Chapter 19: The Steam Locomotive(1)
Chapter 19: The Steam Locomotive(1)
After accepting Professor Elena's proposal, my daily routine changed slightly. Usually, I would head to the library or grab a quick meal and go back to my quarters after classes, but lately, I had been visiting Professor Elena's laboratory.
Today was Friday, the end of the school week. After mailing the manuscript for Volume 8 of Xenon Biography to my parents, I headed straight to the lab. I didn't forget to knock before entering.
A moment later, I opened the door and was greeted by the lab's signature musty smell. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Cindy sitting at her desk, diligently writing something.
"Hello, Cindy."
"Heeelllooo..."
Whenever I came to the lab, Professor Elena was often away on business trips, but Cindy was always there. She greeted me with her usual haggard, corpse-like appearance. I had grown accustomed to her looks by now, so I didn't pay it much mind.
"How are you today? Still tired?"
"Maybe a little betterrr...? I don't really knooow..."
It seemed her sluggish way of speaking was impossible to fix. Then again, I’d heard she’d been drowning in exhaustion for years, not just months, so it was probably ingrained.
If she were human, she would have died of overwork long ago, but it seemed Elves were durable enough to endure it.
I watched Cindy, who appeared to be working on a thesis, for a moment before quietly walking over to her side.
I didn't know the first thing about writing a formal thesis, but Professor Elena had asked me to help with her composition in general. I decided to see just how bad it was...
"...Cindy?"
"Yeees...?"
"Could you stop for a second and read back what you just wrote?"
"Whhyyy?"
Because it's that bad.
I suppressed those words and urged her again.
"Just read it. Starting from the middle here."
"Uuuh... The wars among humans that occurred after the Race War can be said to be a simple demonstration of the dark side of humanity and was the reason why the Minerva Empire was able to establish itself as a great power to this day and was the reason why many countries are still crying out for independence and the McCartan Kingdom which can be called the rival of the Minerva Empire formed an alliance with neighboring kingdoms..."
"Stop."
It was exactly like that. Readability be damned; it was a total train wreck.
It’s like looking at my very first draft...
In my past life, I was praised for my writing skills, but I wasn't always good. In fact, my first work was so poorly structured that anyone reading it would naturally ask, "What even is this story?"
Cindy’s current thesis was repeating the exact same mistakes beginners make.
Failing to break sentences for readability, stringing them into one long mess, and repeating the same words—these were the most common pitfalls for novices.
Now that I understood the core problem, I faced Cindy, who looked bewildered, and asked her a question.
"Cindy. Do you actually understand what this is saying?"
"I dooo...?"
She tilted her head in confusion. I let out a deep sigh at her lack of self-awareness.
Even so, this is a bit much...
I had previously criticized the novels of this world for being as difficult as CSAT English problems, but theses were an exception. A thesis is a record of a researcher's findings, so technical jargon is expected.
However, a thesis must clearly convey what the researcher wants to say to others.
I might not know the specific format of a thesis, but I knew its purpose. It certainly shouldn't be written haphazardly like Cindy was doing.
I pondered where to even begin before asking tentatively.
"Cindy. Have you ever read a thesis by Professor Elena or anyone else?"
"Lots of theeem..."
"And you still write like this?"
With Professor Elena's help, I had read one of her papers once. I struggled with the technical terms, but thanks to my extensive reading habits, I managed to finish it without much trouble.
Cindy blinked slowly at my incredulous question and answered quietly.
"Even if I try to write like thaaat... as I keep writing, it starts looking just like the ones I reaaad..."
"And then when you get evaluated, it gets rejected for being too similar?"
"Yeah..."
Was she good at memorizing but poor at application? By my human standards, she seemed a bit dim, but from an Elven perspective, Cindy was perfectly normal.
As I’ve mentioned before, humans are naturally weaker in strength and ability than other races, but they possess 'Learning Ability' and 'Adaptability' to compensate. Comparing the races as a whole, Elves were the norm, and humans were the anomaly.
