Chapter 528: The Second Thesis (3)
An anti-gravity technology more efficient than any existing magic or spell.
What did it mean that Lennok openly announced this achievement in front of tens of thousands of citizens?
Only those who understood that fact stiffened their faces, anticipating the commotion and fallout to come.
The air superiority of the mega-city, which the Vulcan City Government had spent so long and invested so much to acquire.
With that one announcement, Lennok had effectively rendered decades of effort by government agencies, the Air Force, and the Technology Management Bureau null and void.
Whoosh…!!
As the engine reached its output limit, the updraft supporting the entire area faded.
The laws of physics returned to the region that had seemed to defy gravity.
“Please slowly grasp objects around you and descend so you don’t get hurt.”
Lennok said, watching people, looking dazed, grasp various parts of the seating area and descend to the ground.
“Even when the engine output ends, the descent speed won’t be that fast. The influence will remain until the power completely disappears.”
Many people lost their balance and stumbled just by gliding in the air for a moment.
Those who doubted Lennok’s thesis, those who understood its meaning but hadn’t grasped its reality, and those who knew about the impending fallout.
An overwhelming miracle they couldn’t help but truly feel the moment their feet lifted from the ground.
As he slowly walked up onto the stage, a familiar voice came from beside him.
“Evan, you…”
Mila and Felix from the Antares Mercenary Office.
The two, rubbing their legs with dazed expressions, couldn’t take their eyes off Lennok.
They too had vaguely understood the significance of what Lennok had achieved within the range of the Floating Resonance.
Lennok gave a slight nod towards the two of them and immediately stepped onto the stage.
“……”
Profound silence.
The audience, who had been chattering incessantly among themselves, no longer spoke a word.
They simply waited for Lennok to open his mouth, quietly replaying the sensation of floating they had just felt.
The sight of the auditorium instantly silenced by a single demonstration.
That scene was faithfully broadcast to the City Hall Plaza, and the atmosphere in the plaza also quieted down.
Lennok, holding the microphone, hesitated, pressing and unpressing his lips several times.
What should he say? Could he add a better answer after this?
After a moment of thought, Lennok let out a small laugh, and just as he slowly brought the microphone to his mouth—
Shhrrrrk!!!
Lennok’s figure vanished before the eyes of the people.
Thick curtains drew around the stage, simultaneously blocking all sound and sensation.
Everyone who had been gazing at the stage as if entranced suddenly snapped to attention, as if waking from a dream.
“Wha—what was that?!”
“I was just getting into it…!!”
“I came to the expo to see something like this, what are the civil servants doing?!”
“We haven’t heard the full explanation yet! Open the curtains, quick!!”
“Tell us more about that technology, what does Skyway mean…!!”
Even as the angry audience around them hurled complaints mixed with curses, the curtains did not open again.
[Assistant Professor Evan Vylun’s review time has concluded. We ask for your cooperation, citizens, to maintain the fairness of the expo review.]
With the mechanical announcement echoing, other civil servants came up to straighten the chaotic seating area and calm the people.
Citizens left in anger, while officials stood up as if they had no further business.
Magicians from the Magic Tower and researchers from research institutions rose with grim faces and swiftly exited the seating area.
What appeared when the curtains opened again in front of the chaotic seating area was the next presenter, standing trembling with a pallid complexion.
Evelyn, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses, silently watched the scene before slowly rising from her seat.
She tossed her neatly emptied popcorn box into a trash can and picked up her phone.
“Deputy Director. It’s me.”
Evelyn, slightly lowering her voice as she exited City Hall, had a somewhat serious expression on her face.
“I think we need to look into technologies that have recently received separate patent approval in the military development sector of the City Government’s Defense Force.”
Matching her words, someone’s angry voice quickly came through.
“Alright. I’ll explain that later, but for now, please investigate the part I mentioned.”
Evelyn said this, subtly glancing in the direction where Lennok might still be inside City Hall.
Naturally, she was aware that senators and other expo judges were also present in the same space.
If there was only one reason why they initially tried to share the achievements of Lennok’s thesis with the public but now stopped, it was this:
The public release of this presentation was not agreed upon by all the judges.
It seemed completely too late now, but they must have been convinced that the technology was so immensely valuable that a drastic measure was needed, even belatedly.
Evelyn was no different.
“It looks like a new mode of transportation might appear in the mega-city. It would be good to buy some aviation-related stocks.”
Glancing at the blond man standing with his arms crossed at the end of the corridor, the archer gave a small laugh and disappeared.
