God’s Child Chapters 11-15
Chapter 11
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For a thousand years, the ancient city of Atemdo had been considered the center of Melkia, the main planet of the Gilgamesh side. Its position remained unchanged during the Hundred Years War. All the functions of the many cultures and nations scattered throughout the Astragius Galaxy originated here. Thus, Atemdo was also the de facto center of the Astragals Galaxy.
A secret meeting was held in the convention room of the hotel Golvers, in the heart of Oldars Gon, which symbolized history and authority. The chairman of the secret meeting, Hoblet Suma Villatext III, spoke gravely.
“Now… it is with great urgency that we Byrne are gathered here today to discuss a serious matter to the Gilgameth Confederation, involving the fate of the galaxy itself.”
Villatext III was already over one hundred years old and had retired from all official functions. He was a major figure in the history of the development of cosmic civilization, and had served as a power advisor to the various states scattered throughout the Astragius Galaxy, especially the Gilgameth confederation. He was, therefore, a monster who still retained strong influence in the background throughout the galaxy.
The attendees of the secret meeting that Villatext III called “Byrne” were also impressive: the current Head of State, the President of the Military Wing of the Gilgameth State, President of the Pan-Galactic Economic Association, the head of a religious order, the president of a political organization, the president of an academic society, and so on. All of them were influential in the galaxy through their words and actions.
“About four months ago, a patrol boat of the Melkia Space Force picked up a young man and an infant drifting in the Kubak sector. The two were protected by a green gel-like liquid as they drifted through the harshness of space. The green gelatinous substance that had protected them disappeared as soon as they were taken into custody, and its composition still defies analysis. In short, it is an unknown technology.”
There was not a single murmur in the room at Villatext III’s explanation, making it clear that the information on this matter was already known to everyone present. However, as if to remind them, he continued, “Thus, we affirm that the unknown technology is the will of God. In other words, God protected those two.”
There was no disagreement with the elder’s assertion. Those gathered here all affirmed the source of order in the Astragius Galaxy. In other words, the existence of God.
The story continued. “According to the investigation, the man is Chirico Cuvie, and he was entrusted by God with the care of the infant. We tentatively called the infant ‘Child’ and undertook its transport to Melkia. However, the ship suffered a surprise attack en route by Balarant. Chirico and the child escaped from the ship and were lost.”
At this point, he paused to catch his breath.”They are missing, but we have just received some promising information about their whereabouts.”
For the first time, a quiet murmur spread through the hall.”Doctor Luftienko will explain the details from here on.”
As if he had been waiting for those words, a man in his mid thirties quickly appeared and introduced himself.
“My name is Doctor Godrun Luftienko. I am the physician who took in the infant and gave it the codename ‘Child.’ For a little more than a month after he was taken into custody, I was the one who took care of the infant. Chirico was bedridden and delirious during that time.”
“Amazingly, the child weighed about 5,000 grams at the time of admission, but after a month he had grown to about 12 kilograms, and his height had increased to 10 centimeters. I believe his language ability was about the same as that of a normal child of 8 years old…”
A hand went up in one corner of the room. “Mr. Chairman?”
“I allow the floor to be opened for remarks or questions.”
When the elder gave permission, the questioner stood up and identified himself.
“I am Cardinal Hitchens Schmoke, former member of the Marteal Presbytery. I have a question for you, Doctor.”
“Anything.”
“According to your explanation, the child’s language ability at the time was about that of a normal 8-year old.”
“I was in charge of the child’s education, including daily life. In other words, since I was the one raising him, there was no doubt in my mind. He had a capacity equivalent to an eight-year-old.”
“Then, how did the child perceive Chirico?”
“That’s a difficult question.”
“Difficult? How is it difficult?”
“The child asked Chirico a question. His precise words were, ‘Chirico, what are you to me’?”
“What was Chirico’s answer?”
The doctor took out a document from the briefcase he had brought with him.
“It was a delicate exchange, so I’d like to be accurate. This is a record from that time.”
The Doctor read the transcript out loud.“I only promised…that I would raise you.”
“What do you mean, ‘raise me’?”
“To feed you, teach you things, help you grow.”
“There is no shortage of food. I’ve learned many things. I’m growing bigger too. Chirico, how is that different from what you say?”
“I don’t know, maybe it isn’t.”
