The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 413: I overestimated him.

The research on Virtual Realm No. 178 continued late into the night, and thanks to the efforts of the researchers at Corinta, the timeline behind the Virtual Realm was pushed forward by a full fifty years.

However, the research did not progress smoothly.

As time went by, nothing else happened except that the illusory passage that connected the two worlds weakened.

The Grey civilization behind the virtual realm seems to have run out of new insights to share with their "creator".

Their latest technological advancements were beyond the comprehension of the researchers at Xuebang. Even the all-knowing new god "Colin" was beginning to struggle to understand the scene unfolding before his eyes.

This is inevitable.

Every father will one day find himself gradually unable to understand what his children are thinking or doing.

For the researchers at Corinta, their only remaining obsession was probably that azure world. They wanted to know what happened to the "Cosmic Spirit Foundation," whether those seemingly human beings still believed in "Corinta," and... whether they could cross the 178th virtual realm to make contact with them.

This is not only the researchers' obsession, but also a thought that Luo Yan, though not explicitly stated, truly had in his mind.

Although he knew that it might not be his hometown, he was still very curious about what Earth was like on another timeline, and how he was doing living in that world... if there was one.

Unfortunately, the Grey civilization has not undertaken any new explorations of the virtual realm in the past fifty years.

And that azure world vanished from the sight of the researchers at Corinta.

All signs indicate that the two worlds are drifting further and further apart. Whether it's the azure world and the gray world, or the gray world and the world where Xuebang is located.

A sense of foreboding arose in the hearts of all the magicians—

What they are seeing right now is probably the final "grand finale".

The history of the Greys continues to unfold, and the exploration of the Void Realm is merely a small episode in their rich and colorful memories.

Unlike the Solipsians, they did not obsessively explore the void. Instead, they became "ordinary people" like their fathers, continuing their journey through the material universe with reverence for the spirit, the soul, and the void.

In this new chapter, "Colin" is no longer the protagonist of their story, but has become a symbol along with Jon, as a page in the doctrine of the "Cult of Cosmic Spirits".

Like all fathers who are reluctant to let their children go, the "gods" of Corinta are also reluctant to part with the gray people of the 178th Void Realm.

At this moment, a teaching assistant suddenly made a suggestion.

"If things continue like this, they'll forget about us sooner or later. Why don't we take advantage of the fact that we can still exert influence over them and choose another divine messenger from among them?"

This suggestion has been endorsed by many researchers.

However, some researchers believe that the failure of the "Cosmic Spirit Foundation" foreshadowed the future of this option.

For example, Miller.

With a yearning for the incredible unity and cohesion of the Grey civilization, he clearly stated his opposition.

"...I object! If we are unwilling to let go, we will eventually repeat Merck's mistakes! We still have some source energy to use on our virtual passage, but by then, we may not even have that little bit of source energy left!"

This was not the real reason in his heart.

But compared to vague aspirations and satisfaction with the present happiness of the "children," this practical reason is more likely to be accepted by other "gods."

The debate in the Collin Tower lasted a long time, but neither side could convince the other.

Ultimately, everyone turned their attention to Prince Colin, awaiting the judgment of the Greys by this true "creator."

Faced with those expectant gazes, Luo Yan pondered for a long time, but gave a reply that disappointed most of the "fathers".

"That's enough."

Looking at those faces filled with lingering resentment, he spoke in a gentle tone.

"Even the newest gods will one day become the ancient gods of the past."

“Our ‘children’ have become their own gods, and we have entered an era where everyone is like a god. If we continue to hold their hands tightly, it would be too insensitive.”

"Jon is dead."

"Let 'Colin' go with him."

……

A few days have passed since then.

With the conclusion of research on Virtual Realm No. 178, the researchers at Corinta have shifted their focus from theoretical exploration to the development of existing resources.

Instead of using Source Power to accelerate the passage of time behind the virtual realm and rush to the distant future, they let time flow naturally, cherishing the last bit of time for the two worlds to share insights, and striving to gain more inspiration from the present moment of Virtual Realm No. 178.

