Chapter 3: An Artisan Meets A Mechanic

Chapter 3: An Artisan Meets A Mechanic

It's been about two months since Daniel came to the strange fantasy world. He's gotten better every day at speaking and listening to the language of the world, which he had to learn the old fashioned way, and he wasted no time, practicing words in his head or reviewing with friendly citizens.

Now, a crowd is gathered around him as he finishes assembling his first invention in this world; a lever operated piston water pump. It doesn't get in the way of the bucket, which is what the town has been using for drinking water. It's sometimes surprising what the town does that magic can't yet accomplish. He was able to afford some custom-made piping made out of aluminum, and he was able to assemble the other parts himself using a mold he made for the housing, piston, and lever pieces, while he made a gasket out of a rubber- like material used by blacksmiths for scratch protection on decorative materials. He's not sure where it comes from yet, but it does the job, and it resists deterioration.

Daniel recalls something he read about on Earth about aluminum being hazardous for this kind of application, but when he did some research, the best he could find were single-sentence blurbs that had no reputable studies attached to them. If he has the chance he'll come back and replace the piping with better metal, but for now, it's what he can afford in this other world.

Once assembled, Daniel begins cycling the lever. He can feel the weight increasing; water is climbing but unable to sink back down thanks to the check valve in the pump. He keeps cranking the lever as the citizens gathered around him watch.

A young boy asks, “What's that supposed to do, Mister Daniel?”

He grins, saying warmly, “Just watch.” He has a bucket below the spout, and it takes about a minute of cranking, thanks to the depth of the well, but suddenly, water spits out of the spout. Then, each swing of the lever causes an appropriate rush of water that causes the crowd to gasp and coo in amazement.

Gursille, the blacksmith, leans in close, watching the water come out. He gushes, “Amazing! Such a simple-seeing design. How much water can this contraption move?”

Daniel replies, still cycling the lever with relative ease, “Until the well's level gets below the suction bottom of the pipe.”

This stuns everyone. He looks down, and the water level doesn't look any lower. “How deep is it?”

“I asked for a pipe that's pretty close to the bottom, but not all the way. Want to avoid silence. Should be about twenty feet of water head or more right now. Not sure how much it swings through the seasons.”

One of the farmers in town for delivery replies, “We’re in dry season now, with a few months to go. Probably drop a few feet at least.”

Daniel explains with a nod. “Wells tend to draw from ground water, so as long as the water table remains...” He gets a few blank looks. Generally, they don’t have to think about it because they get their bucket or two of water, typically, and keep going.

Daniel clears his throat. “It only makes it easier to fill larger vessels and personal buckets. I’ll teach anyone who wants to know how to replace the gasket, since I don’t know how long this material will last. The piping should last a good while.”

Several of the villagers volunteer, and Daniel politely thanks them. “Thank you, thank you, but I can’t do it right now. I have another appointment. I’ll post a class in the adventurer’s guild in about a week or so. It’ll be free, but it’ll take a little bit.”

He gets many handshakes and shoulder pats as he does his best to extract himself to head to the apothecary that requested help with a cooling unit. As usual, it’s something he might be able to service, but he won’t know until he sees it. Otherwise, they’re at the mercy of the next artificer to come into town, which apparently, isn’t particularly often. From what he can tell, Daniel is a bandage to an artificer’s surgery. His advantage is that he has modern-world knowledge, such as the pump. He’d love to assemble a motorized pump, but it’ll take time before he can assemble shaft seals and bearings for the pump and motor, as well as figure out how to get hold of that much wire. Not to mention, he’d likely have to hand-wind the motor himself, which he’s fuzzy on.

Regardless, for now, he does what he can, and he’s had only a couple of the dozens of jobs he’s done so far that he couldn’t do himself; a magic crystal that cracked -possibly to improper heat distribution-, and a blacksmithing tool he’s unfamiliar with and couldn’t identify any of the functions of. He vowed in both cases that if he stumbles across ways to repair them before an artificer shows up, he’d check in to try to fix them -though, he doubts the crystal can simply be repaired-.

