NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1000: End of two millennia of exile
Time passed quickly to December 1678
The economy of the empire, driven by the constant victories on the frontline, continued to rise.
The empire had long gone past rebuilding after the plague and recovering to a similar level before the economic crisis. It had reached a new level of prosperity with its Gross Domestic Product already projected to over 50 billion Varaha. The growth was driven by, well, the obvious suspect, really, the military manufacturing industry, which blossomed into something amazing with the recovery of trade lines, and even more so with the commencement of the war.
Ordinance was consumed as if there was no tomorrow, and with this came an endless demand for ammunition and weapons.
Apart from the military manufacturing industry driven by the three military conglomerates, the industry that came like a dark horse and contributed so much to the entire economy in such a small time frame was the canning industry, a new rising industry that caught the headwinds and was on the way to one-time sale to success.
All this was made possible when Agni decided he no longer wanted to monopolise the canning technology his father had invented.
He decided to sell the patent and the manufacturing rights to anyone who was willing to buy it.
When the decision was made, Srikanth, the person who was managing the Bhagat Canning factory, was in shock.
" Are you sure, sir? Doing this, we will lose a lot of the market." Srikanth was very clear that they hadn't even scratched the surface when it came to the reach of their products. He knew that if the technology was kept in their hands, the company could grow to such a size that the cans it produced could be sold to all parts of the world. But now, His Highness was actually planning to sell the canning technology and the preservation technology; how could he not worry?
He looked at Agni hopefully, wishing he would change his mind. Sadly, he was disappointed.
" Yes, I'm sure, we will sell the patent rights as well as the manufacturing rights "
" Release the news to the patent office and create a department to handle all the negotiations "
Srikanth's expression fell, but he knew that there was no changing the decision of his highness. The very day, he personally released the news about their willingness to sell the patent and manufacturing rights of the canning technology.
As soon as the application was received by the patent office, over the next few days, its information was hung across all the patent offices of the empire.
Businessmen who had been eagerly watching the profits made by the prince from the sidelines and could only drool were now like wolves in a flock of sheep, snatching the opportunity and directly purchasing the patent at the quoted price without even trying to negotiate.
In fact, the reason why Agni decided to sell the patent and the manufacturing technology was not because he did not like money, or because he was not interested in the field. It was because he noticed the time sensitivity of the market. He could feel that the Europeans, especially the Russians, Germans, and the people in the Balkan region, needed canned food immediately, and if he delayed, there was a chance that his father's plan wouldn't go completely according to how he wished.
Agni couldn't risk not being able to produce the canned food needed by the Russians so that they could restart the war.
His father didn't necessarily say that he had to sell the patent, and simply said to increase the output, but Agni could tell that there was no way in hell he could expand by so much, taking on huge debts, so he simply let the businessmen take on part of the burden.
What's more, the loss to his company was not too big, because even though the technology of canning and preservation was sold, the recipes were not. So while other canning factories' products tasted bland and unappetizing, Bhagat Canning Factory alone stood as a premium canning brand, which unconsciously even made it into the homes of the people within the empire who wanted to have a quick breakfast before going to work, or who did not want to eat local food while going on a tour.
In fact, what Agni did not know was that he was only a hair's breadth away from having his company, Bhagat Canning, split up into parts. When Vijay provided the patent for the canning and preservation technologies, he was already preparing to draft an antitrust bill to stop monopolies in existence by splitting them up so that they became different companies with no intersection.
But when Agni readily gave up the patent for canning and preservation, Vijay no longer had any need to pass the bill. He was both proud of his son for taking the right decision and relieved, because he was actually preparing to split up Raya Petroleum, which is a monopoly in every sense of the word.
Now he could put the matter aside for a later date.
---
It took nearly 40 days for the news to reach from the Levant region to the capital of the Bharatiya Empire.
Vijay, who read the news, was very happy.
The Ottoman Empire had been pushed to the brink of extinction, its hand in Africa completely cut off, its head in the Balkans butchered, its legs in the Middle East sawn off, and now only its body remained.
