American: Native Empire

“My son is not just my son, he is really smart. He has the potential to become a great scientist someday. So please, Black Beaver, could you teach him some of your knowledge?”

Black Beaver looked at the man and thought.

‘Anyway, they all think their children are geniuses.’

When he was in the Empire, he had encountered so many geniuses that he was honestly not impressed. 

There was a high chance that his son was not even among the gifted ones.

But Black Beaver could not refuse his request. 

This man was one of the high-ranking officials in Vietnam. 

From Black Beaver’s perspective, who had to live in Vietnam for a long time, he could not afford to offend him.

‘Sigh… How did I end up here?’

Every time he received such requests, Black Beaver blamed his bad luck.

He was a scientist who had achieved many accomplishments at the university. 

And he thought he would live a smooth life like this.

Yes. Until the World Union was established and the overseas dispatch of scientists and engineers was decided.

Of course, he didn’t worry too much until then. 

The overseas dispatch was mostly for mediocre scholars. 

He was not that level.

The problem started when they began to select a few outstanding scientists like Black Beaver. 

They needed some representatives for the dispatched scholars.

But unfortunately, he was one of those few who were chosen. 

As a result, he had to come all the way to this faraway Vietnam.

Black Beaver organized his thoughts and replied with a smile.

“That’s wonderful. I hope he will become a brilliant scientist who will lead Vietnam in the future. But, I’m so busy… I don’t think I can do it often, maybe once a week or so.”

“Haha! Everyone knows how busy you are, Black Beaver. That’s fine. Thank you very much. Well, I won’t forget this favor.”

“Favor? Don’t you think our relationship is more than that?”

“Uhahaha! Of course not!”

The man laughed cheerfully and shook his head at Black Beaver’s words.

“Then I’ll take my leave now.”

“I’ll see you again soon.”

The conversation ended in a warm atmosphere. But Black Beaver’s smile faded as soon as he disappeared from his sight.

“I hope he doesn’t cause any trouble.”

Black Beaver sighed deeply as he thought of the self-proclaimed genius whom he had never seen before.

***

“Is that true?”

“Haha. Didn’t I tell you to trust me?”

“Wow!”

Suon shouted with joy after hearing his father’s words.

He had been studying the Empire’s scholarship, especially science, since he was very young. 

He even learned from a private tutor who was well-versed in science.

As a result, he had an incredible amount of knowledge for his young age of seventeen. If time went by like this, he would be able to leave his mark on Vietnam’s scientific community.

But Black Beaver’s reputation was well-known even within the Empire. 

It was a great opportunity to learn from him directly.

“Don’t do anything rude to Black Beaver, and try to learn as much as you can.”

“Yes, father!”

Suon engraved those words in his heart.

And soon, his first meeting with Black Beaver took place.

“Hello! Nice to meet you!”

“Haha. You must be him. Well, what’s your name?”

“Please call me Suon, master!”

“I see. Okay.”

To be honest, Black Beaver didn’t like being called master. But he didn’t show any reaction and moved on.

He just thought that he would give him some education.

But this thought soon shattered into pieces.

‘What is this?’

At the test to see how much he had studied science, Black Beaver was astonished.

He gave him problems from beginner to intermediate, advanced, and even expert levels, but he solved them all.

Only then did Black Beaver look at the young man in front of him again.

“How old are you this year?”

“I’m seventeen.”

“Hmm. You have accumulated a lot of knowledge at a young age.”

“Hehe. My father has supported me a lot since I was little.”

He scratched his head shyly.

‘Unexpected. I thought he was a man who only cared about power. But he seems to have done a good job in educating his child.’

His negative perception of him diminished a little.

The black beaver nodded and said.

“Good. Then come and see me on the same day and time every week. You can go back for today.”

“Yes, master!”

***

After their first meeting.

Soo-eon did his best.

His father’s judgment was not wrong. 

Soo-eon was indeed a genius with a brilliant mind. 

He also had a very high desire to improve. 

He had a great ambition to raise the scientific level of Vietnam.

This eventually made him an outstanding scientist by the time he became an adult.

“Now you can start your own research. It seems like you have nothing more to learn from me.”

“There are still things I haven’t learned…”

“Haha. Don’t say words that you don’t mean. From now on, what you need is independent research.”

“…But I will visit you often, master.”

“Of course. Did you intend not to?”

“Hehe…”

Three years was enough time to go from a formal relationship to a genuine master-disciple relationship.

And so, Soo-eon left the black beaver’s nest. 

And he set up his own laboratory.

Thanks to his father’s power and wealth, this was not a difficult task.

And he started his own research without delay.

It was none other than the research on wireless telegraphy.

‘I’m sure there is a way to send signals over long distances without wires.’

Soo-eon was most interested in electromagnetic waves. 

Electromagnetic waves had already been proven mathematically and experimentally.

But no one had yet succeeded in using electromagnetic waves to send signals over long distances. 

Even the eminent scholars of the empire had not yet succeeded.

‘Can I do it?’

