From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

"Uh, okay, I understand, you are"

Lavoisier was stunned for a moment, and after understanding what Lawrence meant, he could only smile twice and nod.

After all, for Lawrence, he still has the survival of Corsica and the interests of tens of thousands of people on the island on his shoulders, but he does not have the conditions to be like a scholar like Lavoisier who ignores the outside world and concentrates on academics. .

For the benefit of Corsica, Lawrence did not hesitate to abandon the so-called academic ethics and adopt some shameful and despicable methods.

"But I still have to make it clear to you beforehand."

After Lavoisier reached an agreement with Lawrence, he was still a little worried and reminded worriedly:

"Although I can try my best to help you with the academician recommendation and academic works, the final committee vote is not something I can influence. If it doesn't pass, all the previous efforts will be in vain."

"It doesn't matter. I will find a way to vote on my own. Even if it doesn't pass, I won't blame you."

Lawrence waved his hand in relief and said:

"As for the previous process, the joint recommendation of three academicians is no problem for you, right?"

"Oh sure, I'll take care of it."

Lavoisier patted his chest and assured confidently:

"I'll do it myself, and then I'll try to convince some of my friends, and my mentor, Mr. Geta Etienne, who will definitely help you too. In fact, I'm going to see him in a moment."

"Gaeta Etienne"

Lawrence searched the memory of Lavoisier's mentor in his mind, and finally remembered that he was a mineralogist who was well-known in the academic circle and society at that time. He was also an academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

Six years ago, Getart and Lavoisier collected and organized mineral information across France and drew the first detailed and clear map of France. This achievement also gave Getart a high status in the Paris academic circle.

Although Geta did not make much waves in history or the history of science, Lawrence couldn't help but his eyes lit up when he heard the name:

For the National Silver Company, rather than using the influence of Lavoisier, who had not yet fully become famous, it would be more appropriate to borrow the influence of Mr. Guetta.

"Ah, time flies when I communicate with you."

Lawrence turned his head and glanced at the clock on the wall, and said regretfully that they had been talking here for more than an hour. Of course, most of the time was spent by Lavoisier demonstrating his experimental process to Lawrence.

"Yes, I'm sorry to bother you. It's time for me to leave. Mr. Getta is still waiting for me."

After hearing this, Lavoisier quickly glanced at the wall clock symbolically, then stood up sheepishly, bowed to Lawrence and said goodbye.

"Is it an emergency?"

Lawrence also stood up, patted Lavoisier on the shoulder, and asked caringly:

"Would you like me to ask the stable boy in the mansion to take you there?"

Lavoisier waved his hands repeatedly and said:

"Oh, you're too kind. It's not an urgent matter, just a club party. You know, no Parisian hates salons and parties."

"A party at the club? Sounds like fun."

Lawrence looked at Lavoisier with great interest and said:

"We don't have these things in Corsica, and I'd really like to see them."

"You want to attend too?"

Lavoisier looked at Lawrence in surprise, then thought carefully for a moment, and decided to agree to Lawrence's request.

There is naturally no problem in joining that club with Lawrence's status, and members of any club would welcome a high-status person like Lawrence to join. After all, this would also indirectly improve the status of the club.

In addition, Lavoisier was still a little worried about persuading his mentor Geta, so he decided to bring Lawrence to the club and let Lawrence communicate with Geta first, so that he would also be able to seek support from Geta. Much easier.

"Great, I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

Lavoisier said with some excitement.

Lawrence also smiled and nodded, and called the old butler to ask him to tell the stablemen to prepare the carriage.

The club Lavoisier was talking about is located in the Gobolan district, where most of the people living here are the city's middle class. Although the environment is not as good as the Champs Elysées, it is still considered orderly.

There are hundreds of such clubs in Paris. Gentlemen are keen to wear decent clothes and wigs to attend such parties. This can not only expand their contacts, but is also an excellent way of entertainment.

The party had apparently been going on for some time when Lavoisier led Lawrence into the club.

