British writer

Two weeks later.

Grand Hotel Stockholm.

The layout of the restaurant has changed;

At the far east end of the restaurant is a stage.

Although it was a temporary set-up, the stage was well-arranged, and there were even stairs on both sides.

The huge curtain fell, blocking the backstage.

The set workers were busy inspecting the scenery and props.

There are dozens of round tables placed in the center of the restaurant.

Oscar II sits in the best position and has a panoramic view of the stage.

He looked down at the materials in his hands,

It was a color-printed promotional page that read:

——

"Stealing Fire"

original:

Lu

screenwriter:

Lu

bernard shaw

Henrik Ibsen

Bjornsten Bjornsson

…

Guest guests:

William Thomson, Lord Kelvin

William Conrad Roentgen

Antoine Henry Becquerel

…

——

The list is so long that I can hardly print it.

Oscar II looked at it and couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of absurdity.

Thought,

These scientists actually like to make guest appearances on stage, they are quite wild at heart~

He looked at the table on his right,

That was the position of several playwrights,

What was so outrageous was that even Ibsen, who had suffered a stroke, came and sat between Shaw and Bjornson.

He looked so energetic that it was impossible to tell that he was seriously ill and had been resting in bed.

Oscar II stood up and walked towards the table,

Solman quickly caught up with him.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

The king waved his hand,

"It's okay, I'll talk to these great writers. You know, my favorite entertainment is watching plays."

He walked over quickly,

"Mr. Ibsen, I didn't expect you to come too. I like your "A Doll's House" very much."

Ibsen bowed slightly,

"Your Majesty, forgive me for not being able to..."

"It doesn't matter."

Oscar II stretched out his hand and moved a chair from the table next to him.

To outsiders, this is His Majesty the King reaching out to the people.

Ibsen said: "Compared with Lu's "The Stealing Fire", "A Doll's House" has too many chants and a slow rhythm. In fact, after watching "Yes! Prime Minister", I wanted to revise the script, but unfortunately I couldn't do it. , can’t be put down in writing.”

In terms of subject matter, "A Doll's House" is undoubtedly better.

The heroine Nora forged her father's signature to borrow money to treat her husband Helmer's illness.

Helmer was afraid that this would affect his reputation and status, so he angrily scolded his wife for being shameless. However, when the creditor returned the IOU, Helmer pretended to smile at Nora.

Nora saw through the inequality between husband and wife, and was unwilling to be her husband's doll, so she ran away angrily.

Drama encourages female independence,

What "Stealing Fire" satirizes is the darkness of the academic world, which is a bit niche after all.

Oscar II was surprised,

"Why is Lu's script so special?"

Ibsen laughed,

"Your Majesty must have watched "Yes! Prime Minister", right? At least, "Roman Holiday", right?"

Oscar II nodded slowly,

"I've seen it all."

Indeed, compared to the popular dramas nowadays, Lu's script is more popular and the rhythm is more lively.

Just like his books, it feels refreshing to read.

That kind of writing method undoubtedly lowers the threshold for watching dramas and reading, and radiates to a wider range of working people.

George Bernard Shaw said: "Lu's creations make many elegant things look cheesy. I admire him for this."

His Majesty the King couldn't help but ponder,

He feels that art and literature should be more aloof and keep distance from ordinary people.

Only in this way can nobles like themselves show their differences from the people.

But looking at the attitudes of the playwrights, it seems that they all support Lu. He will not say some unique things to make people annoying.

Oscar II looks around,

"Where's Sir Lu?"

George Bernard Shaw said: "Has your Majesty read the promotional brochure? There will be many guest scientists in today's play. They are all good at scientific research, but their performances may not be up to standard. Lu is worried that they will fall behind, and is doing the final tutoring~"

Oscar II said: "I would like to invite Professor Lu to have a few words and drink a few cups of tea."

"this……"

George Bernard Shaw appeared rather embarrassed;

"I'm afraid he doesn't have time."

Oscar II felt somewhat unhappy.

A writer actually refused his invitation without showing up.

Where to put the king's face?

At this time, there was a burst of noise at the door of the restaurant.

Everyone followed the sound,

Bernard Shaw stood up suddenly,

"His Majesty!?"

Oscar II was helpless and said: "King Edward heard that Lu's latest play will be performed at the dinner party, so he wanted to come and see it no matter what."

Bernard Shaw understood,

Everyone from Great Britain to Northern Ireland knows about the fun-loving nature of our king.

Oscar II quickly stepped forward to greet him,

The two kings exchanged a few words and then took their seats in the best seats.

Edward VII looked around,

"Where's Sir Lu?"

Oscar II rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "He is busy arranging tasks in the background. King Edward, I'm afraid you won't be able to invite him."

He was sarcastic, trying to make Edward VII look down on him.

Edward VII didn't think much about it.

