The Old Scientist Lavoisier

Nathan Rothschild quickly discovered that there wasn't a single person named Bonaparte in carriage number five. However, he didn't feel his money had been wasted, because he knew these people were closely related to the Bonaparte Family. Although they didn't share the Bonaparte name, they were a core and crucial part of this Bonaparte Family.

Most of these people are, or will be, big names in their respective fields, protagonists of an era blessed by the spirits of this plane. Getting to know them and establishing connections would definitely be worth the price he paid. However, after a brief conversation with them, Nathan Rothschild discovered that building relationships with these people wasn't particularly easy. Even when they were resting, he couldn't understand what they were saying.

Fortunately, he soon discovered someone who shared his interest in economics, and this person held the highest position in the carriage: Eugène Lavoisier, the honorary president of the French Academy of Sciences.

Mr. Lavoisier is fifty-nine years old this year, which is considered advanced age in this era. As a scientist, Lavoisier has also reached the age where he should retire.

Thanks to numerous legends and the influence of old-fashioned customs, many people harbor unrealistic fantasies about old scientists. For example, in a novel Joseph read in his previous life, there was a saying:

"Sanlu University President Gao Songnian is a senior scientist."

The placement of the word "old" is very difficult; it can describe science or scientists.

Unfortunately, scientists and science are not quite the same; scientists are like wine, becoming more valuable with age, while science is like a woman, losing its value with age. In the future, when Chinese grammar is fully developed, one day we will be able to clearly distinguish between "old scientists" and "the home of old science," or "the home of science" and "old scientists." But that's still a long way off; let's use a general term for now."

However, Mr. Qian, the novelist, didn't really understand the scientific profession. Natural science is different from literature and history; there's no such thing as "scientists are like wine, becoming more valuable with age." On the contrary, science, as long as it isn't falsified or overturned, is valuable whether it's old or new. For example, the laws of thermodynamics have been around for hundreds of years and are still awe-inspiring. Scientists, on the other hand, are really like women—they become worthless with age.

In humanities and social sciences, the accumulation of experience and knowledge is paramount, which is why scholars in these fields are indeed somewhat like wine. However, this is not the case in the natural sciences, because scientific research demands an extremely high level of data processing ability from the brain, requiring prolonged periods of high-intensity operation. Furthermore, the decline of various bodily functions is inevitable with age. Therefore, while the experience and insights gained with age are important, they are insufficient to compensate for the damage caused by the decline in physiological functions. Thus, most natural scientists achieve their most significant accomplishments during their prime. As they age, they are essentially relegated to the status of statues.

Mr. Lavoisier is now keenly aware of the decline in his energy and mental capacity. His hands tremble slightly, and he is no longer able to conduct experiments independently in the laboratory. Moreover, when analyzing experimental data, he often cannot keep up with his assistants' train of thought. This makes Mr. Lavoisier sigh that he really should retire.

However, although the brain's ability to process data declines after intensive use, and it often makes inexplicable errors, much like a graphics card used for mining, Mr. Lavoisier was still reluctant to simply become a symbol.

Mr. Lavoisier always had two passions: science and money.

Science has clearly grown weary of his age and lost his edge; once his body was drained, it no longer showed him any favor. Therefore, he had to shift more of his attention to another hobby. Lavoisier felt that his current data processing capabilities were insufficient for running apps related to natural sciences, but should be enough for running business programs.

Of course, considering only data processing capabilities, Lavoisier's judgment was not wrong. However, what he failed to consider was that his database contained far too little data on how to conduct buying and selling.

However, their shared interests allowed Lavoisier and Nathan Rothschild to get along very well. Rothschild also discovered that although Lavoisier wasn't truly an expert in business, he could sometimes utter a particularly insightful and to-the-point remark, even giving Rothschild a sense of sudden enlightenment. After a brief conversation, Rothschild discovered that these kinds of remarks were basically derived from Joseph Bonaparte.

"Joseph Bonaparte wasn't just a scientific monster; he was a monster in every way," Nathan Rothschild couldn't help but think.

Rothschild was very pleased to have established a connection with Lavoisier. He felt that the money he had spent was well worth it. He knew that Mr. Lavoisier had close ties with the Bonaparte family, and that Joseph Bonaparte's wife was Lavoisier's niece. Through him, he should have the opportunity to get in touch with the real leaders of this great family.

By this time, most of the passengers had boarded the train. The train sounded its whistle, emitting a long "whoosh," followed by a slight jolt. Looking out the glass windows, you could see everything outside slowly receding.

"Ah, the train has departed. Well, to be honest, passenger trains are much more comfortable than freight trains," Lavoisier said.

"Mr. Lavoisier, have you ever ridden a freight train?" Nathan Rothschild asked.

"I've ridden on the Lorraine Steel. I was curious and sat on a flatbed cart with a group of workers, but I caught a cold from the wind. Well, freight trains are much bumpier than this, but if you don't consider the wind, even a flatbed cart is more comfortable than a horse-drawn carriage."

The two men talked as the train began to pick up speed.

"Mr. Lavoisier, do you know how fast this train can go?" Nathan Rothschild asked.

"Ah, you've come to the right person," Lavoisier replied smugly. "The top speed can reach seventy kilometers per hour. However, considering coal consumption, this isn't the most economical speed. The most economical speed varies depending on the load, but it's generally around fifty kilometers per hour."

"So soon?" Nathan Rothschild considered for a moment, then said, "Mr. Lavoisier, don't you think the railroad would be a very profitable business?"