Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Idea

Jake instinctively swallowed.

For a brief moment, the room fell completely silent.

To be honest, his idea wasn’t anything grand.

He had already discussed it with Grace while they were together the previous night, going back and forth over whether it was even worth bringing up.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized something.

This world was far more advanced than he had initially assumed.

Large ships capable of crossing vast oceans were common, and many everyday conveniences already existed... just in different forms.

For example, birth control already existed through alchemy pills or even certain skills.

Their weapons and technology were also surprisingly advanced.

Not to mention... Jake was just an ordinary college student.

He wasn’t an engineer, a scientist, or some genius inventor capable of recreating complicated machines from memory.

He knew his own limits well so he had spent the entire previous night thinking.

Thinking about what this world lacked.

Thinking about what someone ordinary like him could realistically contribute.

In the end... he arrived at a single answer.

Then, Jake looked directly at Vivian.

"My proposal isn’t a weapon, and it isn’t some revolutionary machine either."

He paused briefly and continue.

"...It’s entertainment."

Barbara blinked.

"Entertainment?"

Jake nodded.

"Or, to be more precise... a toy."

The room fell silent once more.

Barbara and Garrick exchanged puzzled glances.

Even Vivian’s composed expression showed the slightest hint of surprise.

"A toy, you say?" she repeated.

Jake smiled faintly.

"Yes..."

Vivian rested her elbows lightly on the desk.

Her purple eyes remained fixed on Jake.

"A toy... I’ll admit, that wasn’t the answer I was expecting."

She paused for a moment before asking,

"So, what exactly is this toy?"

Jake smiled apologetically.

"It’s... a little difficult to explain with words alone."

He glanced around the room.

"Would it be possible to borrow a pen and some paper?"

Vivian gave a small nod.

Without saying a word, she reached into one of the desk drawers and took out several sheets of paper along with a fountain pen.

She slid them across the desk toward Jake.

"Go ahead."

Jake accepted them with a respectful nod.

"Thank you."

He placed the paper on the desk and thought for a moment.

Then, with steady strokes, he began sketching.

Barbara and Garrick instinctively stepped closer.

Even Grace leaned in curiously.

Jake first drew a simple cube.

Then, he divided each visible face into a three-by-three grid.

Finally, he shaded each face with a different color and added small arrows indicating that each layer could rotate independently.

After finishing the rough sketch, he pushed the paper toward Vivian.

"This... is my idea."

Vivian lowered her gaze to the drawing.

She noticed its strange shape and tilted her head slightly.

"A cube shape?"

Jake nodded.

"At first glance, yes. But it’s more than just a cube."

He pointed at one side of the sketch.

"Each face is made up of smaller blocks. They aren’t fixed together, instead, every layer can rotate independently."

Jake demonstrated with his hands, pretending to twist an invisible cube as he smile,

"When you rotate one layer... the colors become scrambled. And the goal is to restore every face so that each side has only one color again."

The room fell silent.

Barbara frowned as she stared at the drawing.

"...That’s it?"

Jake chuckled.

"I know it sounds simple. In fact, it’s so simple that most people would probably think it’s just a children’s toy."

He looked toward Vivian.

"But the more you play with it... the harder it becomes to put it back together."

Jake tapped the drawing gently.

"Plus, it’s easy to understand. Not to mention, it can be made from wood, metal, or other materials."

"It also has no age restriction. So children can treat it as a toy, while adults can treat it as a puzzle."

"And because there are countless possible arrangements..."

He smiled confidently.

"People will keep picking it up again and again, trying to solve it."

Vivian didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she quietly studied the drawing before her.

At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about it.

Yet...

Her experienced eyes didn’t stop at what it was.

They looked at what it could become.

She picked up the sketch and examined the arrows Jake had drawn.

"So... every layer rotates independently?"

Jake nodded.

"Yes."

Vivian gently tapped the paper with a finger.

"If that’s true... then every turn changes the entire arrangement."

Jake smiled and couldn’t help but be amazed that she could visualized it already.

"Exactly."

Barbara looked at the drawing, then at Vivian.

To her, it was simply a strange cube-shaped toy.

She couldn’t understand why Madam Vivian had suddenly become so quiet.

And Garrick was no different, as a powerful warrior, he was more interested in ships and weapons than children’s toys.

But Vivian...

She was a merchant.

Her mind had already begun calculating.

’...A simple design.’

’...No expensive materials required.’

’According to his explanation, even ordinary wood would be enough to create a version for commoners.’

’But metal, jade, or even spirit crystal versions... those could be marketed toward nobles.’

Her thoughts continued.

’Children would buy it.’

’Adults might buy it out of curiosity.’

’Merchants could purchase them as gifts...’

’... and more importantly, nobles might even commission luxurious versions as decorations.’

However...

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

’All of that depends on one thing... Is it truly as entertaining as he claims?’

She looked at Jake again.

"You said... the objective is to restore the colors after scrambling them."

"Correct."

"And there is only one correct solution?"

Jake shook his head.

"There are many ways to solve it."

Vivian’s eyes narrowed.

"So every customer will naturally spend a considerable amount of time trying to figure it out."

Jake nodded.

"That’s the idea."

Vivian lowered her gaze once more.

Her fingers lightly traced the outline of the cube.

Then another thought crossed her mind.

’If it is truly difficult... people will naturally show it to their friends.’

’Those friends will want to try it themselves and once they fail...’

Then a faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

"They’ll buy one of their own..."

She murmured almost inaudibly.

Meanwhile, Jake smiled confidently.

After all...

Back on Earth, this simple concept had become one of the most popular puzzle toys ever created.

Its appearance was deceptively ordinary.

A small cube with six colors and nothing more.

Yet millions of people, from children to adults, had spent countless hours twisting and turning it.

Some treated it as a casual pastime.

Others challenged themselves to solve it faster and faster.

There were even competitions dedicated entirely to solving it in the shortest possible time.

Of course, Jake didn’t mention any of that.

...He wasn’t exactly an expert at solving it quickly himself.