“How is it different?”
“It’s hard to explain, but I think it’s different.”
“That’s unclear. I’m uncertain, explain it properly.”
The doctor said that Chirico had gone silent there.
“Doctor, what do you think Chirico’s silence meant?”
The Cardinal’s question caused the Doctor to stammer faintly.
“Doctor, tell us what you think. Your meaningless reluctance helps no one.”
The Doctor answered cautiously.
“In my opinion…it implies that Chirico hopes the child will grow up in a different way than as a ‘Child of God,’ but I don’t really know what that difference is.”
“Hmm. Thank you Doctor.”
“Let me continue. Here are some pictures.”
An image appeared on a screen in one corner of the hall.
“This is an aerial photograph taken by our space force’s frontier reconnaissance team on the northern edge of the planet Rado.”
The screen showed a bird’s-eye view of two people. They moved as the angle changed, but they appeared to be an old man and a young boy looking up at the sky.
“I think this boy is the Child.”
Again there was a stir in the conference room. A hand went up in one corner.”Mr. Chairman!”
“I allow the floor to be opened for remarks or questions.”
The questioner who stood up was a military man with the appearance of being on active duty.
“I am Brigadier General Parminal Buffason, Chief of Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Strategic Space Command, Melkia. Doctor, you’ve been away from the child for less than two months since the Balarant attack. This is fact.”
“54 days and 20 hours ago, to be exact.”
General Buffason laughed lightly and said, “It’s all very well to be precise, but here’s the thing. From this picture, this boy looks to be fifteen, maybe sixteen or seventeen. You mean to tell me that he has grown that much in just fifty…well, less than two months?”
“That’s exactly why I was called here. Here is the data of my encounter with the child as an infant, until we were separated…”
The image on the screen changed from a photograph to a chart, showing the growth curve of the Child over a period of about one month.
“And here is the projected growth curve for the next 54 days.”
The chart was exactly the same as the growth of the boy in the photograph. A rippling murmur spread through the conference room. Suddenly, a voice broke through it.
“What about Chirico? Where is Chirico?”
The man was standing in a corner of the conference hall.”If that boy is the Child, Chirico must be by his side. Where is Chirico?”
The man, who must have been in his seventies, was dressed in a black priest’s robe and had the appearance of a religious or scholar, but he exuded an aura that could be described as uniquely arrogant.
“Dr. Rochina,” Villatext III admonished him, “I would like you to ask permission from the chairperson before you speak.”
“Yes,” he replied with dignity, “I am Dr. Jean Paul Rochina. I am somewhat connected to Chirico and to the Son of God.”
“Hmm. Permission to speak and ask questions.”
“Now, if I may reiterate…” Dr. Rochina turned his arrogant gaze on Doctor Luftienko. “Doctor. As one who knows Chirico somewhat, I can assure you that if that boy is the Child, Chirico must be by his side. Chirico would never leave the Son of God. Not to mention, there was a military patrol looming overhead.”
Pressed by Dr. Rochina, Luftienko tried his best to explain.”You are right, sir. Please look at the photo.”
The screen showed the boy and the old man, but a zoom was applied to a cloth-covered object beside them.
“According to the analysis, this is a leather cloth, but judging from the wood scattered around it, it was probably stretched to make a small boat. This cloth is enough to hide one person. Look at the bulge.”
The Doctor was right, a bulge under the cloth looked as if a person was hiding under it.
“Chirico must have been hiding under it. If there was only an old man and a boy, it would be somewhat difficult to identify him as the Child. However, the presence of Chirico by his side should be enough to prove it.”
“I see. Chirico would do that.”
“And if we take into account the possibility of landing on that planet based on the conditions at the time of the escape, the current state of the Child based on his growth curve, and the spur-of-the-moment actions of the person hiding under the cloth, I think this is a reasonable conclusion.”
“Hmm…” Dr. Rochina grunted and sank back into his chair. The chairman looked at him.
“Are there any questions or comments on Doctor Luftienko’s information, reasoning, and conclusions?”
The floor was silent. There was no voice or movement in the chamber.
“I conclude that the boy who was photographed on the planet Rado was the Child.”
Hearing no dissenting voices, he said, “Doctor Luftienko, thank you very much.”
