Chapter 1274: The Fourth Thesis (7)
[Icabone.]
“Yes, Chairman.”
District 10 of the mega-city, Vulcan.
Balitz Corp. Headquarters, a colossal office spanning hundreds of pyeong on the uppermost floor.
A man stood in the spacious room, where dark storm clouds reflected in the glass walls.
A middle-aged man with a sharp, fierce impression, silently watching the broadcast with a glass in one hand.
His complexion appeared somewhat fatigued, but his eyes gleamed like a beast’s.
Icabone Hector Balitz, the Vice Chairman of Balitz Corp., regarded as Vulcan’s largest megatech company.
He was the CEO leading Balitz Corp. in place of the current Chairman, and one of only four direct blood relatives of Balitz within the company.
However, there was no one beside him, where ordinarily dozens of aides would be present.
Instead of the numerous people who followed Icabone, only an enormous glass tube floated behind him.
[Professor Vylun’s thesis presentation has just concluded.]
Woo-woo-wooong…!!!
Inside the slowly vibrating, floating glass tube, complex circuits and components tangled like blood vessels, emitting a green light.
Each time the glass tube vibrated, the hoarse voice of an old man emanated from within.
[The confusion and emotions swirling in the central district are being conveyed… The Imaginary Dimension is trembling with will-thoughts.]
“……”
Unlike other channels where the broadcast had been cut, the camera continued to show the chaotic Parliament annex even at this moment.
Beyond the cheering, surging crowd, the voice watched Evan Vylun exit the auditorium, guided by his escorts.
[What do you think?]
“Professor Vylun is not one to display unnecessary modesty about his research achievements, nor one to exaggerate or inflate them.”
Icabone replied in a cold tone to the voice’s question.
“If, as the professor states, Particle Sculpting is not a technology that can guarantee commercial viability, there must certainly be a reason for it.”
[……]
“The likely issues are severe flaws in terms of output or efficiency… Given that it uses Charged Particles as raw material, it’s highly probable that the technology consumes astronomical levels of power.”
Icabone continued his explanation without hesitation, as if he had already drawn conclusions while watching the presentation in real time.
“The fact that the fourth thesis presentation began with Adamant Thunder in attendance seems related to that issue. We’ll have to verify it, but I suspect it might be difficult to create even a microphone-sized object without the assistance of a transcendent Lightning Wizard.”
[……]
“Indeed, given that the thesis was presented, the theory itself is in a realm where it can be empirically proven, but it appears to have completely disregarded the process’s yield rate. How much that part can be optimized will be a critical issue.”
After observing the thesis presentation and demonstration, Icabone systematically distinguished between certain and uncertain information, and quickly reviewed the premises that required verification.
His answer, which through this process, inversely deduced and summarized the potential problems or limitations of the Particle Sculpting technology from its results, was concise.
“To what extent is the required power for Particle Sculpting, how much can the time required be reduced, can the process be paralleled to be deployed simultaneously, and can it be mass-produced by combining a series of these conditions? While an accurate evaluation can only be made after a meticulous review of these aspects…”
He harshly criticized it, saying it might have many flaws, that the required conditions or situations were stringent, and that it would be a high-maintenance technology not freely applicable to all fields.
Yet, Icabone’s expression, as he spoke, was unknowingly imbued with unconcealable awe.
“Even considering all the foreseeable disadvantages and limitations, it possesses a transcendent potential far beyond any theory I have ever seen. Perhaps an innovation on a level unprecedented in continental history…”
[……]
“Evan Vylun… has finally created a technology that should not exist in this world.”
Balitz, Vulcan’s largest megatech company.
A colossal corporation that had continuously expanded since its inception, and the wealthiest individuals on the continent, on an entirely different level even compared to the underworld Cartel.
But precisely because of this, Icabone could instinctively grasp just how absurd Evan Vylun’s recently announced fourth thesis truly was.
An unprecedented technology capable of pulling particles observed in the Microcosm and shaping them into meaningful matter in the Macrocosm.
