Dr. Einstein

Wilhelm originally wanted to humbly wait, but did not expect the lecture to last two hours.

As a result, Wilhelm had no choice but to endure the pain in his waist and back from waiting for so long until Dr. Einstein announced the end of the class. Watching the students orderly leaving the lecture hall and returning to their respective classrooms to prepare for the next class, Wilhelm couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He stretched his stiff limbs and walked into the classroom.

Dr. Einstein, who was organizing the teaching materials on the podium, noticed the two approaching and asked, 'May I help you?'

Wilhelm performed a standard noble gentleman's greeting and said, 'Hello, Dr. Einstein. I am Wilhelm Hohenzollern, and I came here specifically to visit you.'

'Did you say Hohenzollern?' Dr. Einstein seemed a bit puzzled and muttered to himself a couple of times before suddenly realizing, 'Your Highness Crown Prince!'

'Why are you shouting so loud?' Wilhelm instinctively glanced around, making sure there was no one else, and then nodded. 'Indeed.'

Dr. Einstein asked somewhat awkwardly, 'May I ask what brings Your Highness here to see me?'

Although Einstein was against the imperial system, the past decade had made him realize the incompetence of the government and the hardships faced by the common people. His perspective had undergone a slight change. The German people were still living in dire circumstances, far from the time when Wilhelm II was in power. Moreover, there were recent rumors that if Germany were to restore the imperial system, the situation might improve significantly. Einstein didn't have a strong aversion to these rumors. In his view, if Wilhelm II could completely abandon his mad ambition for world conquest and focus on governing Germany, the situation might genuinely improve.

Therefore, he didn't harbor any hostility towards Wilhelm's visit; he was just curious about his intentions.

Wilhelm glanced at the time. It was still early for lunch, and it wouldn't be appropriate to discuss matters while eating. So, he decided to be straightforward and said, 'Doctor, I have studied the mass-energy formula E=mc² that you proposed. From that formula, it can be deduced that we can directly convert a portion of the mass of matter into enormous energy that can be directly utilized by humans.'

Einstein seemed stimulated by the mention of 'enormous energy.' He frowned imperceptibly and cautiously asked, 'How does Your Highness intend to utilize this energy?'

Hmph, if I say it's to create mushroom bombs to give to other countries, you would definitely jump up in opposition, right? 'I believe this energy can replace coal and oil to become a new source of energy. It is evident that the heat released from this reaction is much higher than the energy released by burning fossil fuels (with a difference of about a million times).' For example, a nuclear power plant uses 80 tons of nuclear fuel per year, which could be transported by only two standard containers. In contrast, if it were coal, it would require 5.15 million tons, and it would take 20 tons of large trucks making 705 trips per day. If natural gas were used, it would require 1.43 million tons, equivalent to burning 200,000 barrels of household gas per day.

Wilhelm stated his purpose for this visit, saying, 'I want to establish a super energy research department and hire you as the head.'

Einstein neither agreed nor refused, but gave a vague answer. "Can Your Highness Wilhelm give me a few days to consider?"

"Consider my foot." Wilhelm didn't want to beat around the bush with him. He decided to be direct. "Doctor, are you worried that this energy will be used as a weapon?"

"..." Although Einstein didn't have the concept of nuclear weapons at the moment, geniuses weren't called so for nothing. He could fully imagine that if this energy were used as a military weapon, it would undoubtedly be a super weapon capable of causing destruction on a catastrophic scale, comparable to Pandora's Box. If such a weapon were to appear, it might pose a significant threat to the survival of humanity.

"Doctor, do you know why human society is constantly at war?" Wilhelm didn't wait for Einstein to respond and continued. "I believe that war is based on geographical environments, specifically the competition for limited living space and natural resources. But if one day we suddenly have unlimited land, inexhaustible mineral deposits, and endless sources of energy, would we still need to go to war?"

Dr. Einstein shook his head, somewhat puzzled. "But Your Highness, our Earth is only so big, and resources are limited, while our population continues to grow."

Wilhelm couldn't help but snap his fingers. "You mentioned the continuous growth of the population, and you're absolutely right. Do you know that the world population exceeded one billion in 1830, and now it has surpassed two billion? With advancements in medicine, birth rates will increase, and death rates will decrease. We can boldly predict that the world population will exceed three billion in 30 years and surpass six billion in 50 years. How many people do you think our Earth can sustain?"

"...," Einstein had never considered this question before and began to ponder it seriously. Halfway through his calculations, he discovered another problem. "Your Highness Wilhelm, I believe the quantity of Earth's population is not the issue; the fundamental problem lies in the scale and nature of resource consumption. The population may indeed continue to grow, but the Earth won't expand. Resources in various aspects—food, water, and energy—are limited, and the population depends on their support. Once these resources are depleted, humanity's doomsday will arrive."

Wilhelm nodded. "Exactly, so we need to seek endless resources to ensure the continuous survival and prosperity of humanity."

Emphasizing the idea of inexhaustible resources, Wilhelm couldn't help but feel puzzled by Einstein's response. "Where are these endless resources you're talking about? Are they in the depths of the sea or underground?"

"All you have to do is look up." Wilhelm smiled faintly and raised his hand, pointing to the sky. "The endless resources I'm talking about are the starry sky above us. The universe will be humanity's final frontier. Only by venturing into space can we avoid the fate of extinction."

As he watched Einstein's shocked expression, Wilhelm couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. "If Dr. Einstein insists on clinging to your narrow-minded worldview, then I have nothing else to say. We are both just specks of dust in the universe. If you think you can single-handedly change the course of history, you are gravely mistaken. It's like no one can alter the course of a river. Perhaps a chance factor may temporarily change the direction of the river, but in the end, it will always return to its destined path. That's the law of nature, the inevitability of history! Those who can't keep up with the tides of history can only be called narrow-minded!"

As Wilhelm spoke passionately, without receiving a satisfying response from the other party, he gradually grew impatient. "If Dr. Einstein continues to adhere to your narrow and outdated worldview, then I have nothing more to say. However, there are a few things I want to tell you. You and I are just specks of dust in the universe. If you think you can single-handedly alter the course of history, then you are gravely mistaken. It's like nobody can change the direction of a mighty river. Perhaps due to some chance factor, the river's course may temporarily change, but ultimately, it will return to its destined path. That is the law of nature, the inevitability of history! Those who cannot keep up with the currents of history can only be called narrow-minded!"

After delivering these words, Wilhelm bowed to the astonished Dr. Einstein and turned to leave.