"I'll send someone to say hello to him!"

He said to Stephenson: "Go backstage and tell Sir Lu that I have arrived. But just let him continue his work."

Stephenson took the order and left.

King Edward VII then turned to Oscar II and said with a smile: "Sir Lu is my best friend, so he deserves to say hello."

Oscar II: "..."

I don’t know what to say.

As a result, after waiting for a few minutes, Lu Shi followed Stephenson out.

King Edward VII immediately stepped forward to greet him.

"Lu, didn't I keep you busy?"

"It's all done."

Lu Shi smiled,

"His Majesty came here specifically for my drama. Of course I have to express my gratitude in person."

The two started chatting.

Oscar II looked quite depressed watching from the side.

My heart said,

If Lu Shi couldn't be hired by himself, the British could just send someone to take care of it.

How unfair!

Fortunately, this jealous drama did not last long.

I saw a field worker running out from the backstage and whispering in Solman's ear.

The latter jumped onto the stage, cleared his throat,

"Ahem..."

Instantly, the scene fell silent.

Lu Shi also nodded to Edward VII and sat down next to Bernard Shaw.

Solman waited for everyone present to sit down and then raised his voice.

"Everyone, I believe you have all heard that Sir Lu recently completed a new drama called "Stealing Fire" as a tribute. Unfortunately, Prometheus Stealing Fire is a Greek myth and has little to do with Northern Europe. "

Sporadic laughter erupted from the scene.

Solman continued,

"You must have noticed that there are many people whose seats are empty. For example, Lord Kelvin of Great Britain. As far as I know, he has found a new job in the theater company."

This joke is funnier than the one just now,

Everyone laughed.

Solman was very satisfied;

"Okay, then I won't talk nonsense anymore. Please enjoy it."

After saying that, he left the stage.

The curtain then opened.

Unexpectedly, the first person to appear was the French scientist Becquerel.

He was sitting behind his desk reading documents.

At this time, a student played by an actor walked in, stood timidly in front of the table, and whispered: "Professor, please take a look at my experimental report."

He placed the report on the table.

Because the actor is Swedish, his English accent is a little strange and difficult to hear.

Fortunately, the troupe learned from the experience of "Big Brother" in the United States and put up subtitles on the side of the stage.

In addition to English, subtitles are also available in French and Swedish.

Becquerel picked up the report,

"You...used uranium salt?"

He seemed a little surprised,

"I said, how did you think of it?"

The student explained: "Because Roentgen rays are generated from the fluorescent place opposite the cathode of the vacuum tube, they may belong to the same mechanism as fluorescence. So I was thinking about whether I could find..."

Becquerel raised his hand to interrupt,

"Wait a minute!"

He read the report carefully again and gave instructions: "Next time you test, don't use sunlight."

The student said: "Yes."

After saying that, he was ready to leave.

Becquerel stopped the other person: "I will go to London tomorrow and I may not have time to sign your paper. I will sign one for you now."

This is a clear intention to plunder by force.

But the student was not recruited, so Becquerel was asked to sign his name as the first author, expressed his gratitude, and then left.

Becquerel looked at the students' backs and murmured:

"Such a promising young man must be allowed to shine for me... for our school."

The curtain slowly closed.

End of act one.

In an instant, the scene fell into silence,

"..."

"..."

"..."

After a while, people broke out into noisy discussions.

"The screenwriter is too brave! The first act is only ten minutes long, and he gives us such intensity?"

"The drama is more exciting than the original novel of "Stealing Fire."

"Lu is so admirable."

"Hahahahahaha! He almost had his pants taken off in the academic circle."

…

The scientists present were all excited.

George Bernard Shaw was curious,

"Lu, Mr. Becquerel will not be misunderstood if he plays such a role, right? As far as I know, he did discover natural radioactivity. If people misunderstand that this is embezzlement of students' research results, it will be... hiss..."

I didn’t dare to finish what I said next.

Lu Shi laughed,

"Look, are there any scientists here who think so?"

Bernard Shaw looked around,

Indeed not.

Lu Shi explained: "The reason is very simple. In early 1896, the news of Professor Roentgen's discovery of X-rays reached Paris, and Sir Poincaré showed the X-ray photos at a regular meeting of the French Academy of Sciences. Professor Becquerel happened to be present and talked with Sir Poincaré opened the discussion.”

Bernard Shaw reacted,

Since the discussion between the two is public, everyone in the world can testify.

Lu Shi continued: "Moreover, if you understand the process of Professor Becquerel's discovery of uranium radioactivity, you will find that it is full of accidents. Of course, he himself believed that the discovery of radioactivity was 'completely logical'."

This logic refers to inevitability.

All in all, Becquerel's discovery must be his own credit.

Björnsson interjected: "Then he is indeed suitable to play this kind of 'villain'."

