Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Suryanagari

While earthshaking changes are taking place in the mainland of the empire, Suryanagari, a remote eastern frontier in Suvarna Dvīpa, was still so quiet and peaceful. It was as if nothing had changed for most of the year. But that was only on the surface; within the major city of the frontier, there was a new talk of the town.

A company called Singhania Moving Pictures had produced several moving picture machines that were installed in several entertainment places in the city, like the theatre, in the large bookstore, in the Circus House, and even in a large convenience store.

The people were so amazed by the moving picture machine that they travelled from long distances to witness the movie with their own eyes. Due to this, the queue for the moving picture machine was always a few hundred metres long, making the venue owners smile from ear to ear.

As for Rajeev Singhania, the person who made everything possible, he no longer personally runs the show for the kids and has employed a few poor college students to do it for him. Additionally, his partner Purushotam has also quit his job as a mechanic in a workshop and started working in the company full-time, basically handling the logistics.

As for him, despite making a lot of money that improved his household situation and made him feel respected once again, the drawings, he had to do himself. He didn't trust anyone else, not because he thought no one could draw better than him, but because even if they could, he didn't trust them enough to emulate his style exactly like the original.

So, despite the rising demand for the moving picture machine coming from all over the frontier and even from the next frontier, there was nothing he could do. Even after two months since he first cleared the debt he owed to the bank and employed his first employee, he could not expand sales.

This was because he had to keep drawing himself as he refused to employ artists, and with the picture machines being occupied every single day without rest, heck, people even came to watch the moving picture on weekdays when offices and schools were open, the frames wore out quickly and needed constant replacement. In the end, this left him stuck in a dead-end situation where he could neither expand nor implement the rest of the chapters in the animation.

Just when he was hesitating about what to do, knowing that the current situation was leading nowhere, he received a letter, surprisingly from a publisher. It was from the Heritage Media Trust.

"Oh, it's her!" The letter was unexpected. He remembered the only editor who had said that his work was excellent and that she was willing to publish the story. Even though it was eventually rejected, he had a good impression of the woman, so he did not reject her request to meet him and wrote back, mentioning when he would be free.

A few days later, he met her and exchanged some pleasantries, but he still did not know why the editor wanted to meet him, so he started with a small enquiry.

"I'm sorry that your company has gone bankrupt." He had not originally known that Heritage Media Trust had gone bankrupt, but after receiving the letter, he looked it up to see what was happening and was surprised to find that Miss Pallavi, the woman sitting opposite him, had filed for bankruptcy a few weeks ago and was currently auctioning off her assets.

Pallavi's eyes fluctuated a little; it was clear that she was still deeply affected by the bankruptcy, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded without diverting her gaze.

"Yes, it is unfortunate, but the competition in the market is too much." With capital from the empire pouring into the large media houses, life for a small media house like hers became even harder. It might have been manageable if she had some niche writings to stay afloat by catering to a specific audience, but unfortunately, her Chitra Kala was as generic as it gets.

Rajeev nodded in understanding. He could sympathise with the woman, but he did not say anything and simply waited for Pallavi to explain why she was there.

Seeing that Rajeev no longer spoke but simply stared at her, she winced slightly, but as if she had made a firm determination in her heart, she finally spoke.

"Mr. Rajeev, do you want to buy my publishing house?"

"Wha...!!" This came out of nowhere, causing Rajeev to slip his hand from his knee. "What are you saying, Miss Pallavi?"

"You heard that right, Mr. Rajeev. My company has already gone bankrupt, but its assets are still valuable. I realised that you require a lot of resources to make your company grow, but wouldn't it be best if you simply took over already mature assets to make yourself bigger much faster?"

"But, miss, you might be mistaken. I don't have that many resources. Even though my company has become a little prosperous in recent days, it is nothing compared to your company. Even if you declare bankruptcy, like you said, its assets are still worth a lot of money. I cannot afford this."

Pallavi shook her head. "I didn't ask you to take over all the assets, sir. I just ask you to take over assets that are needed by you."

"For example, my company has signed a group of talented artists. They are young and full of ambition. These kids will be an excellent workforce in the moving picture company. As far as I'm aware, it is still you who are doing all the drawings," She pointed at his hands, which were paint-stained without hesitation.

Rajeev looked at his hands and smiled bitterly, he had gotten them messy so many times that he no longer cared if they were clean or not, but still, he shook his head, " That may be true, miss, but I don't think I can have other people paint the frames, I'm not too sure they can emulate my drawing."

" Then you can teach them." Pallavi had a determination in her eyes that couldn't be shaken: " The artists I have are young, they are malleable, they can bend and stretch, you just have to take the lead and train them to paint exactly in your style."

" This is much better not only for you, as you can now have some free time, but also for your company, as it will open up the doors for more expansion."

These words brought Rajeev to complete silence. This was what he wanted, but he had been hesitating to take the first step. What if the kids no longer liked the drawings? What if the moving picture machine stopped being attractive? What if... The fear in the depths of his heart arose: what if those kids made fun of him for his bad drawing? He had always been self-critical about that part.

However, thinking about the recent days when he had worked nonstop and the look of disappointment on his daughter's face, his heart started to harden. 'Didn't I work so hard for my daughter? But now I'm spending less and less time with her. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?' He came to a realisation, and his mind instantly cleared.

'Big deal, the worst that could happen is bankruptcy. But with the patent in my hands and the assets I have already accumulated, even if I lose the company, we are set for life.' This thought brought him some confidence, and his eyes revealed a kind of clarity that had only appeared when he first figured out how to make the moving picture machine.

Pallavi didn't know Rajeev's thoughts, but she intuitively felt that the man's eyes had brightened a lot.

Rajeev nodded casually and asked, "So, what price will I have to pay for these artists, Miss?"

Pallavi finally smiled. "Instead of money, how about I become your partner, sir? How about we exchange my assets for a stake in the moving picture company?"

"Also, along with the artists I have signed, I still have a lot of publicity channels. They are not too valuable to other media houses looking to purchase my other assets, since for them it would just be overlapping assets, but they could be very helpful to you."

Rajeev's heart tightened. Although he wasn't opposed to having partners and sharing some of the benefits, he could not, no matter what, give up his total control; he still wanted to keep his decision-making rights.

At the same time, he felt that those assets could propel the company into a million-Varaha enterprise in just a few months. The prospect was very enticing. In the end, he decided he would have to discuss the matter with Purushottam and see if they could come up with a solution that would allow him to have both the cake and eat it.

After he said he wanted some time to think, Pallavi bade farewell and left.