As a mage, I just want to pursue the truth

Chapter 259 Consensus (asking for monthly ticket)

It feels so bad to be socially dead, especially in front of the entire Blue Planet.

Lawrence hadn't prepared himself at all.

Herman thought this was a good thing.

Today, people are increasingly aware of the value of consensus.

To sum up the history of human speculation, it can be summed up in one word: consensus.

Transactions only flow when someone realizes that something is valuable.

Money is debt and it is also a consensus.

In the history of the tulip incident in the Netherlands, everyone was crazy about tulips because everyone agreed that this thing was valuable.

The same is true for virtual currencies today.

Including the monkey stamps in China's history, the so-called significance is nothing more than to strengthen the consensus in people's hearts.

Only when there is consensus will someone pay for it. If the dealer is the only one who recognizes the value of the hyped thing, where can we find someone to take over?
The phenomenon of A-share market is the most obvious. If the stock price does not rise sharply by a few boards, giving the investors the illusion that the company is a leader, how can the investors be attracted to come in and be harvested?
The so-called leading or monster stocks in the A-share market are all intended to create a false consensus that they will continue to rise.

The same principle applies to being an internet celebrity. Being black and red is still red, because being black and red also creates a consensus in the minds of a large number of people. As long as it is a consensus, it is valuable.

Besides, public opinion is very easy to manipulate. Take Tfboy, who was ridiculed by the whole network back then. Is there anyone still laughing at them now?
As an unknown person on Tik Tok, Herman is very clear about this clear truth.

Of course, having four-digit fans does not mean he is unknown. There are many people in Manchester University who follow Herman.

Maybe he couldn't express it in words, but in his subconscious, he was fully aware of the value of Lawrence's global popularity.

As Lawrence's best friend, he can definitely get a piece of the pie.

Lawrence shook his head and said, "I hope to be known by the public for my wisdom, not because I served as a background board in front of magical events."

"Besides, I'm not really keen on being an internet celebrity. This kind of popularity can only last for a month at most."

Lawrence knew very well that he was socially anxious in front of outsiders, not good at speaking, and was simply not cut out for this job.

As people grow up, they will have a clearer understanding of themselves.

When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a scientist, astronaut, etc. When I grew up, I hoped to be admitted to Tsinghua University or Peking University.

As you grow up, some doors are closed to you due to objective reasons, while some doors are closed because of your own cognition.

The door here refers to choice. As people grow up and have a clearer understanding of themselves, they have fewer and fewer choices.

Lawrence believes that it would be best for him to pursue a career in scientific research in the future. If he does not have this talent, being a technician would also be a good option.

Herman stood up and waved his arms, the fat on his arms trembling, "Of course I know you don't have a sense of camera, and you don't have much desire to perform."

"I can be responsible for thinking about what to shoot for each video. My years of experience in watching movies and using Tik Tok can come in handy."

"Also, it's not that you don't have a desire to show off, it's just that your desire to show off is in your wisdom, and you also hope to be recognized by others."

"We can definitely make a video to show this aspect of your qualities."

"The attention you are receiving now is just a means for us to attract followers. This wave of traffic will only last for a while."

"I am also very clear about this. We need to rely on the audience attracted by this wave of popularity and let them be attracted by our subsequent content."

"Just like a restaurant that becomes popular on Tik Tok, it can eventually attract users to make repeated purchases. Ultimately, it all depends on the taste and service."

In this London magic event, Lawrence was the most watched one.

There were only three people on the stage of the Science and Technology Innovation Future Conference at that time.

Song Zhiwen, Lawrence and his fighting opponent.

As Song Zhiwen is a Chinese national and a senior executive of Kechuang Future, foreign media don’t give him much screen time.

It's good enough to mention him a few times, and foreign media try to downplay his presence as much as possible.

As for Lawrence's opponent, he didn't even dare to take off his VR helmet, missing the opportunity to show his face in front of the global audience.