He was actually doubtful himself.

How could he be sure that he could do what the scholars of that powerful country could not?

‘No. Don’t think weakly.’

But he soon shook off his anxiety. 

He just had to take one step at a time, and sooner or later he would reach his destination.

In fact, he encountered various difficulties in the early stages of his research. 

Because of this, there were many moments when he wanted to give up his research.

But even though he was frustrated, he never stopped his research.

This perseverance eventually paid off.

-Beep, beep, beep…

“It’s working!”

It was only about 3km away, but he had succeeded in the experiment of wireless telegraphy.

‘Did I really succeed?’

When the signal sent wirelessly came in from afar.

Soo-eon couldn’t come to his senses for a moment. He couldn’t believe it.

***

The news of the development of wireless telegraphy spread quickly. This was not a small impact.

Especially in Vietnam, it was a chaos.

“Our Vietnam has achieved what those great scholars of the empire couldn’t do?”

“Hahaha! We have a genius of science in our country!”

Wakan Tanka Empire was the hegemon of this era. 

It was truly a remarkable event that such an achievement came out of their own country.

Considering that the empire had monopolized most of the research achievements so far, one could realize how remarkable the development of wireless telegraphy was.

Upon hearing this news,

“How envious…”

“I wonder if our country will ever produce a genius like Suon, who is unparalleled in the world?”

Countries in similar situations were very jealous of Suon’s existence, who suddenly emerged from Vietnam.

“If Vietnam can do it, there is no reason why we can’t!”

They also hoped that they could do something similar in their own country.

Moreover, wireless telegraphy was a hot topic in the empire as well.

“We were a step behind. I knew that many scientists were challenging wireless telegraphy.”

“That’s right. By the way, Vietnam… It seems that other countries are also developing such technologies. The world has changed a lot.”

Of course, Suon was not the only one who noticed the potential of wireless telegraphy. 

He was just the fastest.

The empire promptly recognized Suon’s patent for wireless telegraphy. 

And they paid royalties to install and operate wireless telegraphy in the empire.

At the same time, they also offered Suon admission to the imperial university.

However, Suon declined this proposal by saying this.

“I appreciate the offer, but I will stay in Vietnam as a Vietnamese and contribute to the development of Vietnamese science.”

Suon was already rising as a hero of Vietnam, and his popularity skyrocketed when his words became known to the public.

***

“Damn… To be overtaken by someone who is not even an imperial scientist.”

Scientists related to electricity, radio, and communication felt very humiliated by this series of events.

Until now, the advancement of science was almost entirely the empire’s. 

But this unwritten rule was broken. 

And on top of that, in their own field.

“This can’t happen again next time.”

As a result, the related scientists became more desperate.

The scientists looked to the future through past developments.

“After the development of telegraphy, the telephone was invented. Then…”

“Wouldn’t it be possible to transmit voice wirelessly after wireless telegraphy?”

Sending messages through telegraphy required encryption and decryption. 

This was not only time-consuming but also very inconvenient.

What if voice could be transmitted directly like a telephone?

“That’s very likely.”

The scientists thought that if they could send signals, they could also send and receive voice.

Voice is composed of very complex variations of electromagnetic waves.

It was not an easy task to transmit this through air instead of current.

However, already, although wired, the telephone was developed and so was the phonograph.

In other words, the possibility of wireless voice transmission was somewhat glimpsed.

And as time passed, the technology to transmit voice over radio waves was revealed for the first time.

“We can hear you!”

“Wow!”

The first wireless voice was transmitted and received at the station.

With this, the development of wireless voice transmission gained momentum. 

With the invention of devices such as wave adjusters and triode vacuum tubes, the first radio broadcast was finally launched.

“It’s amazing that we can hear the voice carried by the radio waves from a far distance, as long as we operate the receiver properly!”

The scientists were greatly impressed by this.

However, the radio became popular mainly because of Kim Ki-woo.

‘Haha. A revolution will sweep over the communication field soon.’

Kim Ki-woo anticipated the future events and called for the communication director.

“Communication director, how is the construction of the radio station going?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It is proceeding without any delay.”

Kim Ki-woo had waited until the radio technology was sufficiently matured. 

And he judged that it was enough now.

He immediately ordered the construction of the radio station.

“Then it’s time to announce it in the Imperial Newspaper. It will be hard for a while, but please do your best.”

“It’s my duty as the communication director.”

“Good. Then you may go.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After he left, Kim Ki-woo immediately spread the news through the Imperial Newspaper.

-His Majesty, the great emperor, has declared that he will speak directly on the first broadcast of the new radio.

This was enough to shock the people.

“What… What? His Majesty will be on the broadcast?”

“That’s right. On that day, if you listen to the broadcast, you can hear His Majesty’s voice!”

“Gasp!”

Kim Ki-woo’s face was very common, but there were hardly anyone who had heard Kim Ki-woo’s voice.

But if they buy a radio receiver, they can hear Kim Ki-woo’s voice directly.

As soon as this news came out, the empire was turned upside down.