After waiting for the Doctor to leave the room, Villatext III continued with the proceedings.”The main topic begins here. Now that the existence of the Child has been confirmed, what should our conference do about it?”
After a pause, he continued, “The question is, how should we deal with Chirico, the ‘Untouchable’? He is with the child and has made his intentions clear.”
A hand went up. “Mr. Chairman!””I allow you to speak.”
A large, obese, elderly man stood up, exuding energy and desire.
“My name is Orset Gongan, Councilor of the Pan-Gilgameth Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I am neither a soldier nor a religious man. I do not know much about the Son of God or the Untouchable. Could you please explain it to me again here?”
Villatext III nodded his head in agreement. “That is a reasonable question, sir. Well, then…” The chairman thought for a moment, then called out, “Dr. Jean Paul Rochina. Dr. Rochina!”
“You call upon me?”
The figure in the black robe rose up again from a corner of the room.
Chapter 12
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“At the request of Mr. Orset Gongan, Councillor of the Pan-Gilgameth Chamber of Commerce, we would like to know what you know about the ‘Son of God’ and the ‘Untouchable,’ which are at the heart of this case. I understand you are an expert in these matters.”
“I have no hesitation in responding to this request, but to truly understand the essence of the matter, it is necessary to delve into the history of the Astragius Galaxy.”
The chairman nodded broadly. “I understand.”
“Very well, then.” Dr. Rochina began to speak. “According to the story, the history of the Astragius Galaxy spans tens of thousands of years. God was born about 3,000 years ago. Despite the word ‘birth,’ God’s existence began with His disappearance from public view. You see, God was once a man. But because of his abilities, he became alienated from human beings. It was man who created God.”
“At first, there were people recognized as ‘extraordinary’ beings. In physical ability, and physical appearance, they were not very different from ordinary humans. However, their abilities, while not obvious, were clearly different. They were truly worthy of being called ‘Overmen’.”
“It was difficult to prove what the difference was, but it was clearly outside the norm. People feared their existence, and because they feared them, they persecuted them.”
According to Rochina’s explanation, these extraordinary people were so afraid of being persecuted that they hid themselves from the public eye. And because they hid, they began to influence society from behind the scenes.
“The laws, regulations, and science of this galaxy owe much to their abilities.”
His explanation was met with a flurry of questions.
“If we had that ability, could we not dominate the public stage?”
“Would you call yourself a god?”
“What does it mean to preside over wars?”
Dr. Rochina proceeded with ease. “Fortunately or unfortunately, their ability to reproduce is low, perhaps because of their extraordinary nature. After all, when it comes to ruling this world, it is a matter of numbers. In other words, numbers are concrete. In fact, law, regulations, and science are all concrete. Beyond the concrete is the abstract. That is religion. Religion needs God. Fewer gods than believers. In the extreme, there need be only one God.”
“And that one God is Wiseman?”
“That’s the point. The number of extraordinary people has decreased throughout history, fearing the phenomenon, and therefore preparing for it. That is Wiseman. A system supported by advanced technology. Since the last of them left this world, the system called Wiseman became a god, controlling everything in the Astragius galaxy.”
Again, a flurry of questions followed.
“We know who God is. What does God want?”
“You said God controls everything, does that include the Hundred Years War?”
“If God is a system, then why does He want a successor? Does He want a son?”
“Don’t taunt us! What is the Untouchable? Is it Chirico?”
Rochina tossed back his black robe and held out his arms to stifle the barrage of questions.”Now that I have all your questions, I will answer them.”
The floor went quiet for a moment, but then a particularly high-pitched question was asked.
“I have a question for you, Dr. Rochina! Who are you? I want to know who you are, who knows so much about God!”
“Of course.” Rochina, who had fixed his sharp gaze on the questioner, nodded sharply. “I was Wiseman’s eyes and ears.”
A shocked murmur spread through the room.”In order for Wiseman to rule the world, he needs someone like me. I presume that there were countless such beings. They probably didn’t know what they were or why they were doing it. But among them, I was special. The reason for this is that I met Chirico. Chirico Cuvie.”
Rochina paused for a moment, as if to make his point.
“Chirico Cuvie had a genetic inheritance probability of one in 25 billion. He was the one God was looking for. He was first discovered by Colonel Yoran Pailsen, founder of the infamous Red Shoulders. He was so obsessed with Chirico that he destroyed himself. God longed for a successor. At the end of the Hundred Years War…”
“You said that God controls wars, but did He cause the Hundred Years War? If so, why?”
