Chapter 527: The Second Thesis (2)

“Creating a new path in the sky…”

Someone echoed Lennok’s words, muttering, and then asked,

“Do you fully comprehend how difficult and profound that aspiration is?”

“…”

“How much manpower and capital were invested to establish air routes encompassing the entire mega-city, and how precious and valuable the results achieved at the end of that effort are.”

Even as he spoke, his voice grew increasingly stern.

“I don’t want to hear such words from someone who doesn’t understand that fact. And to question the fairness of the expo in a place like this?”

The second-floor audience seating where the judges were located.

General Carrasco, the Air Force Commander, seated at the very front, spoke with glittering, fish-like eyes.

“If you cannot produce results befitting that confidence, you will have to bear considerable disadvantages.”

As the Air Force Commander and the very person who had received countless investments from the city government, Lennok’s words would naturally be grating to him.

Lennok somewhat understood his sharp reaction.

Likewise, a few judges who appeared to be from research institutes watched Lennok sharply, sending wary glances.

Conversely, a few elderly individuals who seemed to be senators merely gazed down at Lennok with languid eyes.

They might think they were unilaterally observing Lennok from beyond the curtain, but in truth, they were the ones immersed in the information gap at this moment.

Lennok, certain of that fact, slowly turned his back.

“I understand.”

He reached a hand towards the Magical Fusion Engine placed on the stand he had brought with him and asked,

“Then, may I begin the demonstration?”

Saying that, Lennok took out the abstract for his second thesis from his pocket and placed it on the podium.

“…Of course. But there’s one thing we must do first.”

Simultaneously with Carrasco’s reply, the closed curtains of the first-floor audience seating began to open wide.

From the second-floor audience seating above the podium, where light slowly began to enter, Carrasco’s voice, tinged with amusement, resonated.

“We have a duty to inform the citizens of Vulcan what transpired at this expo.”

“…”

“The renowned genius researcher from Rebatenon University. A genius like that should be able to proudly showcase his achievements before a multitude of people, no?”

The concealed curtains opened, and dozens of murmuring voices began to emanate from beyond them.

A faint warmth created by the overlapping body heat of people coming and going.

Seated in the previously concealed first-floor audience area were hundreds of people.

“This is…”

Separate from the exhibition held in the City Hall Plaza, the demonstrations taking place inside the building are also nominally open to the public.

However, sensitive classified information, such as military security, is selectively determined for public release by the judges.

While not much content is disclosed, some participants of the expo also gather at City Hall.

Citizens who came out of boredom, officials observing the place with sharp eyes, researchers who participated in the expo but weren’t qualified for demonstrations.

Furthermore, dozens of cameras with gleaming lenses behind the first-floor seating were capturing the scene on the podium and broadcasting it live to the City Hall Plaza.

Lennok stared at the cameras gleaming towards him, then, realizing Carrasco’s intent, quietly smiled.

“…What a petty move.”

What did it mean to decide to broadcast Lennok’s presentation before the judging was even over?

Perhaps Lennok’s words had irritated Carrasco, as he immediately broadcast Lennok’s presentation externally.

An arbitrary decision made without seeking the consent of other judges. The fact that no one protested this decision was proof of Carrasco’s significant responsibility and influence.

It was clear that Carrasco’s influence was considerable in predetermining the winner of this expo.

If he were to make a mistake here, or if the paper’s achievements proved underwhelming, Lennok’s reputation as a researcher would plummet to rock bottom.

Even finishing the presentation properly would only break even. If he made a mistake, it could be a significant loss for Lennok.

Carrasco had intentionally put Lennok under such pressure, abruptly broadcasting Lennok’s presentation to others from the very beginning.

“Starting again? Took longer than I thought.”

“They said they’d judge first, then decide whether to make it public. There must have been presentations we missed.”

“If they’re demonstrating directly at City Hall, they must be amazing researchers, I’m excited…!!”

Citizens chatting throughout the audience, and experts quietly whispering while intently watching Lennok.

Lennok listened to their voices for a moment, observing the people.

Not the entire audience was visible, but by combining it with his intentionally restricted mana detection, he could get a rough idea.