Vijay felt like the victory was only an arm's length away, which made him very excited, but he hadn't been the emperor of the empire for two decades for nothing. He quickly reined in his emotions and thought about current affairs.
He had to decide what would happen with the territories that the empire had conquered. The fate of several territories had already been sealed, like Morocco, which would be taken over by Spain, several city-states on the western bank of the Red Sea, which would be taken by the Sultanate of Mahara, and the holy cities as well as the region on the east coast of the Red Sea, which would be taken by the Imamate of Qusmid.
Now he had to decide what would happen to Egypt, the Levant, and other areas of the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Thinking of the Levant, an old Jewish man who had left everything for the promise he had made came to his mind. Vijay knew that the time had come for him to fulfil his promise.
Without hesitation, Vijay picked up a paper and wrote a letter directly to Joseph Süß Oppenheimer.
---
Joseph walked through the beautiful garden with the support of a cane. His face was filled with the vicissitudes of life, but his eyes were still lively; they had a spark of wisdom in them.
He was currently 74 years old, a very long life for someone in this era. Joseph thought the reason for his health was the excellent medical treatment he received in the Bharatiya Empire, which was one of the best in the world, and his habits, which had adopted the principles of Ayurveda that preached moderation in everything.
Another reason he clung to life was his stubbornness, a determination to witness with his own eyes the day when the Jews would have a nation they could truly call their own. It was the same stubbornness that would not let him die before His Majesty the Emperor fulfilled his promise.
Joseph wanted to ask many times when the emperor would fulfil his promise, for the five years mentioned when they first met had already passed. Yet, in the end, he kept silent and did not even entertain the thought of questioning the emperor, because the Bharatiya Empire was no longer the same empire of the 1660s, when talents had to be brought from abroad to fill posts of civil servants and financial positions.
Currently, it is the Bharatiya Empire where all kinds of talent can be trained in-house, and people come from all over the world to learn.
Although he did have some influence in the empire as the director of the Mangaluru Stock Exchange, it was limited, so believing in the character of the emperor, he simply did his work stubbornly, not complaining about anything.
" Grandpa, you have a post, " a sweet voice was heard beside Joseph.
Looking at his granddaughter, Joseph smiled sweetly, " Who is it from, my dear? "
" I don't know, Grandfather, but it does have the crest of the Shanku and chakra that is seen in the history books. "
The doating expression on Joseph's face immediately disappeared, and he quickly took over the post.
Not speaking about anything, he sat on top of the chair in the garden and confirmed that the letter was from the emperor's office.
His heart began to palpitate. 'Could it be?' A premonition took hold of him, for apart from that matter, there was no reason for His Majesty to contact him. He had already retired from his post as the director of the Mangaluru Stock Exchange over five years ago, when he could no longer manage the tasks required of him. Besides, he knew well that the empire had begun waging war against the Ottomans on their own ground. So far, everything added up there was a high chance the letter was about what he was thinking.
His hands began to tremble as he opened the letter.
He could vaguely hear the cries of his granddaughter, panicked, but his emotions were too turbulent, and his attention was completely focused on the letter.
Opening the letter, there were only a few paragraphs within it.
"The two millennia of exile have come to an end for your people."
"All of you left your homeland 2,398 years ago. You roamed every corner of the world, outsiders in every kingdom and empire. You returned to your home over two thousand years ago, yet you were ruled successively by the Persians, the Hellenistic kingdoms, the Hasmoneans, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Crusaders, and finally the Ottomans."
"The oppression of your people did not cease. Perhaps a sin was committed two thousand years ago, and now I formally declare that the due price has been paid. It is time for the Jews to have a homeland of their own, and it is time for me to fulfil my long-overdue promise."
"Mr. Joseph Süß Oppenheimer, I hereby declare that in two months the Kingdom of Israel will be established. After two millennia, the name Israel will once again be heard by Christians and all the nations of the world."