“I was just about to tell you about myself, God, and Chirico. It is all related. God has controlled everything in the world since His birth, including politics, economics, and religion. Among these, war has been the greatest factor of galactic governance.”
“By manipulating war, mankind can innovate, prosper, and dare I say, stagnate or decline. But then there is the Hundred Years War. It lasted for a hundred years with no known cause or origin. One hundred years in a history of 3,000 years may seem like a mere fingertip. But for Wiseman, it was the first war that he could not control.”
“It was also the first time that Wiseman as a system recognized His own limitations. Three thousand years of domination, then four thousand years of domination, and more and more…the search for a successor to achieve this has begun. Or perhaps it was the search for a successor that had been going on since the realization that the extraordinary species was in decline. I’m not certain about that part myself.”
“But at the end of the Hundred Years War, there was a discovery, Chirico Cuvie, with a genetic probability of one in 25 billion. As a successor, Chirico was invited to Quent, a planet where the divine system was hidden. I served as the eyes and ears of God, but at that point I was also His mouth, hands and feet. In other words, I had become Wiseman’s apostle.”
The room was dead silent.
“In the deepest recesses of the planet Quent, Wiseman and Chirico came face to face…and something terrible happened…”
Dr. Rochina’s words stopped for a moment, and his face flushed red. “He…Chirico…killed God!”
A roar ran through the room.”What if I…what if I…?”
Dr. Rochina recalled the moment, writhing, panting, and squeezing the words out of his mouth.
“Chi…Chirico refused God’s nomination as his successor, and even killed God…”
“But God is still alive! And Chirico, the god-killer, is raising a child who is said to be the son of God. What do you mean??”
“I’ll tell you now…”
Dr. Rochina tried hard to calm his excitement and catch his breath.”Chirico then went into a hibernation capsule with a P.S. woman and drifted through space for thirty years. ‘P.S.’ is Perfect Soldier, I take it, a soldier created specifically for combat. Her name was Fyana. She met Chirico at the moment of her birth. Or, rather, she was birthed by Chirico.”
“The lifespan of the P.S. is only two years, in exchange for its specialized performance. Chirico and Fyana may have tried to make their lives eternal by hibernating. But to choose a woman over becoming God’s successor, I do not understand.”
“Forget about the woman. Tell us about Chirico.”
“Chirico, the god-killer, was feared and declared ‘Untouchable’ by Marteal, the largest cult in the galaxy. Thirty years later, Cardinal Montewelz’s desire to become the next pope of Marteal awakened his ambition. He had his daughter made into a human weapon, the Nextant, and set her against Chirico.”
“If he won, he could use his success as leverage to win the papal throne. But Marteal’s headquarters temple, Aregium, embraced the fundamental tenet of its doctrine. Chirico single-handedly overwhelmed the mighty army that embodied the idea, ‘War is the source of all things.’ You all know that this incident is now called the Red Storm Rebellion.”
“What happened to God?”
“God was thought to have been killed by Chirico. Instead, He had transferred most of His system to Quent’s sister planet Nurgerant and secretly continued searching for a successor.”
“Finally, He found the ‘Child,’ but the newborn was already in Chirico’s hands.”
“Why is it in Chirico’s hands now?”
“God is clever. If you look at history in detail, meticulously, and carefully, you will understand. God has never done anything himself. He only invites and suggests. Even God’s babies, newborn infants, are helpless. Rejecting the words of Pope Montewelz of Marteal, ‘Nurturing is my ministry,” God said, ‘You have heard the word of God with your own ears.”
“What? What did God say?”
“God said, “The nurturing of the Almighty is a task for the Almighty…”
“And?”
“And God said, ‘I entrust the future of the Astragius Galaxy to this Child. Until then, Chirico, you will be the order of the galaxy.”
“Did Chirico accept that?”
“Chirico replied, ‘Even after thirty years, you and I haven’t changed. Fine. As you wish, I will raise this baby. But not here!’ And Chrico began to destroy the facility that was the cradle of the Son of God. That was Chirico’s response and resolve.”
“And God? What happened to God? He didn’t just stand by and let Chirico do it?”
