Chapter 4
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Chapter 4: Conflict
Leader One wrote two novels, "1914 AD" and "1936 AD". These stories tell about a middle-aged man from Prussia in the 1800s who is taken to the future by a time machine and what he experiences there.
His novels went beyond all previous genres, and the European literary community named this new style scientific fantasy adventure novels, abbreviated as science fiction. Leader One became the pioneer of science fiction literature.
After two novels became popular in Europe, many people started copying Leader One’s style of writing and released one story after another about traveling to the future in a time machine, but all of them failed miserably.
Because the futures imagined by others were too empty, not scientific, not futuristic enough, the storytelling and worldbuilding were also not well-developed.
Leader One had a magical power – he could paint a huge and vivid world with words, as if really leading the readers into the future, making them deeply immersed and unable to escape.
Writers and scholars read his books, studying his innovative writing techniques, dual parallel narratives, new ensemble cast descriptions, complex subplots and overall structure…
Kings and generals read his books, discussing the fantastical weapons within, like bombers dropping bombs from the sky, huge 50,000-ton warships sailing at 30 knots, indestructible land steel machines called "water tanks"…
Scientists and inventors read his books, pondering on the scientific prophecies within, internal combustion engine? Electric lights, telephones, telegraphs? Aerodynamics that allow people to soar in the sky? What is an atomic nucleus? What is nuclear fission?
Leader One’s two books cover almost all aspects of future society, like an encyclopedia, fulfilling everyone’s longing for the future, inspiring many along the way.
However, Leader One’s descriptions are too vague, leaving people unsure how to verify things. Readers keep rereading the texts, wanting to know more details, wanting to know if it can really come true.
As the books sold well, more and more readers started sharing their opinions. Book reviews were often published in newspapers, where readers openly expressed their thoughts on the future and the books, leading to critics who then published their opposing views, attracting further opposition.
Whenever readers are confused or arguing, they want to kidnap the author Leader One to make him explain or make a "ruling".
Most readers don’t have the chance to find Leader One in person, so they write letters, filling up Leader One’s mailbox every day.
Right now, at the reading room of Berlin University library, two readers are arguing, and author Leader One is right there.
Anna, "Having a group of lowly peasants rule the country is just a joke."
Karl, "We don’t need kings or nobles, ordinary people can create great achievements too!"
Anna, "Haha, without a king, there’s nothing."
Karl, "Why must we have a king? Does a country cease to exist without one?"
Anna and Karl look at Leader One, asking him to explain in detail about the Red League depicted in the book. They need to understand the political structure and ideology of that Red League in order to debate more accurately.
The Red League described in the book is too vague, with not enough information. The two are arguing about just a few lines, which is not satisfying.
Facing the spirited debaters, Leader One didn’t want to make things worse. If they could sit down and talk calmly, it would be fine. But Anna and Karl were really about to start a fight.
From half past ten to half past eleven, these two never even sat in their chairs.
"Can we eat first? Both of you, please calm down."
Anna and Karl, "No! We won’t stop until we have a winner today."
Since Leader One refused to provide more detailed information about the Red League, the two readers had only their imaginations to rely on. They each came up with their own scenarios and debated fiercely, leading to increased arguments.
Anna threw her cloak at Leader One’s face, then drew her sword to duel with Karl.
Karl, being quite the crafty one, borrowed a sword from the guard at the library entrance and returned to the reading hall ready to duel.
Before Leader One could even catch a whiff of the cloak’s scent, he hurriedly stood up to intervene.
"Please stop fighting, just calm down for a moment," Leader One pleaded as he held the sword blades with his bare hands.
He received knight training since he was young, using a unique grip that could firmly hold the sword blade without getting cut, even without using magic energy.
The two furious people decided to keep fighting, resorting to bare-handed combat since the sword was firmly held.
As Anna was a woman, Karl hesitated to attack certain areas, only managing to find opportunities to strike her abdomen, feeling quite passive.
On the other hand, Anna had no reservations, and she smashed her fist into Karl’s face, causing him to dodge like a wild street brawler.
Seeing the situation escalating, Leader One decided to ignore them, saying, "I’m tired, you two carry on fighting."
Let’s go eat~
Outside the school gate, there was a small restaurant owned by a middle-aged man named Hans, who also worked as a chef and barista. He cooked a delicious sauerkraut stew with pork that reminded Leader One of home, although his coffee was terrible.
While some people enjoyed sauerkraut stew with pork at the restaurant, others were fighting in the library.
Karl used to be a typical wealthy and irresponsible guy. He studied at the University of Bonn, spending his days extravagantly, having clandestine meetings with his girlfriends, and getting into fights at school.
Karl had many fights with classmates during the year. He wasn’t very good at fighting and lost more than he won. Once, he almost got his eye poked out, but Karl was very tough and brave. No matter how badly he got beaten, he would always get up and continue. He was known as a tough guy at the University of Bonn.
His dad couldn’t tolerate it anymore. To help his son get back on the right path, he transferred Karl to Berlin University. Slowly, Karl changed from a troublemaker to a good student.
Today, Karl met Anna and his old aggressive nature came back. They started fighting again.
If Karl was tough, Anna was even tougher, like a werewolf.
Anna, from the rich Junker family in the village, used to go to Göttingen University. She carried a long sword and led a big wolf around campus. Just by looking at someone, she would start a fight. Anna was very skilled in fighting, losing only once in 33 duels.
Anna once fought a child from the Grand Aristocratduke family. Her parents had to transfer her to Berlin University and warned her not to cause trouble.
Anna didn’t plan to fight again, but meeting Karl today changed that.
On her first day at the new school, she got into a fight. Leader One wonder what Anna’s parents will think.
Leader One, after eating and drinking enough, had this to say about the situation:
The representative of the Left vs the representative of the Right, I would call it a clash of ideologies.
