Chapter 294: Renovations

Chapter 294: Renovations

Early the next morning, Robson, the manager of the Hanseatic Trading Company in Paris, had just boarded a light carriage on his way to the company when he heard a newsboy's cry, "Come and see, come and see, the 'Moulin Rouge' is undergoing renovations and will be closed for two weeks. Earthquake in Turkey, countless casualties. The First Consul receives the envoy from Santo Domingo..."

Robson couldn't care less about the earthquake in Turkey. It probably affected a fair number of Turks, Arabs, or other people, but that had nothing to do with him. He and the Hanseatic Trading Company's reach didn't extend that far, and they had no business in Turkey whatsoever. Who cared if they perished?

As for Santo Domingo, it was somewhat related to him. The coffee he enjoyed came from Santo Domingo. However, the coffee and sugar trade was mostly controlled by French, Spanish, or British companies. The Hanseatic Trading Company couldn't get a foothold in this business, so, in reality, it didn't concern him much. Nevertheless, if the First Consul could receive the envoy from Santo Domingo, it meant that the two sides weren't breaking ties yet, and that meant Robson could continue to enjoy his coffee. That was a silver lining.

But the fact that the "Moulin Rouge" would be closed for two weeks was a different story. He had already made plans to host some "friends" from the business there in a few days, and now he might have to make alternative arrangements.

With these thoughts in mind, Robson called out, "Newsboy, newsboy, give me a newspaper with the news about the 'Moulin Rouge' closing for renovations."

The news of the upcoming two-week closure of the "Moulin Rouge" immediately drew widespread attention. Many people even began to worry. They weren't concerned about the possibility of the "Moulin Rouge" pulling a scheme like some unscrupulous clubs, using the excuse of renovations to disappear with their members' money and set up shop in the New World. If such a thing happened to the "Moulin Rouge," they'd be delighted because they were all in the same business. However, they knew how profitable the "Moulin Rouge" was, and it would be foolish to do anything that could jeopardize their income.

What they were concerned about was how the "Moulin Rouge" would be renovated and whether they would be able to keep up with it after the renovations. The "Moulin Rouge" was now the trendsetter in all of Paris, if not all of France, and even all of Europe. While the Austrian, British, and Russian royal families openly scoffed at the "Moulin Rouge" style, calling it "decadent and corrupt," rumors had it that whenever the "Moulin Rouge" introduced a new fashion, you'd see a similar style in Austrian and British courts a week later, an exact replica in the Sultan's palace in Turkey three weeks later, and a nearly identical outfit in St. Petersburg five to six weeks later.

Apart from fashion, the architectural style of the "Moulin Rouge" was also an object of imitation throughout Europe. Despite the upper echelons of European society outwardly disparaging the "Moulin Rouge" style, they couldn't help but be influenced by it in their new construction projects and renovations of old palaces. Even if they tried to imitate it, they couldn't really measure up to the "Moulin Rouge," but even a little imitation could help them maintain an edge over their competition.

He owned a nightclub called "Royal Gems." Of course, it couldn't compare to the "Moulin Rouge" in terms of business, but it brought in a decent monthly income. After covering the daily operating expenses and settling matters with people on both sides of the law, he was left with a good sum of money. Cadreus had been planning to buy a small estate in his native Italy by the autumn of this year, and then he could flaunt his wealth in front of his acquaintances. However, now it seemed that this pleasant dream would have to be postponed.

This gave rise to a new set of rumors. Some said the "Moulin Rouge" was going to build a large fountain, while others claimed it was preparing a massive electric stage that could rise and rotate. There were even rumors about the "Moulin Rouge" using electric machines for the dancers. Although most of these rumors were likely unreliable, one thing was certain: the "Moulin Rouge's" renovation was strongly connected to electricity.

Some people also noticed that the "Elysium Palace" had begun closed renovations and had brought in a similarly thick power cable. However, getting information about the "Elysium Palace" was even more difficult than finding out about the "Moulin Rouge."

With all these speculations, time passed gradually, and the high fabric curtains surrounding the "Moulin Rouge" were removed, revealing the renovated "Moulin Rouge" to everyone.

"It doesn't seem like there's much of a change, does it?" Many people asked in confusion.

Indeed, the exterior of the "Moulin Rouge" appeared mostly unchanged. The most prominent feature was still the enormous red windmill. The only difference was that the red windmill had been adorned with glass decorations along its edges. In the evening sunlight, these decorations refracted a faint red light.

In the small square in front of the "Moulin Rouge," there was indeed a newly added fountain. At the center of the fountain was a marble sculpture of Prince Paris of Troy and Queen Helen of Sparta in an amorous encounter, surrounded by a ring of smaller fountains.

Apart from the fact that the water from the small fountains didn't scatter but rather formed small bubbles, the fountain didn't seem particularly remarkable.

In addition to this, on the ground near the main building of the "Moulin Rouge" and by the red windmill, there were stone-like objects. However, they had a thick, transparent glass surface facing the "Moulin Rouge" and the red windmill, and upon closer inspection, one could see that they contained glass bottles-like objects inside. These "stones" were actually made of iron but were painted to look like stone. They had several holes on their surface, though it wasn't clear what they were for.

But by this time, there was no need to rush for information because in just one more hour, the "Moulin Rouge" would be reopening.