— A New Era Begins —Ray Walker's Gift to a New World
Ray and the group were in the carriage, enjoying the view outside the window and gossiping. They were on their way to the inventor's workshop, which was quite far away.
Ray, who had only been outside for a short while before, was fully immersed in watching the scenery pass by. This was his first real glimpse of the outside world—its people and buildings.
Seeing it all made him feel alive and curious. Aries, noticing Ray's interest, used her knowledge of the places they passed through to guide and explain things to both Alice and Ray, letting them enjoy the view with context.
After a three-hour trip, they finally reached the inventor's workshop. At the front gate, a wooden plate hung with the inscription 'Martin Workshop.'
Seeing Alicia and Alice, the guards didn't stop them—they were allowed in without issue. Just then, Alicia's friend Lydia came running out to greet her and personally invited her into the workshop.
Lydia took the lead, and Alicia and the group followed her inside. Lydia quickly went into the shop to call her husband, who was busy speaking with other inventors. She went to invite Alicia in, but when her husband looked back and saw who had come, his eyes lit up—not because of Alicia, but because he saw Ray.
He came forward to greet them. Lydia, watching this, was stunned—her husband had never shown such deference, not even to royalty. What changed his mind?
The inventor walked past both Lydia and Alicia and came straight to Ray.
"So, you made it? I sent two of my men to bring you here, but they couldn't find you at your home. So you were at the royal mansion, huh? Hahaha!" said the inventor, Ricky Martin.
"Old man Rick, I didn't expect that your highness would be the one bringing me to meet the inventor. It would be you. Haven't you invited Grandpa and the others?" Ray replied with a smile.
Rick laughed, clearly enjoying Ray's relaxed tone. It made him feel like they were old friends.
"There was an attack on their side," Rick said. "Fortunately, your grandfather and your mother were there to protect the family."
Ray thought to himself, "Phew! Mother listened to my warning about the granduncle's attack. She made it in time."
Rick then invited Ray to meet the other inventors, completely ignoring the presence of the royals.
Alicia and the others were stunned to hear Ray call the renowned inventor "Old Man Rick" so casually. Lydia was even more shocked—she had never seen Rick treat a child like this before.
Alicia and her group had met inventors before. They knew these people didn't usually show much respect for nobles or royals unless they had to. But now, seeing Ray receive more face than any of them made them question: What is it about this boy that they're missing?
Rick led Ray to the stage. Everyone waited below, curious about what Rick had to say.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Rick began, "before I reveal my invention, let me tell you a little story."
"More than ten days ago, I was visiting a friend. While having a meal there, I met this six-year-old boy in the dining hall. He showed me an invention. I won't reveal what it is just yet—you'll all know when it goes public."
"After showing me his invention, he said to me, 'Mr. Rick, I heard you want to create flying transportation for people. I have some ideas that could help. But for that, you'll need to invite me to your shop.'"
"Back then, I ignored him. I blatantly looked down on this child. But do you know what he did? He made me regret looking down on him. He made me apologize to him. Do you know why? Because he showed me something that left me no choice. Forget apologizing—I'd have begged if he had ignored me. But before I could beg, he forgave me."
"He gave me the core idea for the invention I'm about to show you today."
"So, ladies and gentlemen, before anything else, let me introduce the boy who inspired it all—Ray Walker!"
Ray looked at Rick with a chuckle as he shared the backstory. He didn't care much for being in the spotlight, but Rick was an extrovert who loved to brag. Ray could only let the old man have his moment. In truth, it would help him make connections with the other inventors here.
Alicia and the others were shocked. All the inventors present were now waiting eagerly to see what kind of idea the boy had contributed.
One of the inventors called out, "Ricky, show us what you made!"
Rick grinned, "Fine! Fine! I'll show you the invention. But to do that, you'll need to follow me to the backyard."
Everyone followed Rick outside, where a massive object was hidden under a large cloth. With a dramatic flourish, Rick pulled the cloth off.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a flying transportation vehicle! Tada! Ray and I call it... the Hot Air Balloon!"
Everyone gasped at the sight of the floating balloon, which was securely tied with ropes to keep it grounded. Ray inspected the design using his system. Everything looked good—Rick had followed the diagrams well. But Ray had more ideas, specifically involving magic, which he planned to discuss with Rick later.
Rick grabbed Ray's hand, and together they climbed into the basket. He fired up the burner, and slowly, the balloon began to lift into the air. The crowd watched in awe as it ascended.
Up in the air, Ray said, "Everything is good, Mr. Rick. The only thing I didn't tell you about is the wind. Right now, you'll only be able to fly using natural wind currents."
"But if you add wind magic to it, you could control the direction yourself."
Rick's eyes lit up. "Right! That's a great idea. I'll add that next time. Also, controlling the fire is a bit tricky. If it flares the wrong way, it could burn the fabric. I'll replace the burner with fire magic—that'll make it easier to control. Good! Good!"
They stayed in the air for about 10 to 15 minutes, clearly enjoying the flight, before safely landing. The crowd, thrilled by the success, began asking for rides one by one.
Over the next four hours, Rick flew the balloon back and forth, giving demonstration rides to the eager inventors and noble guests who had been invited to inspect the product. Many families, including Alicia's, began bidding for a hot air balloon of their own. The prices reached sky-high levels.
Rick announced that the number of balloons currently available was limited. He recorded names and contacts, asking for a 40% advance payment. He promised to contact them when their orders were ready, upon which they could pay the remaining balance.
Later, Rick called Ray to the back and handed him 33% of the profit. They signed a contract stating Rick would receive two-thirds and Ray one-third.
Ray didn't mind at all. He had only provided the idea—Rick had done all the physical work and was handling the sales too. Getting a third of the profits just for an idea was more than fair.
Ray smiled to himself and thought, "This is just the beginning. This is only the first invention from Earth brought to this world. There are many more to come."