Chapter 845
Chapter 845
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 845
Chapter Title: Thesis (4)
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1.
The one-on-one private tutoring session with Baron Moirati, which had begun in the morning, didn't wrap up until evening.
He'd already received an expensive gift, and he had zero intention of slacking off just because of that, but it had still dragged on longer than anticipated.
Baron Moirati extended her hand for a polite handshake, a soft smile playing on her lips.
"It was like a dream... no, a truly satisfying time."
"I gained some real insights myself. I was impressed by Baron Moirati's profound discernment."
And it really had been satisfying for Siu as well.
This tutoring session wasn't a one-way transfer of knowledge.
Up until noon, Siu had been the one teaching the baron, who hadn't quite grasped it yet.
But was this what made her a grand witch?
Once Baron Moirati had learned the key concepts needed to understand the thesis, she started firing off sharp questions from the afternoon onward.
Siu had to rack his brains to answer them, approaching things from entirely new angles he'd never considered before.
He resolved her doubts smoothly enough, but it turned into a mutually beneficial exchange of techniques—like eating both the pheasant and the egg.
"Allow me to see you off to your carriage."
Recalling the etiquette lessons he'd been taking sporadically, Siu moved to escort Baron Moirati out. But she seemed to dawdle for some reason.
Then, as if chased by the awkward silence, she spoke up.
"Um, would you like to have dinner together?"
"Pardon? Oh, is there still something you haven't grasped?"
"No, nothing like that. I just want to talk more with you, Mr. Shin Siu. About our perspectives on magic engineering, perhaps... Oh, and by the way, our estate's chef is exceptionally skilled."
Drawing from his experience working at a host club in Takasho, Siu could roughly gauge the situation.
This was an outcall request.
He'd politely turned down about a hundred of those already, so he was well-practiced.
If he apologized meekly like he felt bad about it, the witches would think he was looking down on them.
So he rolled up his sleeves, glanced at his watch, and let out a casual chuckle.
"I'm honored by the invitation. Unfortunately, my schedule is booked solid after dinner."
There were plenty of witches who stayed awake for 24 hours straight, so it wasn't a flimsy excuse.
Baron Moirati accepted the refusal gracefully, furrowing her brows in mild disappointment.
"Here's my card. I'd appreciate it if you contacted me sometime. If the opportunity arises, I'd love to collaborate on joint research."
"Of course. I'll reach out first thing if the need arises."
After seeing her off to her carriage,
Siu opened the jewelry box she'd handed him.
A brilliantly red gem gleamed atop white cushioning, its ruby glow unmistakable.
He held the rice-grain-sized stone up to a lantern, exaggerating a bit.
"This thing's worth 1,000 gold coins at auction?"
He was still dazed.
He hadn't even exclusively shared his knowledge.
No matter how you sliced it, twelve hours or so of lessons netting around 800 million—that was the payout.
That came out to over 66 million an hour.
"If I'd known it was this sweet a gig, I would've started sooner."
Of course, Baron Moirati had mentioned there was good reason why Siu's thesis was exploding in popularity.
It had high clinical utility right from the theoretical stage and presented magic that countless witches desperately needed.
As a result, the "gift" was valued far higher than usual.
In other words, there was no guarantee he'd rake in cash like this every time he published a new paper.
Still, beggars couldn't be choosers.
Siu resolved to fatten his wallet while the opportunity lasted.
"Time to pay off debts and stock up on lavish gifts for the upcoming harvest festival. Score."
2.
The witches' reactions to the male witch's thesis varied wildly from one to the next.
The first type sought out Shin Siu right away, bearing gifts in exchange for instruction.
These were witches who already had ongoing research and couldn't spare time for other projects,
or those flush with wealth who could easily absorb the expense,
or ones burning with impatience to fully harness Gnosis eggs.
Thanks to them, Siu had gone from a jobless magic researcher cramming his days full as a top-tier magic tutor.
Trinity Academy, thrilled to have such a stellar paper in their journal, happily lent him lecture halls and lab materials.
It was a time when one could tangibly measure witches' passion for magic in material terms.
"It's the commercial rights to shops in Lenormand Town."
"An artifact. It's an antique, but it has plenty of historical value."
"A blank check in my name. Fill in whatever amount you want and submit it to the vault bank."
"Bonds issued by Countess Adonai."
"Land deed for fields near Tarot Town. Deal?"
"Found this gold bar on the road."
Word had quietly spread since Baron Moirati's visit, so everyone brought assets worth roughly 700 to 1,000 gold coins as gifts.