He does what he can, and it has granted him a living with enough left over to pursue improvement projects, which benefit him as much as the town itself.

Little did he know, one such benefit has already caught someone’s eye.

***********

“You there! Are you Yargaen?”

Yargaen, the feline shopkeep, turns from his inventory to face the person calling out to him. “I am. Who might I ask is asking?”

“I am Wenlianna, Court Magic Artisan. I have a question for you.”

Stunned, Yargaen drops what he’s doing, turning his full attention to the small noblewoman. “My sincerest apologies, my Lady! It’s not often I get women of noble status here.”

“I don’t care about that. I just want answers to my question.”

“Of course, my Lady. If it is something I know, I will answer to the fullest extent I can.”

“You recently sold a book to the library, correct?”

“Oh! Yes, that was quite a surprise. It’s a rather common-...”

“I know! What I want is the binding. I want to employ the person who bound that book.”

Surprised, the catfolk man nervously scratches his cheek, “Oh... We’ve discussed contracting that very service for binding books, but my business partner in the matter wanted to discuss a formal process, and he’s been busy.”

Wenlianna is a small woman, and she often has trouble being taken seriously. So, as a result, she can sometimes be a little aggressive. She grips his shirt, asking as he puts his hands up away from her, “Where can I find him? I have a lot of books, so I can provide a lot of work for him. And, I can pay his price. Of that I’m certain.”

“Th-The thing is... I don’t really know where he is. He kinda comes and goes as he pleases.”

“WHAT!?”

“He’s a strange one, my Lady! Please forgive me! I don’t know if or where he’s staying, and it’s been a couple days since I’ve seen him. That usually means he’s busy on several jobs in a row.”

“Others have already hired him to bind books!? WHO!?”

“I sincerely don’t know! But, no, not books. Not that I know of. He does all kinds of work. He repaired my store’s locks and hinges, he worked on the guild’s magic oven.” He perks up, “Actually, I think I heard someone mention his name with something going on at the well nearby. I haven’t had a chance to head that way myself.”

“The well? I saw a crowd. The one in the neighborhood near the library?”

“Indeed! I don’t know what it is, but I heard Daniel would be there today.”

Wenlianna sucks her teeth. The crowd had already dispersed when she left the library.

“Wait...” She looks into the shopkeep’s narrow-pupil eyes. “What did you say his name was?”

“D-Daniel, My Lady.”

“Daniel? Daniel what?”

“I... He’s never used a family name. Everyone just calls him Daniel.” He scratches his chin, “Must be from another kingdom. Not a name I’ve ever heard before him, now that I think of it.”

“This Daniel; did he have black hair and brown eyes?”

“Oh! You know of him, My Lady?”

She winces, “I... I think so. Did he happen to say where he’s from?”

“Mmm... No. But, he has a lot of strange behaviors, and he didn’t know a lick of the language when he-...”

Wenlianna asks quickly, “And, you said Daniel worked on a magic oven?”

“That’s right! He claims he’s not an artificer, but he’s better and FAR less expensive than any who’ve come through this town.”

Wenlianna murmurs as she cups her chin in her hand. “How can that be...? He can’t use any magic... How could he be capable of repairing magical equipment?”

Yargaen offers to her spoken thought, “If I may, he doesn’t guarantee he can do a job, since he’s still learning, and he usually starts by asking the crystal’s ages, from what I’ve heard.”

Thinking, she ponders, “I see... So, what if it’s still true, but he’s fixing them some other way...”

She faces the shopkeep, saying urgently, “I have to find him. Do you have ANY idea where he was headed after the well? Or, do you have any idea which inn he’s staying at?”

Yargaen shakes his head. “Apologies, my Lady. I’ve referred him some work a few times, but as I said, he appears here on his own. I’ve never asked him where he stays.”

She groans. “Thank you! If he does return, tell him I’m looking for him. I still want to contract him to bind my books, but...” I actually want to know how someone from another world can work on some of our most complicated technology with no formal training.

“I’m going to look for him.”

“If I see him, I’ll try to ask him to stay here, my Lady.”