The room was filled with the aroma of wine, mixed with the smell of tobacco. People gathered together in twos and threes, sitting lazily on the sofa, talking and laughing with others.

The waiters stood nervously, observing each guest with keen eyes and trying to figure out their needs, ready to provide meticulous service at any time.

At this time, the waiter at the door suddenly shouted loudly:

"Gentlemen, please allow us to welcome Mr. Lavoisier, academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris."

Most of the partygoers just glanced at the door and showed little interest in the late academician. Only a few scholars, including Geta, waved to the door and told Lavoisier that they were here.

"as well as."

The welcoming waiter continued to shout:

"His Excellency Laurence Bonaparte, Governor-General of the Republic of Corsica."

The conversation in the room almost disappeared with the voice of the welcoming waiter. People subconsciously stopped talking, turned their heads, and stared at the door.

Laurence Bonaparte? The Governor of Corsica who was close to the Duke of Choiseul?

People looked at Lawrence with some disbelief, wondering how this Monsignor Bonaparte could attend such a party that could only be called a middle-class party. He should definitely have appeared in the Duchess's salon.

However, doubts remain doubts, the gathering in this room all understand the popularity of Monsignor Bonaparte.

They hurriedly sat up from the sofa, straightened their messy clothes and wigs, and then rushed to get in front of Lawrence, rushing to introduce themselves:

"What an honor, Your Excellency Bonaparte. I am the manager of the Bank of Commerce de France, Andrés Stravin. Please accept my business card."

"Your Excellency! I am the editor-in-chief of Paris Morning News, Arsino Paredes. This is my business card."

"Excuse me, Your Excellency Bonaparte! I am Second Lieutenant Fyodor Otto, and I serve in the Paris Mounted Police."

Facing the swarming crowd, Lawrence could only keep smiling and nod to everyone who introduced himself, and then took the beautifully printed gold-gilded business cards from their hands, even though he already had a large stack in his hand. .

"Oh, God."

Lavoisier, who had just been standing next to Lawrence, was instantly pushed into the corner by the crowd.

Looking at Lawrence surrounded by the crowd, Lavoisier could only sigh and smile bitterly. He had never been treated like this in this club for so long.

"Hey, Lavoisier, you're finally here, what's going on?"

A strong man with a big beard came forward, patted Lavoisier on the back hard, and asked with fiery eyes.

"Mr. Getta."

Lavoisier looked back at his mentor, pointed helplessly at Lawrence who was swallowed up by the crowd, lowered his head, and said apologetically:

"I went to meet with His Excellency Bonaparte today. He also wanted to attend this party, so I brought him here. I'm sorry, but I didn't expect that Your Excellency Bonaparte would be so in demand."

"Oh no no no, you don't have to apologize, young Lavoisier."

Mr. Getta excitedly put his arms around Lavoisier's shoulders, but stared at Lawrence in the center of the crowd, and said excitedly:

"Remember what I told you before, what is the most important thing about exploring natural philosophy?"

"Uh, determination to pursue the truth?" Lavoisier asked tentatively.

"Of course determination is important. But the most important thing."

Geta looked at Lawrence and couldn't help but licked his lips and said:

"It's still money. We are different from those philosophers of the French Institute. They only need to hold their tomes and watch the night. We have to be busy with various experiments day by day. Those raw materials and equipment are expensive. ”

Lavoisier frowned and said hesitantly:

"Don't we have the sponsorship of the Royal Academy of Sciences?"

"Sponsorship. Sponsorship only funds certain projects, and the money is not enough."

Mr. Gaitan waved his hands and said defensively.

Lavoisier glanced at his money-obsessed mentor, sighed, gave up arguing with him, and asked:

"So you do?"

"Hehehe, this Lord Bonaparte must be a wealthy owner. It would be great if he is willing to help us."

It took about ten minutes for Lawrence to finish dealing with the partygoers in front of him. At the same time, his pockets were filled with dozens of business cards from people from all walks of life.

