On the Shoulders of the lover

Part III - I

Sometimes, people feel a great fascination for the things they cannot reach. Usually, people worship or hate those things which they could not have or achieve. For me, intuition about physics and mathematics was the thing that I could not possess. Analysis was hard as usual, and I had already spent two hours trying to understand one Aufgabe that I needed to hand in by Tuesday morning.

Thanks to Mr. Alan Turing, artificial intelligence helped me a lot to understand this week's task. Or perhaps I should thank the tech geniuses who built the big IT companies in Silicon Valley? Maybe I should be grateful for the subcontractors who work for those IT companies 24/7 in poor conditions, being exploited by massive industry and capitalism.

Anyways, whoever made and developed this AI tool, they have clearly helped this poor student in a German university a lot.

"Sir Isaac Newton didn't even need these artificial intelligences to figure out fluxions on his own," I muttered quietly. I felt foolish at that moment. Yes, I was living among geniuses throughout history, and such a fact made me feel smaller than ever before.

"Suppose X as 0, for that question," came a familiar voice from behind.

I turned around.

"Sir Newton!" I whispered in amazement. I looked around and checked if anyone had seen him or noticed me acting strangely, for Sir Isaac Newton could not be seen by anyone else.

"Jeova," he answered me back. "I was but weary with tedium."

I quickly moved outside of the library and pulled out my phone to pretend I was on a call. After I placed my phone near my ear, I turned to Newton, whom no one else could see but me.

"So, how did you find me? How did you even know the university library is here?"

"Since mine arrival here, in ye year 2024, I have endeavored to learn some Hochdeutsch, that I might comprehend certain books and partake in conversations." He showed me a note where he had written some German words and phrases in his handwriting, much like he did in his Grantham or Cambridge years to study Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

"Nice, nice. But... Sir Newton, are you feeling fine to be outside?" I asked.

"I wonder if there be an apothecary in the city," he said.

"Why, do you feel sick?" I asked, worried.

"I am in need of ye quicksilver, antimony, and some flasks."

Oh, I had totally forgotten to teach him about modern chemistry last time. And, of course, I don't have any facilities to do such big projects in my humble living quarters.

"Sir Newton, I know that your search for alchemy was serious and led you to some core philosophical thoughts about nature." He looked at me with a slightly uncomfortable glare.

"I know you might want to figure out the nature behind this sudden, illogical situation that has happened to you by restarting your alchemical projects. But... Sir, I, a humble peasant, a university student, do not have any money or space to conduct such large alchemical experiments."

I spoke quickly and nervously, hoping this wouldn't make him unhappy. But clearly, Sir Isaac Newton, who stood before me, looked upset.

"But!" I exclaimed to cheer him up a little. "I could show you how the knowledge of alchemy has led modern people, so to say 'scholars' these days. Of course, it might not be done 'secretly,' but they have succeeded in changing the properties of matter. Are you not interested in these things?"

I saw his eyes widen.

"Yes, Isaac, I can take you to the laboratory, where 'modern alchemists' work!"

"Are they akin to Robert Boyle?" he asked.

"Y-yes... I know you are not quite positive about how Mr. Boyle deals with alchemy, but his method helped chemists a lot later on," I tried to convince him.

He did not seem happy with what I had just said, but he nodded his head.

"Fine, but they should be reasonable," he answered.

"Of course, Sir. I won't disappoint you."

I answered him with a little uncertainty, but I hoped that he could satisfy his curiosity and eagerness to find the truth here, while he is with me.

To be continued...