Chapter 261
Chapter: 261
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 261
>Chapter Title: Source Editor (1)
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>"Could this be it? The [Signpost] created by the Oracle, the one that reflects the Oracle's mind?"
Dexter, who had been staring at the pendant in shock, took off his goggles and shouted.
"My God! Look at this change in the waveform! To think that the thing I'd only heard about in theory actually exists in this world!"
"Huh?"
In theory?
Seongjin tilted his head in confusion, but Dexter shoved the shattered crimson gem right in front of his eyes.
"Why did this come out of your pocket? How could you keep something like this mixed in with junk?"
The man who had been extremely cautious just moments ago was now so excited that he was grilling Seongjin like he was about to devour him.
Thanks to that, Seongjin's plan to scare and coax the information out of him thoroughly went awry, leaving him blinking in bewilderment.
"...It is the [Signpost], yes."
Why is this guy getting so worked up?
It must have gotten mixed in while he was carrying it around with Nebraska's amulet.
"Not right now, though. Hand it over..."
As Seongjin reached out his hand, Dexter flinched in alarm and quickly hid the gem behind his back, tense as if he'd encountered a thief trying to steal a precious heirloom.
"......"
Seongjin furrowed his brow and stared at him intently.
Hand it over nicely. It's not like I can say that after shoving it in my pocket, but that thing is important in its own way. It's Grandmother's keepsake.
"...Should I examine this one first, then?"
Seongjin firmly shook his head at Dexter, who asked in a trembling voice.
"No, just give it back. I'm here to look at items from the Physical Realm today."
"But since we're at it, it wouldn't hurt to analyze this too..."
"I said no. Please take a look at these 'Ice Hearts' instead. I heard they're pretty high-grade items."
But Dexter didn't even glance at the Ice Hearts. Instead, he straightened up and suddenly yelled at Seongjin.
"What? You want to waste time on that when the most valuable item for analysis is right here?!"
...Analysis? Isn't it just a gem?
As Seongjin looked flustered, Dexter quickly pressed the machine in his hand against one of the soulstones and called out to him.
"Here, take a good look at this!"
The device he showed was like a handheld scanner. It had a small screen displaying pink and blue lights dancing around, drawing strange graphs.
"...What's this?"
"Obviously, it's a machine that measures the reflection of Aion."
No idea what Aion is.
It's been decades since he graduated from school, but he didn't recall anything like that being common scientific knowledge on Earth.
"See these graphs here? They're the unique waveforms from analyzing the soulstone. All materials naturally exhibit specific Aion waveforms based on their composition."
Ignoring Seongjin's reaction, Dexter continued his passionate explanation.
"And here, see this section where the pink and blue are widely separated? That means this soulstone has double axes that refract Aion! In other words, it's proof that this is a product of the Physical Realm!"
Yeah. Seongjin nodded.
Still no clue what any of it means.
"Now! But wait! Look at this!"
Dexter paid no mind to Seongjin's lackluster response. This time, he pressed the pendant—Grandmother's pendant that he'd hidden behind his back—against the machine and began chattering nonstop.
"Here's something unbelievable that exists in this world: the Oracle's [Signpost]! Just look at the ever-changing waves it produces!"
Even to Seongjin, who knew nothing, the difference was clear.
The waveform's amplitude grew and shrank, the two graphs merged into one then spread wide apart—utterly erratic. It made him wonder if the machine was broken.
As he stared blankly at the fluctuating graphs, Dexter's machine-gun explanation poured over it.
See how the graphs keep changing based on the angle between the [Signpost] and the scanner? That means the number of reflection axes changes depending on the Signpost's position! And look, the spacing between the two graphs narrows and widens, right? That means even though it looks like a uniform solid, the internal polarization coefficient... Oh, excuse me. That's not actual Ionian terminology; it's just a term I use for convenience. Anyway, it means the Aion refraction rate changes in parts! My God! How can such a thing exist in this world?
"Ooh."
Seongjin was deeply impressed.
To think he'd spoken so long without a single comprehensible word!
"That's why this dreamlike object exists—it's what drove Ionia's engineers to spend so much time trying to realize in the real world the laws they believed possible only in theory!"
