Driving down the long, straight Bodhi Tree Avenue, the car entered Spree Island, also known as Berlin's famous Museum Island. Here are located Germany's new and old museums, the National Gallery, the Pergamon Museum, the Friedrich Emperor Museum, the Palace Museum, as well as the Berlin Cathedral and the Royal Gardens. These classical buildings, blending Greek, Roman, and Baroque styles, stand opposite the bustling city on the west bank, separated by a shallow river, with an arched bridge like a peculiar boundary between time and space.
During the wartime, on a regular workday, there weren't many visitors coming to the museums. However, a large group of children dressed in Hitler Youth uniforms marched in formation under the guidance of several junior officers, passing by the cobblestone road in front of the Berlin Cathedral. These children, who looked to be under 14 years old (those aged 10 to 14 belonged to the youth group of the Hitler Youth), still retained their childishness but appeared solemn and serious, like miniature soldiers. With Germany steadily winning on the main fronts of the war, these children, who should have been studying in classrooms, at least didn't have to rush to the front lines. Thinking of Germany after 1944 in another timeline, Logan felt somewhat melancholic; under the leadership of the mustached leader, this country was soon to be embroiled in an even more arduous war. Would Germany be able to avoid the fate of defeat if he made blunders as frequent as history recorded?
After getting off the car, Logan took a deep breath of the cold yet refreshing air and habitually took out a silver cigarette case from his pocket. It had to be admitted that although the military truck was practical, it reeked of mechanical odor. In terms of comfort, it was clearly no match for the luxurious version of the Mercedes-Benz sedan!
Just as he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, he noticed "the maid" looking at him with puppy eyes, as if witnessing someone gravely ill disregarding the worries about their life or an addict struggling with self-control.
"I don't like people who smoke, nor do I like people who smell of smoke!" she suddenly said in a cold, deliberate tone when she saw Logan already had a lighter in his hand.
"Hmm?" Logan was taken aback for a moment, meeting the gaze of extreme innocence and sadness for two seconds, and quickly gave in, silently putting the cigarette back into the case.
Indeed, the Fuhrer strongly disapproved of smoking and excessive drinking, but among the military and political officials of the Reich, at least half of them were rarely seen without a cigarette!
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, her initially cold expression quickly warmed up, and a smug smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. With a graceful turn, she said in a very ordinary tone, "Let's go!"
Logan casually put the cigarette case back into his pocket and glanced at August, who shrugged, indicating that he needed to stay and watch over this precious truck. Such behavior naturally earned Logan's serious contempt. However, this young general, who was decisive on the battlefield, seemed a bit confused now: how could he let a girl barely twenty years old lead him by the nose?
Turning around, he saw the "maid" who was already walking cheerfully, swinging her elfin-like slender legs, walking on the stone-paved road with her 5-centimeter high heels clacking. The delicate stockings, which had appeared in rudimentary form in the early 16th century, were still a privilege of the upper class before the First World War. Later, with the popularization of ready-to-wear clothing and the transformation of women's fashion, silk and cotton stockings gradually became popular among all social classes. However, nylon stockings, which truly had modern significance, did not appear in the United States until the fall of 1939 and caused a buying frenzy in a short time—during this time in Europe, everyone's attention was drawn to the surging war and had no time to spare for anything else!
After a few seconds of daze, Logan hurried to catch up.
The Friedrich Emperor Museum, as the name suggests, is dedicated to commemorating the greatest monarch in German history. It was built during the Prussian era, but it had less than a hundred years of history. Inside, not only are relics of Emperor Friedrich displayed, but also related military flags, weapons, and paintings depicting his experiences, all arranged as exhibits. Placing the items from the Polish and French royal families in the side hall was fitting with the experiences of this monarch's reign because during his lifetime, he brought much suffering to France and Poland: during the "Seven Years' War" from 1756 to 1763, Emperor Friedrich waged war against powerful opponents such as France, Russia, Austria, and Sweden with the might of Prussia, annexing Saxony and occupying Silesia, thus altering the strategic landscape at that time—by effectively restraining French military forces, Prussia prevented France from caring for its colonies in North America and India, and control over Canada and India fell into British hands; as for Poland, in 1772, Prussia, along with Russia and Austria, first partitioned Poland, gaining a large swath of land along the Baltic coast and connecting East Prussia with the national headquarters!
Out of admiration for the great man, Logan carefully appreciated each item on display here, especially some official documents left over from that era. When Emperor Friedrich ascended the throne, Prussia's international influence was weak, with only 80,000 troops in its standing army. With his outstanding diplomatic and military skills, Prussia gradually developed into a land power, and the 200,000 elite troops became his most powerful tool in practicing the principle that "the fundamental law of government is territorial expansion"!