Although the status of the guests attending this mid-level party is not very high, they are indeed the backbone of their respective industries. Lawrence may need to contact them under certain circumstances, so Lawrence is very interested in these business cards in his pocket. Decided to keep it properly.

After the entertainment, Lawrence found Lavoisier in the corner of the room, chatting casually with Getart and several other scholars.

Seeing that Lawrence's side was finally over, Lavoisier also stood up and took the initiative to introduce:

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, this is my mentor, Geta Etienne, and these are my colleagues, so I won't introduce them one by one."

"Nice to meet you, Your Excellency Bonaparte, please come and sit here."

Geta stood up with a smile and asked Lawrence to sit next to him.

"You must be Mr. Geta. I have admired you for a long time."

Lawrence looked at the bearded man in front of him, smiled politely, sat directly next to him and said.

"Oh? Are you also interested in natural philosophy? Then we have something to talk about."

Geta responded with a smile.

Lavoisier on the side quickly added:

"In fact, His Excellency Bonaparte is a very accomplished scholar. He also intends to join the Royal Academy of Sciences. I was just discussing this issue with him."

“So that’s how it is”

Geta's smile became even brighter, knowing that this was a good opportunity to make profit, so he stared at Lawrence and said:

"Since even Lavoisier, a brilliant young man, says that you have great achievements, I have no reason to doubt you at all. I will be happy to recommend you to join the Royal Academy of Sciences. Perhaps we can find another time to discuss this matter ”

Lawrence glanced sideways at Getta. Unlike Lavoisier's hesitation just now, Mr. Getta did not hide the greed in his eyes at all.

"Of course, but I have something more important that I want to talk to Mr. Geta, maybe you guys"

Lawrence crossed his legs and said, and at the same time glanced at the people around him, indicating that he wanted to talk to Geta alone.

Lavoisier stood up in confusion. Logically speaking, Lawrence had just learned Geta's name from his own mouth. How could he have important matters to discuss with him so soon?

However, several people around them still stood up wisely, leaving this area free for Lawrence and Geta.

"What's more important? Monsignor Bonaparte, what are you talking about?"

Although Geta was also surprised, his nose had already smelled the smell of coins from Lawrence's words, so he asked enthusiastically.

"You should know that a large silver mine was discovered in Corsica two years ago." Lawrence explained with a smile.

"Oh, I have an impression."

Geta rubbed his temples and recalled for a moment. As a mineralogist, he had extra memory for these news, and he recalled it after a while:

"I think it was around Ajaccio. Geologically it's not surprising, Corsica itself has a large mountain range running north to south."

"Yes, you have a great memory."

Lawrence then said:

"As you know, as the controller of Corsica, I also attach great importance to this silver mine, so I plan to jointly establish the Corsica National Silver Company with the French royal family to speed up its development."

After hearing this, Geta's eyes suddenly lit up. As long as it involves a business group like a company, just making a small fortune in it can be a huge sum of money.

"Is it Silver Company? I can understand it. Is it for early fund raising?"

Geta suppressed his inner excitement and asked quickly:

"But does this have anything to do with what you said?"

"Of course there is. To be honest, the Corsicans have no experience in mining such a large mine."

Lawrence sighed deeply and said sadly:

"I think that the National Silver Company needs a knowledgeable advisor, and I think that as a well-known mineralogist, Mr. Getta, you are undoubtedly the right person."

"Consultant?! This is an exciting position."

Mr. Getta almost jumped with excitement. He knew very well that this so-called consultant was just a name. He didn't even have to go to the silver mine to have a large salary sent to him. at home.

Not to mention, working as a consultant in a company with national and royal backgrounds is a pretty good job.

However, Mr. Getta was not carried away. He knew that Lawrence could not offer such generous benefits just to recommend him to become an academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences. There must be other conditions.

“It was a position that really appealed to me.”

Mr. Getta couldn't help but rub his wristband, coughed twice and asked:

“But what do I need to do as a consultant?”

