Chapter 15 (part 2/2) - Small-Scale Production

  Opening a shop wasn’t feasible. If he wanted to sell his product, it would have to be through recommendations, word of mouth. He would probably need to rely on organic sellers, working on commission.

  That trio of husks will be useful for that.

  But he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to return to his room and finish the prototypes. He didn’t know when Lily would be back, but he wanted to surprise her, make her feel proud. A strange feeling for him, especially considering the age gap. Why would he want to impress her? If he had built the calculation circle, it had been to save his own skin, his mind, not to impress anyone. He had nothing to prove.

  And yet, whether because of the gaps in his memories or the gratitude he felt toward Lily, he wanted to show her that he could take care of himself, that he could take care of her too. He wanted to be able to tell her that everything would be fine.

  I won’t worry you again, Lily. This will work, I’m sure of it.

  Vincent was determined, and everything was in his favor. When he reached his room, he arranged what he could on the desk and the rest on the bed. He had brought several tools from the workshop, all small and manual. Nothing that depended on energy or gems. The most complex thing he’d borrowed was a thermometer, to measure temperatures precisely.

  On one side of the desk were the schematics he’d drawn in the workshop; on the other, the tools and the ceramic cylinders. These cylinders already had the general dimensions of the vaporizer. All that remained was to hollow them out to their final shape, add the flux, the gems, and then sell them.

  But first I need to make one and make sure it works.

  With a cylinder in one hand and a tool in the other, he began carving the vaporizer’s casing, roughly at first, just to give it shape. He used another tool to remove material from the center, where the ignition chamber would go, leaving just enough space for the catalytic marble. For measurements he used a small caliper he’d borrowed from the workshop, but even so, estimating distances felt natural to him, not just because he’d once been a trained engineer.

  Just like when he moved the sphere with his mind, measurements in this world and what he imagined seemed to have more substance, more tactility, as if they were anchored to reality. When he thought of a shape, he couldn’t materialize it directly, but he could perceive its position in space with an unsettling precision.

  It must be the spiritual energy… the same way I think of movement and the sphere moves. If I think of a shape in space, part of that sensation must manifest through energy, even if I can’t bring it fully into being. My intention alone is enough to produce an effect on reality… incredible.

  This heightened spatial perception made shaping the vaporizer much easier. Both parts were still modeled in a rudimentary way; he wasn’t going to finish the prototype using only his hands. He wanted to try something. Placing both pieces on the desk, with small bits of material he hadn’t yet removed, he set them in position, ready for his next experiment.

  Using the small sphere of argent steel, Vincent spun it over his finger until it reached the right speed. That material was far better suited for the task, and he managed to hollow the casing with his improvised miniature lathe. After a few seconds, he realized his capacity wouldn’t be enough to complete the entire prototype like this, so he lit the incense burner to assist the process.

  The vaporizer could be shaped by hand, but there was something more important he wanted to try. Being ambidextrous, he began writing a series of positional coordinates on paper with his left hand. He knew the dimensions the cylinder would have if he modeled it in 3D, so he drafted the instructions needed to guide the rotating sphere along the prototype’s contour. Even in areas where he had already removed material manually, he ran the sphere through again to verify the dimensions. Like a CNC machine, the sphere traced the three-dimensional space, giving the vaporizer its final finish, carving the recesses for the gems and engraving the runes and inscriptions required for it to function.

  After a light polish, Vincent added the flux and fixed the remaining gems into the vaporizer. The first prototype was ready. He broke off the remaining supports and polished those areas as well, then took both parts and fitted them together.

  Perfect fit…

  That level of precision wouldn’t have been possible by hand. Finishing the prototype with the spinning sphere had been the right decision. Now it fit with millimetric accuracy, leaving no gaps when the pieces were joined, forcing all the vapor to pass through the cooling tunnel, at least in theory.

  Before testing it, there was one last thing to configure: the burn temperature. In theory, the consciousness gem could handle that on its own by checking whether the chamber’s contents were burning, but the more instructions depended on a gem, the greater the energy consumption. The most efficient approach was to manually define general ranges based on the materials being burned. To do so, he burned incenses, herbs, and fungi, documenting their optimal temperatures. By the time he finished, it was time for the first test.

  He turned off the burner and prepared a small bowl with the materials to be tested. He started with a common incense, breaking part of the pellet apart since it wouldn’t fit whole into the ignition chamber. He could only insert about a third of it. Each pellet was meant to last for a half-hour session, so that should be enough for about ten minutes.

  He placed the material inside the casing and fitted the pipe into place to seal the vaporizer. The fit was so precise there was no chance the parts could come apart by accident, perfect for carrying it in a pocket. Once in his hand, his fingers naturally brushed against the activation quartz, so he injected energy carefully, avoiding a short circuit. At first nothing happened, so he kept feeding it energy as far as he could. Then he felt it. A gentle warmth inside. The incense was already vaporizing. It worked.

