Chapter 516 The New Network
Yes, thinking about her any longer would just make him lose his mind.
Drakos's reply only made it worse- it gave him the additional possibility to consider that she might have done those actions out of anger at being denied something, and that she might actually care about the continent in her heart.
Regardless, Daneel was done thinking about her.
Choosing to not reply to the message, Daneel first lied down and took a nap.
His mind just felt a bit too cluttered, so the idea had been to relax before throwing himself into work.
Yet, the dreams he got of being chased around by the Queen who was strangely riding on the shoulders of a giant didn't help.
Getting up, the King of Lanthanor decided that it was probably best if he let the work distract him.
So, he first made a trip to Eldinor to check on the display trinkets.
Budget was not an issue at all, what with the fact that he now had access to the treasuries of two Kingdoms. That had actually been one of his biggest shocks after becoming the head of the Alliance - he had been taken to the treasury, which was so filled with Gold and Ether Blocks that it made Lanthanor look like a piss poor backwaters village.
Well, that was if one didn't consider Daneel's windfall in the Mad Doctor's home.
Even though the Bank was steadily giving loans and earning interest, the income wasn't too much.
For one thing, the fact that the Bank was based in Lanthanor restricted those who wanted to avail its services.
So, Daneel had already planned a way to make sure that the Bank would also see a huge boom after the new and improved Network was up. After all, if he didn't benefit from his own plans, then what was the use?
After checking in on the trinkets which were slowly being packed into boxes for shipping, Daneel left to Fantasyland, where he found Eloise running around everywhere while coordinating the programs.
Daneel was quite excited about what was going to air in the Network. He had actually been about to give a list of all his favorite TV shows and movies from back on Earth, but he had hesitated as it would be a bit too…strange. After all, how could he have so many ideas while busily governing multiple Kingdoms?
So, Daneel decided to first wait and see what the native Angarians would come up with. After that, maybe he would have…epiphanies, here and there, which he could write down and give to Eloise to have them made.
The main factor which excited him here was magic. Back on Earth, creative people were bounded by the resources that were needed to make their creations come alive on the screen. For example, some obscure novel writer who could only afford to write and post his book online would never be able to afford the money needed to hire a film crew, a CGI artist and all the odds and ends that went into converting a book into a TV show or a movie. At least, on Angaria, that middle part was covered. Where there was magic and a talented Mage, insane amounts of money would never need to be forked out to create fantastic illusions and images.
All in all, Daneel waited to see what Eloise and the rest of the bards who were already hired by Lanthanor would do with this opportunity.
After this visit, Daneel headed to his 'competitors'.
First, he went to that old man who hadn't hesitated to kill the spy he hired so that he wouldn't have to pay up the money for the information that had been obtained.
The man had already obtained the loan, and was busy hiring an enchanter to build the transmission trinket.
These were all the main facets of his plan, but now that he had a little time, Daneel also began started on the other methods he had devised based on his experiences from Earth which would result in the display trinkets selling like hotcakes.
Yes, giving out the trinkets for free like what he had done with the first Network just wouldn't cut it at this point. Although he had simplified these display trinkets a lot with the help of Drakos, they were still expensive to make.
So, while keeping track of all his enemies and all the factors that could go wrong, Daneel took personal care of each and every step. This was like his baby that he would give to the continent, and sometimes, he even wondered whether he was bestowing a boon upon this land, or a curse.
Only time would tell.
…
Finally, the auspicious time arrived.
On that morning, the Network of Angaria had a very special announcement to make.
From morning to evening, the same announcement inundated the heads of everyone listening, filling their minds with its content and making sure that even if someone didn't own a trinket which connected to the Network, they sure would have heard about it from someone else.
"Tomorrow, history shall be made in Angaria. For the first time ever, a trinket which was meant for Royalty shall be available the common public. With this trinket, all of your dreams, aspirations, and desires will come true. Each of you will live lives of power, wealth…or romance. Whatever you want, you can choose, and become lost in the phenomenon that will sweep the continent. Angaria will never be the same. But to experience it first, you must be chosen. The Heavens were the ones who chose those who would be experiencing this, first. If you are chosen, look to the Heavens, and you shall know. A miracle will unfold. Until then…let your dreams stay as dreams, before they fly forth and become reality."
The over-the-top way in which this was marketed turned a few people off, making them say that they weren't children.
Yet, most only felt awe, looking forward to just what the mystery was.
Most of these people were the ones who remembered that just a few short months back, there had been no method whatsoever to find anything about the outside world besides their own house and street. The Network had changed all that, and opened up a world which they could know about.
So, everyone started to look forward to what this new development would be.
Some spread rumors that it was some sort of hypnosis, that would make one enter a living dream of their greatest desires.
Others underplayed it, saying that it might just be a simple product like a cheaper network trinket which one might be able to place in their ear.
Even others said that there might be a completely new trinket that might allow them to look into worlds which were beyond them, but this one, along with the first, was dismissed immediately by most.
