Mechanic

Talini saw Rayne to the entrance of Violet House in Viola's place. After confirming once more that the Soul Transformation Ritual would be held at noon tomorrow, she watched him leave.

Rayne glanced at the sky and realized he had spent over two hours at Violet House. It was just past noon, and he was not very hungry, so he strolled along Brent Street.

The street was packed with traffic and pedestrians, people flowing in and out of shop after shop.

Rayne observed with great interest. It had to be said that anyone appearing on this street was at least middle class or a Transcendent, or else a student of the Supernatural Academy. People here were clearly in far better spirits than those in Longshande's other districts.

That much was obvious from the way everyone traveled.

The wealthy rode in automobiles, young noble ladies favored lavish carriages, burly knights rode tall horses, and Transcendents were accompanied by strange beasts or simply rode them. The occasional pedestrian still moved far faster than an ordinary person.

Rayne also spotted a very familiar means of transportation—a bicycle.

He remembered that he had owned a secondhand bicycle at the academy, but it had been stolen after he had ridden it for barely half a month. He had been upset about it for a long time.

Bicycles had been popular throughout the Empire for many years. They were inexpensive and, aside from the public bus, people's favorite means of transportation in the city.

Many jobs required bicycles, such as postal workers and newspaper deliverymen. Some people even modified them into tricycles and became mobile vendors.

"Too bad. This world already has bicycles, so that's one less money-making idea."

Rayne thought regretfully, but he did not dwell on it.

In a world where steam engines and mechanical technology had developed for centuries, even without oil or electricity, a simple device like the bicycle would have been invented sooner or later.

"Madam, please hold your pose. Don't move, absolutely don't move... Good, just like that. Good... It'll be over soon!"

"I'm ready to take it. Three, two..."

A shrill male voice caught Rayne's attention. What was going on?

He pinpointed the source and quickly walked forward a few steps. As he turned the corner, there was suddenly a sharp pop, and a flash of white light blazed before his eyes. Startled, he instinctively raised a hand to shield them.

"What the hell?"

The flash vanished in an instant. Only then did Rayne see a man in the distance holding something like a searchlight. The light had come from it, and it was spewing a great deal of white smoke.

The man bent over and stuck his head into a wooden box mounted on a tripod. There was an opening in the front of the box fitted with a glass lens, while a large black cloth hung from the back, covering the man's upper body.

Opposite the box, a young woman stood beneath a tree beside Brent Street, one hand resting on the railing. The Wizard Tower's full silhouette was visible behind her. She forced a smile and held an unnatural pose. She had probably been standing there too long, because her body had grown stiff.

Rayne understood at once. They were taking a photograph!

A circle of onlookers stood nearby, mostly young men and women. They watched the two people excitedly and occasionally discussed with their companions which poses would look best in a photograph.

Rayne immediately grew interested as well and joined the spectators.

The person taking the photograph was a thin, scholarly-looking middle-aged man wearing glasses. He pulled what looked like a sealed box containing a photographic plate from the wooden box and handed it into the carriage beside him.

"Daguerre, the plate is here."

The carriage was wrapped tightly in black cloth, completely lightproof and resembling a tent. Someone inside caught the box, and a voice came from within. "All right, Eastman."

The middle-aged man called Eastman said to the woman being photographed, "Madam, your photograph has been taken. Please wait a moment; we'll develop it for you shortly."

Then he turned to the crowd and called loudly, "Anyone else want a photograph? You won't find a better location than Brent Street. Stand here, and you can capture the entire Wizard Tower in the picture. Guaranteed satisfaction. One photograph costs only one Silver Kron. Pay after it's developed. If you aren't satisfied, you only need to pay another ten Copper Lisos for a retake!"

"I want one."

"I got here first. Let me go first."

Several young people rushed forward, competing with one another. Eastman hurriedly calmed them down, telling them not to rush and that they would go one at a time. His face was split with delight.

Rayne had no intention of taking a photograph, so he left the crowd.

But his mind was already racing. Photography had existed for many years, and there were photographic studios all over the Empire. Brent Street alone had seven or eight of them, all doing quite well. Even his hometown had opened a shabby studio last year. His family had gone to have a portrait taken together, and his mother, Malinda, had framed it and hung it in the living room.

Taking photographs was not cheap. At a studio, one photograph cost fifteen Copper Lisos.

Taking one outdoors cost even more: twenty Copper Lisos per photograph, or one Silver Kron, equivalent to an ordinary citizen's wages for a day of work.

Yet people still flocked to it. Clearly, there was a great demand for photography, making it a consumer market with enormous potential.

Rayne had never studied photography or cameras in detail. He had once read a book on the history of photography in the library and remembered some of its contents, as well as several technical details about old-fashioned cameras.

If he remembered correctly, the two men had been using "Wet Plate Photography." The sensitizing agents and developing chemicals might differ, but the principles had to be similar.

