Chapter 658: The Silent Crew and the New Deal

Chapter 658: The Silent Crew and the New Deal

Behold! Alexander Roth announced in a voice booming with the majesty of a king as he seized the edge of a tarp. A wonder of wonders! Majesty beyond majesty! The birth of a legend! The

Will you just show her the goods, partner? Toraka rolled her eyes.

Fine, fine! the young wizard said grudgingly. Some people have no respect for showmanship.

With theatrical flair, Alex yanked the tarp away, revealing a golem.

The first word that came to mind was magnificent.

The construct was female; crafted of pure, shining, polished metal, standing close to seven feettaller than alexwith a sturdiness and surprising grace to its form. It was forged in the image of a selachar with a dancers build and joints so subtle, they seemed to disappearat a distance, andthough crafted of steelits face appeared touched by life with eyes that appeared to hold a spark of sapience. Had those eyes been black like those of the selachar people, Lucia might have thought the golem was a living being.

It looks so life-like, even the hair looks like individual strands, but its really forged as a single piece, Alex said, tapping the golems hair that had been sculpted in a tight bun. I could have made individual strands, but that would have added extra time and cost for no reason.

He pulled the tarp from another golem, this one was sculpted in the image of a human malewith the agile, muscular physique of a dancer.

I made their bodies to look as close to humanoid as I could get them, except without nipples, butt cracks and other naughty bits, if you get my meaning his voice dropped in a conspiratorial tone. but theyll look like grey humanoids from a distance, which should have the psychological effect of making people more comfortable around them. Still, I didnt want to make them look so life-like that theyd start to look creepy.

They are incredibly beautiful, Alex, Lucia said, sounding awestruck. Im surprised you made them with so muchdetail, but without the naughty bits, and you left them naked?

I thought you could dress them, if you wanted. Alex tapped his right temple. If I just gave you golems that looked like armoured hulks, or featureless dolls, youd have to go through all kinds of trouble customising them to get them the way you want. But, this way, you can dress them to look however you prefertheyre large because I had to make sure they had enough bulk for heavy liftingbut a bit of custom tailored clothing should work nicely. Then youll have options to dress them in any cultures style, doll them up for royalty, dress them down so they blend in with your crew, put armour on them so they look intimidating to bandits and other shady characters, or anything.

Well thought out. Lucia nodded, tapping her chin. I was considering a uniform for my crew when the company grew bigger.

Thatll be perfect, then! Alex clapped. Whip up the right clothes with the right symbols, and your golems will look just as at home as any other staff-member of your company.

So, what abilities do they have? Lucia asked.

He smirked. Testing indicated reflexes higher than those of the average humanoidthough average is a little weird to say since agility can vary a lot across different raceslets just say that theyre more agile and dexterous than the average human. They wont tire, of course, and theyre capable of repeating any task on their own that you show them first.

Alex rubbed his hands together. Their golem coresre advanced enough for them to understand complex tasks. As for strength?

He held up all ten fingers.

Lucia frowned. What does that mean?

He grinned. Tons.

She took a step back. Wait, are you telling me that together the twenty of them can lift ten tons?

Sounds interesting, but be careful. Lucia looked at both Alex and Toraka. Take it from someone who once worked long hours at a job that killed her spirit; you do not want to overwork yourselves. I cant have my business associates dropping dead or disappearing on me, now can I?

Yeah, disappearing. Alex gave her a weak smile. Well, were working on that.

And you are sure that you can have four of these new golems finished in time to meet our timetable? Kartika, a councillor on Generasis governing council said, her six hands holding up pages of Alex and Torakas quote and proposed schedule. We only asked for two; though four would be excellent, but if quality will be sacrificed, we would prefer to be reasonable and wait for any larger order to be completed at a later date.

The name Shale has always stood for quality, as well as quick and steady service, Toraka Shale said.

And the name of Roth means an equally superior level of reliability and quantity, without ever sacrificing quality, Alex followed up, subtly providing confidence with his words.

He needed this to work.

If he pulled it off, his futureand his familyswould take a giant leap toward security for decades.

That was, if he pulled it off.

He and Toraka were seated in a lavish meeting room. Every stick of furniture bled magic; leather chairs were supernaturally comfortable, feeling like clouds swaddling ones body, every desk and table sat atop opulently carved legs that shifted from time to timeready to relocate where they were needed at a moments noticewhile a glass cabinet at the far end of the room was stocked with a supply of wines and liquors chilled to different temperatures.

To the left, a window filling the entire length of the room, looked out over the city and sea beyond. It was a remarkable view, like one from aboard a sky-ship looking down on Generasi from high in the clouds. The view was neither surprising, nor unexpected, considering they were in the personal meeting room of one of the councillors of the city: a person who represented the potential client theyd mentioned to Lucia: the city of Generasi.

Kartikarepresenting the wizard-councilhad written to Toraka asking for a quote on two new iron golems which were to provide extra security within city hall. According to the letter, the citys security budget had increased significantly after the demon attacks, and even more after word of Toraka and Alexs improved golems began spreading near and wide, coupled with Claygons annihilation of Rams force construct at the Games of Roal. Approval had been given to contact the golem crafters and place an order with them.

To Alex, it was the opportunity hed been waiting for.

If we manage to impress the city officials, he thought. Well be getting a client with both a need, and very, very deep pockets. Any ongoing golem contracts with the city could mean years, or even decades of revenue.

He breathed through the tension passing through his body. In case something bad happens to me, I could build enough golems to set Theresa and Selina up for a lifetime, and then some, andif I have strong ties to the city His mind went to the hidden church. that gives me some real powerful allies when people start clamouring for me to be sent back to Thameland. This has got to work.

Think of this as a test for us, Alex said smoothly. Like we said, Torakas name means something in this city, and I want mine to mean something too. If we can show you that our company can produce quality golems twice as fast as you require for your timetable, then youll be able to see what were capable of.

which will also increase your chances of securing further contracts, or perhaps something ongoing. Kartika looked at him, her lips curling in amusement. Baelin told me how shrewd you are, and I can see he wasnt lying.

Alex swallowed. Baelin was talking about me?

Kartika smiled. Indeed he was. And he hasnt been the only one. A lot of people have been watching you recently, Mr. Roth, as well as a certain shipping company with roots to Generasi.

She set the proposal for the Golem Operation Plans on the desk.

How about if I were to share what people have been saying about the name Roth lately?