What did it mean that such an impossible feat was achieved not through spellcraft or divine authority, but in the form of technology and theory?
It was because he understood that the thesis Evan Vylun presented was, in essence, an irreversible miracle akin to creation.
This was an innovation capable of entirely changing the way continental civilization had existed.
All sorts of technologies and theories that might have been researched or developed in the future would likely be swept away and vanish by this very moment.
An advanced technology that had reached a level perhaps centuries ahead of current technology and civilization.
No matter what its limitations, no matter what constraints or conditions it possessed, it did not matter.
“Our Alpha-level development team and senior researchers at headquarters have begun verification. They uploaded the thesis to Scholarium even before the presentation ended. Judging by the researchers’ reactions, the possibility of this theory being false is extremely low.”
[……]
“Currently, we have completed preparations to completely overhaul Balitz’s business sectors, centered around the Strategic Planning Office. Areas where Particle Sculpting technology’s utility is proven will require a complete reconstruction of existing infrastructure.”
Icabone shook his head, staring at the stock charts fluctuating in real time on the office wall.
“Assets from across the continent have begun moving into Vulcan. Some cities are reportedly temporarily closing their stock markets, unable to withstand the capital outflow.”
While all of Vulcan was in an uproar, it was the other cities, not Vulcan, that faced truly serious problems.
Investors, having heard the news, began pouring their cash and assets into all business sectors in Vulcan.
This was a natural consequence, as the rapidly concentrated capital flow was enough to temporarily paralyze the stock markets of other cities.
Real-time upheaval was occurring in all sectors, including economy, diplomacy, society, technology, and religion.
“If this situation continues, cities will soon begin declaring moratoriums. At that point, we can buy up bonds with the headquarters’ reserved funds…”
[Icabone.]
Icabone, who had been summarizing the real-time situation reports within Balitz headquarters, stopped speaking.
This was because the enormous glass tube floating behind Icabone was now emitting a red light and resonating with an unpleasant hum.
Woo-woo-wooong…!!!!
[I have given you this much time, yet you still fail to speak of what is truly important.]
“…Chairman.”
[Analysis and investigation of technology can be delayed as much as needed. The acquisition of concepts or theories can always be caught up to, even if one starts as a latecomer, can it not?]
His voice vibrated with indistinct noise.
[But people are different. Talent and fate are aspects that even our abilities cannot foresee. I have always told you to pay attention to that, haven’t I?]
“……”
[I have been asking about the professor who created that theory, not about the Particle Sculpting technology.]
The glass tube, shining a sharp light towards Icabone, asked.
[What do you think of Professor Evan Vylun? Tell me yourself.]
“…I met him once, just before he published his third thesis. He came to us, tracking traces of the Papal See, while developing a module for a learning device.”
Icabone replied quietly.
“Despite possessing incredibly superior intellect and creativity, he also held a remarkably high degree of humanity. Indeed, precisely because of that, he is no ordinary human.”
[……]
“Researchers who reach such a level usually break down quickly. They become obsessed with the pinnacle of technology, losing their very standards, and dabble in forbidden magic, confusing even the boundaries of technology and faith…”
Icabone said, glancing away.
“As far as I know, only three individuals, including the designer of the Ascension Gate, actually achieved meaningful results through that process. That is…”
What a pioneer, transcending their era, faced was not honor and glory, but an endless procession of madness and forbidden magic.
Because the world’s end was promised to sink beyond the Outer Sea. Because all causality was subservient to the Outer Gods.
It was only natural that technology and civilization that transcended or surpassed existing ideas always led towards the Outer Sea’s demise.
How many had confronted that truth, broken down or gone mad, or completely succumbed and pledged themselves to cults?
Yet, Evan Vylun, even possessing technology that such pioneers had only dreamed of, had not gone mad.
This implied that the concept Evan Vylun presented was a theory and technology not subservient to the gods of that sea.
[Yes, that is exactly what I wanted to hear.]
The hologram projecting the voice momentarily turned red, like a warning light.
