If You Talk More Slowly Maybe It Would Make More Sense...

"I... I don't understand. Can you explain it again? Maybe if you talk more slowly it would make more sense…" Finland asked in a doubtful voice. She was unsure of her own hearing and asked Caspar to repeat his words.

"I am a second generation of Alchemists. In 1450, my grandfather and some of his colleagues discovered the philosopher's stone, the way to immortality. With his medicine, humans can stay young forever. Once the body reaches its peak of growth, aging will stop.

Normal humans would stop regenerating some of their body cells after their thirties and slowly their bodies will age. We are not like that. After reaching the peak of our cell growth, our face and body will stay like this forever. My father and mother took this potion when they were little and their growth stopped when my father was 27 years old and when my mother was 25 years old.

Humans have different peaks of growth. I stopped aging when I was 25 years old. After my parents married, they waited several decades before they had children. At that time, at the end of the 16th century, when my parents were almost 100 years old, they decided to finally have children.

Back then they did not know whether they would continue staying young or if at some point in time they would start aging and it would be too late to have offspring. Fortunately, now, centuries later, not a single Alchemist has experienced aging. The oldest Alchemist alive today is 550 years old, and his looks are of a 25-year-old, like me."

Finland looked at Caspar closely, trying to make sense of the man's story, but it was very difficult.

"My sister Flora was born when our parents were 200 years old and Aldebar was born 150 years later. As humans who can live forever, we are not in a hurry to find a partner and have children, because time is in our hands.

If an ordinary human needs 10 years to study and be an expert in medicine or music, imagine how much knowledge someone can master if they have hundreds of years to learn something? I've been cooking for hundreds of years... and because of that, my cooking is now perfect. I also like being a doctor, and over time I have attended various medical schools with different identities. To be honest, being a doctor is one of my favorite professions. Every time science became more advanced, my expertise as a medical doctor increases.

Imagine that every 20 years I become a new student and learn new science... I met Einstein in Bern when he and his then-wife, Mileva Maric*, were developing the theory of relativity before the theory was taught in modern physics classes like now. I've been a doctor, writer, war strategist, ship captain, general, designer, painter, farmer, and so many other professions I can't mention one by one. I usually got bored after a few decades, so then I would look for a new hobby or profession."

"Are there many people like you?" Finland asked softly.

"There are only several hundred people like me. All of them are descendants of the early Alchemists, namely my grandfather and his friends. My two siblings and I are pure Alchemists because both our parents are the original Alchemists. Then, within decades, our population grew mostly because of marriage. When an Alchemist marries a normal human, they would be given the potion too so that their spouse can join our clan and live together as immortals.

Three hundred years ago, my sister Flora fell in love with an ordinary human. She stopped aging when she was 22 years old, and she married her husband without our parents' blessings, so he did not immediately get the immortality potion. Her husband was finally accepted into our family after they had children and only then he was given the potion for immortality. Unfortunately, their age gap was already very big. When you meet Flora and her husband, you will see that her husband looks much older than her.

Flora's husband and children are called half-bloods. In the Alchemist nobility caste, they fall in the second class. I have 3 nephews, Flora's children, and they too already have children who now live across Europe and America. But if you meet my entire family, you will think that we all have the same age."

"But why haven't I heard of you guys before?"

"Of course, our existence must be kept secret, because many people are eyeing the secrets of Alchemists' immortality. The formula is currently kept securely by my brother, Aldebar, in Germany. We used to be able to hide our identities more easily in the past because we could just move to another country and start a new life there. But now, due to the internet, extra efforts must be made to remove all tracks. Fortunately, with the wealth we have piled up for centuries, you can say that we own the world and access to information. Otherwise, you would have seen the news about me everywhere."

"So, you can't die?" Finland asked doubtfully. All of this sounded so absurd.

"We cannot die of natural causes such as illnesses and old age. Alchemists are born with perfect bodies, we will not experience disabilities, illnesses, and aging. However, we are not immune to bullets or other weapons. When we are injured, we can die. Many clan members died during the last world war, including my parents. That's why I really hate the war. You can't imagine how devastating it feels... losing your parents who had been your best friends for hundreds of years..."

"You said something about moving to New York to study... does that mean that you will take on a new identity? Otherwise, people would get suspicious, seeing Heinrich Schneider still young after decades working as a surgeon..."

"Exactly. Oh, Finland you are so smart." Caspar smiled. "My persona as 'Heinrich Schneider' will continue to lead my companies behind the scenes, and then, ten years from now, I will divert it to my new identity."

Finland was shaking. Her head hurt with every new information she received from Caspar.

She had to hold his hand for support. This was all very shocking...

She didn't know how to react to Caspar's words...

.

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*Mileva Maric = Einstein's first wife whom some people now considered to be actually smarter than Einstein and had a significant role in his success, including the invention of theory of relativity, but as a woman, she couldn't get the same treatment or opportunities as men in physics back then, that's why she couldn't get the credit for her contributions. Albert Einstein treated Mileva Maric so badly and cheated on her. At one point, in order for him to stay with her, he made her sign an agreement as follows:

-My clothes and laundry are to be kept in good order.

-I receive 3 meals a day in my room.

-My bedroom and study are to be kept clean, and my desk is left for my own use only.

-You will forego my sitting at home with you, and my going out and traveling with you.

-You will not expect any intimacy from me nor will you approach me in any way.

-You will stop talking to me if I request it, and you will leave my bedroom or study immediately if I request it.

-You will undertake not to belittle me in front of our children, either through words or behavior.