After both Manav and Kara had settled in the car, the old man started the engine and took to the road.
During the journey, none of them spoke, as if they had a tacit understanding.
After half an hour, they arrived at a large military mansion.
Manav was taken aback by the sight of the mansion and the military personnel guarding it.
He knew that there was no turning back now.
So, he just sighed. Kara, noticing Manav's consecutive sighs during the journey, was left confused.
Once the car stopped in front of the mansion, the old man tossed the car keys to a servant and signaled Manav to follow him.
After walking into the manor, the old man instructed Manav to sit on the sofa.
Manav and Kara sat on the sofa, waiting for the old man to return.
The other soldiers and servants didn't make a fuss about a beggar being invited into the manor.
It seemed like they knew what kind of man the old man was.
After a few dozen minutes, the old man returned, now dressed in casual clothes.
Two servants followed him, pushing a cart with an engine on it.
Once the old man had settled on the sofa, the servants parked the engine near the coffee table and then retreated.
"Okay, let's introduce ourselves. My name is Bentley Leland," the old man introduced himself.
"Manav, Manav Singh Rathore," Manav introduced himself.
"And she is Kara Rathore," Manav added, mentioning Kara's name.
"Hmm, what strange names," the old man remarked.
"Well, let's put the names aside. Boy, if you can pass the test, then you can work for me," the old man said seriously.
"Okay, tell me, what is the test?" Manav asked, straightening his back.
"Dismantle this car engine and then reassemble it," the old man instructed.
Manav scanned the engine, taken aback by the intricate components it housed.
The complexity of this engine was unlike any he had ever encountered.
He was astounded that such advanced diesel engine technology could exist in a world where technological advancements seemed scarce.
Once the scanning was completed, Manav turned his attention to the elderly man, who was engrossed in reading some military files.
As Manav's eyes skimmed over the paper, a key phrase caught his attention - 'diesel undead', accompanied by mentions of a lost kingdom or forbidden land.
He managed to maintain a neutral expression despite the intriguing information.
"Alright, I'll fetch my tools," Manav announced.
The old man, without lifting his gaze from the files, raised a hand to signal his servants.
They promptly brought in a large toolbox.
Manav's confidence in handling these complex mechanical tasks stemmed from a gift package given by the Punk Goddess, which included a mechanical engineer skill pack.
This skill pack could be upgraded by performing tasks typically done by a mechanic or an engineer.
Manav got to work, starting with the dismantling of the engine.
He first removed the sturdy outer shells, enlisting the help of the old man's servants to lift the heavy parts.
The dismantling process was methodical, with each part being carefully placed on the marble floor.
The entire process took three hours, leaving Manav drenched in sweat from the strenuous task.
"Okay, Mr. Bentley, the engine is dismantled," Manav announced, wiping his grease-stained hands with a blackened cloth.
"Very well. Now, assemble it back. You have 15 minutes to rest," Bentley responded, clapping his hands in approval.
The servants then brought in a steak and a few other luxury food items.
Manav eyed the steak and asked, "Sir, is this steak from a cow?"
Bentley paused at the question, his eyes meeting Manav's.
"Can you tell me why you ask?" he queried, a puzzled expression on his face.
"My family has certain rules, and we consider the cow a holy creature, worshiping it as the mother goddess," Manav explained.
Upon hearing this, Bentley signaled his servants, who promptly removed anything related to cow from the table.
"Thank you for understanding, Mr. Bentley," Manav expressed his gratitude.
"No need for thanks. Only by giving respect can one receive respect in return," Bentley replied, shaking his head.
Manav nodded and signaled Kara to start eating.
After their meal, Manav spent the remaining rest time studying the dismantled parts of the engine, contemplating the most efficient way to reassemble it.
He also copied a 3D and 2D blueprint into the blueprint extraction slots.
After four minutes, Manav began the task of reassembling the engine.
It took another three hours to restore the engine to its previous state.
Exhausted, he sat on the ground to catch his breath.
After resting for a couple of minutes, he turned his gaze towards the old man.
Bentley clapped a few times in appreciation.
