Chapter 329: The Divine Assist
In an old, dilapidated house in the village, Arthur successfully met with Tesla and his sister Miaka's family.
Everyone was quite surprised by Arthur's arrival. Since they were not prepared for it, they seemed somewhat anxious and uneasy.
Even Tesla, who had seen much of the world, was somewhat surprised but did not seem particularly nervous.
Accompanying Tesla's family was the village mayor, an elderly Englishman with a graying beard.
After greeting Arthur, and understanding the purpose of his visit, the others wisely left, giving Arthur enough space to speak with Tesla.
Once the others had left, Arthur turned his gaze toward the famous Tesla and said with a smile, "Mr. Tesla, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Your Majesty's reputation is also quite well known in the United States. I've had the privilege of seeing the Australasian dream," Tesla said. Having dealt with high society in the United States, he was surprised by Arthur's visit but did not appear flustered.
"Your Majesty!"
In the brief pause between their conversation, Miaka's family cautiously approached and bowed to Arthur.
After all, Miaka's family were just commoners from Serbia, and the highest officials they had ever met were the town mayor and local politicians.
Not to mention Arthur, who was the King of a recognized great power—Miaka's family had never even had the opportunity to meet the King of Serbia in person.
Seeing Arthur up close, it was impossible for them not to feel nervous.
"You must be Mr. Tesla's sister. Welcome to Australasia! I hope you will treat this place as your new home and help maintain the peace and prosperity here," Arthur said, nodding and speaking with a slight smile.
Miaka's family was Arthur's breakthrough point for recruiting Tesla.
For Tesla, in his old age, it was no surprise that he would miss his family the most.
Tesla's parents had passed away long ago, and his only close relatives now were his three sisters.
Seeing how friendly Arthur was, Miaka's family couldn't help but relax.
Miaka's husband, Zerosvich, seeing Arthur's pleasant demeanor and noticing Tesla's calmness, seemed to understand something.
"Mr. Tesla, to be frank, Australasia is in great need of an electrical expert to help develop the country's electrical infrastructure. If you are interested, I would be happy to offer you a position with the Australasian government. I can provide you with a generous salary, and also help find suitable work for your family, for Miaka and her family, at the royal consortium's factories," Arthur said straightforwardly.
As the head of a nation, there was no need for Arthur to beat around the bush.
To be perfectly honest, with Arthur's status and power, he could offer Tesla anything he wanted, as long as Australasia had it.
This was the immense power Arthur's position granted him, and it was also his greatest guarantee in recruiting Tesla.
Sure enough, after hearing Arthur's offer, Zerosvich's eyes briefly flashed with a gleam of hope, though he quickly hid it.
Although Arthur's offer included jobs for Miaka's family, it was clear that the decision lay with Tesla, and they had no say in it.
If they overstepped, it might even irritate Arthur and cause the opportunity to slip away.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I still have a company and work in the United States, so I don't have much time to take a part-time position in Australasia," Tesla responded, half truthfully, half jokingly.
Indeed, Tesla had a company and work in the U.S., and his free time was not exactly abundant.
However, if he made time, he could still manage a part-time role in Australasia. But the question was, why would Tesla work part-time in Australasia?
Though Arthur had made a generous offer, without a compelling reason that truly appealed to Tesla, there was no real reason for him to agree.
"I understand, Mr. Tesla. But I fear things may not be quite as you say. According to my intelligence, the financial situation of your company in the United States is quite dire, and you've lost the support of the Morgan family. If I'm not mistaken, your debt has likely reached tens of thousands of dollars, and it is severely affecting your research progress," Arthur said with a knowing smile.
Arthur would never take action without enough investigation first.
In fact, the Royal Security and Intelligence Bureau had thoroughly investigated not just Tesla's company's financial situation, but also the nature of Tesla's collaborations with all of the financial syndicates.
"Forgive me for saying this, Mr. Tesla, but it would be a global loss if someone of your caliber had their research stalled due to financial constraints. I'm sure you've heard of the Royal Physical and Chemical Research Association in Australasia. The association has an annual research budget of millions of Australian dollars, and it is only growing. Australasia values talent, and I simply cannot bear to see a renowned figure like yourself suffer because of debt, hindering your research progress," Arthur said, directly addressing Tesla's current situation with a smile.
