“Your Highness, don’t you seem a bit too composed?”
In the train compartment returning from Washington to New York, the agitated Otto Tressler finally couldn’t hold back and asked in a low voice.
Fortunately, Karl hadn’t brought him into the meeting with Edison.
This guy couldn’t even control his expressions properly; could he still be considered a professional actor?
Karl glanced at him, shaking his head inwardly.
One must learn to wait, especially when at a disadvantage or in a stalemate.
Even if his film business in America was temporarily obstructed, would he starve to death because of it?
As a member of the imperial royal family, how could he possibly be easily driven to destitution by an American businessman?
As long as it wasn’t like after World War I in the original history—defeated, the monarchy abolished, and expelled without any security—he could live comfortably anywhere, relying on his status and accumulated wealth.
Besides, the money Edison made in America through illegal copying never truly belonged to Karl’s account, and he never truly owned it, so there was nothing to lose in the first place.
And a person with nothing to lose is the most terrifying.
“Tressler, is there really a need to be so anxious?” Karl leaned back in the comfortable seat, his tone flat.
“But that’s Thomas Edison after all!
He’s cut off our financial path in America.
Shouldn’t we think of a way to fight back quickly…”
Tressler was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan.
He seemed to see his budding movie star dreams and dividends rapidly evaporating as copies were wantonly pirated.
Even a stray dog entering one’s yard would gnaw on half a bone first; Edison was likely the type to push his luck.
If we give ground this time, he’ll only become greedier next time.
“Should we report this to His Majesty the Emperor?” Tressler muttered, thinking of the biggest backer.
“Well…
that probably wouldn’t be appropriate either…”
Tressler shook his head hastily right after saying it himself, his face full of trepidation.
He wasn’t like Karl, who would at most get scolded by his elders and be done with it.
He was neither a high-ranking hereditary aristocrat nor a fabulously wealthy tycoon; facing an existence as lofty as the emperor naturally made him feel immense pressure.
However, Karl thought that if he really went crying to the Old Emperor and borrowed a bit of influence, it should still be possible.
After all, he was not far from the line of succession and was a one-sided victim.
Even if the Empire just sent a mild diplomatic word to the U.S.
government, it could have some effect, at least making Edison think twice.
As long as the wording wasn’t too forceful, the U.S.
government would likely give some face.
But the problem was, didn’t Karl himself want to try relying on his own abilities?
Since his transmigration, he had never failed in his studies, investments, or filmmaking.
The outside world’s impression of him was the “all-capable Crown Prince.”
In the process of enhancing his own influence and strength, facing off against a formidable enemy like Edison would only make him grow faster.
Ultimately, there was another, simpler reason—
He simply disliked Edison’s smug face that seemed to say, ‘I steal from you because I think highly of you, and now offering you a chance to cooperate is charity.’ It made him a bit too angry.
What’s wrong with a young man having some fire in him?
Anyway, if everything else is tried and it really doesn’t work, he could always run to the Old Emperor in the end, crying that American foreigners were bullying a kid and had stolen “our family’s” films.
“However, Your Highness, who exactly are we going to see in New York?”
Tressler changed the subject and asked.
He remembered there was another meeting on the itinerary.
“There is a certain person.
Since I’ve come to America, I don’t want to focus only on the hard nut that is Edison.
I want to try placing as many pieces as possible.”
Karl looked out the window at the American countryside scenery rushing by, lost in thought.
While arranging the meeting with Edison through the legation, Karl had also had someone try to contact another person. Find the original chapter at g.com.
The other party’s attitude towards the matter of “an Austro-Hungarian royal wanting to meet” was quite cold.
The appointment was finally set with difficulty, and it wasn’t at the comfortable legation; instead, Karl had to go personally to Manhattan, New York.
Who was that person?
A tall, slender man with clean-cut features and a charming little mustache.
It was precisely—
“Nikola Tesla.”
The genius scientist makes his entrance—!
This genius, born in Smiljan of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now part of Croatia), collaborated with George Westinghouse and defeated Edison in the famous “War of the Currents”;
He left countless footprints in the history of human technology in fields such as Wireless Communication, Remote Control, Alternating Current Systems, and Turbines—a truly era-transcending scientist.
You see, even when facing a royal, Tesla merely gave a faint nod, his gaze calm, without much extra respect or enthusiasm.
Edison had exerted himself fully in paying his respects.
If it were American magnates like Rockefeller or Morgan, they would likely be the same, perhaps even more obsequious.
This kind of person—Tesla—was the first Karl had encountered in this era.
“Karl von Habsburg.” Karl proactively extended his hand.
“A pleasure, Your Grace.” Tesla shook his hand, his tone flat.
He was one of the people Karl most wanted to meet in America.
His fame in later generations was immense, and he was a scientist with both personal charisma and eccentricities.
As for his attitude?
One could only accept it as a genius’s prerogative.
Karl estimated that even if Emperor Franz Joseph I himself were to appear, Tesla’s reaction would probably be similar.
