Chapter One: Berlin or Kiel (6)

  The Naval Academy in Kiel always recruits in early autumn, and naval cadets must undergo about seven weeks of basic military training on land before starting their basic navigation training. When the land-based training ends, it is usually a crisp and clear autumn day, which is the quietest and most suitable time for initial navigation training in the Baltic Sea.

  Having received the admission notice from Berlin University, Wang Haitian naturally got the recruitment examination of Kiel Naval Academy. At the beginning of August, Wang Haitian unexpectedly received the admission notice and the transcript with the second total score in the exam.

  Before she knew it, the day of enrollment at Kiel Naval Academy had arrived. Wang Haitian pulled out the admission letter from her tattered school bag, opened her leather suitcase and casually picked up a few changes of clothes and toiletries. As she was about to leave, Wang Haitian grasped the door frame and took one last look back with a sentimental gaze full of youthful angst.

  Heather is gone, Wang Haiting planted a lot of chrysanthemums and small daisies in front of Heather's tomb. Next spring will be a romantic scene with flowers blooming and birds singing.

  Fresic also left. Fresic rested in Kiel for about half a month, until the land could no longer hold Fresic's heart of a wanderer. Kahn had enough connections at the dock and took Fresic and the sailors from South Schleswig-Holstein to jump ship to an overseas cargo company in Danzig, setting sail again when the seasonal winds changed.

  Unbeknownst to him, he had already spent eight months in this damp and dilapidated hut. These eight months were the most difficult and unforgettable period of Wang Haitian's life. From the initial excitement and longing when he first crossed over, to the despair and desperation when he learned he couldn't return, his heart as cold as snow; from the humiliation and hardship of having to work as a porter at the Kiel docks when he had run out of food, to the helplessness of tearing up the letter Catherine sent him and scattering it in the North Atlantic sea breeze; from the resurgence of hope and ambition when he received the acceptance letter from Berlin University, to the heart-wrenching grief and remorse when faced with Hester's death. This broken-down, empty wooden hut had witnessed Wang Haitian's complex emotional journey, and at some point, he had come to regard this wooden hut, which in his eyes was a seriously illegal structure and a target of the city management's crackdown, as a trustworthy haven.

  Wang Haitie let out a bitter laugh, took the family photo standing in front of the bed and stuffed it directly into the suitcase, then heavily locked the dilapidated door.

  "Xī Lài Mǔ, nǐ huì huí lái de ba……" ān Nī shū zhe liǎng dào xiǎo jié zi, guǐ guǐ sǒu sǒu de cóng jiǎo luò lǐ cuàn le chū lái, yǎng zhe tóu kě lián qí qí de wèn dào.

  Translation:

  "Xilem, you will come back, right……?" Annie combed two small braids, sneaked out from the corner with a pitiful expression and asked.

  "This is my home, do you think I won't come back?" Wang Haitie stretched out her hand and gently stroked Annie's small face, teasingly saying: "If you miss me, go to the military school to find me, it's just on the south shore of the bay, how far can it be?"

  "It is." Little Annie was overjoyed, she turned around and looked at the surroundings, tiptoed and gently pecked on Wang Haitian's dark and rough face, stuffed a big apple into Wang Haitian's hand, and ran away with a red face, shouting: "This is what I stole, you can only eat it when you get to school..."

  Annie's figure quickly disappeared from view. Wang Haitian touched the remaining girl's fragrant and sweet cheek, feeling extremely embarrassed.

  "Weston!" A girl's questioning voice came from the side of her ear, although the tone was not good, but the sound was soft and pleasant. Wang Haitian felt his scalp numb, turned around and saw Catherine with pursed lips and a face full of anger.

  Wang Haitie was unable to fully receive the memories belonging to Heidi-Xi Lai, he only obtained some scattered, disorganized and vague fragments. He did not understand why Heidi-Xi Lai, who had such excellent grades, was so obsessed with the Imperial Navy, just as he did not understand how a poor boy living in Kiel's lower district could fall in love with Dick, the only daughter of Kiel City's number one business magnate.

