The Fox of France

Chapter 299: Genuine and Imitation

The experiment conducted under Ampère's guidance had been quite successful. It turned out that by using wires with a much smaller cross-sectional area, he managed to achieve lower losses compared to those as thick as one's arm. This single advancement had the potential to save a significant amount of precious copper. Moreover, although Ampère's experiment didn't reach the high voltages that future Oriental powers would employ, it hadn't even delved into the necessity of considering losses caused by reactance. Nonetheless, the voltage it achieved was just enough for relatively long-distance power transmission, making it possible to power a larger city from a substantial power plant. However, building a nationwide power grid? Joseph thought he might not live to see that day.

If we were to turn back the clock a few years, Ampère's experiment would likely have been dismissed as "the final equipment test." But in these past few years, Joseph had already accomplished plenty in the field of science. His discoveries in electromagnetic waves and the corresponding formulas alone had guaranteed that he would be loathed by students from secondary school to university in the future. He no longer needed to boost his reputation in this area. Instead, Joseph preferred to enhance his moral reputation and cultivate a multitude of impressive disciples.

Imagine having disciples all around the world, who would dare to say that Joseph was wrong? His vast horde of disciples and perhaps even the entirety of the European scientific community would rise to his defense. Now that was exhilarating, wasn't it? It was like the "masters" of a certain future Oriental nation who, in many cases, were not as groundbreaking as they were made out to be, serving more as knowledge brokers spreading Western ideas. Yet, due to their numerous disciples, they were hailed as extraordinary. Those unfamiliar might assume they belonged to the same league as contemporaries like Russell, Sartre, and Heidegger.

With these considerations in mind, Joseph was more inclined to leave the credit for discoveries and honors to his disciples. Many times, these discoveries should have rightfully been attributed to the individuals who made them, but now, when they achieved these breakthroughs, they were eternally grateful to Joseph. Some even believed that if they had a different mentor, these discoveries could have easily been credited to the mentor instead. It was only someone like Joseph, with high integrity and little regard for fame and recognition, who could say, "I've made enough discoveries already, to the point where the Academy of Sciences is struggling to name some physical quantities. I've heard that students in both secondary and higher education curse me when they can't solve math problems. It's not a good situation, I believe it's time for you all to share this burden!" What a remarkable person he was, truly the moral paragon of scientists!

Therefore, when Ampère conveyed the successful results of the experiment through the telegraph, Joseph promptly replied:

"Hurry up and write your paper, let me see it, and then prepare for entry into the Academy of Sciences." Well, the word count was a bit excessive, but the telegraph system was a military-industrial complex; it was used internally, so no one was billed per letter.

Upon receiving the telegram, Ampère was moved to tears. Meanwhile, his mentor was pondering: "Well, this year's slots are filled again. Ha! I can make that Napoleon guy who's always after fame and glory wait until next year! Hmph! Want to get into the Academy of Sciences? Let me see how many more students I have..."

As for Napoleon, he certainly had no idea that his brother was planning to make him wait indefinitely. Nevertheless, he had thought of a way to circumvent Joseph's defenses. Napoleon decided to establish a social academy of sciences outside the regular Academy and then... "I'll get myself an Academy President position too!"

After the successful experiment, Joseph immediately called Napoleon and Lucien. He informed Napoleon that the "City of Lights" spectacle was ready for full-scale implementation. Of course, they needed to expand the power plant and gradually increase the light bulb's production capacity. However, advertising could start immediately, and these matters would also involve attracting private investments.

Cadreus entered a newly opened shop under the banner of Bonaparte General Electric in an inconspicuous corner to the east of Montmartre Heights. This three-story building had the first two floors as a shop and exhibition area, while the top floor was reserved for major clients.

With Cadreus's status and purpose, he could directly go to the third floor. However, he preferred to take his time ascending from the first floor, reviewing the various samples, and organizing his thoughts.

The first floor mainly displayed electric lights for common folks and general applications. The cheapest 25-watt carbon filament glass bulb was priced at just one franc. According to General Electric's salespeople, under normal usage conditions, it could work continuously for more than five hundred hours. Given its price, this performance was already quite satisfying.

