Six Words (1)

The moment the Archduke stood behind me, no one could block my path with petty, childish tricks anymore.

The cheap attacks on penicillin ground to a complete halt. At the very least, the devilish practice of injecting unrefined mold juice directly into patients' veins was gone.

Finally. Since I first discovered penicillin in 1898, only now...!

Penicillin was finally receiving the recognition it deserved!

The first breakthrough came from the patent office.

"Looking at the description... penicillin appears to be a substance secreted by blue mold found in nature. Is that correct?"

"Yes. And?"

"Then it is a natural product. The patent is denied."

"What kind of bullshit is that? It's a processed version of a natural product!"

"Is sunlight patentable? Stop talking nonsense and move along."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I thought the patent office would keep spouting this nonsense to block me forever.

But after just one volunteer trip with the Archduke, the penicillin patent—which had been stalled for over a year—was approved in a single day!

As expected, having connections is always a good thing. There's absolutely no downside!

The imperial family... They were a nightmare when they were against me, but now that they're on my side, they're not bad at all. It was a bit of a shame that my backer was the Archduke of a doomed empire, though.

And that wasn't all.

Academic papers related to penicillin were pouring out.

"Every single paper is talking about the limitations of penicillin. Why are you so pleased, Marx?"

"Because at least they're criticizing it through 'academic papers' now."

"Ah. I see. My The Interpretation of Dreams has sold exactly 1,011 copies now. ...I wish they'd all just drop dead."

I lightly ignored Professor Freud's whining. It was a book destined to blow up in five years anyway. It seemed he was far more fired up than in the original history because his own student had risen to fame first.

Still, this was a massive improvement. It was infinitely better than listening to newspapers bark about it being the "devil's drug."

Now, at the very least, it was treated as a refined medicine like aspirin rather than some mysterious mold extract. The contents of the papers were also perfectly reasonable.

Honestly, penicillin still has a long way to go. From here on out, it's a field where even my future knowledge can't do much.

And that wasn't all. Of course, I had the basic concept. I knew they cultured mold in massive vats, but...

"I think I'll wash my hands of it now. If I hold onto it any longer, I'll run out of tricks."

"Why? Even if we don't have it now, mass-cultivation technology for microorganisms will be invented eventually."

"I have some ideas... but maybe in ten years? It's too difficult for me to research on my own."

I had learned the hard way how difficult it was to dive into a field outside my specialty with nothing but a raw concept. Besides, I was starting to hit the limits of my knowledge. What to do?

As I fretted, Freud spoke up nonchalantly.

"Wait. You have an idea?"

"Well, we've been culturing mold in petri dishes so far, right? We just need to scale it up and culture it in massive vats. Though there's a mountain of issues, from oxygen supply to temperature and pH control."

"Sounds tedious just hearing about it. But so what? Honestly, at this point, you don't need to conduct the research yourself."

Ah! How could I have forgotten?

Honestly, the standard practice is for graduate students to do the professor's research. Couldn't I just set up a fancy research institute and dump the work on other academics?

And funding the institute wouldn't be an issue either. Isn't one of the top ten richest men in the empire my friend?

I immediately went to see Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was sitting in his manor, grinning foolishly as he read the newspapers. Like an obsessive-compulsive patient, he was busy cutting out and scrapbooking only the articles about his marriage to Sophie Chotek.

Thanks to this, piles of newspapers from not only the Austro-Hungarian Empire but also Germany and even Great Britain were stacked high beside him.

"Your Imperial Highness. I have arrived."

"Ah! Marx Stahl! The Press Bureau tried so desperately to censor the news of my marriage. Look at all this! Thanks to a few photographs, my marriage has been exposed to the world!"

"I am glad to hear it. Has everything been alright?"

"Damn it. I've been placed under house arrest. Other than that, everything is perfect. Look at this! These are all letters supporting my marriage!"

The Archduke pointed to a box sitting in a corner of his study. Just as he said, the box was overflowing with letters.

It was certainly a relief that the Archduke's depression seemed cured. Look at him, as excited as a little child. ...Wait, is that mania? I suddenly felt a wave of concern.

"...Has the imperial court taken any other measures? This isn't a matter they would just let slide."

"Not really. Being confined to this small manor is nothing. Time flies just reading through this mountain of letters. Oh, did you see the garden? There's a spy sent by the court hiding out there."

Huh? That couldn't be right. Honestly, when planning this whole affair, my biggest anxiety had been the reaction of the imperial court.

While the court wouldn't act rashly due to public opinion, I had expected them to threaten him by grooming another heir to replace him. Naturally, I had already prepared my next card, and the card after that, to counter such a move.

"Is there truly nothing else besides having your privacy monitored and being placed under house arrest?"

"Indeed."

"That makes no sense. A storm might be brewing, so we must prepare—"

"I threatened to commit suicide like my cousin. That shut His Majesty up right away."

"...?"

"I should have done this sooner. I've been far too timid lately."

I slapped my forehead. Usually, I was the one causing trouble while Professor Freud played the voice of reason, but now it felt like the roles had shifted.

Now I know how hard Chen Gong had it trying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to manage Lu Bu.

Of course, the Archduke's "if all else fails, I'll just die" strategy wasn't terrible. Even if he was stripped of his title, and even if he did commit suicide afterward, the imperial family would suffer the damage, not him.

How would an imperial family look to the outside world if two of its crown princes committed suicide? Of course, the greatest loss would be Franz's life, but still. At any rate...

