Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 414 Black smoke rises again...

Nikola Tesla's fingers pressed the gleaming button steadily.

In an instant, a buzzing sound of electricity began to hum, so faint it seemed like a hallucination caused by the crowd holding their breath.

A clear vibration emanated from the base of the "Miniature Paris," as if the pulse beneath the city was beginning to awaken.

Then, a miracle happened.

That meticulously constructed miniature city, with its crisscrossing streets and rows of buildings, seemed to be instantly ignited by invisible sparks, lighting up one by one!

The audience was astonished to discover that every detail of the model was inlaid with countless tiny "light beads".

These LED beads, less than one centimeter in diameter, shine brightly within and around the model, like countless meticulously crafted, luminous pearls that instantly come to life!

They gently awaken the entire "miniature Paris" from its slumber, bathing it in a dreamlike glow.

This light was not as intense and dazzling as Edison's "Tower of Light," which proclaimed the power and grandeur of industry.

It uses a more delicate and layered halo to make the whole scene brilliant but not dazzling, and gorgeous in just the right way.

With this even and soft light, viewers can clearly appreciate the most exquisite details of this miniature city—

The sculptures on the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral seem to breathe, a touch of warmth emanates from the portholes of the Seine River cruise ships, the ribs of the Pantheon's magnificent dome are clearly visible, and you can even see the edges of the obelisk above Place de la Concorde...

Light gives these miniature landscapes soul and depth!

If Edison's "Tower of Light" symbolizes a powerful, magnificent, and almost conquering industrial force;
The "miniature Paris" presented by Lionel and Tesla is more like an urban poem written with light and shadow.

It is full of artistic beauty and humanistic care, exquisite and elegant, and closer to Parisians' imagination and feelings about their city.

In the minds of many viewers, this dazzling miniature city before them seems to represent "what Paris should look like in the future" better than the towering giant tower on the ground floor.

Technology and art are perfectly integrated in this "city".

Exclamations of amazement spread like a tide throughout the second-floor exhibition hall.

A woman wearing an exquisite feathered hat covered her mouth with a handkerchief: "My God...this is so beautiful! This is Paris!"

Her eyes glistened with tears of emotion, while the gentleman beside her kept adjusting his monocle, trying to see more details.

A student, pulling his companion along, excitedly pointed and exclaimed, "Look there! The colonnade of the Madeleine Church! How do they manage to make the light shine through from behind the pillars?"

One critic whispered to his companion, "This is what electricity should be like; it should serve beauty and be integrated into life."

Instead of being just a blinding, awe-inspiring giant like the one downstairs.

One engineer exclaimed incredulously, "These lights... are so small! Much smaller than any light bulb I've ever seen! How is this possible?"

This is also a source of confusion for many people.

As the crowd's admiration reached its peak, Lionel smiled and walked toward the group of artists who had been standing quietly in the shadows.

He gave one of the middle-aged men with a thick beard a tight hug, then gently pushed him toward Tesla, facing the curious audience.

Lionel's voice echoed throughout the exhibition hall: "Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce you to the true creator of this amazing 'miniature Paris,' who is none other than Mr. Auguste Rodin!"
It was he who, with his unparalleled artistic vision and dedication, led hundreds of young students from the French Academy of Fine Arts, spending a full 60 days and nights on the project!
With their hands and souls, they sculpted and refined, ultimately creating this masterpiece of art that can only belong to Paris!

Instantly, thunderous applause erupted, filled with respect for the artist and heartfelt praise for the artwork.

Rodin bowed slightly shyly to the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the glowing city model, his eyes filled with the unique pride and tenderness of a creator.

Meanwhile, on the first floor, Thomas Edison had just finished listening to a hurried report from his young assistant, Samuel Insall.

His first reaction was extreme skepticism and disbelief: "An LED bulb? Less than a centimeter?"

Thomas Edison frowned: "That's impossible! A thinner filament means faster evaporation and poorer stability!"
Carbon filament simply cannot function effectively at that scale! And those glass bubbles... blowing such tiny, uniform glass bubbles would result in an incredibly low yield!
Are they performing magic tricks?

Based on his extensive professional knowledge and manufacturing experience, he was unable to understand for a time how Sorrell-Tesla Electric overcame these insurmountable technical obstacles.

But then he shook his head, and a disdainful smile reappeared on his face.

Creativity? Artistic flair? It's certainly impressive; it can fool those laymen who don't know anything about art and Parisians who crave superficiality.

