Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 574 How many steps does it take to transport an elephant to London? (Bonus Chapter 4)

Upon hearing Emil Perrin's assessment, Lionel asked with interest, "Oh? How so?"

Emil Perrin stroked Lionel's walking stick: "Indian rosewood, ivory head, and this carving... This is no cheap thing, worth at least five hundred francs."

Lionel was somewhat surprised: "Really? I didn't ask the price. It was a gift from a friend in London."

Emil Perrin returned the cane to him: "Then they must be very good friends."

Then he added, "What I meant by what I just said is that you are now 100% 'high society' in France and even in all of Europe."

But you've maintained a middle-class—or rather, petit-bourgeois—standard of living.

Then the director of the Comédie-Française began counting on his fingers—

“You don’t have a whole bunch of formal suits custom-made from high-end dress shops. The clothes you wear every day are made of nice fabric, but they’re all bought from ready-to-wear stores, not custom-made.”

“You don’t wear a tall silk top hat, you wear a regular fedora, and sometimes you even come to my office without a hat.”

“You don’t have a gold pocket watch studded with jewels. You use an ordinary silver pocket watch—and I heard you pawned it before.”

“You only hired one cook to prepare meals, handed over the laundry to the neighborhood laundry lady to wash, and the daily cleaning of the apartment was maintained by whoever saw a dirty spot and cleaned it up.”

"You can either go to the post office yourself to send your letters, or have the apartment manager send them for you."

“You don’t own a carriage or a driver. You travel by bicycle or by horse-drawn carriage for daily purposes.”

At this point, Emil Perrin stood up again and looked around the apartment.

"Especially the male servants—you don't employ any male servants at all. If your annual income exceeds 20,000 francs, you should employ at least four servants."

Two maids, one servant, one coachman... but you only hired one cook, which many people would consider a sign of 'stinginess'.

Lionel listened without refuting. What Emil Perrin said was true.

He genuinely disliked these 19th-century formalities; he felt they restricted his freedom!

He also disliked wearing tight-fitting formal wear, tall top hats, and being surrounded by servants.

He enjoys a simple life. He eats when he wants, sleeps when he wants, works when he wants, and rests when he wants. He doesn't want to be bound by so-called "high society etiquette."

If he really wanted to commission something, he would go to Parisian artisans to commission T-shirts, flip-flops, beach shorts... but it would be too outrageous to wear them out now.

Emil Perrin pointed to the cane: "Now you have something that can finally be called a 'luxury'."

This cane is the only thing you own that meets the standards of 'high society'.

Lionel picked up the cane and examined it. The rosewood grain of the cane was beautiful, the ivory head was finely carved, and the silver decorations gleamed.

It is indeed exquisite and valuable, but that's all.

He put the cane back on the sofa: "I just need a cane to help me walk. This one is just right."

Emil Perrin said with a smile, "I believe you will choose to keep it, even after your leg injury has healed."

Lionel remained silent. Because Emil Perrin was right; he would continue to use the cane, only for reasons different from what the other man imagined…

However, he made no attempt to explain the mystery behind the cane.

In the end, Lionel could only say, "I am still me. I prefer a simpler life. A cane won't change anything."

Emil Perrin laughed: "You know what, Leon? At times, your thinking is downright 'bohemian'."

"Bohemians?"

"Yes. Bohemians. Those wanderers who are not bound by tradition and pursue freedom and art."

They don't care about social status or money; they only care about their own hearts. Many times, you're like that too.

Lionel thought for a moment, then smiled: "Maybe."

Emil Perrin sat for a while longer before leaving, saying as he departed, "Goodbye, my 'Mr. Bohemia'."

After he left, Lionel held his cane and twirled it in his hand.

Bohemian? That's a good word. He likes it.

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Not long after Emil Perrin left, more guests arrived.

This time, three people came together—Pierre Curie, Henri Poincaré, and Nikola Tesla.

Pierre Curie was the first to hug Lionel: "Léon! How's your leg?"

“Much better.” Lionel shook hands with each of them. “Why did you all come together?”

Henri Poincaré said, "We met in the lab and came together. And we have good news to tell you."

"good news?"

Nikola Tesla opened his briefcase, took out a stack of blueprints, and spread them out on the table.

Lionel asked curiously, "What is this?"

"A transformer. But this isn't the previous model; it's a new one we developed!"

Nikola Tesla pointed to the complex coil and core structure on the drawing and began to explain—

"Look here. In the old transformers, the core was a single piece. This would generate eddy currents, causing energy loss and low efficiency."

"So we came up with a solution to make the iron core layered. We stacked many thin iron sheets together, with insulating material separating the sheets."