She nods thankfully, “Thank you. I’ll pay you for the trouble.” She provides him ten valdens for the time now, and she heads towards the well.

There, she finds what must have been the fuss. There are a pair of men operating a strange contraption hanging from the side of the well, and from it, water is pouring into their cart-mounted barrel.

They are able to continuously draw water this way without the need for sending the bucket up and down, likely halving the time for the process, if not faster.

“You there! What is this thing?”

“I... My Lady, I sincerely doubt...”

“Which part do you not understand? I sought you out because I’ve heard of your exploits. Tell me, how are you able to work on magic equipment without magic?”

“That? Oh. Uh... many of the devices operate similarly to our technology back home. It’s not quite the same, but it’s similar enough that I’ve been able to fumble my way through some repair work. I’m certain my reputation is exaggerated.”

She shakes her head. “Most people can’t even begin to work on them. It takes artificers years to perform such generalized repairs on so many varying pieces of equipment.”

“I’m not sure what I should say, my Lady. There have been several jobs I couldn’t complete. I’m just doing what I can.”

She sighs. “I realize that. What I’m saying is that, with formal training, you would surpass half of the artisan academy’s most prestigious alumni.”

“I... think you’ve been misled, my Lady. At best, I’m lucky the repairs have been so easy.”

This only causes her to burst into laughter. “Such modesty!” She takes his sleeve, pulling him towards the castle, “Come. I’ll teach you the principles immediately and get you started on...”

Daniel stops, and she looks up at him. “Apologies, my Lady. I have a prior commitment.”

“I told you to drop what you were doing. I promise you I outrank whoever it is.”

Daniel looks away, replying softly, “That might be fine for you, but this is my reputation on the line. I don’t care much about what’s said of me, but I want to keep my commitments at least.”

She pauses, looking into his eyes for a long time. She finally averts her gaze, thinking deeply. With a sigh, she releases his sleeve. “I can respect your dedication. I hope you will serve me with as much loyalty.”

“I... Do I have a choice, my lady?”

“Do you ever want to be an artificer in this town?”

“No...”

“WHA-!? How can you say that!?”

“I don’t need the prestige of a job I’m not qualified for. Besides, from what I’ve gathered, one of the core requirements is to be able to perform magic. Nothing’s changed.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. I have reason to believe that you’ve likely absorbed some magic just by being in this world.” She claps her fist to her hand, remembering her book. “Which reminds me! You bind books, too, don’t you?”

“I... did it for one. If there were a demand for such a skill...”

“Yes! Me. So, that’s two reasons for me to hire you. Pick one. More importantly, I refuse to believe that your talent hasn’t awakened by now. It defies the logic of our world.”

“I’ll happily be checked again, My Lady. But, please allow me to finish the jobs I’ve already started.”

She stares at him with an indignant expression. But, she replies with a dismissive wave of her hand, “Very well. But, I’m not letting you out of my sight until they’re completed. Can’t have you trying to flee, can I?”

“I have no interest in being on the run, Lady Wenlianna. Least of all in a world where I am severely disadvantaged.”

She scoffs. “I have a feeling you’re more capable than you’re letting on.”

“I’ll always do my best, but I won’t assume I am the best.”

She chuckles, “I think we’re going to get along well, Daniel. So, let’s get your work over with. I have my own tasks to accomplish.”

Daniel nods in agreement. “I won’t presume to tell you what to do, my Lady, so I am heading to the blacksmith right now for a quote on aluminum.”

“Do your work and don’t mind me.”

Daniel nods and he heads for the blacksmith. He wonders what she’ll actually be having him do, but she seems to be a sincere -if pushy- person, so maybe her intentions are innocent enough.

***********

Wenlianna follows the strange otherworlder as he performs several tasks. He gets a quote for some aluminum at the blacksmith, as well as tools to make a mold. With that information signed by the blacksmith, he swings by the pump on the well, which is in use by a handful of other villagers, who thank him. No matter who he talks to, no matter what their race is, he speaks to them as equals or as clients, maintaining professionalism, but also recalling simple details about them if he’s met them before, such as family members or business endeavors. He heads back to the noble’s district, meeting with the apothecary’s wife, Baroness Veriuv. She speaks somewhat flirtatiously with Daniel, and he even speaks to her on not only a first name basis, but as a nickname ‘Miss Veri’.

