Chapter 888
If Not, Let’s Count Prime Numbers
Eivass was initially incredibly embarrassed.
But after Sin involuntarily blurted out in his mind, “What taste,” everyone cast complex glances at the solemn and arrogant old mage.
This elder practically snorted with disdain, and apart from Eivass, Bard, and a few others, he couldn’t even be bothered to speak to anyone else. Naturally, people distanced themselves from this chief mage of a certain magic tower. After all, no one would actively seek abuse knowing they were looked down upon.
As a result, now…
Compared to this, even “Master Amber likes shining things” seemed normal.
In that instant, Eivass saw the old mage’s face turn completely red.
*So red, like a boiled shrimp…*
Eivass thought this, then tried to focus his attention elsewhere:
*How did they get into the influence range? Were they trying to save me?*
“Y-yes!”
Little Cat on the side exclaimed, “Because Mr. Sin said there are many traps here… it’s better for professionals to disarm traps or fix malfunctions. This is our duty; we can’t hide behind others…”
*Ugh, but I still don’t want to be here. This old man is so scary…*
Little Cat’s inner thoughts surfaced.
Compared to polished words, “inner thoughts” were always more direct.
After all, it was just a string of thoughts appearing in the mind.
*2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19…*
At this moment, Sin showed no reaction to this.
Cold, continuous counting voices appeared in the space.
Sin rapidly counted prime numbers in his mind, reaching 149 in the blink of an eye. The entire space was drowned out by Sin’s counting, making it impossible to hear anyone else.
*This is also a way.*
Eivass mused.
When people hear something, their minds involuntarily recall related matters. For example, before Little Cat mentioned it, Eivass hadn’t thought about it.
Initially, his mind was filled with thoughts like “This equipment isn’t very practical,” “The stats are just not good enough,” and “Alistair can finally live.”
*Let’s dismantle the machine first.*
Under the guise of the old mage Sin, who had become a cold counting machine, Eivass made up his mind to finish quickly.
He had Flame Butterfly, who had returned to her traveling state, perch on his shoulder, and then followed Sin forward.
The old mage, with a grim expression, reached out and pressed a palm-print-like area. He inputted twenty-eight units of four-colored mana in a special sequence. Suddenly, a hidden door sprang open from the adjacent wall.
“This is… a password?”
Eivass asked, surprised, “Where did you find the password?”
Sin, concentrating on counting prime numbers in his mind, replied unconsciously, “I didn’t find it. I cracked it while waiting for you to return.”
*This technology is quite impressive.*
Eivass thought, surprised.
He had only been gone for less than five minutes – and in such a short time, he had directly cracked the password for this door lock.
*The foot-fetish old man is quite capable.*
Eivass’s inner thoughts sounded, then were drowned out by the noise of counting prime numbers. He didn’t know if others heard it.
However, inside this door was not the location of the device that allowed one to hear others’ inner thoughts… but a large pile of strange devices.
They were arranged like a server room, neat and densely packed in twelve or thirteen rows of black metallic cylindrical devices. Each row had twenty to thirty units, with a diameter of nearly a meter. Only three or four had their metal casings opened, revealing their contents – a spiral luminous device, resembling a T-virus tube from Resident Evil. Only the spirals inside were more tightly packed.
They shone with brilliant white radiance, their casings having a texture akin to some kind of glass. Inside, a high-speed spinning white luminous liquid churned.
*So high-tech.*
Eivass exclaimed, “It’s like some kind of power plant…”
“Power plant?”
Little Cat was puzzled why Eivass would use such a metaphor. She had seen power plants, but they were completely different…
“This should be similar to an energy room.”
Master Amber replied.
Sin also stated directly, “Because the logic of this room is identical to that of a magic tower. I’ve been to many magic towers, and the entrance to the energy room is always on the first floor, and always in the center – this is for easier maintenance.”
Unconsciously, he stopped counting prime numbers and went through a process of serious thought:
*According to the wiring… it shouldn’t be here… it should be here…*
Sin seemed to have found something and suddenly stepped forward.
He placed his hand on one of the luminous tubes, and as Water Attribute mana flowed in, the high-speed spiraling luminous tube inside suddenly froze and stopped rotating. Nothing unusual happened around it.
“Dismantle this.”
He patted Little Cat’s back and pointed to a tube.
*Huh?*
“H-how do I dismantle it… should I just take it off?”
“It won’t be too sturdy, because we need to consider the possibility of authorization device jamming and needing emergency repairs. Just pry it off.”
Sin said, “That’s why I asked you to come along.”
“Huh? I-is that so… I thought you asked me to disarm traps…”
Little Cat looked distressed and approached, nervously grabbing the metal casing.
“There was indeed consideration for that.”
Sin nodded. “The mind-reading device here is too malicious; the fewer people involved, the better. The Boss is here to teleport His Holiness the Pope back, I’m here to open the door, and you, in addition to disarming traps, can do some manual labor – it’s not too much trouble.”
*So cute, looks like she’s afraid of getting electrocuted by the distribution box…*
Eivass’s inner thoughts surfaced, and he then comforted her, “Don’t worry, with me here, you won’t die.”
“O-okay!”
Little Cat immediately gathered courage.
She grabbed the gap and pulled with all her might –
Once, twice, and suddenly it was pulled off. She almost swayed herself, but because her control over her body was strong enough, she didn’t fall. Instead, she easily steadied herself in place.
Sin stepped forward and froze it again, stopping the rotation. However, this was still not it.
“Try this one again.”
Sin instructed the sole labor tool to continue prying open the iron door with his fingernails. When he froze the fourth device, everyone paused.
Because at that moment, the noisy voice that had been echoing in everyone’s minds finally disappeared!
“Th-that’s great…”
Little Cat breathed a sigh of relief, pulled her hood up, and scrambled away.
Master Amber stepped forward and asked, “Where is it located?”
“Fourth floor.”
Sin replied concisely, “Its influence range should be four floors up and down. This means there’s a device every seven floors…”
As he spoke, he touched the first three facilities he had previously shut down, injecting mana to restore their operation.
At this time, the strange situation of shared inner thoughts did not reappear!
The old mage finally relaxed.
His expression was a little strained, but he tried his best to maintain it. “This is indeed outdated technology. People nowadays would find it difficult to accept the experience of having all their privacy exposed… This is an inevitable consequence of the changes in civilization. With the popularization of writing and language, and the rise of nation-states and private property, maintaining a certain social distance between people allows everyone to feel most at ease…”
He seemed to be trying to save face.
“Correct.”
Master Amber replied briefly.
Sin continued, his facial temperature seemingly returning to normal. “However, its intrinsic value cannot be ignored. Unifying language and eliminating barriers have great significance for the evolution of civilization. The technology within might be extractable as a portable translator; and if the mind-reading function is further enhanced, it could be used as an interrogation device… it’s not impossible to truly read minds.
“I have also thought of another approach – if inner thoughts could be materialized from language and sound into images, perhaps it would be possible to monitor the Dream Realm from the Material Realm. Directly observing the content of Ascension Rituals from the outside would be of great significance for studying the rules of the Ascension Ritual; and while Ascenders themselves forget much information, external observers do not – so we still need to take it away.”
“Correct.”
Master Amber continued to nod.
Suddenly, Sin’s attention seemed to be drawn to something else. “Wait, what is this…”
It was the jewel held in Cardinal Galatea’s embrace.
Because Cardinal Galatea did not speak, nor did she have audible inner thoughts, and simply followed behind Eivass quietly, she was easily overlooked.
But now, as Sin turned back, he saw the blue jewel held in Cardinal Galatea’s embrace.
His eyes widened.
(End of Chapter)