Just like they are doing in the 440th virtual realm.

Since there was no work that required his personal command, Luo Yan temporarily left the Collin Tower and focused his main energy on arranging his "aftermath".

For example, the establishment of the Virtual Realm Resource Reorganization Committee, the arrangement of the Magic Science Laboratory, and the curriculum arrangement of science classes, etc.

The office of the Virtual Realm Resources Restructuring Committee.

Compared to a traditional scholar's study, this place is more like a well-organized archive. Towering bookshelves reach the ceiling, neatly stacked with files marked with different virtual realm numbers.

Behind rows of desks, clerical staff were meticulously copying reports submitted from various mage towers and filing them one by one.

Teaching assistants and mentors moved about hurriedly, occasionally stopping in front of a project board to discuss something in hushed tones.

The air was filled with the dry smell of old parchment mixed with ink.

With clear division of labor and well-defined responsibilities, everyone here can focus on their immediate task without worrying about trivial matters outside of work.

That's true, at least for now.

Luo Yan was very satisfied with everything here, and this was another valuable "legacy" he left for the academic community, following his ideas on "science."

Drawing on modern academic project management experience, he designed a more "scientific" resource allocation and management system for Xuebang's virtual reality research!

Here, each exploration of a virtual realm is managed as an independent project.

Some people are responsible for the initial risk assessment and resource review, while others are responsible for tracking project progress and material allocation. All projects that enter the approval process need to undergo strict registration and value assessment before being transferred to a seminar for review and interviews.

Any scholar who has objections to the allocation of resources may apply to sit in on the seminar and raise questions during the Q&A session.

This system, to some extent, ended the chaotic era in which resources were monopolized by a few scholars and research results and risks depended entirely on the personal conscience of the scholars.

Of course, whether or not to continue using it is up to Xuebang itself.

The rules of any game are just rules; what truly determines whether a game is a high-stakes match or a casual one is ultimately the "players" themselves.

If that dear "Arist II" replaced the cleaning staff in this office with his own the day after he left, then even if he brought in the management techniques of the Solipsians, it would be useless.

Of course.

If that guy really did that, it might not be a bad thing, since everything beautiful needs a shadow to set it off.

Sitting behind his desk at the far end of the office, Luo Yan leisurely sipped his tea and admired the piece of work he had personally completed.

Meanwhile, Miller, who had just finished archiving research data on the virtual realm No. 178, was excitedly reporting the progress of his paper to him.

"Your Highness! Our gains have far exceeded our expectations! Although it's a pity we couldn't see the end of the 'Grey' civilization's story, our output in Void Realm 178 has completely surpassed that of Void Realm 440!"

"Not only have we found a more efficient and stable mining method than Mentor Merck's crude 'harvesting' method, but we have also reinforced the passage to the No. 178 Void Realm more securely than ever before! Although we haven't figured out what to get from the Greys yet, the massive amount of source energy resources piled up in the Void Realm passage is enough to turn the Void Realm into a long-term and high-quality meal ticket!"

He took a deep breath, his excitement subsiding slightly, but the admiration in his voice remained undiminished.

"...As for the theoretical progress, it's even more astonishing. Whether it's the Greys' 'psychic network' or the 'virtual realm within a virtual realm' phenomenon we discovered during our exploration, either one of them is a major research discovery worthy of making the front page of the Sage's Gazette!"

Retrieving virtual resources is Xuebang's original business.

Although it is impossible to directly retrieve "technology" that does not exist on the continent of Os, the treasures that can be used to condense souls and the rare materials for creating powerful magical artifacts are temptations that even the sages cannot resist.

Luo Yan was pleased that Miller and his team were able to quickly regain their footing, but seeing how eager Miller was to publish the paper immediately, he still kindly offered a word of advice.

“Well done. But... you shouldn’t make things difficult for the editors of the Sage’s Gazette lately. It’s okay to write papers at a slower pace.”

"Why?" Miller looked at his mentor, who had suddenly poured cold water on his enthusiasm, with a puzzled expression. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! We will redefine the model of virtual reality research, and no one will be able to doubt that we are doing something useless—"

"You'll understand after I leave." Luo Yan smiled at the young man, his tone calm and even, as if he were talking about something trivial that had nothing to do with him.

