Noticing the change in Lex's expression, the major shareholder of the telegraph company lowered his voice and asked, "Mr. Lex, do you know that female student?"
"No," Lex quickly replied, afraid that even a moment's delay would link him to a character in a 'story'. "She just reminded me of my younger sister at home. When I left, she was still angry with me, and I don't know if she's over it yet."
Luke chuckled, not suspecting a thing. "So that's it. It's clear, Mr. Lex, that you're a good brother."
Lex shook his head in shame, while reassuring himself internally. "Calm down. Didn't the Watcher say that Melissa isn't in the 'story'? As long as I don't get too close to her, there shouldn shouldn't be any problem."
Just then, Melissa turned around, and her gaze was about to meet Lex's when suddenly a figure flashed before Lex's eyes. A gentleman with glasses and frosted black hair appeared.
"Allow me to introduce you."
Luke stepped forward, standing side-by-side with this gentleman, forming a human wall for Lex.
"This is Professor Newman Martin, Tingen University's most renowned physicist and mechanical expert."
Lex enthusiastically extended his hand and shook the gentleman's hand firmly.
Professor Newman had the common trait of researchers; he wasn't overly concerned with etiquette. After the handshake, he said, "Mr. Luke told me about your concept. I'm very surprised. Could you elaborate?"
"For example, regarding real-time communication between different locations, what kind of physics do you think could achieve it?"
"I'm not a physicist; I'm just a keyboard warrior."
A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Lex, and he smiled, saying, "I need a few tools: two paper cups, two wooden sticks, a cotton string, and a small knife."
Professor Newman immediately called a student, who quickly brought the items Lex requested. Lex first whittled the wooden sticks to an appropriate length, making them slightly smaller than the width of the cup bottoms.
Then, he poked a small hole in the bottom of each paper cup, threaded one end of the cotton string through, pulled it out from the cup's rim, and tied it to a wooden stick.
The other cup was prepared in the same manner.
After completing this, Lex gestured for Professor Newman to take one of the cups outside and hold the rim to his ear. He had Luke pick up the second cup, step back two paces, and smiled, saying, "Mr. Luke, please try to say a few words to the professor."
Luke probably guessed what was about to happen and spoke into the cup with a hint of excitement: "Professor Newman, can you hear my voice?"
He didn't intentionally raise his voice; normally, even if a sound were heard outside, it wouldn't be clear.
But the professor outside let out a soft exclamation. He walked back, holding the cup: "It's a string telephone! I used to play this game as a child. I had almost forgotten about it. Yes, if we could lengthen the 'string' between two microphones, perhaps we could achieve communication between two places."
The professor looked at Lex: "Thank you, Mr. Lex. You've reminded me of my mentor's words: 'Miracles are always hidden in the most ordinary things. The question is whether we can discover them.'"
Lex's old face flushed, and he quickly said, "This is a small game from my hometown. I was also inspired by it. I thought, since the telegraph can achieve long-distance information transmission..."
"Then, perhaps we can take this technology a step further and achieve real-time communication between different locations."
Professor Newman nodded repeatedly: "The principle of the telegraph is to send electrical signals through dedicated exchange lines."
"And this small game, the string telephone, clearly uses sound waves, transmitted through the vibrations of solids like the cotton string and wooden sticks."
"There are indeed similarities, even commonalities, between the two. If we research them, perhaps we really can find a communication technology to achieve two-way communication!"
Luke said happily, "As for the research, I'll leave that to you, Professor. Regarding funding, Mr. Lex and I will figure something out."
"Furthermore, we will sign a non-disclosure agreement with you as soon as possible. We hope that you and this project team will remain tight-lipped and not leak even a tiny bit of technical information. Especially today's important experiment!"
Leaving the laboratory, walking on the flat roads of the campus, Luke's face was full of smiles.
"It seems inviting Mr. Lex to visit today was the right decision. Professor Newman has gained tremendous inspiration, and I believe there will be important progress very soon."
He paused, a troubled expression appearing on his face: "Unfortunately, I've also invested in other industries, and currently, I can't allocate too much funding to this project."
Lex wasn't foolish; he knew immediately that this major shareholder was subtly hinting at him to inject capital.
"No problem, I can help with the funding. However, for such a significant undertaking, a contract needs to be signed, and a professional team needs to conduct an evaluation. Therefore, I need a little time."
Luke nodded, saying, "That's understandable. The funds I've invested initially should be able to sustain it for a while, just waiting for Mr. Lex's funds to come in."
He sighed, "This is a groundbreaking technological revolution. Even if Professor Newman succeeds in his research, promoting it solely through our telegraph company would undoubtedly be very difficult."
"But if a noble like Mr. Lex participates, and we work together, we should be able to expand our territory very quickly."
Lex glanced at Luke with slight surprise. He had never said he was a noble, yet this gentleman knew. His information was very well-informed.
He didn't expose it, changing the subject. They chatted as they walked out of the campus, then Luke Bruce and he parted ways.
In the carriage, Lex seriously considered the investment.
He currently had nearly ten thousand pounds in available funds, more than enough for research expenses.
But that was impossible; he had many places to spend money in Tingen, and of that ten thousand pounds, 5,000 belonged to Bison.
If he didn't want Bison to know about this investment, it meant Lex could only use his own assets.
And after the expenses of the past few days, his personal account currently held only about six thousand pounds.
At the previous banquet, he had boasted to Luke, stating that the initial investment would not be less than ten thousand pounds. If he couldn't produce it then, Luke would likely look down on him.
Although Lex had also considered investing in the research himself, Luke owned a telegraph company, which could quickly promote this technology and achieve profitability in the shortest possible time.
This was the real reason Lex was willing to cooperate with him.
"In a short time, I need to get at least five thousand pounds, or even more money."
"Hmm, I'll try my luck at the Hunter Club tonight, see if there are any lucrative jobs."
"Also, I'll be meeting tycoons like McGovern and Sir Deville soon, to see if there are any short-term profitable investment opportunities."
Having made his decision, Lex found his goal and was full of drive.
Returning to the hotel, after lunch, he locked himself in his bedroom.
He summoned the 'mysterious book', maintaining a posture of receiving a bestowal, and felt the weight in his hands.
He looked up, and the illusory tome that had changed the trajectory of his life once again appeared between his hands.
The cover opened.