Chapter 65

"Thank you, it really was a great party!"

When John saw off many of his American "compatriots" in the afternoon, he heard this praise more than once, and he could see the sincerity in each person's words from their faces. The abundant food and the hosts' warm hospitality clearly made the guests very satisfied, and it also made John heave a sigh of relief in his heart—after all, it was worth all the effort he had put in.

John held these classmates from the University of Berlin in high regard.

In this era, not only in politics and military, but also in the field of science, it was the Europeans who dominated, and the Americans were comprehensively lagging behind. In fact, this situation would continue for the next half-century, until after World War II, when the United States received a large number of German talents and technologies, did it truly rise. Compared to the German chemists and medical researchers of this era, the American elites were really not up to par, as evidenced by the first thirty years of the Nobel Prizes.

However, John did not dare to underestimate these students.

This was an era of rapid development for the Germans, but also an era of the rise of the Americans. Especially, the elites who returned from Europe would comprehensively reform American education and science in the next two to three decades, laying the foundation for future glory. Therefore, while building good relations with the Germans, John could not ignore these students, as he would definitely return to New York in the future...

John, who was well-versed in the course of history, knew this was the best choice.

From the time he entered school until now, John had been using his maturity beyond his years to befriend these students, including both the international students and the German locals. Fortunately, he was tall enough and had a mature demeanor, and he had reported his age as 18 when he enrolled, otherwise, it would have been difficult for a 14-year-old to invite others to his home.

Soon, a week passed.

It was another Saturday afternoon when Joshua and Funk finally arrived in Berlin, looking exhausted. John had Hans prepare hot water and a nutritious dinner for them. After taking a bath and eating, the two briefly chatted with him and then immediately went upstairs to rest.

The next day, they didn't come down to the dining room until lunchtime.

"John, this time I finally experienced the hardships of travel you mentioned."

Funk gulped down a glass of warm water and exclaimed, "The journey really wore us out. We couldn't eat well or sleep well, and it wasn't until last night that we had a good night's sleep!"

"At least we got good results, right?"

John smiled slightly and refilled Funk's glass with water.

Joshua nodded and smiled, "Yes, the negotiations for the factory in London went smoothly. If everything goes as planned, it will be operational in six months, producing about 1,500 bicycles per month, and by the end of next year, it can increase to 3,000! The current price is set at around 18 pounds, slightly higher than in the United States."

"So expensive?"

John's eyebrows furrowed when he heard the figure, and he asked with some concern. According to the exchange rate between the two countries, one pound was roughly equivalent to less than five dollars, so 18 pounds was more than eighty dollars, which was significantly higher than the price in the United States.

"Don't worry about it."

Joshua waved his hand proudly, "This price wasn't set by us, but by the British themselves. They have vast colonies and many wealthy people who can afford this price!"

Hearing this, John was speechless.

Indeed, leading-edge technology and monopoly were the surefire ways to make money in this era. The mature bicycle technology was currently patented only by John, and it was unlikely that anyone would invent a more advanced means of transportation in the short term. Therefore, it was easy to imagine the enormous profits that bicycles would bring to John and his partners over the next decade before the patent expired!

It would take several more decades for automobiles to become widespread.

"However, we probably won't be able to do anything in Germany in the short term."

After a brief moment of pride, Joshua shook his head and smiled bitterly, "We don't have the funds or technical personnel to build a factory in Germany, even if it were a joint venture like in Britain, it would be difficult, so..."

John had already guessed this result from the previous telegrams. After a moment's thought, he nodded and asked, "Joshua, what if we license the patent to someone else?"

"That's out of the question!"

Funk immediately became anxious and waved his hands, "Licensing the patent wouldn't give us much equity, and it would seriously harm our interests! Besides, we can recover in just a year, and then we can discuss this matter more appropriately."

Joshua nodded in strong agreement with Funk's opinion.

After tasting the sweetness of the bicycle business and now with the tricycle, a powerful new product, the two did not want to give away such a large benefit to others. A joint venture was necessary, but with everyone lacking sufficient funds and wanting to hold a significant share, they could only delay it for a year. After all, unlike John, who had countless good ideas in mind, Joshua and the others truly wanted to make the bicycle business a lifelong career.

"Is that so..."

John's eyebrows furrowed, but seeing the firm determination of Joshua and Funk, he did not force the issue. Although he personally did not care about this, he hoped to find a local partner in Germany through the bicycle business as soon as possible. However, if it meant offending Joshua and the others, it would be counterproductive.

A year's delay was a year's delay.

After all, he had already planned to be honest in Berlin for the first year, at least until he turned fifteen. Although he told others he was already eighteen, he needed to understand what already existed in this era and what the most advanced laboratories in the world had in terms of instruments and equipment before he could bring out the things in his mind.

Thinking about this, John nodded reluctantly, "Alright, but I still believe that building a factory on the European continent is a very necessary thing, and the sooner the better, with Germany being the best choice!"

Joshua and Funk exchanged a smile, and the former nodded and smiled, "We agree with this idea, so this time we came to Berlin not only to visit you but also to hope that you would take on this task!"

"Oh?"

John's heart stirred, and he looked at them with a puzzled expression.

Joshua shrugged and smiled, "You'll be studying in Berlin for the next few years, so finding a local partner shouldn't be too difficult, right? And it's not easy to make the trip from New York to here. As a major shareholder and the inventor of the bicycle, solving this issue shouldn't be too hard, right?"

After a moment of surprise, John smiled bitterly, "You're not saying that you want me to take full responsibility for this, are you?"

"Why not?"

Funk laughed and patted John on the shoulder, "We have full confidence in you! When the time comes, just let us know, and we'll send you the necessary funds, and everything will be resolved, right?"

"Uh... alright."

Thinking of his own plans, John happily took on the task. He had already been considering how to get this authority, and he hadn't even opened his mouth when Joshua and the others brought it up on their own.

It suited him perfectly!

With the most important matter of this meeting resolved, everyone's mood naturally relaxed, and they began to enjoy the sumptuous lunch Hans had prepared for them. Due to their exhaustion the previous night, Joshua and Funk were very hungry and had a hearty meal.

After filling their stomachs to about seven or eight-tenths full, Joshua put down his knife and fork and asked curiously, "John, I have a question I've been wanting to ask you. Why did you choose to enter medical school in the end? Was it really because of what Emma and I said about you being suited to be a doctor? Or... because of your tutor's daughter?"

"Right, I was also wondering about that!"

After hearing Joshua's question, Funk paused and asked with a frown, "With your talent, wouldn't it be better to study physics or mechanics in Europe for a few years and then return to design more advanced machines?"

John hesitated for a moment and then smiled, "Gentlemen, the reasons are quite complex, but I hope you understand that my decision to study medicine was made after careful consideration, and I believe I can achieve great things in this field in the future..."

...

Today is the last day of the holiday, and there is only one update.

Although it's only ten-thirty, I haven't been sleeping enough these past few days, so I want to go to bed early to rest and regain my energy. Also, due to my incorrect estimation of my time during the Spring Festival, I can only barely ensure one update per day, and I can't guarantee the quality of the content, ha ha. I just looked at the updates for the third volume, and they are so watered down and messy that I can't bear to read them.

After this chapter, I will resume at least two updates per day tomorrow, and the content will enter the main plot.