Take magic, for example. As I said before, magic was historically praised as an 'Authority' granted only to those chosen by the gods. Even as recently as the Race War three hundred years ago, magic was a power exclusive to Elves, Demons, and a tiny fraction of humans.
The Demon War three thousand years ago? There are no records of humans using magic then; only a handful of Elves could. The Race War three hundred years ago was the point when magic truly began to flow into humanity.
Regardless, in less than three hundred years, humans transformed magic into an ability that anyone could use, provided they had the background, talent, and effort. From the perspective of the long-lived Elves, this rate of development was nothing short of terrifying.
I'm suddenly curious. Why do humans learn so fast?
In a world of only humans—Earth—this was something I took for granted. Even in fiction, the setting usually dictated that humans learned faster than other races.
But now that I had reincarnated into this world, I was genuinely curious. Why were humans faster at learning things than other races?
While I was mulling over that question, Cindy asked me in her slow drawl.
"So, when are you going to teach meee...?"
"Ah, right. Professor Elena told me to, so I will. Just one more question."
"Whaaat is it?"
"Cindy, have you never been taught how to write?"
I figured I’d have to start from the basics, but I asked just in case. If she’d had some training, there might be a glimmer of hope.
Cindy blinked slowly and answered quietly.
"There were a few people who taught me writinggg..."
"Huh? What do you mean? Didn't Professor Elena say there was no one?"
"Those were people who helped for free, but there were a few I paid to teach meee..."
She continued, her voice sinking into a more dejected tone. Even her pointed ears drooped downward.
"But they all ran away, saying they couldn't teach me anymoreee..."
"... ..."
"I guess I'm... a bit slow, even by human standards, and definitely by Elf standards tooo..."
The feeling that I had been thoroughly baited was definitely not an illusion.
*
Xenon Biography had always been a sensation, but Volume 7 caused an even greater stir upon its release. The author had cut the story off at a critical moment, leaving countless readers in agony.
As a result, the Crown Prince of Minerva threatened to capture the author and lock him in the Imperial Palace, while the Imperial Princess pressured the publisher to release the next volume immediately.
Though it caused quite a commotion, time proved to be the best medicine, and the fervor eventually settled into a patient wait for the next installment. Subscribers calmed their hearts and focused on their daily lives, waiting for time to pass.
About a month after Volume 7, news was published in the papers that the long-awaited Volume 8 was finally being released. However, there was one sentence that caught everyone's eye.
[Contains scenes that may be offensive to the nobility.]
The publisher, who had reviewed the manuscript first, had included that warning. It naturally piqued the curiosity of both nobles and commoners alike.
What kind of scene could it be to warrant such a warning for the nobility? The answer was revealed only after the new volume of Xenon Biography was released.
[Nobles exist above the people, and a King exists above the nobles, and a King can only exist because there is a nation. But it is the people who support that nation. In other words, whether one is a King or a noble, they are nothing before the people. And yet, Count Crost, you are slandering the very foundation of this nation simply because they annoy you. Truly, the conduct of a proper noble. Is it not?]
Even if it was spoken by a character in a novel—and a fellow noble at that—it was a scathing critique. Even if it was a work of fiction, the creation of that story belonged solely to the author.
It wasn't that there were no books or paintings satirizing or criticizing the misdeeds of the nobility, but Xenon Biography was far too direct. Considering the influence of the series, it was undoubtedly a dangerous statement, even if not unprecedented.
In fact, there was an event in this world similar to Earth's 'French Revolution.' It was the 'Jayros Revolution' that broke out in the Ters Kingdom, long considered the eternal rival of the Minerva Empire.
It was named the Jayros Revolution for convenience, as a man named Jayros was the leader.
That single revolution shook the Ters Kingdom to its core, and numerous corrupt nobles were dragged down. Although the revolution itself did not fully succeed, its aftermath was terrifying enough to serve as a grave warning.
