Meeting
2245 Words
Heather was excited to find out about all the specialities that the realm contained and as she was admiring the whole set up, a notification rang out and I told her the process of the socketing had already been completed.
She went over to the machine and carefully opened up the door and she squealed in delight as she removed the amulet and held it in her hands. Just as she had expected, the diamond piece was in the centre of the amulet while the two rubies were socketed at the sides of it.
She was putting the amulet on her chest and adjusted it in front of a large standing mirror. At least she could help out to churn something inside this Fusion Chamber.
"It looks so beautiful, don't you think so my dear? By the way, do you think Jay-R fits wearing this type of amulet around his neck, I mean he's a boy and only girls wear them, am I right? This fine piece of shiny glass that is in front of me here would be good if we can bring it back to the domain, don't you think so dear?
Heather asked and I replied that it's alright since my late father also wears this type of amulet around his neck plus lots more accessories. Plus I told her that glass and mirror were not invented only centuries later. So there's no chance for her to haul the big ass mirror back to our real world. Hahaha.
She kept the piece she had just enhanced and continued to do the same to the other two amulets meant for the children. Watching her filled with excitement was like a student who had successfully completed her first chemistry experiment...!
After the amulets had been completed, she asked me if there would be some tools she could use to make the chain shorter and for the 'S' hook to be adjusted so that it would be able to suit our children's neck later on.
There's one more room which I had not entered which was the Blacksmith Room, the place where my former self had painstakingly hammered and forged his way through from being a novice blacksmith to a master.
"I would bring you there once we had completed the usage of the Gutenberg machine here. What do you have in mind, dear?"
I asked and she held my journal in her hand and told me that she would like to make notes of this to bring it back to the real world.
Since both worlds have a paper and ink and even though the process is a bit different, she would like to make copies of this to send it back and then distribute it to the senior members of the board during the meeting.
"Ceres, could you guide us on how to use this Gutenberg machine?" I called out to Ceres and it explained that it was not called Gutenberg machine but a printer c*m copying machine.
It uses light to capture the image on any piece of material and then it would print the output depending on how many pieces we wanted to print. "The counter keypad is beside the start green button over there."
"Place the journal on the glass panel first, top side down and close the cover over it. Once you're done, then press the desired number of copies on the panel with lots of buttons and then press the green start button."
"Sit back and watch the machine copies whatever you want to be reproduced and the output would lay on the output tray at the left-hand side of the machine."
Ceres advises and guide us step by step throughout as we walked all around the machine to ensure we had gotten what Ceres had wanted us to specifically do.
After pressing the buttons to reproduce a dozen and placing the journal that needs to be reproduced top side down on the glass panel, Heather did the honour of pressing the start green button.
The machine whirred to life and sounds of paper being extracted and dropped into the output tray could be heard.
There was a kind of stomping sounds as each paper was being reproduced before a dozen pieces had been completed and the machine went silent again.
"Oh my God...! This is really a good piece of invention. If only we could bring it back then we could print out all the labels for all the medicine, herbs, health and beauty products too...!"
Heather was all excited when she held the warm pieces of paper that had been deposited in the output tray as she held the paper to her nose and took a deep whiff as if its done kind of wafer...!
"It smells so fresh too...! This Gutenberg machine is really out of this era...!" Heather exclaimed as she took the journal and flipped to the next one that needs to be reproduced and pressed the start button again. It seemed they she was getting quite adept at this kind of work...!
After she had reproduced all that she needs from the Gutenberg machine, she held the pieces of papers in her hand and told me to bring her to the Blacksmith Room where she would need some tools to adjust the length of the children's amulets.
"Come on dear, let's go to the Blacksmith Room as I need to make these adjustments to the chain's length on the amulet." Heather motioned to me and I swiped the fusion chamber to the next one.
There stood an old fashioned anvil and furnace with several sizes of hammers and other tools that were neatly arranged on a standing display stand.
Heather goes over and chose a pair of pliers and removed the 'S' hooks from 2 amulets and then she somehow cut the length of the two amulets to become shorter and of equal lengths.
After she had done so, she inserted the 'S' hooks once more and then she simply remarked to me that the work had already been completed.
"I will leave the rest of the adjustments back at Old Jack's place. How long have we been here, my dear? I really can't wait to spend more time here with you."
Heather claimed and I told her it's under an hour which means it's slightly under 20 minutes in the real world.
"Audemars, when you had been fully accustomed here, you can use the computer to make the drafts of your instructions and other advertising or marketing materials instead of using the reproduction machine. You can change the fonts and you can straightaway print from the screen before you."
