"Hey Duncan you came back just in time for troubleshooting– Hey, seems like you've met our benefactor. Let me introduce you to her. She's none other than the richest person in the entire world. Meet her Ladyship–"
"I know her. I know her better than you..."
Interrupting a very greasy Lewis, his tone stone cold, Duncan faced the 1.5 m girl in a red gothic frock icily.
"We meet again...
CarmineAlucard"
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Achoo!
Sniffling her nose, Goblina wiped her nose in the frigid room. Despite being in one of the more moderate climates, the room felt much colder than the high mountains of Himlond.
Sitting across each corner were Duncan and Carmine, one frigid with rage, the other nonchalantly picking her fingers, expression bored.
"So, about the Jaffa cake factory–"
"Tell me why on Earadun is she here..."
Though his voice was level, his eyes were not. Anger was visible, and he restrained it as much as he could, yet some still managed to seep out. Unable to bear the pressure any longer, Lewis coughed, before bringing a stack of paper in front of them.
"Now, regarding the progress in the construction of the Jaffa Cake factory–"
"I want to know why she's here!?"
Bang!
Thumping loudly on the table, Duncan roared angrily at them. Shocked, they all fell back, some even falling onto the floor. "W-well, we don't know why, or how, but she somehow knew what we were making, and BANG! There she was, right on our doorstep..."
Dusting himself off, Simon struggled back onto his chair, unwilling to look into Duncan's eyes. "W-we don't know man... All we know is that she came here, and seeing our dire circumstances, she said, and I quote, in exchange for having first pick as prime vendor, she'll pay for 70% of the total fees, as well as maintenance for the first 3 years. I mean, who can say no to more money..."
Towards the end, Simon's voice went quieter than a mosquito, his voice barely an audible screech. Staring down at the ground, the young Dwarf twiddled his fingers, knowing what they did was wrong.
Seeing this, Duncan couldn't help but heave a sigh of resignation. He knew that he didn't have the right to get angry at them, for he never told them his history, but still, couldn't they at least have some sense of wariness at all!
Head in his hand, Duncan moved on. "Alright, what's the status quo? I better be hearing good things, or else..."
Clearing his throat, Lewis began his side of the story:
"Right. Regarding the construction and layout of the pipes inside, I've managed to install a majority of them as per specifications. The gearboxes have been calibrated and timed to ensure that each dollop of chocolate will exceed no longer than its designated shape. I've managed to create a bellows of sorts that would allow us to release the thick jam onto our biscuits without risk of it leaking through the pipes. The basic furnace structure has been built, along with the necessary placement for the Spirits. Oh, and Simon, could you please tell us what you did?"
"Right. I've managed to modify the basins to the required specifications: the newer versions will allow us to mix chocolate, flour, jam, etc., in whatever consistency we desire. Although, I am having issues in how to move them in..."
"I'll help you move them."
"Right, thanks Titus. Celine and Goblina, any updates on your ends?"
"Mhmm. I've managed to create a 'program' (I like this term, program) that will allow us to run the whole sequence in a timed and controlled manner. Although it's very basic and still has a few kinks to fix, this revolutionises everything! No more breaks, no more lags, no more delays! From now on, we'll have unlimited cakes for–"
Duncan interrupted her were, seeing she was going off the tracks. "Thank you Celine for your news. Now Goblina, what's the status on the jam filling?"
Twiddling with her faux glasses, Goblina began her report. "I, Goblina, have managed to create 5 different jams to go with our cakes– Smorange, Limun, Redberry, Rosel, and Mangun. The flavours have been tested by our residential food taster (Kiana could be heard licking her fingers to the side, her eyes still darting to the jar of Smorange jam on the table). But Mr. Duncan, I'm still having issues with extending the shelf life. Although I've managed to create some examples, they have some...issues...in them. All I can say is, for now, the complete product must be eaten as long as possible, or have Ice Mages cool the product down for longer shelf life..."
"Good, good, good... Thank you everyone for these wonderful news. Now, is it possible for us to visit the Factory?"
"Yep. We can go now if you want to..."
"We'll go the first thing tomorrow. I'm having a headache and a half..."
"From the journey?"
"Yes, and also...
For bringing this runt of an asshole!"
With a slam, Duncan left the room, wanting to cool off. Staring at his back, everyone remained quiet, frozen on what to do.
"So, what's for dinner?*Lick*"