In 1907, the fastest transoceanic passenger ship, the new record owner of the Blue Ribbon Award, the British Canard steamship company's "Lusitania", crossed the Atlantic Ocean in only six days, while the German Navy's training ship "Charlotte", which was mainly sail-powered, arrived in New York in the United States from Cork Harbour in Ireland in 26 days, except for the two days spent in the Azores, they spent 24 days adrift in the vast Atlantic, which was not only a test of personal physical strength and willpower for the naval cadets. It is also a great test of sailing skills and team spirit. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoWhen the majestic and beautiful Statue of Liberty appeared in front of the bow of the ship, they could finally relax and enjoy a pleasant trip to an exotic land.

At this time, New York did not have the towering Empire State Building, but the rows of buildings still showed the vigorous vitality of an international metropolis. The crown of the world's economic, financial and trade center still belongs to London in name, but New York's prosperity has long been no less, and the American economy it represents surpassed Britain, an old industrial empire, more than ten years ago to become the undoubted world's first!

Some people who come to New York envy its prosperity and glory, some admire its free atmosphere, some come to see it for a long time, and some want to try their luck. Before that, Natsuki had never set foot in the United States, Broadway, Wall Street, Times Square, these resounding names were originally just pictures on the screen, but now he has the opportunity to see them with his own eyes, but he has little interest. The rise of the United States is due to its unique geographical location, abundant natural resources, free and independent humanistic spirit, and the unavoidable opportunities of the times, all of which are factors that cannot be replicated by manpower.

-- Many people want to borrow American financial capital, but those profit-seeking capitalists do not have the slightest sympathy for the national cause of others, and are imprisoned by isolationist tendencies, and most American capitalists do not want to be like J. P。 Morgan was competing for Europe, preferring to expand in the Great West or in the newly acquired Philippine colonies.

-- Many people envy the industrial assembly line in the United States, but it is not possible to copy it all if they have the idea and will, it depends on many factors such as operating costs, operation mode, market environment, and even social conditions, and capital, courage, and skill are indispensable.

During this short trip to the United States, Natsuki focused on the "human" element, but the person he most wanted to meet was neither Theodore. Roosevelt, Thomas. A famous figure like Edison is not a future star such as MacArthur and Eisenhower, but the most controversial figure in history, Nikolai, shrouded in a mysterious aura. Tesla.

In some people's opinions, Tesla is the Leonardo da Vinci of the 20th century, his scientific inventions have had an immeasurable impact and contribution to human society, he is a poet, philosopher, music connoisseur and linguist, but also a great wise man, his understanding and cognition of the universe far ahead of his time; He invented the Tesla transformer, alternating current motorcycle, modern computer foundation, wireless communications, solar energy systems, radar devices, robots, dead light, lie detectors, and put forward the concept of electromagnetic radio frequency weapons, these inventions and discoveries surpassed several eras of science and technology at that time......

Although these miraculous descriptions and comments are difficult to be realistically corroborated, it is at least certain that Tesla invented alternating current, made a key contribution to the hydropower project of Niacaragua's Great Falls, and obtained thousands of invention patents in his lifetime, but did not make a fortune from it, but benefited the public with many inventions free of charge; Thirty years since the creation of the Nobel Prize in Physics, Nikolai. Tesla alone was selected nine times, twice with Edison, and he gave up all these eleven Nobel Prizes.

From the perspective of the future world, Natsuki is full of curiosity and expectation to prove with his own eyes what a god Tesla is, and from the perspective of Prince Joachim, he hopes that Tesla can be like John. Holland took it for himself, but before he had met him, he had a faint feeling in his heart that no matter what price he offered, this person would not accept his employment.

In the 21st century, books and textbooks don't usually contain more than one paragraph about Tesla, but in this era of New York, Tesla is such a household name that a taxi he stops on Natsuki Street can take him directly to Tesla's research room, the Warden Clift on Long Island, New York. Legend has it that Tesla used the tower to experiment with wireless transmission of electricity, and the 1908 explosion in Tunguska, Russia, was used by him to show the world his results, and around 1916, in order to pay off the workers' unpaid wages, Tesla had to tear down the tower and sell the materials, and because later generations could not reproduce such a transmission tower, it gradually became as mysterious as the Tower of Babel in Babylon.

Stopping in front of the real Walden Cliff Tower, Natsuki saw an iron tower that had little to do with the words magnificent, immense, and astonishing. It is more than a dozen stories high, shaped like a common water storage tower in arid areas, with no additional base, and the conical tower is a hollow structure like the Eiffel Tower, and the top is a hemispherical dome with a diameter of about 20 meters, next to which Tesla's research room is located, and is a red house with a slender chimney. With no moving figures or the slightest sound of machinery, it looks like an abandoned factory.