As if fiercely representing the emotions and desires contained within its will.
[The author’s intellect might perhaps be on a par with the gods of the sea. Even if not at this moment, it undoubtedly harbors potential equivalent to that.]
“……”
[And that wizard has known the truth you have only now realized for years already.]
Even at this moment, the ceaselessly distorting and spreading noise on the TV screen.
A disturbing sense of incongruity, refusing to fully reveal his form despite being captured by the camera.
It could be known not by the image on the screen, but by the movements and gazes of the surrounding people observing that noise.
That the wizard still remaining in that grand auditorium was single-handedly suppressing the chaos that should have erupted around the Central Council.
That he had personally attended the Victory Ceremony to act as such a suppressive force.
That he had even succeeded in alleviating and neutralizing the excessive attention poured upon him at the Victory Ceremony.
Even if the Victory Ceremony were forcefully concluded here, no one would direct arrows of blame towards Adamant Thunder.
Even the fact that the entire situation was a meticulously planned and designed scheme between Adamant Thunder and Vylun.
Perhaps it was a prearranged deal from the day Adamant Thunder visited Rebatenon Magic University and formed an alliance.
[We must have him.]
The voice, mixed with indistinct mechanical hums, spoke with the strongest emphasis.
[He is the person we need more than anyone.]
“…Father.”
[Even if it means giving up the Particle Sculpting technology, or even this entire city, it is fine.]
The voice looking down at Icabone was now distorted with endless yearning.
[By any means necessary… bring Professor Vylun to me.]
The surroundings of the grand auditorium were congested with people rushing about frantically.
Evan Vylun was led by his escorts through a secluded back alley near the rear entrance.
Meyer hastily followed Vylun, who walked far ahead, leaning on his staff.
“Professor Vylun…!!”
Vylun stopped and glanced at Meyer.
Meyer, hastily gesturing to dismiss the other escorts, led him to a shaded balcony behind the annex.
“Haa, haa…!!!”
“……”
The old man breathing heavily, and the young man gazing expressionlessly at Meyer.
Meyer struggled to compose his breathing before Vylun, yet for a long time, he couldn’t speak.
Even at the late stage of his life, he didn’t know what to say first regarding the recent presentation.
“If you go down this way, there’s an evacuation route that leads out of the central district.”
Meyer, belatedly regaining his composure, said with a stern expression.
“We can discuss everything again once the commotion has settled. Today…”
“Given what you’re saying, it seems the reaction to my thesis wasn’t bad.”
Vylun smiled.
“From your perspective, was my presentation acceptable, Councilman?”
“…Acceptable?”
Meyer silently lifted his gaze.
Before he could even process the feelings that had accumulated in his chest from the presentation, he had to answer the question Vylun had posed.
The old man, his wrinkled face creased as if enduring something difficult, finally muttered a frank impression in a low voice.
“Not at all, not at all acceptable… I was simply afraid.”
“……”
“Professor. What you presented was something far, far ahead of its time. Something that might not even exist centuries from now…”
Meyer said, his fingertips trembling.
“I, in my entire life, never even imagined such technology could exist. It was so… foolish.”
“…Is that so?”
“The entire world will lust for your intellect.”
Meyer said in a heavy tone.
“They will show interest in, or perhaps… try to seize all of your talent, research achievements, technology, and vision.”
“……”
“I don’t know what kind of reactions there will be after today’s presentation. You… didn’t you know from the beginning?”
What potential Evan Vylun’s Particle Sculpting technology held, what versatility it possessed.
How it created matter by drawing the rules of the Microcosm into the Macrocosm.
To what extent the theory, potentially manipulating quanta itself, expanded the Horizon of Thought.
Rather than searching for areas where Particle Sculpting could be applied, it would be quicker to find areas where it could not be applied.
Meyer, too, had clearly understood this fact the moment he heard the presentation, just like everyone else.
And even how the gamble he had taken, staking his political standing for Adamant Thunder, had paid off.
Vylun did not answer.
