Before long, the space before the church was packed with villagers.
Those with livestock came driving carts, while those without carried large wooden boards to haul coal.
Yet the coal merchants did not begin handing out coal as they usually did.
A plump young nobleman stepped out from behind the coal cart, a genial smile on his face. He raised a hand for silence. "Hello, everyone. I am the General Manager of the 'Wal-Ro Coal Industry Company.' My surname is Rochefoucauld."
Yes, he rarely came to Meadow Village. Even when he did, he only dealt with a few minor nobles in the village.
The reason he stood here now was because he had a very important business deal to make—Mr. Walsh did not think highly of it and refused to invest. So he had taken out all his savings, ready to take a gamble.
Under the curious gazes of the villagers, several Coal Industry Company employees carried a large pile of sheet metal, iron rods, and other items from the foremost carriage. Rochefoucauld immediately called out, "This is Paris's most popular new invention, a precision machine personally designed by our great King!"
The burly attendant beside him had already picked up a hammer and wrench, skillfully assembling the iron parts.
"The nobles of Paris all call it—the Universal Flying Cart!"
Twenty minutes later, after Rochefoucauld's attendant finished tinkering with it, an iron wheelbarrow appeared before the crowd.
It stood about seventy centimeters tall, and its tray could fit an adult sitting inside with their legs tucked up. It had wrought-iron handles, a steel axle, and a layer of cork wrapped around the wheel to absorb shocks.
Well, although it was called a "flying cart," it absolutely could not fly. Still, its blueprints had indeed come from Louis XVI—more precisely, Joseph