"It's over, Adrian."

"Oh, I beg to differ, my dear sister Iris."

Iris had a smug look on her face. "Admit it. You've lost this round."

"No, it is you." Adrian pulled out an extra slab of meat from his bag. "Lamb fresh from the butcher. The best from their stock."

"My plump turkey meat can beat your slab of meat any day!"

"It might be plump, but it fades in comparison to the quality of my lamb meat."

They both turned to look at me. "Aliciel dear, who do you think won this round?"

The Latrell twins were engrossed in their competition to see who was better at choosing meat. It all began when they were talking about how their mother used to be an expert at picking the perfect steak. They both wondered whether they inherited her ability.

I carefully examined their meat one after the other. The winner was obvious to me.

I pointed at Adrian.

"Accept your loss, dearest sister!" He gave an evil laugh.

"But why?" Iris was devastated.

"His meat looks fresher and spotless," I reasoned.

The twins kept their meat to save them for dinner later. It was likely that they spent a lot of money just to win the petty competition.

"Are you heading outside?" Adrian asked when he noticed his sister putting on her coat.

Iris nodded as she took her leather bag from the table. "Why yes. An old professor of mine might have a lead for a high-rank mechanic. He invited me to visit his shop and hear the details. Would you like to come along, Aliciel?"

"I would love to," I replied.

"Very well. Have your coat ready. We will be leaving in a few minutes."

***

Iris and I walked to a distant neighborhood where the shop was located. On the way, Iris told me about her days in the academy where she studied the basics of building machinery. Most aspiring mechanics could easily apply for basic lessons at an academy. Acquiring access to higher learning, however, always proved to be difficult. Every year, only a hundred students were accepted for mid-rank training. All accepted students were required to render their services to the kingdom for at least a year upon graduation. For high-rank training, the acceptance rate was even smaller. Only a maximum of ten qualified students were accepted each year. They had to undergo a rigorous test that evaluated their abilities. During some years, no one was accepted.

Iris only made it through the basics. Her application for mid-rank training had been rejected. Since then, she hadn’t made any effort to reapply.

This professor of hers was a mid-rank mechanic. Those who completed mid-rank training were qualified to teach basics at the academy. The way she animatedly spoke of him was indicative of how much she respected and favored him.

When we arrived at the shop, the door opened and a man in his thirties welcomed us. He wore a grey shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His black trousers looked a little dusty with what seemed to be sawdust. He was probably working on something before we arrived.

"Good afternoon, Professor!" Iris greeted him cheerfully.

"My dear Iris, you're just in time for tea. Come inside," said the professor. His voice was deep and rather calming. It reminded me a bit of Master’s voice.

"This is Aliciel, the girl I mentioned in my letter." Iris placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Miss Aliciel. Both of you come join us for tea."

He led us through a narrow corridor lined with bookshelves filled with dusty old leather-bound books. The smell of aged wood and metal filled the room. Every step produced a slight creaking sound.

When we entered the room for entertaining clients, we were able to see the light of day again. Two couches made of red silk and mahogany were parallel to each other. In between them was an aged coffee table with a ceramic pot of tea and four cups.

A familiar boy dressed in a white shirt, brown vest, and trousers was busy pouring tea into the cups. It was Sina. He looked much neater than when we first met.

"Aliciel!" Sina was happy to see me.

"Sina." I was busy examining his new look.

He was visibly embarrassed from my stare. "Do I look weird?"

"It looks good on you."

He was relieved to hear my reply.

"You two know each other?" The professor was surprised.

"Aliciel helped me out before." He turned to face his employer. "Professor, is Aliciel the girl from the train incident you mentioned?"

"Yes. She is the same girl."

Everyone except Sina sat down on the couches. The professor took out a piece of paper from his notebook and gave it to Iris. “This is a friend of mine in Anbernel. He went into hiding as soon as the assassinations began. It might be difficult to find him, but the people I listed there might know where he is.”

“Thank you very much for the help, Professor,” Iris said as she read the contents of the paper.

“Be very careful. No one has any idea why these assassinations are happening, but you’d better keep your distance from them as much as possible.” He smiled a little. “It almost makes me glad that I didn’t undergo high-rank training.”

“You’re very deserving of high-rank training, Professor.”

“Thank you. Would you like to see that new machine I mentioned in my letter?” He stood up.

“I would love to,” Iris answered and followed. “Aliciel, please wait here.”

Iris and the Professor went out the door. When we were alone in the room, Sina spoke, "You were right about the people of Eriden. I came across the Professor who was having problems with his portable tea maker. He sat fixing it at the park, unable to identify the problem. I watched him as he did so. The problem was apparent to me, so I helped him fix it. He offered me a job here as an apprentice. He treats me kindly."

“I’m glad to hear that,” I replied.

"I didn't think I would ever get a chance to see you again." He reached into his pocket to give me the same amount of money I gave him before. "This is the money I owe you."

"Keep it."

"But I insist!"

"If anyone comes to you asking for help, you can use it on them."

He paused for a moment before keeping the money. "Very well."

“Did you find your sister?” I asked.

He shook his head sadly. “I haven’t had any luck. However, I did locate some of those who were kidnapped along with her. They don’t know her location, but it’s highly likely that she is in the city.”

“I haven’t found anything, but I will tell you if I come across any information.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” He smiled. "Please excuse me. I have to finish my work before the day ends. Our client expects this by tomorrow. You’re welcome to come along and watch, although it might bore you."

I followed Sina to one room which looked like a workshop very similar to what Iris had at home. I watched closely as Sina was putting together some sort of machine.

"What are you building?" I asked curiously.

"Oh this? A client hired us to build him an automaton that could water his garden." His hands moved with as much skill and accuracy as a professional mechanic.

"Were you a mechanic in your homeland?"

"I was hoping to become one until the civil war broke out. My main priority became keeping my family alive." He took a wrench and secured the machine's outer casing. "I've always been good with machines, so it's easy for me to learn how machinery works and replicate it."

"That is amazing."

"Thank you." He paused. "I heard about your broken core from the professor. Will you allow me to see it? I might be able to make a temporary fix and extend your life."

I nodded.

He blushed as I unbuttoned my dress. He nervously examined my chest where the broken core was. His awkwardness gradually went away as he was lost in thought. Once he was finished, he quickly turned around and jotted down the information on his notebook.

"I will figure out a way to fix your core. I'll send a letter when everything is ready," he said.

"Thank you, Sina."

"It's the least I could do."

I noticed a flyer on the worktable beside his notebook.

"What is this?" I asked out of curiosity.

Sina had a look at the flyer. "The Great Exhibition. It's a big event where all the best inventors, mechanics, and alchemists from around the world gather to showcase their best work. The professor wants to take part in it, but he has no idea what machine to build. He wants me to build something for the event as well."

"What are you going to build?"

He smiled. "A machine that will create water out of thin air.”

“Is that possible?”

“I’ve thought of a design for it in my head, but I still need to work out a few things. I can’t say for sure it will work, but it’s worth a try.”

“That would be amazing.”

“It would help the people of Zar during drought.”

Sina began telling me all about the machine. It wasn’t long before we heard Iris’ voice telling me that it was time to go. I bid goodbye to Sina and followed Iris out of the shop.

“Well, Aliciel, it looks like we will be paying Anbernel a visit,” Iris announced.