables already having been picked clean.
Zeke felt a small pang of loss. He had spent several hundred gold, all his remaining capital, on this buffet. One of the most famous restaurants in all of Tradespire had provided the catering and he had been looking forward to trying their dishes. However, now was not the time to grieve the lost opportunity. If today went well, he would be able to eat whatever he wanted for a long time.
With a confident stride, Zeke entered the room with Lara and Messenger trailing behind. Their entrance didn't go unnoticed, as most of the closest groups stepped back as far as they could to make room for the trio. Gradually, all of the discussions around the room died down.
When the room had become completely silent, Zeke finally spoke. "Thank you all for coming. I did not expect so many of you to follow my invitation, but I am nonetheless grateful for your presence. Today, I, Ezekiel von Hohenheim, ask you to be part of a revolution in the world of engineering."
A murmur swept through the crowd. He could hear more than one person scoffing at the notion. Out of the corner of his eye, Zeke saw a familiar face. The woman had rolled her eyes at the proclamation. It was Emilia Hermann of the 'Hermann Company' he had visited weeks before. The woman caught his gaze and glared at him. Zeke merely smiled back, before continuing his speech.
"'Who is this kid to claim an engineering revolution?' I bet that's what most of you are asking yourselves. To be fair, that's a valid question and your doubt is merited, since our von Hohenheim family is not known for our engineering prowess. However, I intend to prove you all wrong momentarily—"
"Get to it, laddie," one of the fourteen dwarfs yelled. "You're almost out of booze and I'm getting thirsty again."
The sentiment was echoed broadly in the crowd, even though the exclamations were a lot more measured. Zeke suspected that this was mostly thanks to Lara and the veiled figure that had entered with him.
Unperturbed by the interruption, Zeke made his way to the rear exit of the banquet hall. "Very well. If you would all follow me outside. I will begin with my presentation right away."
It took several minutes for the hundreds of guests to make their way outside; time enough for Zeke to get in position. The moment the crowd had gathered, a loud creaking noise demanded everyone's attention. The gate of the workshop slowly began to open. Out from the giant gate of the air docks, a sleek vessel emerged.
From aboard the ship, Zeke watched with utmost satisfaction as many mouths dropped open at the sight of the Gondola. In a practiced manner, he sailed over the spectators and landed the craft gently in the open space in front of the crowd. He made his way to the railing of the ship. Absolute silence greeted him as he looked out over the crowd.
Zeke pulled on a lever, causing a plank to emerge from the side of the ship. The many questioning gazes were soon answered as the plank revealed itself to be a segmented, foldable staircase. With sure steps, Zeke descended the wooden stairs halfway. From this vantage point, he addressed the gathering once more.
"Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you the Gondola — the future of short-range transporters. If you have any questions, I would love to answer them now."
"How did you do that?" a short man with tanned skin and a frown asked. "How is the ship powered, I mean? Is the crew below deck?"
"A good question," Z eke praised. "No, there is no crew anywhere. A single True Mage is all that is needed to pilot this craft."
"Impossible," somebody yelled. "It takes around a dozen men to pilot an airship; how could you even control a flying vessel by yourself?"
"Another good question," Zeke replied calmly. "It is all thanks to our patented steering setup. Instead of a regular wheel, our system uses three-dimensional inputs. The handles can be pulled and pushed to guide the vessel. Furthermore, it is so easy, I guarantee that anybody can learn it in no more than a matter of minutes."
"Are you willing to prove that?" a cold voice demanded to know. Zeke recognized the man who had spoken as Gilderoy Goldfinger.
"Of course," Zeke replied confidently. "As for any good merchant: My word is my bond."
Many people nodded approvingly at those words. Trust was the only currency that was valued even higher than gold. A merchant who couldn't be trusted would quickly see his profits dwindle.
Gilderoy smiled smugly. "Then, how about I give it a test?"
Zeke shook his head immediately. "I wouldn't even trust you with my carriage, let alone my airship. No, I think not."
"So much for your word, von Hohenheim!" Gilderoy exclaimed loudly, making sure everybody heard. "Going back on it already?"
"When did I ever say that?" Zeke interjected before the man could build any momentum in his rant. "Just because I won't trust you with my ship, doesn't mean I wouldn't trust somebody else."
"Pah! How could we trust that? You are just going to select somebody you trained beforehand." Many people nodded at that. It didn't make sense for Zeke to pick the candidate.
Zeke nodded seriously. "That is indeed a valid concern. But didn't you forget something? There is in fact a person here we can all trust."
Many people followed his gaze, only to find that he was looking at King Midas's representative. "How about it, sir Messenger? Would you do me the honor of testing my airship?" When the figure didn't respond right away, Zeke added one more sentence. "You will not even have to supply any Magic yourself. I'll personally take care of that."
