Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"Mr. Burns, Betty, I need you to work out a detailed plan for me."
In the lord's office, Paul spoke eloquently while facing a painting hanging on the wall. Several people, including Guy Burns, Betty D'Arshi, and Ladia Setia, were seated in the room.
The painting depicted a stone tower, resembling a watchtower, but with a strange device mounted on top.
It was a wooden frame, with two bent "arms" extending from it.
Guy Burns asked with great interest, "What's this new invention of yours?"
"Oh! It's quite an extraordinary thing, or rather, an extraordinary system."
"I call it the 'Express Station' or 'Semaphore Signal System,' used for transmitting urgent messages."
TL Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_telegraph
"Lord, if I'm not mistaken, you're planning to use the two 'arms' on that wooden frame to display different shapes, thereby transmitting different messages."
"Aha! Burns, you truly understand me! Yes, this invention is inspired by beacon fires, but you know, beacon fires can only convey a very limited amount of information. So I thought of flag signals and then made some improvements to come up with this design. You see, each shape represents a letter or a number, and then you combine them to form a complete sentence or a complete message."
Paul confidently explained his "invention": "We will build one of these express stations at regular intervals, called 'base stations,' staffed by dedicated personnel who will wait to receive signals from other express stations. Starting from the first station, the information will be relayed like a baton, station by station, until it reaches its destination."
"In the past, this kind of system might have been unrealistic because of the limitations of human eyesight, but with telescopes, it's entirely feasible. We only need to build a few express stations to achieve long-distance information transmission."
Burns sighed in admiration, "This is truly a remarkable invention."
Was this Paul's invention? Of course not. The real inventor of this "optical telegraph" was a Frenchman named Claude Chappe.
In 1791, in northern France, Claude Chappe and his brothers designed a long-distance optical transmission "telegraph" system. They successfully transmitted a message 16 kilometers away in just 4 minutes, much faster than the horses and ships used at the time.
This was a fully manual system, where signalers operated indicator arms according to specific rules. Each time the arms formed a shape, it represented a signal being sent. As different signal stations relayed the message, the information was transmitted.
Compared to a real telegraph, this system's information transmission efficiency was rather slow. A skilled operator could only send a maximum of three signals per minute. According to statistics, an average message consisted of 36 signals, meaning that even with the best operators, the system could only transmit 0.083 messages per minute. If there was bad weather or the operators were in a bad mood, the success of the transmission was left to fate.
However, even with such a frustratingly slow signal system, it was still far superior to the human-based transmission methods of the time.
This system eventually developed into an industry, serving the government and businesses during peacetime. By 1840, France had built a 5,000-kilometer communication network with 356 base stations, and all of Europe had constructed over a thousand of these "telegraph" towers, which could be considered the first information superhighway.
In Alexandre Dumas' novel "The Count of Monte Cristo", the Count uses this telegraph system to bribe signalers and send false information, causing Danglars to lose money in speculation, eventually leading to his bankruptcy.
Paul was relieved that the language system in this world was similar to the Latin alphabet. If it had been like cuneiform writing, it would have been a real headache.
"Burns, I need you to design an operational device that allows the signalers to easily move the semaphore arms into different shapes."
Burns stood up and bowed to Paul. "I am honored to be part of your great invention."
"Haha, our great invention."
Paul corrected him with a smile, then turned to the education director, Betty. "As for you, language expert, I need you to design an encoding system—what shape represents what letter or number. Ladia, you're also a knowledgeable scholar, so I hope you can assist her."
Ladia nodded. "Yes, Lord Grayman!"
Betty, on the other hand, pursed her lips and remained silent. Her expression, combined with her beauty, gave her an intriguing charm.
Her reaction puzzled Paul. Had he done something to offend her recently?
With important matters at hand, Paul continued giving instructions: "There are some other important aspects to consider, like how to identify the start and end of a message, how to verify the integrity of a message, and how to manage 'congestion control.' For example, when carriages from different directions arrive at an intersection, how do we ensure they can all pass through smoothly?"
"Also, we will call the regular code 'plaintext,' which can be used to transmit non-sensitive information. However, sensitive information must be encrypted on top of the plaintext. I don't want enemy spies to just camp out near our base stations and figure out what confidential information we're transmitting."
Seeing that the education director still hadn't reacted, Paul asked, confused:
"Uh... Betty, I plan to have you oversee the entire system's construction. Burns will mainly focus on designing the operational device, but his priority will remain the development of the new spinning machine. How long do you think it will take to build a line from Lake Frand Port to Alden Town and then to Buteya?"
Betty, or rather, Eileen, finally showed some expression on her face. After a moment's thought, she replied, "This will require experimentation, Lord Grayman. We need to first determine the optimal distance between two 'base stations' through testing, then determine the number of stations, choose the route, estimate costs... There's also the time needed to train personnel."
"I will speak with Chief Steward Ford right away and prioritize the funding for the construction of the express station system!"
After the recent salt workers' riot, Paul felt that the current speed of information transmission was too slow. Once the semaphore signal system was built, Alden Town would be able to respond more promptly to disturbances within the territory, and orders from the lord's office could be swiftly conveyed to various places.
The method of information transmission directly impacts a regime's ability to effectively control its territories.
"I urgently hope that within six months, we can establish a complete system spanning Alden, Byerldine, and northern Emden."
Eileen raised an eyebrow and said, "I will work toward that goal, but Lord Grayman, that will depend on whether the officials in the Council of Affairs don't treat me as if I'm invisible. If everyone ignores me, nothing will get done."
Ah! Paul finally understood why the education director was upset. It turned out she was unhappy because she hadn't been invited to the emergency meeting called after the recent riot.
(End of the Chapter)
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