[Titanic] I can't help myself

The next day was a rest and there were not many programs. After lunch, the women played cards and chatted in the garden, while the men gathered in the study and chatted while smoking cigars.

After a good night's sleep, I picked up my mission and purpose for coming to Chatsworth: to convince Cal Hockley to buy my technology.Thinking of this, my eyes began to glance towards Karl uncontrollably, and I kept deducing the upcoming conversation in my heart.But speaking of it, in my previous life, apart from interviews and answering essays, I didn’t talk to the leader a few times. In this life, I have been locked up with my mother almost all the time. I have rarely seen the world and dealt with any major incidents alone. I can’t help but feel a little panicked. , The conversation was deduced several times, but I couldn't push it down, and I gave up halfway, which made me even more restless.

At this time Sir Clarence was giving an impassioned discourse on the advantages and disadvantages of introducing advanced machinery to farms and factories.I was not interested in the content of his speech at all. I couldn't help being a little irritable and had to maintain a decent sitting posture, so I secretly traced the patterns on the chair with my fingers to calm down.

But speaking of it, I don't need any rhetoric. The practicality of the new steelmaking method and the huge benefits it brings are in front of me, which is more useful than any hype description.While comforting myself, I glanced at Carl nervously.

As a result, I noticed that Carl was also looking at me. Seeing me meeting his eyes, there was a meaningful smile on the corner of my mouth, and then I pouted my chin in the direction of the door, and then got up and walked out.

We stopped by the window of the corridor, from here we could just see the female guests in the garden, although it is not summer, but most of them are still wearing white long skirts, looking like a group of fallen from a distance White butterfly on the grass.

Carl took out another cigar and lit it, put it in his mouth and took a few puffs before he said, "I've noticed that you've been restless since just now, is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Uh..." Although the way I guessed the conversation included a direct situation like getting straight to the point, I haven't thought of a way to deal with it yet!

I closed my eyes, thought for a while in my brain, and quickly unfolded the manuscript that I had typed countless times just now, and I said: "Carl, this may sound very abrupt, but I want to talk to you about something. Business, this business is absolutely beneficial and harmless to you and me, and it can bring you huge profits."

Having said that, I paused and looked at Carl's expression with some trepidation, but he just took another sip of his cigar without showing any expression on his face.I cheered myself up secretly, and continued: "As we all know, the Hockley family is famous all over the world for their huge steel industry, and now I have a new and efficient steelmaking method called oxygen top-blown converter steelmaking method. This method can Greatly improve the reaction rate of the existing steelmaking, reduce heat loss, fast steelmaking speed, large output, and greatly improve the quality of low carbon steel. Moreover, I don’t know if you have noticed, since it is oxygen top blowing, Then a large amount of pure oxygen is needed, but none of the existing technologies can support the use of pure oxygen for steelmaking. This mentions another technology, large-scale oxygen production technology, and the primary small oxygen production machine was developed by Germany and France. Monopoly. So, I don’t know if you are willing to learn about these two new technologies.”

Carl narrowed his eyes slightly, exhaled white smoke slowly, and said, "So, Henry, do you want to, um, cooperate with me and let me provide research funding for your new steelmaking method?"

"No, no," I quickly took over the conversation, "I don't want Hockley Enterprise to support me in scientific research. These are two complete technologies, and there is no need to conduct research of a complete nature. Even if necessary, I will only do some research based on actual conditions Adjustment. In other words, as long as you want, large oxygen generators and pure oxygen steelmaking can be put into production directly."

Carl smoked the cigarette silently, and George, who had prepared an ashtray not far away, came to collect the cigarette butt. "If you're serious, Henry," he raised one eyebrow, "we've got to talk it over somewhere."

Well done!I tried my best to suppress the expression on my face, so as not to look too happy: "How about my room? All my materials are there."

"I have no opinion."

I asked George to go back to the room to get ready, and then we left the gentlemen who were still chatting in the study, walked and chatted, and returned to my room.

