Hero Of Darkness

Chapter 1130  Bursting Bubble

As the sun rose over the Rakos Empire, the wheels of Kahn's grand scheme were finally set into motion.

The capital, along with several major cities, awoke to what seemed like an ordinary day... workers rushing to their jobs, merchants preparing for business, and transportation hubs bustling with the usual traffic.

However, amidst the mundane rhythm of daily life, an unfamiliar phenomenon began to unfold.

Across magic train stations, flying buses, cargo ships, and market routes, a wave of well-dressed merchants and representatives flooded the streets, handing out sleek, compact devices to curious passersby.

Their polished attire and confident demeanor suggested they were professionals representing a major corporation—one that had seemingly emerged overnight to introduce a revolutionary product.

The name of the device?

'Whisper.'

Marketed as the dawn of a new era in communication, Whisper was presented as the next breakthrough in magical technology, supposedly developed by newly rising communication industry giants.

The distributors claimed that the devices were being offered as free samples... an exclusive trial run meant to gauge public reception before launching large-scale production. There were no strings attached, no sign-ups required, and no hidden fees... just a simple, effortless distribution of what appeared to be an innovation that would change lives.

And change lives it did.

Unlike the expensive and restrictive communication artifacts used by nobles and government officials, Whisper allowed everyday citizens to send one-minute voice messages to designated devices of similar function... making instant, personal communication available to the masses for the first time.

But what truly captivated the people was the fact that Whisper was completely free.

It ran on mana stones, yet did not require costly refueling or registration with a noble house or military authority. This meant that even the poorest of workers and merchants... those who previously had no access to any form of long-distance communication; could now send messages across cities and provinces without spending a single coin.

And, as Kahn had anticipated, whether on Earth or in Vantrea... people loved free things.

Curiosity turned into excitement. Families, friends, and colleagues eagerly tested their new devices, their eyes lighting up with wonder as they heard distant voices transmitted through the small glass screens.

The working class, long deprived of such privileges, found themselves enjoying something that had previously been reserved for the elite.

But Whisper's appeal didn't stop there.

Much like Earth's radio systems, the device came equipped with music channels and information networks, allowing users to listen to news, entertainment, and even curated broadcasts on the go... without needing a large, expensive artifact or a bulky projection screen.

Those who especially enjoyed music or wanted to be updated with the current happenings of the empire as a means to pass the time found this lucrative.

For a normal person, the ease of access to such devices was limited and although their economy also worked on mana cores and ores... not every person was some miner or a rich noble to have an abundance of them at their disposal.

Hence, a lot of people accepted the device just for wanting to own something precious for themselves.

What they didn't know was that Kahn had engineered and added runes to these devices which basically hacked the government-approved networks and these broadcast stations without permission.

And since the product was launched under different reputable brands and organizations' names and logos... no one thought of it as a suspicious or illegal device.

Plus, all the people distributing these devices were mostly spies of the Seven Deadly Sins who knew how to blend into the crowd perfectly.

They avoided areas where law enforcement patrolled the premises and moved to another location every single hour... making them hard to track.

And just as Kahn expected... all the 100 million units were released in the population in just 24 hours.

On the 2nd day... people started using it for the fun of it, making calls to their friends, relatives, and colleagues and using them to conduct business with clients too.

And surprisingly... it worked. Because Whisper had no restriction on time you could talk or one needed to pay a hefty fee just to send a message via communication artifacts.

Those who used it for other features, found it even more amazing because they could hear a variety of music, news, and even holographic broadcasts on the small screen on the device.

For normal citizens, it was indeed a revolutionary product that had incredible use. So the general populace quickly spread the information about this product to those who didn't have it.

By the 3rd day, all the major corporations and government institutions heard about Whisper as it became national news.

Everyone was trying to get their own hands on the samples but the people who distributed them were nowhere to be seen.

"What?! This thing has our company logo and trademark on it?! How come I've never even heard of this product?!" shouted one of the CEOs of a nationwide popular communication device manufacturing company.

