NOVEL NEXT Chapter 131
The Teacher was cheerfully leading the discussion about the knowledge used to create the Creation Space, but to be honest, I couldn’t understand a word of it.
Magical power… topology? What kind of mechanics? The basic concept involves forcibly moving and arranging things through methods that sound utterly daunting. I began to see why scholars around here often came off as rude or were on various potions.
Engaging in such ridiculous activities can really mess a person up.
While the potions seem to have little to no side effects, relying on them 24/7 isn’t desirable. They say to take a day off right after taking the potion, but I had seen people eating while under the potion’s effects.
I started to wonder if those people were okay. There was someone who seemed seriously off, claiming 1+1 equals 3 and 2+2 equals 5—are they still alive?
“…Sorry for the long explanation. I appreciate your understanding. The scale of the interior is such that it takes a while even with an elevator.”
It seemed like Dokan was in the same boat; he was listening with one ear and letting it flow out the other. He appeared to be trying to grasp it, but his brain just couldn’t keep up.
“So, um… the authority of the gods…? You used that principle? But isn’t a god revered here?”
“Yes, as a great teacher and a sage guiding our path, as well as a goal to aspire towards. The gods that have existed since ancient times may be different, but those who have been born in the last few decades were once human. They want us to reach their ranks using our own power. The Creation Space is part of that effort. Lacking though it may be… there’s a chance we might catch up to them one day.”
“…So, they were human and then became gods? But how does that happen? Do they just suddenly ascend…?”
“There isn’t much disclosed, but the commonality seems to be receiving a sudden revelation from some being and then dedicating themselves to rise to the rank of divinity. Renowned scholars, people involved in agriculture for prolonged periods, seasoned warriors… it is said that only those who could be called experts have received these revelations.”
I had a fleeting glimpse of what that being might be, but my mother told me not to speak of it to anyone, so I remained silent.
…The person who can perform such complex operations with their bare hands might be capable of this too, I could only guess vaguely.
“Then, have you managed to uncover anything about this being?”
“Regrettably, no. All who have received revelations do not utter a word and simply ascend when the time comes. Ah, we’ve arrived. Let’s continue this discussion after we’ve toured the Creation Space.”
As the elevator doors opened, a familiar yet awe-inspiring scene unfolded before me.
A colossal room filled with dense magical power, floating golden rings, and an ambiance that felt almost like being submerged underwater.
Even just one of those rings was capable of surrounding a sizable building, yet there were dozens of small rings stacked within it, making me feel as if reality and spatial awareness were slipping away with each glance.
It appeared that no one was currently using it; otherwise, I thought Dokan would genuinely faint from surprise.
“…Yes, welcome to the Creation Space. Although it hasn’t been discovered how high-density magical power affects the human body… Dokan, do you feel any digestive issues, see or hear things that aren’t there, or taste anything strange in your mouth?”
“No, not really.”
While the Teacher was formally checking Dokan’s condition, I heard footsteps approaching quickly from a distance.
“Director! Director! I’ve been searching for you and here you are! I created a groundbreaking invention that will bring about innovation this time! Oh, Princess? Did I take too much of the potion or what? Anyway! Take a look!”
That had to be one of the scholars. Maybe they did take too much of something since they mistook me for a figment.
…Should I seriously mention to Dad about limiting the amount of potions distributed among the scholars? It’s not that I’m angry or anything. It’s just that working this hard isn’t good for their health.
Hmm.
“It’s you again. You little rascal! And what kind of speech is that with the Princess? Figment, why not greet her appropriately!”
Huh, was it for real? The rabbit-eared scholar actually bowed to me. If I were to gauge just by condition, they looked worse than a senior who’d been a corpse back at the Academy.
After merely greeting me, the Rabbit Beastman showered the Teacher with a long speech about what they had made, only for the Teacher to accurately strike their ears with a bundle of papers.
The gentle Teacher just resorted to violence. What on earth could they have shown to prompt that?
“…Oh dear, what were you thinking creating a poison that affects the soul! I absolutely will not permit this, so remember it!”
