Chapter 523 |
Long, long ago, Adam had once thought to himself: if no one was willing to study this new knowledge with him, if no one was willing to believe his theories, then he would simply have to do it alone. Back then, what had given him confidence were the series of industries he had founded — including the power generation sector. But now, looking back, he realized that such grand research and experimentation could never have been achieved without the full support of the Council and the Mage World. No matter how much profit those industries generated, even doubling their output would never have been enough to pay the necessary costs.
Prometheus had raised two key issues.
First, they needed to construct a colossal observation station at the point of collision — one large enough to accommodate two worlds simultaneously. This structure would have to endure the unimaginably violent burst of energy that would erupt in the instant of collision. Furthermore, it needed unparalleled capacity for data collection, recording, and analysis.
Second, even accelerating two particle beams already required a channel fifty kilometers long. For two entire worlds, one could imagine — the scale would need to be measured in tens of thousands of light-years, with acceleration magic arrays deployed throughout the length of the path.
Third, the initial energy input must surpass a True Spirit’s full-power strike by countless orders of magnitude.
Fulfilling just one of these conditions demanded staggering resources — to achieve all three was beyond comprehension.
Seeing Adam fall silent in thought, Prometheus continued calmly:
“In principle, both I and the Mage Council will support this experiment. However, you must present us with a budget plan. It doesn’t have to be absolutely precise, but the margin of error can’t be too wide. You understand — the Mage World isn’t ruled by a single voice. There are countless research institutions and pending projects besides yours. If your experiment turns out to be a bottomless pit, it will be difficult for us to justify it to others.”
His reasoning was sound and irrefutable. Adam lifted his head and asked, “Based on previous construction and activation costs, how many attempts would the Council allow?”
“At most three. If after three trials there are still no definitive results, the Council will no longer be able to fund your work.”
———
“So, here’s what we must do now: first, calculate the experimental budget as quickly as possible — and then, based on that, minimize expenditures wherever we can. Second, we must strive for success in a single attempt.”
Back in the research institute, Adam spoke to Julius, who had not accompanied him to the Source Space.
“The cost of a world collision experiment will far exceed that of ordinary particle acceleration tests,” Julius said with a grim face. “When His Excellency said ‘three times,’ he probably meant that even one attempt after that might be impossible. And who can guarantee success the first time?”
“That’s why,” Adam replied softly, “we must find a way.”
Julius ruffled his hair in frustration. “A way? If it were that easy, don’t you think we’d already have one?”
The mage’s impatience was understandable. This experiment concerned his True Spirit Path, his transcendence. The only way he could help reduce costs was by providing the worlds used in the collision — but both of them knew that the worlds themselves were trivial compared to the greater expenses.
Suddenly, Adam asked, “Have you ever paid attention to the Virtual World?”
Julius blinked. “Of course. Our institute even has a branch there. You mean… to conduct simulated experiments in the Virtual World? Not a bad idea, but a simulation is still just that — a simulation. It can’t replace the real thing. In the end, we’d still have to conduct it in the Aetheric Void—”
His voice trailed off as realization dawned on him. “Wait… you mean, during the simulation, we can expose the problems that are likely to occur — and fix them beforehand?”
Adam nodded. By identifying and eliminating potential errors during simulation, they could drastically cut costs. Virtual experiments required almost no resources and could be repeated as many times as necessary, giving operators full familiarity with the process before the real collision.
For the World Collision Experiment, one successful attempt was crucial. If they failed, restarting would require another Council vote — or the institute paying for it out of their own pockets.
Once the plan was made, the entire Atomic Energy Research Institute mobilized. Even mages from unrelated departments joined in enthusiastically. They had destroyed countless planes in their lifetimes — yet none had ever witnessed a controlled accelerated world collision before. Every mage was intrigued.
To support the operation, the institute requested twenty blank Sources from the Third Holy Tower, configuring them into a parallel server array. Using his authority, Adam opened up an immense, boundless region within the Virtual World. After obtaining approval, he granted part of the required functionality data to senior researchers from the Personal Chip Research Institute, and both sides worked together to program the simulation system.
It was no simple task. The data involved was astronomical. They had to construct two “real” worlds accurate down to the atomic nucleus level, then perfectly simulate the Aetheric Void environment. Every single particle — every infinitesimal unit — had to be registered in the system to allow clear, real-time observation of material transformation during collision.
Fortunately, the chip researchers had prior experience creating the Virtual World, which shortened construction time significantly. Otherwise, the timeline would have been enough to make everyone despair.
Yet none of the programmers complained. This was a rare learning opportunity. Once completed, the results could be used to upgrade the Virtual World itself, making it even more realistic.
———
Adam sent a clone to oversee the simulation while he personally traveled to the surface world, arriving at the newly established site of the Eighth Holy Tower.
It was a freshly made continent — a colossal flat slab of barren earth, utterly devoid of life.
“Your experiment won’t be starting anytime soon, will it?” Nehem asked beside him.
“Not for a long while,” Adam replied.
To achieve absolute certainty, preparations had to be flawless. It could easily take ten years before the real experiment could begin.
“The matter of Dark Realm Matter is something I can’t help with for now,” Nehem admitted. “I reached the peak of Rank Nine too quickly — my energy level is there, but my repertoire isn’t yet complete. For now, I’m not of much use to you.”
Before him stood a vast portal. Several of his Super Dimensional Void Dragons were gnawing continuously at the barrier between the Dark Realm and the Void. The internal self-repair ability of the Mage World’s space was formidable — without a Holy Tower’s stabilizing effect, Nehem could only prevent the gate from closing through brute persistence.
“I’m preparing to go to the homeland of the Void Dragons — to subjugate them. Would you be interested in coming along?”
The homeland of the Void Dragons? Subjugate them? Adam had always thought of the Void Dragons as solitary wanderers.
“I’ve been thinking about the feasibility of a Dark Realm Holy Tower,” Nehem explained. “And I’ve realized that to achieve it in the shortest possible time, I’ll need the power of the Void Dragon race. They’re the only known lifeforms innately attuned to both the Dark Realm and the Void. If we can settle them within the Mage World, the Dark Realm of the Mages will emerge much sooner.”