3 Time to Steele Read Free

graybearded locksmith to shame.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, humans, elves, dwarves, goblins, gnomes, ogres, trolls, and faeries, citizens of New Welwic and travelers from across the vast expanse of the lands and seas, welcome to the opening day of the biennial World’s Wonders Fair, the largest, most comprehensive, most stupendous spectacular featuring the greatest feats of science, technology, and engineering derived from the minds of the world’s leaders in business and industry.”
    As well as quackery and hogwash from scam artists, I thought.
    “Today we gather here to learn, to think, and to be inspired, to open our minds to not merely the probable but the possible , to share in a mutual sense of wonder, and to catch a glimpse into the future, made possible through innovations that’ll shape and mold our future in ways that until recently were mere fantasy. Undoubtedly you’ve already widened your eyes in wonder at many of the innovations throughout the fair, but it is not until now, until this very moment, that you glimpse the true future of technology and industry.”
    The announcer spun and pointed with his baton to the gargantuan metal contraption at his right. “Surely by now you must wonder…what is this machine that graces our fair stage? What purpose does it serve? What future does it hold in its gleaming, metal embrace? Perhaps some of you already know, but the vast majority of you undoubtedly do not. Behind me is the newly fabricated, newly redesigned, and newly christened Bock Industries crank-and-piston churned, single-cylinder, double action, high pressure, coal-fed reciprocating steam engine. And what does such a machine do, you ask? Gentlemen, stoke the fires!”
    At the announcer’s command, the workmen at the side of the machine jumped into action, two opening a hatch in the apparatus’s side and shoveling coal in through the gap, a third working a set of bellows, and a fourth manning a set of levers poking from the top of the ensemble. The valve at the top of the machine whistled as the fourth man yanked on a chain. The crank shaft that connected the massive flywheel to the steel cylinder pushed forth, slowly at first, then back, then faster, forcing the mighty flywheel into motion.
    As the machine roared to life, the announcer continued to speak, becoming more animated the faster the flywheel spun. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s not mere hyperbole for me to state that this machine will transform the world around us in ways we cannot yet fathom. The Bock Industries reciprocating steam engine harnesses the power of the earth and transforms it into real, usable work. This spinning wheel represents far more than a mere technological proof of concept. It represents the milling of grain, the pumping of water, the turning of presses. No more will mankind be subjected to the vagaries of wind and water for his needs. No more will—”
    As the baton-wielding announcer droned on about the implications of the machine, I found my eyes drifting to Perspicacious Blaze, the fire mage, standing in the back. He stared at the proceedings, unblinking, and I recalled a thought I’d had during our case with him: a passing bit of mirth in which I’d pictured Blaze and other similar working mages put out of work by technological advances, forced out onto the street, angry and with grudges against society. The vision was coming to pass—except for the fact that Perspicacious Blaze owned two-thirds of the foundries in the city. I doubted he’d lack for funds anytime soon.
    “This is amazing,” I said to Steele. “I hate to agree with Baton McTwirlsalot, but this could impact a lot of businesses.”
    “Well, it is amazing,” said Shay, her eyes on the stage, “but it’s not really the draw of the presentation.”
    I scrunched my brow. “Huh?”
    “This technology’s been around for a while,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong, the improvements made to the reciprocating steam engine by Bock Industries are