The Industrialist

Chapter 53: Questions

"Creating an idea for an invention is easy nowadays. As technology grew, most of the Scientists invented more on the trending technology, devices, and appliances.

To create a unique invention, look at the wastes of the City. There you can see the need for automation, for new inventions, as most Scientists, especially the middle and high-classers, hated dirty jobs- like waste management."

- Erik Berkley Lectures for his son, Lance

***

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Name: Lance Berkley

Age: 16

Designation: Scrapper 2

Origin: Bay City (2nd largest surviving city in Oroz Continent)

Available Currency: 3700 units

[Recent Income Transactions]

Salt Trade: 2000 units

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The convoy was successful in reaching the cities without further monstrous encounters after their rest in Asphodel Cave.

Jefferson and the rest of the remaining rebels were glad that Lance and his two comrades survived the crash. They already declared to themselves that the second cargo trucks were beyond saving.

Lance and other members of the rebel faction were killed in action.

And all efforts would go to waste if they tried to save the kid and the men in the second truck.

They were run down by the groundlings almost to the point of destroying their vehicle. Luckily, they had their remaining Molotov bombs and some of the poison bombs that they used for an escape.

Fortunately, they were untouched throughout the night. The death of one Human Abominant had discouraged the ambush party. Even though they knew that the cave was a safe hideout from the creatures, none of them had a comfortable sleep.

All 15 of them. 7 was the number of casualties.

"What happened, kid? Are you hurt?" Jefferson asked at the moment they arrived.

"Nothing. We just ran towards the abandoned village. Luckily, we found a hovercraft in the ruins," Lance replied. Trying to hide everything that would instill further horror in the group.

"What about the Abominants?"

"We used every last one of our poison bombs and then we managed to escape."

After a few welcoming moments, Lance tried to close his eyes to succumb to rest, however, his mind was racing with inquisitive thoughts. He knew that Damian and Handsome had the same questions in mind but they decided not to fulfill the urge.

However, the thought of revisiting the fiery conversation about the Wolf had not come to their lips again. The awkward thought needs proper energy and a proper setting.

Lance would not forget, and certainly, he would revisit such thought.

Sleeping away was their way of assuming that the horrors they faced would be a thing of the past. Their bodies were exhausted, bruised, scarred, wounded, and the pain had emerged as Adrenaline dissipated.

However, they were wrong. The thought of Abominated Humans clung to their thoughts and closing one’s eyes was haunting.

Lance was sure that nightmares would fill his dreams.

His survival could not be possible without the help of the mystery woman and the weapon she yielded that imprisoned the creature was familiar.

During the incident, his thoughts were clouded with fear and the calculations for an escape. However, witnessing a plant-based weapon had struck his interest.

Project Nightfall!

His father, Erik, last project that resulted in his infamous descent was called Nightfall. His father mentioned it before but did not care to elaborate. Project Nightfall was a project to combine inorganic technology with organic matter.

Like the cybernetic tech of the Seer – human flesh compatible with metallic technology.

Such material, the kind of metal, was not yet known to him. Many had tried to arrive at such a theory, but no one had come close. No one could emulate his father’s work.

Not even Menks.

He thought maybe Nightfall was too valuable that his Father kept it a secret. The concept of the project was general knowledge to a few Scientists, but the method kept the others oblivious.

It was maybe too great of an achievement that Erik Berkley, his father, could acquire fame, thus, shadowing the works of Menks. Therefore, the latter wanted the former gone.

It was a sound theory, Lance had assessed.

Reviewing his salt deal…

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Two truckloads of Salt: 8000 units

Manpower cost [Rebels]: 4000 units

Jonaz Garbage Hauling [Delivery to the buyer]: 2000 units

Net income: 2000 units

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It was planned that Jonaz Garbage Hauling Services would deliver the Salt to Grebert. It was a black-market deal that Grebert could amass units for such a transaction, dealing with other WWMD branches throughout the city.

Jonaz was still the same with how he dealt with this transaction, testing the second party of the negotiation and to his favorable advantage. However, Lance had learned the negotiation techniques and decided with a firm offer of 2000 units for such delivery from Steelpoint Southern Wall to Wraithport WWMD.

Jonaz happily accepted the offer.

"You are learning, kid!" Jonaz praised simultaneously shaking his hand.

2000 net income for such a trade was a bad investment for Lance. They were risking their lives, almost killed themselves against the Abominants and he would only garner a small cut.

***

Now, with his 3700 units, what would he do with it?

Would he finally acquire the Energy Accelerator for 3000 units?

If he would acquire such a component, what’s next? Was he going to build the Ultragenerator to power up Bay City?

Why Bay City? What’s the use of powering up such a city with the Abominant Hive on the way?

***

These were the qualms that he would deal with if treading to path of acquiring an Energy Accelerator. Now that the Demetrian season was nearing, would it be sound to battle the Hive at its peak?

He knew only the fact that his father had bestowed unto him that Bay City holds the key to defeating the Corporation and Menks for good. But a small hint of what it holds, he had nothing significant.

Lance only holds what his father told him.

The real consequence that he and the commoners would face was the battle for Thirst this December. The salt delivery was not enough to just prevent such a shortage.

’I did the best I can,’ Lance thought. Knowing what happened with their mining, the rebels won’t agree to another trip.

***

Days he rested to recuperate on his physical strength, healing of whatever pain he had during the encounters. On the other hand, stabilizing his mental strength to let the mysterious questions slide for the moment and drive his focus on the next agenda at hand.

His defense for his second invention – a Robotic Floatation Device for Pollution Control or in short, RoFlo

The Scientific Awards Committee (SAC) was a dependent organization established by the Corporation to scrutinize the submitted projects as a requirement for a Scientist to ascend its rank.

Lance called them SACers

A group of panelists would be present during the project presentation and they were high-ranking scientists, at least Electronic Tier 1 level. With their main objective was to throw waves of questions toward the invention.

And the presenter would defend his project and satisfy the questions raised.

The activity was also a process to identify conflicts with any present patents from other projects. The panelists should be the ones to identify such conflict.

A defense would take hours, sometimes half a day or a day or two, depending on the project scope, and the panelists would not portray any leniency.

They were intimidating for the low-level scientists.

Facing them was an equivalent magnitude of facing level 1 Abominant. At least, a level 1 Abominat was easy to kill or evade. But not the panelists. They will skin the presenter alive.

Hence, the presenter should have a metallic shield to fend off such skinning.

As his second time, Lance would prepare for the defense for days, even a week if necessary.

Defending his Bioscanner for water dispensers had him in the corners, exhausting his smart defenses, and almost being beaten to a pulp. If the panelists were relentless, the presenter should be fearful and confident.

It was maybe luck had made his first project approved by the SAC and proceeded with manufacturing.

Other Scientists had social advantages, their parents had influential positions in the city and the leniency would be obvious among the panelists.

Unfortunately for Lance, he had no parents, not even relatives. He was only a lonely citizen who had friends considered to be wanted by the police or unregistered citizens called the Outsiders.

So, whatever form of leverage for his social status was considered nothing. Only his intelligence, his wits, and the authenticity of his invention would sway the panelists to their approval.

The next day was his big day. He had his prototype in a box, four of them. He managed to create four prototypes to represent the consistency of his design and he would display a bigger water tank, with four times volume of pollution to be placed in the water.

In the EazyCage unit held his mud, chopped food leftovers, and urine, to represent his Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) pollution for his Roflo to collect.

’Who would be the panelists today?’ Lance thought.