Knocking on the white door of the red house twice in a row, Natsuki finally heard footsteps coming from inside, followed by the sound of pulling the iron latch. The door creaked open, and a thin, pale middle-aged face peeked out of it, speaking in fluent American colloquialism:

"How can I help?"

Natsuki communicated with him in English: "My name is Joachim, I am from Germany, I admire Dr. Tesla very much, and I took the liberty of visiting the United States this time. Excuse me......"

"I am." The middle-aged man in a black suit with his hair parted in the middle answered very calmly, and he opened the door a little wider, but it didn't open completely, and the space was just enough for Natsuki to enter.

Like the imaginary Frankenstein's workshop, the huge red house is filled with all sorts of strange machines and spider-web-like pipelines, making it an absolute nightmare for the densely populated phobia.

Echoing the deserted atmosphere outside, Tesla was the only one in the laboratory.

As if he had just woken up from a nap, the scientist was not in a high mood, he walked straight to a small cubicle that looked like a pantry, poured a cup of slightly steaming water for Natsuki, turned around and said, "Long story short, what question do you want to ask, or discuss a topic?" ”

Natsuki didn't glance around or rush to ask, he speculated, "You seem to be in trouble with money. ”

Tesla placed the glass on the table opposite the empty chair and said disapprovingly, "It's not a problem for me anymore." ”

It is said that a fire in 1895 burned down Tesla's laboratory and a large amount of materials inside, which was almost the work of the first half of his life.

"My name is Joachim...... Feng. Prussia. Natsuki told the other party his identity by giving his full name.

Tesla, who was clearly not the kind of reclusive scientist maniac, looked at Natsuki again: "Oh, you are the Prince Joachim, who is known as the genius of Germany, and your deeds are published in the newspapers. ”

"Exactly down there."

Natsuki's confident but not frivolous tone is a realistic portrayal of his current state of character, however, the undisguised display did not solicit the favor of the other party. Tesla was not only indifferent, but even a little mean: "Then allow me to ask again - did His Royal Highness the Prince come here to give a little charity to the down-and-out scientists, or did he want to see what mechanical inventions I have here that are applicable to war?" ”

Natsuki smiled wryly: "Could it be that the impression that the Germans have given the world has been reduced to being only associated with war?" ”

"A rising country with strength and ambition can easily become a source of war." Tesla's comments are objective and don't sound like evictions.

"It seems that you are also very good at studying the laws of historical development." Natsuki said.

Tesla said: "It's not about research. History is like a spiral circle, society is constantly progressing, technology is constantly developing, but the law of the strong competing for the strong and the weak seeking survival has not changed. ”

This should have come from a philosopher, not a scientist, Natsuki thought.

"It is true that the rise of Germany must be baptized by war, but after all, only a few people take pleasure in it. In my opinion, even if war is inevitable, we should choose the path with the least bloodshed and the least suffering, with the victor moving forward proudly and the loser accepting the facts. No matter which flag is erected at the pinnacle of glory, history will still move forward with inherent laws. ”

Tesla, who had grown a mustache on his lips, was looking at Natsuki: "If this is the sincere words of His Highness, it will be a blessing for Germany, Europe and even the world." ”

The main purpose of meeting scientists is not to discuss political or philosophical topics, Natsuki looks around, and the cold machines seem to be turned off, so he says, "I've always heard that the doctor's laboratory is full of wonderful lightning, and today I don't seem to have this honor." ”

"I'm not a children's paradise here, just for innocent and naïve children to perform magic tricks." Tesla's words seemed ruthless, if it was someone else, even if he didn't shoot the case, there would be anger in his eyes, but Natsuki's young face showed a generous kindness. Tesla was a little surprised by this, and he immediately laughed at himself:

"Well, because I owe a lot of money to the power company, and they cut off the power here, and the brilliant Dr. Tesla can't do anything about it."

Natsuki smiled, a faint smile that didn't mean mockery.

Tesla's attitude was noticeably softer than at the beginning, saying, "I heard that His Highness is an expert in rowing and torpedo boats, and must have a great talent in mechanical dynamics. ”

Natsuki replied with humility: "This is due to the accumulated experience of my predecessors and the outstanding inventions of scientists - the internal combustion engine and the steam engine are like the difference between a horse and an ox, and if no one had invented the internal combustion engine, I would have to drive the ox cart as hard as I can." ”

Tesla expressed his approval with silence.

"Actually, I am here to be trained as a cadet of the German Navy for long-distance sailing, and our training ship will stay in New York for a week. When I heard that you were still in New York, the first thing I did when I landed on leave was to visit. Natsuki brought it up again in order to let Tesla know that he had a very important place in his mind, but he was not indispensable enough to make a special trip to visit him - this is the usual technique of business negotiation.

