Chapter 17: Unexpected Guest

"Professor Grothendieck, news has come from New York that a young ethnic Chinese professor named Randolph Lin at Columbia University has proven the Fermat Conjecture.

At the same time, he has used a very novel method, one that can transform problems in number theory into complex variable functions. It is said that the complete proof contains a vast amount of similar content, bridging mathematical concepts across different fields.

New York is asking you now if you would like to attend Professor Lin's academic lecture on Fermat's Last Theorem.

If you are willing to attend, they will postpone the lecture until after you arrive in New York."

At this time, Grothendieck was teaching in Paris. English does not distinguish between 'you' (informal) and 'you' (formal), but French does.

Initially, Columbia University only intended to invite mathematicians from American universities for a discussion, but later, the content regarding both the Fermat Conjecture and the Langlands Program proved too shocking.

Mathematicians who learned the news spread it by word of mouth, and through transoceanic phone calls and faxes, the news quickly reached Europe.

Columbia University thought, since it had already leaked out, they might as well invite Grothendieck, the greatest mathematician of that time (perhaps without equal), to attend Randolph's academic lecture.

After Lin Ran sent his 150-page paper on the Fermat Conjecture to Princeton University, the Princeton mathematics department held meetings for three days and three nights. The conclusion reached by everyone was that, in principle, there were no major problems, though there were some points of doubt that required further explanation from Lin Ran.

Because if a mathematical paper is not written clearly enough, the parts labeled "easily proven" or "easily obtained" do not appear easy at all to others; these require detailed explanation through the form of an academic lecture.

With the endorsement of the Princeton mathematics department, Professor Fox also had sufficient confidence to invite Grothendieck, knowing there would at least be no major blunders.

With a gathering of sages and scholars, Fox clearly did not want to pass up this opportunity to show his face before the global mathematics community.

"Randolph Lin? Why have I never heard this name before?" Grothendieck asked his assistant.

The assistant said, "I don't know the specifics either. This is the latest New York Times, with a report on Lin, and this is the proof regarding the Fermat Conjecture faxed over by Columbia University."

The assistant handed the two documents to Grothendieck. He first picked up the New York Times, where the front-page headline read:

"333-Year-Old Mathematical Mystery Finally Solved: Columbia University Professor Announces End of Fermat Conjecture

It is reported that ethnic Chinese professor Randolph Lin of the Columbia University mathematics department has allegedly proven the Fermat Conjecture, which has spanned 333 years. The Fermat Conjecture was proposed by French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in 1637 as his last theorem; its content is: there exist no three positive integers such that, when the power is greater than 2, the sum of the Nth powers of two numbers equals the Nth power of a third number..."

After Grothendieck scanned it roughly, he picked up the paper on the Fermat Conjecture.

For a moment, the office fell silent. When he saw the construction of the relationship between elliptic curves and modular forms in the paper, he suddenly said: "Hait, book me a ticket, the fastest flight to New York."

Similar conversations were taking place among a large number of European mathematicians.

After everyone read the part of the paper regarding the Langlands Program, they all realized that the mathematics community was about to be shaken.

Regardless of whether the proof of the Fermat Conjecture was correct, the bridge it contained connecting number theory, arithmetic geometry, and complex variable functions could not be false; the mathematical ideas contained within could not be false; the theory of automorphic representations proposed by the other party could be applied to too many areas.

Anyone who could understand this paper could not resist booking a flight to New York.

The one who reacted the most was André Wei Yi, who was already in New York. If Lin Ran hadn't been staying at Horkheimer's house, André Wei Yi would have even wanted to have an all-night conversation with Lin Ran.

Because the mathematical ideas and methods reflected in Lin Ran's paper were almost the best applications he had envisioned.

"Sure enough, I wasn't wrong; there is a close relationship between number theory, algebraic geometry, and group representation theory! Randolph, you are truly a genius! Perhaps you will become an even greater mathematician than I am!"

However, regarding Lin Ran following Horkheimer to study for a doctorate in philosophy, André Wei Yi expressed dissatisfaction: "Randolph, you shouldn't be studying philosophy with him; this is a waste of your talent.

You are still young; you need to devote more energy to mathematics instead of throwing yourself into philosophy so early.

Besides, this guy Horkheimer is a coward; following him won't lead to a good end!"

Under Lin Ran's repeated questioning, he learned that André Wei Yi's sister, Simone Wei Yi, was also a philosopher. Horkheimer had fled to America early on, far from the European battlefield, while his sister Simone Wei Yi had persisted on the front lines in Europe resisting the NAZI, eventually sacrificing herself due to overwork and poor health.

In André's view, anyone who chose to run to America was a coward.

Forgot to mention, they were all Jewish.

"How could André have the nerve to say that about me? He himself ran to America during World War II; I was the one who introduced him to teach at the University of Chicago back then. How does he have the nerve to call me a coward?" Horkheimer was full of disbelief after hearing this from Lin Ran.

And after Lin Ran relayed these words to André during the day, the other party was also full of indignation: "My situation is different from his. I only ran to America after being arrested for engaging in anti-NAZI activities in Finland.

If it weren't for the appearance of Rolf Nevanlinna, I would have been shot in a Finnish prison. Horkheimer ran without resisting at all. How can these be the same!"

After Grothendieck's time was set, the time for Lin Ran's academic lecture on the Fermat Conjecture at Columbia University was also set, on the last day of January.

Besides the mathematicians arriving in droves, a special visitor showed up, which surprised Lin Ran a little.

"Mr. Lin, my name is Zhou Shukai. I am the Consul General in New York. Besides consular work, I am also responsible for some overseas Chinese affairs. Having heard of your outstanding achievements in mathematics, I have come specifically to offer my congratulations. This is a small token of my sincerity; please accept it."

Zhou Shukai, formerly a secretary to Wellington Koo, was a veteran diplomat.

Lin Ran guessed that the other party had come specifically to win him over after seeing the report in the New York Times.

However, the other party's sensitivity was quite astonishing.

Lin Ran took the envelope from the other party's hand; just by touching it, he could guess there were 10 one-hundred-dollar bills inside. "A big spender," he thought.

If Huaguo were to make rapid progress in the aerospace field in the future, maintaining a good relationship with 4v would also be a means of avoiding risk, Lin Ran thought. ===== CHAPTER 18 =====