Brister Manor.

The Bristers, along with their daughter, stared at John in anticipation, and their minds couldn't turn for a moment.

John's words just now shocked them all.

John himself knew that his words were a bit too advanced for this era, so he touched his nose and said with a dry smile: "I'm just an invitation, of course, Miss Anna or not depends on your opinions, hehe......"

"Isn't this nonsense?!"

Old Huntelaar glared at John fiercely. However, as a grandson, John saw a trace of appreciation in the seemingly fierce eyes of old Huntelaar at a glance, and the meaning of that encouragement was also clear, so he almost gave him a thumbs up!

Mr. and Mrs. Brister looked at each other, relatively silent.

For Mr. Brister, John's invitation was a bit too abrupt. Mr. Brister already knew that John would return to New York with old Huntelaar next spring, and that he would travel to Europe in the second half of the year to see the world in those famous cities, but he could not have imagined that this boy would invite his daughter to complete this trip with him!

Isn't that a joke?!

Even in 21st-century Europe, it is enough to surprise parents when young men and women of eighteen or nineteen years go on long journeys together, let alone Berlin at the end of the 19th century. If he hadn't known anything about John, Mr. Brister would have jumped up and scolded him for his whimsical mention. Some time ago, the two of them went to Vienna together after all, after all, it was not a very long time, and there were maids and housekeepers at home to follow, and the couple was relieved, but this time it will take at least three or four months!

But......

Just as Mr. Brister frowned. While contemplating how to reject John's suggestion, Mrs. Brister, after frowning and pondering for a moment, suddenly brightened her eyes and turned her head to look at her daughter Anna beside her.

After a brief moment of consternation, Anna was looking at a mixture of anticipation and hesitation.

As an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, it was the time when curiosity was high. Coupled with the fact that she was in this era of thought, and was exposed to a lot of new things in various ways, Anna was naturally looking forward to traveling with John to several big cities in Europe. It's just that as the eldest daughter of the Brister family, Anna has received a traditional lady's education since she was a child, so Anna feels a little inappropriate when she is with a man of the same age, even if the other party is her favorite John.

"But I'm looking forward to it!"

After a moment of silence, Anna's eyes finally brightened......

……

"Grandpa. Do you think the Bristers would agree? “

Sitting in the carriage home, John asked his grandfather expectantly.

After a moment of silence, old Huntlaar shook his head with a wry smile and said, "I can't say anything about this, maybe or not. “

"Uh......"

After hearing what old Huntelaar said and didn't say, John's face suddenly darkened. The reason why he extended an invitation to Anna today was naturally because of old Huntelaar's words.

Truth be told, John found that he did already like the girl.

It's just for John, a traverser. Even though he and Anna have known each other for two years, they have not been able to get to know each other alone for a long time. I'm afraid it's only a month in Vienna.

This time is too short.

So after thinking about it, John felt that the six months before returning to North America was the best opportunity, and if the two could travel together, they would get to know each other more deeply, and they would finally make up their minds.

And......

"It's been a long journey. It's too boring to talk alone. ”

Thinking about the plan he was about to implement, John felt a headache. Although the trip is likely to become a legend in history, John still finds it a little unbearable if there is only one person. As for Henry, who said that he would follow him, he didn't think that Mr. Coachman, who kept to his identity, would become the object of his journey to talk to and relieve his boredom.

John was pondering. Old Huntelaar asked, "John, have you planned which cities you are going to?" But let's say in advance, you only have three months at most, and you must be back in Berlin for the New Year! ”

"Uh......"

Listening to old Huntelaar's commanding tone, John's face suddenly became bitter.

According to the original plan, he did not plan to go to many places, and the first consideration was naturally the universities that had invited him, so they were mainly located in Germany. But in addition to his work goals, John also wanted to take the opportunity to visit several major European cities, such as London, Edinburgh, Milan, Florence, Paris, Copenhagen, etc.

London and Edinburgh are not in a hurry, and they can stop by when they leave Europe next year, but how can the other cities be combined without four or five months?

But if there were only three months to go, the list of cities John planned to visit would have to be cut down by at least half......

"Or, or by train?"

After much hesitation, John finally gave up the idea of taking the train.

While the train ride would have been quicker enough to allow him to travel to more cities, there was no doubt that another plan was the most appealing. So after a moment of silence, John nodded and smiled bitterly: "Okay grandpa, I will definitely come back before the New Year......"

……

At the same time, Karlsruhe.

