"What? What do an?" Marco questions the receptionist, confused by what she ant.
The receptionist grabs the patent and flips a few pages back to the beginning. With her index finger, she points to the section of the inventor's na. Right there, written in black ink, was the na 'Kant Icurus Maybale'. A na, only possessed by the king of Hoverdam, King Kant Maybale himself.
"Oh... We uh... We didn't know..." Vice muttered, upon seeing the na. The apathetic receptionist lady, however, cald the two down.
"It is fine. Most people don't even know most of the patents here belong to him anyway. He lets anyone from the kingdom get one and build one of their own, after entering a contract with him of course. I heard he uses the money to fund whatever he desires." she claid.
"But... wouldn't that an he would have to sign a contract with each and every one of them?" asks Vice.
"He gets the help of a law firm to automatically verify and do that for him."
"Is that so? Well then, I think... uh..." Just then, Marco cos up with another idea, on how he can contact that man.
"Excuse , ma'am. I am not sure if this is possible but... Can I have the list of nas and addresses of the people who looked up the patent then? Or just took one for themselves?" Marco questions.
"Hm... Sure. Just give a mont." She takes out a file from the drawer and stares skimming through it. Once she gets to the bicycle section, he looks up a few nas and writes them down on a list.
After she is done, she goes to the back once again, leaving the two waiting. She then cos back again to the desk, handing the a piece of cardboard, with the na 'Niko Blake' written on it, and addresses underneath his na.
"Here you go. This is so far the only guy that ca up and took up a contract to start producing the bicycles."
"I see. What is he like? Do you rember?"
"Yes, I do. He was the only guy that ca in with a mask. He might be a little too secretive if you ask . Is that all you need, sir?" the receptionist lady asks.
"Yes. Thank you, ma'am. You have been very helpful." Marco replies.
"You are welco. Just make sure to bring those back. Next!"
...
Marco and Vice both walk out of the registrar and head to a suit rental. They make sure to change into a suit, to look like they were so rich n, before heading to the tram station. They then waited for the tram to arrive, before hitching a ride to the downtown area. There, they drop off from the station and head over to the address.
On the way, they notice more and more people, riding on those tal bicycles on the paved road. It seems that the vehicle was getting rather popular among the people living in the downtown area, who had the wealth to purchase such a device. They had noticed it all had a black paint job to it.
They soon arrive at a stone building, painted white and fitted with glass windows. It was about 4 stories tall, with the ground/first floor being reserved for the shops run by the residents of the building.
The two quickly enter the bike shop, which featured a dozen lots of tal bikes, all handing around. From what it seems, they had been painted with a fresh coat of paint, to keep them from rusting.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Marco called out. At first, it was silent, as there appeared to be nobody ho. But then, suddenly, a man cos out through a door, near the counter. Upon seeing Marco and Vice, he puts up a smile and greets them.
"Welco, sirs! How may I help you today?" he called out.
Marco and Vice looked at each other and nodded. Marco took the first steps and spoke out to the workshop owner.
"We ca here for a business proposal. Would you mind showing us your bikes?" Marco asked the owner.
"Of course! Just follow !" he replied. He led the two to so bikes that he had already prepared.
"These are the sizes that it cos with. They are made for children, n, and won alike. I usually make one that fits the custor's size."
"Hm... I see. Say, how much is this?" Vice asks.
"This one particularly? It is not for sale. You see, I am the only guy working here, so it takes ti to make these things. So I make my bikes, and keep it there until the owner arrives."
"How much is a reservation?" Marco questions.
"349 copper. However, if you want priority, you can pay about 499 copper." the workshop owner replies.
"...and how much does the average bike cost, exactly?" Vice asks again, as he had not gotten his answer from before.
"From what I have seen, about 4 silver coins a bike?" the shopowner replies.
"I see. That is very expensive. Is it very costly to produce?" Marco asks.
"Right now, yes. It is. It takes so skill to make. Plus the cost of buying the tals, and making it to suit my needs takes so ti." the owner replied.
"Hmm... that is too bad. I can already see this product's potential," Vice remarked.
"You think so, sir?" he asked, a little excited.
"Yes. Perhaps, do you have any plans for such expansion?" Vice replied.
"Well yes, I do. Although, I rather do not feel comfortable in doing so." the owner replied, a little suspicious of the two. Marco looks onward at the bikes, before making contact with the owner.
"How much money are you making a bike?" Marco asks.
"I am sorry?"
"Looking onward at the bikes, I think that you are making a lot of money, selling each bike. I assu you are raising capital, to fund our expansion?" Marco asks.
"Well, yes. I am. How do you know?" the owner asks.
"Oh. Just a simple deduction. You will need money to safely expand your operations, to conquer more markets." Marco replies.
"Say, how about this. We will help you. We will give you so funding for this project. And if it goes and you manage to sell a lot, we could probably hook you up with more rchants! How does that sound?"
"I... I guess that sounds great! Do you guys have the connections though?" the shopowner asks. Marco looks at Vice, who nods in approval. He then turns back to face the owner once again.
"I promise you, we will have them right at your doorstep, as long as you manage to sell a lot of those bikes to your custors. Can you promise that?"
"I... I guess so. How much money are willing to give ?"
"How much? For that, we will have to value your business first." Marco replies.
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