Things were peaceful for the next week, with people from all over the area surrounding Lancers.h.i.+re coming over to the village to experience the incredible gadgets that had been given to them for free.
Everything was being carefully monitored, and although the general emotion that was seen in those who observed the trinkets and the coins that powered them was awe and even jealousy, there were also many who said that that there was no way that they would be able to afford them when they were launched to the public.
These were usually older people, who had seen their fair share of the world, and they were pretty pessimistic regarding most things. They had heard about similar tests being carried out in isolated places, which had resulted in the hopes of the common people rising, before they were all dashed during the launch when a very high price was announced.
True, the difference here was that it was a kingdom carrying them out, unlike those other cases where they were merchants who simply wanted to squeeze the common populace dry.
Still… The extremely practical uses of the trinkets which could actually bring down the overall expenses of a household were so tempting that some even decided to splurge their savings, and even started to hope that it would be within the margin that they could afford.
As for the coin, it was taken up and felt by all, and they even discovered the clever trick where if one looked at the coin in the sun, the reflection would make it seem as if the King was smiling at them, as opposed to the stoic expression that one would see on first glance.
It was sort of an Easter egg the Daneel had implemented, and it brought a certain personality to the currency, making it even more unique. Each and every one who held the coin did not want to part with it, and when they found out the name, most said that it was apt.
With this, the population of the village of Lancers.h.i.+re had also started to grow, and it looked like the beta testing of the trinkets was going to be much more of success than Daneel had originally imagined.
Yet, unlike before when he had made his pleasure obvious, now, the King of Lanthanor had a pretty neutral expression on his face even when he heard all of the positive reports from Eloise and Luther.
He had been so ever since that meeting with the man who had come to the kingdom, and he had told the reason to both of them. Hence, they weren"t that surprised, as they knew that the king must be thinking about how he could identify the enemies, or how he could counter their moves even if he didn"t know just what they were up to.
Indeed, Denny had been thinking about it every day, but he had been unable to come up with anything, and this was continuously frustrating him to no end.
"Daneel! Daneel!"
Eloise"s voice snapped him out of the thoughts he had been absorbed in, and he realized that she had asked a question.
Seeing that she had his attention, Eloise repeated it.
"Ma.s.s production of the trinkets is going well, and even the coins are being minted at the pace that you set. If all is well, in a week, we"ll be able to launch it in the Alliance with a limited number of trinkets and coins. Are we still going forward with the plan we had initially?"
Today was the last day to decide on this, as depending on the decision, a lot of preparations would have to be made.
Before this, Daneel had been hoping that he would find some indication of the enemy.
However…all was silent, and it was almost as if those foes had vanished into thin air.
Shaking his head, Daneel realized that there was nothing else to be done.
"Go ahead.", he said, before teleporting away, and leaving an empty throne which looked morose, just like the man who had been sitting on it up until that moment.
"Keep a close eye, Eloise. It is obvious how much this means to our King, so we really cannot have anything go wrong."
As Luther said this beside her, Eloise turned to him and spoke with a concerned tone.
"I will. But don"t you think the King is a bit too affected?"
With a sigh, Luther answered, "That is so because he puts more pressure on himself than any of us can ever imagine. This is probably also the first time that the King is finding himself knowing that there is a for, but unable to identify them in order to make sure that their attempts would only be futile. You also forget one other thing. After the setting up of the Alliance, this is the first major undertaking of the King. The rest were all announced then, but this is different. If there is a failure here…the naysayers might rise again, and although they can be handled, it is not ideal. Let"s just do our best. Jordan has already proven himself to be invaluable: he suspects that the opponents are gearing up to launch something at the same time as our launch, too. I admit that I wouldn"t have found this out- he did so by interpreting just a few whispers."
Eloise could tell that Luther must also be worried, because he usually didn"t speak this much. Still, she found solace in his words, and the both of them left to take care of their duties.
For another week, they were fully busy in the preparations, and although Daneel joined in, too, he was still a shadow of his previous self.
Finally, the launch day loomed, and the night before, Daneel didn"t even sleep at all.
The entire night, he stood above the Heavenly City of the Alliance, looking out over the vast lands he had taken command of.
As the sun broke through the horizon, the first batches of trinkets started to be teleported.
