Heading to Germany

On June 30, 1900, Li Qiwei's exams finally came to an end, and he began his two-month-plus vacation.

During that time, Planck had written to urge him to make his way to Berlin as soon as possible.

Li Qiwei was more than happy to go. In the early twentieth century, Germany was in fact the world's center of science and culture.

Thanks to Germany's education reforms, literacy rates had risen dramatically, and its university system was advanced—nothing like Britain's closed-off model of education.

As a result, Germany's national power had flourished, stirring a deep sense of crisis in the British Empire and eventually leading to all sorts of wars.

Of course, there were plenty of other factors too.

In his previous life, Li Qiwei had been a PhD in physics, but his grasp of history was only general. When it came to specific details, he was a complete novice.

None of that had anything to do with him now. He was simply going to Germany for an academic exchange.

In his letter, Planck had mentioned that even before Li Qiwei had arrived at Berlin University, countless students and faculty members had already taken an interest in him.

So Planck had taken it upon himself to arrange a lecture for Li Qiwei, and not just any lecture—it would be at a regular meeting of the Berlin Physical Society.

Many top scientists would be attending. It would be a feast of scholarship.

When Li Qiwei heard the news, he was stunned.

In his previous life, a whole Himalaya seemed to stand between him and those great scientists.

Now they would soon be sitting below the stage, listening to his physics report. A rush of pure pleasure welled up inside him.

But Hong'er soon shattered Li Qiwei's beautiful dream.

"Young master, are you taking this outfit with you? It looks a little old."

"And your tea set, paper and brushes, and all those books. Have a look and see what else you're missing."

Li Qiwei said helplessly, "Oh, Hong'er, if we can buy something in Germany, we don't need to bring it along."

"This time, the three of us are traveling light. Let's treat it like a vacation."

Li San chimed in, "You heard the young master. Hurry up. You're taking forever. Look how quickly I packed."

"If you keep going at this rate, we'll miss the train."

Hong'er pouted. "You've got some nerve. You're a martial man; what do you even have to pack? You're just gloating."

Li Qiwei and Li San burst out laughing.

"Don't rush. We'll make the train. It'll probably take four or five days to reach Germany, so it's better to bring enough."

In this era, traveling from Cambridge in England to Berlin in Germany was a long and arduous journey.

Li Qiwei had only settled on a decent route after carefully consulting Wilson.

First, they would take a train from Cambridge to London. Then they would board a ship at the port, cross the Strait of Dover, and arrive in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

From Rotterdam, they would take a train into Germany and reach Frankfurt.

Finally, they would take a train from Frankfurt straight to Berlin.

Four or five days for the whole journey was probably optimistic. Any little problem along the way could cause a major delay.

Li Qiwei hadn't originally planned to bring Li San, but in the end, he decided to take him along for safety.

They would be traveling by ship and train the whole way, so Li San couldn't bring his long spear, pistol, or other weapons.

But he was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and without Li San by his side, Li Qiwei would feel very uneasy whenever he put on airs.

After joking around, the three of them finally finished packing all their luggage and set off for London.

They arrived in London that afternoon. Li Qiwei told Hong'er and Li San to look around as they pleased. They wouldn't be taking the ship from London to the Netherlands until the next day.

That night, the three master and servant would spend the night at an inn in London, giving them a chance to see the splendor of the metropolis.

Li Qiwei went alone to the headquarters of Nature, intending to pay a visit to its editor-in-chief, Sir Lockyer.

After Li Qiwei's paper had been published, Lockyer had written to say he hoped to meet him.

Li Qiwei certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. He also wanted to see what the renowned Nature was like at the time.

The headquarters of Nature magazine was located at the Macmillan Building on Crinan Street in London.

After Li Qiwei explained the reason for his visit, a white-haired old man soon came downstairs. It was Sir Lockyer.

"Welcome, Bruce. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon. You're even younger than I imagined—a truly gifted young man." As expected of someone in publishing, he certainly knew how to flatter.

"Hello, Sir. Please forgive me for the unannounced visit. I'm also very grateful for your invitation. I've long admired Nature magazine."

"Bruce, just call me by my name. There's no need to say 'Sir.'"

"All right, Lockyer."

"Bruce, had you heard of Nature before?" As they exchanged pleasantries, the two of them headed upstairs to the office.

"I studied under Professor Thomson at Cambridge. His doctoral students all dream of publishing their papers in Nature," Li Qiwei said offhandedly.

"Hahaha, that's wonderful. You can tell them that Nature will give their papers priority review from now on."

"I'll thank you on their behalf. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to hear it."

Before long, Sir Lockyer led Li Qiwei to the third floor. They took their seats as host and guest, and Mary served them tea.

Lockyer smiled. "Forgive me for taking the liberty, Bruce. I thought you people from the Qing Dynasty would surely prefer tea to coffee."

"I'm very fond of tea myself. I've always been fascinated by the ancient tea culture of Huaxia."

Li Qiwei smiled and took a sip of tea, grumbling inwardly, What a load of nonsense. The old geezer hasn't even washed the coffee taste out of his cup.

But aloud, he said with a smile, "This tea is excellent. I imagine you must know a great deal about tea, Lockyer."

Lockyer smiled. "Yes. I not only like tea, but I also like other aspects of Huaxia culture." Then he changed the subject.

"But I truly never expected Huaxia to produce a talent like you in the world of science."

"Forgive my impertinence, but I'm curious. There is hardly any soil for science across Asia or Africa."

"Bruce, how did you achieve so much in physics? Was it simply because you studied at Cambridge?"

"Your university's vice-chancellor is currently publicizing your achievements like mad."

Li Qiwei looked Lockyer in the eye, took a sip of tea, and said, "Lockyer, you should know that there are countless people like me in Huaxia."

"Our country has merely taken a wrong turn for the time being. Once a great man can turn the tide, Huaxia is destined to rise."

"So I would also advise you, Sir Lockyer: you could shift Nature's focus to Huaxia in the future."

Lockyer listened in astonishment. In Li Qiwei's eyes, he saw a commanding self-confidence, as though the other man could foresee the future.

Lockyer's original reason for inviting Li Qiwei had been to discuss what would come next for his [Quantum Mechanics] paper.

This theory had boundless promise. If all the future breakthroughs could be published in Nature, the boost to the magazine would be beyond imagination.

After all, Li Qiwei's very first paper had already tripled Nature's sales.

Lockyer believed that as long as Li Qiwei maintained his current level, he would surely achieve even greater things in the future.

So he said, "Bruce, your views have truly opened my eyes. I think I can start with you, since you're from Huaxia yourself."

"I formally invite you to become a reviewer for Nature magazine and also serve as honorary editor-in-chief."

"From now on, any paper bearing your name, if you choose to publish it in Nature, will incur no fees and receive priority handling."

Li Qiwei was still shaken after hearing Lockyer's offer.

A reviewer for Nature! If this had happened in a later age, how many professors and scholars would have died of envy?

And there was the honorary editor-in-chief title. Although it came with no real authority, Li Qiwei believed that if his abilities were strong enough, his influence would naturally grow.

Besides, this position would let him learn about the paper-publishing process in this era.

He could build connections and lay the groundwork for cultivating his own power.

In this life, Li Qiwei didn't want to become a warlord. He wanted to build a scholarly empire!

The protagonist is about to begin his German trip, putting on airs! Please keep reading, add to your collections, and cast your votes. Lao Xu thanks you!