Success, Lavish Rewards
Octavia and the others led the way, and Victor followed them into a room. As he entered the room, he smelled a pungent, acidic odor.
Victor turned his head and saw six earthenware jars neatly arranged on the far left of the room. The mouth of each jar was covered with lacquer, and the zinc rod and copper plate protruding from the center of the black lacquer were already covered with green mold.
The wires connecting the earthenware pots were copper wires coated with a layer of eucommia resin, which Victor had previously purchased from a merchant guild in Blackwater City, and which were perfect as insulators.
In April, the chamber of commerce delivered a large quantity of Eucommia ulmoides resin and saplings that he had ordered. Victor has already arranged for the saplings to be transplanted by the agricultural technology station of the Agricultural Department, while all the resin has been sent by Victor to the research institute for the production of underwater telegraph lines.
One of the most important tasks of this experiment was to obtain these telegraph lines, and the clay pots that Victor saw were also part of this experiment: a batch of simple storage batteries.
Because there was no dilute sulfuric acid available, these batteries could only use salt water as the electrolyte, resulting in a weaker current, but it was still sufficient.
Victor's gaze fell on an item on the wooden table in the middle of the room: a Wooden Box with a sloping base, about the size of a double-page ledger.
Five white porcelain pieces are inlaid on the sloping surface of the wooden box. Each piece has a small hole drilled in the top, through which a copper wire is threaded, and the wire ends are soldered to the base of five steel needles.
A brass pillar stands upright on the right side of the wooden box, supporting a glass dome on top. Inside the dome lies an H-shaped iron core, with enameled wires wound around it as thin as hair. The ends of the wires pass through the wax seal at the bottom of the glass dome and merge with thicker copper wires inside the box.
All the wires were bundled with flax thread, and the exposed joints were soldered together with tin. It was clear that the technique was not very good, as the solder joints were of different sizes and very irregular.
On the right side of the machine, a ten-centimeter-long ebony lever was extended, with an ivory disc inlaid at the top and a spring steel plate connected to the bottom. Victor knew at a glance that this was the machine's telegraph key.
There are two electrical wires under the table in the wooden box, also wrapped with Eucommia ulmoides resin; one is a power supply wire, and the other is a telegraph wire.
"Please set it up for me on the spot and send a message: 'I am Victor Golden Sunflower, Vincent there?'"
Soon, test personnel began operating the machine in front of Victor, who pressed the transmit button and began pressing it skillfully.
Five steel needles began to tremble above the ceramic plate. When the current passed through, the H-shaped iron core inside the glass cover would gently twitch, causing the needle tips to tap rhythmically on the ceramic plate.
The entire operation took very little time, less than a minute, before the operator stood up.
Victor was also surprised that it happened so quickly. He turned to look at Veronica behind him.
Veronica smiled. "They improved the machine, using five different frequencies to edit the telegraph code, which allows for better and faster translation of text, as well as conversion into more sophisticated codes."
The sentence you sent is very simple, so it won't take long to write it.
Victor waited in the room for another minute, when the low, steady hum of the generator was suddenly replaced by a sharper, more rhythmic intrusion.
A clear, crisp impact came from deep within the wooden box, like a metal beetle tapping inside.
Immediately afterwards, the central steel needle plunged downwards! The needle tip struck the white porcelain shard precisely, producing a clear "ding" sound, and the shard trembled slightly.
As the central steel needle springs up, almost simultaneously, the other needles begin to move as well, leaping about with a precise and urgent coded language.
With each tap, the electromagnet core inside the glass case is simultaneously and rapidly attracted and released, producing a deeper "tap, tap" sound, which forms a peculiar duet with the crisp "ding" of the needle.
The operator had already returned to the control panel, his entire attention focused on the five jumping needles.
His gaze wasn't fixed on the needles, but rather on their points of contact.
His right hand instinctively hovered above the notebook, the charcoal pencil tip between his fingers trembling slightly.
As the signal continued to arrive, the tiny movements of the reeds and levers inside the wooden box produced an almost inaudible, continuous hissing and buzzing sound.
The steel needle kept jumping, and the operator was recording it.
