episode_0201

Episode 201. Telegraph Line (3)

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Elizabeth. The third daughter of the Cerulean family and an adopted child. Due to her two older sisters’ mental illness, she was given the title of Little Princess… … .

Because the two older sisters’ fake illness was discovered by a doctor, the title of Little Princess no longer functions as a title.

A story full of twists and turns.

The Duke and Duchess of Ceruleus still have a long life left, so there is no need to decide on a successor right away. The circumstances were very complicated.

Here we have one more variable.

The telegraph network connection business.

Of course, Elizabeth had nothing directly to do with the telegraph network business.

Still, since I was at the Academy, it was easy to find the people involved. Professor Asterix was always in the clinic or lab.

He is also the inventor of the telegraph network.

“Are you sick?”

“No.”

Professor Asterix looked tired. He looked more like he was busy than tired. There was a mountain of papers piled on his desk.

“Then?”

“I came because of the telegraph network.”

Where to start.

I came because of the telegraph network. The telegraph network is an important matter that could affect the succession plan for the Cerulean family.

But. You can influence it, so what? You want to use Professor Asterix as a political backer to become your successor?

What difference does it make if you know the principle?

If Elizabeth becomes a magician or technician who can maintain the telegraph network, she will be able to solidify the succession structure.

Elizabeth froze at the professor’s gaze.

I did come looking for it though.

I don’t know what to ask for. Should I be the successor, beating out my two psychotic older sisters? Elizabeth really had no desire to be the successor to the family.

Isn’t it?

Is this a position that I have to take on with responsibility?

Since Elizabeth had not yet decided her position, she had nothing to say to the professor. She simply paused for a moment and scratched her head.

“Just a moment.”

The professor put down what he was doing and looked at Elizabeth. Elizabeth stuttered.

****

Things to check before that.

I stood up and pulled at Elizabeth’s eyelids. The golden rings that had surrounded her pupils were completely gone.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t drink alcohol.”

“Of course.”

Elizabeth sighed and sat down a little more comfortably on the sofa. Sometimes that sofa felt like the sofa in a psychiatric consultation room.

I waited a little longer.

What’s taking so long?

“You may have heard that the telegraph network that was installed this time was connected to the Serullis territory. It was chosen because it was close to the capital.”

“Ah, that.”

That story again. Well, I guess everyone will be talking about that for a while. It’s probably a shock not much different from getting a new phone.

no.

It’s probably more than that. When the telephone was first invented, there was still a way to communicate using electricity. It just wasn’t voice.

anyway.

“The family has high expectations. I hope you know a little bit about it, because it could affect things like the succession plan.”

“Do you want a title?”

“Uh… … . The story is a bit long.”

Elizabeth was eventually given the title of Princess by force, but it was later discovered that she was actually adopted, a fact she had never known about.

It would be a very absurd situation.

Your head will be complicated too.

“That’s what we need to decide first. If you want to capitalize on this business and get the title of Little Princess, I can help you with that.”

“Isn’t that right?”

It may sound a bit funny, but if Elizabeth were to show off her friendship with me and take on the important task of operating the telegraph network,

The successor structure will become clear.

Power ultimately comes from ability. It is natural that the person with greater political influence and who holds important responsibilities within the family becomes the successor.

I scratched my head.

“Ersabeth. But your two older sisters want to receive titles? Didn’t they pretend to be sick in the first place because they didn’t want to receive titles?”

“It’s a bit complicated, but that’s true.”

Then, isn’t there no choice?

In other words, it means that there is no need for Elizabeth to go through all the trouble of receiving a title. Of course, there is the problem of being adopted.

Elizabeth sighed.

In the first place, he was adopted because he had magical talent. It was hard to see him as unworthy of the title. The more I think about it, the more complicated it becomes.

“Think of it this way, Elizabeth.”

“Yes.”

“You have a duty to do your best for your land and the family that took you in.”

“Okay.”

Even though they are someone else’s family.

If we’re going to do it, we should do it right. In the future, when Elizabeth becomes a princess, many people’s livelihoods could depend on her actions.