"The effect of this is a significant reduction in eddy current losses and hysteresis losses. The transformer's operating efficiency is increased by at least 30%!" Henri Poincaré added, "And the stability is enhanced. Traditional transformers are prone to overheating, but this one is not."

We tested it; after running continuously for 24 hours, the temperature only rose by ten degrees Celsius.

Lionel listened, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

He certainly knew what this meant. In a power system, transformers are critical equipment. They convert high-voltage electricity into low-voltage electricity, or low-voltage electricity into high-voltage electricity.

The efficiency of transformers directly impacts the efficiency of the entire power system. A 30% increase in efficiency is a significant leap forward, establishing a decisive competitive advantage!
"Have you tested it?"

"We've tested it. We've tested it more than ten times in the lab, and the data is very stable. We're preparing to apply for a patent."

Lionel looked at Nikola Tesla. The young Serbian inventor smiled shyly.

He said, "I came up with some ideas, Pierre and Henri helped me refine them, and I made some improvements."

Pierre Curie patted him on the shoulder: "Don't be modest. This idea wouldn't have been possible without your circuit design."

Lionel picked up the transformer blueprints and asked a crucial question: "What about the cost? How much higher is it than a traditional transformer?"

Henri Poincaré laughed: "Strips of iron are cheaper than whole iron cores, and insulation materials are not expensive either. Once production increases, the overall cost may even be lower."

Pierre Curie continued, "And it's easier to manufacture. No large forging equipment is needed, just stamping and stacking."

Lionel put down the transformer blueprints and looked at the three men before him: Pierre Curie, Henri Poincaré, and Nikola Tesla…

Three geniuses, three people who will change the world, are now working together to bring electric lights to the world as soon as possible.

He didn't know when transformers using this technology were invented in history, but he believed that no one could have done it better than the three of them.

Even Thomas Edison wouldn't do!
Lionel closed the drawing, his voice utterly sincere: "This is the best gift I've received these past few days!"

All three of them laughed.

The group sat down on the sofa in the living room and chatted for a long time. They talked about technology, patents, the market, and the future...

Lionel listened, offering suggestions occasionally and asking questions occasionally. His leg still ached, but his mind was racing.

This is what truly interests him. Not the life of "high society," not the empty talk in salons, and not grand political visions.

What he wants to see is tangible technological progress, inventions that can change the world, and how people's lifestyles are gradually being reshaped.

Midway through the conversation, Nikola Tesla suddenly said, "By the way, there's some news from Edison's side."

What's that noise?

"He opened a new company in London called 'Edison Electric Lighting Company.' It focuses on direct current (DC) systems, claiming that DC is safer than alternating current (AC)."

Pierre Curie scoffed: "Safety? Direct current has low voltage and high transmission loss, it's completely impractical. He's just making a death throes."

Henri Poincaré was still somewhat worried: "But he has money, resources, and influence. He would attack alternating current in the newspapers, saying it's dangerous and can electrocute people."

Nikola Tesla nodded: "Yes, I'm worried about that too. Oh, and there's another piece of news, I'm not sure if it's true—"

He reportedly bought an elephant in India and plans to ship it to London. It should arrive sometime in the spring.

Henri Poincaré looked curious: "Elephants? Is he going to open a zoo in London with electric lights?"

Pierre Curie was also puzzled, unable to see any connection between elephants and direct current.

Nikola Tesla made a rough guess: "Could he be planning to use elephants to pull his giant generator?"

Lionel knew perfectly well what Edison was up to, but he didn't care.

He calmly said, "Don't worry about what he's trying to do. We'll have a new weapon soon that will crush all doubts."

The other three realized the same thing and laughed together. Yes, once that "new weapon" was unveiled, no one could resist its allure.

The four of them chatted for a while longer, until it got dark.

Lionel insisted on seeing the three to the door. As they were leaving, Nikola Tesla suddenly turned around and looked at Lionel.

"Thank you," he said.

"What are you thanking me for?" Lionel asked, somewhat curious.

"Thank you for believing me. Back at Edison in Paris, many people thought I was crazy."

Lionel patted him on the shoulder: "You're not crazy, you're a genius. But the world is often not ready to accept geniuses."

Nikola Tesla's eyes lit up. He said nothing more, just nodded, and turned to leave.

Lionel closed the door, leaned against it, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Outside the window, the lights of Paris gradually came on. The warm glow of gas lamps illuminated the streets, the buildings, and the city's night.

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Time flies, and a week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Although readers in Paris had not yet enjoyed the convenience of electric lights, they were the first to feel the impact of "The Sinking of the Titan".

In the new story, Jacques Junisson and Ruth fall in love.

Lionel wrote this passage in an extremely romantic way, so sweet that readers throughout Paris couldn't help but smile like doting aunts.

(Third update, thank you everyone, please vote with monthly tickets!)

(End of this chapter)