novelonline Chapter 3957 Finch's Gear Workshop
Chapter 3957 Finch's Gear Workshop
Chapter 3957 Finch's Gear Workshop
On Friday, Tobesque remained foggy and drizzling.
This spring, there has been some rain in various parts of the Old World. Although it is different from the extreme weather such as last year's "summer without a summer" and the blizzards in winter, it is still necessary to take precautions against floods.
Of course, this has nothing to do with Shad, who lives in downtown Tobeske.
Luvia's face was still a little flushed at breakfast. Even though she could have done anything the night before, she was still somewhat reproachful of Shad's behavior during the day. Especially when Shad picked up the glass to drink milk, the fortune teller's face seemed to say, "Why are you hinting at this again?"
This left Shad somewhat bewildered, even making him doubt whether the long-haired Luvia had effectively blocked out his memories.
And so the pleasant day began in this "family comedy." After breakfast, Shad took Luvia to work with an umbrella. The rain outside wasn't heavy, and she liked to take walks with Shad in this kind of spring rain.
When Shade returned home, Galina was still there, not having left.
"I already told you this place is so close to the Yodel Palace, there's nothing for me to do if you wake me up early. Shad, go find Vigo, just leave me at home."
Tifa, standing behind the sofa, smiled and winked at Shad. Shad then tossed the cat from his shoulder onto the back of the sofa and sat down next to Galina. Galina hadn't shown any similar emotions when Shad first met the new witch; clearly, Vigo Astley had made this usually confident witch feel somewhat uneasy.
Although Xia De couldn't say he completely understood Galina's thoughts, after knowing her for two years, he at least knew what he should do now:
"Tonight, I'm attending a local banquet with Vige. When I see her there, I'll tell her my real name and let her know that the first witch I ever met was you, okay?"
Galina grabbed Shad's hand and held it tightly:
“I know what you’re thinking, of course not! Let her be smug for a while longer. Anyway, you didn’t lie to her, so just treat her the way you are now. Once I have some free time, I’ll definitely give her a surprise. Shad, it’s not that I feel threatened because of her, it’s just…”
She thought for a moment:
"You don't seem to have met such a proactive witch before, have you?"
"Yes, she was indeed a bit too forward."
The Duchess nodded quickly:
"That's it. Megan and Audrey are already fast enough. If Viggo were any faster, wouldn't I look like a clown after spending so much time with you like this?"
She then revealed her truest thoughts, and Xia De embraced her:
"I thought you were worried that this idea was strange, that this kind of inexplicable comparison is meaningless. Besides, I've only known her for two days."
“I know it’s pointless, but the thought of Vige possibly bragging to me later that although she wasn’t the first witch to know you, she was the fastest to strike makes me unhappy.”
She pouted slightly as she looked at Shad, who then smiled and kissed her. The kiss lasted a long time, and when Shad released her, the witch, her eyes slightly glazed, said:
"If only I had been bolder and more direct back then, I might have been able to beat Luvia to it."
Xia De sighed:
"But when I first met you, I had neither the power nor the influence I have now, and I had absolutely no connection with the Witch Council. The situation you and she faced was different. The difficulty for you and me to get to know each other and eventually be together was much greater than for other witches."
Xia De paused slightly, recalling the stories from before:
“I still think about it now, Galina, thank you for helping me so much when I was still weak, and for not doing anything strange to me because of my peculiarity.”
"Don't say that. It makes me a little embarrassed. Yes, the things we faced back then were much more complicated than what Wei Ge is facing now. Looking back, I'm amazed at how many stories have happened since we first met at the 'Lucky Southern Cross Club'."
Memories of the past flooded her mind, and she stopped dwelling on Wei Ge's matter, instead feeling a sense of pride:
"In that case, all the witches after me should thank me. If I hadn't walked the path called 'Shad Hamilton,' they wouldn't have had these advantages."
Although this sounds a bit strange, the logic is correct.
A smile returned to Galina's face, and she kissed Shad's cheek.
"Let Viggo be smug for a while longer, hmph~ After that, I'll call Vanessa, Sylvia, Megan and the others, and I'll make sure she knows how wrong she was."
"Jialina~"
"It won't be anything too outrageous, don't worry. Oh, I have something to do at nine o'clock this morning, it's seven-thirty now."