Coupled with Lawrence's thin appearance, pale face and black-framed glasses, he is somewhat similar to the prototype in Harry Potter.

The combination of multiple factors has resulted in Lawrence reaping the biggest traffic dividend.

Of course, in Lawrence's view, this is not a bonus.

Lawrence shook his head: "Forget it, I'm not ready to live under so much attention."

“Even if I wanted to be recognized, I wouldn’t want to be recognized by so many people.”

"How should I put it? I am not mentally prepared for such a change."

Lawrence said firmly, "Don't try to persuade me anymore."

“But as a friend, I can help you shoot a short video on your Tik Tok and help you increase your followers.”

"As for whether you can keep them, it depends on your own ability."

Herman sighed: "Okay, I respect your choice."

"It's just that I feel like I missed a rare opportunity, but it's okay."

"In addition, Kechuang Biotechnology has promised to give you a latest model of brain-computer connection VR for free."

"Brain-computer-connected VR has arrived. I just tried it and it's very good."

"New brain-computer connection technologies are already capable of enabling most forms of movement in reality."

"This has led to a qualitative leap in the realism of RPG games."

All the audience members at the scene received vouchers worth about 1000 RMB, and two audience members on the stage received a Futureverse2.

The injury expenses of all the spectators present at the time were reimbursed by Kechuang Future.

Only then did Lawrence notice that there was an unpacked brain-computer VR device on the table next to him.

"Oh." He seemed rather uninterested.

Lawrence was thinking back to the water element that had rushed towards him, the smell of water in the air still lingering in his mind.

"Who do you think is responsible for this magical incident in London?
Merlin? Or who?"

Herman shook his head and said, "I don't know, but I can show you a video."

The video is the one Charles posted on FB at the time, which consists of several segments.

Herman said: "These videos have been circulating privately recently and have become very popular."

That is, after the London magic incident, Charles' previous posts on Facebook were dug out by someone and widely circulated.

After watching it, Lawrence wondered, "Special effects? Or magic?"

Herman responded, "I don't know if it's a special effect or what."

"At that time, someone posted on FB that he had gained relevant knowledge about magic, and then after a while he actually succeeded in casting a spell."

"I can no longer find the comments from netizens on that FB post, and I can't tell whether it was a special effect or not."

"But I believe this is true." "Because the post has been blocked, and now the blockade of this video on the Internet is quite serious."

"If you send this video directly to others, they won't be able to see it on their messaging apps."

"You need to compress the video, rename it, and send it to the other party."

"This level of interception is something that only the English government can achieve."

"Based on this behavior alone, I think the authenticity of the video has been greatly enhanced."

Many times, the more you block it, the more real it becomes.

Lawrence felt too confused: "What's going on with the magic this time?"

"Has it become easier to get magic coins recently?"

The magic coin system has been around for five years, and as time goes by, people have a clear understanding of the difficulty of obtaining magic coins.

Most people no longer have this dream, and even many large companies have given up investing in this field.

First of all, they don’t understand what they will get, the input and output are completely unknown.

I don’t know how much I should invest to get the corresponding return.

Another thing is that you have too many competitors, and it's a zero-sum game.

Even the giants are like this, let alone ordinary people.

Herman shook his head and said:
"Your question has gone beyond the scope of my information sources. Perhaps only the government knows the answer."

"But I am sure that something is wrong in London recently. All flights to London have been suspended."

"Flights from London to Newcastle have been suspended."

"But recently the whole of England has focused on the life-extending potion. Apart from the passengers on the affected flights, not many people care about the suspension of London airports."

"I smell something different. You have to know that the last time all flights to London were grounded was in December 2020."

Lawrence seemed to suspect that he had heard it wrongly: "Life-extending potion? What is that?"

He wondered if he had been unconscious for ten years, otherwise how could such a thing as a life-extending potion have come out.

Herman patted his head and said, "I forgot to tell you that recently, the big pharmaceutical companies in Europe and China have jointly developed a life-extending drug, which is said to be able to extend life by one to two years."

