Berlin Electric Company.
Located in eastern Berlin, its position was unremarkable, in the transitional zone between the bustling city and the outskirts. A gray-white building served as the offices of Berlin Electric Company.
After the castle's completion ceremony ended, Ernst returned to Berlin because Berlin Electric Company's first result had emerged.
At Ernst's reminder, Berlin Electric Company had remained focused on one thing: experimenting with materials for electric lamp filaments.
Ernst remembered Edison's work improving electric lamps. He had tested many materials before finally selecting carbonized cotton fiber, later switching to bamboo fiber, so Ernst had provided the staff with a little convenience.
Ernst entered the company and, after asking an employee, learned that Carl von Linde was in the laboratory. Ernst went to the laboratory door and pushed it open.
The laboratory was strewn with tangled electrical wires, and all manner of experimental equipment had been placed in chaotic disorder. Ernst carefully stepped over the various instruments and saw Carl von Linde sitting upright in an armchair, drawing blueprints.
Ernst did not dare disturb Carl von Linde. After all, a genius's imagination was most precious. If one careless move of his interrupted Carl von Linde's valuable train of thought, his losses would be enormous.
Ernst quietly found a chair, sat down gently, and waited for Carl von Linde to finish his work.
In the silent laboratory, the only sounds were the ticking of the clock and the soft scratching of pencil against paper.
Who knew how much time passed? Ernst was nearly dozing off when he heard papers being sorted. Carl von Linde stretched lazily and yawned.
Only then did Carl von Linde, having finished his work, notice that there was another person in the laboratory.
"Your Highness Ernst, when did you arrive? My apologies. I was so focused on my work that I did not notice your arrival!"
Ernst rose, stretching his limbs as he said, "Mr. Linde, why don't you have someone clean this place? The laboratory is far too messy. Won't that affect your research?"
Carl von Linde explained, "It's like this: I can only organize my thoughts properly when I am alone, so I generally do not allow others into my room. Besides, these instruments and tools are all part of the experiments. There are too few people in the company who understand this field, or they are not professional enough. I worry they might move the instruments around and ruin some of my experiments.
"Of course, I myself would like to work in a tidy environment. But scientific research is simply like this: inspiration strikes from time to time, and experiments need verification, so the instruments and wires keep piling up. Eventually, I simply gave up on the idea of tidying the laboratory," Carl von Linde explained.
"So that's how it is!" Ernst suddenly understood. The world of geniuses truly was extraordinary, while some people were merely lazy.
"Mr. Linde, if you need anything, you can tell me in advance. Of course, my main reason for coming today was to see how the electric lamp is progressing," Ernst said.
Hearing this, Carl von Linde began showing Ernst their results.
"Your Highness Ernst, please come with me!"
Thus, guided by Carl von Linde, the two went down the stairs and turned into a laboratory on the first floor. Several staff members were refining something in furnaces, and Ernst guessed they were producing materials.
Carl von Linde walked to a shelf and took down a box. Inside were glass oval spheres, each containing strangely shaped filaments, all made entirely by hand.
"Morgens, come over and demonstrate!" Carl von Linde called over a staff member.
The employee demonstrated the sphere's operating principle before Ernst.
"Boss, this is the socket. Beneath this bulb is the plug. We simply insert the bulb into the socket, and the current passes through the internal filament, allowing it to emit light..."
As he spoke, he inserted the bulb into the socket. The bulb before them immediately lit up, its filament burning red-hot and giving off a glaring pale-yellow light.
After waiting a moment, the light showed no abnormalities, and the employee let out a breath of relief.
Ernst asked, "How long can this lamp remain lit?"
"About six hours!" the employee answered.
Carl von Linde explained, "Your Highness Ernst, this is the situation. After you provided the correct line of thought, we did indeed produce a finished product, but some hardware is still difficult to achieve at the current level of scientific development."
"For example, this bulb's filament requires a completely vacuum environment to function effectively. However, Vacuum Technology of this era cannot yet accomplish that. There are no instruments or patents on the market capable of achieving it either, so we can only make do for now."
Ernst asked, "Is there a solution?"
"That is precisely what I was about to say. At present, I am researching ways to improve the vacuum technology already available on the market. I have been conducting research on this for the past several days, but there have been no substantive gains yet."
Ernst pinched his chin and thought carefully. Although Carl von Linde had many achievements in electrical applications, when it came to precision instruments, Lenoir and his group studied internal combustion engines all day long. Internal combustion engines demanded the utmost airtightness and reliability; not the slightest mistake could be allowed. Their research into machinery was more specialized.
Thus, he proposed, "How about this, Mr. Linde? Vacuum Technology places extremely high demands on machinery. You also know that I have another energy power company under my name. Their researchers work with machinery over long periods, and their requirements for mechanical precision and quality are extremely high. We can ask whether they have any ideas about this!"
Carl von Linde agreed. After all, it was too difficult for one person to handle, especially in a field he was not particularly skilled in.
Thus, Ernst and Carl von Linde took a carriage to the nearby headquarters of Berlin Energy Power Company. It was now afternoon, and Lenoir and the others had not yet left.
"Mr. Lenoir!"
Ernst called Lenoir and the others over.
"Your Highness Ernst, have you come to the company today with some instructions?"
"It's like this..."
Ernst told Lenoir and the others about the situation Carl von Linde had encountered, while also introducing the senior members of the two companies to one another.
"Is that so?" After hearing this, Lenoir found a sheet of paper and began drawing. After a while, he asked, "Mr. Linde, could you lend me your blueprints for a look?"
Fortunately, Ernst and Linde had brought Linde's research documents with them, and they handed them to Lenoir.
Time passed second by second with the clock hands, until Lenoir suddenly came to a realization.
"This is a very good idea, Mr. Linde. This method is feasible, but the direction needs to be adjusted. The breakthrough does not lie in the structure now, but in materials research. As it happens, I have some experience in that area."
Thus, the leading figures from two different fields began discussing and verifying their ideas with great enthusiasm. Benz and the others also joined in, and amid their heated debate, the blueprints were overturned and redrawn time and again.
Before they knew it, the group had talked until evening. The moon already hung high in the sky, and Ernst, a poor student in such matters, could only call for a cup of coffee and wait for these great minds to finish their discussion.
"...That resolves the final problem, Mr. Linde!" Lenoir said excitedly.
"Wonderful! This removes the greatest roadblock on the path to improving the electric lamp. Thank you so much, Mr. Lenoir!" Linde said excitedly as well.
In the end, Lenoir, Linde, and the others concluded that the improved Vacuum Technology would require at least three months of experimentation before its principles could be turned into reality. The two sides entered into a short-term partnership.
The patent for the new technology would be jointly filed by all the researchers, while ownership would belong to Hechingen Bank. They would enjoy a twenty percent share of future profits.