For the French Trade Minister, he witnessed export figures skyrocket, increasing at a rate of over 10% per month.
Although the French factories affected by the previous order scams had mostly mitigated their losses after receiving subsidies and selling off most of their stock,
the additional workers they had hired and the machines they had purchased to fulfill those orders were still a headache.
Recently, as smuggling trade with England and Portugal flourished, most factories began operating their idle capacities, and there was even a slight shortage of supply.
Meanwhile, as the volume of goods transported towards Southern Netherlands increased, the construction speed in the Walloon Region improved several times over—money flowed there, naturally making it a wealthier area.
Smugglers, for the convenience of transportation, even funded themselves to extend Joseph's originally planned wooden tracks from Hengnei High all the way to Luxembourg, eventually connecting with the wooden tracks inside France at Verdun.
Ostend, once an unremarkable small seaport, became exceptionally prosperous within months.
A large number of residents from northern France, French-speaking people from Southern Netherlands, and even a considerable number of Italians flocked there, earning high wages from the "special trade."
Indeed, due to the abundance of sailors seeking work, wages dropped from 100 francs per month to 80 francs. Yet, even so, this was still a very tempting salary.
These people needed to be provided for in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and their salaries needed a place to be spent, consequently bringing more bricklayers, carpenters, shoemakers, and even "fallen women."
Numerous residences, shops, and entertainment venues sprang up around the harbor like mushrooms after the rain.
The population in the Ostend area surged from just over 4,000 to more than 50,000 and continued to rise.
The Austrian Government originally had weak control over Southern Netherlands, and these tens of thousands of French-speaking people hardly heeded Brussels' policies, while the influence of the Walloon Chamber of Commerce gradually expanded to the northwestern Southern Netherlands.
It could be said that if it weren't for Joseph's concern about provoking Austria, he could have immediately annexed the area south of Brussels into France—an unexpected gain he hadn't anticipated before.
While some rejoiced, others worried; amidst the thriving maritime trade of Ostend, London faced a terrifying "earthquake."
In a café at Thames Port, Mesmer, dressed as a scholar, reluctantly gazed towards the distant districts of London and sighed, "I'm sure Sir Enfeijip has shown great interest in the prospects I described. In three days, at most, he would invest 50,000 British Pounds to buy the company's bonds."
He looked at Carolina, who was tasting the coffee, "Yet, you won't give me these three days."
Carolina ignored him, and Styler, the general manager of Lightning Company with a small moustache, whispered, "Baron Modant faced queries in the Congress, we really couldn't delay any longer."
Due to the repeated delays in the London gas street lamp project, Mr. Modant, who strongly promoted this project, lost face due to his political rivals leveraging the issue.
Therefore, Modant sternly ordered the London Mayor to deliver results "sufficient to silence the Congress" by the end of this year.
The latter readily agreed.
He was very confident because the gas street lamp in London was already 80% complete and only needed gas testing to be operational.
This percentage nearly covered the entire city, and he believed that the moment London lit up in the night, the Congress members would surely be all smiles.
Yes, Lightning Company informed Mayor Herbert that the London gas street lamp project was nearing completion, and the latter had no doubts—by now, the streets of London were lined with street lamps, their elegant designs and robust bolts all exuding an industrial beauty.
However, what Herbert did not know was that these street lamps were beautiful only in appearance.
All street lamps were manufactured and installed by subcontractors strictly according to the designs from Lightning Company. Not only could the pipe joints not be sealed, lacking necessary valves, but even the material of the gas conduits was "carefully selected," guaranteed to corrode within a year after being laid.
This meant that even if the British invested a large amount of money to find someone to continue this "unfinished project," they would have to dig up all pipes again the following year, and the cost would even exceed laying new pipes.
Afterward, Herbert requested that Lightning Company put the completed street lamps into use.
For Mr. Modant's career, he also publicly announced a grand ceremony to light up London's gas street lamps by the end of the year.
Of course, the street lamps wouldn't light up at all. So after discussing, Carolina and Styler decided—it was time to flee.
And indeed, they had already made enough.
Just a few hours after the ship carrying Carolina and others left Thames Port, the London Mayor, Baron Modant, and a group of officials appeared at the ceremony site.
However, when Herbert heard a whisper from his assistant, he was somewhat angry. The general manager and senior executives of Lightning Company were absent and had been unreachable.
Herbert scanned the thousands of civilians and a large group of journalists at the scene, feeling a bad premonition. But when he saw a technician from Lightning Company standing not far away, along with some executives involved in the gas street lamp project, he breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as there was a technician, lighting the lamps would suffice; he could settle accounts with Styler later.
As the sun began to set, after the congress members and mayors had made their eloquent speeches, the sky darkened just right.
Baron Modant excitedly raised his hand, "Let us use light to dispel London's darkness!"
Dozens of lamp lighters immediately dispersed, each uncovering the glass lampshades, inserting one end of a burning slender rod into the lamps.
Then they were all surprised to check the valves and try lighting them again.
The night remained as dark as before.
The lamp lighters busily switched to different lamps to try, but still couldn't light them.
After a full half hour, news came from all over London that not a single lamp could be lit.
Herbert glared fiercely at the Lightning Company's technician, who quickly explained with a troubled face, "Mayor, it must be that the gas hasn't come through; I've already sent someone to check."
However, the check yielded no results, and another hour later, Herbert grimly announced, "Due to technical issues, the lighting ceremony is postponed."
The next morning, Herbert led a group of officials to Lightning Company to seek accountability.
Styler and others were still absent; a trembling technician reported to the mayor, "I checked the main output pipeline, and indeed there's no gas."
"Then go check your distillation plant!" Styler angrily retorted.
The technician helplessly lowered his head, "But, Mayor, only the chief technician can enter there..."