"Your Imperial Highness, I actually came to propose a promising business venture. I am thinking of establishing a research institute."

"A research institute?"

"Penicillin requires further research. And beyond penicillin, I intend to study other chemical technologies as well."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. And that is not all. We will combine it with charitable work. Until now, we have prescribed penicillin to the poor in a haphazard manner. Instead, we can establish the institute right in the heart of the slums and offer medical treatment. We can also hire impoverished university students as teachers and researchers to establish a school."

The Archduke bowed his head, lost in thought. It wasn't a bad idea at all. In fact, it was brilliant.

Just as the Archduke and a certain half-baked revolutionary had been shocked to see, the 16th District—the Vienna Slums—had a living environment that was, to put it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mildly, a literal garbage dump. The laborers living there endured hygiene, nutrition, and education levels worse than those of draft animals.

No matter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠how many welfare benefits the Austro-Hungarian Empire poured out to prevent social unrest, they never reached the absolute poorest.

The destitute laborers were struggling too hard just to survive to even think about political actions like rioting. It was a principle similar to why major revolts rarely broke out in concentration camps.

Improving that place while securing his next political achievement would benefit both me and the Archduke.

If we drop a research institute sponsored by the Archduke right in the middle of the slums, the surrounding hygiene, public safety, education, and medical standards will skyrocket overnight.

Of course, there was the tiny drawback of it being a bit dangerous. But what bold fool would dare attack an institute bearing the Archduke's name? No matter how much the imperial court despised him, would they really let an institution carrying the Habsburg name be raided by rioters or extreme nationalists? Surely not.

The land is cheap, so the cost won't be a burden. And the surrounding property values are bound to rise, hehehe...

Father—though you aren't my real father from Korea, we've lived together for several years now. Finally, I can show some filial piety. Buy up all the land in Vienna's 16th District! Go all in!

"It is a truly wonderful idea."

"You must also be aware, Your Highness, that the era of surviving solely on rental income from rural farmland is coming to an end. Approaching this from a business perspective is highly lucrative as well."

"However, it is impossible right now."

"Is it because of the political burden? Launching a mere charity and research project won't cause nearly as much of a stir as our recent stunt."

"It is not that."

"Then...?"

"I have no money."

Why? As far as I knew, the richest man in the empire was the Kaiser, followed closely by Archduke Franz Ferdinand. No matter how much conglomerates like the Wittgensteins or the Rothschilds raked in, they shouldn't be able to compete with the Habsburgs, the greatest landowners in the nation.

"I forgot to mention, my funds have been completely cut off."

"What? Isn't the estate owned by you, Your Highness?"

"In practice, yes. But nominally, it belongs to the House of Habsburg. Freezing my funds is an easy task for them."

Where did the Archduke's vast wealth come from? First, the imperial budget. The court could easily cut that off.

Second, the estates owned by Franz. But even those were structured such that the court could seize control if they set their minds to it. They could freeze the cash flow by appointing estate managers who aligned with the court's tastes. Whether by sending family auditors or launching a state tax audit, they could temporarily restrict his funds, even if they couldn't confiscate them permanently.

Actually, this was the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It wasn't entirely impossible for the court to find some pretext to strip away private property rights. Of course, such a threat could easily be countered by the Archduke's suicide threats, but if he overused that card, the Kaiser might actually explode.

"I've already used the suicide threat once, so I can't play that card again for a while. I am sorry I cannot be of help."

Ah, this was a headache. But then, an idea struck me.

If we were talking about net worth, the empire's tycoons probably had far more. Those people held all kinds of assets, from bonds to stocks. Yet, there was a reason the Emperor and the Archduke were considered the wealthiest. The reason? The sheer volume of liquid cash they could deploy at a moment's notice.

It was only his cash flow that was blocked. There was a way to bypass this. It carried some political risk, but...

"Issue bonds under your name, Your Highness."

"Hmm?"

"Of course, this directly ties into your credibility. People might push back against using the title of Archduke so freely. And depending on the political climate, its stability will fluctuate wildly."

"Hmm..."

"You do not have to issue them. Just lend me your name, and I will find a way to secure the funds myself."

I had planned to sell the penicillin license for dirt cheap to gain popularity anyway. Mass-producing penicillin was a realm of future technology that I couldn't exploit myself. I had no choice but to play the licensing game. But then...

Archduke Franz Ferdinand suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Are you a genius?"

"Pardon?"

"We shall issue bonds immediately. Since we have such a splendid idea, is five million Kronen enough to launch the real estate venture as well?"

You crazy bastard! Why are you suddenly accelerating like this?! The terrifying concept of MEFO bills flashed through my mind, but I desperately ignored it.

The Archduke was casually talking about issuing bonds worth 0.5% of the national budget. In Korean terms, that was equivalent to issuing three trillion won worth of bonds.

"Your Highness, please calm down. What do you think the imperial court will say? You will actually be stripped of your title at this rate!"

"Didn't you say it would be fine even if I were stripped of my title?"

The Archduke was acting completely reckless, as if he didn't care if the empire and his family went to ruin. Unfortunately, I still needed his backing.

I barely managed to calm him down and compromised on roughly two hundred thousand Kronen. In modern Korean currency, that was about one hundred and twenty billion won. It was still a massive sum, but not quite large enough to trigger a catastrophic political risk.

Funding secured! More importantly...

I must never, under any circumstances, entrust this man with financial matters. Did his pampered upbringing leave him completely devoid of economic sense? Or perhaps, having been kept away from actual governance for so long, he simply had no grasp of budgetary scale.