The Industrialist

"That's good to hear, Mister Leric. I am looking forward to climbing the ladder and giving great service to the Government, especially to the CBD."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Leric sometimes had stares that were not condescending but inspecting. Probably, he had been inspecting Lance's commitment to the Government and to the cause. "What motivates working under me?" Leric prone.

Now, this question was a test of Lance's loyalty. Lance anticipated it though.

"You hate the Abominants as much as I do. That's why I am looking to great lengths to eradicate these monsters that threaten our existence in this world. We are the residents of this planet and they are not going to succeed in completely eradicating us. I will work on that endeavor and I know we will succeed."

Leric held the kind of stare that would intimidate someone who would lie. However, Lance was telling the truth, although only portions of the truth. Still, though, they weren't lies.

"Hmm… You are something, Lance. I can see why Jaqi is so fond of you…Well, on other matters, I scheduled a defense presentation for your patent this afternoon. Think you can handle it? Or should I just reschedule?"

"That's great, Mister Leric. I am prepared to defend my project."

***

'That sounds good,' Lance thought about it. After Leric's meeting, he went downstairs on the production floor. Flanegan was absent and he took over. The production of his PB 10, its official name, was driven within schedule.

After the lunch break, Lance went to the Science Awards Committee or the SAC and presented his PB 10 project. He was confident because the committee knew that what he would present was under the ownership of CBD.

As expected, Jaqi was there, and two others, Doctor Zee and Doctor Cultz. Surprisingly, Chester Leric sat in a corner behind Lance as a spectator. Lance stood in front of the clearing where the panelists encircled. It was the setup, however, the atmosphere was different. Probably because of Mister Leric's presence.

Jaqi threw the first questions after Lance's brief project introduction. They had no bad blood with each other, however, as the committee compelled Jaqi to maintain a professional distance from Lance.

"Mister Berkley, as the founder of the Committee on Illegal Scrap Use, I questioned the procurement of the Aiveez plant. I have reviewed my mother's database about the origin of the plant, however, she said that it's been genetically engineered for decades, spearheaded by Terrabitha City of the South. How did you manage to acquire such a plant? Does this mean that you went outside the wall and acquired adult plants to propagate?"

The question caught Lance off guard. His confidence seemed to fade inside him, invaded by cold sweat and discomfort. It's hard to lie if one is not used to lying. And Lance had been always truthful. Only to the point of not telling the whole truth, and only the portions of truth were revealed in terms of his identity and his membership in the rebels. However, in this case, he should lie.

"I haven't studied about the Aiveez plants being poison to the Abominated creatures. Someone shared it with me and I collected them in the barren of Commoner's sectors. At first, the scent of the plant tinged my interest and I used it to give aroma to my cabin. You know if you are a scrapper, the scraps you collected will give a foul greasy odor that lingers in the air of your room. The Aiveez plant solved the predicament for me. Then, I observed that I did not have the nuisance of Abominated rats ever since. That's when I studied about the plant and it worked."

He knew that Jaqi could only suspect the origin without evidence that Aiveez came from outside the walls. Hence, Jaqi did not pursue further questioning Lance about the source of the plant.

During the deliberation stage, there were only simple and few questions being thrown at Lance. Chester Leric kept silent behind the shadows that were made from the statues inside the room.

Even though Leric uttered no word, his presence helped him ease the presentation.

The presentation only took one hour to wrap up things. Lance's previous project presentation would take about three to four hours.

"First of all," Doctor Zee said, "on behalf of the Committee, we would like to thank Mister Leric for his attendance and his support for the cause of Safety within the walls of Axe Central City. Secondly, I would like also to extend my gratitude to the savior of Steelpoint. Mister Berkley, as usual, had given us a seamless presentation and answered all our questions so confidently. It only means that Mister Berkley is a dedicated Scientist who is ideal of such a concept. All Scientists should ponder the drive of Mister Berkley, rising so fast at a young age. It has been obvious that this project is approved by the members of the Committee and will proceed to Patent recommendations."

Soft claps loomed inside the room.

"Therefore," Zee continued, "We offer Mister Berkley the chance to promote his ranking from Mechanic Tier 3 to Electrical Tier 1."

Lance had ceased from sweating and released a deep sigh of relief. He thought that he had been holding his breath for a long time.

"Of course, as GLD administrative orders regarding Scientist Rankings, Mister Berkley is also offered a 20,000 units reward for his hard work in his invention."

Mister Berkley bowed and thanked the Committee. Lance glanced behind him to look for Chester Leric, but he was not there anymore.

After his presentation he wanted to grasp a moment with Jaqi, however, there were project presenters who were waiting for their turns outside the hall. So, Lance exited the defense room and regaled his success.

***

In his Condominium

***

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[Currency] 41,000 units

[Current Transaction] SAC reward of 20,000 units

[Rank] Electrical Tier 1 – pending application

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The next day, he went to the Science Aspirants Registrations Service (SARS) to register his pending application for Electrical Tier 1. As usual, the hall heaved with the guffaws of Science Aspirants. But it was different now. Young Scientists came to him for electronic autographs of his photo that was being circulated by the Media. Below his photo held the title of the article, Savior of Steelpoint.

A commotion had sparked a little, turning the heads of the high-class Scientists who shared the same hall. They seemed not to care about the famous young Scientist. Lance never liked the spotlight, but the people had been talking. His fame soared high since the attack. People panicked during that time, creating a spike of unrest in the rest of the sectors within Axe Central City. And Lance's poison bombs or the PB 10 contributed to their success in defending it.

Your journey continues at empire

"Assessor Mari, I am here to process my promotion. Here are my credentials," Lance said as he approached Mari's desk after a slight gathering of fans around him.

"Wow! You are something, kid. What is it now?" Mari seemed not to care about the fame Lance had garnered.

"Electrical Tier 1 and the perks registration,"

"What? For about five months, you managed to achieve that high? You should be in the world records now!"

Mari gathered his credentials and scrutinized them. Afterward, Mari gave Lance the perks of being an Electrical Tier 1. The list tinged another business interest.