In under a week, he'd amassed more than half the money he owed his great mother-in-law. Unreal earnings.
When he asked her how witches could possibly have that much money...
She'd replied,
"It'll never happen, but if all witches' assets were publicly disclosed... at least half of the world's top 100 richest would be women, I'd bet."
The second type were witches who latched onto Siu's thesis and wouldn't let go.
In absolute numbers and proportion, they overwhelmingly dominated.
"Won't sleep until I crack it."
"This lights a fire under my competitive spirit."
"Kiekek!!!"
It wasn't purely about money.
Witches were creatures of immense pride and obsession when it came to magic.
They rejected being spoon-fed and planned to wrestle with it for a year or so using their near-infinite lifespans.
One thing was certain either way.
Shin Siu, already famous, had now become a household name in Gehenna—no witch hadn't heard of him.
Not as an irregular with research or collector value, but as a true "scholar."
Even beyond the Red Roof Salon, in small salons, cafes, bars, labs, and study groups, his research was the talk of the town.
Some predicted it would raise Gehenna's average hierarchy by 0.1,
others hailed it as comparable to Countess Yesod's barrier theory.
But where there's light, there's shadow.
Envy and sour grapes toward others' achievements have existed across time and cultures.
How much more so when a human who'd been a witch for less than a decade achieved such feats? Plenty of witches voiced doubts.
Witch supremacist views placing humans beneath them surely played a role.
Baron Dmer's private salon.
The witches gathered there all wore dissatisfied expressions.
"Is this really that guy's work?"
"Something feels off no matter how I look at it..."
"It's a fictional theory without proof to begin with, right?"
"Even if not, he has so many backers. Isn't that right, Baron Dmer?"
Lounging languidly and puffing on her pipe, Baron Dmer nodded.
"Exactly. Too many ways he could've gotten help."
"But rumor has it several witches did house calls... If it wasn't his own theory, could he even explain it properly?"
The witch lying beside her tilted her head questioningly.
"Of course. If there was any brains behind it, they'd have prepped a manual for him to memorize. The Jemernai Countess's influence is keeping it hushed, but word is everyone's grumbling about fruitless house visits."
"As expected."
The witches nodded along with Baron Dmer's firm declaration.
A fake genius propped up by the Jemernai family's power felt far more plausible than some sudden unparalleled prodigy.
They were too busy marveling at the results now, but give it time, and suspicions would sprout.
"......"
Baron Dmer pondered deeply, then hit upon a delightfully wicked idea.
A way to screw over the haughty Jemernai Countess.
"Lisenne, I'd like a word alone."
"Yes, Baron."
Openly picking a fight with Countess Albreo would be awkward.
But what if they stirred up an issue that drew widespread interest, then wielded a public institution's power under the banner of public good?
"You were a librarian at the Secretariat Library, right?"
"Yes."
The Secretariat Library handled not just collecting and storing theses, but also reviewing academic materials.
It didn't directly publish papers, but monitored for misconduct.
Fudging experimental data as "pass,"
tampering values to desired results,
plagiarizing others' work—such issues triggered a "research misconduct audit."
If confirmed after procedure, it recommended retraction from the publisher.
"Recommendation" in name only—no publisher defied it.
The higher they soar, the harder they fall.
Revealing that a paper causing this much sensation violated research ethics would unleash massive backlash.
Even Countess Albreo would blush and steer clear of salons for a while.
No need to mention Siu's future papers getting rejected left and right.
"No way..."
"Lisenne, that male witch's fraud undermines scholarly integrity. Doesn't someone need to set it right?"
"It's not certain yet... As you know, Chief Librarian Metis doesn't compromise."
Lisenne looked troubled.
As a Secretariat Library librarian, filing a misconduct audit request wasn't hard.
But Chief Librarian Metis was impervious to pressure or persuasion.
She'd reply in her flat tone, "Is that so? Let's take a look," then doggedly uncover the truth.
If nothing turned up, Lisenne risked being branded a false accuser slandering Siu.
Especially with no hard evidence—just "Did you really write this?"
"Lisenne, are you doubting my judgment?"
"No, but..."
"It'll be fine. In return, I'll wipe out all your overdue interest."
But Lisenne, saddled with massive debt to Baron Dmer over research funds, had no grounds to refuse.
Forgiving all backlog interest meant demanding it all if she said no.
That would bankrupt her.
She'd be evicted, unable even to pay central city hall taxes.
"We're doing a good deed. It'll work out."
Under Baron Dmer's reassuring pat on the shoulder, Lisenne nodded through her tears, mustard in mouth.
"Yes... I'll file the request..."