  He brought the pipe to his lips and inhaled without covering the airflow regulator, letting a mix of air and vapor enter his mouth. The effect was immediate. Mild, but clearly active. The compounds relaxed his meridians almost instantly.

  On the next inhale, he partially covered the regulator, making everything that entered come straight from the vaporizer. Because of the narrow mouthpiece he had to draw harder, but the small amount that reached his lungs was so potent it left him momentarily disoriented. His meridians relaxed to the point where he stopped perceiving them for an instant. It was an intense dose, and none of it was wasted outside the body.

  *cough* *cough*

  Vincent coughed from the sharp irritation in his throat. That body wasn’t used to smoking.

  “Shit… this is strong.”

  He decided not to continue with doses that concentrated. Instead, he chose to measure the duration using a small hourglass he had borrowed from the workshop. Each flip represented five minutes. He flipped it twice, even after having taken a full draw.

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  Ten minutes. At the very least, it didn’t consume the contents any faster than a burner. Now I need to see how much it optimizes usage.

  Three flips. Four. Twenty minutes, and the incense was still active inside. A fifth flip marked twenty-five minutes of use, almost reaching the full half hour. Nearly triple the duration. Double, even accounting for the fact that other users would use it more intensely.

  The product is a success.

  Vincent tested the rest of the materials over the course of the day, but he didn’t stay locked in his room. The other husks didn’t have access to private rooms to meditate or train, so it was vital to test the vaporizer under real conditions, out in the field.

  He tested it first in the corridors, taking furtive draws behind columns, far from prying eyes. Then among the shelves, while studying and cataloging tomes alongside others. He even had the nerve to use it in front of his peers, hiding the vaporizer up his sleeve as soon as he was done. The product was a success, expanding and optimizing the use of materials by at least double. He could already begin manufacturing the rest.

  He had other ceramic cylinders ready in his room, but this time he chose a different method. Instead of using manual tools, he decided to work from the start using only the list of positional instructions and the rotating sphere to carve the prototype’s shape. It would take more time, but it was necessary if he wanted to begin diagramming a circle for future automation. With the help of the vaporizer, he managed to carve the prototypes in a couple of hours, finishing them near the end of the day.

  I’d like to keep one for myself, but I’d better focus on recovering my losses first…

  Now he needed to introduce them to the public, and he had already planned how to do it. His contact with the husks was vital, since to sell them retail he had to rely on recommendations, word of mouth.

  After a hard day’s work, the trio was relaxing in the common area. When they saw him approach, Charly immediately put on a worried expression. Vincent was smiling. He sat down beside them on the couches, with a casual, conversational air, but said nothing. He just stared in their general direction, as if not really watching them at all, deliberately trying to draw their attention.

  The trio looked at him in silence, expectant. Vincent said nothing. He simply turned his head, staring into nothing.

  “What… what do you want?”

  Vincent ignored them. He discreetly took out the vaporizer and took a draw so quick that none of the others present managed to notice.

  “Huh?”

  He had done something, but they weren’t sure what. No one else on the nearby cushions paid attention to the group, only Charly and the others noticed that something was off.

  Vincent took another draw, this time more obvious, letting them glimpse the device just enough to make them impatient. Then he exhaled theatrically, even though no smoke came out of his mouth. The trio’s eyes lit up instantly. They pointed at one another, incredulous. Vincent stood up right away and, with a subtle gesture, signaled for them to follow him to his room.

  “What’s that you’ve got in your hand? Is it a pipe? Why isn’t it making smoke?”

  Charly asked anxiously, well before they reached Vincent’s room.

  “Oh, this?” Vincent asked, taking another draw. Then he exhaled the air in front of them. “It’s something new I’ve been working on.”

  As they moved through the corridors, several husks turned their heads at the faint scent of incense surrounding Vincent. The vaporizer didn’t eliminate the smell, only the smoke, and that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. The use of incense wasn’t forbidden, but training during work hours was frowned upon, something impossible to hide with a traditional burner or pipe. Vincent used it the whole way to his room, even though, in practical terms, he didn’t need to inhale that much to train.

  When they arrived and closed the door, the trio fell silent, their eyes fixed on Vincent’s hands until he extended them to show what he had been hiding. Resting in his palm was the small vaporizer. Its design was elegant, and the precision of its craftsmanship made it look more expensive than it really was. Since there was still incense inside, Vincent offered Charly a try. Charly took it cautiously.

  He had seen Vincent inhale the whole way over, and the smell told him it was a standard incense. Besides, he couldn’t afford to look timid. Charly brought it to his lips and inhaled gently.

  “Wow…”

  Charly clicked his tongue, savoring the vapor. Since the material wasn’t burned, part of its flavor remained, making the experience almost pleasant.