Lu Shi nodded,

"Because he is an undisputed 'decent' person in reality, even if he plays a bastard, his reputation will not be affected by his role."

George Bernard Shaw said: "However, I think he acted very well, better than the professional actors who played opposite him."

Lu Shi shrugged,

"After all, he is from the academic circle. He has seen enough of that kind of thing in life, so he can naturally perform it well."

After hearing this, the people at the table laughed.

After a short break, the second act begins.

The plot of this scene is not very different from the novel;

After all, Becquerel's students lacked experience and had weak scientific research capabilities. Although they received "guidance" from the teacher, the effect was not obvious. They still seemed powerless when it came to experiments and papers.

So, he approached Tois——

A tutor who makes money by "tutoring" students to write papers.

With the help of Tois, his paper was successfully published,

Although one work is occupied by Becquerel, because the impact factor of the journal published is high enough, students can successfully obtain a degree.

In his anticipation, the second act ends.

King Edward VII was stunned.

"Why is this academic circle darker than the factory? Shit!"

Stephenson behind him coughed and signaled His Majesty not to use bad words.

Oscar II is curious,

"Why does it feel darker than a factory?"

Edward VII said: "The workers in the factory know that they are being exploited by the factory owners. They work for money out of the pressure of life, and there is no other way. But look at this student, he is clearly being exploited by his tutor, publishing a paper I was robbed of one of my works, but in the end I had to be grateful and said, 'Thank you, mentor! I'm finally going to graduate!'."

When you think about it, it seems quite dark.

Oscar II spreads his hands,

"Perhaps, this is what academic circles are like~"

King Edward VII said: "That's why I think these students are stupid, dressing up for others without knowing it. Just look at it, they will definitely not get a degree, and they will continue to be exploited."

Oscar II was shocked;

"Have you read the novel "Stealing Fire"?"

Seeing him like this, Edward VII knew that he was right,

He pretends to be profound,

"I haven't read the novel, but I understand human nature."

In an instant, his image became tall and majestic in the eyes of Oscar II.

Oscar II thought,

He is worthy of being the king of Great Britain...

No wonder Lu Shi wanted to see him, this is what a wise king should look like!

Oscar II decided to learn from this king from the most powerful country in the universe.

The two chatted for a while, and the third act began.

Edward VII was right;

Becquerel raised the impact factor requirements, and the student's degree was deferred, forcing him to work under Becquerel for another year.

At the same time, he received a letter from home——

The economic crisis left the family with no money.

He didn’t want to drop out of school because getting a doctorate had already consumed too much manpower, material resources, and a lot of time.

However, he was powerless against Becquerel.

He finally chose to hang himself.

This sudden death awakened Tois,

Toews began to help students free of charge, spending all his money so that they could publish papers in journals with the highest impact factors and obtain the qualifications to graduate.

Within half a year, nearly ten doctoral students received their degree certificates.

After watching the third act, Edward VII made another prophecy: "Toews's lecturer will definitely be kicked off, and he may not be able to stay in the academic circle in the future."

Another completely correct prediction.

Oscar II has become numb;

"King Edward, I now understand that a king who can lead Great Britain is really capable."

Indeed, within less than two years of Edward VII’s reign, Britain’s soft power has improved rapidly.

This is all due to him.

Edward VII waved his hand,

"For the people, that's what I should do."

He looked towards the stage,

"Act IV begins."

The fourth act of the play is almost identical to the fourth chapter of the novel;

Toews was investigated.

The difference is that the investigative committee in the drama really invited a lot of big shots to make guest appearances.

From Kelvin to Roentgen to Poincaré,

There are seven people in total, all of whom are famous figures in the real academic circle.

Kelvin asked as a representative: "Toyes, I need you to answer all inquiries of the investigative committee honestly. Otherwise, you will face the risk of including but not limited to prosecution."

There were whispers again,

"It's really fitting to have Lord Kelvin play this role."

"Indeed, the theory of the two dark clouds is so famous that it makes him look like a scholar."

"Isn't that a rumor? Lord Kelvin didn't say that."

"So, rumors harm people. Letting him play this role can be regarded as some kind of black humor."

…

Everyone watched the fourth scene with bated breath.

Starting from Poincaré, everyone on the committee asked Touys in turn, and the questions became more and more pointed.

Because these characters are well-known in the circle, the audience in the audience can feel the pressure like a dark cloud pressing down on the city.

At first, Touss replied a few words,

But later, he just laughed,

Especially after Becquerel asked, "Have you made money through tutoring and ghostwriting papers for more than ten years?" Touss turned into a laugh, full of contempt and disdain.

Amid his laughter, the curtain slowly closed.

The scientists at the scene communicated with each other,

Then they stood up and applauded,

Warm applause swept the entire hall like waves.

They never thought that there would be a drama set in academia that could satirize so deeply and vividly.

"Stealing Fire" did it!