Then, Natsuki tried to invite Tesla to Germany for development: "In a stable monarchy, you can concentrate on scientific research without worrying about funding and public opinion. ”

Tesla thought about it seriously and replied: "Thank you for your kindness, I personally have no prejudices against Germany or Germans, but as a Serb, I really don't want to see bloodshed and strife between European countries, especially Serbia involved in war." I suppose that the German ruling class could not have given up its allies for the sake of a cranky inventor, and the idea of ascending to the throne of the world through the steps of blood and fire. ”

The root cause of the Balkan crisis lies in the competing interests between the great powers, in the long-standing contradictions and conflicts between different peoples, and the will of individuals is simply unable to resolve this long-standing grievance, and even after the baptism of two world wars, the Balkans are still one of the most unstable regions in the world. Tesla not only rejected the invitation, but also made it clear that since Germany regarded Austria-Hungary as a loyal ally, and the latter was hostile to Serbia, he was unwilling and would not establish a long-term friendly cooperative relationship with the Germans.

Natsuki had no way to refute, let alone deceive this scientist who was well versed in the political situation with lies, but fortunately, the other party was neither a politician nor a patriotic youth, and he had the choice of retreating: "I once imagined that one day Your Excellency would be able to realize a great project for the benefit of mankind in Europe, but the situation is so cruel. But...... If we want to design a machine that is absolutely non-military, can we get your help? ”

Tesla hesitated: "It depends on what kind of machine it is." ”

"Most of the disputes between countries and nations revolve around subsistence resources, such as the disputed areas of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, South America, Asia, and, of course, the coal and iron mines of Alsace and Lorraine. If one day people find out that they have endless mineral deposits under their feet, the meaning of the existence of those disputes will be eclipsed. ”

Tesla touched his messy chin: "What does Your Highness mean?" ”

Natsuki puffed up his chest and said the simple but infinite noun in a dignified manner: "Ocean." ”

Tesla's eyes were visibly wide open, and he waited for Natsuki's words in a completely sober demeanor.

"The earth has been formed for hundreds of millions of years, and the land and sea have not been the same in the process...... This is the subject of argument by geographers, and our idea is that the minerals that can be mined on land should also be found under the seabed, and that the ocean is more than twice as large as the land, and it should contain much more minerals than on land. We are considering starting with oil, which is an important energy source for modern industry, and trying to build an offshore oil extraction platform. ”

Tesla smiled slightly, the first and only time Natsuki had seen him smile since he entered the door, and although it was fleeting, it had extraordinary significance.

"Designing this kind of mining platform should be the specialty of a mechanical engineer!" Tesla said.

"Many people look to you as the greatest inventor of our time. In the field of mechanical engineering, you are no less capable and talented, as evidenced by the Nicaragua hydroelectric power plant. ”

Tesla did not accept or reject such a compliment, he thought for a moment and asked, "What do you mean by 'we' just now?" ”

"I, John. Holland has a couple of other whimsical guys. Natsuki replied.

"You mean Mr. Holland, who invented the submarine? Oh, he was an Irishman, and Ireland was a resource-poor island that was unwilling to endure British rule...... Uh-huh, it's normal for him to have these thoughts. ”

While Tesla was talking to himself, Natsuki didn't say a word.

"Well, it's also a fun challenge to try new things, and I can't do anything else without electricity anyway." Tesla's words can be regarded as accepting Natsuki's commission.

Natsuki duly took out his checkbook and wrote five zeros, 100,000 marks, equivalent to about 40,000 US dollars, which was quite a lot of money in this era, and the check could be cashed when it was cashed at the Deutsche Bank branch in New York.

"It's a deposit." With that, Natsuki placed the signed check on the table.

"Don't you ask me how much I offer?" Tesla asked expressionlessly.

"You are not a mercenary businessman." Natsuki smiled calmly and confidently, "I will give a fair price based on your design." ”

Tesla didn't shake Natsuki's hand, he glanced at the check lying quietly on the table: "If it goes well, I'll finish the design before you leave New York." ”

"Then I'll wait for good news." Natsuki got up and was about to leave, seeing that Tesla still didn't mean to shake hands, so he also gave up this useless attempt. When he reached the door, he suddenly turned back: "I really regret that if Germany's foreign policy had not been so expansive, and your country's country had been outside the Balkans, we would have been able to cooperate amicably in many areas, such as marine engines, which your interest and attainment in this area have been agreed upon, and even a small part of the ideas could have revolutionized the development of ship power!" ”

Tesla put his hands in his pockets, his eyes a little stunned. If most people could get along with themselves like the German prince in front of them, with an attitude of knowledge, governor, and people, life should be much easier.

(End of chapter)