But it was precisely because of this disagreeable temperament that the people and sponsors around him were scared away one by one.
“Recently, the films produced by my company have been very popular in America.
Have you seen them?”
“I am busy with research.”
Succinct enough.
“Do you have any plans to return to the Empire for development?”
Karl decided not to beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
This person was definitely not the type suited for small talk.
It was far too difficult to make this man, called the “Scientific Wizard” Nikola Tesla, take an interest in mundane human affairs.
“I am busy with research.”
“Haha, I see.”
Karl gave a dry laugh.
Just as expected.
He had long known Tesla would be difficult to deal with.
Edison was the kind of scoundrel who blatantly stole others’ work and loved to kick away the ladder for those who came after, but at least he could still be reasoned with in terms of interests and conditions.
But the man before him was not like that.
The reputation of a “mad scientist” did not arise from nothing.
He always lived within the blueprint of the future he himself envisioned.
But precisely because of this, he made Karl’s heart beat faster.
There was a reason why the rulers of the Three Kingdoms era were so eager for top talent.
If such a genius scientist could hold a position in the research institute he planned to establish in the future, how delightful that would be.
But he already possessed American citizenship, was proud and aloof; forceful methods would absolutely not work.
Even luring him with massive research funding wouldn’t be easy.
The man was currently receiving some support from J.P.
Morgan.
No matter how much money Karl had, for now, he couldn’t compare to a financial titan monster like Morgan.
Truth be told, an absurd thought even flashed through Karl’s mind: why not knock him out, wrap him in a blanket, and directly stuff him onto a ship back to the Empire.
If the Emperor mobilized state power, perhaps they could give it a try, but on his own, Karl couldn’t even think about it. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
For some reason, there were so many people in this era that made Karl feel the urge to “kidnap.”
Tesla, and that Abraham Einstein in Switzerland.
No matter what, he wanted to draw these two into his own camp.
But reality was too cruel.
What could he actually do at the moment?
Naturally, he could only resort to ideals and emotions.
“Mr.
Tesla, I have a vision.
I hope that one day in the future, the entire territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and even all of Central Europe, can be connected together through invisible electric waves.”
Karl distinctly felt Tesla’s originally somewhat drifting gaze instantly focus, his ears seeming to perk up at once.
“Allowing people across the Empire to communicate with each other instantly, to hear sounds transmitted from afar, and even see images, right in their own homes.
This technology could not only connect the Empire but could further extend to all of Europe, and even the whole world.”
These words sounded like a fantasy tale in 1899, but Karl knew that decades later, radio broadcasts, Television, and even the Internet would realize it.
“Oh?
That is truly an interesting dream.
To be frank with Your Grace, I am also conceiving and preparing an experiment—attempting to send a radio signal from Wardenclyffe in New York all the way across the Atlantic to England.”
A genuinely interested expression appeared on Tesla’s face.
Just as expected.
So-called mad scientists are ultimately ignited by such era-transcending grand visions.
But that was as far as it went.
Historically, Tesla did indeed build the massive Wardenclyffe Tower on Long Island, New York, with funding from J.P.
Morgan.
It was just that later, Morgan, seeing no short-term commercial returns, withdrew his funding, and the plan ultimately fell through.
But even knowing the history, Karl couldn’t possibly invest money in that enormously costly project now.
That wasn’t a matter of one or two small sums; it was a bottomless pit capable of bankrupting a medium-sized nation.
Even a financial giant like Morgan halted the plan due to lack of visible returns; someone like Karl, who had numerous places needing money, was even less likely to take it on.
Forget it, might as well give up and let things take their course.
“Your Grace, you are a truly interesting person.”
Tesla said, which was probably the highest praise he could give.
Soon, Karl found that the moments he could converse smoothly with Tesla were when he completely abandoned any utilitarian thoughts of cooperation, simply treating the other as a venerable sage and chatting with a fan’s mindset.
Anyway, this person definitely couldn’t be taken away at this stage.
Since that was the case, why not just talk about the “future” that might interest him.
Karl was simply purely curious about how this genius would view those technological concepts that only became widespread in the latter half of the twentieth century and even the twenty-first.
That was all.
Just being able to have such a conversation already satisfied Karl.
They were both busy, and the talk couldn’t last too long.
But before parting, Karl, still unwilling and clutching at a sliver of long-term hope, said:
“Mr.
Tesla, forgive my bluntness, but with your personality and aspirations, you will likely encounter many difficulties in funding and worldly matters on your future scientific path.”
This man was truly a bit mad, aloof in character, poor at socializing, and completely inept at managing finances.
Many of his genius inventions were difficult to transform into stable, visible profits for capitalists in the short term.
He would soon fall into financial straits; that was the trajectory of history.
“I cannot provide you with massive financial support now, but when you truly encounter difficulties in the future, perhaps I can lend a hand.
At that time, please contact our Empire’s consulate.”
This was the limit of what Karl could manage now.