A few days ago, the Belgian Rhododendron newly bred by Chatsworth's gardener bloomed in the greenhouse. My aunt asked me to put a few pots in my room. Bright red flowers bloomed enthusiastically among the lush green branches and leaves, giving the room The elegant decoration adds a bit of vitality.There is a small long table near the window in my room. In the middle of the small long table, there is a transparent round-bellied glass bottle filled with clear water, full of bright blue hyacinths, and next to it is a set of printed Porcelain tea sets with the same blue pattern, the blue colors of the two complement each other.This bottle of hyacinths must have been improvised by George, for I hadn't had it when I left the room after changing my clothes after lunch.

After George poured tea for Karl and me, he bowed and exited the room.

"Very beautiful hyacinths," Carl praised. "It goes well with this tea set."

"George was trained in Paris, and he has a taste for many things, whether it's clothing or room decoration." I took a sip from the teacup, but only took a sip to moisten my throat.

"Let's get down to business." I put down my teacup, and Carl put it down, "We all know that most of the current steelmaking furnaces are open-hearth furnaces for steelmaking. Of course, these open-hearth furnaces are cheaper than other steelmaking methods, and the output is huge, but It is undeniable that the open hearth furnace steelmaking process consumes a lot of coal and takes a long time, the utilization efficiency of the oxidant in the open hearth furnace is not high, and the steel produced in the end has a lot of impurities, which seriously affects the quality of the steel. One thing is that it pollutes the environment. Although not many people pay attention to this point now, it will become a limitation of production development in the future. But maybe we don’t need to think about such a long-term problem, so we can put it aside .

"If there is a steelmaking method that can solve the various disadvantages of open hearth steelmaking and replace it, it is the oxygen top-blown converter steelmaking that I want to introduce to you. It has too many advantages, and I will show you the data later. Profound. Let's talk about another technology first, which directly supports the new steelmaking method.

"I think you've heard of Mr. Bessemer's idea of ​​using pure oxygen to make steel, but he couldn't extract a large amount of oxygen economically and effectively. In the end, the idea ended without a problem because he couldn't collect enough data. And in the production In terms of oxygen, Professor Linde invented the cryogenic separation method nine years ago, and then there were oxygen generators, but these small and medium-sized oxygen generators can only produce double-digit oxygen per hour, which can also meet the needs of welding and cutting. These places where the oxygen consumption is not large, and the large-scale industrial production, such as the oxygen top-blown converter steelmaking method I am talking about, the necessary oxygen consumption far exceeds the oxygen production of these small oxygen generators capabilities. And even these small oxygen generators are only available in France and Germany due to patent issues.”

"Large oxygen generator." Carl took my words and frowned slightly, "Is this the solution to the problem of oxygen consumption in steelmaking?"

"Yes," I nodded, "Large oxygen generators can double the output and reduce the price of pure oxygen. And these pure oxygen are used for steelmaking, and the two can complement each other and promote each other to form an industrial chain."

"Double? How many times can your technology be doubled?" Carl said quickly, "How much can the oxygen production be increased? If it is used for steelmaking, you have to understand that the oxygen required for welding two steel plates is the same as that required for steelmaking. oxygen, as a drop of water does to Windermere."

"I only have a theory here, so I can't guarantee that the upper limit will be achieved in a short period of time." My fingertips slowly touched the gemstone cufflinks with smooth edges, "But as for the lower limit, from the perspective of safety Considering it, I can guarantee that 200 to 300 cubic meters per hour is definitely not a problem, of course you can also start directly from four to five hundred cubic meters."

"The biggest one?" Carl leaned towards me, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked into mine.

I blinked, then forced myself to look away, to rest on his forehead.Carl's expression was deep and sexy, looking straight into my eyes made me a little dizzy, and all the hairs on my back stood up.

"Tens of thousands per hour," I said word by word, "but it may take some time, after all, for an overly complicated technology, it takes more experience to turn from blueprints into reality. Carl, maybe the whole world will All of the pure oxygen will be provided by Hockley Enterprises. This is not a joke, if you let the experts affiliated with Hockley Enterprises look at it, you will know that this will definitely become a reality."

