Perhaps it was the self-comfort that took effect, or for some other reason, but her mood had improved greatly. She wrote down on paper the meaning represented by the last series of holes: "Question mark!"
Then, she neatly tore off the sheet of paper, stood up, and walked out of the room, instructing the guards at the door, "Don't let anyone come near."
"Yes, ma'am!" the soldier responded, and then watched the young girl clutching the telegraph paper and humming a tune as she walked away.
The telegraph office wasn't actually far from Tang Mo's room, and when Tang Mo saw the telegram that read, "When will you come to see me?" his face clearly displayed a mix of amusement and bemusement.
He hadn't expected that the telegraph he had labored to invent would now serve as a personal messaging system between himself and Alice...
This was essentially what he had heard about in his previous life, those girls who bombarded boys with linguistic bombs on WeChat...
"Send a reply to her... just say... I'll invite her to Brunas in a few days," Tang Mo instructed his telegraph operator, casually placing the telegram on the corner of his desk.
"Yes, Master." The girl thought this title would bring their relationship closer.
Tang Mo felt a bit like smacking John... Ever since that chap started calling him 'Master' at every opportunity, the number of people in the Great Tang Group who addressed him as 'Lord,' 'Sir,' or 'Principal' had been steadily decreasing.
The man waiting in the reception room finally heard a knock on the door. He looked up to find an attendant dressed in decent formal wear announcing, "Sir! His Majesty wishes to see you!"
... The man dressed in the distinctive blue Navy officer's uniform stood up, awkwardly adjusting his belt where his longsword and pistol, now confiscated, used to hang.
His hand, meant to rest on his weapons, found only air, so he steadied himself by gripping his belt, hiding his embarrassment.
He then followed the attendant down the long corridor, through two doors guarded by soldiers, and finally entered another grand hall where he met the person he wanted to see.
Among the two lavishly dressed nobles seated there, one was the Earl he had met before, and the other, a man he hadn't seen before, seemed even more opulent.
However, it was this unseen man who spoke first, his tone exceedingly friendly: "I'm delighted to meet you, Captain from Leite Kingdom."
"I am also honored to be summoned by His Majesty, the King of Pasim Kingdom," replied the Captain representing the Great Tang Group, bowing slightly as he spoke.
The King casually indicated that he could sit anywhere, and then continued with a smile, "After seeing the gift presented by Lord Earl, I couldn't help but summon you, our distinguished guest from afar."
Unlike Leite Kingdom, the King of Pasim Kingdom had a greater control over the entire kingdom; all the nobility were loyal to him.
So when an Earl witnessed the power of the K1 Quick Gun, he immediately presented this new weapon to the King of Pasim Kingdom.
Subsequently, the King of Pasim Kingdom saw this new weapon as an opportunity from the heavens, a chance for territorial expansion!
The Captain of the Great Tang Group's fleet was equally courteous, waiting for the attendant to pull out his chair before sitting down to express his gratitude: "Your Majesty's hospitality is most flattering."
Without beating around the bush, the King dove straight into the topic of weapons: "Let's not dally with small talk, Captain. I've heard you have three ships filled with those... K1 Quick Guns and matching ammunition?"
"Indeed, Your Majesty," the Captain replied without hesitation, nodding slightly in confirmation.
The King continued to inquire, "Lord Earl mentioned, a gun with its matching ammunition sells for 15 Gold Coins?"
The Captain promptly replied, "Fair and square, Your Majesty. A gun, along with its corresponding ammo pack, belt, and 100 bullets, is priced at 15 Gold Coins."
"I'll take them all," the King nodded slightly, then, without any haggling, boldly made an outright purchase.
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty." The Captain knew that if the other party was not haggling over the price, there must be additional conditions. He was not in a rush, merely expressing his thanks.
Indeed, the King moved on to the subject of Pasim Kingdom's trade, putting forward his request: "Our kingdom does not share a border with Leite Kingdom, so commercial exchanges are not frequent. I hope you, Captain, can do me a favor."
"Your Majesty's affairs are of utmost importance to me, and I will do my very best to assist," said the Captain politely.
The King, excited, said, "I'm very glad to hear that. I hope that when you return to Leite Kingdom, you will bring my fleet with you... We have Gold Coins and goods, and we hope to do some business in Leite Kingdom."
"This... Your Majesty, I make my living off this shipping route... You're looking to take it over." The ship captain immediately showed a troubled expression.
"Captain, I hope you can do me this favor," the King asked earnestly.
"It seems I can't help you with this, Your Majesty." The captain thought for a few seconds before finally declining.
"This..." The King immediately appeared displeased.
The captain insisted, "If you are not willing to purchase these K1 Quick Guns, I can continue heading south to find another way."
Thinking of the batch of arms, the King's attitude softened a bit, "No, Captain, whether you agree to help or not, I still wish to buy all your K1 Quick Guns."
"Then, once again... thank you for your generosity." The captain stood up, took a slight bow, and then turned to leave the hall.
After the captain was gone, the Earl, who was sitting beside, spoke up, "Your Majesty... it seems he has refused?"
The King nodded, "Yes, he has refused... Think about it, he should refuse, after all, he wishes to profit from this venture a few more times."
The Earl said with a smile, "That's only human nature, there isn't much we can do about it."
The King was somewhat unwilling to let go, "But we can't wait! Intelligence reports that the health of the neighboring country's King is already very poor. If we seize this opportunity to annex the neighboring nation, our national power is bound to reach a new level!"
"So what do you suggest?" the Earl asked further.
The King continued, "If the captain is unwilling to cooperate, perhaps his subordinates may not be, if we can win over some of his sailors or officers, as long as they can take us to the Leite Kingdom, as long as they can obtain a large number of modern weapons, I don't mind giving them a bright future."
"Then, I shall give it a try!" The Earl immediately stood up.
"I gave up a large sum of money just to bring you here," said the captain to his officer beside him, wincing as he left the Royal Palace.
The First Mate beside him chuckled, "Can money really measure what's important to the master?"
"Do you think he'll come for you?" the captain asked uncertainly.
"If I've made it this obvious and he doesn't act, then he must have a problem in his head. I'll activate another plan, one suited for dealing with idiots, to get close to him," the young First Mate confidently declared.
"Hahaha!" the Captain laughed heartily.
"Well then, I'm off to the brothel to wait for them..." the young First Mate spoke up.
"Goodbye and good riddance!" the Captain replied indifferently.
As the officer walked away, he complained, "It's quite bothersome pretending to be a lecherous sailor."
"Be careful, you're only 19 years old! Don't mess around!" the Captain warned.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing, and I'm aware of what really matters," the officer answered confidently.
Then, he looked toward the direction of the Leite Empire, "And besides, how could I be interested in those mediocre women? Aside from taking off their clothes, they can't do anything else, they don't even know what potassium permanganate is..."
The Captain disdainfully retorted, "The King of Pasim doesn't even know what potassium permanganate is either."
"That's why he needs me." Touching the dandelion ring on his finger, the young First Mate said with a smile.
"Hahaha!" The Captain laughed once again.
There is only one chapter today. I have a family gathering, and it will be the same tomorrow, so please be patient. The updates will resume shortly.