Mila and Felix from the Antares Mercenary Group, whom Lennok had greeted earlier. Wizards from magic towers who followed presenters, government officials,

As he scanned the crowd, he spotted someone among them and stopped his gaze.

“…”

Even in the dark audience, she wore thick sunglasses and a beret, but her familiar black bob could not be hidden.

Beyond the dark sunglasses, he felt as if he could see the green eyes he remembered.

Munching popcorn, she looked up with an expression of intense interest, then, upon meeting his gaze, hurriedly averted her eyes.

The archer who had been unleashing monstrous bombardments in Bailuts just a few days ago had come to the expo to watch a presentation.

‘…Evelyn knows I’m Evan.’

Adamant Thunder Van and Evan of the Eyes of Blue. Lennok had personally explained to Evelyn that the two were the same person and sought her cooperation.

Hadn’t Evelyn believed that fact and joined the Eyes of Blue with Lennok?

However, regardless of Lennok feeling indebted for that fact, he hadn’t expected her to come see him directly at this time.

Evelyn had never intentionally sought out Lennok in his public identity before.

If there had been a change of heart, it must have been due to the series of events that occurred in Bailuts.

Could she possibly have noticed something strange about Lennok’s identity during that process?

He had thought he left no trace when he faced her as Victor, but Evelyn, having worked with Lennok for so long, might have sensed something due to a feeling of déjà vu.

But Lennok’s thoughts quickly raced to that point, then immediately rejected the possibility.

If he had truly shown enough sign to make her act on suspicion, she would have contacted him immediately, disregarding the expo or anything else.

Given Evelyn’s straightforward personality, she wouldn’t have hesitated to ask questions about matters involving Pandemonium.

Lennok’s conjecture was solidified by Evelyn’s appearance, as she diligently crunched popcorn while glancing around cautiously.

‘…Perhaps she just wanted to see the expo.’

There wasn’t much time to ponder.

Because hundreds of eyes began to focus simultaneously on Lennok, who had just stepped onto the podium, and the Magical Fusion Engine placed beside him.

“That man must be Assistant Professor Vylun. They say he works at Rebatenon University’s research lab, right?”

“My uncle works at a research institute, and he says that guy is super famous.”

“I know Professor Aris Richellen, but is that person also that famous?”

“They say his thesis has made a huge contribution to energy-related research. To the point of overturning existing theories.”

Naturally, citizens who are not experts don’t have a high understanding of theses, nor of magic formulas or spells.

They only recognize that such technologies and magical engineering research improve their daily lives.

Their presence at the expo today was merely an opportunity to witness fascinating technologies, taking advantage of the city government’s designation of an expo commemorative holiday.

If he were to present a complex, entropy-related theme in a setting like this, the already meager interest would likely wane quickly.

However, Lennok silently took a sip from the bottled water placed next to the podium, then immediately grabbed the microphone and stepped forward.

“Good to meet you all. I am Evan Vylun, a researcher working under Professor Richellen at Rebatenon University.”

A light applause.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to present my thesis at this expo. Let’s get straight to the point.”

Saying that, Lennok pulled the Magical Fusion Engine next to him and walked to the front of the podium.

The engine, still running, faintly vibrated and emitted a slight smoke.

“That’s something other researchers brought out a few times.”

“Doesn’t look special…”

Ignoring the chatter of other audience members, Lennok continued.

“What I will present is the manipulation of mana array entropy. It is a theoretical concept of artificially interfering with particle arrays that represent disorder to control their diffusion rate.”

“…”

“Rather than resisting the diffusing flow itself, it’s about artificially controlling the diffusion rate through the arrangement of mana arrays. Through this, temporarily causing interference in the physical laws applied to a given object is the core theory of my thesis.”

Silence fell.

Because no one in the room immediately grasped the abstract of the thesis that Lennok had explained in just three sentences.

No, it wasn’t that no one understood.

Because in the audience, there were people whose expressions slowly changed as they belatedly understood the meaning of his words.

It didn’t matter. Lennok had no intention of ending this presentation with just a few words.

“What does that mean?”

Lennok smiled faintly at the question from someone in the front row.

