Chapter 62

Entering the living room, Wilhelm asked the others to leave and personally poured a cup of tea for Tesla. "There's a saying in the future that the two men in this world who are closest to God are Leonardo da Vinci and you."

His ideas, his inventions, even in the future era of interstellar travel, play a crucial role. He achieved about 1000 patented inventions in his lifetime, earning titles such as the Father of AC Electricity, the Father of Radio, the Father of Free Energy, the Father of Modern Physics, the Father of Radar, the Father of Computers, the Father of the Internet, the Father of X-Ray Photography, the Father of Solar Energy, the Father of Death Ray, the Father of UFOs, the Father of Artificial Satellites, and so on. These inventions have had a profound impact on humanity, changing the entire world.

"Let me tell you a secret; I traveled here from the future."

Seeing a hint of surprise on Tesla's face, Wilhelm shrugged. "It sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it? I've been here for about five years and have been wanting to share this secret with someone. You may not believe it, but if you want to hear, I can tell you a summary of your life."

"1856 - between July 9th and 10th, you were born into a Serbian family in Smiljan, Lika Province."

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"1882 - You discovered rotating magnetic fields while walking in a park in Budapest (capital of Hungary)."

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"1888 - On May 16th, you made a report titled 'Alternating Current Transmission and AC Motor System.'"

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"1897 - You registered 20 patented inventions in the field of radio engineering."

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"1909-1922 - You registered mechanical patents (pumps, flow meters, turbo generators)."

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"1931 - On your 75th birthday, you received congratulatory letters from several Nobel Prize winners, including Robert Andrews Millikan, Arthur H. Compton, Albert Einstein, and William Henry Bragg."

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"1935 - You announced that your invention 'death ray' was not a lethal beam but a charged particle beam."

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"1943 - On the evening of January 7th, you passed away at the age of 86 at the New Yorker Hotel in New York due to heart failure."

Wilhelm enthusiastically recounted a summary of Tesla's life.

Tesla's expression became incredibly vivid, showing surprise, shock, and even a sense of inexplicable disbelief. "This..."

Wilhelm smiled. "In that era, there was a machine called a computer, and a thing called the internet connected billions of computers. All human knowledge was stored on the network. You could easily access all or most of the information about a certain historical figure by simply entering their name into the computer."

Truly a genius, Tesla quickly recovered from his astonishment. "You said I would die in 1943?"

Wilhelm scratched his head a little awkwardly. He had spoken so enthusiastically, even revealing things that would happen in the future, hoping it wouldn't cause any adverse effects. "Um, in my timeline, that's how it happened. But then, your death was most likely due to poverty. According to the information I found, when you passed away, you still owed several months' worth of hotel fees to the owner of the New Yorker Hotel. Now that you're here with me, you don't have to worry about financial issues."

Ignoring Tesla's peculiar expression, Wilhelm straightened up, looking very serious. "Enough about that; Mr. Tesla, what I'm about to say next is crucial."

Seeing Wilhelm's expression suddenly turn so serious, Tesla also set down his tea cup.

"Starting from now, about a hundred years later, the world will experience the outbreak of the Third World War.

The cause of the war? Overpopulation. Right now, the world's population is about 2 billion, but in less than a hundred years it will increase almost fivefold.

Our Earth is only so big, and resources are limited, so the consequence is a threat to humanity itself. At this point, politics won't be able to solve any problems, and people will be increasingly inclined to use war to resolve issues."

Then, of course, there was World War III, where the superpowers hurled nuclear missiles and hydrogen bombs at each other, plunging the Earth into a nuclear winter and leading to the extinction of mankind."

Tesla quickly raised his hand to signal a pause. "Uh, Your Highness, I'm not quite familiar with the terms you mentioned, such as atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, and nuclear winter. Also, you mentioned the Third World War? Did a Second World War happen in between?"

Wilhelm briefly explained the principles of atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, and nuclear winter. "The result was that the nearly 10 billion population was reduced to less than one percent, a catastrophe for humanity indeed." Of course, when Wilhelm traveled, there had been no nuclear war, and the population wasn't as high, but he wanted to give Tesla a bit of a scare.

"Even among those who survived, most were affected by nuclear radiation. I remember an expert saying that within three years, humanity would be completely wiped out. I, too, was exposed to radiation and fell into a coma. When I woke up, I found myself as the heir to the German throne. That means my soul crossed through space and time, attaching to this man, Wilhelm. As for the Second World War, I have to admit, it will break out in less than ten years."

"Incredible!" After hearing the whole story, Tesla was still astonished. He struggled to digest all the information Wilhelm had shared and then spoke. "So, Your Highness, what do you need me to do? Create weapons for the upcoming war?"

"Of course not. As I mentioned earlier, I know the principles behind those hydrogen and atomic bombs. As long as I teach that knowledge to the scientists, they will eventually be able to create them." Wilhelm shook his head. "I want you to research anti-gravity engines. If I remember correctly, you registered a patent in 1928 with patent number 1,655,144."

This patent technology mainly consisted of a UFO-shaped spaceship, a combination of airplane and helicopter engines using anti-gravity technology for take-off. At that time, Tesla presented this idea in the United States Congress, but due to various reasons, the project was halted, and he was secretly monitored by the FBI, eventually leading to the failure of the project.

Tesla's anti-gravity technology was also called Dynamic Theory of Gravity, which acknowledged the existence of the "ether" (a hypothetical electromagnetic wave propagation medium) that filled our living space. However, the "ether" had already been excluded from physics theories, replaced by other abstract models. In addition, the Dynamic Theory of Gravity believed that matter itself had no energy; energy came from the surrounding environment, which contradicted Einstein's E=mc².

In his later years, Tesla summarized his theory, believing that the high-speed rotation of electromagnetic fields could drive the rotation of the ether, thus altering the size and direction of gravity. To be more specific, Tesla's anti-gravity technology aimed to use a Tesla coil with a million volts to establish an electromagnetic field. In this field, high-speed rotation would cause the ether to rotate, changing the direction and strength of the gravitational force on objects, allowing them to achieve anti-gravity lift-off.

Wilhelm showed a touch of helplessness. "You probably can't imagine that from the time humanity launched the first satellite with a rocket in 1957 until our extinction, space exploration tools were still inefficient chemical rockets. We couldn't even establish a forward base on the moon, let alone Mars or Saturn."

"This time, I want humanity to break free from Earth, colonize the solar system, and explore further into outer space. Only then can humanity avoid the tragedy of being trapped on Earth. I hope Mr. Tesla will assist me." With that, Wilhelm stood up and bowed deeply to Tesla.

Tesla also rose, supporting Wilhelm. "Your Highness, you're too kind. Since I only have ten years left, I can't waste a single second. Please prepare a laboratory for me."