On the surface, Whisper looked like an authentic brand made by their company and the quality of the material itself was top-notch. Even he doubted his eyes and wondered whether it was a counterfeit or a genuine product launched by them.

"Find who distributed these into the market. And try to get as many samples as we can.

If we can sell it... we will be swimming in billions of dramus." said the CEO as he ordered his underlings.

A similar scenario occurred in all the major companies whose names and logos were being used for Whisper.

The only distinct fact among the products was their color and logos. Which made them look authentic to the masses and hence, no one even bothered to check since it was a free product.

As for those whose business took a hit from this... filed complaints to authorities and got the government involved.

And, true to form, the government... ever intent on controlling information and hoarding any technological advancements that might empower the masses; moved swiftly to reclaim the Whisper devices.

They feared that this unprecedented breakthrough in communication, now flooding every street and marketplace, could upend the established order. In a series of forceful maneuvers, government operatives began rounding up citizens, confiscating these devices with little regard for the inconvenience or panic it caused.

In a sterile government inspection room, an analyst studied one of the confiscated Whisper samples with intense scrutiny.

The glass screen glowed softly under his expert gaze as he traced the delicate runes etched along its surface.

"The runes on these devices are of the highest tier," he remarked thoughtfully.

"But they aren't exclusive to our empire... I can see Elven and Dwarven runes intermingled with our own.

Many of the other markings are so unique, they're indistinguishable even to an expert like me."

A government officer, standing nearby with a furrowed brow and a clipboard in hand, pressed for more details.

"So, how does it actually work?" he asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and authoritative command.

The analyst leaned forward, his voice measured as he explained...

"Somehow, this device can mimic the functions of a full-sized artifact of its kind, yet it's incredibly small. The mana cores inside operate much like batteries, powering not only voice transmissions but also other forms of magical communication.

To reduce the size and still maintain all these functionalities, whoever engineered Whisper must be a true visionary... a genius beyond our current understanding."

What the expert didn't know was the person he was calling a genius visionary... was a habitual Copyrights Violater.

******************

As the days passed, the effect of Whisper on the populace became impossible to ignore.

On the fourth day, what began as a simple distribution of free samples quickly transformed into a burgeoning trend.

People began to proudly display their Whisper devices, using them to connect calls, play music, and broadcast messages... a modern marvel that captured the collective imagination.

Local stores, restaurants, and even workplaces buzzed with excitement as the fad of Whisper spread like wildfire across the empire.

Its sleek design and versatile capabilities made it a status symbol among those who possessed it.

And while the government scrambled to control it, the allure of Whisper only grew stronger, setting the stage for a conflict between the old order and the new dawn of free, unfettered connectivity.

But since not everyone could get their hands on the device... it became a premium and exclusive product that only the selective individuals had.

A product given for free just for beta testing or a demo was not being treated as a luxury by the common folks.

On the 5th day, the whole empire had heard about Whisper and how dramatically it changed the entire communication industry and its application due to its small size and portability in daily life.

And because it was launched under the name of multiple reputed companies and brands... the market cap of these said organizations rose by a huge margin because people with greed saw immense potential and started investing money in them to buy their stock.

It was no different than how Artificial Intelligence was overly praised and the market absurdly inflated the production cost of such projects and apps due to exclusivity on earth.

In reality, it was just a cheap and mass-produced product that stole data from other sources and acted like it revolutionalized the world's technology. On the 6th day however... the craze for Whisper reached its peak while the government tried to pressure these companies to give them information about how this product was made.

But all these companies could do was shut their mouths because of the tremendous wealth they were receiving without even doing any innovative work.

The Tech bubble was now at its peak similar to how people saw AI and Cryptocurrency on earth, acting as if it was absolute and irreplaceable. With only the possibility of growing even further and reshaping the entire civilization's future once it became accessible to the general public in the market.

Because in the end... the product was only bad if it had bad pricing. If it was reasonably priced... then it would sell like hotcakes.

And while the empire's economy, government, and all parts of society were being incredibly affected by Whisper's meteoric rise...

Came the day when the bubble burst... The beginning of the crisis that would shape the future of the Rakos Empire.

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