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Just as Frederick was about to throw away the cigarette he had taken a few puffs of and turn to leave, a woman slowly emerged from the shadows not far away.
Her hair was as black as silk, the cross on her chest gleamed silver in the moonlight, and her appearance was unforgettable. Although she dressed like a clergyman, she sometimes tempted people to commit crimes like a demon.
“Even you, Grand Master, had to come and greet me personally. It seems that the Jesuits are indeed having a tough time lately,” Frederick said slowly, turning to the woman.
“It is a pleasure to have you here, Your Highness. As you can see, we have come with sincerity.” With a snap of the woman’s fingers, several nuns and monks carried several boxes to Frederick.
"What is this?" Frederick walked up to the boxes and gently tapped the surface of the wooden boxes with his cane, making a clattering sound.
"I've heard that His Highness the Crown Prince is quite popular in the court, and becoming the future King of Prussia is a sure thing. Unfortunately, His Majesty the King is long-lived, and the senior ministers, led by Bismarck, are only superficially on good terms with His Highness. Although they are talented, they are meaningless if they cannot be used by His Highness. Rather than letting her remain in the court, wouldn't it be better to resolve this issue as soon as possible?" The woman looked at the Crown Prince of Prussia with a smile.
“Miss President, I don’t know if you’ve misunderstood something. Our Kingdom of Prussia has always been united and of one mind. What do you, these broken-backed dogs from Rome, want from me?” Frederick yawned slowly, clearly uninterested in the woman’s suggestion.
“Your Highness, our Jesuit order has always cooperated only with true kings. If you truly lacked interest in my proposal, you wouldn’t be here today. Since you’ve come here, it at least shows that you still have some dissatisfaction and a willingness to cooperate with us.” As she spoke, the woman walked to one of the boxes and gently opened the lid.
"By the way, let me answer Your Highness's question earlier. This is a magical potion developed by our Jesuit order. Perhaps it can help Your Highness if the time is right."
"A magic potion?" Frederick took out a bottle from the neatly arranged glass bottles in the box and examined it carefully under the moonlight. The pale green liquid looked disgusting.
"What's the use of this thing?"
"It can temporarily improve the magical energy control level of an ordinary person or a magic user." The woman crossed her arms and lifted her breasts with her hands, answering Frederick's question with a calm expression.
"Would you like to try it?" The woman picked up another bottle of medicine and handed it to Frederick.
"Then why are you giving me two bottles?" Frederick took the other bottle of medicine and compared the differences between the two.
“Don’t you have two subordinates? Why don’t you let them give it a try?” The woman’s lips curled slightly as she observed the two burly men behind Frederick.
"Impossible. I would never risk the lives of my reliable and loyal subordinates to try this potion of unknown origin." Clearly, Frederick seemed to be a man of principle; using his subordinates as guinea pigs was not in line with his way of being a ruler.
“If it were your sister, Princess Chloris, I believe she would have started the experiment without hesitation.” The woman’s seemingly unintentional words touched a line that Frederick absolutely could not allow: for his sister to be ahead of him in any way.
"Drink it all." Without hesitation, Frederick turned around and handed the potion to his subordinate behind him.
"But Your Highness." Seeing the strange potion in the bottle, everyone knew that their chances of survival were slim.
"Drink it, that's an order." With that, Frederick's two loyal guards unscrewed the bottle and, with resolute expressions, poured the liquid into their mouths.
"Do you two notice anything different?" Frederick asked, resting his chin on his hand as he observed the two people before him. The woman beside him had already taken out her pocket watch and started timing.
PS1: Ra!
Chapter 396 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Capter 15 Stepping into the Foreground (Seeking Votes)
A minute passed, and neither of them reacted.
Two minutes passed, and nothing happened again.
……
Ten minutes later, their expressions began to contort and contort in pain.
Fifteen minutes later, something strange happened: the man on the left emitted a white light, while the man on the right began to burn. Frederick looked at the scene with a grave expression, then turned to look at the woman who had asked him to conduct the experiment.
"You'd better give me an explanation as to why he caught fire." Frederick's expression was somewhat grave.
At the same time, the man whose body was on fire let out a shrill scream and rolled on the ground in pain. Unfortunately, no matter how much he struggled, his miserable condition and the flames on his body showed no signs of being extinguished. Soon his face became distorted from the burns and his skin became severely charred.