Finally, with a "ding," the five steel needles instantly returned to their positions, returning to absolute stillness, as if nothing had ever happened.
Less than a minute later, the operator finished translating the telegram and handed the notebook to Victor: "I am Vincent, and I greet His Excellency the Marquis."
Victor suddenly started clapping, and then Veronica joined in. The others were a little stunned at first, but soon they also started clapping.
"This is absolutely fantastic!"
I never expected you to be so successful. Not only did you complete the most important underwater cable, but you also improved the telegraph machine and even put the portable generator into use.
From then on, no matter where the Golden Sunflower Family's territory was, they would no longer be troubled by communication difficulties. Travelers could learn about their families' situation immediately, soldiers guarding the borders could send their thoughts to their families back home, and merchants traveling far and wide would no longer be bothered by ever-changing market information.
Your inventions and creations are so important!
I am proud of you all and thank you for your contributions to the territory. From this day forward, you have truly made history, and your achievements will be passed down through the history of the Golden Sunflower Family.
Rest assured, this time the rewards will definitely exceed those of the past and will not disappoint you. Each of you will receive at least 30 gold coins!
Victor spoke these words with great enthusiasm. He was very happy, knowing the importance of this equipment. With the introduction of telegraphs and trains, the Golden Sunflower Family's territory development would be greatly accelerated, and their control over the territory would be more secure in the future.
Upon hearing Victor's praise and promise of a reward, everyone present showed excitement and anticipation, having already experienced the Marquis's generosity.
After becoming researchers, they were already living comfortably and providing an even better life for their families. With this additional money, their lifestyle would probably be no different from that of nobles.
Just then, Veronica's beloved student Octavia suddenly spoke up, "Actually, Your Marquis and our teacher are the ones who have made the greatest contribution. Without the knowledge you have taught us and your guidance, we could not have accomplished all of this. So we have already received more than enough."
The territory is currently being expanded and populated; please use your rewards for more important purposes!
I've heard that the territory is about to begin universal education. Please use this money for the education of the serfs' children. I believe there are many talented individuals among them who can serve you, my lord."
Octavia's words also jolted the others out of their reverie. They quickly realized that Octavia's words made a lot of sense, and they were all filled with shame.
The vast majority of these researchers came from serf backgrounds and had not yet forgotten their past. In addition, they were still quite young and, given their education, naturally possessed a strong sense of compassion.
They quickly followed suit, saying they didn't need the bonus and that the Marquis should use the money for more important purposes.
Victor looked at Octavia and the young people, who were all very serious, and then said to Veronica, "My lady, you have truly raised a fine group of children!"
Veronica was also delighted and proud of her student.
Victor looked at everyone and said happily, "This bonus is from me. Whether to distribute it is my decision, but how to use it is your decision."
However, I have a suggestion. I plan to continue to distribute half of this bonus to you as a reward. Don't rush to refuse, let me finish!
I will give the other half of the prize money to your teacher, my wife Veronica, who will manage the money as a special fund.
She will manage and use this fund in your names, and I can guarantee that all the money in this fund will be used for the education of those serf children!
It will be used for building schools, hiring teachers, providing lunches for students, etc.
I think this arrangement is very reasonable!
Victor's words initially left everyone bewildered, but as he explained, they understood what the foundation did and how it operated, and they all nodded in agreement.
Octavia wanted to say something more, but Veronica stopped Octavia, whispering, "Octavia, you've done so well. Don't be so selfless. Think about your classmates and friends too, so they don't feel so much pressure!"
Octavia was clever and immediately understood Veronica's meaning, so she stopped talking.
Seeing that his suggestion had been accepted by everyone, Victor nodded in satisfaction. "Actually, I wasn't finished speaking. The achievements you've made this time cannot be compensated by this small bonus."
So besides that bonus, there were actually other rewards."
Victor paused for a moment, then continued, "I will appoint one knight and two honorary knights from among you. Although a knight is only the lowest rank of noble title with a small fief, and an honorary knight is only Court Noble title without any fief."
But as long as you continue to achieve such success in the future, it wouldn't be impossible for you to be granted the title of a true independent noble. I hope you will continue your efforts!