Key Item - Puzzle box. In it a letter. The reciever is to take the letter and replace it with a signet ring and letter in return. MC is to deliver.
Chapter 12
“You are to go to Ljubljana M. Le Comte, where there is a package I need you to collect for me. Whilst you are there, there is a person you can meet, a journalist who reported on the Yanin affair. He may have some information or answers for you, or I at least reckon he knows people who do. You will find him at the main drinking house in the shadow of the castle there. I think it is a prison now, but I'm not certain.” A chill ran down Monte Cristo's spine at the thought of another structure such as a castle, converted for an alternate use as a prison. 'Why had he mentioned it?'
“Anyway, he is expecting you, I wrote to him only the other day to among other items of business, inform him of your interest in the Yanin incident he reported on and that you would like to pay him a visit. His reply arrived this morning. Here is your letter of introduction from me, for you to give to him.” Alessandro's out stretched hand held the wax sealed, folded letter before Monte Cristo, but snatching it out of grasp of Monte Cristo “Remember M. le Comte, the information you are seeking is coveted and will be watched out for. People showing interest, such as yourself will raise suspicion by those connected to this incident, in high places. If you are asked, you are on business for me, on a contract for your client of Thomson and French, collecting my package.” Alessandro's eyes were fixed on the count, deep set and crystal blue, pervaying the seriousness of what he was saying. The sharp eyes searching for any falter in the Count's demeanour or signs of displeasure or discomfort. Alessandro finally handing the Count the document.
Monte Cristo smiled and nodded gracefully, with a slight lilt of the head in his motion of taking the document. “My many thanks Alessandro for your enquires and research you have done for me. I owe you a lot already for the procurement and construction of the Vessel Pharon and it's contents at such short notice, but including this request of this, how may I remunerate you?”
“No payment is needed M. Le Comte, your help in solving my financial difficulties was more than I can ever repay you. All I do ask you, now as my business partner, is the collection and conveyance of this package back to me as safely as possible.”
Alessandro retired to behind his desk and was seated where he proceeded to organise some papers, Monte Cristo joined him and took the seat opposite him. Locating his spectacles, which he placed on his nose and wrapped the flexible stem wires about each ear he proceeded to further business between Monte Cristo and himself.
An hour or so passed of further discussion as the two talked over their investments. The expected purchases of late and their aims of the future. Monte Cristo scrutinised the book keeping from the warehouses and the comparison of profit versus overheads with an astute eye for the details. Questioning Alessandro on a number of items that appeared to not correlate or seem exacerbated in their pricing. “After the increase in Taxes at or ports of embarkation of the product my dear Comte, we have had to raise the price on that specific good in order to break even.”
“Have you not considered watering down the stock with an equivalent at a cheaper price?”
“And where would I find such a thing Comte?”
“Why have such product in my warehouses in Rome. I am certain of it, which I could sell you at half the price of this. If we don't bring this price down we will be priced out of the market.”
“Is that so? Well I have another proposal for you. We purchase all the cheaper product and hold onto it before releasing the goods slowly to keep the price inflated.” The Count shook his head at the though of it and frowned.
“expenditure would be too high. I know for a fact three other traders also supply such goods, and even if we bough them all off of them they'd simply ship in more. We would be the ultimate losers. The best way is if we under cut them, and force them to sell their stock at a loss, and we repeatedly do so, they will have no option to seek a loan from this company or my lenders in Thomson and French to remain a float, and if that is the case we will start to see a percentage of their revenue ending up in our pockets. But make sure you return the product to a reasonable price as soon as they take out the loan, or you procure their stock or a precentage of their company in exchange for credit.”
“You are a shrewd man M. Le Comte. I would pay dearly to know where you learnt such skills and knowledge with markets and trade and you're ability to manipulate them.”
“I mearly had a great teacher, who was knowledgeable in many things. I still mourn his passing.”
“I am sorry to hear as such. I would have greatly sought the chance to meet him and learn such things as you regularly demonstrate to me..” returning to sorting through the days enquires and attentions need for discussion between them, Alessandro came across a letter he had forgotten about and had seen this morning had arrived with the post. “Oh, and yes, M. Le Comte, before I forget again, a letter arrived for you from Rome. Alessandro handed it to him. It came with an item which is over there on the bureau. Yes, there. Next to those three boxes. And whilst you're there; can you select one of those boxes for me and bring it over. Thanking you.”
(insert description of boxes in line with that of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice text)
“I seemed quite partial to selecting this one” spoke the Count as he returned to the desk with it and the item it had arrived with balanced on top of it.
“May I ask what the item is that was sent to you?”
“You may. It is a sample of concrete, which I requested some time ago and has been difficult to procure.” Monte Cristo handed him a magnifying lens “It's structure is such that it provides unheard of strength but with the lightness of a feather in comparison of weight to normal concrete, so thus costs a lot less to transport and a lot less in stressing of a structure. The trick, if you look closely is in it's structure. Can you see the honey come like spacing effects and thus air pockets it creates, but also the many interlocking supports and such that gives it the strength I seek.”
