Late at night, Elliot set up a simple altar in his private room and recited the Honorific Name: "Mentor of Authority and Chaos; Protector of the Balk Family;
"Ruler of the Hodges River Basin; Incarnation of Distortion;
"Great Lawrence Balk."
Elliot burned the corresponding Mysticism herbs, establishing a passage to the object of his prayer.
The candle flame suddenly swelled enormously, and Elliot saw a towering figure within the firelight.
He bowed humbly. "Honored Clan Head, I have reached Hodges Copper Mine. Although operations here are normal, the equipment in use is already severely outdated. May I purchase two of the latest Loen-made Water Pumps through the channels of the great Creator's Blessed?"
The towering figure in the candlelight seemed to be considering. Several seconds later, Clan Head Lawrence said, "Buy two! Tomorrow, build an altar and use Extraordinary Material to establish a passage between us. I will bestow upon you a Sealed Artifact, and you will use this opportunity to complete the second round of Bribes."
Elliot bowed again. "Thank you for your concern!"
On Wednesday afternoon, Hobart finally found time to visit Mr. Dikeus on Niccolo Street.
This time, Mr. Dikeus showed Hobart around the cranes. Hobart had not expected the era to already possess the towering hoists found at docks. Though they were not as nimble as those he remembered, they could lift around ten tons of cargo at a time, greatly saving manpower and improving efficiency.
Only when Hobart was preparing to leave did he state his purpose. "A friend of mine wants to buy two new Water Pumps. I happened to remember that I knew a Steam Tycoon, so I came to ask on his behalf."
Dikeus smiled. "Introducing business to me is a good thing, but the other party must have a registered