However, despite such a major event, the culture of nobles looking down on commoners persisted. If anything, they became more vicious in covering up their tracks to ensure nothing reached the public eye.
Because of this, some nobles voiced intense criticism regarding the beginning of Volume 8. However, only a minority of nobles poured out such vitriol; most simply reacted with a sense of bitterness.
Regarding these numerous reactions, one critic commented:
This single, heavy 'fact bomb' effectively silenced the nobles who had been spewing criticism and condemnation. It was a sight to behold.
Regardless, while the countries with a nobility system were briefly in an uproar over the beginning of Volume 8, countries without such systems moved on.
The noble who had put the protagonist, Xenon, in danger was eventually stripped of all titles and imprisoned, and Xenon headed to the land of the Dwarves for a brief rest.
Since this was the first time in Xenon Biography that the story moved to the land of another race rather than a human kingdom, many subscribers were excited. Naturally, the Dwarves themselves held the greatest expectations—and concerns.
"Hmm..."
"What do you think? Isn't it worth trying to make? There's a rough explanation and a drawing here too."
A Dwarf with a thick grey beard, a cranky-looking face, and a short, stout stature was carefully observing a drawing on a piece of paper.
Beside him, a young Dwarf with a beard just long enough to cover his face was urging him on with an excited expression. The Greybeard Dwarf ignored his son's pestering and focused solely on the drawing.
What he was looking at was an illustration that appeared in the latter half of Volume 8 of Xenon Biography, released this month. It had been attached with something like an adhesive so it wouldn't fall out while reading, and he had discovered it late.
The Greybeard Dwarf tilted his head and muttered the name of the object mentioned in the book.
"The name of this hunk of iron is a 'Steam Locomotive'?"
"Yes!"
"And this massive hunk of iron moves through a special engine? Only on a special path called 'Railroad Tracks'? And it can carry various goods behind it like a carriage, not just the front part?"
"Yes!"
"And the principle of moving the wheels is an exaggeration of the phenomenon where a kettle lid rattles when you boil water?"
"Yes!"
The young Dwarf answered brightly every time the Greybeard Dwarf asked a question. At this, the Greybeard Dwarf let out a dry laugh.
"Ho ho ho. My son? Stop talking nonsense. Fiction should be viewed as fiction; trying to apply it to reality will only give you a headache. We should just focus on making better weapons."
"But Father, it's realistic. Isn't it better than nothing at all?"
In response to his son's question, the Greybeard Dwarf waved his hand and spoke in a dismissive voice.
"Realism or not, your father is too old to have the energy to make something like this. If you want, gather some like-minded people and try making it together. And what did they call it here? Coal? There's plenty of that black rock around, so do as you please. We need 'Magic Stones' more than black rocks anyway."
"Then you won't help me?"
"I can't help you directly, but I can provide financial support. There must be plenty of reckless fools like you out there, so finding manpower should be easy."
"Understood! Please wait just a moment! I'll gather them right away!"
The young Dwarf answered energetically and dashed out of the forge. The Greybeard Dwarf chuckled at his son's passionate display before looking back at the paper.
The quality of the drawing couldn't be called good even as a compliment, but the general appearance was clear. Furthermore, the book included explanations, so he knew what its purpose was.
He has quite the imagination. How did he come up with this?
Even for a Dwarf, a member of the race of master craftsmen and creators—and even for a highly skilled Greybeard Dwarf among them—it was an idea that commanded admiration.
In the current situation where many people assumed nothing could replace magic, the appearance of such a 'machine' would cause a massive upheaval.
In particular, it was certain that 'humans' would benefit the most. Even if they lacked innate abilities, their learning and adaptability were peerless.
Perhaps the moment the Steam Locomotive was invented, the world might shift its tracks from magic to machinery.
Did this fellow really come from another world?
The Greybeard Dwarf couldn't help but harbor that question in earnest.