The King Was the Finest Craftsman

Joseph was filled with admiration for his sister's incredible resilience. Suffering from anemia and requiring bloodletting twice a month, she had managed to survive until now...

Therese asked, puzzled, "Why is that? What did Mr. Baptiste do wrong?"

"He didn't do anything right..."

Joseph suddenly remembered the message Dr. Lamark had sent a couple of days ago, saying that Tocopherol had been successfully extracted, and a thought popped into his head.

He originally intended to use Vitamin E, also known as Tocopherol, to make Cosmetics. However, it seems that this substance also has the effect of treating pathological anemia and can also improve immunity.

This is perfect for giving to Therese.

With additional iron supplementation, her anemia should improve significantly.

As for iron supplementation, Dr. Lamark can help synthesize some Ferrous Sulfate.

This stuff is made by heating iron and Sulfuric Acid together, then filtering the precipitate; it's very simple to make.

He earnestly instructed Therese:

"You must never have bloodletting again; it will seriously damage your health. Also, I've prepared a medicine that should help alleviate your symptoms; I'll have someone deliver it to you tomorrow."

"Really? You really have this kind of potion?" Therese lit up with surprise.

Actually, she had long wanted to stop bleeding. No girl wants to have scars on her arm forever.

Joseph nodded.

"Oh, dear Joseph, you are a genius!"

As Therese was speaking, she suddenly felt dizzy, quickly excused herself from the crowd, and, supported by her maids, left the Hall to go back and rest.

Joseph pondered the dosage of Vitamin E and Ferrous Sulfate for his sister, and suddenly it occurred to him: why not sell these as health supplements at Paris Angel's Store?

Vitamin E also has anti-aging properties and can regulate women's menstrual cycles. Combined with Ferrous Sulfate to replenish blood, it's truly a "Women’s Friend"!

This thing is sure to drive Noblewoman crazy.

He recalled a certain famous oral liquid from later generations, his eyes gleaming with Livre's light, and muttered to himself:

Let's call it "Noble Lady Joy Oral Liquid"!

The Nobility ladies, who had been itching to get involved, immediately surrounded the Crown Prince after the princess left. Some struck poses, while others looked on shyly, trying their best to attract his attention.

Joseph was in a bind and was about to ask Perna for help when a Noblewoman in her thirties came over carrying wine and snacks.

He casually picked up a glass of Wine. The Noblewoman curtsied to him and smiled.

"Your Highness, may I have a few minutes of your time?"

Beside him, Eman quickly whispered a reminder:

"Your Highness, this is Madame Eric."

Joseph then realized she wasn't a maid, and bowed slightly to her.

Is there anything I can help you with?

The Beauties around her, seeing that the "old auntie" had reacted so quickly and gotten there first, all glared at her angrily.

Madame Eric ignored him and said to Joseph:

"Your Highness, as you know, my husband had a business partner who greatly admired you."

Madame Eric handed an envelope to Joseph:

"It may be a bit presumptuous of me to say this, but he wants to talk to you about some things. Oh, of course, it's up to you whether you want to see him. However, he also said that you certainly won't regret meeting him."

Joseph opened the envelope and found Theater Ticket inside.

Madame Eric leaned forward and whispered:

"Your Highness, this is a gift from the British Ambassador, Mr. Hartley."

The British Ambassador, Joseph, narrowed his eyes slightly. What did he want with me?

He suddenly remembered the Anglo-French Eden Treaty that DuPont had mentioned earlier, and thought to himself: Whatever the United Kingdom want to do, it wouldn't hurt to make contact with them and sound them out.

So he waved the envelope in his hand at Madame Eric and smiled:

Please tell him that I will go.

After finally enduring the ball, Joseph returned wearily to his Bedchamber, only to find the King's attendants waiting at Bedchamber door.

"Your Crown Prince," the King's attendant bowed, "His Majesty the King invites you to his Workshop, saying he has a surprise for you."

Joseph immediately followed him to the Royal Workshop. Before he could even bow to Louis XVI upon entering, the latter excitedly dragged him to a black iron Machines.

Joseph could tell that it was a printing press.

Louis XVI gestured to the Lithographic Plate Makers beside him. The Craftsman immediately nodded, fixed the drawn stencil in the middle of the printing press, took several sheets of paper and placed them on the iron frame at the top, then brushed on ink, and pulled hard on the long handle to press it down.

As the handle was lifted, the paper transformed into a landscape painting of the Versailles Palace.

The Craftsman, however, showed no sign of stopping. He removed the printed picture, pulled the handle again, and another picture appeared.

He printed five sheets in a row before stopping to apply ink and add more paper. The whole process took just over a minute!

Louis XVI looked at Joseph with smug satisfaction, as if waiting for a torrent of praise from him.

"Dear Father, you completed the modification of the Lithographic Printing so quickly?" Joseph exclaimed in surprise. "Only three days..."

The Craftsman nearby noticed that the Crown Prince didn't recognize the value of the goods and quickly and carefully reminded him:

"Your Highness, His Majesty the King has invented Automatic Paper Feeder."

He pointed to the rake-like lever on the metal rack where the paper was placed:

"Previously, we had to rearrange and align the paper after each print run. Now we can print five sheets at a time, which is several times faster!"

Joseph stared wide-eyed at Louis XVI, thinking to himself, "No wonder he's the Patent holder for the New-Style Guillotine; he truly lives up to his reputation!"

This not only made the printing press compatible with the stone base plate, but also significantly improved it!

This will significantly reduce the time and cost of printing.

"I can think of no other words than praise and admiration for you," Joseph exclaimed, bowing dramatically to Louis XVI. "You are absolutely the most powerful King I have ever seen!"

He added in his mind, "This applies only to mechanical manufacturing."

Louis XVI rubbed his hands together smugly and laughed:

"If the spring is improved further, it can print 10 to 20 sheets at a time."

He began to recount his inventions with great familiarity:

"Look here, when you pull down the lever, it jiggles the Paper and then pushes it forward..."

As Joseph looked at the exquisite mechanical devices, a thought suddenly occurred to him: perhaps he could begin developing the next generation of rifles now, without waiting for the Craftsman at the Charleville Arsenal.

The King is the most skilled Craftsman; it would be a waste not to make good use of him!

He inquired about the Lithographic Plate Makers and learned that they were already skilled at making stone printing plates. He then instructed Eman to summon the bodyguards prepared for the group and ordered them to escort the Craftsman back to the Paris Business Daily Newspaper Office immediately.

Louis XVI then sent his assistant, the renowned locksmith Mr. Florent, to the Newspaper Office to help with the modification of the printing press.

After the Craftsman had all left, Joseph immediately approached Louis XVI and said in a seductive tone:

"Dear Father, I have a very ingenious rifle design that only someone with extremely high skill can make."

"Would you be interested in giving it a try?"

Louis XVI's eyes lit up immediately...

This book will be available soon, and I hope it will be a great success. All those late nights researching will have been worth it.

(End of this chapter)