This heretic cannot be burned, he must be hung up and whipped!

"We are not wrong. The research direction of iron-based catalysts is correct. Those crazy people in the Strategic Prediction Committee have been deliberately leading us in the wrong direction!"

"...I...thank you." Engler choked, tears rolling down his wrinkled cheeks.

As the whistle blew, people began to board the train. It was a special train, consisting of a dozen passenger cars and several freight cars filled with equipment. Each car had been reconfigured, no longer serving as a traditional passenger carriage, but rather a combination of small living and work areas.

The scholars and their families were assigned to different carriages, but most chose to gather together to communicate. Compared to resting alone, they were more eager for the collision of ideas - this was what they lacked most after a long imprisonment.

"Did you know that the entire library of the University of Vienna wasn't shipped back to the rear, but was transported north of the Carpathian Mountains?" a young monk accompanying them told them, "as well as most of the scientific research equipment from the universities of Prague and Munich."

"That's great!"

The train slowly started, carrying this group of spirited scholars towards the unknown north. Through the window, they saw the outline of Rome gradually disappearing into the distance, and ahead, there was an unknown land of hope.

The train crossed the plains of northern Italy and headed towards the Alps. Along the way, more liberated scholars and tech-priests from cities along the way boarded this special train at various stations. By the time it reached the Austrian border, it was carrying nearly five hundred scholars and their families.

The second and third trains followed closely, and the scholars who had been persecuted and exiled over the years boarded the trains, heading east and leaving this homeland.

The train wound through the valleys, gradually approaching the Austria-Hungary border. The scenery outside the windows changed from fertile plains to rolling hills, then to rugged mountain roads. As the train entered the outskirts of the Carpathian Mountains, everyone was surprised to discover that this wasn't a barren land—fortifications had been built along the route, and soldiers in Crusader uniforms could be seen patrolling from time to time.

"Look over there!" an engineer exclaimed, pointing out the window. "Wardenclift Tower—definitely Dr. Tesla's work!"

Everyone rushed to the window. On the distant hillside, a towering iron tower was under construction, and workers were climbing up and down the tower like ants.

PS: Nikola Tesla was born in Austria.

"They really set up a base here..." Fritz Haber muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with excitement.

It was already evening when the train finally arrived at Veliky Kertiš Station. The exhausted scholars disembarked, only to be struck by the sight before them—this wasn't the simple camp they'd imagined, but a rapidly developing small town. Hundreds of tents were neatly arranged, several sturdy stone buildings were already completed, and many more were under construction.

The most eye-catching thing is a large factory in the center of the valley, with thick smoke spewing out of its chimney, showing its active state.

A group of soldiers came forward to guide these newly arrived "distinguished guests." Despite their ragged clothing and emaciated appearance, these scholars' eyes gleamed with hope. They knew that in this unfamiliar valley, what awaited them was no longer constraints and imprisonment, but opportunities for creation and exploration.

"Welcome to Carpathia Camp 1," the leading officer said with a smile. "Commander Neos is waiting to meet you."

Engler took a blueprint from Haber's bag, took a deep breath, and looked at the outline of the factory in the distance, tears glistening in his blue eyes. "Finally, we can continue our work."

"Om——"

A small car with a red cross printed on it drove up, and Pierre Curie, who was driving it, got out and hugged Niels Bohr.

"I heard you came here voluntarily?" "Yes, that old Rutherford is relying on the Pope's support to suppress my theory. When that old bastard can't argue with my theory, he's using religion as a weapon to criticize me! What about you?"

"I don't know, I came here because I heard scientists aren't burned here."

The afterglow of the setting sun shone upon this group of scholars, gilding their figures with a layer of golden light. In this turbulent era, shrouded in the shadow of heresy, the fire of human civilization was quietly igniting in the Carpathian Mountains.

PS: 260 votes, next update 4.5k...

Red Tide: 1921: Remarks on the Release + Exam Leave

I have an exam so I took a day off today (). The exam starts at 9am, so I went to bed early. After the exam, I will go back to Beizhai and write!!!

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Boys and girls, this book has finally made it to the shelves.

Well, I'm feeling quite complicated. Beizhai is facing a lot of pressure this year. On the one hand, I have to take various certification exams, and on the other hand, I have to prepare for the IELTS, which I have to take before the fall recruitment. Besides these two, there's also the pressure of the postgraduate entrance exam. The pressure is really, really overwhelming.