  "I don't care about your family background, I don't mind Vilani's blame towards me. We made a promise under the old oak tree to be together forever, but in the end, I found out that only I was making an effort; Vilani and I went on vacation to Redstone countryside, my longing for you followed me like a shadow, keeping me awake all night. I wrote letters to you, but you didn't respond with even a single word; when classmates told me you got into Berlin University, I fantasized in the countryside manor that you would make a name for yourself, fantasized that I could wear a white wedding dress and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you at Nikola's church listening to the pastor's blessings. Heidie, you said you lost your memory and wanted to end things with me... do you know how big of a blow this was to me? Now, putting aside my pride as a girl, I'm filled with longing and looking for you again, but you chose the navy, chose Annie..."

  "Is this the answer you give me?" Catherine was beautiful, with a slender and tall figure, and her words were full of intellectual aura. She slightly raised her head, not letting tears overflow from her eyes, that kind of pear-blossom-like tears made people suffocate.

  Wang Haitie moved her lips, wanting to explain but couldn't say anything, and there was a voice in her heart that had been shouting all along.

  "Wang Haitie, I was wrong. I'll never force you to accompany me to suppress the horse road again, I'll never format your A-plate hard drive again, I'll never steal your QQ password again, and I'll never pretend to be pregnant to force you to get engaged with me. Please don't leave me alone."

  "Scoundrel!" Catherine raised her hand.

  The faint fingerprints remained on Wang Haitian's face. Looking at Catherine who was getting farther and farther away, otaku Wang Haitian shrugged his shoulders and muttered to the air:

  "Look, Heidi-Xilem, I've tried too, although I wanted to protect your poor pure and innocent first love... but some things can't be forced..." Wang Heiti knew that his words were a bit shameless, but she could only comfort herself like this. "Farewell, my past life's and this life's first love..."

  ****

  "Time travel, everything within reach is history..."

  Wang Haiting stood in front of the Kiel Naval Academy, those brick-red buildings, clock towers and grand halls that were only seen in historical museums and imperial archives were now standing in front of Wang Haiting, a bleak sense of history rushed over her, and the solemn atmosphere made the shallow and frivolous Wang Haiting feel slightly uneasy.

  Wang Haitie didn't want to add to Freecy's burden, so she decided to take over the family business and join the German Navy, which was relatively easy to advance in. With a small fortune, she occasionally had the idealistic thought of saving the world. Her plan was simple: first, hang out in the German Navy for a few years, accumulate some wealth, and then retire before World War I broke out. If she couldn't retire on time, Wang Haitie would fight to work at a naval base or the Ministry of the Navy; if not, she would serve on an unsinkable battleship with a high safety rating. As for underwater assassins, wolf pack tactics, and unrestricted submarine warfare, Wang Haitie could only respectfully keep her distance.

  Reversing fate? The timid Wang Haitian had never thought of such things.

  The Kiel Naval Academy, also known as the German Imperial Naval Academy, was founded in 1872 by Admiral Albrecht Stosch. The Six Weeks War of 1864 had shown Prussia the need for a naval academy and after the war, the Prussians decided to establish one at Danzig.

  The first principal of the Prussian Naval Academy, Karl Ferdinand Batsch, had a legendary experience. Batsch worked on a merchant ship in 1846 and joined the navy in 1848, serving as the vanguard of the Kingdom of Prussia's invasion of the Far East. He was promoted to vice admiral in 1852 and participated in the Danish War of 1864, organizing several naval circumnavigations. Batsch believed that war is not only a science but also an art, and that every commander's performance in battle is closely related to his imagination and artistic creativity, in addition to good military qualities and strong willpower. Only the most imaginative commanders can create outstanding works. During his tenure as principal of the naval academy, Batsch emphasized the balanced development of cadets, treating each naval student as an elite university student.

  The Naval Academy in Kiel inherited the claims of Batschische, and the school's curriculum includes not only military basic training, navigation basic training, reserve officer training, and ship practice, but also subjects such as maritime law, economics, oceanography, mechanics, foreign languages, and philosophy. The faculty of the Kiel Naval Academy includes not only military personnel, but also engineers, professors of philosophy and law, oceanographers and zoologists, mathematicians and astronomers, linguists, and medical professors. The school also regularly invites well-known professors to give lectures to help students broaden their horizons. Due to the school's rich heritage and excellent teaching environment, the Kiel Naval Academy has earned the reputation as the "cradle of the Imperial Navy".

