Chapter 549 - 254: At Kang Bridge, Waving a Sleeve Summons a Dark Cloud (Part 1)

By the way, I heard Qidian lifted some banned words, including one of our old recurring characters—let’s give it a try here.

[When readers saw the author updating 30,000 words daily, smiles broke out across their faces, and they started tossing in their monthly tickets.]

"Hm? Mr. Faraday, did you forget to connect the wire to the device on the right?" Old Far contemplated a moment, then gently shook his head: "I don’t think I forgot to connect it. The point is, this device doesn’t need a wire at all." William Whewell was stunned, blinked, and asked, "Wait, are you saying you’ve figured out the principle behind this device?" Old Far adjusted his glasses—neither nodding nor shaking his head—and said hesitantly, "I just have some guesses, that’s all..." Then he pointed to the metal plate not far away and said, "Dean Whewell, you don’t often join us on the front lines of research, so there are some things you might not be familiar with." "The imaging plates often used in optical experiments are usually composite marble plates, manufactured this way mainly to display images clearly." "As for metal plates of this type, they’re more common in reflection experiments—things like sound waves or light and so on..." "Luo Feng wants the experiment to be done in the dark, so it clearly involves light." "Therefore, I believe this metal plate is meant for reflecting light." As he spoke, he glanced again at the setup, stroked his chin, and finally concluded, "So if everything goes as expected, this setup should have the coil apparatus powered up and glowing first. Then the light gets reflected off the metal plate and forms a certain image on the receiver..." Watching Old Far confidently expound on his theory, Xu Yun couldn’t help but shake his head. Oh Old Far, you’re off the mark this time. This experiment has absolutely nothing to do with optical imaging. Not even a smidge. Of course, you can’t blame Old Far for that. The phenomenon in this experiment is just too bizarre, way beyond what people at the time could comprehend. They could repeat the experiment countless times, but its principle worried them to no end. It wasn’t until twenty years later that Einstein finally worked out the theoretical explanation. In this moment, the year 1850—if someone could foresee the outcome just by looking at the equipment, Xu Yun would eat the axe from Wheat’s dorm right then and there! But just as he was about to speak, a voice suddenly froze his expression mid-air: "Um, Professor Faraday, is it possible that the receiver won’t show an image, but will instead display a potential difference?" "?????" Xu Yun stared blankly and turned around, only to see the speaker was less than three meters away—who else but Wheat! Where did he pop up from? Oh, right. This Scottish youth originally belonged with the student reps, lounging around and spectating, but Xu Yun dragged him into action during the photovoltaic experiment, turning him into the flashlight-bearer. So naturally, after the photovoltaic experiment, he shuffled along with the professors to the third experimental site. Of course, Xu Yun wasn’t surprised that Wheat showed up, nor that he had the guts to suggest the opposite of Old Far’s viewpoint. What got him was... what Wheat actually said. Right now, Xu Yun really wanted to shout, "MMP, are you here to steal my thunder or what..." How can someone, in 1850, foretell the specific outcome of an experiment just by looking at a few pieces of equipment... Where’s the Scythe of Judgment? I want to report a cheater! But soon, thinking about Wheat’s connection to this experiment, Xu Yun’s mind gradually calmed. In its place was an unexplainable feeling of awe. Is this... a predestined resonance? After all, in the original history, the outcome of this experiment was Wheat’s lifelong pursuit—a yearning he never saw fulfilled, yet it earned him posthumous fame. Perhaps, in mysterious ways, some people and things just innately resonate differently than others. Meanwhile, Wheat’s comment had caught Old Far’s attention. Seeing Old Far look at Wheat, William Whewell proactively introduced him: "Mr. Faraday, this is Maxwell, a student here. He’s Trinity College’s second scholarship recipient after Sir Newton." "Oh? So he’s the Scottish prodigy?" Old Far looked Maxwell up and down with great interest and asked curiously, "Maxwell, why do you think the receiver won’t display an image, and will instead show a potential difference?" Maxwell was a social anxiety sufferer, and before a big shot like Old Far, the pressure was on a whole other level. The guy looked so awkward he could barely function: "Fa... Faraday, sir, I can’t really ex... explain the reasoning, it was just an instinctive guess about the potential difference possibility..." Seeing Maxwell nearly cringe himself to tears, Xu Yun lightly cleared his throat, stepping in to smooth things over: "Mr. Faraday, our time is limited—perhaps we could..." Old Far was startled, then realized that he and William Whewell were bordering on rudeness. After all, Prince Albert was still waiting nearby. He hurriedly stepped back half a pace and said to Xu Yun, "Sorry, sorry, please begin, Luo Feng." Xu Yun thanked him, nodded to several directions like a conductor entering the stage, walked over to the equipment, and started up the apparatus. Zzz—— "Fa... Faraday, sir, I can’t really ex... explain the reasoning, it was just an instinctive guess about the potential difference possibility..." Seeing Maxwell nearly cringe himself to tears, Xu Yun lightly cleared his throat, stepping in to smooth things over: "Mr. Faraday, our time is limited—perhaps we could..." Old Far was startled, then realized that he and William Whewell were bordering on rudeness. After all, Prince Albert was still waiting nearby. He hurriedly stepped back half a pace and said to Xu Yun, "Sorry, sorry, please begin, Luo Feng." Xu Yun thanked him, nodded to several directions like a conductor entering the stage, walked over to the equipment, and started up the apparatus. Zzz——