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"MENDO! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU GUYS WERE DOING!?" The door to the house was thrown open as a furious Rife stormed inside. Mendo and Jonas who were sitting on the Sofa both looked at her with startled faces. Jonas held a paper that showed every letter of the alphabet while he himself had apparently written the meaning of the letters behind them. Mendo on the other hand was looking at another drawing that Jonas had conceptualist. The drawing resembled something like a long iron pipe with wood on it and some mechanism at it's back.

But those drawings didn't really interest the confused and angry Rife, who had heard two bangs behind one another and the name of her brother being mentioned in context with them. She vaguely remembered the friend who Mendo brought back with him, mentioning something about an idea he had with both of them becoming mayor, but aside from asking what the man envisioned beyond this idea, she hadn't really taken him seriously. But now, this man and her brother not only took down a tree which was said to be impossible to fell but they also actually applied to the position as mayor.

In the street, a few friends of Rife talked to her about it and she instantly sprinted home. What should they do now? what if they actually get elected, had they actually thought things through!? She needed to make sure what these two enigmas were letting their minds do.

What if someone was after them now? After all, the old mayor that was currently in power was probably going to have a talk with his most pressing rival, not to mention that he was sponsored by the nobility of Galvie. How would they go about the duke who had a contract with the old mayor? Surely he wasn't just going to let his money machine go to waste through some insignificant election in a town he had never been in before through a few people that were mere filth in his eyes.

Mendo was still quite surprised by the sudden entrance of his sister, but he could understand her well. He also felt guilty for not telling her anything about what he was planning to do. He had thought the whole day about the things Jonas had said to him yesterday on their way towards the carpenter. At first, he instantly wanted to decline Jonas, as his idea sounded to ridiculous, but he also had to keep in mind that the strange man had so many unexplainable things about him that he just couldn't bring himself to say no. He at least wanted to look if he was going to keep his word, and when the tree actually fell, not only was it startling for him because he had never seen such a thing before, but rather that the man not only kept both of his promises but made such an incredible device in no more than one singular day.

He and Jonas talked on their way back to town, and Jonas explained his plans to him for what he planned to do for the town in the near future. Simply speaking, what he was saying sounded like pure fantasy. Mendo would shake his head as soon as he began to think about what the man said to him. He felt like a disgrace of a brother, as he not only didn't think enough about how his sister would feel, no he also disregarded her safety.

When looking at the haunted expression of the poor Rife, even Jonas felt guilt. After all, he was the one that roped Mendo into all of this, but doing this was unavoidable if he wanted to bring about the new era. As he already spent quite some time memorizing the alphabet, which Mendo wrote out for him while a worried expression clouded his face so that he would be literate. What frustrated him though, was that he learned from Mendo that the handwriting of the alphabet changed from town to town. For some reason there was no universal way of handwriting, that was one of the first things he would have to try and somehow spread. Something like a typewriter would be ideal, but that dream was still somewhere in the distant future.

What mattered most now was that he and Mendo would be elected, and for that to happen, both of them would have to put themselves out there and spread what they were going to do to the people. The first one to convince seemed to be the person who just stormed through the door, namely Rife.

As Jonas knew that she was probably more suspicious of him now then she was before, he quickly looked over at Mendo, indicating that he should try to first calm her down and then explain the situation to her.

Mendo realized what Jonas wanted from him, so he lay down the paper he was holding and walked over to Rife. He tried to calm her down for a good 30 minutes and finally succeeded after several failed attempts. It was really remarkable how resilient Mendo was, enduring the harsh words his sister threw at him without even flinching. When Rife finally calmed down a bit and made a pretty long sigh.

She also sat down on the sofa, waiting for Mendo to come and explain the whole situation to her. When he started explaining, the first thing he mentioned was the powder they used to blow up the tree. Rife's mouth seemed to hang wide open when Jonas took over the explanation of how the powder was able to destroy the gigantic tree. Most people would react that way if they had no idea how powerful gasses could be, not even mentioning how powerful explosive reactions in themselves were.

Rife still didn't really trust the man who sat beside Mendo, after all, he was still pretty much a stranger to her. She knew that the man not only saved her brother's life but apparently also gave up a pretty expensive possession when he did so. He also got rid of the gigantic tree that annoyed the town's guard for many years already. From on top of the wall, the tree blocked a huge part of the forest, giving them less time to react if some fullbears attacked them.

