A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 376 Making Money Without Avoiding Relatives

After Rorschach demonstrated his expertise in wired communications, the staff reported this to the supervisor, who then quickly sent a letter to the chairman of the Munich branch.

"Do you have time? The chairman would like to speak with you."

"Are we going to Munich again?"

"No, he's coming himself. Immediately."

The Magic Guild had been observing Rorschach. A mage like him, actively involved in the commerce of ordinary people and promoting industry, was an anomaly, especially in the Kingdom of Bain. If he were still in the Holy Kingdom, such actions wouldn't seem so abrupt.

The Arcane Tower and other magic towers within the empire suddenly realized that things were different now. In the past, they were high above, looking down from above. Now, their superiority was built on a vast system, intertwined with the empire's authorities and business circles, where a change in one part could affect the whole.

If there is no war, this trend will continue; but when war breaks out, both sides will have to examine their relationship.

Therefore, the magic guilds within Byrne are assessing Rorschach's actions, and the investment in the Arcane Tower is more like a trial balloon, to see if they should follow his lead.

In addition to the threat of the "anti-magic device," and most importantly, the fact that the Thirteen Towers and guilds could no longer monopolize the relevant knowledge, the Empire was able to use mages to intimidate mages.

Secular authorities court magical powers, while guilds seek technologies that do not rely on magic; it is a two-way struggle in this game.

The communication array was cleared, and all mail transmission was suspended. After the operator poured in the maximum amount of crystals and magic, the brightness of the array circuit reached its maximum—at this point, it stopped transmitting files and instead sent them to the branch chairman in Bain.

The light faded along the teleportation array's path, leaving charred and cracked marks at some inflection points and intersections. It seems that limiting teleportation is necessary for the maintenance of the communication system; if large items and personnel are frequently teleported, the array will often operate at full capacity, resulting in astonishing wear and tear.

There are certainly permanent teleportation arrays, but they cost extra. If all are built to the highest standards, the cost of the guild's communication network will skyrocket.

The chairman here wasn't as flamboyant as the one in Valuwana; he was a pot-bellied, bearded old man with a bulbous nose. If he weren't wearing a mage's robe, he'd look more like a rancher ordering two pitchers of beer after work: "Mage Rorschach, how much do you know about Valuwana's new communication technology?"

"Didn't you have your subordinates verify the information before you rushed over?"

"This shows our guild's respect for you and the importance we attach to this matter. It concerns the safety of the guild and the interests of all the monks." The chairman had a simple appearance, but his tone was quite sophisticated.

Since it involves all mages, why not have the Valuwana guild share all their technology? After the chairman arrived, Rorschach saw the blueprints and thin manual sent from the Valuwana branch. It contained blueprints for transceivers, and even blueprints for a switch designed by Master Poincaré.

It was certainly a show of sincerity. But would that be enough to get Byrne's guild to set up telegraph lines? Of course not. Rorschach knew that the training of personnel and the various difficulties encountered during the setup process couldn't be explained in a pamphlet. Even the technical manual, like a publicly available patent document, was vague in crucial places.

Moreover, even the guild staff couldn't understand them! For example, the symbols related to electricity were all created by the Alchemy Department, and Rorschach was fortunate enough to participate in the process. However, these symbols were only explained in a line or two of small print in the booklet, followed by long strings of formulas, which left the guild members, who were not proficient in mathematics or evocation spells, completely bewildered.

After Rorschach explained the basic principles and their meaning to them, the branch chairman's small eyes brightened even more. Although he still didn't understand, he believed that this "Outstanding Young Man of the Empire" and "Scholar of the Duma River" who had studied at the Tower of Stars had real knowledge.

Seeing that none of the management staff were taking notes and that he was just lecturing, Luo Xia decided not to waste his breath any longer. He changed the subject: "Chairman, do you know what the real difficulties are in building this system?"

The chairman quickly replied, "Please go ahead."

"It requires laying actual cables! Cables need space to be erected, and they need maintenance and management—all the cables are metal, what do you think will happen if no one is watching over them?"

These days, there's no such thing as "precious metals" or other metals; they're all valuable to farmers and ordinary people! If no one constantly maintains and deters them, there will definitely be people who will take advantage of the automatic pickup mechanism.

The chairman initially thought that no one would dare to touch the monk's things, but then he imagined that if the line was just set up like that in the middle of nowhere, it was hard to guarantee that no one would be tempted, and they could even use an oxcart to commit crimes.

Valuwa's experience was to lay cables and deploy manpower to patrol the city, while outside the city, they would try to install pipes and bury cables. Each guild point would send mages to use the [Sculpting Earth] spell to dig pits and install earthenware pipes, and then release the [Activation Rope] to the cable, making it run through the pipes and spread underground on its own.

If Rorschach hadn't brought up the above problems and solutions, Byrne's guild would have spent an unknown amount of time and resources trying and figuring things out.

"Furthermore, the telegraph system requires a power source. If it is only for temporary emergency use, there are many simple methods, such as hand-cranked generators or energy storage devices called batteries."

"But this project will definitely be extremely costly, so it would be best to operate it daily and open it to the public to spread the costs. Therefore, we would need a power plant that does not rely on magic to operate."

The audience nodded in agreement, and the chairman was already starting to feel overwhelmed, but Rorschach wasn't finished yet: "All of these facilities need to be deployed across the kingdom's land, including laying cables. We must coordinate with local lords and landowners, as well as obtain permission and support from the royal family and the city hall."

The chairman took out a checkered handkerchief and wiped his forehead and red nose: "Now that you mention it, this is truly a huge project, no simpler than the guild's communication network." The teleportation array was built point-to-point, and it was constructed a long time ago, so there will be new problems to solve now that the wired telegraph network is being laid.

"Regarding the last question, I think the guild should find a middleman to coordinate, and even the telegraph system itself should be nominally operated as an independent trading company, and more influential people should be involved."

"In this way, the telegraph becomes a public good for Byrne, benefiting both the users and the shareholders. Who would want to harm their own interests?"

"As for the middleman I mentioned, I recommend the 'Bardorom Chamber of Commerce' to you."

Rorschach's recommendation was not based on personal motives or friendship. Right now, the most prestigious business in Bain was probably the Bart family's business, since they were related to the royal family by marriage! As a logistics company, the guild had enough connections and bases in various places, so with it taking the lead, the local bigwigs would all give it face.

As for the raw materials for setting up telegraph lines, the machinery needed, and how to construct the thermal power plant...

Isn't that a coincidence? All of Rorschach's businesses happen to meet these needs.

(End of this chapter)