Such mystical things were reserved for the rich. Surely, there was no way that common folk could be exposed to them, right?
In this way, even though there were attempts made for lies and tall claims to spread along with rumors which were close to the truth, none of them managed to gather a great following, especially because of the fact that there was only a day before the reveal.
The next morning, the citizens of 4 Kingdoms stepped out of their houses at dawn, itself, with eager expectation lighting up their faces.
Yet, the people of Lanthanor, the Black Raven Kingdom, Eldinor and Arafell were in for disappointment, as they saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Yes, even Arafell had been included in this list, as those who came representing the Network hadn't been blocked and thrown out, much to the pleasant and suspicious surprise of the King of Lanthanor.
Most waited for a few minutes before going back inside, while some even chose to stand in the sun for an hour.
Finally, everyone went back inside after realizing that the announcement hadn't contained a time.
It was at dawn that a miracle happened.
Certain families all over Angaria heard a 'THUMP' on their roofs, and as they went out and looked into the sky, shock assaulted their hearts because of the fact that there was a Mage standing in the air in the sky.
In most places, it was an Elf, except for a few humans here and there. In the Black Raven Kingdom, there were even a few strong Ravens who greeted the families of those who were 'chosen'.
On looking for the source of the sound, the families would find a carefully wrapped parcel. After ensuring that the parcel was taken, the Mages flew away.
Just like the announcement had said, the miracle had happened in the Heavens above them.
One out of every 50 families received the parcel, and as they opened it, they first saw a letter congratulating them for being the 'chosen ones'.
This made many swell up with pride and joy, before taking out the trinket inside.
Wrapped in a transparent material that was keeping it safe, this trinket was in the form of two narrow triangular blocks, with one facing up and the other facing down joined to each other.
The larger block, which was 5 times bigger than the other, was the upturned one. It's singular point which faced the ground connected with the smaller triangle, whose base made for a solid part which would allow this trinket to stand anywhere.
The narrowness was because the breadth was small, but this lent to the stylish nature of the trinket, which was pretty good to look at.
Yet, what happened next made the families jump back in fright.
The upper part of the trinket which was the base of the first triangle was 15 inches long, and as they watched, it folded open twice on either side to form a strange shape while elongating its length to 45 inches.
The next second, a large screen appeared, and as it was a glass-like material, the stupefied expressions of the family members were visible.
Floating text appeared on the edges of each screen, accompanied by an arrow which pointed at them.
"Congratulations on being chosen! Now…get ready to experience the new Network!"
With that shape of two triangles as the backdrop, the letters 'NOA' appeared in a colorful font, which were then replaced by the stoic face of a man.
"My father abandoned me. My mother…"
He began a sad story, and because each of the citizens of Angaria were already captivated because they could never have imagined that they would have their own display trinket which they had only seen used by militaries for special purposes, they watched on, spellbound.
"But they all underestimated me. Today, I found something that will let me become the strongest on Angaria."
Boom!
The image changed from that man who looked poor and destitute, to that same man flying in the sky while casually flinging colossal attacks at an unseen enemy.
The marvelous power awed everyone, making them even feel afraid that such a destructive display might be taking place near them.
Yet, the next second, that image changed again to his face, as he looked out from the screen into the eyes of the common men and women and said, "This, is my story. Journey along with me as I gain power and take revenge. Only on the Network of Angaria. Ha!"
It ended with a punch in the direction of the viewers, which made them jump back with surprise before exciting discussions began about what this trinket was…and what it meant.
Meanwhile, Daneel was watching a particular family on a display trinket on his own along with Eloise.
After the family started discussing in enraptured tones, Eloise jubilantly turned to Daneel and asked, "How was it?!"
"Cheesy," was what Daneel wanted to say, but as he saw the reactions of many of the families who had been 'chosen', he gulped it down and said "Amazing!" instead.
It was pretty amazing. He had forgotten that on this continent, power was everything. The strong were revered, while the weak were considered to be nothing. So, it was probably best if the Network started with shows like these which would immediately attract everyone's attention.
As for the 'choosing' thing, it was Daneel's idea.
Anything which was shown to be 'exclusive' would give birth to a thirst in others to own it for themselves, too, and enter the 'elite' club. He was just going to use this to build up the hype, before beginning the sales with another ceremony that would go off with a bang.
And maybe…he might also be having his first 'epiphany' soon.
As for the competition, now that the trinkets were distributed, they, too, would start making a fuss, as Daneel had leaked the transmission technology to them. With that technology, they could broadcast their own 'channel', thus increasing the options on offer while also giving the Network that much greater publicity.
All in all, the Network was off to a great start, and Daneel was satisfied. There was still a lot more to do that he was looking forward to, but, for now, he was happy.
Now, all he wished was that no one would come throw a wrench in his plan.
Yet, he couldn't have known that wishing for something like that would often end up in resulting in it becoming reality.