In the first few days after purchasing the typewriter and bicycle, Lionel fell into a state of near obsession.
He placed the typewriter in the best spot in his study by the window, where sunlight bathed its black metal body, giving off a cold gleam.
He would sit in front of it almost whenever he had free time, his fingers dancing across the round keycaps.
At first, unfamiliarity and mechanical sluggishness led to frequent errors, but soon, his typing speed improved with astonishing efficiency.
The rhythm of "click-clack-ding!" became the new background sound in apartment 117 on Saint-Germain Street.
He tried using the typewriter to directly compose the final chapters of "The Misadventures of Benjamin Button"—
Indeed, when ideas flowed, the typed words solidified on paper faster than using a quill and ink.
However, frustration followed.
Errors caused by not being able to see the output instantly, the tediousness of frequently adjusting the roller to correct a single word, the awkwardness of missing French special characters...
All felt like tiny thorns, constantly reminding him that this was still a primitive and clumsy tool.
What he was accustomed to was the seamless digital world connecting keyboard and screen.
This disparity quickly cooled his initial excitement, and a desire to improve it began to burn in his heart.
The bicycle was no different.
He had polished the "Rover Safety Bicycle" till it gleamed, parking it in the hallway, often drawing the curious gazes of Alice and Patty.
But the streets of Paris, even the relatively smooth Haussmann Boulevards, presented a considerable challenge for a bicycle with solid rubber tires.
Lionel rode it through the neighborhood, feeling the freedom of the wind rushing past his ears, indeed much faster than walking, and more unrestricted than a carriage.
But every bump clearly transmitted through the hard seat to his entire body, every brake required anticipation, the chain drive would sometimes jam, not to mention the utterly uncomfortable ergonomics.
After each ride, Lionel had to retreat to his bedroom to thoroughly rub his numb backside.
He longed for the cushioning brought by pneumatic tires, for lighter and stronger frames, for sensitive and reliable braking systems, for smooth bearings...
Bicycles of later eras always floated in his mind, but before him was only this clunky, embryonic industrial product.
This dissatisfaction with "backward" tools grew more intense day by day, even temporarily overshadowing his enthusiasm for finishing "The Misadventures of Benjamin Button."
An engineer's restlessness surged in his chest.
Lionel couldn't tolerate these "primitive" inventions before him; he urgently wanted to push them closer to what he remembered.
——————
A few days later, Lionel again visited the Faculty of Science building at the Sorbonne University and found the "Physics Laboratory."
Pierre Curie was meticulously recording a set of data.
Seeing Lionel, he pushed up his glasses:
"Lionel? This time, are you looking for some special chemical reagent?
Or do you have another new idea that can change the color of flames?"
He made a small joke, clearly impressed by their previous collaboration.
Lionel got straight to the point:
"No, it's not chemicals this time, Pierre. I need an engineer, or a scientist like you who understands both theory and practice.
I need someone who can help me improve some things, some... tools that can enhance efficiency."
Pierre Curie put down his pen, a little surprised:
"Improve tools? I recall you are a writer, Lionel. Does literary creation nowadays require such, well, hardware support?"
Lionel smiled, half-truthfully saying:
"Inspiration is fleeting, Pierre! And clumsy tools stifle inspiration! I yearn for smoother expression, for more convenient movement.
Of course, regarding fees, I will, as last time, ensure that anyone who helps will not have their efforts wasted."
Pierre Curie pondered for a moment and decided to agree, not only because Lionel paid generously, but also because he found him an interesting person.
After their last collaboration, he and Lionel had several coffees, and the writer's interest in and "mastery" of science had greatly surprised him.
Lionel always had some curious ideas; though sometimes they sounded unbelievable, he could often explain them logically.
Pierre Curie mused:
"Engineers... Most people I know focus on theory or large-scale projects, but perhaps there's one candidate.
He just completed his doctoral thesis and is a rare genius in mathematics and physics, with profound insights into mechanics.
He's soon to take a position in the Department of Public Works, and the Sorbonne is also trying to recruit him as a professor. He happens to have some free time right now.
I think he might be interested in your unconventional project..."
Lionel stepped forward and shook Pierre Curie's hand:
"I hope to meet him as soon as possible, Pierre, as soon as possible!"
——————
A few days later, Lionel arrived at the "Procope" café near the Sorbonne Faculty of Science.
On a winter afternoon, the café was warm and cozy.
Pierre Curie was already seated in a corner by the window and offered a smile when he saw Lionel.
Next to him sat a young man in a thick woolen coat and a scarf, appearing a few years older than Curie, with a prominent forehead.
Lionel hurried over:
"Pierre! Sorry I'm late!"
Pierre Curie immediately stood up:
"Lion! You're just in time."
He turned to the young man beside him:
"Allow me to introduce you to my friend, Jules Henri Poincaré! A brilliant mathematician, physicist, and engineer.
Ha, he even knows a bit about literature; he can write poetry and essays!"
(Henri Poincaré was elected to the French Academy as an essayist...)
Then he said to Poincaré:
"Henri, this is Mr. Lionel Sorel, the great writer, author of 'The Old Guard' and 'The Choir.'"
When Lionel heard the name "Jules Henri Poincaré," he almost knocked over the coffee on the table, only managing to conceal his shock with a series of coughs.
Henri Poincaré!
The last polymath in mathematics, one of the founders of topology, a pioneer of relativity, the proposer of the Poincaré conjecture!
A true scientific giant whose name would be forever etched in history!
And he appeared before him at this point in time, in such a way! And introduced by Pierre Curie as an engineer "earning extra money"?
Poincaré asked with some concern:
"Mr. Sorel, are you alright?"
Lionel finally managed to calm down:
"Yes, yes... I'm fine... It's just, Mr. Poincaré... I didn't guess that Pierre would invite you.
You are truly, truly difficult to guess..."
Henri Poincaré, of course, couldn't "guess" why Lionel was so flustered and could only attribute it to a writer's sensitivity and nervousness.
But he still firmly shook Lionel's hand:
"Mr. Sorel, I am your admirer! 'The Old Guard,' 'Homeland,' 'My Uncle Jules,' 'Old Man Milon'...
And 'The Misadventures of Benjamin Button,' I've been following it! I've even seen 'The Choir' twice!
Thank you for everything you've done for French children! You are my role model, and the pride of our Sorbonne!"
Lionel sighed:
"But for humanity, you and Pierre are the true great figures!"
(End of Chapter)