A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy - Chapter 132:

Propagation (2)

***

As everyone knows, Jane is undoubtedly a ‘genius,’ but she also qualifies as a ‘weirdo.’

She invented artificial mana stones, which were thought to be impossible. Her engineering skills surpass current technology by a wide margin.

Strictly speaking, she’s a genius beyond her time, which makes her seem eccentric.

To give an analogy, it’s like inventing a lighter in a primitive era where fire is crucial.

The problem is, she invented the lighter for the convenience of grilling meat but doesn’t realize how amazing it is.

She’s a genius with some dumb moments, like how geniuses sometimes get treated as idiots for their strange ideas.

“You said I was chosen by Lord Chaos, but is it really that simple?”

“Of course. Sister Jane, you invented an item that can replace mana stones, didn’t you?”

After the recent events, Rize’s affection for Jane skyrocketed.

Just a few minutes ago, Rize was ready to crush her head with an axe, but now it’s different.

As Rize gradually understood more about Jane, they grew astonishingly close.

“Well, that’s true, but I don’t think it’s that amazing.”

Jane adjusted her glasses and looked at the item in her hand.

Unlike the round mineral mana stones, the artificial mana stone she invented was a square plate.

Gold-like markings covered the plate, resembling a semiconductor from Earth.

“I know mana stones are rare minerals. But making these is too expensive. I had to pour most of the investment Sivar gave me into this. It takes a long time too.”

“But you invented them artificially, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but wouldn’t it be better to get them from the market? It would be less labor-intensive and cheaper.”

See? She has no idea what she’s invented.

In terms of Earth, she invented an alternative to oil but doesn’t realize it.

She’s too smart for her own good. Jane’s thought process probably went like this:

[To make this, I need mana stones.]

[Mana stones are too expensive, so let’s make a substitute.]

[Ta-da! I invented artificial mana stones!]

[Now I can make what I need!]

This isn’t an exaggeration; it likely happened just like that.

When people ask how she did it, she probably won’t understand why they can’t.

She’d think, why can’t they do something so simple? Just make it like this.

She likely thought she didn’t make it because it was too expensive, but in reality, she couldn’t make it.

If they could, they would have done it long ago.

“Now I understand why Lord Chaos chose you, Sister Jane. I’m glad we met.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sister Jane, you may not understand, but this is a groundbreaking invention. Many efforts have been made to replace mana stones, but all have failed.”

“Isn’t that because of the money? If it was profitable, I would have patented it long ago.”

It’s a relief she didn’t patent it. I sincerely believe that.

Jane measures everything by her own standards and lives in extreme poverty.

Like how only those who eat well know how to eat well, Jane lives so poorly she doesn’t know the world.

Even the academy professors didn’t recognize her genius, so she was a frog in a well.

Except the well didn’t have a frog but a dragon, unaware of its own greatness.

‘Well, Newton also blew his money on bad investments…’

Even a timeless genius knows nothing if they don’t learn.

What good is having the best computer if you only play low-spec games on it? It’s a waste.

“So, are you planning to patent it?”

“Not at all. I barely managed to make this by scrimping and saving. With proper equipment, the efficiency would be better, but honestly, this isn’t good enough to patent.”

“So, you’re saying that with enough equipment and materials, you could make even better artificial mana stones.”

“Yes, but that would require a lot of money…”

Jane said, glancing at me. A silent plea for more investment.

Money isn’t an issue; I have more than enough from stocks. As I mentioned before, raising Jane requires a lot of investment.

Even Iron Man couldn’t have invented his suit without his wealth.

Though his brilliant mind helped him make an initial version in a cave, more money was necessary for further advancements.

“I’ll give you more money.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. But take it slow. Don’t patent it yet. It’s risky.”

It’s better to patent it slowly or not at all, at least for now.

Given the times, the patent system has many loopholes. One misstep and you’ll get stabbed in the back.

Combining that with Jane’s disastrous judgment could lead to upgraded demons.

“Of course. I didn’t plan on patenting this garbage. Oh! Speaking of which, I need to renew the contract…”

“Contract? Are you talking about that slave contract?”

“Huh? I’ve never made a slave contract…”

Jane looked puzzled as Rize took a paper from her pocket.

The contract was what she brought to catch a con artist, essentially a declaration of voluntary slavery.

Jane took the contract Rize handed her and read it slowly. She then lifted her glasses and responded.

“This is the contract I wrote, but is there a problem?”

“…”

There are too many problems. Rize looked stunned.

Even someone like her, who rarely gets flustered, was amazed by Jane.

After explaining the contract in detail, Jane finally realized.

“Oh, it really is a slave contract?”

“Yes, it’s a good thing Brother Sivar was your investor. Otherwise, you would have been exploited like a slave.”

“I’m glad Sivar was my first investor…”

What if someone else had recognized Jane’s talent? Would they have exploited her?

In the Soul World, she wasn’t exploited as a slave but was betrayed.

She then fell deeply into darkness, joining the demons, who equipped all sorts of gear.

“Do I need to draft a new contract?”

“If Brother Sivar intends to invest, I can help. I only know pledges, not contracts, but that should be enough.”

“A pledge? What’s that?”

“It’s a contract mediated directly by a god.”

So, she’s aiming to bind her tightly. A pledge is essentially a slave contract.

As Rize explained, a pledge is a contract mediated by a god, requiring at least a bishop-level person.

If you break a pledge, you can never serve a god again. You also gain the stigma of being a pledge-breaker.

Of course, if you meet specific conditions, the pledge can be reversed. But it’s extremely difficult.

‘That’s why pledges are usually for promotions to bishop…’

Pledges between people are rare. So, they are generally seen as contracts with gods.