Miller was stunned for a moment before realizing the astonishing information behind those words, and the excitement on his face instantly froze.

He lowered his voice and asked tentatively.

"You...you're leaving?!"

"Yes." Luo Yan nodded frankly.

Miller stared blankly at the esteemed prince before him, speechless for a moment.

Even though he had a thousand words he wanted to say to persuade them to stay, those words stuck in his throat, and in the end he could only squeeze out a bitter and hoarse sentence.

"……Why?"

He is a smart man.

Although he doesn't usually show enthusiasm for the power struggles atop the tower, it doesn't mean he's oblivious to everything.

Recent signs indicate that the great sage, far away, is intentionally supporting Professor Uriel of the Holy Power School to counterbalance the scientific school advocated by His Highness Colin, and many scholars who were originally close to His Highness have begun to switch sides again.

Downplaying Colin's positive role in the "Maze Trial Incident" is a typical example of this.

Although the three thousand apprentices and hundreds of teaching assistants who experienced that incident all knew that it was Prince Colin who ended Professor Aristotle's corruption by Chaos, the Sage's Report, by downplaying the incident, attributed the credit to Ophia and others who destroyed the core of the labyrinth.

This is the second method used by the upper levels of the tower.

They not only wanted to cultivate a new faction to succeed the Thorne Society and fight against the "Science" school, but also to cultivate another faction within the Science school, thereby dividing the influence that originally belonged to Colin personally and instigating conflict between the two factions.

This may not have been an order personally issued by the great sage.

But those living in this tower are all top-notch intelligent people. They only need a glance or a cough from the Great Sage to naturally understand the unspoken meaning behind his words.

Then, all of this will be arranged automatically through collective unconscious behavior.

The Greys of Virtual Realm 178 connect their minds via a psionic network, a feat easily accomplished by the Sages of the Academy without the aid of magic.

Miller had assumed the prince would be an exception; if he were an undisputed nobleman, he wouldn't have to go through all this. However, it turned out he was wrong.

It doesn't matter who comes here.

"Why did you leave... I can tell you many reasons."

Luo Yan put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the window overlooking the entire snowfield, and continued speaking with a smile.

"But if I had to tell you the story myself, I would prefer to tell you the most poetic one... Some birds are destined to belong to a wider sky."

He turned around, looked at Miller who looked reluctant to part, and smiled gently.

"Don't be so discouraged. We're not separated by an insurmountable dimensional barrier; we live under the same starry sky. If you miss me someday, just write to me, or... you can come to the continent of Gana to find me."

A strong impulse surged through Miller's heart.

He even wanted to abandon everything in the academy at this moment, leave this cold snowfield that had imprisoned countless geniuses, and follow in the footsteps of this prince to see the wider sky.

However, there were too many things he couldn't bear to part with. He thought of his colleagues who had worked with him, the eager young apprentices in the magic science laboratory, and the countless research projects on the walls that had just begun and were waiting for them to complete.

There are some things that can never be done again once you leave Xuebang.

Perhaps, one day in the future, he will make a choice.

But now, he would rather stay here and carry on the "scientific" spark that His Highness brought with him in such a fleeting moment.

Perhaps one day in the future, this tower will change something because of his insignificant efforts.

if there is not……

It's not too late to make other choices then.

Having figured this out, Miller took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked at Luo Yan with an unprecedentedly firm gaze.

"Your Highness, I will not beg you to stay, but I request that you inform me of the day you depart. At least allow us to stand by the window to see you off, and not leave without a word..."

"that's for sure."

Luo Yan smiled, a mischievous glint in his deep eyes, and spoke gently.

"I flew here from the sky, and I will naturally fly away from this snowfield when I leave."

"When that day comes, it will be hard for you not to see me."

……

In addition to a scientific system for managing virtual resources, Luo Yan also prepared another "gift" for his young apprentices.

