Before Ernst left for Trieste, he still had many matters to settle and many people to bid farewell to, including Prince Karl of Sigmaringen, Prince Leopold, the Prussian Royal Family, the Württemberg royal family... So it was not as though he could simply leave whenever he wished; he had to finish dealing with all these matters first.
Half a year earlier.
Far East, Japan.
"Mr. Shinshita, your monkeys really do look quite distinctive. Among monkeys, they seem rather short and stocky. This fits Darwin's theory of evolution remarkably well. Could it be that only the environment of the Japanese islands could nurture monkeys that enjoy soaking in hot springs? I'd like to learn more about it."
"Er, Rosens-san, who is Darwin?"
"A European biologist."
"Yoshi, a scientist?"
"Yes, and a great British biologist at that. He holds considerable authority in academic circles. I used to be quite unconvinced by Darwin, but after coming to Japan, I discovered that Darwin was right. You cannot find monkeys in any other country that enjoy soaking in hot springs as much as Japanese monkeys do."
Why did that sound like an insult? Still, the moment Shinshita heard that Darwin was British, he immediately transformed into a bootlicker. "Rosens-san, your Great Britain truly is the greatest country in the world."
Though Rosens's so-called "London accent" carried a heavy German flavor, Shinshita, with his mouth full of Japanese-style English, could not hear it at all.
Rosens burst into laughter. "Not at all, not at all. We British may have achieved a few minor accomplishments in culture, but compared with countries like Germany, France, and Russia, we are still far inferior. Do you know what Great Britain relied on to become the world hegemon?"
Shinshita was rather curious, so he asked, "I hope Your Excellency will