Paradise on the European Continent

Schmidt wandered the brightly lit streets of Paris until 2:30 a. m., when intense fatigue finally overwhelmed his excitement and urged him to return to his hotel to rest.

That night, he bought countless clothes, health products, and handicrafts. His Servant were so exhausted from carrying all the bags that they had to hire a boy in his teens to help carry the things.

Schmidt's hotel, the "Royal Garden" hotel, was extremely luxurious. The suite even had Gas Lamp, emitting a dazzling, sun-like glow. This alone made him feel that paying an extra 3 Florin for the stay was the right decision.

Looking out the window at the streets of Paris, which seemed to be dotted with countless stars, he felt as if this place and Munich were in completely different worlds.

He recalled the clean and bright streets, the bustling crowds, especially the fashionable and beautiful France women, and the dazzling array of exquisite goods in the shop windows, savoring the fresh aroma of shrimp, Oyster, and nuts—the North Africa feast he had just eaten.

His Servant tossed a pile of things onto the table, rubbing his cramping arm, and followed his master's gaze to the bustling city skyline outside the window. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh, I think this is what heaven must be like!"

Instead of mocking him for being unsophisticated as usual, Schmidt nodded subconsciously.

The next morning at 6 a. m., Schmidt, who had only slept for about three hours, was awakened by a knock on the door by the hotel staff. "Mr. Schmidt, you asked me to remind you this morning. It's already 6 a. m.."

"Oh, okay, thank you."

Schmidt struggled to get out of bed, quickly washed and dressed, and then went out with his Servant to the Royal Palace.

Several members of the Bavaria Chamber of Commerce were already waiting in the Royal Palace. Mitter hurried forward to greet these old acquaintances politely.

A moment later, music filled the air, and France Minister of Industry Mirabeau delivered a lengthy speech. Then, accompanied by the release of white doves, the doors of the Royal Palace were slowly opened.

Holding his VIP letter, Schmidt did not queue like other tourists, but entered the Royal Palace directly through a special passage.

When the gardens of the Royal Palace came into view, his eyes widened instantly.

He had participated in some expositions and exhibitions before. For example, Austria has been holding "Europe Exposition" for more than ten years, and United Kingdom has also held similar ones, but those expositions were just more luxurious country markets.

Workshop and merchants displayed some fine goods in the exhibition hall and enthusiastically sold them. The government organized visits for Nobility and wealthy people, followed by banquets and balls, before the event successfully concluded.

But what Schmidt saw before him was not a "country market" at all, but an extremely magnificent array of national pavilions separated by tall wooden walls or gardens.

From the Austria Pavilion, which was closest to the city, he saw miniature replicas of iconic buildings such as the Hofburg Concert Hall and St. Stephen's Cathedral, while the North Africa Pavilion next to it was decorated as a Mediterranean Sea port scene, with a model of the Colosseum faintly visible inside [Note 1].

As he and other distinguished guests entered the Austria Pavilion, what greeted them was Austria's iconic industry— Glass.

However, unlike the simple display of goods in the past, what is shown here is a complete model of the Glass production process, and several Craftsman are demonstrating the operation for everyone.

When he saw the stained Glass wine jug that had been created through an extremely complex process, he instantly felt as if the object had come to life.

Next up are displays of industries such as leather tanning and Iron Smelting...

In the past, when Schmidt attended such exhibitions, he would only glance at the exhibits and at most praise the exquisite craftsmanship of a certain item.

Today, he spent more than an hour at the Austria Pavilion, until ordinary visitors poured in, before reluctantly following the signs to the adjacent Netherlands Pavilion.

Here, Schmidt was quickly drawn to the demonstration of the shipbuilding process, and when he saw the Dutch people's newly designed inland river cargo ship, his eyes lit up.

As the second-largest shipping operator in Bavaria, he immediately realized that this type of ship could significantly reduce his costs.

He hurried forward to ask the Netherlands Pavilion staff for information such as the address of the factory that manufactures these ships, planning to buy a few after the exhibition.

However, upon hearing his words, a staff member at the expo nearby immediately smiled and gestured to him, indicating that there was a business Hall on the second floor of the Royal Palace where detailed information on all the exhibited items could be obtained, and even contracts could be signed directly for transactions.

After paying a small deposit, Schmidt was led to the business Hall by a waiter. He immediately saw Lawyer and bank employees waiting to serve him...

Before lunchtime, Schmidt signed a letter of intent to purchase the shipyard and paid a small deposit in the presence of Lawyer. The money was transferred directly to the Netherlands through Bank of France, which was extremely convenient.

When Schmidt returned to the main venue of the exhibition in the Royal Palace Gardens, he couldn't help but exclaim in his heart: So this is how exhibitions can be organized!

Meanwhile, in the various pavilions of the Royal Palace, visitors from different countries were also expressing similar exclamations. "So this is what exhibitions can be like!"

Absolutely brilliant!

"This trip to Paris was so worthwhile; it was truly eye-opening."

Joseph's shock was entirely expected. He was joking; 21st-century business activities and exhibitions were far too sophisticated for their time. He could simply copy whatever exhibitions he'd seen, and in an era where the World Expo wouldn't appear for another half-century, it would be a complete game-changer.

At this expo, everything from the layout of the national pavilions to the content of the demonstrations and the production of the models was planned and carried out under his direction, so naturally, everything was excellent.

This was only because the preparation time was relatively tight; otherwise, if we had included ethnic costumes, songs and dances from various countries, and even delicacies from around the world, the expo would have been even more spectacular!

The next day, when Schmidt finally visited the France Pavilion, he was utterly astonished.

Visitors sit in Steam Engine- powered Tour Car that travel automatically along tracks that circle the exhibition hall.

Inside the enormous exhibition hall, everything from High-Pressure Steam Engine to new Power Loom, from luxurious and comfortable Carriage to modern Synthetic Board Furniture, from Gas Streetlight to advanced steel smelting techniques...

He was dazzled by the numerous novel inventions, and all the products were exquisitely crafted, beautiful, and exuded a high-end feel. In just a few hours of visiting, France's image in his mind had instantly risen several notches!

[Note 1] The Colosseum mentioned here refers to the Al Jem Colosseum, which was built during the Rome rule of Tunisia and is located in the outskirts of Susa.