It was neither a powerful magical artifact nor a magical tome inscribed with obscure spells, but something far more valuable than either of those.

The following day, at the Magic Science Laboratory, he gathered his students and announced a seemingly mundane decision.

“The wise have their own journals, and we’re going to create our own academic journal,” Luo Yan announced with a smile. “Let’s call it ‘Science’.”

As he spoke, Luo Yan turned his gaze to James Wally.

"Can I ask you for a favor regarding this editor-in-chief position?"

“No problem, Your Highness, but… can I really do it?” Upon hearing this astonishing decision, James’s face was filled with flattery, but there was also a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

He believed that Prince Colin had chosen him out of trust, but he doubted his own qualifications and authority.

Can a silver-level mentor really shoulder such a heavy responsibility?

Seeing the insecure Mr. James Wally, Luo Yan smiled and gently dispelled his concerns.

"Of course, in fact... you are the most suitable candidate."

After a pause, he continued.

“Our journal is different from The Sage’s Journal. You don’t need to consider the interests of the Tower of Great Sages, or even the interests of the academic community. Your attention should be focused solely on the academic work itself. As long as a paper is groundbreaking, regardless of whether the author is a prospective student or a Sage, you should give it the necessary review and, after confirming that it has certain academic value, find the most outstanding scholars in the field to conduct a double-blind review of the manuscript.”

Ophia asked, puzzled.

"...Double-blind?"

Luo Yan said with a smile.

"Simply put, it means covering up the names of the contributors and reviewers, so that only the editor-in-chief knows whose manuscript is on whose desk until the manuscript is published."

Ophia's eyes lit up.

"That's a fantastic idea!"

Not only Ophia, but everyone else nodded in agreement, praising the groundbreaking idea.

Although double-blind papers will gradually lose their anonymity as technology advances and more specialized fields emerge, and knowledgeable individuals can guess who wrote the paper just by glancing at the beginning, this idea is still groundbreaking in the present era.

After discussion, the content of the journal's inaugural issue was finalized, and everyone agreed that Ilana's "path optimization equation," which had been ruthlessly rejected by the Wise Man's Journal, was the most suitable choice.

Not only because of its academic value, but also because of the almost rude reason given by the Wise Man's Journal for rejecting the paper—

They wanted to highlight the difference between Science and The Wise Man!

Bain and Harder planned to write a paper on the concept of "explosive thermobaric bombs" as the journal's first "applied science" article.

As for the printing of the periodicals, Luo Yan entrusted the task to Alberto, a reliable shopkeeper on Craftsman Street, who occasionally took on some book printing jobs as well.

Thanks to the efforts of many apprentices and teaching assistants in the Magic Science Laboratory, they quickly printed the first batch of publications.

This unassuming book, *Science*, with its simple appearance and no official backing, was born on an ordinary afternoon.

Subscribing to this journal does not require Xuebang's organization; even shop owners on Gongjiang Street can subscribe as long as they have an address.

All you need to do is send a letter to the Magic Science Laboratory, including a subscription fee of 1 silver coin and your subscription address, and the editorial department will send the latest issue to your dormitory, office, or mage tower at the beginning of each month.

The emergence of the journal Science did not shake the authority of the sages, but it sparked an unprecedented and heated debate among young apprentices and teaching assistants.

"That's utterly absurd! Magic is the art of communicating with the Source, a sacred gift! How could it be defined by cold mathematical formulas?" An older teaching assistant looked at the journal in his hand with disdain in the lounge.

He absolutely refused to admit that it was because he couldn't understand it.

"But it can explain the 'conservation of magical energy'!"

Upon hearing that dismissive slander, another young teaching assistant immediately retorted.

His eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked at his bewildered colleague and continued speaking with great enthusiasm.

"Especially that path optimization equation! By Saint Sith, this is the first time I've discovered that magic circles and spells can be designed so concisely and beautifully! Isn't the pursuit of higher and more powerful truth our ultimate goal as magicians?"

"This is a desecration of tradition! A blatant challenge to the sages!"

"No! This is the original intention behind the establishment of Xuebang—to explore the unknown!"

