Empire Rising: Spain

What Carlo didn’t expect was that a few days after securing orders from the German government, the American diplomatic ambassador also came knocking, requesting to purchase the electricity company’s lamp and generator technology.

Though both Germany and the United States wanted Spain’s power technology, the two countries’ purchasing methods were entirely different.

Germany wanted to save on financial expenditures, and they had enough industrial technology to trade for Spain’s electrical technology.

However, the Americans didn’t have much in terms of technology that could interest Spain. Their approach was simple and straightforward, which was to buy it directly with money.

Of course, since they were buying goods in Spain, it was certain that the payment couldn’t be in US Dollars. The American ambassador indicated that the United States Government was willing to use Pounds or Pesseta to buy Spain’s electrical technology; as long as Spain was willing to name a price, the United States was ready to accept it as a whole.

As it turned out, the current United States indeed had an air of a nouveau riche. As a nation that had just reached its centennial, the U.S. population had already reached figures hard for European countries to imagine.

Except for Russia, which could still outshine the U.S. in terms of population, America’s population had surpassed that of any European country.

After the end of the Civil War, the U.S. entered a prolonged period of peace, and its rapidly developing economy also attracted a large amount of European capital.

Under the intervention of this European capital, the development speed of the American railways became exaggeratingly fast, to an extent where European nations could never catch up, which also indirectly influenced American industry, allowing it to achieve equally rapid development.

Under such conditions, it took only a short time for the United States to become an industrial and economic powerhouse. But it was also clear that, because of the European capital driving it behind the scenes, the U.S. was restricted in every aspect of industry and the economy, making it not truly a powerful nation.

Without these European capitals, America’s development speed would certainly not have been as fast. The overly rapid development of the United States also earned it the title of a nouveau riche because the European populace generally looked down upon Americans, leading those who came to Europe to be mockingly referred to as nouveau riche from remote villages.

Of course, this was not entirely mockery of Americans, as there was also a hint of envy mixed in.

Anyway, regardless of how it’s said, the Americans indeed had money. At least the American attitude toward business pleased Carlo, and since Americans were willing to send money his way, Carlo had no reason to refuse.

The wealthy Americans ordered over 3,000 street lamps and 20 large generators, a larger order than even that of the German government.

The cost of just 20 generators alone was enough to let the electricity company earn a small profit, not to mention that the 3,000 street lamps also represented a significant revenue, at least sufficient to ensure that Spain could recoup half of its investment in Madrid’s Nocturnal City.

Of course, to complete these two major orders in such a short time, the employees of the electricity company had to bear considerable hardship.

However, the employees of the electricity company were delighted because their overtime work came with additional compensation, which could increase their income. Employees even proactively requested overtime for those few extra hours’ pay.

After signing orders with the noble class, the German government, and the United States Government, the electricity company truly became busy.

Although the company had not been established for long, the potential of the electricity company had already been fully displayed. Carlo believed that perhaps in another ten years, the Spanish Power Company would become one of the most profitable companies under his command, and the money it generated could be invested back into the Electricity Laboratory, thus reducing Carlo’s expenditure on research.

The automobile company operated under the same principle. Once the automobile company started making money, Carlo wouldn’t have to pour as much capital into automobiles.

The revenue from these two companies would be enough to sustain related research and improvement expenses, and Carlo’s funds could be invested in other research fields to establish a stronger foundation for Spain in more industries and technologies.

Of course, not all countries wanted to import Spain’s technology. Just a few days after Christmas, a piece of news from the British Empire exploded throughout Europe.

The British Government announced the establishment of the Royal London Power Company in London, declaring that they would build at least ten power stations within the next three months to provide enough electricity for the entire city.

The United Kingdom was the world’s most powerful country, and London was its most developed and prosperous city. As the beacon of European civilization, the citizens of London would not allow their city to fall behind in terms of power.

After learning the news about the establishment of the Royal London Power Company, the citizens of London were quite satisfied, and the British Government successfully quelled the public’s discontent caused by Madrid’s Nocturnal City.

The French Government, after hesitating for a few days, had no choice but to announce the formation of a power company to light up all of Paris.

Because they didn’t have enough technology to set up power stations, the French Government ultimately had to seek Spain and signed a cooperative agreement with Spain.

Whether cooperating with Americans or French, the Spanish National Power Company focused on selling patents, with no intention of collaborating with other nations through patent licensing.

The primary reason for this is the era’s scant awareness of patents. Selling patents ensured no loss, but with patent licensing, once the licensing period expired, the other party would likely not renew and instead use the technology they had mastered to infringe on patent rights.