Chapter 66

As winter gave way to spring, another year had passed. On April 17, 1884, amidst the celebrations of his German classmates and American exchange students, John spent his fifteenth birthday in the rented house in Berlin. Of course, he announced that he was nineteen years old, a fact known only to the butler, Hans. No one else knew that this age was four years older than his actual age. His height of 1.85 meters and mature demeanor provided ample proof. Moreover, anyone who interacted with this gentle, steady, and mature young man would hardly doubt this.

On July 15, 1884, at the Berlin University Library.

Gently placing the book back on the shelf, John scanned the empty reading room and smiled slightly before turning to walk towards the library's main entrance.

This might be his last visit to this library.

Over the past year, apart from certain necessary courses, John had spent almost all his time in the small but one of the best libraries of the era at Berlin University. In a year, John had read nearly two hundred books, covering physics, chemistry, and medicine, with a focus on physics and chemistry. Today, he could finally confirm that he was now in sync with the era!

There was no doubt about this.

In medicine, John did not spend much effort. Apart from attending regular classes, he only casually read relevant textbooks and journals. The knowledge stored in his mind was sufficient to handle everything in the future; he only needed to understand what the current medical community knew. As for physics and chemistry, it was much more complicated. Besides understanding the current stage of research by scientists, he had to painstakingly distinguish which discoveries were correct and which were wrong!

At the end of the 19th century, various scientific trends emerged in Europe, and the information stored in John's mind was limited. It was not easy to figure everything out.

"But, it's finally done!"

Stepping out of the library, John looked up at the setting sun, and his joy was evident on his face.

Today marked exactly one year since he arrived in Berlin. Completing the preparatory phase of his plan on this special day, John was quite satisfied. He had gradually begun to find his current life somewhat dull—attending ancient lectures, reading simple and error-ridden textbooks and journals, and conducting old anatomical and physiological experiments...

John genuinely felt bored.

"Hey, John!"

Just as he was about to head back, a call came from behind. Turning around, he saw two bicycles speeding towards him.

Although John had not yet figured out the bicycle factories in Germany, after the London factory started production, this new type of bicycle inevitably became popular in Berlin, especially in the famous universities. There were over a dozen bicycles at Berlin University, and John had bought one for his own use.

"Screech!"

A moment later, the two bicycles stopped in front of John.

"Hey, good afternoon."

Seeing the arrivals, John greeted them happily. The two were new friends he had made since coming to Berlin: Pick Schwartz and Rudolf Bamber, both Germans and fellow medical students. Although they were not from noble or wealthy families, their families owned small local factories in Berlin, making them relatively well-off, which was why they could afford bicycles.

"I knew you'd be in the library," the tall Rudolf said, laughing. John's love for reading was well-known among his friends, so even though his academic performance was not outstanding, many people still had a good impression of him. After all, it was a special era, and people naturally admired those who worked hard.

"Ha ha, I'd be doing nothing at home anyway."

John was slightly puzzled, raising an eyebrow and smiling, "But what about you two? Why are you at school during the holidays? Did you come specifically to find me?"

Berlin University had been on a nearly two-month break for a week, and most German students had left the campus. Only students like John, who were mostly international, remained in Berlin. Germany was the center of international higher education, and Berlin University was the best among German universities, so there were many international students. They spent their days together, so they were not lonely.

"Of course, we came to find you!" Rudolf nodded and laughed, "We went to your place first, but Mr. Alber said you might be at the library, so we came over."

Blinking, John suggested, "Actually, you could have tried calling first..."

In this world, the telephone was one of the fastest-spreading inventions, quickly becoming widespread across Europe in just a few years. As the capital of Germany, Berlin's sky was gradually filled with telephone lines. John had Hans install one at home, but it was rarely used; most people still preferred to write letters.

"Never mind, that thing is too inconvenient to use," Rudolf waved his hand and laughed.

John was momentarily speechless, then smiled bitterly, "Alright, gentlemen, what did you come all this way to find me for? Don't tell me you want to drag me out fishing; I really have no interest in that."

Pick and Rudolf were the most devoted fishing enthusiasts, often going to the water for a couple of days every month. John had once curiously followed them, but he quickly developed a deep aversion to fishing. The long wait just to catch a smelly freshwater fish seemed like a waste of life to him...

"Of course not!"

Just as John was thinking about how to decline, Pick, who had been silent, finally spoke, smiling slightly, "We came to invite you to a ball the day after tomorrow... Don't rush to refuse; you can decide after hearing who will be there!"

"What ball? Who will be there?"

John's interest was piqued, and he tilted his head to ask. In the past, he had been focused on gathering information and was not interested in attending balls, but now...

Occasionally going once or twice wouldn't hurt.

"We heard Mr. Koch will be there!" Rudolf said excitedly, seemingly unable to contain himself.

"Mr. Koch? Which Mr. Koch?"

John was taken aback, his eyes immediately brightening.

"Mr. Koch, the one and only!" Seeing John's usually calm expression turn surprised, Rudolf and Pick exchanged glances and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Rudolf said proudly, "The Robert Koch you always mention. We heard about it and immediately came to tell you..."