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“Good work! The first batch will be ready in four hours. I'm very pleased with the quality of engines we've produced so far” Matthew, leaning back, was finally happy. He couldn't believe that he managed to come up with such a good idea. It was a great time to be alive.
“Further...” his eyes glazed over as he mentally reviewed the notes he made when had the idea, “...further tests and production will take place in the future. I'll need you to work on this again tomorrow. I have to deliver a report about our progress to The King by the end of the day.”
“Y-yes sir!” the team leader replied, offering a half-hearted salute.
“Did the gypsies buy all the gold they wanted?” someone enquired from the crowd gathered around Matthew. Matthew slowly turned his head to face the person who spoke.
“Y-yes they did!” he answered with a smile, “Everyone was very happy! We will start producing these engines for the soldiers of the king. It will increase their own power to fight the enemy.”
“Wonderful! We should all be very happy about it!” the group of workers cheered.
Matthew simply smiled again and continued to look through his reports meticulously. He was exhausted after this great achievement. It was just one of the many to still keep secret. He didn't want to tell The King about it because it was not a magic weapon. It was just a simple machine that increased the power of everyone. Everyone could use it, but it was only limited to a certain amount. He didn't consider it good enough to be mentioned to The King.
Matthew finally stood up and closely looked into the huge furnace. They had managed to melt down many weapons of the defeated army. These could now be recycled into the strong metal required. Production had been slowly progressing, but they wouldn't need to stop soon. With The King's orders, they would bring the numbers even higher. This would minimize the number of casualties in war. If they used enough weapons, they would have enough power to rival the might of the dark elves.
“Sir?” the team leader asked.
“Yes?”
“The furnace needs to be cleaned. It is over flowing with melted metal. We should do this immediately before the furnace burn out. I've got a team of men to do that now.”
“Good...” Matthew nodded. “Make sure it's done thoroughly. Remember this is very important. It doesn't take too much time, but it could be life-saving in a war.”
“We understand sir.” he quickly replied and left.
Matthew, left alone, finally took off his thin gloves. It felt good to be able to relax. However, he quickly remembered that he would have to go see The King. He could be executed for failure to complete an order.
“I hope he's not angry.” Matthew muttered, and walked towards the door.
“Sir...” he stopped. Oh! He had forgotten to warn his men. He had to run back.
“I'll be back in less than two hours” he said, before quickly disappearing.
“Sir?”
“Yes?”
“The King has sent his directions. We can start production.”
“I see.”
It was his job to process the orders given to his men. He would make sure they were prepared correctly.
“Sir?”
“Yes?”
“We need...”
“...15, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 300 of them. We have to finish all the orders,” the line went on and on. Matthew finally snapped.
“I said make sure it's done!” he shouted, finally losing his patience. “You don't need to add 100 each time.”
“Sir..” the team leader sighed, trying to calm him down. “I'm sorry sir.”
“Don't apologize! Just do it!” he yelled, losing his patience. He couldn't afford to let his temper get the better of him. “I have to go.”
Matthew then quickly left with a stern face. It was hard work. He was very exhausted. The Emperor would get very angry if they were late. It would be a complete mess if the Emperor got angry. It would be unwise, and Matthew would be in real danger. But still... he didn't need to deal with this.
The 15, 20, 50, and 100 engines were ready and needed to be brought to the supply center. It would take him about three hours. If he got back just in time, then he would be able to talk to The King.
Matthew rushed, this time not worrying about his men or who would get the blame, he was worried only about The King. He ran as fast as he could towards the supply center. He managed to arrive just a few minutes late. He was sprinting down the road.
“Sir! Sir!” a soldier hollered behind him. His feet stopped, then he turned around slowly. The soldier caught up to him and moved beside him.
“What is it? Are we not late for the delivery?”
“Yes sir. The supply center is full with many people.” he said quickly.
“Is that a problem?” Matthew asked.
“Y-yes sir. The center is running out of space.”
“I see...” Matthew paused. “You're right. It's going to be a lot of waiting.”
“Y-yes sir.”
Matthew sighed and walked towards the supply center.
“Sir...” Matthew turned around to face the soldier.
“Yes?” Matthew asked, as he arrived at the supply center.
“The Emperor's orders.” the soldier said, his face showing his stress. “We have to deliver these five engines as soon as possible.” The line of his mouth was stiff.
“I see. We might be able to squeeze in 100 of them, if we hurry.”
“Sir.” the soldier gulped, his eyes all the way down. The men standing around Matthew were now all looking at him.
“How long do you think we will be here?” he muttered, while closing his eyes.
“I don't know sir.”
“Good.” he moved aside. “Let's go.” He nodded towards the men standing around him, “Sema and Hajr, you will go as well.”
“Yes sir!”
“We will not be able to stay long.” the team leader said.
Matthew sighed and stood further inside the crowd. Other inpatient soldiers were standing around a corner. There were so many restrictions happening in the city, especially when resources were in short supply. He found himself happily surprised that the citizens were not protesting at all.
“Please calm down!” another soldier went around addressing some of the more active citizens, “Everyone will get their engines very soon. We are working as fast as we can.”
Matthew leaned against the wall and waited quietly. He didn't realize he had been pulled into the crowd. He was now being pushed towards the center of the supply center.
“Please move!” a soldier yelled.
“Shove them back!”
Matthew now found himself being pushed back to the corner, away from the center.
“Slow down!”
“Back!” Matthew felt hands on his body, pushing him backwards. He raised his hand and tried to touch the ground.
“Order!” an older soldier stood against the wall, guarding against everyone. “Order! I said to move back!”
Matthew, not knowing who is doing this, wanted to understand what was happening. He pushed through the crowd that was forming around him. Then he came to face the soldier yelling.
“Stop!” the guard said sternly, with a loud but steady voice. Matthew looked around to see who was causing the problem. It was one of the men from the team. “Let them through.”
Matthew stood back while one of the soldiers gently grabbed Matthew's hand and pulled him back to the side. Being pushed back felt a bit painful due to the dirt on his boots. He walked back to the corner, closer to the center.
“Let's go!” a guard yelled.
The line started moving. The clock reached seven o'clock and the Emperor had ordered the engines shipped by seven fifteen. This didn't take too long, but it forced people to be more organized. Every man in the army was greeted with a new task, some would carry the engines, some would check their engines, and some would arrange the carts to transport them.
Matthew was surprised that the soldiers were being so calm, but his exhausted body could only muster a tired smile. He was ready to go back to the palace after his three hours of being pushed around and asked where the engines were. After he told the workers of his products, they would leave him alone. He just had to focus on getting them to the supply center.
However... he wondered if he could ask for a ride from one of the supply wagons.