A World without Misery (now with images!)

Chapter 15 - Symphony of Starlight (part 3)

"Ah yes, that is an inevitable consequence. You certainly can't drink that too quickly! Is it safe to say that you liked it?" Konaji asked.

"This is the greatest invention I have ever seen. You have the power to make new fruit," she whispered with a stunned sense of awe.

"It's quite likely my second favorite invention! I have a few investors lined up; they believe that every household in Agrideī will one day have a blend-shredder! Though I hope they can come up with a better name for it. I just have to make sure that these investors aren't working for my enemies," he said with a bitter glare.

"What is your favorite invention, Konaji?" Vaida asked.

Konaji smiled and walked over to the opposite corner of his lab. There was a large item hidden underneath a white tarp beside the window. Vaida walked over to him, though she took a moment to look out through the window. The pulsing stars illuminated the mountain town, and the view was remarkably beautiful. As she looked over the left side of the window, she saw countless homes and buildings slowly grow higher due to the mountain slope. In the other direction, it looked like she could gaze on forever down the mountainside.

At once, Konaji pulled off the tarp and revealed a machine that looked like an elevated chair with a footrest. However, instead of an ordinary footrest, it had two pedals with straps. The mad scientist sat down in the seat, fit his feet onto the pedals, and began pushing his feet back and forth. Just like the blend-shredder, the pedals moved around in a circle repeatedly, driven only by his muscles. Due to some hidden gear system, the spinning of these pedals began to turn a much larger wheel underneath the footrest. In just a short while, this wheel came to spin at an impressive speed.

"This invention in its current form is an indoor exercise machine, but the truth is that it can fulfill many other uses inside the home. I have a contact in Lumipyla who has a pressure-driven heat chamber that cooks food. With a clever gear system, I am certain that the spinning wheel can be used to pressurize it! I believe that my pedal-and-gear arrangement can have many applications. I just can't let the spies discover it first," Konaji said with his arms crossed.

"Transportation. It can be used for movement," Vaida whispered.

"What's that now?" Konaji asked.

"Do you have any extra sketches of your system? I... I have an idea. I want to try something! Um, I don't have a lot to offer you, but if it works, I'll give you credit. You'll be rich for sure," Vaida said as he finally climbed off his exercise machine.

"I suppose that you may have a copy of my sketches. I shall confess that I do not know the face of my enemy, but I am certain that you are not it. My enemies aren't clever enough to disguise themselves with scars," said the inventor in a serious-sounding tone.

Vaida winced at the mere mention of her scars, but she was more excited with the idea of accessing his invention. Konaji walked over to an open cabinet and sifted around until he located the extra sketches. Once he found the sketches, he grinned, closed the cabinet, and handed them to Vaida. She mumbled her thanks, and then they walked back together toward the staircase.

"It's not a big deal. He didn't mean for it sound like that," Vaida whispered to reassure herself, though she kept her voice quiet so no one would hear.

When Vaida stepped out onto the wooden staircase and started to walk back down, she heard the echoes of Hatasuko and Aridara speaking friendlily to each other in the room below. Aridara raved on about how she thought it was amazing to meet an Interfectus-fighting giant.

"He's probably uncomfortable. He doesn't like people making a big deal over him," Vaida whispered to herself.

But when Vaida reached the bottom of the staircase and looked around the room, she saw that she was wrong. Hatasuko stood in the middle of the room with his sword drawn and a big grin on his face. He didn't even notice that she was back. He swung his sword over his shoulder and shifted his feet as if he were fighting. He reenacted his last fight for Aridara, and she watched on with an excited gaze. She watched him with her beautiful face. Vaida noticed that her face was symmetric. Her skin was smooth, soft, and above all, it was untouched by fire.