Seeing this sentence, Logan couldn't help but think of modern Germany and Adolf Hitler with his "living space theory." It was difficult to judge these two consistent theories as right or wrong, as the law of the jungle was universally applicable throughout the natural world. However, perhaps the key lay in whether it conformed to the historical trend—civilization expansion rather than the destruction of humanity!
"Hmm, how boring! There isn't a single interesting treasure!"
"The maid" came out of a side room looking disappointed, and Logan was engrossed in a painting of Emperor Friedrich riding into battle. The introduction outside the painting described the fierce battles at the time, with the Allied forces even approaching Berlin. The valiant Emperor Friedrich not only personally led the defense but also carried poison with him, ready to commit suicide at any time, yet the Prussian army ultimately withstood the enemy's onslaught. Seeing this, Logan thought of Hitler's stubbornness and madness when the Soviet army besieged Berlin—having such a precedent, perhaps the Fuhrer's actions were not entirely irrational!
"Oh? What, didn't you see the crown of the Polish king?" Logan turned around and looked at "the maid" with an expectedly indifferent gaze. She stood there with her fashionable pink bag in her hands, pouting her lips, completely discarding her previous enthusiasm for a distant land.
"It's just an ordinary crown, with only a few pieces of broken gems! Is the Polish king so poor? And the French royal family, don't they have a decent treasure?" she complained.
"Let's just say... the real good stuff is hidden somewhere else!" Logan explained with a smile. Just as those officers who were already in the know had explained, the items displayed in museums were just ordinary things; the real treasures had long been stashed away in the private warehouses of the imperial elite and the leaders of the SS.
Logan wasn't indifferent to these acts of lining one's pockets and plundering. In the era before he crossed over, he was already being tossed around by the material desires of reality before he even graduated. The wealthy kids driving luxury cars had fatal attractions for women. So, after crossing over, he would rather risk his life on the battlefield than sink into the stench of money, and he never envied the high-ranking officials who grew richer as the war progressed. Of course, his reason also reminded him that with his current rank and grassroots background, it was not yet time to reveal a desire for wealth.
"Sigh! Boring! Let's go, shall we take a walk outside?"
"Sure!" Although he agreed verbally, Logan still wanted to take another look at the nearby painting. But then, in a moment, he saw the petite "German Barbie" dragging a military officer whose physique was several times larger than hers out. Just as they reached the door, a group of children wearing Hitler Youth uniforms filed in. Innocent as they were, they all looked surprised at the scene.
Seeing the two of them come out in less than half an hour, August, who was standing by the car smoking, smirked again.
"It's getting late!" Logan checked his watch. "Shall I have Karl drive you home?"
The "little maid" didn't buy it at all, blinking at Logan. "Didn't you say you'd treat me to dinner?"
Logan sweated a bit. Was this really the same obedient "little maid" from the dinner party that night? It seemed like they were two different people!
For the dignity of the Imperial Air Force Operations Department and for the friendly relations in the military and political circles, Logan had to grit his teeth and see it through. Perhaps due to her privileged upbringing, the granddaughter of the Minister of the Interior seemed to have no concept of money. She unceremoniously took Logan to Berlin's most upscale private restaurant and ordered the most luxurious dishes. While there was no waste of food in the end, when it came time to pay, it nearly made the young Air Force operations department head bleed: a meal had cost him almost half of his monthly salary. Considering his allowances and wartime subsidies, Logan earned nearly 2,600 Reichsmarks per month, equivalent to ten times the average monthly salary of an ordinary employee in Berlin!
On the way back home in the car, Logan couldn't help but sigh repeatedly: money wasn't everything, but in any era, not having money was absolutely unacceptable!
At the same time, this young and promising "Imperial hero" came to a very wise conclusion: with his level of income, he was probably unable to afford such a well-off young lady!
Although he had decided to keep his distance from the granddaughter of the Minister of the Interior, lying in bed at night, Logan's mind was filled with the image of those slender and immaculate legs in silk stockings. In this era of war and far from hot fashion, he seemed to have regained the feeling of watching beautiful women at the street corner as he did during the summer after graduating from high school. He couldn't help but reminisce about those strange phrases like "invincible back killer", "ugly girl with beautiful legs", and "poorly behaved woman", feeling nostalgic for that simpler era!
In this cruel world, would there still be fairy tales for Cinderella and the prince?