Guest Academician

Besides this cannon, the Bonaparte Arsenal also displayed various other types of weapons, many of which were actually just improvements on some older, more advanced products that people had seen before. The biggest improvement was that the original material was changed from iron to steel.

In addition, the Bonaparte Arsenal showcased a cutting-edge technology—smokeless powder. According to the instructions, this powder, combined with a steel barrel, allows bullets to achieve higher muzzle velocities, thus increasing range. It also reduces fog of war, making the shooter's position more concealed and less likely to be detected...

Upon seeing this, even Watt, who was not radical on the issue of Ireland, felt a deep sense of malice.

Besides guns and cannons, the Bonaparte Arsenal also produced various melee weapons, such as daggers, bayonets, and various switchblades or butterfly knives. Watt couldn't help but frown when he saw these things. These items were already very common in Britain, and some Britain companies had even started to copy them.

The prevalence of such weapons in Britain was even more abhorrent to Watt and his team than the prevalence of landmines and rifles in Ireland. After all, in Ireland, most of the people killed or injured by landmines were Britain civilians, and these threats were far removed from Watt and his team. Unless they went to Ireland themselves, they would basically not encounter such dangers.

But switchblades and butterfly knives are different; their popularity, in a sense, signifies a decline in public safety. Of course, London, or any city in England, is not exactly safe. But switchblades and butterfly knives amplify this problem.

These two types of knives are so well concealed that victims are often completely unprepared before the thieves even brandish them. Recently, quite a few police officers have been stabbed or even killed by these weapons. As a result, the police have become more vigilant and prone to using violence. London police have therefore begun to widely equip themselves with revolvers, and there have been several incidents of innocent bystanders being injured due to indiscriminate firing.

Compared to the dangers of Ireland, the danger posed by these knives was much more immediate, so in Watt's view, these things were more abhorrent than rifled guns and landmines.

But Young Boulton's eyes were drawn to a type of France knife.

"Mr. Watt, come and take a look at this knife."

Watt walked over and saw a strange folding knife in a glass display case. Unlike ordinary folding knives, this one didn't just have one blade; in addition to the main blade, it contained many other items, such as small scissors, small screwdrivers, a small compass, and various other ingenious little tools.

"Hehe, Mr. Watt, look, this thing is quite interesting," Young Boulton said to Watt, pointing to the knife.

"They just look nice." Watt shook his head. "As tools, these things are too small and far less practical than normal ones."

"That's true, but it would be nice to buy it for the kids," Boulton said.

Watt agreed with this view, thinking that buying this little thing and letting children use it to make gadgets and develop their hands-on skills would be a good idea. He also thought it was truly ingenious that the France could integrate so many things into such a small knife.

They walked and talked, looking around as they went.

"Hmm, this saber... Hmm... Mr. Watt, Mr. Watt, look, look, this... Could this be the legendary Damascus steel saber? My goodness, the France actually mastered this technology! I thought this kind of saber had been lost!"

The true technique for making Damascus steel swords has, of course, been lost. This sword, adorned with beautiful patterns, was actually created using a technique of forging multiple types of steel by folding and then acid-washing to produce the patterns. However, Boulton was unaware of this, so although he thought the price was a bit high, he decided to buy two to use as decorations.

Besides these, there's a very special shovel that, in addition to shoveling soil, has more than a dozen other very practical functions, and it's not too expensive. Watt thought that if he bought some to sell, it would be quite a good business.

The two continued browsing for a while longer. Apart from the three companies in the middle, the other exhibition halls were relatively simple, mainly displaying various wines from the Bordeaux Wine Alliance and food from the French Veterans Association. As for the exhibition halls for foreigners, they were basically not yet set up and were still empty.

After wandering around for a while, the two were a bit tired. Pierre then led them to the small villas that had been assigned to them according to their numbers. These villas were specifically for merchants who were qualified to set up a shop in the "Peace Palace." As for merchants who could only display their goods in the square, they could only stay in the ordinary hotels next door.

On the second night after Watt and Young Boulton settled in, several men came to their lodgings and asked to see Watt.

"I am Joseph Bonaparte. I have just returned from the south and heard that Mr. Watt was here, so I came here to visit him," the man said to Watt's assistant, William Murdoch.