In contrast, the man's body under the white light was slowly shrinking, and some physiological characteristics were undergoing drastic changes—in short, a bizarre transformation from man to woman. This horrifying scene frightened Frederick so much that he retreated repeatedly until he bumped against a wall.
"Your Highness should know that women are more gifted in magical abilities than men. While an adult male can maintain an advantage against multiple ordinary women, the outcome is completely reversed when facing a woman with exceptional magical prowess. This potion can greatly compensate for this disadvantage, allowing a large number of ordinary male soldiers to become magical warriors. Wouldn't such a low-cost, high-return endeavor greatly enhance Your Highness's, and even the strength of the Kingdom of Prussia?" This invention was derived from Rudolf's "failed" treatment, which not only completely shattered the Jesuits' scheme in Vienna but also led to their complete break with Emperor Joseph. Of course, unlike Rudolf's high-cost treatment, this potion was an extremely inferior version.
“That’s the risk, isn’t it?” Frederick said, glancing at one of his men who had been burned to ashes.
"Compared to him, your subordinate who was successfully converted is really lucky, because the success rate of our potions is only about 20%."
Twenty percent means that out of ten people, two can become Magic Warriors. Out of a hundred, that's twenty. Although the cost might be the sacrifice of eighty percent, from a war perspective, isn't the importance of a Magic Warrior worth the lives of four ordinary soldiers?
Of course, if war is simply measured by the ratio of enemy killed, then this country and its rulers must have gone mad. Although Frederick was selfish and petty, he still had a conscience as a human being.
“I don’t need this technology, and I hope you can destroy it. As for cooperation with you in other areas, that’s fine. As you said in your letter, I need to defeat the Austrian Empire, and you need to take revenge on their princess. In this respect, we have common interests.”
"To demonstrate your sincerity, I'll first give you a task: to sow discord between Bismarck and Moltke and Ron, and weaken Bismarck's influence." In Crown Prince Frederick's view, Bismarck, who was too close to his sister, was his biggest potential rival. Although he couldn't get rid of this woman through conspiracy, he could find ways to reduce her control over the royal cabinet.
"As you wish." The woman said in a flat tone.
Meanwhile, atop a distant tower, a beautiful woman with dark hair enjoyed the night breeze, silently observing the negotiations between the Jesuits and Tsarevich Frederick through her binoculars. If Gisela were present, she would be utterly astonished by the legendary female spy, Mata Hari, for always seeming to appear where she was meant to be.
“Let me see what I should write in today’s report.” Marta whistled as she pulled a small, lightweight notebook from her “four-dimensional cleavage,” then picked up a pen from the edge of her stockings to use as a clip, and began writing today’s report.
It wouldn't be difficult to embellish her reports to Bismarck, that foxy woman, otherwise she would notice. But if she reported everything, she wouldn't gain much extra income, which clearly didn't suit Marta's habits. So, fabricating stories and combining them with real intelligence became what she was passionate about.
From this perspective, Mata is the queen of the intelligence world, and she is "notorious" to the extreme. However, the heads of intelligence agencies in various countries have to turn to her because she has the most abundant intelligence. If you were to ask who the most clear-headed person in the world is, Mata could be considered one of them.
As Marta was writing her report, a small bottle rolled out of her bag, containing a tuft of brown fox tail fur.
She took the bottle out into the moonlight with great interest and began to examine it carefully.
"It seems the little fox got married not long ago, it's a pity she can't play with her sister anymore." Marta's lips curled up slightly, her tone carrying a unique tenderness.
She quickly put away what she was holding and continued to look at her distant target...
One week later—
As the ship slowly entered the port of London, the long journey finally came to an end. Gisela was helping the unsteady Nina walk towards the ship's railing, waiting for the massive vessel to dock. It might be a little embarrassing to admit, but the esteemed Princess of Bavaria was indeed seasick.
This isn't surprising, given that Bavaria is a typical landlocked country, with no sea in sight year-round. While the Austrian Empire wasn't much better off, it at least had ports along the Adriatic coast and inherited Venice's glorious naval tradition. (Still confined to the Adriatic bathtub.)
