Chapter 104: Prototypes

After the successful water heater, Sage eventually got a few more technologies working.

As he experimented he realized how powerful material science and in turn chemistry was. So many things were taken for granted that they just couldn’t do here. Well, it’s not that they couldn’t they just used strange and exotic materials for all the things Sage was used to being done by synthetic creations. So many things were made out of different types of synthetic rubber or plastics that it was astounding to think of. The problem of moving water was essentially abandoned. Without factories to mass produce pipes and pipe fittings, Sage turned to hoses which is where he ran into the issue of hose materials. Without rubber, or all its natural and synthetic derivatives, he would have to use stitched up leather or animal intestines. Neither of those were easy to mass produce either.

Collecting and handling wastewater were something that required large scale construction of sewage systems so Sage focused on water sources, cleaning water, heating water, cooling water, and using the water. Different devices were created at varying levels of complexity. The largest of which was a huge water tower which created water out of thin air and could then use gravity due to its height to build pressure for distribution. It was another device using simple arrays, but on a much bigger scale than the water heater. The size of it meant it would be something that could serve a hundreds of people, but the cost was also much higher.

For water cleaning, the water heater he created could boil water for basic cleaning, and the water tower gathered water from the air, but he also build a filtering system using alternating layers of charcoal and sand. It was a technique he saw once on a survival show that filtered water. When combined with boiling the water it would remove a huge majority of any pathogens. It wasn’t a magic tool, but more like an addon he could add to the water heater.

For water heating and cooling he built a second water heater that worked more like the instant water heaters on Earth. It was more of a very expensive device for rich folk since it was a somewhat small magic tool that used small and complex heating and energy gathering arrays. He only made it because he was sure his other devices would catch on and the rich would want huge amounts of hot water and would pay more for it. For cooling there was a similar device to the water heater, but with an ice array instead of a fire array. It was too weak to actually make ice, but it could keep water cold.

Finally, what he felt would drive the other devices forward were the uses of water. Showers, hot tubs, fountains and other water features, and last, but not least, toilets. Huge sewage systems were not something he could do on his own, but he built a bunch of different types of toilet models and flushing systems that could just empty into cisterns or other runoff channels. With all these devices, Sage was sure most wouldn’t care about them and sales certainly wouldn’t be high. His thoughts again moved to the sales and distribution, building a market. All sorts of concepts he’d heard of before on Earth, but as a computer science major never cared much about.

With these thoughts in mind, Sage started drawing up a few more plans for things he thought would be integral to his new business idea. A rough sketch of a building floor plan appeared inside the Memory Sphere. He certainly wasn’t any sort of architect, but he was just planning out some the different features and where they might go as a full plan started to take form inside his mind.

Soon after, the rough floor plan needed to be filled out and months more of research and prototyping followed. It had been close to a year since he visited the Timeless Master’s Cave, and he spent a few hours every day training Connecting Heaven and Earth along with the other techniques he gained. The rest of his time was spent maintaining his old skills and working on his finishing all the devices for his new business plan. He’d finished planning out all the devices he’d need and just had to finish testing and producing all his prototypes.

Once he was finished it would be time to move onto the next step of his plan, one that he was hoping he could get the support of the Holy Flame Sect to enact. The Sect had many Merchant Clans and Guilds that it had good relationships with, something essential for a Sect that focused on producing goods. Long ago they decided not to run their own business as they might bring negative attention upon themselves from other Sects when trying to sell goods on their territory. Instead they created good relations with many other mercantile organizations and then let them compete against each other for the Sect’s products.

Sage aimed on gaining the assistance of the Sect, but before he could do that he’d have to prove the worth of his creations. He even planned on making the simple devices into training tools for Apprentice Blacksmiths. Currently, they only practiced on arrowheads, spearheads, and stones. Simple and consumable items that were used in mass numbers and would be welcome even with the most weak of enhancements. The arrow and spearheads were only slightly more valuable than their mundane counterparts so they certainly weren’t a money maker, they barely recovered their cost given they were being produced by Cultivators and not normal folks. The stones were enhanced to be tougher than normal and used to construct buildings. Given their weight, they were also a losing commodity. Even so there weren’t any other alternatives since there was always Apprentice Blacksmiths wanting to improve their skills, yet the things they could create were only slightly better than the things mundane smiths could create yet costing far more to produce.

With this in mind, Sage would need to first prove his ‘inventions’ as being profitable in order to get the Sect on his side. He was sure he would get a huge number of contribution points if not other even greater benefits if he could succeed.

Some time later in the Servant District.

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Sage was sitting at a table across from one of the people in charge of real estate in the area. A minor official for the Sect, his name was Zhong Chang, and someone who Sage wanted to get on the good side of. Although this man is only a minor official from the standpoint of the Sect, he was still in charge of land rights for the business quarter of the Servant District.

“I’m so very glad to hear that you liked your gift, Mister Zhong. I truly didn’t wish to take up your precious time like this, but there is a truly pressing issue that I need your help with.”

Sage had heard of how much power this man had in regards to the distribution of land within the Servant District of Holy Flame City. If he didn’t get on his good side, purchasing land would be nearly impossible. Worst yet, he even had influence over the real estate among the whole Holy Flame City. After paying handsomely to gain some information, Sage learned it was because Zhong Chang was the grandson of a powerful Elder in the Sect. At least half the people in the Servant District were related to somebody within the Sect and it only made sense that the powerful positions in the District were all held by people favored by high ranking members of the Sect.

While he wanted to keep it later for possible experiments, Sage gifted the Lamp of Passion to this official in order to open a channel for communication. Given that the lamp was worth thousands of spirit stones, he intended to get a very good deal out of this man.

“Oh, don’t you worry, my dear friend Lang Sheng. I’m happy to come to the aid of such a famous man as you! Who wouldn’t wish to assist such a learned and accomplished person such as yourself?”

When word started to spread that the Half-Snake man in the Sect had found a way to change himself back to normal, many were impressed at his prowess. Others were disappointed to lose such an oddity, while others still worried about the validity of such a claim. Eventually a notice was released that the Peak Master Zhen had assisted Lang Sheng and he had made a complete recovery from the mysterious affliction he had contracted while on an Expedition. The weird event turned into a method to gain more popularity for the Peak Master, Sage was happy to get attention drawn from him and not be such a freak show.

Sage bowed his head and held his hands in front of his chest, clasping a hand over a fist towards Zhong Chang. Putting on a good show of humility before answering, “You treat me far too well, Sir. My fame is only accidental and my accomplishments by luck. The true hero is you, managing a whole quarter of the Servant District with such excellent results!”

More and more flowery flattery rang out between the two before Sage finally presented his reason for the meeting. The flattery turned into a careful dance back and forth as they negotiated a price. Thankfully, Sage’s first gift had been huge and he purchased the property was looking for.

“Ten thousand spirit stones is far less than the land is worth, but I have to do what I can to help out my well accomplished friend.”

Finally. The deal was complete. Time to move onto the next step.

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