Senator Konrad Haven, who had watched Evelyn’s departure, stood with his arms crossed, silently observing the next presentation.
A faint message came from the shadow beneath his feet.
[Senator. The promised 15 minutes have long passed.]
“……”
[Complaints about the disrupted plan have come from more than eight institutions…]
Haven did not respond to the voice.
After a long period of silent contemplation, Haven very slowly nodded.
“That request to wait… was because of this.”
[…Pardon?]
The terror plot Haven had prepared against the expo lost all meaning the moment Evan’s second thesis was presented.
He had resorted to extreme measures to prevent the monopolization of Air Force power and technology by the City Government.
However, the moment anti-gravity technology, superior to any achievement the City Government had amassed, was revealed to the public, Haven’s objective was virtually achieved.
Hundreds of people experienced it directly, and tens of thousands witnessed it with their own eyes.
Among them were not only city residents but also a considerable number of experts invited from external Magic Towers and research institutions.
No matter how strong the authority and prestige of the Central Council, it would be virtually impossible to keep this fact hidden.
From now on, the entire city and the media would undoubtedly rush to cover this achievement, and interest in the commercialization of anti-gravity technology would begin.
What Haven had risked his life to achieve, Evan could accomplish with a single presentation.
And the fervent wish that the City Government and the Air Force had invested vast sums to acquire, Evan had possessed from the very beginning.
“Talent, huh… Honestly, I didn’t believe in it.”
Just as not everything in the world becomes complicated.
Could some things sometimes be resolved so cleanly and easily, to the point of being almost absurd?
Haven let out a cold laugh, recalling the conversation with the researcher that had so poignantly brought home that irony.
“The plan is completely halted. Inform the other senators involved in this.”
[But Senator, if we stop at this point, our liability…]
“To protect the most valuable treasure at the expo, we’ll have to accept that much loss.”
Haven muttered with a hint of amusement in his voice, then unhesitatingly turned his steps.
“This won’t be the last time. If I thought it would be, I wouldn’t have started.”
Haven’s figure, leaving behind the lingering shadow without hesitation, slowly faded.
“I don’t know what he’ll show us next, but until then, we need to finalize our position. There will be much more work to do from now on…”
[Senator?]
“Let’s start by acquiring the personal contact information of the Rebatenon University Dean. Right now.”
Behind the closed curtains, on the second floor of the stage.
The auditorium, completely cut off from surrounding sounds, was filled with a deathly silence.
Lennok, called out to the waiting room outside the second-floor seating area by his attendants, drank another bottle of mineral water he had brought.
“My throat is quite dry after speaking so much for the first time in a while.”
Lennok smiled casually, gazing into the interior of the second-floor seating area.
The seating area was plunged in darkness, but Lennok’s gaze seemed to pinpoint exactly where the judges were sitting, as if he knew.
“…Assistant Professor Vylun.”
After a long pause, someone’s voice, heavy with fatigue, slowly echoed.
“Do you… know what you’ve done?”
“I merely completed the presentation of my second thesis as outlined,” Lennok replied with a smile.
“I was secretly relieved that the audience seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.”
“Don’t lie!!”
Another voice, shrill like a scream. It belonged not to a senator, but to a judge who appeared to be from a research institution.
“Nowhere in this outline is there any mention of an absurd achievement like an anti-gravity engine…!!”
“Today’s demonstration was merely a test to aid understanding,” Lennok said without changing his expression.
“I merely used the updraft of the Sea of Understanding as an example. The outline explicitly stated the relevant theories according to the expo’s standards.”
“Do you truly believe you can explain this situation with such a flimsy excuse…!!”
“Enough.”
As the heavy voice of an elder resonated, all other noise vanished as if washed away.
In the deepest part of the second-floor seating area. The Senator, sitting apart from the others with closed eyes.
He slowly opened his eyes, met the gaze of a noblewoman with violet eyes, and then quietly continued.
“The presenter himself would know best what he intended to show. There seems no further reason to question it.”
“……”
“Your thesis presentation today was very impressive. I called you here to tell you that.”
The elder gazed at Lennok’s face with a profound look, then slowly nodded.
“The review results will be announced later, so you may leave for today. You’ve worked hard.”
Lennok did not reply immediately.
He simply swept his gaze around the silent second-floor seating area once, then bowed his head in a somewhat polite manner.
“It is a great honor to participate in the expo.”
Having finished his presentation and confirmed the desired reaction, there was no need to be aggressive and invite unnecessary hostility.
All that remained was for his achievements to be definitively evaluated as solid theory through academic verification.