  “It feels much smoother than with a pipe or a burner… but the effect is the same.”

  “It’s a vaporizer. It burns the incense far more efficiently, at least twice as much.”

  “Twice?” Ben asked as Charly passed it to him. He might look big and clumsy, but he wasn’t stupid. Ben examined the vaporizer closely, admiring its craftsmanship and pointing out details to Tammy beside him. “And what’s this hole for?”

  “That’s how you regulate how much air you inhale relative to the vapor. If you cover it, the effect is much stronger.”

  Ben took a normal draw first. When he felt the effect run through his body, he covered the hole and inhaled harder. The result was immediate.

  “Wow…”

  Ben was visibly disoriented by the intensity. The relaxation of his meridians spread through the rest of his body, and he had to sit down on the bed for a moment to recover.

  Tammy took the vaporizer from his hands. It was her turn.

  “Did you never use one of these in your past life?”

  She said it confidently. She took a draw while keeping the hole covered and, halfway through the inhale, released it intermittently so the effect wouldn’t hit all at once.

  “Woah… now I get it.” She assessed it as soon as she felt the impact. She separated the casing from the mouthpiece to look inside, which was only slightly discolored, not blackened. “It’s much more sophisticated than I thought. How did you make it?”

  Vincent lifted his chin with pride, but said nothing. The trio understood he wasn’t going to reveal his secret, though they still didn’t understand why he had brought them there.

  “Are you interested?”

  “Interested in what? Using it? Buying it?” Charly asked, taking the vaporizer from Tammy and readying himself for a deep draw like the others.

  “Selling it, actually.”

  Vincent placed the other two vaporizers on the desk, along with some of the herbs he had left over.

  “I need to promote this product among the husks, but the higher ranks of the tower must not find out. Not yet.”

  Ben and Tammy handled the vaporizers carefully.

  “And you want us to do it for you?” Charly asked, challenging. His eyes were slightly wide from the concentrated dose, but he still tried to keep a tough posture.

  “I want an arrangement where everyone benefits. Besides, how am I supposed to sell something you don’t even know how to use yourselves?” Vincent pushed the herbs toward them. “Take these too. All I need is for you to use the product while you do your jobs.”

  “I don’t know if I see myself selling things… I’m not good with people,” Ben added.

  “You don’t need to be a salesman. You don’t have to convince anyone.” Vincent shook his head. “I just want you to use it in a way that other husks can see. Nothing obvious. Make it look like they were clever enough to catch you. And when they ask, when they insist, tell them what you’re using, but not where you got it.”

  Ben looked unsure. Tammy listened closely. Charly, on the other hand, seemed intrigued.

  “I just want you to highlight the benefits of the vaporizer. Less smell, the ability to use it during work, and greater efficiency. Explain how much you save by using it: the incense lasts twice as long. It practically pays for itself!”

  The trio nodded, hooked by Vincent’s sales pitch. If they didn’t already have it in their hands, they’d be pulling out their coins to buy one.

  “What you’re holding isn’t a gift, it’s a sample. Use it to promote the product. Let them see you using it... and tell them you'll try to get one for them. I expect to make 5 silvers per unit. Whatever you earn on top of that is yours.”

  “Five silvers? Are you insane? Who would pay that for a simple pipe?”

  “It’s not a simple pipe,” Tammy interjects, addressing Charly. “That’s what a burner costs, and this supposedly doubles the usage time with the same material… it’s not that outrageous.”

  “Hmmm… so if I sell it for seven silvers, I get to keep two?”

  “Keep whatever you want. I only expect five silvers. If you manage to sell them, I’ll give you more. You can make a considerable sum if you’re good sellers.”

  Charly’s eyes lit up. He could already feel the weight of the coins in his pocket. Suddenly, all the negative thoughts he’d had about the vaporizer vanished. They hadn’t come from the product itself, but from his jealousy and ego. The moment he realized he could profit, the flaws disappeared. Now the vaporizer was something spectacular. Charly radiated enthusiasm, a contagious energy that would make it easy for him to convince many potential buyers.

  “Remember, the higher-ups can’t find out. The moment this reaches the scholars, they’ll take the monopoly from me, and with it, your profits. Be smart and make buyers understand this is something that has to stay secret. For now, I don’t have enough vaporizers to distribute in bulk, so focus on promoting it. Make them beg you to sell them one.”

  The trio nodded, partly excited and partly scared. Even so, this benefited all of them. If they were smart, they could make a good amount of money, and Vincent could pay off his debt to the treasury and more.

  Don’t worry, Lily. I won’t be a burden to you again…

  He had to act fast. Demand would grow in the coming days, and he needed a way to supply it. If he wanted to manufacture vaporizers in quantity, he needed another invention. Something to automate the process. A fabrication circle.