"The loom… so it can be used like this too?"
Desaiel's eyes widened as he listened to Chris. After a moment's silence, he suddenly raised his head, his gaze firm.
"I've decided. I want to invest in your machines."
Chris arched a brow. Finally… This was the chance he'd been waiting for. What he lacked most was capital. Without money, his plans could only crawl forward.
"How much are we talking about?" Chris asked calmly, though his heart raced.
"One and a half million gold coins," Desaiel replied without hesitation, as if he were discussing the price of dinner.
For a moment, silence fell.
"…How much did you just say?" Chris blinked.
Deans and Strider nearly choked on air. The combined wealth of Serris City wasn't even worth that much. Yet this noble youth had tossed out the number like loose change.
Chris leaned forward, interest flickering in his eyes. "So you're planning to buy the machines outright? With that much?"
Desaiel shook his head. "No, Lord Chris. The machines are sophisticated, yes… but they are not worth one and a half million gold coins." His voice was calm, formal.
"I want more than that." His gaze sharpened. "The Longteite family wants to monopolize all future sales of your machines."
Chris burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
The sound echoed through the workshop. To Desaiel, it felt mocking. But to Chris, the offer was nothing short of naive.
From Desaiel's perspective, this was bold, visionary even. Who else would dare put down 1.5 million gold coins for designs still on paper? To him, it was the mark of a true investor.
But from Chris's perspective… what was 1.5 million gold coins compared to the entire foundation of a future empire?
The imbalance of knowledge made the offer laughable.
"Mr. Desaiel," Chris finally said, still smiling, "would you like to hear a story?"
Desaiel frowned. The Longteite family always opened doors with money. But here, his usual weapon wasn't working. It unsettled him. Still, curiosity won out, and he nodded.
Chris began:
"A merchant once asked his father: 'How much profit can you make from farming?' His father said: 'Perhaps tenfold.'
The merchant asked again: 'How much from trading pearls and jade?' His father said: 'Maybe a hundredfold.'
Finally, the merchant asked: 'And how much profit comes from investing in a kingdom's monarch?'
His father said: 'That, my son… cannot even be calculated.'"
Chris leaned in, his eyes cold and sharp.
"And now, Mr. Desaiel—you want to spend 1.5 million gold coins to buy the future of an empire? Isn't that… a little too stingy?"
"…" Desaiel exhaled slowly. Then, unexpectedly, he nodded. "If you can truly build an empire, then yes—my offer was too low."
He straightened, meeting Chris's gaze head-on. "But the question is… what do you have that can build an empire? And how much of that future are you willing to share with me?"
Chris tapped the woodworking machine beside him. His voice was confident, unwavering.
"I'll show you something. And once you've seen it, you'll believe me.
As for benefits—" He paused, his tone turning sharp as steel. "The Longteite family will become the richest family in the world. And within that family… there will be only one voice that matters. Yours."
Desaiel sucked in a deep breath. Those words struck him harder than he wanted to admit. It was a promise many in his clan would kill for.
"…I need to see this thing first," he said finally. "Show me."
Chris nodded. This is it. I can't miss this chance.
With Desaiel in tow, he left the workshop. For secrecy, the young noble even took the reins himself. Neither of them brought guards. Only Chris, Desaiel, and Deans rode the carriage.
They arrived at a heavily guarded makeshift camp at the edge of the forest.
"What is this place?" Desaiel asked curiously, as Wagron led them toward a strange, dark iron pipe mounted between two wheels.
The moment his hand touched the cold metal, an inexplicable dread seeped into his bones.
Chris's smile was calm, yet chilling. "With this, city walls will crumble into dust. With this, no fortress will ever be safe again."
Desaiel's eyes widened. "…What is it?"
"Artillery." Chris's voice was steady, confident. "The first true weapon of war created by the Ailan Hill family."
It looked primitive—just an iron cannon, heavy and clunky. Yet Chris knew the truth. Even in its rough state, it was the first step toward industrialized warfare.
Desaiel sneered, trying to brush off his unease. "With all due respect, even if you made a ballista from metal, it still wouldn't outmatch a wooden one."
Wagron laughed out loud, unable to hold back. He had once said the same thing—before he saw the cannon roar. Now, his loyalty to Chris was unshakable.
Chris remained calm. "You'll see soon enough."
Soldiers moved quickly, loading the cannons with ammunition. They followed Chris's instructions with practiced precision, soon ready to fire.
Desaiel watched with mounting curiosity.
Then—
"BOOM!!!"
The world exploded.
The deafening roar shattered the silence, throwing Desaiel to the ground. Smoke burst from the barrel, and in the distance, a mound used as a target erupted, torn apart by the blast. Mud and stone rained down like a storm.
"This… this is… magic!" Desaiel gasped, his voice trembling. "The gods above… this is sorcery!"
Chris extended his hand, pulling him back to his feet. His eyes burned with conviction.
"No. Not magic.
A weapon. The weapon that will change this world."
Desaiel's face turned pale. His lips quivered as he pointed at another mound. "I… I want to choose the target. Can I?"
"Of course." Chris smiled. He handed him the torch. "Go on. Fire it yourself."
Desaiel gripped the torch tightly. Soldiers adjusted the cannon's aim. His heart thundered in his chest.
He hesitated… then pressed the flame to the fuse.
"BOOM!!!"
The second cannon thundered. The shell screamed across the field, slamming into the mound he had chosen.
When the smoke cleared, the hill was gone—flattened to the earth.
Desaiel's mouth went dry. His hands trembled.
For the first time, the young heir of the Longteite family truly understood.
This wasn't business.
This was power.
And Chris was offering him a share of it.
---
📖 To be continued…