A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 240 A Dog That Will Go Down in History

July is a dreadful month, even in Valuvana. The sluggish liquor market has rebounded, and although purchasing power has decreased, retailers have quickly come up with solutions to dilute their drinks, earning half the money they used to make at a third of the cost.

"So fast?" Snow, who was acting as the head of the technical research and development team, placed the "Wired Telegraph" acceptance report on Master Cano's desk, which surprised the archmage.

"It went so smoothly!"

Snow's overly smug expression made Cano start to wonder if he had given too much funding.

"Your speed exceeds my expectations. Well done, that's good."

"Most of the credit goes to your students."

"That's roughly equivalent to my contribution?" Cano smiled, picked up the report, nodded, and casually said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Then came the Grand Master's busy time. In social settings, he began to intentionally or unintentionally talk to the guests about the thread that could connect thousands of miles apart.

"No magic, but still amazing." Kano's salesmanship for novelties was also masterful; something that could make the kingdom's top mages exclaim in amazement finally caught the attention of investors and even His Majesty the King.

A telegraph line was erected from the palace to the western end of Valois. One end was chosen in the western suburbs because it was where Charles XVI’s favorite hunting grounds were located, and he would insist on going there even in the current hot weather.

"These boring nobles are always chasing after new things. No matter how great something is, it's only for their pleasure." Pascal secretly sent Rorschach his cynical remarks using the [Communication] spell.

They were attending the "Ceremony for the Completion of the First Telegraph Line on the Mainland" in the square in front of the palace. Anyone with a discerning eye could recognize the value of communication technology, especially the ability to communicate remotely without relying on a spellcaster. Moreover, its speed was incredibly fast, even exceeding that of a teleportation array (considering the time required for manual operation).

Rorschach, however, was able to accept reality: "Because resources are subject to the control of these big shots, if we want to promote this very sensitive technology, we need the approval of His Majesty the King and other lords, as well as the investment of wealthy merchants and the organization of companies to operate it."

To truly change the status quo, we must change the reasons that have created it.

At the scene, noblewomen dressed in their finest attire and people wearing wool wigs all surrounded Charles XVI as he left the palace.

Due to the haste, the line's terminus was temporarily set up in an open space, making it convenient for everyone to watch. The summer heat couldn't force the ladies to remove their expensive and elaborate dresses; at most, they might wave feather or silk fans.

Men, including His Majesty the King himself, rely on canopies to shield themselves from the sun, and wool wigs make their scalps feel stuffy and itchy.

To make matters worse, even in such a difficult occasion, there was a speech segment. The speech not only introduced how the invention of the telegraph could change the kingdom and the world, but also focused on why it could appear in the Holy Kingdom, and then turned to praise His Majesty for being so great and wise, and how superior the Holy Kingdom was in terms of technology.

"I heard the Grand Theater has installed machines to cool the indoor air?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." A minister introduced the wonders of the new machine to the king. The principle of air conditioning is simply to reverse the heat engine. An engineer was inspired by Rorschach's paper and created it. It was also the result of cooperation between the Alchemy Department and the Trading Company.

"If it's really effective, then it must be installed in the royal palace as well."

The representative from the Ministry of Alchemy nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "Your Majesty, it will certainly be as you wish." Royal procurement is the most profitable business!

The power supply for the wiring and the air conditioning in the theater comes from a temporary coal-fired power plant. Strictly speaking, magic hasn't been completely abandoned yet—the units inside the plant still extract heat from the fire elemental plane to boil water. Only in this way can everyone know that it was built by the Alchemy Department of the Tower of Stars.

The operator, drenched in sweat and without any shade, fan, or magic to cool down, was making final adjustments.

He didn't need to be so nervous, because the experimental team had made many contingency plans to ensure that the demonstration would be completed flawlessly in front of the dignitaries.

There must be a mage "on guard" at regular intervals. He would constantly monitor the transmission of telegrams. If the signal was interrupted unexpectedly, the monitor would immediately use lightning magic to simulate the original signal and input it back into the line.

Furthermore, the first mage to listen will immediately translate the plaintext, report it to the guild, and then pass it on to the receiving mage, who will use the [Message] spell to inform the operator.

In short, it's very easy for a group of spellcasters to cheat; it just causes a delay.

"The time is almost here. Your Majesty and Your Excellencies, please be quiet!" The arrangements were to be made with the participation of His Majesty the King himself, as he needed to receive a very, very, very important message at exactly 10:00 AM.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, the clock hands were about to reach the designated position. Everyone held their breath, curious about what the extremely important news for the ruler of a country was and why it would come from the hunting grounds.

A military parade? Some warmongers have made the speculation.

The time came. Of course, sending a message also takes time. After waiting for a while in the quiet atmosphere of the square, the relay began to open and close.

The signal has reached its destination!

The operator quickly recorded the message, which consisted of varying lengths, and then began translating it.

One by one, the words were written on the paper, and then the chief guard picked it up. The king nodded solemnly, as if he had made a great decision: "Read it! I am listening, and I let everyone witness it!"

The head guard looked at the note in the sunlight, struggling to punctuate it since it only contained letters: "His Majesty's beloved dog, Cosette, has given birth smoothly!"

No one knew how to start the conversation, and for a moment the square was completely silent.

The King breathed a sigh of relief: "That's wonderful, thank the gods for their protection! Cosette wasn't feeling well yesterday; she's getting on in years, and I was so worried that I didn't dare go to the hunting grounds to see her in person today."

"It's not that I'm soft-hearted, my ministers. Anyone who has a beloved hunting dog, or who is upright and compassionate, will surely understand my feelings."

Someone started clapping and cheering, saying, "Your Majesty's benevolence is boundless! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty is benevolent!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

The applause grew enthusiastic. The wealthy and some high-ranking officials began to approach the monks, inquiring about the percentage of shares they could acquire if they established a telegraph company. Others, more astute, asked where electricity came from and whether it was possible to generate and sell electricity.

"Pah!" Pascal spat from the back of the crowd. "The kingdom is rotten to the core!"

Rorschach almost burst out laughing too, and it took him a lot of effort not to laugh out loud in this "serious occasion".

He shook his head: "History will remember this day, and it will also remember 'Lady Cosette,' who received His Majesty the King's boundless love and affection!"

If a writer were to write a book titled "The Stars of Humanity" and record that "the first officially sent telegram in human history was 'His Majesty's beloved dog Cosette gave birth successfully,' I wonder if I would be tempted to change the title."

Soon the royal carriage set off, and His Majesty the King was eager to see his beloved dog and children. A group of lesser nobles, eager for advancement and royal favor, followed closely behind, heading towards the royal hunting grounds. For these people, the hunt for fame and fortune had begun.

(End of this chapter)