Chapter 584: Extermination(1)
Chapter 584: Extermination(1)
A brief oil crisis had flared up, and the existence of plastic had been discovered, but things were settling down smoothly.
Descal, Cecile’s father and my father-in-law, had announced his intention to find a way to decompose plastic using magic.
If factories had been invented first and plastic had appeared afterward, environmental pollution would have spiraled out of control. Fortunately, the order was reversed, buying us some much-needed time.
In a world overflowing with magic and extraordinary wonders, a method to break down plastic would surely be found before long.
At first, I thought of slimes, which are optimized for decomposing matter, but I quickly discarded the idea.
According to the monster encyclopedia, slimes are acidic, but plastic is highly resistant to acid. Decomposition would be nearly impossible.
To think there was a substance even slimes couldn't break down—what a cheat-like material. I hadn't realized it back when I lived on Earth, but it truly was a miracle substance.
In any case, even the gods were feeling a slight sense of alarm, and since the material had been invented so early, there was plenty of time to address it.
"Daddy. Daddy. What are you doing?"
"Daddy’s working right now."
"Writing a story?"
"No. Studying."
Well, I wasn't exactly studying, but now was the time for it, not for writing.
The Pearl Harbor Attack had brought the United States into the war, and the Pacific War had broken out, but I didn't even have the luxury to check the newspapers right now.
The priority was studying. And not just ordinary studying, but the kind I had to cling to desperately to become a professor.
Even though it was essentially an honorary professorship, I would still have to give occasional lectures or classes, making personal study essential.
"You can take it easy. It's not like you're that busy, right?"
On the other hand, my lovely wife and the woman I needed to protect most was overflowing with leisure.
Regardless of the era, a pregnant woman is the top priority for protection. Even now, she was spending most of her time in bed.
With the Xenon Festival over and the Academy's new semester approaching, about a month had passed since she conceived my child.
Until she reached the stable period, a pregnant woman should avoid any unnecessary strain. According to my mother, the risk of a natural miscarriage is high during this time.
Of course, since the child carried my divinity, the probability of a miscarriage was extremely low, but there was always a 'what if.' Even without that risk, she deserved to be protected.
"I can't. I need to prepare in advance so I'll be comfortable once I'm at the Academy. It would weigh on my conscience if I held an honorary position and did absolutely nothing."
"I suppose that's true."
"Mommy~"
Perhaps unable to bear the boredom, Ariel, who had been watching me from the side, trotted over to Mari.
Mari gave a joyful smile and gently pulled the girl into her arms.
"Ariel. How do you feel about having a younger sibling?"
"I like it!"
"You do? Daddy can make a lot more for you. What do you think about that?"
"Ariel likes having lots and lots of siblings!"
I wanted to pretend I didn't hear that, but I couldn't. That was basically a predestined future.
Mari’s pregnancy was certainly an unexpected accident. Who would have thought divinity could punch right through contraception?
Once everything was settled, my future was plain to see. Setting everything else aside, I’d be busy sowing seeds.
'I’ll probably be recorded in history as the greatest philanderer of the century...'
I already was, more or less. If there’s a red-haired Elf or Demon in the distant future?
There’s a 99.9% chance they’re my descendant. Red hair is rare enough in this world as it is, so the math is simple.
That’s why I need to work hard so my descendants won't be ashamed. It’s also why I’m so hostile toward the Demon Worshippers.
'Even if I’m recorded as a philanderer, I shouldn't have any other stains on my reputation.'
This applied to my private life as well as my public one. Once I started working as a professor, my true depth—or lack thereof—would be exposed.
I just had to make sure I didn't earn the dishonor of people saying, 'Xenon was just an empty shell.'
I was only able to write because I borrowed strength from my previous life; I was far from a genius.
That was why I was studying so hard. So that even if people found it strange, they would just accept it and move on.
It was essentially stalling for time, but that stalling was vital to me.
"Adel. I’m starting to get sleepy. Can you take Ariel for a bit?"
"Sure. Ariel? Mommy Mari is tired, so let's go play with Mommy Adel."
"What are we going to play?"
"Hmm... shall we go outside and think about it?"
Right on cue, the pregnancy-induced drowsiness hit Mari. According to my mother’s experience, lethargy and sleepiness strike frequently during the early stages of pregnancy.
Soon, Adelia took Ariel outside, and with Mari falling asleep, the perfect environment for concentration was created.
Cecile and the other women were enjoying their own leisure time. They were probably in the middle of a heated game of Baduk by now.
I stood up briefly and approached Mari. She gave a soft smile as I drew near.
I gently stroked her snow-white hair and spoke tenderly.
"Sleep well. I'll be quiet."
"Give me a kiss before you go."
I had to give her what she wanted. I smiled and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.
Mari beamed at my display of affection and slowly drifted off to sleep. Before long, only the sound of her even breathing filled the room.
Perhaps because the child carried divinity, Mari had been napping more frequently lately. Her appetite had increased as well.
The child was already making their mother work hard. I was truly looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble they’d stir up once they were born.
'Well, at least we have plenty of money.'
More than money, I needed to prepare highly nutritious food. I was already steadily gathering ingredients from all over.
With my insanely wide network, various ingredients would be arriving soon. Arwen had even declared she would prepare something related to the World Tree.