However, as a seasoned businessman, Cadreus could hear the undertones. First was the phrase "normal usage," which implied that any failure before reaching five hundred hours might be due to not using it normally. The later statement that it could work "continuously for more than five hundred hours" was quite an interesting way of phrasing it because, really, who would keep their light continuously on for more than five hundred hours? So, if you turned the light off at any point and it didn't last five hundred hours, that wasn't a product quality issue.

A 25-watt incandescent bulb, by future standards, was quite dim. However, in this era, when compared to candles, whale oil lamps, and the like, it was incredibly bright. Of course, the brighter, the better, as long as you could afford the electricity.

The luminous efficiency of incandescent bulbs, compared to the energy-saving bulbs and LEDs of the future, was abysmally low. Therefore, for the same power, they appeared much dimmer, but if you wanted them brighter, you just had to increase the power. So, next to the 25-watt bulbs, there were also 50-watt and 100-watt ones, which were still commonly used. Their prices remained reasonable. For instance, even the 100-watt bulbs were only 10 francs.

However, on the second floor, Cadreus came across the kind of lamp that had illuminated the entire Moulin Rouge when it opened – the ones disguised as stones. This was a 1000-watt lamp, and its price jumped straight to a thousand francs. It was said that if you wanted to add a spotlight cover like the one at the Moulin Rouge, along with a casing and a small fan for cooling, the whole lamp would cost two thousand francs. And the bulb's lifespan was still listed as "under normal usage, it can work continuously for more than five hundred hours."

Cadreus calculated that if he were to place two of these lamps outside his own nightclub, not to mention the other costs, just the expense of changing bulbs every month would amount to two thousand francs. So, he considered and promptly marked a cross over this idea in his mind.

Apart from high-power bulbs, there was another type of bulb that was particularly expensive: crystal bulbs. According to the sales pitch, these bulbs, unlike the glass-blown bulbs on the second floor, were carved from a single crystal to form a polyhedron. Additionally, they used platinum filaments, a high-end and upscale choice. So, both the light output and the lifespan were significantly enhanced. For example, a 25-watt bulb, under normal usage, could work continuously for more than a thousand hours.

As for the price, it was like the difference between a fine Lafite wine and factory-made wine. These bulbs cost two hundred francs each. Cadreus promptly marked this one with a cross in his mind as well.

The salesman seemed to have noticed Cadreus's dissatisfaction with the prices. He then said, "Sir, we actually have a similar-looking bulb that's considerably cheaper."

"Oh, can you show me that one?" Cadreus inquired.

The salesman reached into the counter and retrieved a bulb that resembled the polyhedral crystal bulb.

"Sir, take a look at this one. I won't hide the fact that the casing is made of glass, and its transparency is slightly different from high-quality crystal, but not by much. It's not a standalone bulb; it's a casing that you can put over another bulb. Then, hang it a bit higher, and who will be able to tell?"

"Is this casing large enough to fit another bulb inside?" Cadreus asked.

"Sir, we have a specific type of smaller bulb that can fit inside." The salesman pulled out a few very small bulbs from the counter. "These are also 25-watt carbon filament bulbs. Under normal usage, they can work continuously for more than five hundred hours. However, you know that making things smaller isn't easy, so the price is a bit higher at 3 francs each. If you use them inside the glass casing, heat dissipation might be a bit more challenging, and the lifespan may decrease. However, they should still be fine for two to three hundred hours."

The salesman noticed that Cadreus was somewhat interested, so he continued to pitch the "crystal lamp," which was essentially a "big crystal chandelier" made from these. Cadreus did the math in his head, and it seemed that the price quoted by Bonaparte General Electric was somewhat higher than what he could assemble on his own. However, when it came to connecting the wiring and such, that was a technical job. Besides Bonaparte General Electric, he couldn't find anyone else who could do it. So, he didn't have many other options.

After examining various light bulbs, Cadreus proceeded to the third floor.