In the old factory building of General Motors, Mr. Benz was clapping his hands vigorously and shouting, "Gentlemen, work hard to get everything done today...... I'll invite you to dinner in the evening! ”

"Bang ......"

"Tear the ......"

Bentz's words obviously made everyone excited, and his subordinates worked harder and harder, and the noise made the whole factory lively as if the whole line had started. But in fact, everyone knows that unless the new plant next to it is completed and the newly purchased equipment is in place, the car that General Motors has just finalized will not start production.

Right now, everyone is busy. It's just a car.

Looking at the hot scene in front of him with satisfaction, Benz secretly estimated the time, and finally could go out with peace of mind to take a breath.

"How?"

As soon as Benz came out of the factory, Daimler, who was standing outside smoking a cigarette, turned his head and asked with a smile, "Can you finish it today?" ”

"Pretty much."

Twisting his head vigorously, Benz nodded and smiled.

Daimler's eyes flickered a few times, and he couldn't help but smile: "Our boss, Mr. Huntelaar, is really a genius. I even thought of using my own car to travel all over Europe! Haha, in this way, it is unlikely that our first product of General Motors will not attract the attention of the public! ”

"Haha, maybe it's just the freshness of young people."

It's the same laugh, but Benz's view is a little different from Daimler's.

Benz was of course grateful for John's investment in his business, especially when he was in great difficulty and could not move an inch because of a lack of funds. John's investment was a relief for his immediate needs. But when John later injected capital again, and Daimler and Maybach joined in, diluting Bentz's stake to just 20 percent, the father of the car felt a little uncomfortable — Mercedes-Benz was like his son to Bentz, but now it was someone else's.

Of course, it didn't take long for Benz to figure it out.

If he is allowed to do his own research and manufacturing, even if he succeeds in the end. If you want to produce and promote in the future, sooner or later you will have to transfer the company's shares. The only difference may just be that the Mercedes name is retained. It's just that this is what makes Benz himself still a little unhappy in his heart.

Daimler, of course, was well aware of this, so he just smiled at Bentz's words, and did not refute anything, but listened to the sound of banging in the factory, and said wistfully: "Karl." If nothing else, our new plant should be ready for production early next year, right? ”

"Hmm."

Nodding heavily, Benz showed a happy smile on his face: "With our current manpower, if we have enough funds, we can produce at least five hundred cars a year!" If one can be sold for 4000 marks. We'll earn two million marks! God, that's an amazing number! ”

"Impossible!"

After hearing Bentz's words, Daimler immediately shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Karl, I think Mr. Huntelaar has already said in his letter that the price of a car at 4,000 marks is too high, and we can't sell it!" And in the first place, we shouldn't aim so high, 500 is too much......"

Hit by Daimler like this, Bentz's brows suddenly furrowed.

In fact, the two had been arguing for a long time about the price of the first General Motors, with Benz insisting on setting the price at around 5,000 marks, because he believed that the car was a revolution in transportation, and that it was worth the price in absolute terms, while Daimler agreed with Johann Huntelaar that the price of the car should not exceed 3,000 marks, otherwise it would be difficult to be favored!

The ideas of the two sides have produced relatively large differences.

Benz did not know that even five years later, the car he designed for 3,800 marks would not sell, and until the 2,000 mark car was produced, only about 100 cars were sold in a year.

Of course, now with the advent of John and the provision of many technologies that are ahead of the times, even the technical level of the car in 1886 is much higher than in 1893 in history, so the price of 4000 marks is completely worth it, but considering that there is always a process of development of any new thing, John built a price of not more than 3000 marks, because even at this price, General Motors has a profit of at least hundreds of marks, which is enough. In the future, with the advancement of technology and the reduction of costs, especially the increase in sales, profits will naturally rise.

And for the current car, John didn't have the intention of making money.

In John's view, at the current level of the economy, it is not yet time for the car to be popularized, and General Motors just needs to continue to research the technology and then start promoting it. Of course, it is good to be able to make a profit every year, but if there is no profit, even if he loses, he is willing to spend money to raise it, as long as he looks forward to the future.

Of course, Benz didn't know this, so he just shook his head with a smile and said in a deep voice: "Well, let's wait for Mr. Huntelaar to come and then discuss this matter." ”

"Hmm...... It's good. ”

After thinking for a moment, Daimler also nodded and smiled: "But compared to the price of the car, I am more looking forward to Mr. Huntelaar's driving trip, because I have a hunch that his trip is likely to become a legendary ......" (To be continued......