Crash!!
“Wait!!!”
Bursting through the door of the second-floor seating area was Commander Carrasco, drenched in sweat.
Behind him, his fish-like eyes gleaming, stood a dozen or more soldiers in Air Force uniforms, waiting with cold expressions.
Click!!
Amidst the ranks of soldiers who instantly approached to surround Lennok, Carrasco glared with his pale eyes.
“It’s not too late yet.”
“……”
“I am arresting you now on suspicion of leaking military secrets. You’ll hear the details in the brig.”
“Whew…”
A quiet sigh seemed to come from one of the senators.
As if they knew what was about to happen next.
The moment the rough-moving soldiers approached to place mana-suppressing handcuffs on Lennok’s wrists—
“That will not do, Commander.”
Shatter!!
With a sound like breaking glass, the figure of an old wizard emerged.
Saiolus Garteanon appeared as if he had been waiting there all along, his hands behind his back, stepping forward as if to protect Lennok.
Whoooosh!!!
The full-power mana release of a 7-level Hierarchical mage.
Under that tremendous pressure, the other soldiers stiffened their faces and stopped, and Carrasco’s face contorted.
“Are you trying to interfere, Dean Garteanon?!”
“I believe that is rather what I should be asking,” Saiolus replied with a chuckle, stroking his beard.
“To attempt to apprehend a proud researcher of our university in such a manner is utterly preposterous.”
“What…?!”
“Your actions are merely an arbitrary decision by the Air Force Command that cannot be explained by any justification. Our university absolutely cannot accept such harsh treatment.”
Had he not made a deal with this cunning Dean to smoothly handle the post-presentation affairs of the thesis?
If until now it had been a matter Lennok had to navigate solely with his own abilities,
Now it was time to borrow the power of the Dean’s connections, diplomatic skill, and political influence.
“As the Dean of Rebatenon University and a member of the Central Council Technology Advisory Committee, Assistant Professor Vylun is under my protection.”
The Dean’s eyes, as he stood blocking, protecting Lennok, shone with resolve.
“If you wish to take him, you will have to overcome public opinion, including mine and that of the citizens of Vulcan.”
After the expo ended, only one topic was on the lips of the citizens:
Anti-gravity engines.
The excitement that the skies of Vulcan, where flight had been forbidden due to mana storms, might finally be accessible.
[Skyway.]
The short, powerful headline on the front page of the newspaper, directly quoting Lennok’s words.
The articles that followed on subsequent pages all had a similar tone.
[Rebatenon University Research Team Succeeds in Artificially Mimicking Pilenom Autonomous Region’s Updraft.]
[First Historical Instance of Artificially Recreating a Natural Phenomenon Previously Only Found in the Sea of Understanding. Will the Secret of the Mystical Realm Be Revealed?]
[Energy Experts Speculate that De Facto Anti-Gravity Technology Has Been Implemented.]
[Broadcast Accident Occurs During Groundbreaking Demonstration… City Government Denies Fault, Repeatedly States They Will Investigate Further Circumstances.]
“Hmm…”
Lennok murmured silently, rustling through the stacks of newspapers piled beside his chair.
From the front page to the social and economic sections on page 10, the newspapers had been reporting on the events at the expo for days.
The same content, expert evaluations, and predictions.
Having nothing more to see, Lennok eventually turned on the TV in the massive research lab and focused on the news.
[Requests for interviews with Assistant Professor Vylun are pouring in, but the university administration is reportedly rejecting all demands.]
[There is immense interest in how anti-gravity technology will be commercialized.]
[There are even predictions that aviation-related laws, once impossible due to the mega-city’s environment, will be completely revised…]
[Citizens’ excitement is growing even stronger at the prospect of soon witnessing flying vehicles freely soaring through the city’s skies—]
Click!
As Lennok listened to the news from all directions, a wrinkled hand appeared beside him, picked up the remote, and turned off the TV screen.
The white-haired elder, Dean Saiolus Garteanon of Rebatenon University, sighed faintly as he looked at Lennok.
“Researcher Vylun. Could you please concentrate while the video conference is ongoing?”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Lennok didn’t bat an eyelid as he turned his gaze towards the hologram floating in one corner of the lab.
“It seems you have no desire to discuss my thesis.”
[…I thought we were already discussing topics related to it sufficiently.]
A middle-aged man with a rather shrewd expression, dressed in a suit, twitched his lips as he looked over from the hologram.
Below the screen, where his veined hands drummed rhythmically on a desk, a nameplate read [Haider Barcel, Director of Technology Management Bureau].