A heated debate about "traditional magic" versus "mathematical axioms" has quietly ignited in every corner of Xuebang.

No one knows where this spark of thought will lead the tower, but it has certainly brought a possibility that no one had ever imagined to this unchanging, cold snowfield.

Human wisdom is not entirely useless.

……

In stark contrast to the tranquility surrounding Prince Colin, Professor Uriel Aclair of the Tower of Holy Power has recently been enjoying great success in his career.

With the downfall of Arist Thorne, he, as another "Great Sage Candidate" strongly promoted by the conservatives of the Council of Sages, almost naturally took over most of the political legacy left by Arist Thorne.

With the encouragement of those who were interested, everyone regarded him as another rising academic star after Alistair.

Uriel was undoubtedly pleased with this unexpected honor, and the countless praises and pleas for his allegiance greatly satisfied his vanity. However, beneath his gentle and compassionate scholarly mask, there lurked a subtle anxiety.

He knew very well that he was merely a pawn pushed to the forefront by the Great Sage to check and balance the Imperial Prince.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it also comes with deadly danger.

He must be careful with every move he makes!

That day, he was in his private laboratory, admiring a rare treasure he had just obtained from the illusory realm. It was a green crystal, radiating an incomparably pure power; merely gazing at it allowed one to feel the nourishment emanating from the depths of one's soul.

Uriel wore an expression of rapture, pondering how to test the effects of this thing in the meditation room.

However, at that moment, an apprentice knocked on the door and rushed in, reporting to him in a flustered manner that the journal called "Science" was circulating among the students.

This was Uriel's instruction.

Everything concerning Prince Colin must be reported to him in detail.

"A privately founded journal?"

Uriel stopped what he was doing, his grey-blue eyes narrowing slightly. "Is it still that paper that was rejected by the Sage's Journal?"

The apprentice nodded and added.

“Yes, Master! All the apprentices in the entire Mage Tower are talking about it! You know, that prince is very popular among the young apprentices and teaching assistants…”

He dared not mention Prince Colin’s name in front of Professor Uriel, and could only refer to him as “that prince”.

Uriel's heart sank, a sense of tension gripping him, but he remained expressionless as he looked at the apprentice and spoke.

"You should step back first."

"Yes……"

The apprentice respectfully withdrew.

As soon as the laboratory door closed, Uriel's expression immediately darkened. He paced back and forth in the room, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

What is Prince Colin planning?
He subconsciously linked this matter to Prince Colin's conspiracy, suspiciously speculating about the other party's motives.

Is this a warning shot?

Or is he declaring war on the faction behind him?

Or perhaps... the sword is aimed at him personally?

Uriel grew increasingly anxious, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead.

After all, his past was not entirely clean, especially since his forbidden research on "Soul Weaving Technique" involved too many things that were inconvenient to talk about openly.

What if Colin uses the influence of Science to expose his old scandals?
He was not Professor Arist, who had seen many storms. Until a month ago, he was still the "crown prince" and never thought that he would one day be the "sage candidate".

Not daring to delay, Uriel immediately used his network of connections to obtain a copy of the inaugural issue of "Science" from another junior apprentice.

He locked himself in his study, carefully opened the seemingly ordinary journal, and read it word by word, trying to find hidden traps or malicious allusions between the lines.

however--

He was disappointed.

It really does seem to be just an ordinary academic journal?

Apart from Ilana's brilliant paper, the remaining articles were just interesting ideas, without any offensive content.

It's even cleaner than The Wise Man's Journal, which often publishes news or official opinions, but this journal is really just a journal.

Uriel was stunned.

He leaned back in his chair, feeling as if he had punched a ball of cotton with all his might.

That sense of tension, as if facing a formidable enemy, now seemed utterly ridiculous.

"Could it be... that I'm overthinking it?"

He muttered to himself, feeling bewildered and annoyed that he had wasted so much internal monologue, but that feeling quickly turned into disdain.

He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Uriel's face regained its smug smile, and he muttered a sarcastic remark to himself.

"I overestimated him."

(End of this chapter)