Chapter 98: I’m Confident
The meeting with the king lasted nearly another hour.
By the time Ernest and Hollen finally emerged from the royal office, the afternoon sunlight had already shifted noticeably through the palace windows. Servants escorted them back through the same corridors they had walked earlier that day, though everything somehow felt different now.
Perhaps because Ernest had entered the palace as a wealthy industrialist.
And was leaving it as a baron.
Beside him, Hollen remained unusually quiet.
Actually, that was not entirely accurate.
The older man looked as though his mind had simply stopped functioning somewhere between receiving a royal title, acquiring five thousand hectares of land, and accepting responsibility for building a machine capable of sending messages faster than horses.
The palace servants led them through another grand hallway before finally arriving at the main entrance where their carriage waited.
The massive doors opened.
Cool afternoon air greeted them.
For the first time in several hours, both men were outside the palace walls.
Hollen took a deep breath.
Then another.
Then a third.
Ernest glanced sideways.
"You look relieved."
"I am relieved."
The forge owner climbed into the carriage.
"I’ve spent the last four hours pretending I belong in places where the chairs cost more than my first house."
Ernest laughed.
The carriage door closed behind them.
Moments later, the horses began moving.
The Royal Palace slowly disappeared behind them as the carriage rolled through the capital streets toward the northern road leading back to Helmarte.
For several minutes neither spoke.
Both simply watched the city pass by outside the windows.
The capital truly was enormous.
Merchants filled the streets.
Government clerks hurried between buildings carrying documents.
Soldiers marched through intersections in organized formations.
Ships could be seen in the distance through gaps between rooftops.
This was the heart of Belfast.
The center from which an entire kingdom was governed.
Eventually Hollen broke the silence.
"So."
Ernest looked up.
"So?"
The older man stared at him.
"Can you actually build it?"
"The telegraph?"
"Yes, the telegraph."
Hollen folded his arms.
"The machine that sends invisible lightning through metal while messages somehow outrun horses."
When he phrased it like that...
It did sound ridiculous.
Ernest smiled slightly.
"More or less."
"That’s not an answer."
"It’s a qualified answer."
The forge owner sighed.
"That’s the kind of answer people give when they don’t actually know."
Ernest leaned back into his seat.
"The concept is simple."
Hollen stared at him.
"Simple?"
"Relatively simple."
"Stop talking in cryptic message and explain," Hollen sighed.
The young engineer considered his words carefully.
"The difficult part isn’t the telegraph itself."
"It isn’t? So what is it?"
"The difficult part is everything around it."
That earned his attention.
Ernest continued.
"The telegraph machine itself is little more than a switch, an electromagnet, and a signaling device."
Hollen immediately frowned.
"I know none of those words."
"Obviously you wouldn’t."
Ernest looked out the window.
"Imagine building a watermill."
"Alright."
"Is the wheel the difficult part?"
"No."
"The difficult part is building the river channel, the foundations, the supports, and everything necessary to make the wheel useful."
Understanding slowly appeared.
"The telegraph is the same."
He counted on his fingers.
"We need copper wire."
Another finger.
"Thousands of wooden poles."
Another.
"Insulators."
Another.
"A reliable battery."
Another.
"And operators trained to send and receive messages."
Hollen blinked.
"How many poles?"
Ernest thought for a moment.
"The capital to Northport is approximately three hundred kilometers."
The older man frowned.
"That sounds expensive."
"It will be expensive. And it is just for reference."
"How expensive?"
Ernest shrugged.
"Possibly hundred thousands of riels."
Hollen nearly choked.
"Yes. And I get your reaction."
"The king really meant it when he said he would pay for everything."
"Apparently."
The forge owner stared out the window for several moments.
Eventually he laughed.
"Now we’re discussing kingdom-wide infrastructure projects. Our life since intertwined, moves so quickly."
The carriage continued along the stone road.
Fields slowly replaced buildings.
The capital walls faded into the distance behind them.
For a while, only the sound of wheels and horses filled the silence.
Eventually Hollen spoke again.
"Is this the only option?"
"The telegraph?"
"Yes."
Ernest shook his head.
"No."
That immediately caught the older man’s attention.
"There are alternatives."
"Such as?"
"A heliograph."
Hollen frowned.
"A what?"
"A device that uses mirrors to reflect sunlight."
The forge owner looked confused again.
"You’re going to have to elaborate."
Ernest smiled.
"If you flash sunlight in patterns toward another station equipped with telescopes and mirrors, messages can travel surprisingly long distances."
Hollen blinked.
"Using sunlight."
"Yes."
"You’re serious."
"Completely."
The older man stared at him for several seconds.
"And this works?"
"It did in my..." Ernest caught himself.
"In theory, yes."
He quickly corrected course.
"Signal towers positioned on hills could relay messages across hundreds of kilometers."
Hollen rubbed his chin.
"That actually sounds easier."
"It is easier and cheaper." Ernest said.
"So why not use that instead?" Hollen asked.
Ernest looked toward the horizon.
"Because it has limitations."
"Such as?"
"Uhm, first of the clouds, the night, fog, rain, essentially bad weather."
Hollen sighed. "I see the problem."
"The electrical telegraph works in almost any weather," Ernest stated and added. "And unlike heliographs, telegraph lines can eventually reach towns, factories, ports, and businesses."
The older man looked thoughtful.
"So the telegraph isn’t just for war."
"Not even close."
Ernest’s eyes drifted toward the passing countryside.
Merchants could confirm prices instantly.
Factories could coordinate shipments.
Governments could respond to disasters immediately.
Banks could transfer financial information.
Newspapers could report events from distant cities.
Entire economies would change.
Railways would eventually depend on it.
Modern nations would depend on it.
The military application was merely the beginning.
Hollen studied him carefully.
"You’re thinking ahead again."
"Always."
The forge owner laughed quietly.
"You know what worries me?"
"What?"
"Every time you say something is simple, my life becomes significantly more complicated."
Ernest couldn’t argue with that.
Soap had been simple.
Steam engines had been simple.
Personal care products had been simple.
Now the Kingdom of Belfast wanted a nationwide communications network. Though intended first for military use.
Perhaps Hollen had a point.
The older man leaned back in his seat.
"Six months."
"Yes."
"Can it be done?"
Ernest looked out toward the setting sun.
Theoretically? Absolutely. Practically? That was another matter entirely.
Copper production needed to increase.
Insulators needed to be developed.
Batteries needed to become reliable enough for continuous operation.
Operators needed training.
Construction teams needed organization.
The challenges were numerous.
But none of them were impossible.
Finally, he nodded.
"Yes."
Hollen looked surprised.
"You’re certain?"
"No."
That answer earned a laugh.
"But I’m confident."
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