Dexter was now tearing up with emotion. Unable to bear it, Seongjin subtly raised an eyebrow to give him a hint.
- Cut the nonsense and get to the point.
Seeing that dry expression, Dexter pounded his chest in frustration, making thumping sounds.
"You really don't get what this means? In other words, the Oracle's [Signpost] is an item of the Metaphysical Realm, yet it partially possesses properties of Physical Realm materials!"
A product born from a highly refined mind, yet possessing clear substance.
Something impossible under the laws of the Metaphysical Realm, made to stably exist in the world solely through human mental power.
"They create highly formalized rules based on the Oracle's mental world and use them to manifest substance in this world. Drawing from that core theory, Ionia's engineers poured their hearts into creating it! That's this pinnacle of over-technology, the [Homunculus Engine Source Editor]!"
"Yes, and?"
"Argh! What I'm saying is, the principle of this engine editor is entirely based on this [Signpost]!"
The way the Oracle perceives the world, mimicked to stably implement it in reality—that is the ultimate law governing the Physical Realm, the Homunculus Engine.
"Hmm. Well, I get the gist, Mr. Dexter."
Seongjin nodded and said.
"But isn't that [Engine] purely Ionian technology? Yet the Oracles who made this [Signpost] are known from ancient times as prophets of the Kornsiim clan?"
How could Oracles from Delcros be connected to Ionia's over-technology?
Dexter looked puzzled and asked back.
"Isn't that obvious? One of the legendary Ionian engineers who started this research was an Oracle."
"What? Why would an Oracle be in Ionia?"
"Because the Kornsiim clan originally migrated from Ionia to Delcros?"
"......!"
The boundary races who had settled at the edges of dimensions. Besides those now forming the 'Council of Six,' there were central races living in the heart of the Ionian continent.
One of them was the Kornsiim clan.
-The races of Ionia have unique traits different from humans. Most possess an [Essence] that protects and supports their clan's spirit.
Seongjin recalled the Holy Emperor explaining that once.
Unlike most races that placed their Essences externally and managed them carefully, the Kornsiim clan had humans with advanced mental abilities fulfilling that role.
The Oracle was the clan's representative and its living [Essence].
"...Wow."
Seongjin widened his eyes.
Okay, that's genuinely surprising.
* * *
Click.
Tatianna, who had attended the council of state in the Holy Emperor's stead for the first time in a while, took a break to visit the office. She had an agenda she wanted to consult him on, if possible.
Unfortunately, instead of the Holy Emperor or Chief Chamberlain Louis, she was greeted by Princess Amelia reviewing documents.
Well, if she's in the office, he probably left the council to her.
"Empress Mother Tatianna."
Tatianna gazed silently at Princess Amelia, who greeted her courteously.
In official settings, she always used 'Your Imperial Majesty,' but in private, the princess invariably called her 'Empress Mother Tatianna.' It had stuck from when she innocently mimicked Logan upon first entering the palace.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't the most formal address, but it came off as endearing rather than arrogant—a talent in itself.
"You've been working hard helping His Majesty lately, Princess Amelia."
"Helping? It's a relief if I'm just not getting in the way."
Her shy response was as lovely as a flower.
This beautiful princess clearly resembled His Majesty a great deal, but she must take after her mother just as much.
What kind of stunning woman must she have been to bear such a flower-like daughter? A flicker of jealousy toward the late princess's mother, now gone, began to stir.
But Tatianna never let it show. She was the empress of the continent's mightiest empire, having upheld her dignity without flaw until now.
"I heard Father is still in the prayer room. Captain Katrina is attending him there now."
"Is that so? If he's gone to the prayer room, it might take longer than expected for him to return. I paused the council because there's something I absolutely need his opinion on..."
Tatianna sighed deeply. Now was the time to focus on pressing matters, not vague jealousy.
"Princess Amelia. Do you know about the reports from the Asain Archduchy before the Nativity Festival?"
She asked just in case, and the princess nodded, swiftly pulling a document from the pile.