“Yes, I can, how extraordinary. And I am amazed at how light it is. I thought is was going to way a lot more than it does when you originally placed it in my hand. Where did you find such a material?”
“In plain sight in Rome. I found the same material in the Pantheon dome and, from what I have been told. The same material or something almost identical resides in the Haiga Sophia, which I intend to see for my self. But it is a very expensive product and I have found it does not transport so well in a 'wet' state. There for I am trying to procure the elements from which it is made to allow me to transport them unmixed and thus mix them on site.” What Monte Cristo didn't mention was that the weight was critical if he was to get his yacht into the grotto at the Isle of Monte Cristo, out of site with such materials to build his hide away on the Island. It would be impossible if it were as heavy as he had found concrete in it's known form to be. He had found such an answer in Luigi Vampa, his acquaintance and renowned bandit of Rome, who had read some select materials on the construction of the Pantheon by Emperor Hadrian in AD 117-38, handed to him by Monte Cristo. The material catching Luigi's eye due to his questioning of what such a rich man did with his funds. Thus revealing the method by which the great dome had been created by his engineers. It had only been through a conversation with the Count, as Vampa was accustomed to do upon Monte Cristo's visits to Rome, that such a discovery had come about and the Count was made aware of. Vampa thus had arranged for Rocca Priori to escort and gain access to and thus show Monte Cristo the dome of the pantheon. No easy feat, but it was done with great style and fineness that was the trade mark of any of Luigi's efforts. The results of these efforts was the recovery of a sample of the material the dome was constructed of and locating its raw elements whereabouts.
But returning to the object before him, “I have chosen this one of the three boxes.”
“A good choice,” chimed Alessandro. “It is made of black ebony, procured from the depths of Africa, as dark as the darkest knight, not just in colour but deception of the fighting man also. Slightly larger than the other two, and will sink if dropped in water, an excellent trait if an object needs to disappear quickly or be hidden in haste and you are near a body of water. It came from my agent in Damascus last year. Open it if you would, please.”
The Comte opened the box with great difficulty, before it jammed, only letting a slither of light cut into the box.
“Hahaah! I see you have fond the other secret to that little box. Ingenious isn’t it?!”
The count glanced up from the box, and gave Alessandro a long stare, “Yes, but I don’t …. Hmmm… is there a mechanism or…”
“No my dear count, it is all down to how you open it. Let me demonstrate.” Alessandro stood before the box and shut it again with a loud snapping noise. He then rotated the box a 180 degrees so that the lock faced away from him, and where the hinges ‘appeared’ to be sat facing him.
“Now observe closely…” and with that comment, he slid the top decorative panel towards him half an inch, slid the whole lid an inch in the opposite direction and depressed the lid down before it popped open & open it did, at a very peculiar angle; diagonal to that of a normal ox with a lid. It opened up into two separate triangular halves. A proud look smeared across Alessandro’s face at his purchase.
“How did you…?”
“Find out? I didn’t, I had to be shown. Only four people know how to open this box and you are now one of them. And as holder of that position I give you this key.” Alessandro handed it over to Monte Cristo. The count turned it over in his hand, quizzically looking it over. “But this is no key, it is a ring!”
“Precisely my dear Count. This box was built for deception, so why keep how you unlock and lock it in the conventional sense. The ring opens the lock, let me show you with mine…”
Alessandro reached into the box with his hand and depressed the ring he was wearing to a metal embossing at the bottom before closing the box.
“You must do that Monte Cristo to reset the mechanism and its associated magnets as it were.”
“Magnets? What the devil?”
“A clever technology from those devils the Chinese, it is very ingenious, by giving the embossing a quarter turn it parts two pieces of magnetised metal, these in turn slam together when the lid is closed and the latch mates with them like so.” A sharp snapping noise was heard like an empty firing of a pistols cocking hammer slapping forward onto the pan.
“…and to unlock you must do the same on the out side with the embossed emblem. Placing the ring to it.” Placing his knuckle to it and rotating, the triangular lid sprung open off of the catch.
“The whole design is meant to be counter intuitive, clever, don’t you think.”
“Very, I like the thought behind it. But one thing that comes to mind… who are the four you mentioned? As I understand it, yourself, myself, your agent who bought it..”
“Yes, who is now deceased.”
“oh, sorry to hear that… and, who else”
“It’s no concern Monte Cristo. On that front we have nothing to worry about. But I thought you would like it, so I ask that you use it for this trip. You will be carrying some sensitive things upon your return and I can’t afford for them to be easily seen by prying eyes or readily available to anyone. You are going to attract some interest, be aware. Back to the box, There is four hidden compartments in the box, I’m certain you can figure them out, they aren’t to dissimilar to what you have seen before.”
“Thank you. But may I ask what it is I will be carrying that requires such measures?”
“You’ll see soon enough, but no one else can know and if the situation demands it, you must get rid of the box. Throw it in water or burry it. The wood will swell in water and seal it. The woods so dense it’ll sink like a stone and won’t rot for over a hundred years or until it can be recovered.”
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