There is also a science and technology innovation competition this year, as well as a mathematical modeling competition and an electronic technology competition. If I don’t do these, my resume will be too empty.

The more I write, the more depressed I feel...

There were many times when Bei Zhai felt like he couldn't hold on, couldn't do it. But every time Bei Zhai lay down in bed at night and made plans for the next day, he would find that the schedule added up to less than two-thirds of his senior year of high school, but Bei Zhai just couldn't finish it.

Bei Zhai's family has always been strict. When he was in high school, he was beaten twice for playing with his mobile phone. Once, his phone was directly smashed. After that, he stopped playing with his mobile phone after his sophomore year, and secretly played on the computer at night, either playing Stellaris or Hearts of Iron on the computer. It was not until his senior year that the pressure was too great, and he started playing gal games to numb himself.

At that time, Bei Zhai could play galgames until 2:30 and then go to classes the next morning. Now he can't do that. He is old and his physical strength and energy can't keep up.

PS: Bei Zhai’s favorite galgame is Summer Pocket, followed by ATRI. I played it a few times and cried in my bed in the middle of the night.

After graduation, I relaxed and had a blast, like a spring releasing all the stress of the past decade. As a result, I ended up like this, with a GPA of around 3.4 (out of a possible 5). For our major, a 3.9 is enough to get into graduate school.

The economic situation wasn't great the past two years, so I decided to apply for a job at a state-owned enterprise right after graduating from college. I had to take a bunch of exams and prepare for civil service exams and essays. This year, the situation is better, but I'm a bit timid about staying at home, worried about the dangers of not leaving a way out, so I signed up for a postgraduate entrance exam training course.

It can be said that Bei Zhai has brought this upon himself, and the fact that he is so exhausted now is also Bei Zhai's own fault. I believe that there is more than one way out in this society. There are many people who fail to get into university, but the sky is not falling. People can always find a way out, brothers.

I will definitely continue writing books, because I find a little joy in writing, and I spend more than two hours every evening writing. This is my happiest time of the day, when I can clear my mind and not think about my future, the knowledge I need to learn, or the exams and vocabulary.

Just thinking about what this novel world will become, writing has become Bei Zhai’s last safe haven.

His parents often advised him to stop studying and focus on his studies, but he felt that he couldn't bear it without this. He didn't know whether he could stand on the podium of life, but it was likely that he would reach the rooftop of life.

I hope everyone’s life can go forward as they planned, and I also hope Bei Zhai can withstand this wave this year.

Good night, family.

Red Tide: 1921: Chapter 49: Nissl's Process, Synthetic Ammonia, and Sarin

Camp No. 3 in the Carpathian Mountains, March 30, 1915

The Great Kertish Basin is located at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, and this is Camp 1 of the Neos Project.

Less than two months ago, this place was a ruin, with weeds growing among the broken walls and a few half-collapsed farmhouses standing alone in the desolate wasteland. Back then, when the first batch of troops led by Neos arrived here, many civilians muttered to themselves:

"Did Saint Neos choose the wrong place? What strategic value can such a desolate mountain area have?"

Today, those questioning voices have long since disappeared.

Brick and stone walls were repaired, and the roads cleared of debris and weeds. In less than a month, the town was transformed into a small city thanks to the work of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians. Nearly a third of the industrial equipment Neos had brought with him was now located in the city of Great Kertiš.

A power plant has been built and the thermal power generators brought from Budapest are operating normally, but there is still not enough electricity. Residents still need to rely on the hydropower units on the river for electricity - after all, Dr. Nikola Tesla's research consumes too much electricity.

No one knows what happens in the room that is always glowing from morning to night. Occasionally, curious children who go to peek say that they see a ball of light that is shining white and constantly emitting arcs of electricity.

In the heart of the valley, a factory churns out a variety of equipment and supplies day and night. Precision gears shipped from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to the north are combined with ore mined from the mountains. During the day, thick smoke from the chimneys forms a faint trail against the blue sky. At night, the factory lights are brightly lit, and workers work in three shifts, continuously producing various industrial equipment.

In order to protect the hundreds of scientists conducting scientific research here, this small town has a regiment of Crusader guards who have the best weapons and equipment, because in addition to the military and civilians, there is also a heretic concentration camp carefully built by Himmler.

Over a thousand captured heretic soldiers were forced to do the hardest labor in this small camp, receiving only minimal food and water, and even then, they were forced to undertake heavy labor like mining. No one sympathized with them, as, after all, when they chose to surrender to Hell, they no longer had human rights.

