Chapter 31 Calculator

15th, Shravana, 1965

On Monday morning every abled body resident of the tower is up and about going to work.

Ortson is also at his desk job at Alchemy Association.

John is crowding around Daisy and bantering with her.

Tia is touching up her makeup with the help of a small cosmetic mirror.

Rose came to work donning her blue kimono attire, with a folding fan in one hand.

Oswal is on time every time. And he is wearing black thick-rimmed glasses. It is as if he is trying to blend into background by wearing inconspicuous attire.

But it's impossible because although Oswal wears baggy suit it can't hid his trained posture, straight back which he gained after tireless training for climbing the tower. Even Ortson can observe it after only two months of training.

"Ortson. How was the weekend? Did you party?"

John notices Ortson entering the office.

"Ortson is not like you, who only knows how to loaf around ."

But Daisy ruthlessly cuts him.

"But my motto is not to work hard but smart my way around problems."

John denies Daisy's acquisition.

"Then why don't you show your smarts in counting numbers."

"Ah…hhhh, but how can one smartly count numbers. If there was a artifact where you only need to input numbers and viola, answers comes out how much life would be easy for us."

"There is already a mechanical device which can do that, and its called differential engine." 

"You mean the device where you put a card with holes inside it, and you have to crank it up by rotating gears and it is also heavy as hell."

"Yes that one."

This is now daily occurrence for two months in Ortson's life.

Every morning Maria (if you forget she is one of the two receptionist of Alchemy Association) will come with come with stacks of documents in need for accounting to the office.

Meanwhile Ortson was amazed to hear that they already have the differential engine one of the early calculating machine, verging on being first computer. 

'I need to research about technological advancement in this world, I was so blinded by supernatural side of the world that I forgot to pay attention to the technological advancement of the world.'

Ortson gives his colleague a morning greeting, before sitting at his desk.

At his desk there is a stack of documents filled with numbers waiting for it to get calculated.

Ortson is doing it for two months already and it is starting to take its toll on him.

'If I keep repeating this monotonous task I might have become stupid, but today I have a secret weapon, which will save me from my misery.'

Ortson takes out his grimoire of numerology and opens it.

And the magic happens.

A light yellow screen appears on top of the grimoire which looks exactly like a computerized window of a calculator of modern times.

Ortson started inputting number after number on the window and calculating totals of the number on the document.

And the work which usually takes him 8 hours a day was finished by him in 1 hour even after cross checking the documents 2 times.

"Oswal I finished today's work."

After Ortson's declaration there was a pin-drop silence in the office.

"Ort my bro, don't lie, do you also want to play truant." 

John started asking question.

"Yeah Ortson don't lie, I can't believe it, I am of same opinion as off John."

"Hey, what do you mean by that."

"No, I am serious I finished it all."

"Let me check!."