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"This is too expensive, one word for 1 Gold Coin," in the lounge, an Elf paced back and forth, excitedly. It was the first time he realized how easily Gold Coins could be earned.
Just now, they had sent a letter to Brunas, and including punctuation, they had spent a total of 48 Gold Coins. Along with a 50 Gold Coin service fee for delivering the message and a 2 Gold Coin personnel fee, they had just spent a full 100 Gold Coins!
It really was a very neat number... The normal cost wouldn't be so expensive, except that their intended recipient was a bit special.
The telegram sent to Tang Mo was charged at the original price, but sending a telegram was clearly not an easy task. Finally, the post office charged 50 Gold Coins for it, a price meant to deter wealthy lunatics who had nothing better to do than to send a couple of telegrams to tease Tang Mo for fun.
"If this message could reach Tang Mo's hands 7 days earlier, then this money would be well worth it," Viscount Fitteral, leading the group with arms crossed, rubbed his palms together as he spoke.
He knew that the Poplar Kingdom could not afford any delays; being able to summon their warships back earlier justified the extra cost of 100 Gold Coins.
While they were pained over the 100 Gold Coins, he reluctantly continued with a question that came out of nowhere, "And have you all considered this?"
"Hm?" The ambassador heading southward, also representing the interests of the Augustin Clan, along with two Guards, all voiced their confusion.
The lead envoy continued, "He has technology... technology that can send words one wants to convey far, far away! It is this technology... that is truly terrifying!"
"Yes..." The envoy startled and then, as if a lightbulb went off, nodded in assent to the other's words. Compared to the Ironclad Warships that forced their march southward, the communication device they were witnessing here was truly the game-changer!
Compared to the super warships that allowed the Elves to dominate the seven seas, compared to modern firearms that let Elf Troops sweep across the world, the current telegraph machine was the truly enticing equipment!
In ancient kingdoms, the speed of information and intelligence transfer limited all monarchs' ability to effectively control their lands.
The larger a country's territory, the poorer the King's control over the borderlands; thus, ancient Empires' maps were constrained.
The limitations in message transmission speed meant that the ruling class received very outdated intelligence and thus could not effortlessly issue their orders and mobilize forces away from the core areas.
However, this difficulty, Tang Mo had unknowingly resolved! Tang Mo's railways made the connection between regions and King City much tighter; Tang Mo's steamboats made maritime traffic more convenient; Tang Mo's telegraphy enabled faster and more efficient order transmission.
With these innovations, a nation's control over its territory became unprecedentedly strong, and the birth of an Empire was now a possibility.
This was more important than guns and artillery! Because if the guns are strong, a ruler's control over local military is actually weakened.
Only with improved communication and convenient transportation can a ruler more strongly control the local regions and military, which in turn sharpens their ambition for expansion.
Describing the telegraph's invention as a communication atomic bomb is not an exaggeration, and a phone system that enables real-time communication is like detonating a hydrogen bomb in the field of communication technology.
With the later emergence of the internet and quantum communication technologies, they became the next-generation's superweapon, akin to an information world's dyson sphere...
But if one were to delve deeper, this debt was the opportunity for the rise of the Augustin Clan. So, essentially, the debt was the "early development funds" by which the Augustin Clan took advantage of Great Tang Group.
Therefore, Fitteral sighed dejectedly and said, "Now, in just a year's time, they might ask us for 200,000 Gold Coins, or even more..."
The debt incurred by Augustine in those days now had to be repaid by the entire Poplar Kingdom, which was an act of helplessness in itself.
There was no choice, given that when John of the Augustin Family brought back the plans for the breech-loading rifle and the steam engine, the whole Poplar Kingdom benefited from it.
Thus, the Deputy Envoy had no choice but to emphasize the contributions of Augustin, "Besides, we now have the money to pay back, don't we? As long as he agrees to withdraw his warships and sell us this...what do you call it, the telegraph machine..."
Special Envoy Fitteral looked worried, "It doesn't seem that easy, they appear to be running the telegraph machine themselves..."
"Yes, if we had such technology, we would certainly run it ourselves as well." The Deputy Envoy also felt the issue was quite troublesome.
Fitteral seemed somewhat capable as he quickly spotted a drawback, "But if we entrust them with all our information for transmission, then what secrets would we have left from them?"
The Deputy Envoy nodded, agreeing with the sentiment, "...You're right."
He too felt that such a crucial communication device for the nation should not be controlled by outsiders.
"So, we'll have to find a way to acquire this technology for ourselves, to operate it on our own..." Fitteral already had grand plans for this diplomatic endeavor.
The Deputy Envoy was brimming with confidence, looking resolute, "Absolutely."
Fitteral looked toward his deputy and asked, "So, how much do you think we should pay for this technology?"
"50,000 Gold Coins?" The deputy was startled before cautiously responding with a question.
Fitteral was taken aback, then scoffed and asked in return, "...50,000? They might not even agree to set up a single telegraph office in Southwater Port for 50,000 Gold Coins."
"How much, then?" The Deputy Envoy's understanding of the value of Gold Coins seemed to be recalibrated today. Relay a message for 100 Gold Coins, but not even 50,000 Gold Coins could hold back the purchase of equipment...
"It seems we have to shell out several hundred thousand..." Fitteral said with a sense of frustration.
Hearing such a large figure, the Deputy Envoy was so shocked that he started stammering, "Are, are you kidding? That much?"
"A lot? If they agree to that price, the two of us should just quietly celebrate! Tang Mo, that name, will echo throughout the world..." Fitteral shook his head and sighed.
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I still owe everyone three more updates, which I will post later, around 12 o'clock.
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