Ultimately, the ability to manufacture light bulbs and generator sets on a large scale, stably, and at low cost relies on a solid industrial foundation and a well-developed production system, not on one or two dazzling models.

In his view, the "Sorel-Tesla Electric" performance would only increase public interest in electric lights, and only he, Thomas Edison, could satisfy such a huge market demand.

They were merely doing all the work for themselves. He composed himself and instructed Samuel Insall, "Continue to observe, and report any unusual activity to me immediately."

He still believed he had the upper hand, so he simply made his spies more vigilant.

On the second floor, after the applause subsided, Nikola Tesla stepped back to the stage and began his technical explanation.

He picked up a slender pointer and gracefully pointed to a corner on the edge of “Miniature Paris”—where a slightly larger, black-painted model of a building stood.

A slender chimney stood atop the building, emitting a wisp of black smoke that, like cigarette smoke, drifted high up and dissipated.

Nikola Tesla was suddenly thrust into the spotlight by Lionel. He was initially a little nervous, but after being showered with applause and attention, he was much calmer now.

He calmly began to explain: "Please look here, everyone. This is an alternating current power plant. Its principle and implementation are completely different from those of a direct current power plant in providing electricity to the city."

All we need to do is build a centralized, more powerful AC power plant in a location far from the city center, such as a remote suburb, and then use our self-developed 'transformer' device..."

He did not elaborate on its electromagnetic principles here to avoid making it too esoteric, which was something Lionel had just specifically instructed him to do.

"...We can boost the generated current and transmit it over long distances with extremely high voltage and extremely low loss through power lines."

When the current reaches the city, it is stepped down again by transformers and safely distributed to every block, every building, and even every room.

This concise explanation outlines a future vision that is completely different from Edison's DC power supply model of "power plants close to users"—more centralized, more efficient, and capable of long-distance power transmission.

Just then, Samuel Insall squeezed through the crowd and came back to Thomas Edison's side.

This time, Samuel Insall's expression was even more serious, and he reported in a low, hurried voice the keywords such as "alternating current," "transformer," and "long-distance power transmission."

Thomas Edison's expression finally changed.

Alternating current? Is this a technological path he has consistently and publicly denigrated? Is the transformer the same one that was exhibited in the UK last time?

They actually managed to create a practical application, and in this highly anticipated setting no less?
The feeling of having everything under control vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of crisis of being challenged or even surpassed.

He could no longer sit comfortably on the first floor and enjoy that confident sense of superiority.

He had to go and see for himself to expose this "hoax" and the unrealistic fantasies of the audience.

Thomas Edison said firmly, "Let's go up!"

Accompanied by Samuel Insall, he slipped away from the electrical engineers' encirclement and hurried up to the second floor.

The electrical engineers were also greatly intrigued and followed them up to the second floor.

Upon arriving on the second floor, Thomas Edison discovered that everyone's attention in the exhibition hall was completely drawn to the glowing "miniature Paris" and Tesla's explanation, and almost no one noticed his arrival.

He quietly squeezed into the crowd, crossed his arms over his chest, and focused intently on the exquisite model and his opponent on the stage.

Just then, a quick-witted reporter loudly raised a question that was on everyone's mind: "Mr. Sorel! Mr. Tesla!"

What are the differences between the system you are demonstrating and the power generation and supply system of Mr. Thomas Edison downstairs?
Aside from… well, the lights are smaller and the model is prettier?

The question was direct and crucial, instantly silencing the entire room and drawing all eyes to Lionel and Tesla.

Lionel gave a meaningful smile. Instead of answering directly, he turned to Tesla and nodded slightly.

Tesla understood immediately, and he reached out again to press the shiny button that had initially illuminated the "miniature Paris".

In an instant, the lights of the model city went out, as if Paris had fallen into a deep sleep, leaving only the faint mechanical sounds of the base and the disappointed sighs of the audience.

However, in front of Nikola Tesla, another metal pillar rose steadily.

At the top of the pillar is a button of a completely different color from the previous ones—it is jet black with a matte finish.

Without offering any further explanation, Tesla, under everyone's gaze, simply reached out and decisively pressed the black button.

The instant he pressed the button—

The "miniature Paris" that had just fallen into darkness suddenly lit up brilliantly once again!

The light remained soft and even, and every tiny light bulb shone brightly again, perfectly recreating the dreamlike scene of the miniature city for all the viewers.

Thomas Edison and all the audience members were completely baffled. What was the point of repeatedly lighting up the city? These little light bulbs weren't changing color at all!
Until he saw a wisp of black smoke rise...

(End of this chapter)