Not to be outdone, Cecile said she would prepare something too... but Helium is famous for its bizarre food culture, so honestly, I wasn't expecting much.
It felt bad to say, but it was the truth. Even Cecile herself was well aware of it.
Regardless, Mari’s nutritional needs were being handled, so I just needed to focus on my studies.
'If I do give a lecture, it would be best to start with the Xenon Biography. And then...'
I wasn't sure if I would actually teach a class, but if I did, I had to decide on a theme. The theme I chose was 'Idioms.'
Idioms are expressions where the original words are used differently from their literal meanings. It means you shouldn't always take words at face value.
A classic example is 'lending a hand.' It doesn't literally mean giving someone your hand, but rather providing help.
And while the theme was idioms, in a broader sense, it focused on the vocabulary used in the Xenon Biography and Blood and Iron.
'I’ve created too many words.'
Terms used primarily in Baduk, like 'life and death,' 'overtime,' 'joseki,' and 'brilliant move.' I had adapted not only these but also many words I used frequently in my previous life.
This was possible because the grammar itself was similar. The word order was almost identical to Korean or Japanese.
The problem was the quantity and variety of words. Before the publication of the Xenon Biography, books were packed with nothing but difficult, archaic terms.
Not only did they require constant interpretation, but they were also words never used in daily life. Even nobles only used them to show off their knowledge.
'To me, it all felt utterly ridiculous.'
There wasn't much difference between the words used by commoners and nobles. No one would say 'Behold!' when they could just say 'Look over there.'
Instead, there were only slight differences in speech patterns. Much like how Arwen used a somewhat archaic and elegant tone.
In this environment, I created numerous idioms to facilitate easier understanding.
Since I borrowed the strength of my past life—specifically the greatness of the Korean language—the difficulty was quite low.
'After all, it’s a language that can use even the word "fuck" in a dozen different ways.'
The most famous swear word in English is undoubtedly 'Fuck.'
But in Korean, there are countless variations of 'Ssibal.' They’re too vulgar to mention, so I’ll move on.
Of course, this world was no slouch when it came to swearing either. Have you ever heard someone called an 'Orc’s testicle-like bastard'?
I’d heard it a few times at the festival; apparently, it’s a common insult for someone’s ugly appearance.
'Swearing really is creative wherever you go.'
It was a bit of a shame they hadn't used that creativity to develop other idioms and raise the quality of the literary world.
Anyway, the idioms I used were essentially new creations, so I never forgot to include footnotes.
The Xenon Biography was relatively easy to understand because of its setting, but as for Blood and Iron... let’s just say it was a different story.
I didn't just write Blood and Iron blindly. I tried my best to derive terms from familiar words.
'Democracy' was originally derived from Greek. I had scoured encyclopedias and books on ancient languages to find the most similar terms.
'I could easily fill several lectures just explaining idioms.'
The number of idioms I’d created since coming to this world was countless.
Some of the representative ones included 'having thin ears' (being gullible), 'having wide feet' (being well-connected), 'returning to the starting point,' 'feeling refreshed,' and 'being blinded by love.'
Since these were idioms that could be used in daily life, they were spreading across the world by word of mouth. It was all thanks to the massive influence of the Xenon Biography.
I knew that many of the idioms I used had appeared in Cherry’s works as well. It was certain that I had exerted a massive influence on the literary world in many ways.
'Playing with language is the true tribute to that language.'
I’ll admit it now, but back when I was writing the Xenon Biography, I received quite a few attacks from the literary establishment.
Part of it was jealousy because the work was both critically acclaimed and popular, but their justification was truly absurd.
They claimed I was using the language bestowed by the gods however I pleased. That I wasn't just using it, but creating words at my own whim.
As expected of people in the literary world, their choice of words was quite something. I ignored them at the time, but it was still ridiculous.
'If anyone says that kind of crap in my lecture, I’ll have to give them a piece of my mind.'
Language only reveals its true value when you play with it freely. In fact, controlling it is what hinders its development.
One only needs to look at the Japanese Occupation Period in Korea to see that. Perhaps because of that past, remnants still linger in many parts of the language today.
I studied language in the quiet room before my eyes drifted elsewhere.
On the desk, alongside my study materials, were stacks of manuscripts for Blood and Iron.
'By the way, will this word work? Isn't there a more groundbreaking term?'
In the current plot of Blood and Iron, the Pearl Harbor Attack has occurred, and the United States has entered the war.
The Pearl Harbor Attack happened in December 1941. This meant that 1942 was about to begin.
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were still locked in a bloody struggle, and Moscow had been pushed to the brink of fall.
Although Zhukov’s brilliance managed to push Nazi Germany back from Moscow, the Battle of Moscow wasn't the most important thing to focus on right now.
'The Wannsee Conference.'
A meeting to be held in late January 1942 at a villa in Wannsee, near Berlin. It was a gathering of SS officials led by Reinhard Heydrich.
The theme of the conference was the treatment of the Jews. It was here that the Final Solution for the Jews would be proposed and passed unanimously.
And that Final Solution was...
'I want the word "Extermination" to have more impact.'
The beginning of the Holocaust.
'Maybe a proper mix of "massacre" and "extinction" would work?'
It was time for the prelude to true madness to be revealed.