They were using the same teleportation routes that had been set up at great expense back during the major meeting which had seen people arrive from all over the continent, but this time, they were only utilizing the ones which connected this place to the locations inside the Alliance.
The s.h.i.+pments were in the form of large barrier-protected boxes, each with a squad of Mages and Fighters to protect them in case they were waylaid for any reason.
These were all just the trinkets, as the coins would be given in a special method.
Beside him, after a few minutes, a squad of elves arrived who all greeted him.
Queen Katerina and her advisor, Eldra, were also present in this squad, dressed like normal mages of Eldinor, and seeing them, Daneel couldn"t help but crack a smile and go over.
Each of these Mages were carrying pouches that jingled as they moved, and the sound was so pleasant that it served to slightly uplift Daneel"s mood.
"I asked for the best you had, but I didn"t think that that would include you two, too."
As he said this, the two elves heartily laughed before Katerina replied.
"We wouldn"t miss this for the world! All the elves who pride themselves on their skill in trinket creation are awestruck by you, by the way. Us elves typically do not hesitate to recognize those superior to us in skill, especially when it is so apparent just how much the difference in skill is. Many have even taken you as role models, and I am also happy to tell you that even more have signed up to go to the research city you are building."
With a nod, Eldra also spoke up.
"You should have seen their faces when they were first given the coins and the trinkets. They tried so much to understand and replicate them, but they all failed. How did you-"
The former queen was interrupted when Katerina casually lay a hand on her shoulder.
"Don"t ask, he"s a little bag of secrets. Look at that smile- oh, I envy the woman who will finally succeed in opening those lips so that all those secrets can flow out, unhindered. Sh.e.l.l we get started?"
Daneel"s smile couldn"t help but broaden when he heard her, and he just nodded when she asked the last question.
By now, the distribution had begun, and it was planned so that it would be like a bolt out the blue for all the citizens who might be expecting some kind of grand announcement, and then sale.
Instead, Daneel had decided that he would first give everyone the trinkets for free, before increasing the tax for those who chose to keep them.
This was another idea he had shamelessly lifted from Earth: it was the freemium model where one would first be enticed with a product when it was for free, before being tempted to pay when the time came for it to be taken away.
As for the coins…now that would be a sight to see.
A few seconds after all the elves teleported away, Eloise and Luther appeared beside Daneel, and the former had an array of display trinkets in front of her.
She also had a communication eye, which was tapped into the Network that was displaying a blank screen at the moment.
Seeing Eloise nod, Daneel took a deep breath and put on his usual dignified expression.
It was time.
The communication eye was trained on him, and with the backdrop of the sun rising behind him, Daneel looked like a G.o.d who had come along with it to bring light to all the watching Angarians" homes.
With a smile, he began to speak.
"Citizens of the Alliance. It is time to take the next step into a life that you must have only dreamed of. I asked you to ask the Heavens if there was anything you wished for, and you have already seen that I am a man of my word. This is a gift to you, for believing in me and continuing to strive to make our Alliance a cohesive whole. We usually pray to the Heavens to give us good fortune, but this time, they have decided to answer directly. Just look to them, and you will understand. Long live the Alliance!"
At almost the same moment as he ended his speech, the families which had been picked to receive the Network trinkets before, where many people had gathered, all heard the sound of something tinkling on the roof of their house.
They had already received the trinkets, and they had been puzzled regarding how they should make them work.
Now, astonished, they ran out and could only stare with shock at the beautiful sight that presented itself to them.
A rain of s.h.i.+ning silver coins with exquisite pearls inlaid on one side of them began to cascade from the skies, and as one, everyone who was present ran to gather as many as they could.
There was really nothing as incredible as a literal rain of wealth from the skies.
As Daneel took a moment to rejoice on seeing that everything going well, an envelope appeared out of thin air in front of the gates of the Palace of Lanthanor.
The guards had already been placed on high alert, so as soon as they saw this, they immediately notified Kellor, who notified Daneel.
Immediately, all the emotions of joy were replaced by those of dread, as Daneel teleported to the Palace before checking the envelope, and then picking it up.
It was unmarked, but heavy. And as he opened it…he was greeted by a sight which brought him even more shock than that of the people all over the Alliance to whom he had given the gift.
Out fell twenty coins identical to the Dans that had just gone public, and on the inside…were a few words which made Daneel"s heart go cold.
They read:
"With love, from Jessica."