“Simply put, by controlling the diffusion rate of mana arrays… it means that specific physical laws can be artificially reproduced.”

At that moment, Lennok had the illusion of hearing someone secretly gasp from the second-floor audience seating.

Evelyn, blended among the spectators, had forgotten to chew her popcorn and was staring intently at Lennok.

Lennok looked at the still bewildered audience, then finally eyed the cameras that were broadcasting this entire scene to the plaza outside.

Then, he threw the bottled water still in his hand directly onto the floor.

Splash!!

“Gasp!!”

“Water’s splashing! What are you doing?”

“Wait, won’t the engine explode if water touches it? If it’s like this…!!”

Instantly, a puddle formed in front of the podium, and water splashed onto the audience, causing a commotion.

But Lennok paid them no mind and immediately cranked the engine output to its limit.

Wiiiiiiing!!!!

The engine, rapidly reaching its output limit and glowing fiery red, began to powerfully emit flashes of mixed mana and electricity.

In that fleeting moment, as the air in the entire area, including the audience seating, seemed to tremble from the shock, people clamped their mouths shut and slightly recoiled.

Lennok abruptly shoved the stand on which the engine was placed.

What would happen if an overheated engine was suddenly thrown into water was obvious.

“Aaaah!!”

Immediately after the audience screamed, squeezed their eyes shut, and sharply lowered their heads.

Whoosh!!

Along with an unidentifiable engine sound, the auditorium fell into a profound silence.

“Wh-what…?”

“It didn’t explode?”

“…Do you see that?”

The fiercely glowing engine did not plunge into the puddle and erupt in a massive splash.

Only the sight of the engine quietly floating above the puddle, accompanied by a subtle, glass-like radiance, met everyone’s eyes.

The Magical Fusion Engine gracefully rotating in the air above the puddle, receiving the undivided attention of hundreds of eyes.

Lennok stood before the audience, took a mop from beneath the auditorium, and pushed the puddle aside.

Whoosh…

As the puddle was pushed away, the engine began to glide along with it.

“It’s flying…”

“It’s floating on water?”

“Can an engine really float in the air like that by itself?”

“Didn’t he use magic or a spell?”

“…No.”

Evelyn, who had been staring blankly at the scene, unwittingly murmured in response to the audience’s words.

“That’s not magic or any kind of spell.”

Lennok didn’t use any separate magic or spells to levitate that engine.

Simply by cranking the output to its limit and activating it, he succeeded in creating an artificial mana updraft over the water, causing the engine to levitate.

And Evelyn knew very well what kind of region produced such a uniquely distinct mana updraft.

The Pilenom Autonomous Region, where the Eyes of Blue headquarters are located.

The cluster of floating islands located in the Sea of Understanding.

The phenomenon of land and objects levitating due to extremely light and efficient mana updrafts that only occur there.

Lennok had succeeded in artificially replicating the updrafts that only occurred in that Sea of Understanding, presenting it here.

“By artificially controlling the engine’s output pattern, it’s possible to achieve this effect. The power loss during this process is practically negligible.”

Lennok, holding the microphone again, said this while using his other hand to push the mop, moving the puddle.

A wondrous sight: the engine continued to float along with the puddle as it moved.

Watching the audience’s gazes shift with his gestures, Lennok opened another bottle of water on the podium and poured it onto the floor.

As the amount of water increased, the engine, floating in the air, rose even higher, reaching the eye level of the second-floor seating.

“Since this is a replication of the updraft phenomenon from the floating island clusters, naturally, the greater the amount of water, the higher the levitation capability.”

Despite rising relatively quickly, the engine’s movement was remarkably stable.

A flight so quiet and stable it was hard to believe it was levitating on an artificially generated updraft.

What this meant, and how valuable a theoretical construct it was, the old guard of the Central Council couldn’t possibly fail to grasp.

Leaving the judges gaping in silence, unable to tear their eyes from the engine’s movement, Lennok firmly grasped the engine suspended in the air.

“This isn’t all. By amplifying the engine’s output beyond its limit and temporarily releasing its output cap, like this…”

Whoooosh!!!!!

At that moment, the puddle that had pooled underneath the engine swirled, scattering glass-like radiance, and surged up into the engine.