"Henry." Carl sat back slowly, "It's unbelievable. If what you said can be realized, we will form a monopoly in the oxygen generator and steelmaking in the world, and we will drive all competitors far away. Leave it behind."

I lowered my head a little shyly and took a sip of tea. I didn't invent this oxygen generator, I just borrowed the technological achievements from my world.But the current situation in Acton does not allow me to entangle too much on moral issues such as intellectual property rights. I have to make money.

In the corner of the table, the basic explanatory materials I need are unfolded into an elegant arc by George.I took out two comprehensive basic materials on these two technologies from the middle and handed them to Carl. "This is the basic information, the content is relatively clear and easy to understand, but it is more complete and detailed than what I just said."

Carl took the information and began to look through it seriously.I sat quietly on the side, staring at the hyacinth on the table in a daze.I have full confidence that Carl will accept this cooperation.

After a while, after I carefully tasted three cups of Ceylon tea, Carl put down the materials.

"These two technologies," he gestured, raising the materials in his hands, "have you applied for patents?"

I smiled, thought about it in my heart, and decided to tell the truth. I still have some self-knowledge. After all, Karl is a businessman who has experienced all kinds of battles. Maybe less temptation and beating around the bush can leave him with a better future. Impression: "No. I'll just say it straight. I think most people in upper-class society have heard about Acton and take it as a negative example of the unreliability of the investment market. Carl, I need money, and It takes at least one year to apply for a patent to have legal effect, and I don't have time to waste it. But if you are worried about competitors, you can rest assured that as long as I don't say anything, these technologies will never be mastered by anyone, of course , This has to be based on the fact that your technicians are loyal and trustworthy and will not leak corporate secrets."

Carl touched his chin, and said in a meaningful tone: "You are too honest to tell me this, Henry. Aren't you afraid that I will take your technology without giving you money?"

"You wouldn't do that, Carl." I looked him in the eyes. "It's totally harmful. And you're not like that." I ended up with a little flattery.

Although it seems that I have put all the cards in front of him, in fact, these technologies are not the results of my research. I am not seeking fame but wealth, but I hope to help Acton tide over the difficulties. It is not impossible to make appropriate concessions on the amount of profit.Besides, it will take up to a week to prove that the technology works, and before it goes into production, I will ask him to pay upfront, not to mention that before he pays, I will hold the most critical 1% of the technology tightly. Even if he really cheated away all the technology and then kicked me, before he officially put into production and used the patent right to take the technology as his own (it would take him a year at the fastest speed), I would I can quickly find the next buyer, and my status as earl guarantees that even if he wants to kill me, it is almost impossible.

So now, as long as he is tempted, everything else will no longer be a problem.

Carl leaned back on the back of his chair and said in a brisk tone: "Thank you for your trust, Henry. Now, at least from this information, the two technologies in your hands are indeed epoch-making. But I am not Engineer, this needs to be appraised by professionals before I can continue to make a decision."

"I understand." I nodded.

"Then I'll go to the Duke to borrow his telegraph now, and have my engineers rush over from Birmingham. Of course, there are also lawyers. As long as we can prove the feasibility of the technology, we can sign the contract." He stood Get up and walk towards the door, "If it goes as smoothly as you said, maybe we can start preparing the production equipment for the oxygen generator in December."

Speaking of this, Karl who had already reached the door suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at me: "Thank God I accepted the Duke's invitation, you are such a great surprise." After speaking, he opened the door and left.

The room was empty again, and I went back to the bedroom and slumped in the rocking chair next to the bed.I didn't feel it just now, but now I realize that my body has been stiff all the time. Now that I'm relaxed, I feel like I've run ten marathons.

George walked in gently and stood quietly in the corner.

"George," I murmured with my eyes closed, "you know, I made it."

"Congratulations, master." His voice was as meticulous as ever, but he couldn't suppress the slight joy in his tone, "You are the No.16 acting Earl of Chamond, and you will always do what you want."

"Thank you, George." I took a deep breath and stretched out on the rocking chair without any image, "Put that bottle of hyacinth on the table next to my bed, it's so beautiful. You The taste is always the best."