“But— but it’s something brand new that didn’t exist before! Princess, can you please say something to that nasty old man suppressing future talents!”
I really should think about reducing the amount of potions they get. It wasn’t as if I was being overly authoritative normally, yet treating me like this feels a bit off.
“…Teacher, how about we show Dokan the Creation Space in operation and create a prototype? You could surely manage that, right? Of course, that blueprint goes straight into preservation!”
A poison affecting the soul? Was that rabbit planning to kill a god?
“Hmmm… If the Princess says so, I suppose it’s doable, but… do not think of experimenting on anyone. I must repeat, things that don’t exist in the world have a reason for not existing, so please stop creating such things!”
Ah, I see. That rabbit kept making such things, and that’s why the Teacher was getting so cranky.
With a deep sigh, the Teacher drew complex circuits in the air and snapped their fingers.
In response, the golden rings began to rotate slowly as magical power started flowing into the center. The more they spun, the brighter the magical light became, shining like the sun instead of only flickering like a candle.
As expected, Dokan was staring with his mouth agape, busy capturing the surreal scene before him. It wouldn’t be courteous to interrupt such a moment.
As the acceleration increased, I felt a burst of radiant magic light that nearly blinded me, and in the center of the rings, a bottle containing a pink liquid floated.
When the rabbit-eared scholar reached out to it, the bottle slowly flew into her hand.
“…Once again, I must say, Hyun-to. Do not think of using this on others. Originally, it’s something that wouldn’t even be accepted in a preservation facility.”
“Yay! Thank you, Princess! I’m going to test it on my clone now!”
Looking at the scholar darting away with a loud commotion, the Teacher let out a heavy sigh.
“…It’s true that not everything invented ends up being helpful in the future, but… such a person is rare. Please don’t harbor any prejudice.”
—
“Hehe. So, how about it, Dokan? Isn’t it amazing?”
“…Uh, it really is amazing. It’s like something out of a novel. While we’re at it, I didn’t expect a place that could create life…”
That was also something straight out of science fiction. It wouldn’t make sense for such terms to exist in this world, so I glossed over that part.
Not only that, but it was claimed that we were just in the initial stages while interpreting advanced aerospace technologies or deciphering the principles behind divine powers—too many unimaginable things to list.
They said that aerospace technology demonstrations could only be conducted in airborne continents, so I couldn’t see one myself. Apparently, the magical density at ground level was too high for anything crafted with airborne magical density in mind to operate.
Some of these concepts totally evaded my understanding, but it was undeniable that they possessed technology of such outrageous levels.
“Though you call it a novel, it’s very much reality. Still… yeah, it’s astounding. I was awestruck when I was little.”
I had expected Ho-yeon to take it for granted from the very beginning, but that wasn’t the case.
As I looked around the scholarly institution without having gone hungry from not having any products on the market yet, I found the preservation foods rather unpalatable, though I was incredibly full.
Now I was really pondering where to go next. The dining hall piqued my curiosity, but that was a place I’d eventually be dragged into by her, so I wasn’t too interested.
As dusk fell and the streetlights flickered on, I thought it would be right to return since her parents would soon finish chatting when I spotted a small building tucked away in a corner.
Next to it… I could tell it was clearly an altar. The other buildings were all over 100 meters away from the altar, so why was this one sticking so close?
Moreover, it didn’t seem big enough to take long looking around.
“Ho-yeon, let’s check out that building next to the altar.”
However, Ho-yeon’s expression didn’t look too pleased at the sight of that building. The fact that she had been casually explaining about trash cans suddenly hesitating made me even more curious.
“Ah… there’s nothing really enjoyable about that… do you really want to go?”
“Yeah.”
Ho-yeon was anxiously tapping her tail against the ground, but at the same time wore an expression that seemed to be one of resignation.
“Ugh… I suppose I should show you sometime… but… I really don’t want to… sigh, fine. I’ll show you. But… don’t pity the people inside too much. It’s disrespectful to them as well. So, let’s go to the Welfare Center.”