It was clear to her that Mendo put a lot of trust into him by joining in this election, so did the other man who trusted Mendo would be up for the job. What completely broke her though, was how they already planned on what they were going to do after the election. It sounded ridiculous, like some stupid fantasy, but Mendo and Jonas kept a straight face when they explained the plans they had to her.

"The first and most important thing we have to do right now is securing our position in the election" Jonas stood up and explained to the both of them. He continued, saying "The best option we have to get the people to vote for us is to talk them into it! What I'm trying to say is is that we need to hold public speeches that not only appeal to the audience but are also not complete lies". Mendo looked a bit confused, he probably didn't understand what kind of impact a speech could have on people.

Many famous leaders, be they good or bad, were almost always elected because they had a talent in speaking in front of an audience. Some people had this talent since birth, but others had to learn it. If Jonas and Mendo could hold a great speech that not only led people to vote for them but also transmitted the emotion of the talker, they had probably the biggest head start one could have in an election.

Rife didn't look any better then Mendo, but Jonas reassured them that what he was saying was indeed the truth. But they also had different problems. Jonas had already planned beyond the vote, assuming he would win, but the plan he had laid out had a pretty big flaw. He first wanted to start producing concrete so they could reinforce their wooden walls, but he also wanted to start with industrialization as soon as he could. One of his key steps in the plan he laid out was the building of a steam engine so they could get a larger sulfur and iron output. The problem in that wasn't really that he didn't know how to build a steam engine, no the problem rather lied in its production. He was sure he could get the iron easily as they had an iron mine in the vicinity, no, what worried him the most was the assembly. Early steam engines were bolted instead of welded, which could easily lead to a steam explosion. If he wanted to build a safe engine he needed some way to reinforce the parts of the engine, but either way, he had some time to think about that problem.

The next thing he had to tackle now was to publicize him and Mendo more. He quickly interrupted Mendo and Rife who were talking to each other in a rather heated discussion saying, "Okay, we need to find a spot to hold our speech at, let's look if the marketplace has some space to do so".

Mendo still had a questioning expression on his face, and rightfully so expressed his doubt at Jonas's proposal "Are you sure though? I know you did some crazy stuff and you promising some kind of strange fantasy in the plan for after the election, but is openly talking to a crowd really going to change anything?" Rife shot in from the side, adding to Mendo's doubtful question "And even if you do those speeches, everyone here knows Mendo except for some people who live at the north and east side of town, and I don't really think they'll trust a complete stranger".

Jonas looked at the two of them, understanding of the doubt the two expressed but also slightly annoyed. Unfortunately for Jonas, getting annoyed or angry rather quickly was something he was pretty guilty of. He learned to control it throughout the years, but it was nonetheless still a part of him. He answered the questions the both of them posed with a slower speed than he normally would, "That is exactly why they will trust us more. We have a familiar face for the majority of people, someone they know personally, and we have a completely new face that can make a good impression on the people that have never met him before" He paused for a second before continuing "When we have those two odds, we should be able to make a good impression, especially when they see that I and Mendo will run together. That would show that he trusts me".

Mendo shot back in, now with a more pressing tone "But the thing is that they know Pete too! and he is running alone, more people know him and he keeps the town safe!" Mendo wanted to continue but stopped when he saw the mischievous expression his partner was making. Jonas sat back down unto the sofa he just got up from and explained "Why do you think I blew that tree up?".

Mendo quickly realized what Jonas was trying to get at, clearly revealing an expression of realization. What Jonas was trying to show by destroying that tree wasn't power, he wanted to show how easily he could protect the town. Mendo quickly connected the dots in his mind as he thought of one of the first things Jonas had mentioned in his plan, that being the paste called cement which could turn into solid stone overnight. If he was indeed telling the truth with that, they could also convince the people that it could be used to reinforce the old wooden walls around the town, making them even safer.

He noted that the plan Jonas made was constructed in a way that would first ensure a safe supply of many basic necessities like safety and food, then it would focus on improving mining and other things he had never heard before like "Gun manufacturing" and "Chemical plants".

It indeed sounded like a weird story out of some book written by a delusional old man, but the way it was structured gave it a weird sense of feasibility. Mendo was pretty much certain that if his partner could indeed make a machine that could generate movement, he probably could do anything. The mere idea of it sounded so outlandish that he still thought that Jonas was exaggerating.

As it was no use to argue, Mendo got up and walked to the door, then stood still and turned around while asking "Are you coming or what? We need a place for those speeches right?".