This method of photography was both outdated and troublesome. Just looking at that clumsy carriage made it obvious: taking a single photograph required hauling an entire cartload of equipment and chemicals outside.

If he could make a portable camera, taking over the photography market would be effortless!

A flood of ideas sprang into Rayne's mind. He only remembered the general principles behind cameras. To actually build one, he would have to spend time exploring and experimenting before he knew whether it was possible.

Just as his mind was filled with thoughts of using cameras to earn a mountain of Gold Shields, an automobile suddenly stopped on the road beside him. The driver opened the front door, stepped out, and politely asked, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Rayne?"

Rayne looked at the driver warily, then turned his gaze toward the automobile. Curtains over the windows blocked his view.

But that did not pose a problem for him. Focusing his hearing, he detected a heartbeat from the rear seat. It was strong and powerful, with a rhythm completely unlike that of an ordinary person. It was obviously a Transcendent—and a man.

"Mr. Rayne, I mean you no harm."

The driver gave a friendly smile and said respectfully in a low voice, "My employer is in the car. He wishes to meet you and discuss Transcendent professions. Please get in. I guarantee you won't regret it."

As he spoke, he took the initiative to open the rear door.

Rayne saw a neatly and stylishly dressed middle-aged man seated inside. The man nodded slightly in greeting and made an inviting gesture.

Rayne pretended to consider it for several seconds, then secretly activated Soul Eye and examined the middle-aged man thoroughly.

"A Seventh-Level Transcendent... a Mechanic?"

Rayne was somewhat surprised. Why did every Transcendent he encountered today seem to be higher level than the last? First there had been Viola, a Level 6 Myriad Spirits Wizard, and now there was a Tier Seven Mechanic.

Level Seven had already entered the Advanced Tier. Moreover, he was a Mechanic capable of spellcasting, an exceptionally rare profession. There might not be more than a few Mechanics of such a high level in all of Longshande.

At that moment, the middle-aged man's soul was mainly white and green, with traces of orange. This showed that he was calm and relaxed, somewhat pleased, with a faint hint of excitement or anticipation.

"He really has no hostile intentions."

After observing souls for so long, Rayne had gained enough experience to roughly judge other people's emotions and attitudes toward him by the colors of their souls.

Rayne relaxed slightly and climbed into the rear seat. The driver thoughtfully closed the door for him.

"Mr. Rayne, I am Kainegi Rocofer, vice president of the Steam and Machinery Guild. This is my card." As soon as Rayne got into the car, the middle-aged man introduced himself and presented a gilded business card with both hands, his face full of sincere smiles.

Seeing how courteous the other party was, Rayne did not slight him. He accepted the card with both hands and nodded. "President Kainegi, hello."

As he spoke, he glanced at the card's contents and discovered that the man held several titles.

The first was vice president of the Longshande branch of the Steam and Machinery Guild. Next came founder of Rokofell Mining Company, owner of Anders Mechanical Company, executive of the Imperial Steel Alliance, senior member of the Alchemist Association, and more. He also held the title of Baron, making him a genuine noble. Any one of those titles would make him an important figure in the city.

Rayne had never heard of him before, but judging from his bearing and the titles on his card, he was clearly a wealthy magnate involved in mining and machinery.

Whether on Earth or in Aerenus, anyone who owned mines and could dig money out of the ground was immensely wealthy—a true member of the powerful elite.

"I'm not the president. There are several vice presidents in Longshande, and I'm merely one of them." Kainegi laughed heartily, then added, "I'm more than ten years older than you. May I just call you Rayne?"

"Of course."

Rayne did not mind. "Mr. Kainegi, what did you want to see me about?"

In truth, he had already roughly guessed.

"There's no rush. It happens to be lunchtime, and I have reserved a table at Danbrall. We can talk while we eat." Kainegi said to the driver in front, "Merri, drive."

Rayne had heard of Danbrall. It was one of Longshande's finest restaurants, where a single meal supposedly cost several Gold Shields. But he did not want to accept a favor for no reason, so he quickly said, "Mr. Kainegi, I've already had lunch. If you have something to say, you can say it now."

The driver turned back toward Kainegi awkwardly. "Sir?"

Seeing how firm Rayne's attitude was, Kainegi could only nod. "All right, then I'll give you a ride. Where are you going, Rayne?"

Rayne had originally wanted to return to his apartment, but he did not want to reveal his address, so he casually picked a destination. "Take me to the Magic Soul Market."

"To the Magic Soul Market." Kainegi gestured for the driver to proceed, and the automobile immediately started moving.

The Magic Soul Market was not far away, and they would arrive soon. Kainegi therefore stopped being polite and frankly stated his purpose. "Rayne, I specifically came to find you because I want to invite you to join the Steam and Machinery Guild and become a Mechanic."