With no way to escape, Keita rolled up his sleeves and got down to business. After the initial sketches and brainstorming, he got down to business.
First came the initial design and structure. While he had thought about often, this was the first time he was setting anything on paper. As he did, he made sure to design each component separately, as well as penning down the final assembly instruction.
Then came the actual work. When he listed down all that needed to be done, he realized the actual workload was a lot more than he had considered. From the forging of metal to the construction of new implements and somehow gelling everything together, all this constituted a lot of man hours.
Keita could get all this done, but he had learned his lesson. There were some things that needed experience, so he would get some people to help him out. As such, he decided to form a unit of smiths working under him. He playfully called them the Research and Development Unit.
As for the raw materials, he got his family to organize the movement and transportation. Sourcing for spedit was much easier for him, since he had more connections among the vasilis.
Matter of fact, it felt as though they were being paid to discard trash.
For the plastics, that was a whole new matter. Keita did not know exactly how to make plastic. However, he knew that the components of polyester were byproducts of processing petroleum, which gave him a starting point.
He would have to conduct much experimentation to finally end up with the finished product, but he knew the value of plastic, hence he was very motivated.
Tang! Tang! Tang!
From dawn till dusk, for days on end, Keita's forge was awash with activity. The members of his unit were impressed upon the importance of following the blueprint specifications, but they were also advised to add their own creative abilities into the mix.
Keita did not want a bunch of yes-men who would just do as he demanded. He wanted people who would engage their creativity. He would consider the overall picture, but he needed people who would consider the minute details.
After several trials and improvements, the smiths had managed to get the designs right. The structure of the bicycle was taking shape.
They needed the bicycle sturdy enough to handle the rough terrain, but also light enough to reduce the strain on the user. The bicycle also had to be well-balanced, enhancing its usability. There was also the part about flexibility, aerodynamic, and not forgetting, aesthetically pleasing.
All these factors had to be put into consideration. Keita tried to retain the original design from earth, despite the numerous suggestions from his team.
Meanwhile, in another workshop, Keita's people were busy finishing up with the tires. Using casts and melting the spedit, Keita molded the material to form a well-grooved tire for his bicycles.
He then used carbon and silica to harden the spedit further, while also maintaining the bouncy feature. This level of ingenuity surprised even the tutors who would periodically check on him. They never expected materials could be mixed in such a way.
Keita had tried different mixtures of the material, hoping to test them out and find the best ratios. Luckily, his clan could support him financially and in sourcing for specific materials. This was the joy of having a background.
Then came the construction of miscellaneous items such as brake pads, the chains, the gears, the wheel rims, the seat. Each of these needed special attention and specialized care during production. Keita had to do a lot of experimentation to get the ratio of materials right.
Just like that a month and several days passed. With the amount of meticulousness being shown, it was a surprise that such little time was spent in developing the bicycle.
As construction was underway, word got out that Keita was building some metallic construct for his brother to use in the competition. It was said that the construction was revolutionary.
According to various bards, the level of ingenuity shown by the boy often had various smiths and masters sighing in praise of the boy. Keita was once more on the limelight, and this time, there was no doubting his genius.
The event that had already been blown up to grand proportions blew up even further. Now, even those that were not interested in seeing a bunch of immature vasilis duking it out decided to attend, if only to see Keita's latest construction.
By now, Keita was already recognized as a forging genius by the denizens of the capital. Many were eager to see what new construct he would come up with. Even the doubters were eager to see, if at all to prove their point.
When he had made his mark, some had said that it had been a fluke, or dumb luck. This would be the true test of his fame. Did he deserve all the accolades he got or was he just another posh twat with little to offer.
However, there was another reason why Keita's involvement in the project such a big deal was. It all stemmed from the source of the conflict. Something Zukov had failed to mention, or rather, had skimmed over.
During the previous competition, Zukov's enmity with the Sun scepter sect had been ruminating for a while, as expected. The Rono clan members were there to offer their support, but how could they compare to a sect. Both in terms of numbers and abilities, the Ronos were hopelessly outdone. Only Zukov could single-handedly even the scores.
There was a limit to how much a person could accomplish in a team game, and this is where the Ronos were hard hit. With the addition of the magical elks, the losing situation turned from bad to worse.
While in this desperate hour of need, a helping hand had come in the way of Lady Chon, the daughter of the Duke of Sotit. With her influence, she had chosen to partner up with Zukov, giving the Rono clan a much-needed reinforcement.
To Zukov, the lady was just as he described her, a girl he liked. However, to the rest of the world, she was powerful figure who commanded a lot of influence. Moreover, she was a girl, and boys that age were immediately drawn to such a figure.
While the Sun scepter sect also found helpers and eventually won, the support offered by the duke's daughter did not go unnoticed. As a proper noble, Zukov did not neglect etiquette, even buying her a golden bracelet as a token of his appreciation.
"If only your brother had been here, you might have won!" While meeting with the duke's daughter, Matti had callously shouted from afar. He was a sore loser, but an even worse victor, and he liked to rub it in his opponent's faces.
Many knew of the story between the twin sons of the Rono clan, as they were called. Hence, Matti wanted to use this against Zukov. However, it went horribly wrong.
"Perhaps," The duke's daughter said softly, "I have heard of this brother of yours. Is he as brilliant and handsome as they say?" Matti's face contorted into all shades. It was clear, he was sweet on the girl, but she was obsessing over some normal buffoon. it seemed he would rather she like Zukov, maybe that was more palatable to him.
Seeing Lady Chon acting all coy, Zukov jumped right in, "If Keita was here, he would have made something up and crushed them all." This was not just simple bravado, Zukov really meant it in his heart. He believed that his brother could achieve anything.
"Maybe when you do find him, get him to agree to build something. I will come see what fancy thing he makes." The lady blurted it out. By now, Matti was turning green with envy, while Zukov was glowing with elation.
"I definitely will," Zukov answered. "Once he knows its you who wants it, he will immediately get down to it, I promise that."
"Go ahead. If he does agree, send me a challenge any day, my elk will be there to destroy you all!" Matti retorted.
So many people had been there to hear the conversation, and when the challenge was issued, the details of this conversation had leaked. Everyone was eager to see if Keita would meet the pretty girl's expectations.
Of course, Keita would come to hear of the full version much later from Abi, who was in tune with the latest gossip. She came to taunt Keita of liking the girl, only for Keita to expose the truth: The one that truly liked the girl was not Keita, but Zukov. Keita was just helping him out.
Now, in front of his siblings, it was Zukov's turn to be embarrassed. Fortunately, the teasing he got did not leave the family home.