Chapter 161
Newspapers and Electric Lights
Chapter 161 Newspapers and Electric Lights
At night, although every household lit kerosene lamps, the territory was still shrouded in darkness.
Outside of Raven City, Megan Ranch was brightly lit.
The bright light emanating from the electric dragon's tail made the surroundings as bright as day.
"Wow, so bright!" Megan couldn't help but exclaim. "It's just like daytime!"
The electric dragon stood in the ranch, tilted its head, looked at its glowing tail, and a happy expression appeared on its face.
"Woo~!"
"Just as the information states!" Raven thought to himself. It was just a pity that there was only one electric dragon in the territory at the moment, so it could not be deployed on a large scale.
However… looking at this electric dragon, and considering the newspaper he had previously established, Raven suddenly had a good idea.
The content for the first issue of the newspaper is ready!
Since humanity has not yet unlocked electrical technology and does not have electric lights, the existence of electric dragons can replace the function of electric lights and provide assistance to people.
The next day, Raven found Christina, the editor-in-chief of the Royal News, and conveyed his thoughts to her.
The newspaper printing work is in full swing.
Three days later, Raven City's first daily newspaper was officially published.
"A newsstand? What does that sell?"
"Newspaper? What's a newspaper?"
The newsstand staff, looking at the crowd of onlookers, explained with a smile:
"This is a way for His Highness Raven to entertain everyone and let them learn more about the situation in the territory and more information about magical beasts."
"The Royal Newspaper publishes a new issue every now and then, and the content of each issue is different. If you are interested, you can get a copy."
"If you want to subscribe regularly, or don't want to travel this far, you can pay a small fee to pre-order, and we have dedicated deliverymen to deliver it to your door."
"If you are illiterate, the newspaper deliveryman will read the contents of the newspaper to you."
This was a decision Raven made after careful consideration.
Considering the cultural level and education level of the residents within the territory, the existence of such a newspaper reader profession is necessary.
"Is it that amazing? How much does one ticket cost?" a resident couldn't help but ask.
The newsstand clerk held out his hand: "Three copper coins each!"
The price is equivalent to a loaf of black bread, which isn't considered expensive for ordinary people who already have some savings.
"Give me one!" a man said curiously.
"Here you go, please take this!" The staff member handed over the square newspaper. "We also have newspaper readers here. Would you like this service?"
"So soft, so smooth! This is... paper?!" The man was initially shocked by the feel of the newspaper, but upon hearing this, he immediately nodded and said, "I want it!"
The man was of humble origin and had never received any professional education; he was illiterate.
"Okay, I'll read it for you right away." The staff member played two roles, picking up a new newspaper and reading it aloud in front of everyone.
"First, there's the content of the first version."
"On July 20th, in the 149th year of the Kingdom Calendar, His Highness Raven delivered an important speech on the above content to warmly celebrate the establishment of the Royal Newspaper."
Upon hearing Prince Raven speak, the surrounding commoners immediately gathered around.
"My dear citizens, thank you for your hard work this past year, which has brought Raven City to where it is today. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to you all. Please continue your efforts to make Raven City prosperous and strong!"
"My God! Is Prince Raven thanking us?!"
The common people were all flattered and overwhelmed. After all, this was something they were simply supposed to do!
In fact, they should be the ones thanking Prince Raven. It was the benevolent Prince Raven who led them to have the life they have today!
But soon, some people came to their senses, and everyone seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, their expressions excited.
They will certainly not let Prince Raven down!
Having such a benevolent and kind lord is a blessing they've earned for eight lifetimes!
Upon seeing this, the staff member smiled and then continued reading:
"Next up is the second edition: Warcraft trivia."
"Mary sheep, an electric-type monster, produces wool that is an excellent material for making clothes and carpets. However, when Mare sheep evolves into Woolwo, and Woolwo evolves into Ampharos, they will no longer grow wool."
"But the light bulb on the electric dragon's tail will emit a bright light at night, a light that is far more dazzling and bright than that of a kerosene lamp. With it, we will never be afraid of the dark again!"
Below these two paragraphs is an image of an electric dragon illuminating the darkness, making it easy for ordinary people to understand at a glance.
"This monster can actually do that!"
For a moment, this thought couldn't help but cross everyone's minds.
Some people even have the idea of raising a Mare sheep themselves.
I heard that recently, merchants in the city have been buying up wool on a large scale from the magical beast Mare the Sheep!
When it's young, it produces wool; when it grows up, it can help provide light. Mare the sheep is such an amazing creature!
Suddenly, a trend of raising Mare sheep swept through Raven City.
*
"Your Highness Raven, the newspaper you created has been very well received in the city!" Elif said with a smile. "Now, people go to the newsstands every morning to buy the latest issue of the daily newspaper, and not only that, some families have even subscribed to the newspaper delivery service!"
“Not bad.” Raven nodded slightly.
Whether it's newspaper editors, deliverymen, newspaper readers, or newsstand owners, they can all provide jobs for residents in the area, which can be considered as promoting employment!
However, something else was on his mind.
Early this morning, he delivered a piece of paper to the Zack caravan.
Judging by the time, the other party should be arriving soon.
As Raven had predicted, the guard outside the door came in to report:
"Your Highness Raven, a merchant who calls himself Zack has come to request an audience!"
“Let him in!” Raven said.
Soon, a familiar figure hurriedly walked in from outside.
He held a clean sheet of paper in his hand, his face revealing his excitement.
"Your Highness, what is this?!"
"Paper." Lei Wen said succinctly, then asked with a smile, "I wonder how much this kind of paper would sell for in other towns?"
Zack swallowed hard. He looked at the paper in his hand. The paper was as white as snow, with a delicate texture, easy to carry and preserve, and looked very expensive.
Zach even thought that some scholars and lords would be willing to spend hundreds of gold coins to buy such a blank sheet of paper!
With that in mind, he then gave his answer.
Raven wasn't too surprised, since the whiter the paper, the more complex its manufacturing process.
Compared to the slightly flawed, yellowed paper used by the commoners in the territory, this paper, which can be described as top-quality, can be considered a special supply for nobles. It was specially made by him to harvest the gold coins of those nobles.
“In that case, I will entrust you with the sale of this paper. You can set the price, and we will split all the profits 30/70, how about that?” Raven asked.
Upon hearing this, Zack was overjoyed and immediately assured him, "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness Raven. I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
(End of this chapter)