"Ah, so it's Professor Bonaparte." William Murdoch immediately showed respect. In Britain propaganda, Napoleon was naturally portrayed in various negative light, Joseph was no exception. Basically, whatever the later "Fu Manchu" was like, Joseph was also vilified. But even with such negative portrayals, the Britain couldn't help but apply Joseph's First Law, Joseph's Joseph Law, and so on... So, despite the negative portrayals, even during the war, the Britain still held Joseph in some respect.

The scientific community was naturally less affected by this. Although, out of political correctness and personal interests, they were unwilling to admit that the center of science was showing signs of shifting from Britain to France, they still genuinely admired Joseph Bonaparte, who best represented this trend. Now that Watt had come here, and Joseph had personally come to visit him, Watt would definitely brag about it for days to come, and William Murdoch, as Watt's assistant, also felt honored.

"Professor Bonaparte, please come in. I'll go and fetch Mr. Watt right away; he's upstairs discussing something with Mr. Boulton." William Murdoch welcomed Joseph in, had a servant pour Joseph tea, and then took a candlestick, preparing to go upstairs to fetch Watt.

Although it was already dark, it was only seven o'clock. Watt and Little Bolte were still awake, drinking tea and discussing their day's events in the small living room upstairs.

When William Murdoch came up to tell them that Professor Bonaparte had come to visit in person, the two men quickly got up and rushed downstairs.

"Ah, Dean Bonaparte," Watt said as he walked forward, "I've wanted to visit you ever since I arrived in Paris. It was a pity you went south, and we were quite disappointed, thinking we'd missed our chance. Seeing you this time makes my trip worthwhile."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two sat down on the sofa in the living room.

"Dean Bonaparte, what brings you here to see me?" Watt asked.

"There are some things," Joseph replied. "First, some official business. Mr. Watt, you know, I am now the president of the French Academy of Sciences. We all thought that Mr. Lavoisier should have taken this position, but Mr. Lavoisier was unwilling to be distracted by such trivial matters, so I had no choice but to presumptuously become the president."

However, now that I've become the president, I naturally want to do something for the Academy of Sciences and for science. I've always believed that science has no borders; it's a shared treasure of all humanity. And the development of science requires collaboration among the best scientists from all countries. Mr. Watt, you are a member of the English Academy of Sciences. The English Academy of Sciences has made enormous contributions to the history of science, and you yourself are a great scientist who has made epoch-making contributions to human progress. Therefore, I'm here today hoping to invite you to also serve as a visiting member of the French Academy of Sciences."

Being appointed a visiting member of the French Academy of Sciences was a great honor, and Watt was naturally very pleased. However, a degree of politeness was still necessary. Moreover, Joseph's earlier assessment of him—"a great scientist who has made epoch-making contributions to the progress of mankind"—was far too high. Considering Joseph's current status in the scientific community, this evaluation was enough for Watt to boast about for a month back in Britain. However, a touch of humility was also needed.

"Dean Bonaparte, I am very honored to receive this invitation. I wholeheartedly agree with what you just said about science having no borders and scientists from all over the world working together. However, your praise makes me a little embarrassed," Watt said.

"Ah, Mr. Watt, when I was studying the history of human science, I divided the history of human civilization into several stages based on how humans obtain and utilize energy."

First, there's the primitive stage. Humans at this time were essentially wild animals, obtaining energy by searching for natural, energy-rich food. This is how all wild animals obtain energy, whether they are herbivores or carnivores. Humans at this stage were far from civilized; they were more like beasts.

Watt nodded, listening carefully to Joseph's words, because he might be able to brag about them later.

Joseph said, "Later, humans invented two ways to obtain energy: planting and animal husbandry. According to Mr. Van Hull's research, the energy source for plant growth is sunlight. Whether it's planting, animal husbandry, or even the earlier survival methods of wild animals, the energy used is all derived from solar radiation. It's just that planting and animal husbandry are more efficient ways of utilizing energy. Mastering these ways of utilizing energy can be considered as stepping into the threshold of civilization."

For thousands of years afterward, although many changes occurred, the method of obtaining energy remained largely unchanged, with occasional use of wind and water power, but still limited. It wasn't until your successful improvement of the steam engine that the energy available to humankind expanded dramatically, and mineral energy was widely utilized. This was a giant leap forward in human civilization, and no amount of praise is too much."

Joseph's theory was novel, and more importantly, it perfectly suited Watt's needs. Watt felt that with this theory, he could brag about it for a whole year—no, for a lifetime. So he said with a broad smile:

"Dean Bonaparte, you flatter me. You just mentioned several things; is there anything else I can help you with?"