“This is also the most hotly discussed topic around the world.”

The media have stated that by 2050, with the development of technology, the global average life expectancy will exceed 100 years.

The life-extending drug also made the media optimistic.

Lawrence: "It seems that too many things happened on the day I fainted. Let's get back to the topic just now. What is the official statement about the suspension of London airports?"

Herman said: "The official statement is naturally that the press conference incident involved a person with super powers."

"London airports need to stop operating until the killer is found."

At this time, in the ward upstairs in Lawrence's building, Song Zhiwen had already processed several documents and held several rounds of remote meetings with Gusu.

Kechuang Future’s shareholders include several leading Internet companies and Kechuang Biotech in China.

It has two headquarters, one in Pengcheng and one in Suzhou.

The headquarters in Pengcheng is mainly responsible for the production and manufacturing of brain-computer connected VR.

The supply chain in the consumer electronics sector in the Pearl River Delta is much stronger than that in Suzhou.

Other departments are located in Gusu.

When Song Zhiwen was in China, he traveled between Suzhou and Pengcheng.

You earn a lot but the work intensity is also high.

It's hard to just lie down in a fast-growing company.

Domestic Internet companies, such as Sohu, have basically stagnated in business development. The bulk of their profits now still come from the game Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, which was produced more than ten years ago, and the employees in the game can only make a living.

Of course, this also depends on the integrity of the company's boss.

Even though Li Miaomiao gave Song Zhiwen a holiday on behalf of the company, he still couldn't rest for a moment.

"Mr. Song, the company's current opinion is to suspend marketing in the European region first, and currently focus on tap water from niche forums."

"In addition, Tencent has already communicated with them that the next finals of Heroes of Doom will be held in Europe."

"Heroes of Doom" has become a phenomenal survival game in the VR game field.

For the first time, the number of viewers for the World Championship exceeded that of League of Legends.

"After this show, the Face of America show that was originally planned to be held in Rio de Janeiro has now been cancelled."

"Currently, the sales of the second-generation brain-computer connection VR in Greater China have exceeded two million, and the growth rate has slowly declined, but it is still maintaining a high shipment status."

"Offline flagship stores nationwide have been set up in the core business districts of all second-tier cities. We are still considering whether to expand to third-tier cities."

"Also, Mr. Song, during your vacation, part of your work will be handled by Mr. Miaomiao himself, and a small part will be assigned to Mr. Rui."

Li Rui is the vice president in charge of supply chain. Since he has the same surname as Li Miaomiao, he is called President Rui in the company.

After listening to his subordinates' work plan reports, Song Zhiwen made some simple arrangements, and then he knew that he could have a good rest in the next two months.

Because his job responsibilities were divided among other executives.

At least that's the case during his rest time.

For people who are used to being busy, being idle will make them uncomfortable.

Song Zhiwen planned to wait until he felt better and take advantage of the rare holiday, a paid vacation, to travel around Europe.

The reason why the paper on life-extending drugs was published in The Lancet instead of other equally famous journals is that of the four major comprehensive medical journals, two belong to America and two belong to England.

The Lancet, England Medical Journal, Journal of the American Medical Association, and the New England Journal of Medicine.

The last two are American academic journals, and the first two are English academic journals. Yes, the New England Journal of Medicine was founded by American doctors.

If you want to make academic journals more influential, you must rely on the quality of the papers.

The Europa League would never give up a paper like the one on life-extending potion, which has attracted worldwide academic attention, to America.

Influence is also part of national strength.

China still has a long way to go in the field of academic journals and huge room for development.

"Principles, experimental data and clinical manifestations of life-extending drugs"

After the paper was released, it quickly sparked heated discussions in the academic community, with everyone discussing the divergent scenarios and applications of the principles mentioned in it.

In particular, American pharmaceutical giants paid special attention to this paper.

Only colleagues in the same field can best realize the specific value of life-extending drugs.

(End of this chapter)