July was an irritating time of year, even in Valuva. The long-sluggish liquor market picked up again. Although people’s purchasing power had declined, merchants quickly came up with a plan to water down their products, earning half their former profits at only a third of the cost.

"This fast?" Snow, the acting head of the technology R&D group, placed the acceptance report for the "wired telegraph" on Master Kano’s desk, startling the Great Mage.

"It just went that smoothly!"

Snow’s expression was so smug it made Kano start to wonder, ’Did I give them too much funding?’

"Your pace exceeded my expectations... Well, you’ve done a fine job."

"More than half the credit goes to your students."

"So that’s roughly equivalent to my credit, then?" Kano said with a smile, picking up the report. He nodded and added casually, "Thanks for all your hard work."

Now was when the Great Mage’s real work began. In social settings, he started to casually mention to the guests a wire that could connect places thousands of miles apart.

"It uses no Magic, yet it’s still wondrous." Kano’s skill at promoting novelties was also at a Master’s level. An invention that could make even the top Mages in the Kingdom call it a miracle finally caught the attention of investors and, eventually, His Majesty the King.

A telegraph line was erected, running directly from the Royal Palace to the westernmost edge of Valuva City. The reason for choosing the city’s western outskirts for one of the terminals was that it was home to Charles XVI’s beloved hunting grounds, which he insisted on visiting even in the current sweltering heat.

"These tedious royals and nobles always flock to novelties. To them, the only meaning of any great invention is for their own amusement," Pascal secretly conveyed his cynical thoughts to Rorschach using his Communication Skill.

They were in the plaza before the Royal Palace, attending the "Inauguration Ceremony for the Continent’s First Telegraph Line." Anyone with a shred of foresight could recognize the value of this communication technology, especially a long-distance method that didn’t rely on Casters. Moreover, its speed was incredible—it could even surpass a Teleportation Array, if you included the time for manual operation.

Rorschach, however, was more pragmatic. "Resources are controlled by these powerful figures. If we want to popularize such a sensitive technology, we need the approval of His Majesty the King and the other Lords, not to mention investments from wealthy merchants and companies to run it."

To truly change the status quo, one had to change the very things that created it.

Noblewomen were at the scene, dressed in their finest gowns, alongside men in woolen wigs. All of them crowded around Charles XVI as he walked out of the Royal Palace.

Due to the hasty preparations, the line’s terminal had been temporarily set up in an open-air clearing, making it convenient for everyone to watch. The summer heat wasn’t enough to persuade the ladies to shed any layers of their expensive and complex gowns; at most, it prompted them to wave small fans made of feathers or silk.

The men, His Majesty the King included, sought shade under canopies, their woolen wigs making their scalps stuffy and itchy.

As if the stifling occasion wasn’t unbearable enough, there was also a speech. The address not only described how the invention of the telegraph could change the Kingdom and the world but also focused on why it had appeared in the Holy Kingdom. This naturally transitioned into praising how great and wise His Majesty was, and how technologically superior the Holy Kingdom had become.

"Is it true the grand theater has installed a machine that can cool the interior?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." A minister began to explain the new machine’s wonders to the King. The principle behind the air conditioner was simply a reversed heat engine, created by an engineer who had been inspired by one of Rorschach’s papers. It was another collaborative success between the Alchemy Department and a merchant company.

"If it’s truly effective, we must have them installed in the Royal Palace."

The representative from the Alchemy Department heard this and nodded repeatedly. "It shall be as you wish, Your Majesty." ’A purchase from the Royal Family is the most profitable business there is!’

The power for the telegraph line and the theater’s air conditioning both came from a temporary thermal power plant. Strictly speaking, it hadn’t completely abandoned Magic yet—the plant’s machinery still drew heat from the Fire Elemental Plane to boil water. This was the only way to ensure everyone knew the project was undertaken by the Tower of Stars’ Alchemy Department.

With no one to shade him, no one to fan him, and no cooling Magic, the operator was drenched in sweat as he performed the final calibrations.

In truth, he didn’t need to be so nervous. To ensure the demonstration before the dignitaries went off without a hitch, the experimental team had prepared numerous contingency plans.

For example, a Mage was "stationed" at set intervals along the line. This Mage would continuously monitor the telegraph transmission. If the signal was unexpectedly interrupted, the monitor would immediately use a Thunder Spell to simulate the original signal and feed it back into the line.

For another, the very first monitoring Mage would immediately translate the message into plain text and report it to the Guild. It would then be passed to a Mage at the receiving end, who would use the Communication Skill to relay it to the operator.

In short, it was incredibly simple for a group of Casters to cheat. The only drawback was a slight time delay.

"The time is almost here! Your Majesty, my lords, please be silent!" The schedule had been arranged with the personal involvement of His Majesty the King. At ten o’clock in the morning, sharp, he was to receive a very, very, very important message.

TICK, TOCK. The hands of the clock were nearing the designated position. Everyone held their breath, filled with anticipation. They were all intensely curious what message could be so important to the ruler of a nation, and why it was being sent from the hunting grounds.

’A military review?’ some of the more hawkish individuals guessed.

The moment arrived. Of course, sending the message took time. After a short wait in the plaza’s quiet atmosphere, the relay began to click open and shut.

The signal had reached its destination!

The operator quickly recorded the message of long and short signals, then began to translate it.

The words were written on a piece of paper, one by one, and then the Guard Captain took it. The King nodded gravely, as if steeling himself for a momentous decision. "Read it! I am listening, and let everyone here bear witness!"

The Guard Captain squinted at the slip of paper in the bright sunlight. Since it was just a string of letters, it took him a moment to parse the sentence. "His Majesty’s... beloved dog... Cosette... has... delivered her puppies... safely!"

No one knew what to say. For a moment, the plaza was utterly silent.

The King let out a long sigh of relief. "Wonderful! Thanks be to the Divine Spirit’s protection! Cosette was in very poor condition yesterday. She is getting on in years, and We were so worried that We dared not go to the hunting grounds to see for Ourself today...

"It is not that We are soft-hearted, my lords. Anyone who has a beloved hound, or any person of integrity and compassion, would surely understand Our feelings..."

It’s unclear who started it, but someone began to applaud and cheer. "His Majesty is boundlessly benevolent! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"His Majesty is so benevolent!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

The applause grew thunderous. The wealthy and a few of the Dukes began to approach the Mages, asking how many shares they could get if a telegraph company were to be formed. Others with quicker minds asked where the electricity came from and if they could get into the business of generating and selling power.

"Hmph!" Pascal spat from the back of the crowd. "This Kingdom is completely rotten!"

Rorschach nearly burst out laughing as well. It took a great deal of effort not to laugh aloud at such a "solemn occasion."

He shook his head. "History will remember this day, and it will also remember ’Lady Cosette,’ she who received the boundless affection and concern of His Majesty the King!"

If a future author, while writing a book like *Decisive Moments in History*, were to record that "The first official telegram in human history read: ’His Majesty’s beloved dog Cosette has delivered her puppies safely,’" I wonder if they would feel the urge to change the book’s title.

Soon, the Royal Family’s carriage departed. His Majesty the King could not wait to see his beloved dog and her new pups. A crowd of minor Nobility, eager for advancement and royal favor, followed closely behind, making their way toward the royal hunting grounds. For these people, the hunt for fame and fortune had just begun.