The Artificer's Knot

Randyll Tephius should've known he'd get in trouble. The mystical, energetic substance Vril has ushered in an industrial age monopolized by the elite Alchemists. Ran's University thesis on newly-discovered oil deposits threatens them enough to see the student Artificer expelled in disgrace. He survives on the streets until being rescued by an unlikely benefactor: aging mob boss Gouger Nebb, who wants out of the gang life. Ran seizes the chance to rebuild his career, using mob money to fund ...