Secondary Market

While the Harrison family departed with empty hands, the second family in the showroom took a completely different approach.

Thomas and Clara Bennett stood near the bare chassis display. They were in their mid-thirties, dressed in practical wool coats with ink-stained cuffs. Thomas owned a small commercial printing house in the eastern quarter, employing twelve craftsmen. Clara managed the business ledgers and oversaw client deliveries.

They were not looking at the shiny blue passenger car. They were inspecting a bare Model One rolling chassis, priced at 52,000 riels.

"We spend nearly 400 riels every single week hiring carts and draymen during peak printing runs," Clara said, tapping a thick leather-bound ledger against her palm. "That is over 20,000 riels a year paid to carriage drivers who show up late and drop crates of freshly bound books in the mud."

Ernest's professional interest sharpened immediately. "How many deliveries do you dispatch per day?"