"Rita, do you still have seasickness medicine?" Gisela gently patted Nina's back with her right hand, while reaching out her left hand to Rita, wanting her to hand her the seasickness medicine. Logically, Gisela, as the wife, should be the one being taken care of, but unfortunately, the reality was quite the opposite. Her cousin was extremely troublesome; every night during the ship's journey, she would roll out of bed and kick off the covers. Despite being a grown woman, she had no sense of propriety whatsoever.
In order not to disturb Rita, who was sleeping soundly in the next room, Gisela had to wake up once every night to check if there was anyone still in the bed opposite her. Sometimes Gisela even thought about just tying her to the bed to avoid so much trouble, but in the end she thought better of it, after all, it would be too cruel for someone who was sleeping.
“Without Madam, Young Master has finished all his medicine.” Although she didn’t address Nina and Gisela as Your Highness, Rita didn’t feel uncomfortable with the title at all. After all, helping her master disguise himself was an essential skill for a maid.
PS1: Why do I have to work on Sundays? QAQ
Chapter 397 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 16 On the Banks of the Thames
“Well, we’ll be getting off the ship soon anyway, so it won’t hurt him to hold it in.” As soon as Gisela finished speaking, Nina, who was holding onto the railing, vomited all her breakfast into the sea.
Gisela shook her head helplessly and sighed.
The ship eventually docked safely. When Gisela stepped off the ship, she was greeted by a pungent thick fog. The burning sensation in her lungs made her, who had lived in Vienna's fresh air for so long, feel extremely uncomfortable.
London is still shrouded in fog today, just like the London depicted in Dickens' "Oliver Twist." Unfortunately, it is now 1874, four years after Dickens' death, and he did not live to see these environmental and social problems resolved.
"Are you feeling any better now?" Gisela checked on Nina's condition once again, as she finally stepped onto the ground.
"I'm alright." Despite saying that, Nina still looked somewhat haggard.
"Alright, Rita, take him to his lodgings to rest. The address is 220 Baker Street, north of Westminster." 220 is an entire building rented out independently, and the most crucial point is that it's right next door to 221B, the famous Sherlock Holmes residence. For Gisela, a detective enthusiast, making a pilgrimage to this location in this era is a rare personal interest. (The address is just a guess; there are no 220 or 221 in reality.)
Unfortunately, Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character created by Arthur Conan Doyle, and such a person could not possibly exist in reality. Moreover, the novel was written at the end of the 19th century, which means it is still several decades away from now.
"And what about Your Highness? Won't Your Highness come back with us to rest first?" Rita asked, supporting Nina as she looked at Gisela with her captivating purple eyes, awaiting her answer.
"No, Rita, this is my first time in London and I want to explore. You don't need to worry about safety." Gisela gently patted her thigh through her skirt, the dull thud silently telling the maid that her princess had a dagger strapped to her leg.
Gisela is now an adult mage, and in terms of strength, she can even fight against fully armed mage armor with her bare hands. Such a feat is probably one of the most outstanding achievements in Europe. In conclusion, there are very few people who can threaten her safety in London, but sometimes her duty requires her to ask such questions.
“Very well, Your Highness, please take care. If anything happens, you may go to the Imperial embassy in London, or…” Rita didn’t finish her sentence, but instead took out the cross that Aponia had given her, which was hanging around her neck, and held it up in front of Gisela. Rita’s implication was that Gisela should seek help from the local church. Although Great Britain is Anglican, and the Anglican Church is independent of the Roman Catholic Church, they still maintain a very close relationship with the Roman Catholic Church because the two sides still need to cooperate in various aspects.
"Understood." Gisela waved his hand, then turned and disappeared into the thick fog.
After watching Gisela leave, Rita tucked the cross back into her collar, then hailed a horse-drawn carriage that was pulling up by the roadside, and helped the dazed Nina into the carriage.
"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll be right back." After handing the money to the driver, Rita left the crowded open space and walked into the dark and gloomy alley.
"Come out." With Rita's icy tone, three figures draped in black cloaks emerged from the shadows.
"What are your orders, Lady Rita?" These three were guards from the Thirteen Courts, secretly dispatched by Aponia to protect Gisela.
“Protect Her Highness the Princess for me. If anything happens to her or she is injured in any way, you know the style of the Thirteen Courts.” At this moment, Rita’s eyes flashed with an unprecedented ferocity.
