Chapter 82: Runic Telegraph

"My friend, can the duration of their glow be controlled each time?" Sinuoli asked a key question.

"It can. As long as there is sufficient energy, this Rune, like other Runes, can remain effective until the object bearing it corrodes," Kalade said with certainty.

"If you are interested, I can demonstrate it for you on the spot," Kalade said, watching the stew in the pot bubbling away, seeing it would still be a while before it was ready to eat.

As he spoke, he took out two square objects, their surfaces shimmering with the luster of Runes.

"These are a few of my achievements in Engineering over the years. They can accelerate the charging speed and reduce energy dissipation, though they only have a significant effect on this specific Rune."

Seeing that Sinuoli was very interested in these two bases, Kalade offered some further explanation. He handed one of them into Sinuoli's hands.

As Kalade injected energy, the Runes in both their hands lit up, even though Sinuoli had not moved at all.

"Let me try too!" Sinuoli was in high spirits. He also injected energy into the base in his hand, and watching the block in Kalade's hand light up in response, Sinuoli's excitement was plain to see.

Afterward, he tried increasing and decreasing the injection time; the two blocks lit up simultaneously for varying lengths, the light reflecting on Sinuoli's face.

The surrounding clansmen looked at this scene and Sinuoli's unrestrained smile with strange expressions; in their view, this Chosen of the Goddess had either received an oracle from the Mother Goddess or had accidentally eaten some mind-altering mushrooms.

"My friend, you are simply a genius!" Sinuoli tried to control himself, but his voice still trembled slightly.

"I want the technology for this Rune; name your price!" he said decisively.

The surrounding clansmen frowned at the sound of this; Balin and Tomi, the two cousins, even prepared to offer words of caution.

In their view, this mysterious Wanderer had likely deceived Sinuoli, who was on his first long journey away from home, in some way.

Seeing this, Sinuoli reached out a hand to press down, stopping his confidants' actions, his eyes fixed intently on Kalade before him.

"Five, five thousand gold coins?" Kalade was a bit unnerved by his gaze. Accustomed to the cold shoulders of his own clansmen, he found it hard to accept Sinuoli's enthusiasm.

"Too little, too little!" Sinuoli shouted, patting the floor with his hand.

Hearing this, the surrounding Dwarfs could no longer remain calm. Who buys things and complains they are too cheap? This must be a reaction to eating Madcap Mushrooms.

"I offer one hundred Oath Gold!" Sinuoli's voice was loud, silencing the restless clansmen around him.

"Grungni above!"

"How did the Ancestor Goddess pick such a spendthrift?"

"This Wanderer definitely has a problem!"

The clansmen began to clamor; those sitting close had heard the cause and effect clearly, while those sitting far away had only heard Sinuoli's generous offer.

Seeing Sinuoli stand up and head toward the safe on the carriage, Captain Gelunsen and Balin could not sit still.

"Please think twice! Respected Chosen of the Goddess!"

"Cousin, that Oath Gold has great uses!"

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Sinuoli said while counting the Oath Gold.

"You don't know the function of this Rune; in my view, it is far more important than that Doom Anvil!" With so many ears around, Sinuoli did not want to explain further, and he used his prestige to suppress the dissent.

Locking the remaining Oath Gold back into the safe, Sinuoli returned to Kalade's side with the pouch in his hand.

"Help me get two contract papers!" Sinuoli ordered Cousin Tomi.

Soon, two pieces of parchment and a matching set of dip pens were placed between Sinuoli and Kalade; these were the items used for drafting formal Dwarf-language contracts.

Every word written by these things would contain the Winds of Magic; they could not be altered, and as long as they were preserved properly, they could be considered almost immortal.

"Let us finalize the details!" Sinuoli said, holding the Oath Gold and looking at Kalade.

Kalade, who came from a Dwarf settlement in the Empire of Man, had never seen such a large sum of treasure, and his eyes were already fixed.

"I wish to buy out the engraving method for this Rune, as well as all future potential channels for profiting from it. One hundred Oath Gold, do you accept?" Sinuoli asked, enunciating every word.

Kalade nodded hurriedly. This Rune, which had previously earned him much mockery from his peers, was not only recognized in this desolate night in the wilderness but also purchased for a heavy price; he was afraid Sinuoli would calm down and go back on his word!

Tomi quickly drafted the contract terms, and after a simple review, Sinuoli and Kalade both signed their full names on the two contracts.

With the establishment of the contract, both Dwarfs breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are your plans for your next step?" Sinuoli ladled a bowl of hot soup and dipped his stone bread into it before gnawing on it.

"Me? I plan to go to Zhufuba to see and further improve my Engineering skills. Since the path of Runes is not working out, I have other ways to contribute to the Qunshan!" Kalade said, his face glowing with excitement as he looked toward the future.

"Zhufuba? Then I can really help. In a while, I will write a letter of recommendation to President Buluoke of the Engineer Guild; he will like a clansman with your creativity," Sinuoli said.

"Valaya above! That couldn't be more perfect!" Kalade, experiencing a double blessing, called out a divine name.

The two discussed and decided that Kalade would first follow the caravan to Haojiaobao for a stretch, teaching Sinuoli the engraving method for this Rune along the way; it wouldn't be too late for him to go to Zhufuba after he had learned it.

The caravan subsequently passed two small Dwarf settlements, both established by individual Clans; they maintained their daily lives by trading with the surrounding Humans, mining underground, and farming themselves.

Some members of the Clans joined the caravan, taking this opportunity to go to the city to sell some products and purchase supplies that could not be produced within their Clans.

When they were only one day's journey away from Haojiaobao, Sinuoli successfully mastered this Rune, which was simple in structure but quite ingenious in design.

Kalade hired a carriage and two guards from the caravan on the spot to head to Zhufuba; carrying a large sum of money, he needed a little extra protection.

Watching the retreating back of Kalade Fengbaoxingzhe, Sinuoli muttered to himself: "Jiliuguan, that's really not far; I hope you can bring me new surprises next time we meet!"

In the following day, Sinuoli sat on his saddle, constantly writing and drawing in a small notebook. He was recalling a technology from his past life—the telegraph.

This was originally a tool that used the "on, off" and "long, short" of electric currents to represent text for information transmission; with Kalade's technology, Sinuoli could now use the duration of the light to substitute for it.

Thanks to book friends 1997, He Ren Mo Xiang Yi, and Yi Hu for the monthly tickets.

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