The Fox of France

Chapter 293:The City That Never Sleeps

Joseph's words were, in fact, somewhat exaggerated, but he couldn't just tell Napoleon that he had time-traveled and had a head start in developing light bulbs and vacuum tubes, could he?

Whether it was the light bulb or the vacuum tube, their technological roots were almost the same, and they shared similar technical challenges. Overcoming one meant you were on the path to mastering the other.

First and foremost, there was the challenge of creating a vacuum. The filament in incandescent light bulbs had to be heated to two or three thousand degrees Celsius to emit brilliant light. However, at such temperatures, any conducting material would undergo violent oxidation reactions with the oxygen in the air, leading to combustion. So, the first technological hurdle in creating usable incandescent bulbs was achieving a vacuum.

Another challenge was filament manufacturing. In the original history, Edison had reportedly experimented with over a thousand materials before settling on carbonized bamboo filaments.

Joseph knew, of course, that future filaments were made of tungsten. However, during this time period, tungsten had just been discovered, had extremely low production levels, and had an extremely high melting point. It was nearly impossible to smelt it; it had to be obtained through chemical purification and powder sintering before forging and drawing. Yet, due to tungsten's inherent hardness and relative brittleness, drawing it was no simple task, and the conventional high-carbon steel drawing dies were useless for it. Only diamond drawing dies could handle it, and they weren't manufacturing synthetic diamonds during this era.

Thus, producing tungsten filaments, while not impossible, had unacceptable production levels and costs. Moreover, given the technological gap in vacuum technology with the future, even if they used tungsten filaments, the lifespan of incandescent bulbs would still be limited. In comparison, manufacturing carbonized bamboo filaments was much cheaper and simpler. So, after a brief experiment, Joseph decided to follow Edison's path and use carbonized bamboo filaments.

Of course, the attempt to draw tungsten wire was not in vain. In the process, Joseph's laboratory successfully produced tungsten carbide. Although the process for obtaining this substance was not yet perfected, it had significant potential for future use in metalworking.

Now, Joseph's light bulbs could continuously light up for several hundred hours, which was passable. There were no competitors globally, so there was no immediate need to improve the product's performance. In fact, in some sense, it was better to keep it small and inconspicuous.

As for the electron tube, it was relatively more complex, and the production process was not yet highly efficient at this stage. However, considering there were no competitors, the performance, though slightly inferior, was still good. So, having no competitors was truly a blessing.

"Of course, it's the 'City That Never Sleeps,'" Joseph replied. "Just imagine, we replace all the gas lamps in Paris with electric lights, and then adorn the most iconic buildings in Paris with electric lights. At night, the entire city is as bright as day. Isn't that a marvel?"

Napoleon shook his head, saying, "I thought it was something extraordinary. Paris already has street lamps; what's so special about that?"

"Street lamps? Those gas lamps? Their brightness, compared to electric lights, is like comparing fireflies to the full moon—completely incomparable. Do you want to come to my lab and see the effect?"

Napoleon raised an alert eyebrow. "Joseph, are you sure that what you can achieve in your lab can be replicated in a factory? I won't be fooled again!"

"What do you mean by 'fooled again'? Everything I can achieve in my lab will eventually be realized in a factory; it's just that some things require a final process." Joseph reassured, but he noticed the look in Napoleon's eyes and added, "But this time, you can rest assured that this can be mass-produced in the factory immediately."

"Alright," Napoleon agreed. "Shall we go see it now? And why not bring Lucien along?"

Joseph thought for a moment. To promote the product, Lucien was definitely someone who could help, given his various connections. He nodded and said, "Sure, let's bring him along. But, at this moment, he's probably already—"

"Who cares? Even if he's busy, we'll call him, and he won't dare to refuse, right? He's not thinking of rebelling, is he?" Napoleon said. In reality, he was quite pleased that he had a legitimate reason to disturb Lucien's work.

"Ah, Napoleon, you seem to be quite jealous of him. That's almost certain," Joseph commented, while adding in his mind, "This quote is indeed from Lu Xun."

