Chapter 003
Episode 3
This Year’s Fortune, Part 1/2
The cryptic message left me puzzled. I flipped the note over and over, but that was all it said. Shaking it lightly, I asked the steward.
“What do you think this means?”
“Huh?”
The steward took the note with a look that screamed he was being dragged into my superstitions. His eyes, scanning the text, seemed utterly lifeless.
“‘Be a kind person.’ Sounds like a nice blessing. Yawn.”
“Hey… could you not yawn so blatantly?”
I knew he gets sleepy the moment he’s in a carriage, but that was a bit too carefree. Unfazed, he handed the note back.
“Don’t overthink it. These things are just for fun, and you said you don’t even believe in them.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
Still, doesn’t it nag at you a little? That’s just human nature.
After a moment’s thought, I decided to let it go. Whatever, it’s not a big deal. My fortune for the year is amazing anyway.
I handed the note to the steward.
“Then you toss this out.”
“Sure thing.”
He took the note, crumpled it, and stuffed it carelessly into his jacket’s inner pocket.
The carriage soon arrived at the mansion. Crossing the lavishly decorated garden to the entrance, the busy staff greeted me with bows. I nodded back casually and headed straight to my office.
First task of the new year done, now for the rest!
I sat at my desk, interlocking my fingers. The steward, who also serves as my aide, brought in a few letters. His usual grumbling, leisurely demeanor shifted to a serious one.
He placed one of the letters on my desk.
“We have a special client.”
“Special? More special than the imperial family?”
“Yes. That’s an order from the Deira Dukedom.”
No way, really?
I eagerly tore open the letter. Though we make the cutting-edge communication device ‘TokTok,’ high-ranking nobles, as special clients, send their first orders via letter. Once we process it, I reach out.
“We sent one, right?”
When an order is received, we send a TokTok as a sample. That way, they can contact me and see how convenient and great TokTok is.
The steward nodded reliably.
“Yes. The Duke of Deira should have received it by now. I noted it’s a gift.”
“Good job. What’s the duke’s number?”
“88808880.”
“I’ll contact him right away. Wow, why so many orders?”
The order form listed a staggering quantity, enough to supply the entire Deira household. There’s no other reason to order over a hundred units at once. Since TokTok is exclusively sold by our company, they’re not buying to resell either.
The handwriting on the order was peculiar, each character’s width and height perfectly uniform, like neatly stacked square bricks.
Probably not written by the duke himself… Their aide has impressively precise handwriting.
“Contact availability… anytime’s fine, huh? Pretty relaxed?”
“No, they just ask for understanding if their reply is delayed.”
“Well, it’s His Grace the Duke, after all.”
No complaints here, a big client like this is gold.
I pulled the cute TokTok on my desk closer.
At a glance, TokTok looks like a rectangular notebook, but it’s far from ordinary. It has a main screen for text, a dainty typewriter below (adjustable to the user’s hand size), and a unique design.
Truly the trendiest item of the era!
My TokTok has three adorable cats perched on it, a limited-edition model for cat lovers. Since the emperor prefers dogs, I’m making a dog version next.
I tapped the number on the typewriter,tok tok. With a slight wave to the steward, I said,
“I’ll call if there’s an issue.”
“What about lunch?”
“Just a sandwich. And no nagging!”
Cutting him off, he pouted sulkily, then left without a word.
Sometimes he scolds me for eating just a sandwich at my desk, saying I should have a proper meal. What a hassle.
I punched in 88808880 and hit the send button, tok!
Soon, text appeared on the screen.
[Connecting to Duke Yurix Deira (88808880). Retrieving all previous conversation history.]
[Restoring conversation history… Restoration result: 0]
Staring at the screen briefly, I typed my greeting without hesitation.
[Hello, Duke Deira! Your fastest, most delightful, and lightest friend, TokTok, is reaching out.]
[I’m Mirha Hexen, head of the Hexen Company. I’m contacting you regarding your order. Please reply at your convenience ^^]
Gone are the days of exchanging letters or puffing cigars in salons while keeping up appearances. TokTok has revolutionized communication.
Throw away heavy formalities and embrace light, refreshing exchanges! Even throw in some emoticons, right?
I waited, staring at the screen, when [The other party is typing] appeared. They said replies might be delayed, but looks like they checked it right away.
Then, a long time passed.
…
…
…
What’s this? Did they fall asleep while typing?
I checked again, but the [The other party is typing] message remained. It felt like over ten minutes had passed, when would they…
Then, tok tok! A notification sounded.
What took so long to write?
[To Countess Mirha Hexen,
Greetings, Countess Hexen. This is Duke Deira. I am contacting you regarding the purchase of your company’s product, TokTok.
First, thank you for providing a sample. As I haven’t kept up with recent technology, I hadn’t had the chance to try TokTok over the years. I received the product with gratitude and joy.
As stated in the order, I plan to purchase 150 TokToks for my vassals and knights in my domain. Depending on satisfaction, I may place additional orders. I’d like to discuss this in detail.
I await your reply, Countess.
Thank you, Duke Deira.]
…Someone’s sending an official letter via TokTok?!