The maids discreetly withdrew from the second floor, allowing their masters to speak privately. They admired Shad, for he always seemed to know how to say the most appropriate thing.
Galina's slight unease was successfully relieved by Shad's reassurance. Of course, she was not insecure; she just always believed that she should do her best, which is why she behaved this way after discovering potential problems.
Shade, however, believed that this was also part of Galina's charm. He thought that witches who were always so dignified and imposing were actually harder to get along with.
In short, after seeing Galina and her group off, Shad officially began his itinerary for the day. However, before heading to Arcadia City, he still made a trip to the Witch's Tower atop the snow-capped mountain, but unfortunately, Margaret still hadn't replied, and Shad could only patiently continue to wait.
Xiaomia still didn't plan to go out today, so Shad played with her for a while longer before leaving home. After passing through the dusty Blue Ink Library, he arrived at the alley behind the library. The city of scholars was still bathed in sunshine today.
After boarding the carriage on Green Vine Street, he headed to the "Finch Gear Workshop" located in the smoky outer city. Mr. Havel Finch ran a steam factory here, and the "Finch Gear Workshop" was located to the southeast of the factory. It looked like a small shop, but the backyard of the small shop was directly connected to the factory.
Mr. Finch is an inventor, and his workshop in the outer city mainly sells his wonderful mechanical inventions.
Such a shop wouldn't do very well in a poor area like the outer city. Xia De felt that Mr. Finch probably didn't expect the shop to make him any money; he was just indulging his personal hobby.
Due to the terrain and climate, Shad felt that the air quality in the outer city was even worse than in Tobeskoye. While in the carriage, the driver warned Shad not to open the windows once they left the lower city. After getting off the carriage, he saw pedestrians everywhere hurrying along, covering their mouths with handkerchiefs.
"The current season, and the transition from autumn to winter each year, is when the local air quality is at its worst."
As the coachman gave Shad his change, he remarked that this rule actually applied to most cities in the Old World.
Mr. Finch's shop was not large, and most of the other shops on the same street dealt in metal parts and steam engine components.
When Shad entered the shop, Mr. Finch was not there, but the apprentices working there immediately went to the backyard to find the old gentleman after hearing why Shad had come. While waiting, Shad observed the goods in the shop, which contained all sorts of wonderful machines, products he couldn't even find in his hometown.
But the similarity of most machines is that they don't actually seem to be very useful.
Take, for example, the "stamp-licking dog head device." This is a realistic dog head model mounted on an exquisite wooden base. Inside, there is a miniature water pump and a sponge system. Simply place the stamp in front of the dog head, press a button, and the dog head will extend its sponge-like "tongue" to moisten the stamp.
Judging from the product description, this machine was not invented to save people from talking, but to "prevent ladies from touching stamps that the postman has touched."
But in Xia De's view, using this thing was more troublesome than licking stamps with his tongue. The amount of work involved in cleaning the sponge was probably far greater than directly licking the stamps. As for having servants clean the sponge, they would be better off using that time to affix stamps. Considering factors such as the mechanical failure rate, this lifelike dog head was actually better suited as a simple decorative sculpture.
"Good morning, Mr. Watson. I knew you would come today."
As Shad pondered, old Mr. Finch walked in from the shop's backyard. The old man was spry; though his face was aged, he was clearly in good health.
Are you interested in my invention?
Shad shifted his gaze from the dog-headed statue:
"I just find it interesting. I don't send letters very often, so I don't need such a wonderful device for the time being."
And Mr. Finch was also very self-aware:
"You can just say that this thing is useless, and I can understand that."
He explained:
"Inventions and creations can never let people know whether a product can benefit civilization when it is still in the design stage. Some things can be considered garbage even after a hundred years of being made, but then people discover their use in the 101st year."
Shad nodded:
"That makes sense, but has anyone actually bought this device?"
"Of course, the local post office once bought two of them so that people could send letters without having to babble. People were very curious about the machine, so it was used very frequently at first, which also increased the frequency of malfunctions. As a result, the post office eventually retired it."
When Mr. Finch talked about the past, he showed no regret at all:
"However, I believe that even the most useless invention will eventually find a real use. For now, let it stand here quietly."