This promise finally managed to sway Messenger, as they silently approached. The crowd watched in anticipation as Zeke explained to the shrouded figure how the controls worked. He then detached a cord from the bottom of the steering wheel and presented it to the crowd. "This is an external connector to the Mana network. It works as an alternative way to power the ship. This feature allows even Non-Mages to pilot the craft."
Zeke focused, feeding unattuned mana through the cable into the ship. Once a constant flow had been established, he nodded toward the Messenger. Carefully, the figure pulled back on the handles, causing the ship to gently leave the ground. A push forward sent the ship into motion. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they silently sailed through the air. And just as Zeke promised, it only took Messenger a matter of minutes before they were able to confidently handle the craft.
After a few more rounds, the ship returned to its original spot. When they had landed safely, Messenger nodded at Zeke and left the ship, returning to their place among the crowd.
"Any other questions?" Zeke asked with a smug grin and a glance toward Gilderoy.
There was silence for a long moment, as many stared in utter disbelief at the Gondola. Finally, somebody spoke up. It was the elven representative. His voice was soft and melodic, standing in stark contrast to his cold face. "What about those carvings? They look like they could be elvish, given the level of craftsmanship. However, I do not recognize the artist."
Zeke's chest puffed out in pride upon hearing those words. "Not elvish, lord Caelithorn. Every carving was handcrafted by my father, Geralt von Hohenheim. I should also mention that they were crafted completely by hand — no magic involved."
"Wouldn't that mean that it is impossible to mass produce this vehicle?" Somebody asked.
"Indeed," Zeke replied with a nod toward the woman. "The Gondola is not meant to be mass-produced. Every single model is hand-crafted and receives its own designation upon completion. It was never meant to replace the existing transporters. Instead, what we offer is a top-of-the-line product for… the clientele with the means to afford it."
A significant portion of the crowd exhaled in relief. Especially the representatives of the manufacturers were excited by this news. There was no way their current models could compete with the Gondola in any way shape or form. Many others had a calculating glint in their eyes. Finally, somebody asked the question they all wanted to know the answer to. "How much does it cost?"
Before answering, Zeke swept his gaze over the crowd. When the anticipation had almost reached a breaking point, he proclaimed loud and clear:
"100,000 gold."
The crowd exploded in an uproar with most people cursing Zeke as a madman. However, Zeke casually stood atop the deck of his ship, hands folded behind his back. He simply waited for the storm to pass. After the worst of the noise had died down, a single voice yelled out.
"Do you take us for fools? Who would ever pay that price?"
To nobody's surprise, it was Gilderoy Goldfinger who had called out once more. The people returned their gazes to Zeke, waiting to see how he would respond.
Zeke's face contorted with a derisive smirk as he glanced down at the blonde man. "No one's twisting your arm, Goldfinger," he sneered, relishing the opportunity to taunt Gilderoy. "...Considering your family's pathetic finances, it's no surprise you can't afford anything decent. It's a convenient way for the rest of us to recognize you as the worthless garbage you truly are."
A hush fell over the crowd. Nobody spoke, as they looked between Gilderoy and Zeke. Most of the people hadn't known about the bad blood between them before. Now, however, in front of all the noble houses and diplomats, the feud had become public. The silence was broken by Lara snickering off to the side, which prompted many people to discuss what had just happened in hushed whispers.
Gilderoy was fuming. His face had turned as red as a tomato. He surely would have lashed out by now, had his father not held him back. Zeke, on the other hand, felt more refreshed than he had in weeks. Verbally slapping the arrogant man across the face had been just what he had needed. However, after winking at the man one last time, he proceeded to ignore him.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Zeke exclaimed, "you know of the chance to seize the opportunity to secure your orders. But here's a friendly tip: the exceptional quality of our craftsmanship allows us to produce only a single vessel per month. So, don't dally too long in making your choice, as your hesitation could mean months or even years of waiting."
Another murmur, and many glances toward the staff members waiting to take orders. However, so far, nobody had approached them yet. Zeke cursed under his breath. He had hoped this would be enough to get the ball rolling. As soon as somebody started placing orders, the rest would follow, he was certain of it. However, nobody wanted to be first. He had to act fast before the people started to overthink.
Luckily, Zeke had another trick up his sleeve. "…One more thing. We currently have three completed ships. I had originally planned to auction them all off today. However, instead of all three, I'll only sell two of them.
"This one," Zeke said as he pointed at the vessel he was currently standing on, "the first of my creations, will not be auctioned off. Instead, I intend to gift it to His Royal Highness. Will you accept this present on his behalf, sir Messenger?"
All eyes snapped to the veiled figure. Without a shred of skin visible, it was impossible to tell what the figure was thinking; however, everybody was clear on the implications of his answer. If the King accepted the Gondola, it would be the highest endorsement possible. Many people inched closer to the staff, ready to place their order as soon as the Messenger replied.
After a long, drawn-out moment of silence, the raspy voice of Messenger could finally be heard.
"No… I will not accept this present."