Second Time's a Charm (MxM)✔

Chapter 21 - Business

Cain currently knew all of the best opportunities that would arise over the next four years and could snatch them up before anyone caught wind of them. Though it wasn't like he was going after absolutely every business. He was leaving the would-be failures for Maddox to take.

"Oh, I think I understand." Lord Barkers interjected. "I must admit, I didn't expect to have anyone so interested in my invention. I tried showing it off at the fair last year and was laughed off the stage. Even the banks turned me away. This is truly encouraging to see you two so enthusiastic about the future of our empire."

"Quite." Cain snapped back into the conversation. Now that Maddox was here in person, the man would try to outbid any offers he'd throw out, so that meant he'd have to win the man over with flattery as well. "I think it would be fantastic to see a surplus of grain around the empire. There are so many villages that go hungry during the winters and rely on the backup storage from the Emperor, but we all know they can only distribute so much. I truly believe with your invention, winter food shortages will be a thing of the past."

"Yes! Exactly!" The inventor exclaimed excitedly. "You looked into this. Were you perhaps at the fair last year?"

"No, sadly I wasn't." Cain adjusted his mask smugly. "But I heard from a few people who were there. Not many can look into the future and consider the long-term outcome of such an invention. They were so distracted by the complications of the device itself, but I believe the investment would be worthwhile."

"Have you seen it?" Maddox suddenly asked, arms folded. "I can't blame them for ridiculing the invention due to its sheer size. To transport such a large device would be troublesome. They were concerned with that, though I agree the overall concept is grand. Perhaps with a few tweaks, it can be made more compact?"

"You think so?" Barkers interest turned to Maddox. "I haven't had time to work on a smaller prototype, but I'm sure with a good loan I can get the materials to make one."

"And I'd love to help you do so." Maddox glanced at Cain, who was at a loss. "I know quite a few technicians who can assist in developing a compact version so that it would be more appealing to the public."

"Yes! That would be so fantastic!"

Cain bit his lip, panicking a little as this opportunity slipped through his fingers. He had been relying on his knowledge from his past life for all his endeavors so far, but this was something new. Maddox had only invested in this and nothing more. He clearly remembered how large the machines had been and how they were never tweaked from their original design. Cain thought he could win this by offering better deals, but he had been mistaken.

How foolish that he thought he could rely solely on a chain of events that he himself was causing to change.

Though, that didn't mean he couldn't adapt as well. At some point, he would no longer know what was to come, because he only knew everything up to his death. What was he going to do then?

Right. He needed to rely more on his smarts and not on some future cheat sheet.

"Agreed." Cain nodded. "A smaller model would be more beneficial, but would it still be as efficient?"

"The point is to make it more appealing to the farmers." Maddox shot back with a smirk, amused by his attempted rebuttal. "People will not be as willing to have such a huge device transported or taking up space on their farms unless it is made smaller."

"True, but wouldn't it take up more space if you made it less effective, and had to use multiple devices to process just as much?" Cain shot back. "Making it half the size and reducing its efficiency means you'd need twice the machines."