Chapter 931: The Cross-Era Invention
… The Difference Engine?
Eivass paused for a moment.
It wasn’t because he didn’t know; quite the opposite, it was because he knew too much. The convergence of knowledge from two worlds left Eivass’s mind in temporary disarray.
In another world, Charles Babbage was an inventor in Britain. He invented a machine used for processing and calculating complex data, with results that could be directly printed. This machine was called the Difference Engine. The “difference” referred to transforming complex calculations of function tables into differential calculations, using addition to replace squaring. He even designed another, more complex machine—a programmable general-purpose computer called the Analytical Engine. This concept was essentially the precursor to modern computers.
At the time, a prototype of the Difference Engine was completed, but the full-scale version couldn’t be finished due to limitations in craftsmanship. As a result, the British government deemed the machine a waste of money and ceased its funding. It wasn’t until a hundred years later, when craftsmanship accuracy improved, that people discovered Babbage’s original blueprints were correct.
In this world’s Avalon, around the same time, there was a person with the same name, but they took a completely different path. Charles Babbage, the Alchemist of Avalon, was born in 1791. Queen Sophia had not yet ascended the throne, and Avalon was still in the era of King Tudor III, the Gallows King. Charles grew up in a terrifying atmosphere, witnessing how Extraordinary individuals of other Paths were captured by those with iron gloves.
Charles later attended the Royal Law University. Old Moriarty was from the same era, only a few years his senior. When Charles went to study in the Church and took advanced courses in mathematics and astronomy, which Avalon didn’t offer, from Cardinal Loki, he met Professor Moriarty, who was still a student then. However, unlike James, he wasn’t kept by Cardinal Loki and returned to Avalon after his studies.
From then on, Charles and James maintained a long friendship. Yulia even found Charles’s manuscripts in a study, which was how Eivass learned about him. By the time of Queen Sophia’s reign, Avalon had revived the Path of Balance and released a standard product combining the Path of Balance and Path of Authority – credit-based paper currency. This is also why, besides the “white coins” symbolizing the Silver Crown Dragon and the “red coins” symbolizing the Candlemaster, Avalon’s currency includes “copper coins” symbolizing the Hourglass (Deity).
It was also because Avalon revived Alchemy and attempted to cultivate its own Alchemists that Babbage came into contact with Alchemy.
However, speaking of which…
“Alchemy of the Path of Balance, and Astrology of the Path of Adaptation?” Eivass murmured softly, a sudden realization dawning on him.
Avalon did not have its own Alchemical heritage, and the Church valued tradition too much, unwilling to teach Avalon’s giant tree-style Alchemy. Thus, they could only purchase a vast number of books from the Church and Star Antimony and develop it from scratch. Babbage was Avalon’s first-generation Alchemist. Unlike the later Emperor in the other world, Avalon did not cut off his funding. Babbage consistently had ample funds for his “Alchemy” research. But he clearly began to research in the wrong direction…
The Knight class of Avalon at the time most desired a pharmaceutical Alchemy technology close to “chemistry.” Dyes, fuels, and various practical alchemical potions were entirely dependent on imports, which was very dangerous. As for machinery, the understanding of these rural knights was mainly limited to “mechanical horses” and “firearms,” with “elevators” being the most advanced. Therefore, these were not highly valued.
Despite sufficient funding, Babbage encountered a similar problem: insufficient craftsmanship accuracy. Fortunately, this world had another solution – directly purchasing highly accurate parts from Star Antimony. Later, Star Antimony learned of this and invited Babbage to settle or study in Star Antimony. However, after performing a self-divination, Babbage refused.
Later, Babbage privately received numerous invitations from the Royal Alchemical Association. He did not accept them and instead handed these letters to the Round Table Hall, warning them that the Star Antimony people were stealing Avalon’s scholars—but the Round Table Hall already had individuals infiltrated by Star Antimony. Subsequently, Babbage suddenly died of an apoplectic stroke at home. Because traces of the Transcendent Path were detected at the scene, it was ultimately attributed to “Serpent Hand,” a民间 curse cult from the era of King Tudor III, the Gallows King—later known as “Noble Red.” At the time, Queen Sophia even considered assigning someone to take over Babbage’s work. But Babbage had gone too far down this path, leaving no one capable of taking over. Later, Star Antimony relaxed its stance during a negotiation, agreeing to export more advanced automatic clockwork machines to Avalon, and thus, research in this area was abandoned.
These new machines from Star Antimony were not only cheaper and more efficient but also much smaller. Their noise, error, and vibration levels during operation were also significantly lower—leading people to subconsciously assume they were more advanced versions of the machine Babbage was researching. After all, Mr. Babbage was only a Second Tier Alchemist at the time.
— Facing the Star Antimony Royal Alchemical Association, which boasted Fifth Tier Alchemists! Surely that would be better than the “beggar version” we invented ourselves? That’s what the people of Avalon thought.
“But when I found the abandoned automatic clockwork machine before and intended to disassemble it for study, I suddenly realized something was wrong,” Yulia said seriously. “Because this machine is powered by magic spells! There are clear enchants from the Path of Wisdom within it…”
This girl, as delicate and transparent as a snow elf, now pulsed with vitality. Her pupils were bright, and her eyes shone with light.