Instead, he quietly rested a hand on the balcony railing, gazing down at the bustling central district spread out in the distance.
“Councilman Meyer.”
He asked.
“Do you still wish to become mayor?”
“…Why do you ask that?”
“Arjis Ormeon, the current Mayor of Vulcan, is a dangerous man.”
Vylun said quietly.
“He knew everything that happened in this city, despite being in seclusion for decades until The Prohibition was lifted. He always participated in the project’s failures, yet he ruthlessly seeks to exploit only the results.”
“……”
“Even after my presentation began, he kept watching Adamant Thunder for a long time, as if wanting to confirm something. As if the purpose of the Victory Ceremony was elsewhere from the beginning…”
“That’s…”
“Outwardly, he claims to desire Vulcan’s continued existence, but there must be a different reason for him to concentrate an excessive amount of authority in the Magic Tower, one different from yours.”
Lennok said calmly.
“Councilman Meyer’s goal is similar to Mayor Ormeon’s, yet critically different. In either case, if you desire the mayoral position, you will have to stake your life.”
“I was prepared for that… from the day I first put my name forward for the city council.”
Meyer said heavily.
His expression, which had been confused by the presentation, had now calmly settled.
“It has always been so, ever since I learned that the project’s failure was related to my son’s death.”
John Meyer’s reason for entering politics late in life was to investigate his son’s death, which was entangled with the project.
It was to rise to the top of Vulcan himself and uncover the secrets of the project.
A clear motive that only a very few knew, and which Meyer had cherished for decades.
“But the project has ended, yet I still haven’t found anything about my son’s death. It’s ridiculous.”
“……”
“I felt as if I was left alone in the flow of time. Everything seems to have returned to its place, but only I remain here.”
Meyer lifted his gaze.
“Still… I won’t be disappointed yet. Thanks to Van, I learned about the project’s [Scenario] held by the Elder Council… and the existence of a mayor who oversees all those plans.”
“……”
“Surely, by digging into it, I will find the answer. Even if it’s not the answer I wanted.”
From starting as a mere local notable, rising to city councilman, and meeting a certain wizard to reach this point.
Each time he met him, unchanging with the passage of time, Meyer too could not forget that day’s promise.
If, after thousands of sleepless nights, he knew the answer to all this delusion lay at the very end.
Then Meyer, like Van, would have to go to the very end.
Vylun asked no further questions of Meyer’s reply.
Instead, he quietly turned and looked down at Meyer.
“I will entrust all city council duties related to Particle Sculpting technology to Councilman Meyer.”
“…Professor?”
“Policies related to the fourth thesis will gradually begin to be applied across all city-wide businesses and technologies in the future.”
Vylun said calmly.
“If Councilman Meyer presides over these duties, your authority and standing within the council will naturally reach an irreplaceable level.”
“……”
“If my theory is more valuable than the Elder Council’s [Scenario], you will certainly gain greater authority than Mayor Ormeon.”
Meyer could not say a word, even after hearing that quiet message.
It was only then that Meyer vaguely understood why Vylun was telling him this immediately after the presentation.
If the [Scenario] left behind by the project’s failure was one of the foundations on which Ormeon wielded immense power.
Then Vylun was saying that he would simply create a foundation of equal value for Meyer.
“If Councilman Meyer wishes to become mayor, I will help you. Today’s presentation was also a means to confirm that.”
“Professor. You…”
Meyer, unable to speak for a long time, stammered and asked.
“Surely, you’ve had all of this planned from the beginning…”
“I’m glad I could settle things before finally leaving.”
Woo-woo-wooong…!!
Lennok said quietly, looking down at Jenny’s message on his phone.
“From now on, I too… will not have the luxury to concern myself with other matters.”
The unexpected conclusion to the spectacular Victory Ceremony, attended by tens of thousands of citizens.
The final schedule of the long Post-War Processing drew to a close with the announcement of the fourth thesis.
It was time to lay down what had passed and set the next destination.
It was time to begin preparations to head to the Demonic Realm.