As the days passed, Rei began to uncover the truth behind Nevar Town's reputation. Contrary to what he'd initially believed, the town was not known for its thriving merchantry. Rather, it was infamous for the magical and deadly beasts that roamed its outskirts—creatures that kept many adventurers at bay and attracted only the boldest or most desperate of hunters.
Though no nobles officially resided in Nevar, the town still held tenuous connections to the Dackles noble family. More disturbingly, it was whispered that certain powerful factions, cloaked in secrecy, pulled the strings behind the scenes. These hidden superpowers crushed anyone who dared to rise too quickly or shine too brightly. The town's system was thoroughly corrupted. The common folk toiled without reward, while the local hunters—once formidable warriors—found their levels and power dwindling as if suppressed by some unseen force.
After carefully observing the state of things, Rei came to a grim conclusion: opening a shop or pursuing a hunter's life in Nevar would be an exercise in futility. The system here wouldn't allow success to bloom unless it served those in control. Anyone who stood out would be flattened like a weed in the wrong garden.
With his decision made, Rei shifted his focus to something more practical: improving his cart.
He stepped out into the dusty streets, the sun high overhead, and began searching for a furniture shop. After meandering through narrow lanes and dodging the occasional drunkard or hawker, he eventually found what he was looking for—a modest but well-maintained store with wooden chairs and tables displayed out front.
Inside, a man stood behind the counter, adjusting a cabinet drawer. He had short, tousled brown hair and a muscular build that suggested he was more accustomed to lifting lumber than holding pens.
Rei approached and asked, "Hello, does your shop deal with furniture?"
The man turned, then gave a friendly smile. "Yeah, it does. Looks like you're new around here. Name's Sersious. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Rei replied. "How much would it cost if I hired you temporarily to help me build something?"
Sersious raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "You seriously wanna spend money on something like that, kid? You should be saving every coin for the future."
"I get what you're saying," Rei said with a shrug, "but it's urgent. I need this done."
Sersious let out a breath and scratched the back of his head. "Well, if it's that important... how about this? I'll help you for free—on one condition."
Rei tilted his head. "What condition?"
"You clean my house. Top to bottom. Fair deal, right? Oh, and you'll need to buy the lumber yourself."
"That's fair," Rei agreed, reaching into his pouch. He pulled out a silver coin and handed it over. "Here. Use this to get the lumber when you need it. Just return any leftover change."
Sersious chuckled and pocketed the coin. "Sure thing. Leave that to me."
The next morning, Rei arrived at Sersious's shop bright and early. He spent the entire morning and afternoon cleaning the man's home—sweeping floors, dusting shelves, and scrubbing everything until it shone. By late afternoon, he was done, but Sersious was still attending to customers.
Rei waited patiently, watching the fading sunlight pour through the window. Finally, in the evening, Sersious approached, wiping his hands on a cloth.
"All right, kid. What exactly are we building?"
"Nothing too crazy," Rei said, pulling out a rolled-up sheet of parchment. "Just modifying my cart. Like this."
He handed over the blueprint. Sersious unfolded it and blinked in surprise. "This... this is more complex than I expected."
"I know," Rei admitted. "But I've thought it through."
Sersious gave a wide grin. "Well then, let's do it."
And so, their work began. Each day, the two met after Sersious's work hours, dedicating themselves to the project.
The first phase was the most difficult: resizing the cart. They disassembled the original frame completely, laying its parts across the ground. Using freshly purchased lumber, they reconstructed the cart—making it nearly three times larger and significantly deeper.
Next came the axles and wheels. Unlike the old design, where small rods barely held the wheels in place, the new structure used thick metal rods running through the cart's interior. These rods connected to a tight metal chain system, which allowed the wheels to move in unison. With each turn of one pair, the chain would rotate the others, providing balance and strength.
Then came the steering mechanism. Rei used a gear system he'd salvaged, placing it strategically to mimic the function of a steering wheel. It took several trials and adjustments before it began to work smoothly. The steering wheel was not for steering. It was made such that if the steering were continuously rotated to the right, the cart would move forward, and if the steering were continuously rotated to the left, the cart would move backward
For testing, Rei used a gentle wind spell to rotate the steering, pushing the cart slowly forward. It moved, but unevenly. The two exchanged thoughts and got back to work, eventually reinforcing the system with two additional chains—each linked to its own gear, forming a triple-steering setup.
When Rei activated the wind spell again, the cart glided forward with surprising smoothness.
Sersious leaned back, whistling. "Now that's something."
They weren't finished yet. To hide the inner mechanisms, they laid a wooden plank over the chain system, connected and sealed off the gears, leaving only the main steering exposed. Then, they enclosed the entire cart, adding walls, a roof, a small door, and two windows. The final result looked less like a cart and more like a miniature, mobile cabin.
As the last plank was nailed in, Rei stood back and exhaled, sweat beading his brow.
"Finally… we made it."
Sersious laughed heartily, admiring their handiwork. "I don't know where you got the idea, but this beauty… It's something else. You should name it."
Rei looked at the cart—no, the creation—they had brought to life. After a pause, he said, "Let me think… how about Midgard?"
Sersious raised an eyebrow. "Midgard? That's an odd name."
"It's from an old story," Rei said with a faint smile. "The land between realms. A place that connects everything."
Sersious nodded slowly. "Weird, but it fits. Midgard it is."