A sweet fatigue, however, had taken hold of him. The steam engine was finally complete, and this achievement injected a renewed energy into his steps. Upon arriving at the designated site for the converter, though, his expectations met emptiness. Just bare earth and Nia, concentrated on her scribbles. The smell of turned soil and dry weeds filled the air.
"Nia, was there a problem?" he asked, concern written on his face.
She looked up, and a clever smile illuminated her features.
"Problem? On the contrary, Chief. I think I found a solution!" she replied, animated. "I was studying the schematics for this converter and thought: do we really need this lining you described?"
Carlos furrowed his brow, the sound of crickets filling the brief silence.
"If we don't, the heat will melt the entire converter. And there's the risk of chemical elements reacting with the metal walls..."
Nia didn't let him finish, her fingers pointing to the drawings.
"I'm not saying to not use a lining! I'm proposing we change it. We can use the fire gem! In the Mocambo mine, there are gigantic fire gems. Carving one into the right shape wouldn't be impossible."
Carlos brought his hand to his chin, pondering. His eyes scanned Nia's scribbles, bold diagrams that mixed metallurgy and magic.
"This... Maybe... Maybe it could work," he murmured, thoughtful. "But wouldn't the heat from the gem melt the converter itself from the inside?"
Nia shook her head with conviction, a triumphant gleam in her eyes.
"Not at all! It's possible to confine the heat to act only in a specific area, like inside the converter vessel. Look at my gloves, for example."
She removed her heavy leather gloves and showed the fire gem embedded in them. The cold afternoon air caused goosebumps on her arms.
"My hand touches the gem directly, but I don't feel any heat. What heats up is the iron tip I hold. The heat is directed."
Carlos felt a chill down his spine, but this time it was from excitement. The possibility was revolutionary.
"This is excellent!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing in the empty lot. "If the gem is resistant to corrosion and acids, then it's the perfect solution! Let me verify this, please!"
Seized by an impulse, Carlos took a fire gem from Nia's stock and headed towards his laboratory, his heart racing. Using the recently created sulfuric acid, he tested if the gem would dissolve. Nothing. He subjected it to basic solutions, high temperatures, low temperatures... Nothing seemed to affect the smooth, vibrant surface of the gem.
What are they made of? They seem resistant to everything, almost indestructible... They just aren't very resistant to physical impacts, it seems.
Intrigued, he performed hardness tests on other gems. The healing gem was the hardest of all; he couldn't even scratch it with his sharpest tools.
How does the Church manage to carve such a hard gem? The technology... or magic... they must master is frightening.
Leaving the unanswered questions for later, he ran to give the good news to Nia, who immediately got to work on the "magical Bessemer converter."
Watching her dive into her work, a warm feeling blossomed in Carlos's chest.
First time someone not only understands but actually improves one of my designs... This Nia is truly brilliant. More than me. If she had my knowledge, who knows where we'd be already... I need more minds like this. People who, because they are from this world and know magic, see solutions I would never see. The school will be fundamental for that. Actually... it would be interesting to add a Magical Studies subject in the future.
The next day, Carlos and Quixotina walked along the cement sidewalks of Mocambo, flanked by young trees, carrying the originals of the first textbooks. The birdsong created a serene soundtrack.
"You didn't need to come with me, you know?" said Carlos, adjusting the leather portfolio under his arm. "I'm just going to instruct the new employees on how to use the press. It's basic work."
Quixotina shook her head, her blonde hair swaying with the movement.
"And miss the chance to see this wonderful machine that prints books like magic? No way!"
Huh, I'm sure the Gutenberg press already exists in this world... Or does it?
"But what about the Gutenberg press?" he asked, trying to disguise his curiosity.
She looked at him, genuinely confused.
"Press of what?"
She's never heard of it... This is strange.
"In my world," Carlos explained, choosing his words carefully, "a great religious revolt began when people started printing Bibles. Suddenly, everyone could read them and realize the Church didn't have a monopoly on God's word. I imagine wars and revolts, called 'Protestant,' happened here too."