Napoleon, however, was unaware of this, and he smiled disdainfully, saying, "Jealous of him? Hah, well, Prussia has just got a cute little Crown Prince..."

In France, several important departments already had wired telephones, and the technology was relatively simple. Joseph even established a "Paris Telephone Company" and put Louis, who had just graduated from the University of Paris, in charge of it.

However, due to the high installation and operating costs (this era didn't have automatic exchanges, so all telephone connections needed to be established manually, which naturally increased costs), only the most important departments and the wealthiest individuals could afford this technology. Of course, Lucien met both criteria, so finding him was quite easy. Even his residence at the Moulin Rouge had a telephone.

When the call came through, Lucien had just arrived at the Moulin Rouge and was preparing to start working. However, in response to the summons from his older and younger brothers, he immediately put down his work and rushed over.

Upon reaching Joseph's laboratory, it was already completely dark outside. Lucien got off the carriage and saw his two brothers waiting at the door. He hurried over, saying, "Joseph, Napoleon, my place is a bit far, and I rushed over as fast as I could."

"We know that," Joseph replied.

Lucien heaved a sigh of relief and then asked, "Did you call me over for something important?"

"We have something incredibly important to show you," Joseph said. "Come inside with us now."

As he spoke, Joseph pushed open the door to the laboratory, and the three of them entered.

"Joseph, you're really something. It's so dark, and you didn't even light a candle... I can't see anything... Ah!" Lucien was in the middle of complaining when suddenly the room lit up intensely, making it impossible for him to keep his eyes open.

"What is this...?" Lucien shielded his eyes with his hands and squinted as he asked.

"This is an electric light. It's a brand new era that can keep factories running 24 hours a day," Joseph replied.

"Goodness, my eyes were almost blinded!" Lucien gradually adjusted to the brightness. "This thing is incredibly bright! Compared to this, candles and the like are like fireflies. So, can this be mass-produced? How long does it last? How much does it cost? I think the entire Moulin Rouge, inside and out, including the red windmill's fan blades, should be illuminated with this! If so, it would be absolutely..."

"Do you have no interest in the scientific principles behind this?" Napoleon interjected.

"Why would I need to?" Lucien said. "You have Joseph and Napoleon. What do I need to concern myself with? Besides, it's like how I enjoy eating tuna. Do I need to understand how the chef prepares tuna? By the way, Joseph, you haven't answered my previous question."

"It can be mass-produced, lasts for about 800 hours, and the price varies from 1 to 5 francs depending on the brightness of each bulb, with a 50% profit margin. This one is 1 franc. Once production scales up, the price can drop to one-third of the current price," Joseph answered.

"Is the 1-franc one meant for general use, or is it slightly too expensive? What about the 5-franc one? Joseph, do you know how to do business? Why would you sell it for just 5 francs? High-end ones should be sold for at least 50 francs! A penny spent, five lives lighted. One franc spent, five lives lighted. Do you understand? I deal with wealthy people every day, and I understand them best. When they buy these, it's not just about utility, it's about showing off. How does a 5-franc product achieve that? Now, how do you use this thing?"

Joseph looked at Lucien and shook his head, then pointed to a rope hanging on the wall:

"Pull it once, and the light turns on; pull it again, and it goes out. Want to give it a try?"

Lucien walked over and reached out to pull the rope, but then he suddenly stopped and asked, "This won't give an electric shock, will it?"

With the spread of electricity, incidents of electric shocks causing deaths were not uncommon.

"Idiot!" Napoleon exclaimed. "The rope is insulated!"

"I know, but I'm worried it might get wet..." Lucien hesitated.

"I just pulled it," Joseph reassured.

"Alright." Lucien composed himself, reached for the rope, and pulled it. With a click, the room plunged into darkness. He pulled it again, and another click, and the room was filled with light. Another pull...

"Why isn't it lighting up?" Lucien asked in the darkness.

"You've probably broken it with all that pulling!" Joseph said.

"Joseph, you said this thing could last for 800 hours!"

"Before you started yanking on it, it had already been in use for several hundred hours," Joseph replied.