He explains the design of the mold as best as he can and it’s purpose, which impresses even Wenlianna.

Apparently, because of the thermal conductive properties of metals, the efficiency of heating and cooling units can be massively improved with a relatively simple design. When she hears the quote, she asks him, “Are you serious?”

He asks, “Is that above the budget?”

“ABOVE!? ARE YOU KIDDING!?” The woman nearly swoons, and Wenlianna asks curiously, “What’s the budget?”

Daniel replies, “Apparently, a secondary single or a dual cooling unit.”

Wenlianna stares at him. She resists the urge to ask him if he’s serious, since she knows why he’s serious. He’s not from this world. He has no idea how valuable a magic crystal device actually is. He’s gathered that they’re expensive, but he truly has no idea.

Wenlianna begins laughing, and Daniel remarks innocently, “I can try to reduce the cost, but it won’t be as...”

“I’ll take it!” calls out the Baroness as she takes his hand. She asks for reassurance, “That’s all it takes? That amount, and it should be able to cool the room better?”

Daniel replies with a nod, “Yes. I doubt it could freeze the room, but it should definitely bring the temperature down.”

Veriuv joins Wenlianna in laughing, though her laughter is relief. Apparently, she was expecting a much higher cost.

Daniel requests, “If you’ll sign here, Miss Veri, I’ll work on it straight away. Lady Wenlianna has offered me a long term employment, so I’ll be finishing this job as quickly as possible. I won’t charge you the full price until it’s tested.”

She sniffles through tears, signing without hesitation. But, she asks, “Lady Wenlianna? You intend to steal him away?”

Wenlianna nods proudly. “He shan’t want for anything, least of all work to keep him busy. But, a gem should be polished, not left in the street. Isn’t that right, Daniel?”

“While I agree with the principle, my Lady, I again must insist you’ve been misled.”

Veriuv requests, “Lady Wenlianna, surely you can’t hoard his talents away. What if I were to need these services again?”

“Frankly, I can do whatever I want. He’ll be my employee once this task is complete.”

“Perhaps, but there’s no way you can enslave him under the law.”

“Enslave him? Ha! He won’t WANT to work for anyone else. Isn’t that right, Daniel?”

“Until I know what the work is, I can’t speak on the matter, my Lady. Miss Veri, if you’ll excuse me for the night, I’ll bring the radiator as soon as it’s completed. I expect it’ll be a couple of days.”

Veriuv stands up, replying, “Thank you again, Daniel. I shall await your return.” She leans in close to him, murmuring softly, “Don’t let her trick you. Slavery is illegal in this kingdom.”

Wenlianna growls, “I would never. Like I said; he won’t want to leave. We’re going to revolutionize this world together.”

Veriuv reiterates, “If you can spare the time, I’m certain you’ll find allies and work in town as well, Daniel.”

“Thank you, Miss Veri. I’ll use my best judgment not to overcommit or overburden myself. Please excuse me and have a good night.” He bows politely, leaving the room.

Wenlianna waits until he’s out of the building to state coldly, “You don’t know anything about him, Baroness.”

“As you said, though. A gem should be polished. But, it also shouldn’t be hidden away.”

Wenlianna looks at her. “Wait and see.”

With that, Wenlianna walks briskly out of the apothecary to follow the otherworlder. Daniel is hiding his true potential. If she can draw out even a fraction of his otherworldly wisdom, the world they’re in might just take a turn for the incredible.

Ironically, both summoned humans from the otherworld have skills that appropriately serve the kingdom. However, only one of them seems to be prepared to serve the whole world.

************

~Author's Note: As mentioned in other chapters, I'm posting 5 chapters today to start out, and I'll post 1 chapter per day until I'm caught up to where I am on Royal Road. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy my story!