Since Rize is a Holy Warrior, making a pledge would be easy for her. I’m curious about the terms.

Since it’s Chaos, the pledge might be lenient. It could even justify murder, given its broad tolerance.

But, as mentioned repeatedly, Chaos doesn’t bless sadistic killers. Its nature is fundamentally ‘good.’

“Let’s draft the pledge later. Didn’t you say you had something to show Brother Sivar?”

“Oh, yes! Please come this way.”

Jane, as if she had forgotten, guided us.

Rize and I followed her. It wasn’t far.

We arrived at a table cluttered with miscellaneous items and a metal glove.

There it was, the mechanical arm I had longed for.

“This is the mechanical arm you requested, Mr. Sivar. Without mana, it’s just a hunk of metal, but with mana, it can exert immense strength.”

“Does it also contain artificial mana stones?”

“Yes, they are essential for infusing mana throughout the mechanical arm.”

h and unrefined.

This was due to the technological limitations of the time. Moreover, she likely couldn’t weld it properly due to the equipment.

But on the flip side, she crafted such a detailed piece with just hammering.

With proper equipment, she could create something even more impressive.

I stared at the mechanical arm for a while before slowly reaching out. It was time to put it on.

“I’ll help you with that.”

“Hmm? You even implemented finger joints. How did you manage that?”

While I was putting on the arm, Rize noticed something unique.

Finger joints are hard to implement even with welding. It’s amazing she did it with simple hammering.

“Oh, this? I needed more precise work, so I made another tool.”

Jane, helping me attach the arm, showed us a pen-like tool from the table.

It looked like a soldering iron, with a sharp tip.

“By infusing mana, this tip generates intense heat. It allowed for more precise work.”

“You converted mana into thermal energy?”

“Yes.”

“…”

I don’t know if it’s impressive, but Rize’s silence suggests it is.

Seeing she made that without proper plans confirms her genius.

Finally, the mechanical arm was fully attached. Made of solid metal, it felt a bit heavy.

“It must be heavy. I begged the blacksmith to get cheap iron.”

“It’s fine.”

“Now, I’ll infuse it with mana.”

Vroom—

Jane placed her hand on the arm, intending to infuse it with mana herself.

The arm began making strange noises. I moved my fingers.

Creak—

The finger joints moved smoothly. Despite the noise, it wasn’t a big issue.

Looking around, I noticed Ragnarok. The axe was much heavier now.

Would the mechanical arm enhance my strength? I cautiously lifted it.

“Oh?”

I marveled as I lifted the axe. It felt light, except for the arm’s weight.

It meant the mechanical arm’s strength augmentation was effective. A significant achievement.

“How is it?”

“It’s incredibly light.”

“Haha!”

Jane laughed heartily at my praise. She seemed pleased.

She then made a cheerful request.

“I’ll finish now. Do you see the groove in the palm?”

Looking at the palm, I saw a round hole in the center.

It was made as I had requested. Is this where the beam comes out?

“Brace yourself. I flew far when I tested it.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll press the activation button. Aim at that wall.”

Click!

Following her instruction, I aimed at the empty wall.

Jane nodded and pressed the button connected to the arm by a wire.

Whirr—

Soon, the arm made a noise.

Boom!

A blue mana beam shot from the palm.

Thanks to Jane’s advice, I braced myself and didn’t fly back.

But I couldn’t stop my body from slightly recoiling. The recoil was immense.

“Whew! Isn’t it amazing?”

“I want to buy it.”

This is every man’s dream. How can I resist?

Jane answered my request cheerfully.

“As per our contract, it’s yours, Mr. Sivar. You can take it anytime.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. I’m more grateful.”

Jane is amazing. She delivers results beyond expectations.

While thinking about continuing to invest in her, Rize, who had been observing, chimed in.

“A mana-consuming mechanical arm… It sounds attractive. But it must drain a lot of mana.”

Good point. Jane had infused a considerable amount of mana. I could feel it as I wore the arm.

Jane aims to make it accessible to ordinary people. But this is hard even for knights.

It’s practically a reversed scenario. Jane nodded, acknowledging this.

“That’s true. It requires a lot of mana. But I’ve thought of a solution.”

“What is it?”

“Well… I got scolded by a professor, so I’m not sure if it’ll work…”

Jane scratched her head, looking at our reactions. She seemed unsure about this one.

But even Iron Man’s suit is useless without energy.

Any machine needs energy. Jane plans to invent that.

‘I don’t know how she’ll do it, but she’ll figure it out.’

I slowly took off the mechanical arm. I’ll take it to the dorm.

Meanwhile, Jane grabbed some paper and a pen, preparing to explain.

“I’ll explain simply since you’re not experts. Do you know the relationship between mass and energy?”

“No. Not at all.”

“…?”

What? Why do I feel uneasy?

Not from wild instincts, but naturally, after hearing her words.

“Let’s start from the beginning. Mana is like energy for us. In other words…”

Jane wrote symbols and explained slowly. But we didn’t understand.

As mentioned, Jane holds people to high standards. Her low self-esteem caused this.

She believes many are better than her and works hard to improve.

It’s not surprising, given the professors’ treatment.

“If this formula works, it means mass can convert to energy. So, objects with mass can turn into mana.”

“…”

“With proper equipment and skills, we could create huge energy from small mass! We could easily power mechanical arms and dream of steel-enhanced suits!”

Oh, shibal.

“Do you understand?”

“…No? Not at all?”

“Did I make it complicated? Let me explain again…”

Why is Oppenheimer here?

[Faith is increasing!]

Do you want to see the world end?

End of Chapter