Chapter 1123: Chapter 24 Copernicus’s Question (Add more for the alliance leader, Internet Joke!)

I wonder how many members will attend this time’s Genius Club meeting.

The “Genius Club Charter” is very clear; it allows you to be absent, even for many years without attending meetings, but being late is absolutely unacceptable.

If you come, come on time; if you don’t, then simply don’t come at all.

In Lin Xian’s view, not coming is a waste, even if not posing questions oneself–listening to others’ answers is good too.

But in fact…

He found that not everyone thinks like him.

Some, like the elderly Copernicus, their physical condition no longer allows them to continue attending meetings.

He said last time that he was going into hibernation in a Hibernation Pod.

However, Lin Xian felt that he would still come to the meeting this time.

One reason is to see if he’s dead.

The second is that Einstein refused to answer his last question, wasting an opportunity to ask.

How could he not make up for that this time?

After asking this question this time, Copernicus might really go into hibernation, sleeping until the era that technology and medical power can prolong his life.

Then there are people like Newton and Da Vinci.

They joined the Genius Club last century and have basically asked all the questions they had, and maybe their future plans are also almost set, just waiting for the related technology to kick off… So, in this case, they don’t need to ask any questions either.

It is likely that both of them will also be long absent after the Hibernation Pod technology is mature.

“Forget about the others.”

Lin Xian held the golden badge in his hand.

Regardless of whether others ask questions or attend meetings, he definitely has questions to ask.

Asking questions in the Genius Club is very tricky.

First, you can’t let others guess your thoughts or identity;

Second, you can’t expose your abilities and plans;

Lastly, you must prevent others from snatching your answer while they know the answer.

Take the question of Astatine-339, for example.

If Lin Xian straightforwardly asks, “How can one obtain Astatine-339 in the current era?”

This question would directly expose two things:

1, that he can foresee the future and knows of a substance that does not exist on Earth.

2, that this substance must be extremely precious and have unique uses.

So.

If Einstein gives out the answer, then every genius present will know the method.

What would happen afterwards?

100% of these geniuses would follow Einstein’s method and attempt to snatch this extratemporal substance in advance.

After all, Einstein is not whispering secrets to anyone; any answer is public.

If he spreads the answer to this question, it would not only expose his identity and ability but also lose the wife and the soldiers–failing to get Astatine-339 and giving up this unique opportunity.

That is the cleverness of the other geniuses.

The questions they ask seem utterly nonsensical, incomprehensible… then Einstein’s answers are just as nonsensical and incomprehensible.

But with this back-and-forth, the genius who asked knows everything, quite satisfied.

Like Galileo,

Like Gauss,

Each one is very shrewd.

If it weren’t for meeting Gao Wen in The Eighth Dreamland and learning about Astatine-339, Lin Xian really couldn’t have imagined… Galileo’s question was so deeply hidden, so covert.

In comparison.

Gauss’s question seems silly, and Einstein didn’t give a satisfactory answer either.

But…

Is that really the case?

It’s very likely that Gauss’s intention was to get a negative or incorrect answer.

Using the Process of Elimination,

Each time he gets Einstein to provide a negative answer, and the more negatives he gets, the closer the answer in his mind approaches the correct one.

“The Genius Club, every member is a mastermind.”

Lin Xian couldn’t help but sigh.

What Oscar ceremony, it should really be held within the Genius Club.

Deception, blurred reality, bluffing, misleading; it seems these people have mastered both military strategies and human nature.

“Listening to their questions, each one is dumb, like a primary school class meeting; but every question is imbued with layers of complexity… whoever doesn’t understand it is the biggest dunce.]

“In any case, I am quite the dunce.”

Lin Xian admits that at the last meeting, he really thought these people’s questions lacked substance and scope. Now it seems… it’s just that he was too naive, only seeing the surface and not understanding the essence.

“The correct way to ask should hide information about Astatine-339 and lead the focus onto the Time Shuttle Machine.”

Lin Xian clarified his thinking.

Copernicus in the last meeting had already asked about the concept of the Time Shuttle Machine, and it’s highly likely he will ask about it again this time.

Then, as the last person to ask a question, one can completely use the cover of the Time Shuttle Machine to inquire about the feasibility of obtaining Astatine-339 beforehand, like this–

“[Considering all possibilities, when is the earliest date humans can use the Time Shuttle Machine for time travel?]”

This way of questioning is quite clever.

Because Lin Xian already knows very clearly from Gao Wen, producing a Time Shuttle Machine doesn’t have any technical obstacles; it can easily be made. The only material it’s stuck on… is Astatine-339.

Therefore.

Lin Xian’s question.

While seemingly asking about the Time Shuttle Machine and time travel, is actually inquiring about the Astatine-339, unknown to everyone else.

No matter what date Einstein answers, it goes without saying, that would be the earliest day humanity can obtain Astatine-339.