The shop owner drew a line on the floor and put Felix behind it.
“You asked whether the sheet works without you.”
“I did.”
“That includes your finger.”
Felix lowered the finger he had been pointing toward a tool.
The owner nodded and returned to the bench.
The Forge council’s permission for the controlled reproduction had arrived with an explicit scope. This licensed shop could use the specified pattern for today’s trial. The trial did not release it to every maker in the region, and its success would not settle tomorrow’s negotiation about wider manufacture.
The owner had read that, the payment terms, and the material requirements before accepting the job. He had no reason to impress Felix and an excellent reason to charge him for a day of skilled work.