“And I clearly remember… the ‘Difference Engine’ blueprints I saw in my home when I was a child didn’t have any magic circles drawn on them. It was purely machine-driven—a more ‘bewitchment dispelling’ model than this machine!” The fundamental power of the Path of Balance comes from bewitchment dispelling. The more things that can be done without using Path Power, and the more Extraordinary Power of other Paths that can be simulated, the greater the power of Balance one can obtain.
Eivass asked, “Did you realize at the time that this machine could change the era?”
“…No,” Yulia shook her head slightly, then gently touched the machine she had personally built. “I’m still not entirely sure even now. I only know… if this machine, which is already more than half completed, had not been finished, Mr. Babbage’s achievements would have been buried in history, unknown to anyone. Currently, only I am aware of this, so this is my mission.”
“…Did you succeed?”
“Naturally.” Yulia smiled. “The technology now is vastly different from decades ago… a Third Tier Alchemist is different from a Second Tier.” She picked up a part at random. The part effortlessly changed its shape and texture in her hand. “I received complete training in Star Antimony-style Alchemy, and among various Alchemical traditions, Star Antimony-style Alchemy is the most proficient in the transmutation of [metals]. Now I have reached a state of complete mastery… Whether it’s adjusting alloy ratios as needed, drawing metal wires to the millimeter, or manufacturing parts of different specifications, it only takes a thought, and it doesn’t even consume much Mana. ”
Yulia said with a hint of sadness, “If Mr. Babbage could have done this back then, instead of just self-studying Alchemy from books… perhaps this cross-era invention would have been completed long ago, and there would have been no need to purchase parts from Star Antimony. Avalon might have produced another pioneer then, and perhaps even history itself would have changed… The Star Antimony people were probably jealous of his talent, which is why they had to kill him. And immediately exporting more advanced machines to Avalon was to prevent us from restarting this research.”
“…Not necessarily.” Eivass said softly. “It’s true they didn’t want us to develop it. But it’s not necessarily the Star Antimony people who did it… otherwise, you wouldn’t have obtained this manuscript.”
“Then why…”
“…Perhaps it’s precisely because history would have changed so much that he couldn’t complete it.” Alchemy—this craft belongs to the Ring Heavenly Envoy. Therefore, he can understand all developments in Alchemy, controlling the development of this era through this means. All of this is to guide the world in the direction he desires. Since the Ring Heavenly Envoy wants to escape this World at the end of this cycle, and if nothing unexpected happens, this should be the last cycle. In past cycles, he might have increased variables as much as possible, but this time he will reduce them as much as possible. …Hmph. You might not be as suited to the easier Origin River after all…
This thought drifted through Eivass’s mind. His grandfather, Jacob, was suspected to be an Apostle of the Ring Heavenly Envoy. And if this belief had been formed early on, perhaps Avalon’s official investigation results were not wrong. The person who killed Babbage was indeed “Serpent Hand”! And the one who acted at the time—perhaps it was Jacob.
Eivass shook his head slightly, dispelling the distracting thoughts from his mind. He looked at Yulia and changed the subject, “Then… Yuli, what optimization did you make?”
“I am optimizing it based on the principles of the ‘Analytical Engine’ from Mr. Babbage’s other manuscript. But I’ve encountered many problems…” Speaking of this, Yulia immediately let go of the question of “who killed Babbage,” and her eyes lit up. “Several problems need to be solved, one is computational efficiency, another is output efficiency. And the most critical problem, I believe, is ‘input.’ Regarding this problem, Gryphon gave me inspiration—electricity is very fast, and Star Antimony already has mature technology for electrical transport and storage. The electric lamps popular in Avalon are a good example. Look, pulling the switch signifies connection, and closing it signifies disconnection. This is effectively sending a signal… Hmm, Brother, you might not understand…”
“It’s alright, I understand.” Eivass interrupted. “Continue.”
He had a shock halfway through his sentence. He had an inkling of what Yulia was tinkering with—if this thing was truly brought to fruition by her, then she would truly earn the title of pioneer. Every pioneer is a world-renowned great inventor and also a Spokesperson and acting agent of the Hourglass (Deity). Their existence signifies that the Hourglass (Deity) is actively pushing the development of the era.
As expected, everything unfolded as Eivass had predicted…
Yulia continued, “And I was also paying attention to another matter—in the research of some mathematicians, there are some meaningless things that are purely to flatter the Hourglass (Deity). Or rather… to show reverence for the Hourglass (Deity). Amongst these is ‘binary.’ It originally stemmed from the worship of the Hourglass (Deity), hence the invention of a computational mode that encompasses everything with ‘black and white,’ ‘yes and no,’ ‘up and down,’ ‘yin and yang,’ representing ‘all things are dual,’ and the entire world is constructed from the flow of yes and no. And this ‘presence or absence’ can be perfectly realized through electric current. This thus forms a high-speed current pulse… that can quickly input a complex string of numbers.”
Yulia looked at the enormous, current-flowing, terrifying machine. “I hope it can eventually become a machine that ‘calculates the answers to all problems’… preferably completed using only the power of the Path of Balance. If so, many people in the future won’t have to work so hard.”
(End of Chapter)