The concentration camp was tightly surrounded by barbed wire and high walls. Every twenty meters stood a sentry post, patrolled day and night by armed Crusaders. Mines were also laid outside the barbed wire. The heretics were forced to build roads, dig fortifications, and transport supplies in the freezing winter. Clad in tattered prison uniforms, they toiled under the threat of whips and guns, from dawn to dusk, sometimes even all night long.

When a heretic soldier collapsed from exhaustion, the overseer's whip would lash his back mercilessly until he stood up again and continued working, or lay there forever.

"Get moving! You accomplices of the devil!" an overseer roared, his whip whistling sharply in the air. "If you want to eat, you have to work! God doesn't support lazy people, let alone devils!"

As for the civilians who were forced to join the heretic army, they would regain their human identity after being verified and confirmed by Neos's spells. These civilians who had been reborn regarded Neos as their savior, and some even had to work in the fields without their wounds from the heretics healed.

Outside the city of Bolshaya Kertiş, rows of brand-new greenhouses are under construction. Though the harsh winter lingers, these glasshouses designed by engineers are already nurturing new life. Inside, agronomists and locals carefully tend to the seedlings that will be their hope for the coming year.

After all, America had not yet been discovered, and there were no high-yield crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn. Europeans could only continue breeding, improving, and hybridizing on the existing basis.

"Look, this is the hybrid wheat seed we brought from the University of Vienna. It's said to have twice the yield of ordinary wheat. It has low stems and is resistant to lodging and insect pests. The technical priests say it also incorporates some oat genes. Theoretically, it can be planted in the Carpathian Mountains in March." An agronomist was explaining to the surrounding civilians.

"As long as we cultivate it according to scientific methods, we can harvest it in a few months!"

PS: Bei Zhai doesn’t know whether wheat and oats can be successfully hybridized, but given the conditions in the Carbash Mountains, it seems unrealistic to grow rice, so Bei Zhai decided to grow hybrid wheat.

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"With this thing, who cares how many months the harvest takes! We can harvest three times as much as they can in one go! Playing with that mountain of genetic code is nothing, our ammonia fertilizer is king!"

In the heart of Velikiy Kertiš, an old castle has been transformed into an agricultural research institute. Originally owned by a local noble, the castle was abandoned during the war. Today, its stone walls echo with the lively voices of scientists engaged in discussion.

In a spacious laboratory, Fritz Haber and his mentor, Engler, were adjusting a complex device that looked like a bizarre maze, consisting of dozens of pipes, metal containers, reactors, and pressure valves.

"Raise the temperature a little higher, Haber." Engler wiped the sweat from his forehead and stared at the pressure gauge intently. "We need a temperature close to 500 degrees to fully promote the reaction."

"Raising the temperature so high isn't worth it. Previously, even with temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees and pressures exceeding three hundred atmospheres, the yield was only less than 0.5%. It still needs a catalyst, right?!"

PS: Historically, Haber only obtained a very small amount of ammonia (a yield of only 0.005%) at 1020 degrees Celsius and normal pressure. Later, using the extremely rare metal osmium as a catalyst, he achieved a yield of 6% at 300 atmospheres and 700 degrees Celsius. However, the price of osmium at the time was more than ten times the price of an equal weight of gold.

Fritz Haber spoke as he adjusted the control valve, his hand steady as a rock. Several young assistants watched nervously, breathless. To them, this wasn't just a scientific experiment; it was humanity's hope against famine.

"Remember our discussion in Karlsruhe?" Engler asked as he adjusted the equipment. "You were convinced then that nitrogen and hydrogen would combine under high temperature and pressure—as long as there was a suitable catalyst to lower the activation energy of the reaction."

Harber nodded, a wry smile on his face. "Yes, at that time we only had a small laboratory and a few simple devices. Those fanatics in the Strategic Prophecy Committee thought we were researching 'blasphemous technology', saying that 'chemical reactions permitted by God do not require human intervention' -

Fuck me!

"What a bunch of lunatics," Engler cursed under his breath. "If we could have achieved a breakthrough sooner, so many people in Europe wouldn't have died of hunger. Does God want to see us starve too?"

Harber was silent for a moment, then said firmly, "It's okay, it won't happen again."

