Chapter 88

"Yes."

"You want something even more expensive?"

"Yes."

"Well then..."

Newman took a deep breath, and suddenly, his smile returned, more sincere than before. "Honored guest, we do have something more expensive, but it's a bit unusual. You might not appreciate it, as it's a new invention."

"Hmm? A new invention?" Richard's curiosity was piqued.

"Wait until I bring it out, and you'll see." Newman grinned, his eyes gleaming. "But, speaking of which, up until now, you haven't shown any real interest in buying anything. If I bring out this new item and you still show no intent to purchase, we might need to have a discussion. Because, well... I suspect you're not really here to buy but rather to cause trouble. Of course, this is just a guess—please don't take offense..."

"Of course, no offense," Richard replied calmly, maintaining his usual composed demeanor.

"Good, good." Newman nodded approvingly and turned, walking back into the shop behind him.

At the same time, the two large men, standing in the corners of the shop, subtly shifted closer to the entrance.

Lucy, feeling a touch of tension, grabbed Richard's sleeve, but he gently shook his head and reassured her, "Don't worry."

"Uh..."

A few minutes later, Newman returned with a large box cradled in his arms, smiling as he placed it gently onto the counter.

"Guest, within this box lies the most precious item in our shop. Are you ready to see it?"

"Yes."

"Very well." Newman slowly opened the box. Richard's gaze immediately fixed on the contents, his expression faltering for a moment. Inside were three rather simple mechanical clocks, each about the size of a basketball, reminiscent of large mantel clocks. The clock faces were large, and their brass frames held long swinging pendulums. These pendulums connected to the internal "motive mechanism," which slowly released stored mechanical energy. Through a series of gears in the "transmission system," the energy was conveyed to the core mechanism, which was linked to the clock hands, controlling their movements.

The "escapement regulator" used the periodic vibrations of the system to ensure precise, rhythmic intervals, which allowed the hour, minute, and second hands to rotate at varying speeds.

Tick, tick, tick...

The crisp sound of the second hands clicking echoed throughout the room, reverberating as the timepieces swung in steady rhythm.

Richard observed the clocks with an odd look. Newman, noticing Richard's silence, assumed the young man was confused. He eagerly began to explain, "Sir, these are a new invention from Myron. They were crafted by a renowned master artisan from the capital of Myron.

See, these three hands represent the current time. When all three hands are aligned at the top, it either marks the beginning of the day or noon. In other words, every twelve hours, these hands will reset precisely, making it possible to tell the time with great accuracy."

Newman looked at Richard expectantly.

Richard squinted, studying the three clocks in front of him. His mind began to race, contemplating this newfangled technology.

Honestly, Richard found the situation quite strange. According to his understanding of this world, it was roughly in the middle of what would be equivalent to Earth's medieval period. Yet, the concept of mechanical clocks, in Earth's history, only became widely refined during the late medieval period, even later into the Age of Sail.

Before that, people didn't place much importance on timekeeping, and there wasn't much of a need for precise measurements. Time was generally described in broad terms—morning, afternoon, evening, etc. It wasn't until the Age of Exploration, driven by the necessity of navigation, that mechanical clocks began to evolve into the modern forms we recognize.

For Newman to present such mechanical clocks, crude as they were, suggested that timekeeping technology had made an earlier leap than Richard had expected. This world, while resembling Earth's medieval times, was full of such inconsistencies—sometimes falling behind, and other times advancing ahead.

Richard thought to himself, eyes flickering with realization, as he continued observing the clocks.

Originally, his plan had been to use a trick to extract a large sum of money from the jewelry shop. But seeing the clocks now, Richard began to rethink his approach and consider a more lucrative idea.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Richard turned to Newman, his voice calm and precise. "How much are these clocks?"

"Seven thousand," Newman replied promptly, waving his hand dismissively. "These clocks are a rare rarity. Even the royal family in the capital of Prue has hardly seen them. Seven thousand silver coins is their minimum price."

"Seven thousand, huh? That's not too expensive. Seems like a fair price," Richard mused.

Newman, taken aback for a moment, broke into a smile, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "So, does that mean you're going to buy them?"

"I could buy them," Richard said, his face devoid of expression. Before Newman could get excited, Richard continued, "But I have a few small questions."

"Of course, go ahead."

"First," Richard raised a finger, "this clock needs to be wound, correct?"

"Uh, well…" Newman hesitated.

"How often does it need winding to keep running properly?"

"Well…" Newman hesitated, then admitted, "About every two hours."

"Two hours," Richard repeated the answer, not overly surprised, as he had expected something of the sort. He nodded, then raised a second finger. "Second question, these clocks likely don't run perfectly, do they? Every twelve-hour cycle, there must be some deviation, perhaps a little fast or slow? What's the maximum discrepancy?"

Newman froze, his eyes widening in surprise. Initially, he had thought Richard didn't know much about mechanical clocks, but now, hearing him ask two questions so directly focused on the mechanics of the clocks, Newman realized that Richard knew far more than he had anticipated. Facing someone who was clearly more knowledgeable, Newman knew there was no point in hiding the truth.

After a moment of hesitation, Newman sighed and answered honestly, "Each cycle can differ by up to half an hour. Of course, that doesn't happen every time—usually, the deviation is just a few minutes."

Richard paid no attention to the final part of Newman's explanation, instead repeating, "Half an hour, huh? I see."

At this moment, Richard fully grasped the state of mechanical clocks in this world. While they were indeed functional, their accuracy and internal mechanisms were vastly inferior to the clocks that would emerge centuries later during Earth's Age of Sail. The technology was hundreds of years ahead, but clearly not without its flaws.

Satisfied with his understanding, Richard shifted back to his plan for making money. Turning toward Newman, he said, "These clocks are indeed interesting, and the price of seven thousand silver coins seems entirely reasonable. However... having to wind them every two hours and dealing with a half-hour discrepancy every cycle makes them practically useless for everyday purposes. If I were to buy them and show them to others, only to find them stopped or running too fast or too slow, it would be quite embarrassing, wouldn't it?"