Haider then took a slight breath, as if to calm his anger, and resumed speaking.
[You surely know how serious your actions at this expo were.]
“……”
[Dean Garteanon, the same goes for you. Knowing the value of the thesis, did you allow it to be publicly presented at the expo?]
“I merely recommended a subordinate researcher’s achievement for the most prominent position,” Saiolus said, leaning slowly back into his armchair with a wry smile on his wrinkled face.
[If you had read Evan Vylun’s thesis, you would have known how valuable a theory it is, capable of being applied in various fields…!!]
Haider, openly displaying his displeasure, shouted in a low voice.
[To reveal technology of this value to the public without prior agreement on information disclosure is practically an act of rebellion against the government!!!]
“Director Barcel.”
Saiolus’s eyes became chillingly cold.
“Your words are excessively harsh.”
[….]
“Are you implying that we conspired to rebel against the City Government? Can you take responsibility for spouting such slander in this very place?”
[Cough, cough…]
“The thesis abstract was submitted beforehand, and the decision to make it public was made by the judges. There is no room for doubt regarding that procedure, I believe.”
[Ugh…!!!]
At the Dean’s calm, almost expectant response, Haider began to glare intensely.
Lennok, meeting the Dean’s gaze, merely shrugged with an air of boredom.
The speaker wasn’t angry that Lennok had published his thesis through the expo.
It was the fact that such important technology was announced without going through the Technology Management Bureau.
More precisely, he was furious that there was absolutely no room for him to get a piece of the pie in this situation.
The demand for this meeting under the Bureau’s authority was also undoubtedly to pressure Lennok, insert his own opinions, and assert his achievements.
Lennok knew this, which was why he had called Dean Saiolus the moment he received the Director’s contact, entrusting the meeting to him.
Wasn’t it precisely to avoid wasting energy on such pointless power struggles that he had borrowed the Dean’s name and position?
[…It’s not too late.]
After a long pause, the main point that emerged from Haider’s lips was not far from Lennok’s prediction.
With a furrowed brow, as if it were a conclusion reached after deep consideration, he revealed his true intentions.
[If you proceed with the official cooperation procedures with the Technology Management Bureau right now, we will handle the troublesome media and parliamentary matters ourselves.]
“……”
[Isn’t that precisely why you have rejected all media interview requests until now?]
The Dean massaged his temples and tilted his head, watching Haider’s aggrieved protest through the hologram.
“Director Barcel. You are completely mistaken.”
[Mistaken about what?]
“The reason we have rejected cooperation requests from the media and experts until now is not because we were waiting for support from the Technology Management Bureau.”
[No, without the Bureau’s cooperation in such a matter, how do you intend to handle the relevant procedures…!!]
Their perspectives and thoughts were completely different, so communication was impossible.
[The Technology Management Bureau is responsible for managing and overseeing research institutions under the city government. Even if Rebatenon University falls under a different jurisdiction, is it not undoubtedly the most suitable place to handle this matter?!]
“It’s because we are waiting for a decision from an authority higher than the Technology Management Bureau,” Lennok said.
[What…?]
As Haider blinked, failing to comprehend, Lennok glanced at his watch and slowly nodded.
“The time has come. It’s about time for their reply.”
[What kind of nonsense is that, right now—!!!]
Haider’s words were cut short.
Two people appeared from behind the chair he was sitting in, roughly seizing his arms and pulling him to his feet.
Thump!
Haider’s face, forcibly made to stand, was contorted in an expression of extreme bewilderment.
[W-wait!! What is this?! Who are you!!!]
[Haider Barcel, Second-Class Director of the Technology Management Bureau.]
A leisurely elder’s voice came from behind Haider.
The tone sounded decades older than even Saiolus, who sat beside Lennok, yawning.
Yet, despite the age, the tone and pronunciation were not blurred or unclear in the slightest.
[You are to be investigated for forced distribution of achievements to research labs under the Bureau and arbitrary project acquisition. Please take note.]
With that, a familiar face appeared, placing a hand on Haider’s shoulder.
Haider’s eyes widened, apparently recognizing the person.
[C-Congressman John Meyer…!!! What brings the Audit Office’s hound here!!!]
[I prefer to handle things all at once. There’s no need to visit multiple people, is there?]
Meyer’s low, heavy gaze clearly fixed on Lennok through the screen.
[The Central Council’s Senate just concluded its vote on the matter. I will now deliver the Council’s resolution regarding Assistant Professor Evan Vylun’s disposition.]