****

Despite the new invention that could change the history of the empire, there were also clear differences from what actually happened in history.

If things continue as they are, the telegraph network will be led by the royal family, powerful families, and a group of magicians.

It would be another way to maintain power. That was the essence of why Elizabeth came to me today.

Elizabeth is hoping that this content will be the basis for deciding on a successor.

Elizabeth made a determined expression, took a small notebook out of her pocket, and picked up a ballpoint pen.

“Then. What are you curious about?”

“I’m curious about everything! The principles, future utilization plans, application methods, etc. ”

This is going to take a while too.

“The basic idea is this. Current moves at almost infinite speed in a wire, right? We use that to send signals.”

“Aha. How do you create electricity?”

“Using the difference in reduction potential of metals. Simply put, when a metal is placed in an acidic solution, it reacts and creates an electric current.”

“It’s not that simple.”

I nodded.

Of course it’s complicated.

“What… … . You don’t need to know everything, Elizabeth. The important thing is to know which button to press to make the machine work.”

“Okay.”

I looked through the bookshelf for a moment.

There must have been some written about telegraphy and Morse code. I had a really hard time back then.

I know the principle, but I didn’t memorize and live by the method of making a Morse code machine. I had a lot of trouble writing this down.

I laid down a few pieces of paper in front of Elizabeth. Elizabeth bowed her head.

“Oh, thank you so much.”

“Read it once.”

Elizabeth is a magician too. If you have the right materials, you should be able to understand it without any problems. Maybe you can find some areas for improvement.

Elizabeth gathered up the papers one by one.

“Anyway, I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. When you say electricity, you mean lightning? Why does lightning come out when metal melts?”

“Because of the reduction potential of the metal.”

“What is that?”

I don’t know either. I thought I would die learning general chemistry. How can I explain the reduction potential of metals?

“Just memorize it. I don’t know either.”

“Okay.”

****

“Signal system… … . This is also amazing.”

Elizabeth muttered.

The imperial alphabet has 28 letters.

To express all 28, five bits are needed, but four are enough if you distinguish between lengths. A three-bit signal is eight, and a two-bit signal is four, so you can just add them all up.

Anyway, Elizabeth looked through my notes and nodded with a serious expression.

“There really is a lot to learn.”

“Really?”

“The professor used the term base when writing about signal systems. But I don’t really understand this either… … .”

“Think about it slowly.”

“That is, by turning the signal on and off through a signal connected to the wire, you are transmitting a signal. Linguistic information is expressed as the difference between the two states of on and off.”

“You got it exactly.”

Elizabeth sighed again.

“Really, can I use this knowledge to become the successor to the family?”

“It would be much harder than that.”

Running a fiefdom can’t be as simple as a Morse code machine. It’s just one of the things you need to know to become the successor.

“I don’t know if I can do it.”

Come to think of it, Elizabeth wasn’t talking about a Morse code machine.

What’s the big deal?

What’s important to the little princess is not the Morse code machine, but the problem of family relationships. And the psychological burden.

that.

Handing over a few pieces of paper won’t solve anything.

“What you need is confidence.”

“Really?”

I nodded.

“Duke Ceruleus, so tell your parents quickly. You are studying with the inventor of the new technology, and you can take responsibility for it when you return to the castle.”

“Can you do it just by talking?”

“Let’s start with the words. If you’re not going to say anything, what’s the point of studying this?”

“That’s right.”

Like it or not, it was Miss Elizabeth who had to take on the situation of becoming the successor right away.

Saying that it is a complicated situation is actually just an evasion. If things continue like this, the responsibility for taking care of Youngji will fall on this student.

Unless the two fake patients we saw last time change completely, the next duchess of Ceruleus will be Elizabeth.

Well, it’s not just about responsibility. Of course, the wealth and fame that come with being a duke will follow. It’s normal to be jealous.

“Thank you for your help, Professor.”

“I have to try hard.”

Isn’t it the job of a professor to help his students?