"Yes, sir, we will fulfill our mission." With the three responding, Rita was once again left alone in the alley. Although the order was somewhat overstepping her authority, Rita knew that the guy behind the Thirteen Courts wouldn't say anything about it.
“Aponia once said that they were the loyal hounds of the Thirteen Courts, and that their lives could only be dedicated to His Holiness the Bishop; without Bishop Otto, they wouldn't be who they are today.” But her feelings for Gisela caused her to have unprecedented doubts, feelings she had only confided in Rita in private…
Our gaze returned to Gisela—
Humming a little tune, Gisela rode in a carriage through the vast city of London. Gisela had never felt so happy. Her first stop in London was not a political mansion or a wealthy merchant's salon, but a place called Hyde Park.
Hyde Park is London's most famous park and the largest Royal Park in the UK. Located in the Westminster area of central London, it covers over 360 acres.
Before the 18th century, this was a deer hunting ground for the English monarchs. In the 16th century, King Henry VIII used it as a royal park. During the reign of Charles I, Hyde Park was opened to the public. In 1851, Queen Victoria hosted the first Great Exhibition of London here. Later, in 1944, US President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill signed the Hyde Park Accord here. Even today in the 21st century, it remains a venue for various political rallies and other public events, with Speakers Corner being its most famous feature.
Of course, many things had not yet happened in Gisela's time, and it is unknown whether they will happen in the future, but one thing is certain: Hyde Park remains a place that Gisela was determined to visit.
Because seven years from now, a great man will be laid to rest here. Although his body will decay and decay, the brilliance of his thoughts will become the brightest star among the stars of humanity, guiding mankind to move forward.
Soon the carriage stopped in front of the park gate. Gisela slowly stepped down from the carriage and, like the thousands of citizens or tourists coming and going, walked in to enjoy the rare tranquility and peace.
In the industrial city of London, this lush green park is a rare find. Although it cannot compare to the vast green spaces outside Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the scenery is still quite pleasant.
It's around nine in the morning. Although there aren't many people strolling around, there are still quite a few. Gisela chose to come here now mainly because she wanted to wait for a middle-aged man who regularly comes here for a walk at this time every day. He usually sits on that bench over there and thinks about things.
Sitting in the chair waiting for his arrival might be boring, but Gisela didn't think so now, because she was trying hard to organize her thoughts so she could have a good chat with the middle-aged man from her memories.
PS1: I'm so tired.
Chapter 398 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle
As Gisela pondered this, a kind-faced, bearded middle-aged man approached her with a somewhat unsteady gait. Obesity is a problem that plagues every older person, and it's not a big deal. His unsteady gait is also understandable; after all, he had devoted himself to great causes in his early years, been driven away by various countries, and struggled for the realization of his ideals and the survival of his family. It's normal for him to have some health problems.
Although his physical condition wasn't very optimistic, the kind-faced middle-aged man's eyes still held a unique depth. He had lost the youthful ferocity but gained maturity and composure. Undoubtedly, his current appearance best matched Gisela's perception of him.
Upon seeing the man, Gisela, holding her skirt, slowly sat down on one side of the bench, making ample space for the middle-aged man. Seeing the young girl's gesture, the middle-aged man smiled and sat down at the other end of the bench, then propped his head up and gazed at the fountain in the distance.
“Mr. Carl?” Gisela tilted her head and looked at the middle-aged man sitting next to her.
"Yes, I am Karl. May I ask what business you have with me here, Miss?"
"Sir, what are your wishes for the future?" Gisela had prepared many questions, but after thinking it over, she finally chose a question that was not so politically charged.
"Miss, are you pointing to that distant blueprint for the development of human society—the ultimate blueprint for the future—or to the near future, which is just around the corner and within reach?" The middle-aged man's voice revealed an unusual composure.
"Sir, you're referring to the near future. We won't live to see the final stage of human societal development. As for what it will be like then, it's best to leave that to our descendants," Gisela replied humorously to the middle-aged man's question.
"Admittedly, I have only put forward a hypothesis, a solution that I believe is logical. It is not an ironclad rule. The future will be explored by those who agree with my views."