"Your Majesty, while that may be true, if I can regain the patent for radio, I am confident that with my research and patents, I can restore my financial situation," Tesla replied stubbornly, despite his financial troubles being exposed.
Tesla's talents were certainly superior to Edison's.
However, Edison was not only an inventor but also a skilled businessman, while Tesla, although an excellent inventor and physicist, had little ability in capital management. Moreover, without patent income and without the support of a financial syndicate, Tesla's assets were essentially negative.
Tesla's research required substantial financial backing, often in the tens of thousands. Although his negative assets didn't prevent him from continuing his research, it was clear that his progress was being seriously hindered. Without a solution to the financial problems, his research could come to a standstill.
"Mr. Tesla," Arthur continued, ignoring Tesla's retort, and looked at him seriously, offering a more sincere proposition, "In my opinion, a great physicist should not be held back by money. If you are willing to trust me, I will provide you with a private research lab and at least 200,000 Australian dollars in research funding every year. How you use this money is up to you, as long as it's for research purposes and within my approval."
Given the current exchange rate between Australian dollars and U.S. dollars, 200,000 Australian dollars was equivalent to 500,000 U.S. dollars—an amount that would certainly be a fortune for Tesla, given his financial troubles.
What made this even more appealing was that if Tesla agreed to work for Arthur, this 200,000 Australian dollars would not only be delivered on time but would also be provided every year.
To a researcher like Tesla, a private specialized research lab and sufficient funding were undeniably attractive offers.
When narrowing the scope to researchers like Tesla, whose progress had been severely hindered by debt, this offer became infinitely more appealing.
It was like how a woman could never refuse cosmetics—Tesla carefully swallowed a lump in his throat. He admitted that Arthur's offer was indeed tempting.
"If Mr. Tesla agrees to join Australasia, the royal consortium is willing to take care of all your financial worries, including your company and work in the U.S. The royal consortium will handle all your concerns. If you agree now, I can have your two sisters brought to Australasia so that your family can reunite. Of course, your work and land will be settled promptly. If you wish to take Australasia's nationality, that would be even better. Australasia greatly welcomes someone like you and your family," Arthur said, seeing that Tesla was no longer being obstinate and was instead thinking the matter over. He seized the moment to continue presenting his offer.
Bringing Tesla's remaining two sisters to Australasia was a simple task for Arthur.
If Arthur wished, using airships, he could safely deliver them to Australasia in about a month.
As for Tesla's family's work situation, that was not a problem for Arthur at all.
The royal consortium's rapid business expansion meant there were always plenty of job openings. Tesla's family members could easily be placed in these positions after a short training.
For Arthur, the cost of recruiting a talent like Tesla, capable of changing an entire field, was well worth it, and the conditions he offered Tesla were not a significant expense for him.
"Nikola, I'm not sure what's holding you back, but His Majesty values you highly, and I don't want to see your talent wasted in a place like the U.S. Please be firm in your decision. Do it for me, for Angelina and Mareka. They're not doing well in Serbia. Wouldn't it be wonderful for us to reunite in Australasia?" Miaka couldn't help but speak up as she saw Tesla deep in thought while Arthur smiled and waited.
As Tesla's elder sister, Miaka, who was now in her 40s and had a son in his twenties, was deeply invested in this opportunity.
Miaka's son was still unmarried and had no respectable job in Serbia, which made it impossible for him to find a suitable bride.
Now that they were in Australasia with such a good opportunity, Miaka certainly didn't want to miss it.
Moreover, in Miaka's view, Arthur's offer was incredibly advantageous for Tesla. A higher-paying job, an independent lab, more research funds, and the chance to reunite her family—what could be more wonderful than that?
Arthur secretly nodded, greatly appreciating Miaka's timely intervention.
But in reality, this was simply a natural response. After all, at Miaka's age, being a wife and mother, who wouldn't want a better life for their family and children?
Arthur had indeed taken advantage of Miaka's natural instincts, but he had also given her family more benefits.
(End of Chapter)
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