GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

Those who are willing to lend him money because of his title are willing to do so because they trust his title and know that they can go to the lamp bearers to complain if he defaults on his debt.

As for those who want to give him money, they are even more than those who would be willing to lend him money because the money they are giving him is not free. They want some assistance in exchange for that money, so the money will be a bribe.

Of course he can't take their bribe. He has a reputation to protect. So he can only borrow the money at an interest rate of 10% every month.

That is an exorbitant interest rate. But that's the best he can get.

They won't give him a better rate because they are hoping he won't be able to pay. That way, they can use the debt to gain a hold on him and force him to do things for them.

He didn't have a choice, and he didn't mind the exorbitant rate because if his offer is accepted, he will be able to pay back the loan in less than one month.

He borrowed 30 silver coins to have money for two letters and extra for other things he plans to do. Then he went to the temple.

The first thing he did in the temple was not to send the letter. Instead of sending the letter, he submitted another patent for approval.

This patent was for a new type of heating element used in converting electricity into heat. He also added a patent for a better light filament to be used in light bulbs.

The current heating elements and lighting filaments are fragile, expensive to buy, and expensive to use because of expensive electricity.

They don't have low efficiency because of insufficient resistance to electricity and break easily during use because they can't withstand the hight heat produced during operation.

His first patent is for an alloy of nickel and chromium called Nichrome, which will replace the heating elements. His second patent is for tungsten lighting filament for the lighting filaments in light bulbs.

The two replacements are better than the current technology in every way. They are more durable and cheaper.

Once electricity becomes available at a cheaper price, they will become the widely used alternatives. They will have such a success that they will remain relevant for a hundred years.

That is a long time in the lifespan of humans. In fact, rarely does a human live up to 50 in this day and age. So these two parents are highly valueble.

He patented these two technologies to entice Tesla. He had promised Tesla access to his future patents, but nothing is better than immediate benefits.

These two technologies are those immediate benefits. What's more, the two patents can put Tesla out of business because they are better than what Tesla's company is currently capable of.

So in a way, he is both enticing and threatening Tesla. Either Tesla accepts his offer, or he and his precious company are displaced by whoever he decides to become partners with after Tesla rejects him.

Legion smiled to himself as he submitted the patent and said, "This way, he will have no choice but to be my pawn even if he has thoughts of resisting."

The technology in the patents is very important, but they have very little upfront benefit for the god of steam since they are not directly related to the power of the steam engine.

That meant that, unlike last time, the god of steam wasn't impatient to read it. He had to pay the one silver for the sacrifice in order to draw the attention of the god of steam for the sacrifice.

But once the patents were received, they were quickly approved, and a rune of approval was sent to the altar. The rune informed him of the approval of the patent. It also informed him of the terms and conditions of the patent.

As usual, the patent will belong to him for as long as he lives and to whoever he designates as its controller before he dies. He will also gain 10% of the revenue from the sale of products using the technology.

2% of that 10% will go to the god of steam for protecting his patent. It is the reward for the god of steam, ensuring that no one tries to cheat him. So his real royalty is only really 8%.

This 2% still has to be paid to the god of steam even if he uses Tesla as his sole partner or even in the situation where he doesn't partner with anyone else and only goes into business alone with his patents. The god of steam will make sure that he is not cheated by those who want to use his technology without his permission, so the god of steam can't be cheated out of his money.

After the patent had been approved came the decision for advertisement. This time, he chose not to advertise his new patents.

He wanted to keep their existence a secret. He wanted only the god of steam, him, and Tesla to know of their existence for now.

Tesla can always confirm their existence from the god of steam, so Tesla will know that he is lying about his claim in his offer, and Tesla can verify who he needs to ask for permission to use the patent from the god of steam.

If Tesla then accepts his offer, he can use the two new patents to gain an extra dominance in the world. If he doesn't, then he will at least know that what he is doing is a very bad idea.

Since he wasn't going to advertise his new patents, all that remained was sending the letter to Tesla. He wanted to get it done as soon as possible, but he couldn't do it immediately because the high priest was receiving an oracle from the god of steam.