"Very good, you have a talent for this. From now on, you will work for me and repair my cars and vehicles," he praised Manav.
"How much is the pay?" Manav inquired.
"I will give you 50,000 Diesero every month. Are you satisfied?" Bentley proposed.
The butler behind him stepped forward, whispering into Bentley's ear, "Sir, I think this is too much."
Bentley simply waved his hand dismissively.
Observing the exchange between Bentley and his butler, Manav responded,
"Okay, I'm in."
"Wise choice, young man. You know, if you hadn't accepted my offer… well, let's leave that behind. Go and check your room, where you will be living from now on," Bentley instructed, waving his hand dismissively as he walked towards the stairs.
The butler pointed them in the right direction, saying,
"Follow me."
Manav nodded and followed the butler with Kara to their new quarters at the end of the mansion.
The room was spacious, measuring 50 square meters, and furnished with two beds and standard furniture.
Manav was pleased with the room, finding it superior to many motels he had stayed in previously.
"Okay, Kara, choose your bed," Manav told Kara. She pointed towards the bed near the window, which Manav agreed to.
While Manav sat on the bed deep in thought, and Kara curiously explored the room, there was a knock on the door.
Manav stood up and opened the door to find two maids standing outside.
"These are your clothes. This set is casual, and this one is for when you are working," one of the maids explained, pointing to the small cart.
Manav thanked them and took the clothes.
After the maids left, he closed the door and placed the clothes on the table in the room.
"Hey Kara, here are the clothes. Check the sizes and take what you need," Manav told Kara, selecting a work uniform and a casual pair for himself.
He left the rest of the clothes for Kara, knowing that girls often have more demands when it comes to clothing.
Manav then sat on the bed, contemplating how to solve the problem of switching.
"Hey Kara, do you have any way to stop the switching?" he asked.
"Umm, I don't know. I will ask the others tonight," Kara replied, shaking her head.
Manav nodded, considering that if Kara switched tonight, he would have to escape from here with Kara or the girl who switched tonight.
"By the way, Kara, listen. If you can't stop switching, then try to switch with the one who can teleport with others, okay?" Manav advised Kara.
"Okay, I will tell all of them," Kara agreed, starting to fiddle with her clothes.
Manav received Kara's response and began to formulate an escape plan.
If the switching or teleportation plan failed, he had already copied a map while they were on their way to the room.
They would have to steal a car from this town and head for the capital.
Although the capital was far away and dangerous, the larger the population, the easier it would be to hide.
While he was sitting there, a maid knocked on the door.
Manav looked through the window and saw that night had fallen.
He opened the door and saw a maid with food.
He thanked the maid and took the food.
After eating dinner with Kara, they both sat at the table with the lights off, waiting for the switching time, which would happen in the middle of the night.
As they waited, Manav realized that time ran slowly in this world.
According to the clock in the room, one hour here was equivalent to two hours in his previous life, and there were 48 hours in a day.
Two days in his previous world equated to one day here.
He knew that this world was much larger than his previous one.
This world was unknown to him at first.
He thought that it was just a normal diesel world with machine wars.
But he discovered that in this world, there were zombies that invaded humans.
They weren't called zombies here, but 'diesel undead'.
According to Manav's estimation, these zombies were affected by some type of diesel variant, or perhaps they lived on diesel.
But this estimation was wrong.
If they lived on diesel, then why did they need humans?
Why didn't they leave the human bodies after killing them?
Why did they take the corpses with them?
These zombies were intelligent, powerful, and knew that living in a group would preserve their strength.
"Aah, my research and knowledge is just like an ant in front of this world. I have to create my own organization here, so I can gather all the information about this world," Manav lamented, anxious about the future. Kara simply patted his head in comfort.
"Hey, Kara, you know, I'm scared of this world. At first, I just thought that this world was a normal diesel world, but those zombies, and the reports that old man Bentley was reading, I feel like an ant in front of this world," Manav confessed his fears to Kara.
"Hey, you know, Manav, you have to send us back. Because of you, we are here," a different voice chimed in. Manav looked up, surprised by the face he saw.
"So, don't think about being scared silly or something."