Ceres was mentioning about the personal computer that would only exist in the 20th century and what she had mentioned to me was totally alien and I don't even understand a single word she said.
"It's like a Gutenberg machine, Audemars. The typesetting could be done with a screen in front of you and one you are done, you could print them out."
"There are some reference books based on personal computing, word processing, desktop publishing and so on."
"You can do a bit of reading up before you embark. It would be fantastic and you could also use different type settings to look like a gazette."
Ceres mentioned it to me once more and the only thing I understand was a gazette. The rest of the things she mentioned, was truly out of this world and I could only sit down and read some references and follow the tips, if available.
"Don't worry, Audemars. There would be two personal computers set up in the White Room and there would be some reference books for you and Heather to read up."
"Take your time, don't be too surprised. Consider these personal computers as part of your former self that was used to utilise it every day."
The information that had been relayed to me was clear but I could only perceive them a bit at a time. Heather was equally excited since she heard that there are two machines set up in the White Room and she desired to enter the realm once again when the children had gone to bed tonight.
"We would see about it tonight, yes dear? At the meantime, our twins are waiting for us so we better read back now. Handle those papers carefully, we would be leaving this realm from the White Room and hold my hand properly, alright?"
I was afraid that something might happen to Heather like being left all alone in the realm while I'm suddenly back in the real world.
In fact, there's nothing much to worry but she might be the one panicking and starts to destroy the room to find a way out...!
I motioned Heather to come close to me and she anxiously held my hand tightly as we both entered the vortex and left the realm. When we finally opened our eyes, I find Heather beside me and had slightly sweaty palms.
"Phew...! That was quite a trip, my dear. I go get the children and let's head down to the conference hall then." Heather skipped merrily down the stairwell with the sheets of paper that had been reproduced along with the amulets that she held in her hands and it does look like a piece of toy to her at this moment.
Ah well, as long as she is happy, the twins are happy and so would I.
She went to fetch the twins and as she handed the amulets to the children, they were happy when they were shown the items as the twins held out their dainty hands and touched the ones that Heather was currently wearing.
"My dear little darlings, this is what Mummy had brought for you and its the same as what mummy is wearing right now, see? I'm not going to make this chain shorter because you would be wearing it till you had become an adult."
"What Mummy would do is to insert this 'S' hook over here so this both chains would be dangling behind it. As you grow older, this 'S' hook would be adjusted accordingly."
Heather was explaining the uses of the 'S' hook on the amulet and the twins were rather excited about having a new toy to play with and it's around their necks.
To prevent any accidents, the balance length of the chain was entwined at the back of the children's neck.
When Heather was putting on the amulets for the twins, they were both giggling and clapping their hands and adoring the amulets on each other's necks. It was of a simple design but it serves the purpose really well.
As I sauntered down the stairwell, I saw that lunch had already been served and taken from the outdoor kitchen area and the twins were being fed by Heather and one of the domain helpers.
It was a simple pottage and served with toasted bread and this would be more than enough to start the day right before the midday meeting.
"I thought we would not be having lunch today... Hahaha. Well, it doesn't hurt to grab a bite or two before the meeting, eh?" I sat down on between the twins and took over the feeding of the twins from one of the domain helpers.
As the twins were being fed, I can't help but noticing Heather was clearly proud of what she had done for the amulets back in the realm and she was particularly vain when she had the amulet hanging loosely around her neck.
She smiled back at me as she gently touched the amulet around her neck and I hope that the two good quality red rubies would be able to give her +50 health as well since my information system was unable to determine it as she was not a Foe.
After we had a light lunch, the twins were busy playing with the amulet around their necks while Heather cleared away all the papers on the table and replaced it with the one that she had reproduced back in the realm with me.
I saw that the paper and ink did not diminish even one bit and discovered that the trip to bring these papers back to the real world is a success.
At least, she would be kept busy along with me when the time comes for her to reproduce the labels of some of the health and beauty products whenever needed.
As she had heard they there would be two added machines brought in by Ceres that would be able to perform some word processing, desktop publishing and printing from them, Heather was once again excited to enter the realm to try it out.
However, these so-called machines were totally alien to me in this world and I wondered who my original former self was before he made his transmigratory trips all over the parallel universe until he became who he is today.
Only Ceres has the answers as we sat down and arranged the papers for the meeting when the senior members of the board slowly streamed into the conference hall after their lunch as Heather begins to commence the meeting when everyone was present.
I sat down beside Heather and observed how she conducted the third meeting which would be the crucial part for the further development of the economy in town.
- Writer
