Chapter 11

"Ah!..."

A shout, as if a mountain had collapsed and a sea had surged, suddenly rolled over. Hunter and his companions, who were about to reach Edison's exhibition site, were taken aback and involuntarily looked up ahead.

"Whoa!..."

Almost at the same moment, everyone's pupils suddenly constricted, and they sharply drew in a breath.

God!

Just like the first rays of the morning sun breaking through the horizon, in the dim world, a large expanse of dazzling light suddenly appeared!

Indeed, perhaps in John Hunter's eyes, the lights not far away were at most the level of an ordinary residential area, not particularly impressive. However, to the others, they were dazzling enough!

No one except for Liu Zecheng from a previous life had ever seen such a scene.

"Quick, let's get closer and take a look!"

In the end, it was old Hunter who reacted first, tapping his cane on the ground forcefully and speaking in a deep voice. Although his original intention was to accompany his grandson to see something new, after seeing the scene before him, he suddenly realized that this electric light might really become the beginning of an era, just as John had said!

Mrs. Stone and the others also reacted and immediately prepared to quicken their pace. Unfortunately, their reaction was still too slow. People around them, in similar situations, also started moving, with many shouting and running towards the light.

Among all the people, only two did not move.

The first was John Hunter. He stood still, took a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly sparkled with a brilliance never seen before. Two steps behind him, Emma Stone did not move either. She looked at the light ahead and then at John, her eyes filled with confusion...

...

There was no doubt that Edison's new invention caused a huge sensation.

People gathered in front of the row of light bulbs he had hurriedly prepared, watching them with rapt attention, as if they were the most beautiful women in the world. Behind them, more and more people came, drawn by the commotion...

John knew that from this moment on, Edison began to gradually ascend to the status of a deity.

Although Edison had already invented the phonograph and other things, making him a well-known figure, he was still just an excellent inventor at the time. However, the invention and popularization of the electric light would eventually place him among the greatest inventors in history.

In fact, decades earlier, someone had already produced light using electricity, and Edison's patent was bought from someone else. However, only he managed to find a filament material that could remain lit for a long time after thousands of experiments, and only he brought this "world-changing invention" to the masses. In this sense, regardless of whether Edison was a true scientist or what his character was like, he would leave a significant mark in history.

Indeed, 50 years later, the United States issued a set of stamps in his honor and held a grand celebration here. After his death, the country even turned off the lights for a minute to mourn this great man...

After watching the exhibition for over an hour, the group, led by Mrs. Stone, went to a nearby hotel. However, to their disappointment, the hotel still used gas lamps and candles, not the electric lights they had hoped to see.

"Look, that's Mr. Edison."

After showing their invitation and entering the hall, Mrs. Stone pointed to the figure facing away from them in the center and said excitedly. If at noon she had come here just to complete a task or to relax, now her mood was entirely different.

Anyone who saw the grand scene just now would have been deeply moved.

The only exception was John. His mood was the opposite of everyone else's. He was quite excited when they came, and he was very much looking forward to meeting Edison. But now, he was unexpectedly calm!

John's expression was noticed by Emma, who bit her lip tightly.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand this boy who had aroused her great curiosity, nor could she figure out why he had such a strong reaction to her casual comment! Although she knew that John had spent his early life in the East, in Emma's simple mind, he was still a thorough American. Was it really that big of a deal to comment on the country he had once lived in?

While Emma was still puzzled, Mrs. Stone had already walked quickly towards Edison and said loudly, "Congratulations, dear Mr. Edison, this is truly a great invention!"

"Ah, thank you for your praise, it is my honor!"

Even before turning around, Edison reflexively said these words. He had heard too many similar compliments today and had already said the same thing countless times.

Turning around, everyone saw Edison's true appearance.

He looked spirited and full of energy!

Anyone could see that the man in his thirties, with heavy dark circles under his eyes and a tired look, was extremely excited. His face was filled with unrestrained joy. At that moment, his mouth was wide open, his eyebrows raised, and he laughed loudly, "Ha ha, Mrs. Stone, it is a great honor to meet you today..."

"Is this Edison?"