  The Naval Academy in Kiel is located on the coast of Kiel Bay, Baltic Sea. The school area is not large, except for the lush oak trees, they are all Romanesque and Gothic red brick buildings. Inside the school, there is a library with a collection of 40,000 books. Not far from the library is the grand auditorium, where famous scholars often give lectures.

  "Kiel, I will definitely conquer you!" A four-wheeled carriage stopped in front of the Kiel Military Academy gate, and a blond boy with shiny leather shoes and a white shirt with a cowhide belt jumped out of the carriage. With his hands in his pockets, he looked very cool, gazing at the academy gate with confidence.

  "How arrogant! Must be a second-generation official!" Just as Wang Haitie was hesitating, the boy seemed to notice her standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him at the entrance of the military school. He walked over, speaking in a condescending tone:

  "Are you also a new student this semester? Nice to meet you, I'm Bernhard von Oden, from Bavaria."

  "Heidi Westphal, native of Kiel."

  "Oh? So you're the one who came in second on the entrance exam?" Wang Haitian extended a friendly hand to Auden, but didn't expect Auden's haughty face to merely raise an eyebrow, casually drop a sentence, pick up his suitcase and turn around to leave. "Sorry, Heidii-Selim, your good luck ends here!"

  "Wow! You're just a second-generation official, you're not even worthy of mention. My ancestor was not only a second-generation official but also a rich second generation, and he's a real man! If I were to put this in the past life, I would have made you kneel down and beg for mercy!" Wang Haitian's last bit of pride had long been worn away by the dirty docks and the yelling of the foreman Layman. The only remaining bit of determination also dissipated in front of Heather's grave. A tiger fallen into a humble state, being bullied by dogs, Wang Haitian could only think about it.

  "Brother, don't be upset, he's a Junker noble, it's normal for him to look down on us commoners." Wang Haitian felt somewhat displeased in his heart. At this time, another new recruit who had come to report walked over and patted Haitian's shoulder, saying to Auden's arrogant back: "The navy is different from the army, noble status is useless here. You should know that the navy is a thorn in the eyes of those conservative Junker nobles, a die-hard reactionary. In the navy, if you want to get promoted, you still have to rely on real ability."

  "Hehe." After a good-natured person's interjection, Wang Haitian's gloomy mood was greatly alleviated. He once again extended an olive branch. "Heidi-Xi Le Mu, from Kiel."

  "Kiel people? Then we're fellow countrymen!" The young man in front of him was very talkative, and he warmly put his arm around Wang Haitian's shoulder, chatting endlessly: "My name is Erich-Raeder, from Hamburg. You know the Free City of Hamburg, it's right next to Schleswig-Holstein, so in a sense, I'm also a Schleswig-Holsteiner, haha."

  ****

  September 1894, Pl?n, Germany

  Accompanied by Admiral Henning von Holtzendorff, a nineteen-year-old young man named Wolfgang Wegener stood in front of the German Naval Academy in Pl?n and proudly opened his arms:

  "My era has begun, Navy, I'm here!"

  ****

  In late September 1894, a thick fog enveloped London.

  A dashing English gentleman, David Beatty, sat listlessly on a rocky outcropping at Portland Bill in Britain, his eyes fixed coldly on the latest addition to the fleet, the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, and cursed loudly.

  "Damn it, Kampêd!"

  Note

  Some data in this book can't be found on certain pages, some were searched on Google, and some were translated by the author with his poor English level. Please forgive any inaccuracies in translation by professional personnel.

  2. The damned Camperdown: The Camperdown was a British ironclad warship. In 1893, the Camperdown collided with the Mediterranean Fleet flagship Victoria, sinking her on the spot. The Camperdown was badly damaged and had to return to the shipyard for repairs; David Beatty was serving on the Camperdown at the time.