Christmas Eve, 1868—an unforgettable day. That night ushered humanity into a new era.
August was an ordinary citizen of Vienna. The changes Vienna had undergone in recent years left him dizzy and overwhelmed, as though he were living in a dream.
With his child beside him, he gazed at the bright streetlamps. This was the finest Christmas gift.
"Father, is that an electric lamp? Why is it so bright?"
Hearing his son's question, August did not know where to begin. There was no internet in this age; knowledge spread entirely through books.
Although August was well educated, his field did not match. As a doctor, he had no need to study electric lamps, so naturally he could not answer the question.
It was not just him. Few people in all of Vienna knew why, either. Vienna was not an industrial city. There were workshops conducting research in this area, but no factories producing such products.
Vienna was an inland city as well as the capital, combining the roles of political center, financial center, cultural center, research center, and educational center.
With so many titles already piled upon it, it truly could not add industrial center to the list. Otherwise, the swelling population would crush this beautiful city to bursting.
In the mere twenty years since Franz ascended the throne, Vienna's population had tripled and was still growing at a rapid rate of 8%.
This was clearly not natural growth. If the population could grow naturally at such a pace, unifying the entire world would no longer be a dream.
Even with factories shut out, Vienna, as the capital of two empires, still saw vast numbers of people pouring in every year.
Population growth was the driving force behind urban development. By now, Vienna had become the most prosperous and beautiful