"You only need to do some very easy work, and you don't even have to live in Corsica. Our questions will be written to Paris for your answers."

Lawrence said seductively:

"It's just that you will be a little busier in the early days of the company's establishment. I need you to issue an evaluation report on the Ajaccio silver mine before joining the company."

Mr. Getta raised his eyebrows. This was not the first time he had done such a shameful transaction. As soon as he heard Lawrence's words, he knew that the price he needed to pay was the evaluation report of the Ajaccio silver mine.

"Assessment report? What kind of report do you need?"

Mr. Getta narrowed his eyes and looked at Lawrence, calmly took a sip of white wine and asked.

Lawrence chuckled, lowered his voice and said:

"As a future company consultant, I hope that you can make some positive adjustments in your report on the situation of the Ajaccio silver mine on an objective and fair basis."

"Ah, I understand what you mean."

Mr. Getta showed an expression that I understand and said with great satisfaction:

"It's hard for me to take time off recently. I should go to Corsica in a few months to complete that evaluation report for you."

"In a few months?"

Lawrence frowned slightly, his tone was a little colder, and he looked at Geta and said:

"I don't think I have a few months."

"Huh? When do you need to receive this report?" Mr. Getta was stunned for a moment and asked quickly.

"Let me think about it." Lawrence closed his eyes and hummed for a while, then said casually:

"Maybe in ten days?"

"Ten days?!"

Mr. Getta's eyes widened and he said in disbelief:

“How am I going to finish a report for you ten days later when I haven’t even left Paris yet?!”

"Well, maybe you can speculate on the situation of the Ajaccio silver mine in your study?" Lawrence said with a shrug.

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, Paris is nearly two thousand miles away from Ajaccio. If you want to speculate, you might as well find a gypsy wizard!" Mr. Getta protested with an ugly face.

Lawrence glanced at Geta, turned to face him, and said coldly:

"You mean you are incapable of completing this report? Then I will unfortunately find another consultant. In fact, I think very highly of your pupil Lavoisier."

"But" Mr. Getta was speechless for a moment, and after a while he said:

"But wouldn't the report written like this be complete nonsense? I haven't even seen a single ore from the Ajaccio silver mine."

Lawrence just smiled and shook his head, sat closer to Mr. Getta, and whispered:

"To you, this is a complete nonsense report, but as long as this report is signed by the name of the famous mineralogist Geta Etienne, everyone will believe it, especially investors."

"You...you mean to forge a report?" Mr. Getta looked a little pale and said hesitantly:

"If something goes wrong, I will be ruined."

Lawrence shook his index finger and said with a sly smile:

"What's going to happen to the National Silver Company? It's jointly owned by the Corsican government and the French royal family."

"Hiss" Mr. Getta took a breath, but nodded and admitted that Lawrence was right. How could this company have problems?

"I see."

After some careful consideration, Mr. Getta gritted his teeth, looked at Lawrence and said:

"I will complete the report you requested within ten days, and I guarantee you will be satisfied."

"That would be great."

Lawrence nodded with satisfaction, then stood up straight away, patted Mr. Getta on the shoulder, and whispered in his ear:

"By the way, since you want to make up a report, I think you might as well spread your imagination, especially on some statistics. Of course, in an upward direction."

"Just as you say, Monsignor Bonaparte."

Mr. Getta nodded heavily and said that he could already predict how much shock a super silver mine that only existed on paper would bring to Paris investors.

"In that case, I'll take my leave now. You know where to find me."

After Lawrence said the last words to Mr. Getta, he waved goodbye to Lavoisier and the others in the club, and left here first.

Sitting on the carriage returning to the mansion, Lawrence turned his head and glanced at the club, couldn't help but shook his head and sighed:

"This kind of thing is a complete financial fraud, and the investors who were treated as leeks have no idea. Oh, and poor Mr. Getta, I am really sorry that I deceived him. By then, the National Silver Company will not only Something will go wrong, and it will be a huge problem. But if his performance satisfies me, maybe I will make him the scapegoat."