In front of the provincial government headquarters, in the Peters City core...
A black SUV stopped in front of the stairs of that building, where many local guards were stationed.
When this strange vehicle stopped there, the guards immediately found it strange. They moved towards the car since that was the area where only staff carriages were allowed to stop.
Without identifying who was inside the car, they naturally reacted as if it was some enemy.
"What's that?"
"I don't know... Maybe a new weapon in the shape of a carriage?" Some guards muttered among themselves while the citizens on the side streets and sidewalks watched that car with interest.
That was true even for the people in carriages stopped nearby or passing down that street.
"That..." A coachman opened his mouth as the young master inside that carriage narrowed his eyes, looking at the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.
"What the hell is that? Who made it?" this young nobleman stepped out of his carriage to admire the black car across the street.
But then, while this nobleman from another province of Leopoldine was considering proposing a purchase offer for that 'unique' thing, Chris and August got off the car together, alongside some rich local men.
"Hahahaha, riding in a car is great, August!" Chris Waldeaur said aloud, smiling in satisfaction, already planning to buy a few units for his family.
He was wealthy and liked each of the cars presented by Lothur. Hence, he already had it in mind to order at least a few cars of each model for his family in the next few days.
He liked the pick-up model best, but he would not hesitate to buy the other units because of his children and wife.
August listened to his old friend and laughed too. "Yes, I'll let you drive it a bit to get a taste, but don't dent it, or I'll have no mercy!"
The three rich men next to these two, already outside the car, laughed too, letting Chris be the next to drive but eager for their chances.
"Where will we go now? I wish I could show this car to my family." One of the three fat old men said this. "I plan to order about five cars just like that in the next few days, but I want to show it to my kids."
The others had the same intentions, so they soon agreed they could stop by their family's house while driving the car.
While they were sorting this out, one of the guards in the vicinity, who had been silent upon seeing the Duke getting down from that car, asked. "Duke of the Province, what is it?"
The Duke turned around and saw the head of the guard at the seat of government. "Pyke, that four-wheeled object in front of you is a car. It is the main product of the Ritter Motor Company."
"Ritter?" All the guards in the area heard this and understood who was behind this strange thing.
Amid their surprise, Chris's son, Martin, appeared open-mouthed at one of the windows of that building. "Is that the car?"
"Yeah, haha." Chris looked into his son's eyes as if to say, 'I was right.'
Martin was not stupid, so he immediately understood why his father had abandoned everything he had done in the past decades to not stand against Lothur.
But the shock he felt seeing that independent animal-powered vehicle was too great for him to think better of such things.
Now he just wanted to get in that car and ride it!
"Dad, can I take it for a ride? I want to see what it's like." He said before jumping out the third-floor window.
But before Martin even landed on the ground, Chris said. "Of course not!
I'll only be able to go for one ride myself. That's not my car, don't forget that."
"But..."
"Martin, don't think too much about it. We will have some of these cars in our family in a few days. So just wait a little while." Chris said before the young nobleman across the street asked them.
"Duke Waldeaur, what is a car? Where can I get one of these?"
Upon hearing this, Chris and the other people in the surrounding area looked at that black-haired young man, realizing he was one of the sons of the second-strongest family in the neighboring province south of Linn.
Because of this, they soon introduced that four-wheeled object to the level 12 young man.
They did all this under the gazes of dozens of people in the vicinity, all surprised by the appearance of a car.
...
Meanwhile, near the Frost family estate...
Aiken was driving one of the sedans produced by Lothur with his wife by his side and Annaliese in the back seat next to one of the patriarch's trusted elders.
Lothur's father-in-law was smiling as much as he had on his wedding day with Mabel, fascinated by the car he had gotten.
A sedan was the best kind of car to race, and hell, Aiken had sped some of this car through the emptiest streets and felt the thrill of controlling a vehicle like this.
As such, he was enjoying himself as he had seldom done in the past and could only be happy with this car!
Meanwhile, the old man sitting behind him was happy too, wondering when he would get the chance to drive this little beauty and looking forward to the Ritter Motor Company store opening.
He was already planning to buy a pick-up and a sedan for himself!
Annaliese also smiled wildly, eager for Lothur to give her a car.
As for Mabel, this woman was a little pale at the moment, totally shocked by the creation of Lothur, who, until recently, she thought would fail in this endeavor.
But now, feeling the power of this thing called a car, she couldn't help but notice her son-in-law's success and realize how wrong she was about him.
'It really works!
And to top it off, it's quite fun and pretty!' She thought to herself as she gripped the top handle on the side above her door with one of her hands.
Not only was she enjoying the ride alongside her husband, but she also loved the hatch model and was already imagining driving one of these herself, one red, her favorite color.
Because of this desire, she felt strange. After a long time of hating Lothur, loving something he has developed.
It was as if, out of nowhere, the heavens were proving to her how wrong she was, how unfair she had been to her son-in-law, who, to be fair, should be called a genius and acclaimed in any family.
But she had mistreated him and now felt terrible having fun and wishing she had one of Lothur's cars.
"Sigh..."
'Now there's nothing to do... I'll ask Aiken to buy some cars for our family and try not to be so hateful to Lothur anymore.' She sighed just before Aiken parked inside the Frost estate in that family's seat.
In doing so, the same thing that would happen in every other place where cars would stop this day would happen there!