Seeing the man who was enthusiastically conversing with Mrs. Stone, John Hunter temporarily put aside his烦恼, and a sense of familiarity welled up in his mind.

Edison himself could be considered handsome, with bright eyes, a high nose, and slightly thick lips, all of which aligned well with future aesthetic standards. Moreover, in John's view, the almost connected eyebrows and the determined gaze of this great inventor gave him an impression of being steady and resolute.

Although it was the first time he was seeing Edison in person, it should be remembered that in his previous life, Liu Zecheng had seen this great man's photos countless times. After being reborn in this life, John discovered a surprising phenomenon: his memories from his previous life—whether clear or vague—were etched in his mind with perfect clarity!

A definite benefit of being a time traveler, a perfect golden finger!

However, photos are just photos, and they are different from real people. Even though John was still troubled by the events earlier, seeing this historical figure, Edison, in person, he felt a surge of excitement.

"Mr. Edison, please allow me to introduce you."

After flattering Edison a bit, Mrs. Stone did not forget her agreement with John and said with a smile, "You have already met Emma. This noble gentleman is my husband's longtime friend and business partner, Mr. Al Hunter from New York, and the handsome young man next to him is his grandson, Mr. John Hunter. They have come all the way from New York to see your invention."

"Ha ha, welcome everyone!"

Edison greeted everyone warmly and said with a smile, "Tomorrow we will continue to demonstrate the magic of the electric light. If possible, I hope you can stay and learn more about this great new technology."

"Thank you very much for your invitation."

As the representative of the group, old Hunter politely asked, "However, Mr. Edison, you know I am a businessman and I am very interested in your new invention! But I have a few questions I would like to ask."

Edison raised an eyebrow and looked at old Hunter with a smile, "Please go ahead."

"There are three main questions."

After a brief pause, old Hunter asked, "First, how high are the costs? Second, how will you supply the energy? Third, how long will the light bulbs last?"

"Oh?"

After hearing the three questions, Edison was clearly surprised. He then carefully examined old Hunter, looking quite astonished.

At this point, John immediately understood why Edison was so surprised.

For old Hunter, these three questions were purely out of a businessman's sensitivity, to determine whether the electric light had the potential to be marketed. However, for Edison, these three questions hit the Achilles' heel of the electric light!

According to historical records, although Edison invented the light bulb this year, the manufacturing cost was still very high, making it difficult to replace traditional lighting methods. Moreover, without power plants and a power grid, there was no stable and cheap energy supply, and the light bulb alone was of little use. Most importantly, the filament material was not up to par, and it could only last for a few dozen hours. As time passed and the filament was exposed to high temperatures, it would quickly evaporate, and the brightness of the light bulb would gradually decrease...

Before these issues were resolved, the value of the electric light was only to cause a sensation.

However, the shrewd Edison had no intention of discussing these flaws in detail. After a moment of silence, he smiled slightly and said, "Dear Mr. Hunter, we have detailed plans for the energy and cost issues, and I believe they will be resolved soon. As for the lifespan of the light bulbs..."

"Do you need to try other filament materials?"

At this moment, a voice came from behind old Hunter, making Edison pause in surprise.

Under the surprised gazes of everyone, young Mr. Hunter stepped forward from behind his grandfather and said respectfully, "Respected Mr. Edison, may I ask if you are interested in entrusting someone to help you find this material?"

...

I'm sorry, I feel there are some issues with the stored chapters that need to be revised. There will only be one chapter today, and I will try to make up for it tomorrow.

Additionally, thank you to the book friends who recommended two American TV shows in the comments. I watched many episodes over the past two days. Overall, I prefer 'Forever,' while 'The Knick' is more relevant to the book, but the American dramatization is too strong, with various plot twists and misattributions. Especially when I saw the high-frequency electric knife, I almost turned off my phone. However, one episode featured Dr. Halsted, which was a pleasant surprise!

Thank you again for the recommendations. I really enjoy watching American TV shows, and I have bookmarked these two.

PS: The important discoveries of that era were so concentrated that several parts of my outline overlap with events in 'The Knick.' It might be said that I am plagiarizing, haha.

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