Simultaneously with the water at his feet seemingly being sucked inversely into the engine, the engine’s vibration sound momentarily quieted.

Whoosh…!!

The bodies of the audience members, who had been staring blankly up at Lennok, began to rise one by one from their seats.

“Huh?”

“W-wait!!”

“What in the world…!!!”

From the front rows of the first-floor seating, people’s bodies began to rise and float as if in a wave.

An updraft resembling a glass-like radiance supported the entire area, pushing people’s bodies upwards above their chairs.

Silver-white waves, erupting from the engine’s center, subtly spread throughout the audience seating, granting them the same levitation ability as the engine.

A mystical scene, as if completely liberated from the effects of gravity, was being broadcast entirely to the plaza through dozens of cameras.

Hundreds of people flailing and rising into the air.

Lennok, seeing the people floating in the audience, unable to tear their eyes from him, faintly smiled.

“I call this phenomenon ‘Floating Resonance’.”

“General Carrasco.”

At that moment, one of the senators from the second-floor seating, who had remained silent until now, spoke for the first time.

An elderly noblewoman who had been silently observing the judging with indifferent eyes.

As she called Carrasco’s name for the first time, the judges’ gazes collectively focused on her.

The noblewoman spoke without even looking back at Carrasco.

“Stop the external broadcast of Assistant Professor Vylun’s presentation immediately.”

“…Huh?”

“Commander, do you still not understand? That’s not just some trick mimicking a flight spell.”

The noblewoman slowly turned her head.

Her aged eyes glowed with an incredibly vivid purple light.

“We might be directly witnessing the demonstration of perhaps the most perfect anti-gravity technology in history. Did you truly not understand what this means?”

“!!!!”

Air Force-related technology that the city government had tried so hard to monopolize.

Something far surpassing the fruits of investment and research aimed at securing Vulcan’s air superiority was being exposed to tens of thousands of citizens in real-time.

Only then did Carrasco’s expression, which had merely been blankly watching Lennok’s presentation, twist horribly, as if he had swallowed poison.

With lightning speed, he pulled out his phone from his pocket, made a call, and yelled.

“Stop the broadcast immediately! This is an order!!”

[The broadcast system isn’t stopping! Unless the camera control program itself has been entirely hacked…!!]

“Damn it!!!”

Something was going terribly wrong.

From the moment Lennok’s presentation began to be broadcast, from the moment Carrasco’s mood soured upon hearing his proposal.

Perhaps even from the point when he made the deal to predetermine the topic and winner of this expo.

“No, no… This isn’t right…!!!”

Carrasco, instinctively realizing the truth, couldn’t bear it and sprang from his seat, rushing out of the second-floor seating.

Even as he did so, tens of thousands of citizens gathered in the City Hall Plaza were blankly watching Lennok’s presentation being broadcast on the giant screen.

[Stable levitation capability, unconstrained by environment.]

Through the cameras and microphone, Lennok’s calm voice echoed clearly throughout the entire plaza.

[Mana consumption efficiency that surpasses the fuel economy of flight spells.]

After a brief moment of rising with stunned expressions, the faces of hundreds of people enjoying this situation, free from gravity’s influence, were clearly captured by the cameras.

Clunk, clunk, clunk!!

Not just people, but even seats, ladders, bags, and all sorts of props and objects in the first-floor audience area began to rise and vigorously float in the air.

[A new means of transportation, forbidden in Vulcan’s skies.]

Whoooooosh…!!

Countless objects and people filled the vast City Hall lobby, rising and gently floating as if in a chorus.

While everything rose and floated as if defying gravity, only one person remained on the ground.

The first demonstration of anti-gravity technology that overwhelmed and encompassed any existing technology and research achievements held by the Air Force.

Lennok, standing with both feet at the center of that grand Floating Resonance phenomenon, held the microphone and gazed intently at the camera.

As if trying to meet the eyes of tens of thousands of people watching the screen simultaneously.

[With this second thesis, I intend to present a new route to all people living in Vulcan.]

In the now silent plaza, only Lennok’s voice quietly resonated.

[A route called Skyway.]