Quixotina furrowed her brow, straining her memory. Her eyes lit up after a moment.
"Ah! My uncle taught me about that! Heretics who preached that the Church didn't represent God and printed profane books. But the Church crushed them all. In the end, everyone went back to worshipping the one true Church. To prevent it from happening again, they even founded holy cities in the locations that were the biggest heretic centers."
The Church won the Protestant wars? All of Europe under a single faith? Well, it makes sense, considering they control the healing gems... But what kind of alternate and terrifying world is this? How lucky we are for the Popess to be on our side, for now.
As Carlos reflected on the revelation, they arrived at the new printing workshop. The place smelled of fresh ink and sawdust. Anxious workers awaited them, aware that a job in Mocambo came with unparalleled benefits.
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"Good morning, everyone!" Carlos greeted. "Today I bring your first job: printing this book here."
He held up the manuscript "First Words," painstakingly created with Quixotina's help. Slowly, patiently, he demonstrated the printing process. The metallic gleam of the type, the strong smell of black ink, and the buzz of attention in the air hypnotized everyone, especially Quixotina, who watched with wide eyes.
Back in the center of Mocambo, on the concrete road, Quixotina couldn't contain herself.
"That machine is incredible! Now I understand what you meant about the knowledge in books changing the world! You took the knowledge for this machine from your books, and now it will create more books. And the more people read, the more books will shape reality!"
It feels so good to have my work recognized by someone, thought Carlos, with an internal smile.
"That's right, Quixotina. You understood perfectly. And this is just the beginning!"
The animated conversation was interrupted by the firm voice of a guard.
"Chief Carlos!"
It was Icarus, the messenger, a man of few words and upright posture.
"A merchant brought one of the items you requested!"
Carlos followed his gaze to a simple clay pot where a sapling stood firm, its green, shiny leaves contrasting with the dark earth. Considering his recent requests, it could only be one thing: a rubber tree sapling. A spark of pure triumph ignited within him.
"Thank you, Icarus. Please take this sapling to Tassi. I'll go with you."
He bid farewell to Quixotina with a wave and followed the guard. On the way, along the shaded path, the usually silent Icarus broke habit.
"Chief Carlos... I know I'm not one of your Mocambo employees, I just deliver messages. But... could I get a salary too? My wife saw the colorful and beautiful clothes the women here wear and... I'd like to give her a gift."
The request took Carlos by surprise, but it was a pleasant one. The honesty of the request touched him.
"But of course, Icarus. At the end of next month, you can come collect your salary here."
"Thank you, thank you very much, Chief!" said the guard, his serious face breaking into a rare, genuine smile.
Mocambo is employing more and more people... A population of three thousand won't be enough in the medium term. I need to attract more people, get more people to come here, to believe in what we're building... It would be perfect!
They arrived at Tassi's testing field. The scene was desolate: a carpet of dead, withered cotton plants stretched across the ground. In the center, however, Tassi was not dejected. Her emerald eyes shone with renewed vigor.
"Another failure?" asked Carlos, cautiously.
She turned, and a wide smile illuminated her dirt-smudged face.
"Actually... I only used the grass gem with the guano you suggested. The cotton plants rotted, as you can see, but this time they lasted much longer! Normally, they wither in a minute. This time, they lasted five!" her voice trembled with excitement. "Maybe... maybe it really is possible to use just the grass gem to generate food! With this, I think it would be possible to end world hunger! At first, I thought you just wanted to replace me... But I had time to think. You're right. I need to set my pride aside and see the benefits of a world with abundant food. A world without hunger!"
Carlos felt his heart tighten. The purity of her hope was touching and painful.
Food abundance doesn't mean the end of hunger, Tassi. In my world, there's enough food to feed the entire world. In Brazil alone we produce enough food to feed a billion people, but with only two hundred million inhabitants, there are still people starving... The problem is more complex; it's distribution, logistics, greed.