Tatianna was a bit surprised by the quick response but soon furrowed her brow as she slowly leafed through it. The reports, meticulously prepared and sent multiple times over the past few months, grated on her for some reason.
"The Archduke of Asain seems determined to shove silver through to the capital."
Recently, nobles centered on the Archduke of Asain in the west and south had rolled up their sleeves for a full-scale silver initiative.
One method was to replace all ritual tools used in the capital with silver ones.
It was an agenda once rejected by the Holy Emperor, but the moment he was away, they boldly resubmitted it to the empress.
-Of course it's only right that we, beloved children of the Lord, prepare the very best for the Lord!
With even high priests like Cardinal Benitus pushing hard, it was exceedingly awkward.
The budget to execute was one thing, but what troubled her more was how everything was bending to the Archduke's will.
'But right now, there's no good excuse to reject it.'
Even vague brush-offs were met with relentless pressure, so Tatianna had come to the office seeking the Holy Emperor's advice.
Then, having closely observed Tatianna's face, Amelia spoke up.
"Oh my, silver ritual tools? How agonizing that must be for the young priests carrying them."
"......?"
Lifting her head in confusion, she met clear gray eyes—strikingly like the Holy Emperor's—sparkling with sharp insight.
"From the investigation, silver is 1.5 to 1.8 times heavier depending on the craftsmanship, right? Small trinkets can be worn unknowingly, but ritual implements will weigh substantially more."
Tatianna blinked.
...Is that so? She rarely concerned herself with the weight of small accessories, so it was news to her.
"And on Saint Bastian's feast day, the young priests guarding the capital must carry those silver ritual tools. With their divine power still immature and stamina weak as lower priests..."
"......!"
As the empress's eyes widened, Amelia smiled sympathetically at her.
"Saint Bastian, who forgives even heinous criminals with love and redemption—isn't it his feast? How heartbroken such a compassionate saint would be to learn of this."
"Is... is that true? Is there proper documentation?"
"Yes, Empress Mother Tatianna. There are papers Father urgently ordered investigated."
With that, Amelia strode confidently to one side of the office and pulled a stack of papers from the piled documents—without a moment's search.
Tatianna watched, entranced.
Once hailed as a prodigy, she had even studied alone in Brittany—a rarity back then. Though lacking divine power to rise as a high priest, she had no doubt she'd easily become a capable administrator.
After the Holy Emperor ascended, what then? Hadn't she even harbored ambitions to properly lead the empire from the empress's seat?
But there's always someone better.
-That document was processed a week ago, Tatianna. Could you look at these instead?
-The letter you're seeking is in the third ledger from the left end.
Wandering lost amid mountains of work, she realized that leaving the Holy Emperor be was the true help—her sense of self-loathing then was indescribable.
And that was just one thing. Winning verbal battles against the picky Orthodox elders at the Synod—was that something ordinary people could do?
His mind must be packed tight with vast historical records.
Even recently, with affairs stabilized and capable retainers handling their roles seamlessly, Tatianna found it daunting to substitute when he was away.
'And yet...'
The Empress Tatianna eyed Amelia suspiciously before cautiously asking.
"I've heard there are multiple reports on the strange unrest in Cyprus lately. Could you find those documents?"
"Yes, Empress Mother Tatianna."
Amelia responded crisply once more and began pulling files without hesitation.
'No doubt about it. She memorizes everything after one look!'
What terrifying ability!
Tatianna shuddered.
Flatterers around her always said that Logan, blessed with immense divine power and genius swordsmanship, was perfectly suited to succeed the Holy Emperor.
'But His Majesty doesn't uphold this empire with the sword. His true power lies in swiftly and accurately handling state affairs.'
Lacking even divine power or sword talent, Tatianna felt Amelia's ability all the more keenly.
Perhaps that princess's talent was the ultimate gift for ruling a nation.
'I thought she'd marry foreign royalty and go to Rohan or Brittany someday...'
Amelia might emerge as a new contender in the imperial succession. Stunned by the sudden realization, Tatianna stood frozen.
Thus, she missed the princess humming a bizarre tune under her breath.
'This quarter's Cyprus report is probably... pam papapam pum pum pam. Yes! Fourth index over here!'