Behind them, several civilian workers carefully carried metal components, assembling the rest of the device according to the scientists' instructions. Some of these workers still bore scars on their faces, the marks left by their heresy. But now, their eyes were filled with focus and awe. They knew that these strange devices would change their fate.

"Be careful with that connection!" Haber suddenly turned and shouted, seeing a worker almost install a tube in the wrong place. "It has to connect to the catalyst chamber!"

The worker quickly apologized and reinstalled the instrument under the guidance of another technician. Haber breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Engler: "These people are hardworking, but their understanding of precision instruments is limited."

"That's because they don't have the opportunity to receive education. If the war ends and education becomes universal, I believe they will become technicians and engineers," Engler said gently.

"Remember, Fritz, we must put aside our academic arrogance. We are just more fortunate to have received an education. And Lord Neos also said that science is not just for a few of us, but for everyone."

Harber nodded and continued adjusting the equipment. Over the past few weeks, they had made countless attempts, but all had failed. After each failure, Harber would stay up all night analyzing the problem and modifying the experimental parameters.

Sometimes, exhaustion and frustration would make him almost want to give up, but every time he walked out of the castle and saw the hungry faces outside and the tired but determined eyes of the soldiers, he would cheer up again.

"We must succeed," Haber often muttered to himself in the laboratory late at night, "for everyone in this land."

Finally, after working continuously for three days and three nights, and conducting several calculations and analytical summaries, they were ready to start a new attempt again.

"All valves checked!"

"Catalyst replaced!"

"The pressure is stable at 140 atmospheres!"

Haber took a deep breath and looked at Engler. The old professor nodded and said, "Let's get started, Fritz."

Haber carefully opened the main valve, and the mixed gas began to flow into the reaction chamber. The entire device emitted a soft humming sound, and the metal parts expanded slightly due to the high temperature. Everyone held their breath and stared at the collector, hoping to see liquid ammonia appear.

A minute passed and nothing happened.

Five minutes passed, still no response.

Some began to sigh, and some began to talk in low voices, thinking that this attempt had failed again.

At this moment, Harper suddenly pointed to the bottom of the collector and shouted, "Look! There!"

Everyone gathered around. At the bottom of the container, a drop of clear liquid slowly formed, followed by a second, a third... and the distinctive, pungent smell of ammonia began to spread!

"Quick!" Engler shouted excitedly, his voice trembling with excitement. "Calculate the yield!!"

Hubble quickly recorded the readings: "One hundred and forty atmospheres, four hundred and seventy degrees, 15% yield, we succeeded!!!"

Cheers erupted in the lab. Scientists hugged each other, some even shed tears of excitement. Engler hugged his most proud student tightly: "Fritz, you did it! You really did it!"

"We did it!" Harber was very excited.

Their cheers echoed throughout the castle. The civilians working downstairs looked up curiously, confused as to what was happening. A technician ran downstairs and excitedly explained, "We've developed the technology for industrial ammonia synthesis!!! No one will ever go hungry again!"

The civilians looked at each other, not quite understanding what "industrial ammonia synthesis technology" meant, but they understood the last sentence. An elderly worker immediately shouted to the others, "We won't go hungry anymore! This is a new technological breakthrough!"

The news spread like wildfire throughout the city, from one person to another, adding new details or omitting others with each pass.

"What? We won't starve anymore?! We can produce food out of thin air?!" a soldier asked in surprise.

"Yes! Scientists have invented a machine that can create food out of thin air!" another person answered.

The news continued to spread, becoming increasingly bizarre: "Spread the word! Scientists can actually make food!"

By evening, when the news finally reached Neos's headquarters on the other side of the city, it had completely changed beyond recognition:

"Scientists can mass-produce Neos, and each Neos produced will bring with it an unlimited supply of five loaves and two fish to satisfy everyone's hunger!"

Neos, who was working on documents, nearly broke his pen when he heard the news. He shook his head helplessly, put down his pen, and grumbled, "What kind of exaggerated style is this? What era are we talking about?"

He stood up and put on his coat: "Take a few people and let's go to the Agricultural Science Research Institute to see what happened."

When Neos and his team arrived at the castle, the entire Agricultural Research Institute was already immersed in a festive atmosphere. In the main hall, scientists opened several bottles of precious champagne (one of the few luxuries they had brought from Rome) and toasted to celebrate their breakthrough.

Harber saw Neos come in and quickly stepped forward to greet him: "Commander Neos! I was just about to send someone to report our breakthrough to you!"