But he didn't have the heart to extinguish that gleam in her eyes. Instead, he smiled.
"That's great, Tassi. I'm very happy. Keep testing. And not just with cotton, try other plants, other fertilizer combinations, and write everything down, every detail."
"Yes, Chief!" she replied, her voice full of a determination he hadn't seen in a long time.
"But that's not the only reason I came," he continued. "I brought another plant for you to grow."
Icarus presented the sapling. Tassi, with her usual energy, took it from his hands.
"I'll make it grow right now!"
Carlos looked at the imposing giant araucaria behind her and intervened quickly.
"Not here! I plan to make a specific field for these trees."
Luckily, we already have everything we need to make rubber. We just need to heat the latex with sulfur and it will be ready. This will be another fantastic source of income for Mocambo!
He took Tassi to a field prepared especially for the new crop. As they were smaller trees, she managed to plant several saplings at once. Carlos, eager, wasted no time. He collected the white, milky latex dripping from experimental cuts and ran to the laboratory. The process was simple: heat and sulfur. In no time, he held in his hands the first pieces of vulcanized rubber, flexible and durable.
Immediately, he ordered Tassi to supervise the construction of a new factory in the industrial district and asked Aqua to recruit more workers.
With a few strands of rubber in hand, his next destination was the textile factory. The place was organized pandemonium: the deafening noise of machines, the smell of wood and fabric, the frantic coming and going of dozens of female workers.
"Little Chief! What brings you here?" shouted Gabriel, to make himself heard over the noise.
"I bring good news!" replied Carlos, holding up a spool of rubber belt.
"What? Is it another new machine to help us?" asked the young man, his eyes shining with expectation.
Carlos didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pointed to one of the sewing machines.
"Actually, I brought a better substitute. The leather belts we use break easily," he explained, showing the elastic, resistant material in his hand. "With these rubber ones, that problem ends. And if you need more, just get them from the new rubber factory."
Gabriel's initial enthusiasm waned a little but quickly gave way to practical understanding. He knew well the hassle of stopping production to replace a broken belt.
"Thank you very much, Little Chief. It will make our work much easier."
Satisfied, Carlos headed to where Nia was working. He found her finalizing the schematics for the magical Bessemer converter, surrounded by sketches and notes.
"Nia, I bring good news!" he announced, displaying a piece of rubber.
She looked up, curious.
"This material will help you seal the machines you build! It seals better than anything we have."
Nia's face twisted into an expression of genuine frustration.
"Really?! And why didn't you show me this before? Do you know how hard it was to seal the steam engine so it wouldn't leak?" her voice was a mix of annoyance and disbelief. "I like a good challenge, but I don't like wasting time on problems that already have a solution!"
Carlos took a step back, surprised by the intensity of the reaction. He had underestimated how much it bothered her.
"Calm down, Nia! I didn't show you because I didn't have the material before! The rubber trees arrived today. Starting tomorrow, we'll have rubber to spare for all the factories."
The explanation calmed things down. The stiffness in Nia's body relaxed, and a smile returned to her face.
"That's good... I hope this really helps. It will save a lot of headaches."
She took the piece of rubber from Carlos's hand. Her rough, skilled hands examined the material, testing its flexibility. Immediately, she held it over a small flame to heat it and try to mold it. Carlos stayed by her side, assisting, discussing shapes and applications, in a synergy that promised to revolutionize Mocambo once again.
In the following days, a flood of new rubber products began to emerge from the new rubber factory:
- Gloves for the new hospital and for heavy work;
- Waterproof boots;
- Durable raincoats;
- Solid tires for carts;
- Drive belts for all workshops;
- Baby bottles and pacifiers;
Carlos knew that, in the end, none of these items would sell like clothes, which were a basic necessity. But the utility of rubber, especially for the industries and for Mocambo's infrastructure, was unquestionable. It was one of the silent pillars upon which a new world was being built.