abcnovels
Chapter 58 A Machine That Smacks Itself
Chapter 58 A Machine That Smacks Itself
"Ohhoho!" The red smile on Xavier's mask turned into an 'O'. "What a pleasant surprise! Who would have thought that a small town as Derbury would house a sentiment artefact?" The smile returned on Xavier's black mask as he took a step forward.
But a sudden burst of mechanical clicks stopped Xavier in his tracks.
*Don't move!* the archaic looking typewriter added another line to the paper. With a sliding sound, the paper moved all the way to the right.
Xavier raised his hands high in the air and took a step back. The red smile curved downwards and began to shake—expressing 'fear'. The typewriter was dozens of feet away from him, across the stationed machinery.
*Wise choice.* Clicking sound continued as the typewriter typed itself. *I sense that you have already completed the test on the other side. But unfortunately for you, this room is not a test by the place's haunter.*
Eulene was confused, but she remained silent. The 'crazy' bastard was the one with with the more knowledge here—of this world of course.
"So, I take it that you have the authority on this hall and it is 'semi-autonomous' 'under' the Curse's authority," Xavier declared. He brought his arms down from the air while the red smile on his mask returned.
Silence ensued. Only the ticks of the clocks and watches remained, along with the sizzling sound from the torches that lit up the room. After a few seconds, the mechanical sound bursted again.
*I am still the king of this place and you are in my domain*
"Is that so?" Xavier asked. "But you are not the most expensive mechanical equipment in this room?"
*And I thought you were intelligent.* the typewriter typed. *This seat is one of the first of my species—the first Avion typewriter to be created by the genius Fritz Daimler. My body is created of the rare Goldwood Oak, and the ink I use is the most expensive in the world.* The mechanical clicks were in a weird rhythm that declared pride.
"Heh." Xavier scoffed. "I bet you can't even hinder the Curse from peering into this room."
*Hmph!*
Xavier and Eulene felt the gaze on them disappear.
Xavier spoke no further and brought out his prized pocket watch. The golden chain dangled and created a sonorous sound that permeated through the room. He pressed the lid open and showed it to the arrogant typewriter.
Silence ensued. Seconds later, it began to type again. But this time, the rate of clicks was slower.
*Hand me the timepiece and you pass my test.*
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Xavier shook his head, the red smile on his mask widened and glowed brighter. "This is the one and only timepiece in the entire world with 'perfect precision'—with a deviation of zero second per day."
*I might not be an expert in horology, mechanics, or physics. But what you claim is*
*I M P O S S I B L E*
"You are a talking typewriter!" Xavier exclaimed. "You are the last being in the world I want to hear 'Impossible' from!"
Eulene's phun mode suddenly kicked in and she could not hold herself back. "Is it a typetalker?"
"No." Xavier shook its head. "It's just a lonely typewriter who can't do anything but type itself."
A smacking sound echoed through the room.
HFSJGDS,HCMHGDYTSHG*
"Oh look," Eulene pointed at the furious typewriter. "It's a typewriter that 'smacks' itself."
*THAT'S IT!* Thunderous clicks bursted out. *YOU ARE FAILING!*
Xavier grabbed the pocket watch by the chain and dangled it, as if he were hypnotising the wooden machine. "You sure you want to lose the chance to get such a treasure?"
Once again, silence ensued.
*What do you want?* The rate of clicks slowed down yet again.
"How about we make a bet?" Xavier proposed, the golden pocket watch still swinging left and right.
*What bet?* it typed.
The page was filled with writing. The paper fell off the machine and another paper automagically replaced it.
"We will go on with your test," Xavier said. "And if we can clear it before you can type a hundred letters, we win. And if we can't, we lose."
*Heh. You are underestimating me too much. Nobody has ever passed my test before. And even if you two are capable of completing the challenge—it will take hours, if not days to finish it.*
"Do you accept the bet, or not?" Xavier stood firm.
*Bring it on!* the typewriter typed. *You two are going to lose anyway.*
"Now, what are you going to give us if we win?" The corners on Xavier's red smile turned sharper.
*What do you mean?*
"Isn't it customary to have satisfying rewards for such a risky deal?" Xavier asked. "I am staking my most prized possession on this bet, despite taking the same test. Don't I need to get something worth the price if we win? What are you betting?"
Only silent sounds of the timepieces and the lamps remained.
Xavier decided to strike the iron while it was still hot. "And didn't you just say nobody ever passed your test and even if we pass, it would take hours, the odds are clearly against us. If you don't give us anything worthy, I am calling of the deal. We will just take the test and leave."
*Okay. Okay. Fine.* The typewriter agreed. *But what I am about to stake is too valuable. Even that watch of yours is not enough to cover that.*
"Oh. Interesting…" The smile turned into a large incomplete circle and began to rotate on his mask. After a second, the smile returned. "How about this? We intensify the odds against us. 50 letters."
No clicks resounded. Clearly, it was pondering.
*25*
"40"
*Deal*
"Now, what is It?" Xavier asked. "The thing you deem too valuable?"
*Pay attention* The page, even though it was half full, discarded itself.
The typewriter stayed pageless, but keys on the typewriter moved nonetheless—giving out clicks.
The duo understood. It wouldn't leave any evidences. But this proved one thing, what they were about to learn—was indeed valuable.
**The location of the blueprints of my creator, Sir Fritz Daimler's greatest invention…**
**A machine that can fell cities**
**No**
**An entire country**