“That’s right. In my opinion, your ultimate goal is to seek happiness for more people, isn’t it? To teach people weapons so they can fight against injustice, to push human civilization forward in a rather crude way. One system replacing another is just a formality; it’s all just a process. There’s no such thing as good or bad. What seems like a perfect system today may become worthless in the end. Everything changes, but the only thing that remains unchanged is people, every ordinary person, and their core spirit of resistance.” Gisela didn’t think her viewpoint was necessarily correct, but she was simply saying what she wanted to say.
“My child, you are much smarter than I imagined. This is also my original intention in writing ‘Das Kapital’: to tell the ignorant the truth, then give them weapons, and give them what I think is a possible solution. How they use it in the future is their own business.” The middle-aged man said with some emotion.
“After all, it’s a luxury to expect humans to maintain absolute rationality,” Gisela replied to the middle-aged man, mimicking a line from a science fiction novel.
"Hehe, staying rational is indeed a good suggestion." The middle-aged man's lips curled up slightly, and his eyes sparkled with a sincere smile.
"By the way, sir, how is your wife's health?" Mr. Carl's wife was diagnosed with liver cancer in 1880 and passed away the following year. Given the medical level of that era, it was clear that cancer was already in a very late stage when it could be detected, and treatment was no longer an option.
However, it was only 1874, and there were still six years until Jenny fell ill. Although Gisela could not change a person's lifespan, she could choose to appropriately remind the person's relatives so that this great man could accept the fact more calmly in his later years.
"Her health was always weak, yet she still insisted on helping me with my work, carefully transcribing manuscripts, and taking care of our children. I was unable to give her a stable life, and instead, I made her wander from place to place with me." Karl's wife was the daughter of an earl and should have enjoyed a better life, but she chose to give up everything for love.
"Sir, please cherish every moment you spend with your wife, for she is the most precious treasure God has given you."
"Of course," the middle-aged man replied solemnly, placing his hand on his chest.
"By the way, now that you're middle-aged, have you ever regretted such a hard-working life dedicated to others?" Gisela was more interested in knowing the real person beneath the mentor's aura than in his vast body of theories and opinions.
“Child, your questions are always so simple, yet they always strike right at the heart. These are things I want to say, but have no one to confide in.” As he said this, the slightly plump middle-aged man turned to carefully observe the beautiful blonde girl in front of him.
"Neither Friedrich nor your wife will do?" Gisela was referring to Friedrich, Karl's closest friend.
"No, they have already sacrificed so much for me. I can't let them down. Only by continuing to work hard to complete this arduous task can I live up to their expectations." The middle-aged man gripped his slightly faded black suit trousers tightly.
"Will it be alright if I tell you?" Gisela continued teasingly.
“There is no problem at all, because you and I are complete strangers and have no connection whatsoever. We are simply having a conversation here. Besides, Miss, you do not belong to our world.”
Not belonging to this world? When Gisela heard the middle-aged man's words, her expression became unusually solemn, because she did not expect that this man knew that she was not from this world.
"The watch on your wrist is inlaid with a Maltese cross, a masterpiece from the long-established Swiss watchmaker Vaceron Constantin. As far as I know, this company currently only accepts custom orders and its clients are mostly the upper class."
"Your dress is also custom-made, without any labels, yet it is more exquisite and beautiful than any commercially available garment. I imagine you must have a good fashion designer and an excellent tailor in your family." High-end custom-made clothing is always better than clothing sold directly in the market, because each custom-made garment embodies the craftsman's painstaking efforts and is a unique work of art.
"Similarly, your high heels, your hat, and even your perfume are all luxuries that are beyond the reach of the poor." Gisela was surprised by Karl's erudition. In fact, Gisela herself did not know the origin and value chain of the other items except for the watch, because she had picked them out casually. As for the perfume, it was carefully selected for her by Rita.
"..."
PS1: Everyone knows who it is.
Chapter 399 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Captain 18's Path Lies Beneath His Feet (Seeking Votes)
“Sorry for all that boring stuff. Let’s get back to our previous question: Do I regret my life?” Karl stood up and looked at the blonde girl in front of him.
"It's impossible not to regret it, because I made my beloved accompany me in exile, my children suffered and died young because of poverty, I didn't get everything that an ordinary person should have, and I even had to rely on Friedrich's financial support to live. But I don't regret choosing such a thorny and difficult path."
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