Ray and Rick came back from the back. While they were at the back, they had created a new blueprint for the upgraded hot air balloon. Then Ray said to give the money to his mother and not into anyone else's hands.
Rick nodded and said he would do that. Ray then added that Rick shouldn't reveal too much about him yet. Instead, he should tell his fellow inventor that Ray had given him an idea for a burner that sparked inspiration. Rick's mind began racing with ideas—one after another. Finally, he managed to click with something solid and came up with a finished product.
Ray then learned why his granduncle and the other genius couldn't make it into the inventor group. It was because their creations weren't unique enough—they could be easily copied by the king.
"The rules have been passed down from generation to generation. We only follow them. We invited your granduncle to join us because his design was unique—but it was copied by the king. His pride didn't allow him to accept our offer after that. But the next day, he heard from his older brother that the rights to producing and selling it had been handed over to the king. He regretted his decision. After that, Daniel joined the Ashbourn Kingdom," said Rick.
Ray then asked, "Did the kings of past generations never invite you guys?"
"Invite? They outright threatened us! If we didn't join them, they would attack. What are we? Inventors? We've created enough weapons to stop a kingdom. Our ancestors stopped the Ashbourn Kingdom multiple times using our special weapons. Ever since then, the Richard Kingdom knew exactly who not to mess with," said Rick.
He continued, "We told them if they mess with us, we'll just switch sides. From that day, the kingdom stayed out of our business. They do not touch inventors like us."
"I see. That's good. In the future, I'll join the inventor guild," Ray said.
"Inventor Guild—that's a good name. I'll suggest it to the others," Rick replied. "Also, I've already submitted your name to the guild. You've been recognized as an inventor after being approved by others. If anyone tries to bully you, just call us—we'll see who dares mess with you. Now, let's go reveal our guild's new name to the people."
In Ray's head, he was thinking about calling it the "Magical R&D Guild" in the future. But for some reason, Inventor Guild sounded even better. So he let Rick lead the way and followed behind.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Rick called out. "I'm back! I wanted to say that the first hot air balloon was a success. And I've already gotten more ideas from Ray. I'm planning on making a better and faster version!"
He continued, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, my little friend Ray and I were talking, and he suggested a name for our group. If you approve of it, we'll adopt it. He proposed that we be called the Inventor Guild. What do you think?"
"Inventor Guild? Yeah! Great name. I'm the first to agree!"
"I second that!"
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
Once the majority had agreed, the name Inventor Guild was officially adopted.
Rick then announced, "Also, I want to let my royal and noble guests know—Ray is now officially a part of the Inventor Guild. Do not bother him. If you do, there will be consequences you'll regret."
Alicia and the others were shocked upon hearing that. Ray could only offer a wry smile. Rick then started introducing his inventor friends to Ray. Ray, in turn, showed genuine interest and even offered a few ideas, which nearly gave them breakthrough insights. They all began inviting Ray to their shops, hoping he would help and befriend them.
Ray told them that if he had time, he would visit—with his mother.
After a while, Ray finally managed to bid farewell. Alicia, along with her group, also said their goodbyes to Lydia and Ricky Martin. Rick invited Ray again to come and see the upgraded version of the hot air balloon. Ray told Rick that he had ideas for even faster flying transport and would show him later. Rick eagerly nodded and invited him to return soon.
Alicia then led Ray and the four ladies to the carriage. Alice and Aries immediately began bombarding Ray with questions. Ray could only surrender and answered a few of the easier ones.
Aries asked first, "Are you an inventor? How did you manage to join the Inventor Guild?"
Ray replied, "As old man Rick said on stage, I invented something—but it hasn't been made public yet. And yes, I'm an inventor. That's how I became a guild member."
Alice asked, "What did you invent? How come you haven't given me any of it yet?"
Ray replied, "The thing I invented is limited, and due to certain people, I didn't want to make it public yet. But I did plan to give it to you first. You're always surrounded by people, so I never had the chance."
"What is it?" Alice asked eagerly.
Ray pulled out a wristwatch-like device from his pocket and handed it to Alice. "Drop a drop of blood on it," he instructed.
Alice listened and dropped her blood onto the device. Alicia wanted to stop her but was too curious to intervene. Once the blood touched it, Ray helped Alice fasten the strap around her wrist.
Ray explained, "This is a communication device. You can talk to me even if you're 500 kilometers away. So even if I'm at the Walker Mansion, you can contact me from the palace and speak to me anytime."
Alicia, Aries, and Rena were stunned upon hearing that. It was a remarkable invention. Alice was thrilled. Ray then demonstrated every feature of the device and showed how it worked by stopping the carriage and testing it from a distance.
Then Ray said something that dampened Alicia's mood a little.
"This device can only be used by Alice. Only she can activate it—no one else," he said.
He sneered slightly before adding, "I made sure it has security features. If someone tries to tamper with it, the device will self-destruct, and its internal secrets will be wiped clean."
Alicia asked, "You're already an inventor? Is that why you're showing us this product? And how do I get one?"
Ray replied, "That's right. I've been one for a while. I wanted to give it to Alice long ago, but there was never a proper opportunity. Now, I have a backer to support me, and even if my father demands I hand the rights over to the king—I won't. I've only made ten, and I've given them to the people closest to me. I don't have any more right now. But if I can create more, I'll give one to big sister Aries, caretaker Rena… and maybe even to you, Your Highness."
Alice was overjoyed to hear that she was someone Ray considered close.
Ray added, "But if someone else from the royal family wants it, they'll have to buy it from me. Until I make it public, please keep it a secret."