“He stopped the destruction of the facility, but I don’t know if he meant it or not. I have told you many times that God is very strong. As proof of this, Chirico and the Son of God were ejected into outer space. Wrapped in green foam, they drifted until they were recovered by a military patrol boat. What happened after that is detailed in the Doctor’s report.”
Rochina quietly lowered his black-robed body back into his seat.
Chapter 13
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The discussion boiled over and came to an end.
The Gilgameth Conference had no executive body. The association itself was not public and had no special membership qualifications. If the society recognized someone as a member, he or she became a one.However, the threshold was high. It was a secret organization of those who had certain status and power in the Gilgameth faction.
Meetings were held whenever important events occurred in the Astragius Galaxy, to share information, deliberate, and formulate policies. Each member understood the compiled policy, returned to the organization where they had influence, then acted in accordance.
“Members are hereby notified that we have decided to leave this matter in the hands of the military. The council does not need to inform the military of the information it has obtained. We will simply keep an eye on what they have already learned and the actions they take as a result.”
“If, however, the Chairman deems it necessary that the matter need be discussed again by conference, a call will go out as soon as possible.
“The chairperson, Hoblet Suma Villatext III, closed the meeting.
“You’re going?”
“Yes. We’re ready to leave. We have food, and the strong throwing powder in case we’re attacked by urgun or grantsua. We also have kabu leather for camping, and for camouflage.”Do you also need that?”
Chirico once again carried his gun, which had not been used since they met Gudorn.
“I won’t use it for kabu or grantsua.”
Gudorn just nodded, without asking him what he would use it for. “Very well.”
“Gudorn,” Lu said maturely, “thank you for helping me.”
As Lu hugged Gudorn’s shoulder, the old man wrapped his arm around the boy. There was a feeling of regret in the strength of that arm.
“Let’s go. It’s five days to Le Chaan.”
Chirico’s voice caused them to release each other. There were no words of farewell from the two as they began to walk. There were no words from Gudorn either as he saw them off. It was as if he was afraid of saying something that would sound like a cliché.
As the sun went down, the temperature dropped rapidly to the single digits.
(We must hurry.)
Autumn here was short, and in a few days there could be a sprinkling of snow. Looking at the map Gudorn had drawn for them, Lu asked, “What is there to do in Le Chaan?”
“Dig for jijirium. There are fifty or sixty garimpeiros there.”
“Garimpeiros?”
“Men looking for jijirium.”
“Why do they look for jijirium?”
“To make money.”
“Why?”
“Wherever people gather, there’s a need for money. We’re looking for jijirium too.”
Chirico was going to make some money in Le Chaan. According to what Gudorn had told him, further beyond Le Chaan was the city of Higneus, the largest in the far north. A place with many people was a good place to hide, he thought.
“They’re here!”
Chirico and Lu laid down on the ground, covering themselves with the camouflage leather cloth. The sound of an engine approached overhead and then moved on.
“I knew it…”
Ever since they had seen the first patrol plane on that riverbank, Chirico had been convinced that the military was on the move. That was why they left Gudorn; they didn’t want to get him involved.
The military was moving, as Chirico had predicted. It was a local unit of the planetary occupation force stationed here. Their orders came directly from the Joint Space Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Gilgameth Command.
“We’re supposed to find a man of about 20 and a boy of about 16,” the crew member of the patrol plane muttered to himself, keeping an eye on the ground. “That’s pretty vague.”
“It may be vague, but if there are two people wandering around in a place like this, it would have to be them.”
“But who are they? Why should we go out of our way to look for them?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t need to know. We just need to find them.”
“Well, yeah, but we’re not the only ones being dragged out here.”
“I told you not to think about it.”
“Right.”
More than a dozen patrol planes had been mobilized. Chirico and Lu headed for Le Chaan, passing the patrol planes that flew in and out several times a day. They encountered urgun and grantsua along the way, but they didn’t need to use the “stink bomb.”
They eventually arrived at Le Chaan. There were about eight huts lined up by the river, giving it the appearance of a labor camp. Chirico went straight to a hut that seemed to double as an office, as Gudorn had described to him. When he passed through the open door, a large man the size of a grantsua stood in front of him and spoke loudly.
“What do you want?”
“I’d like to work,” Chirico said.”You want to work? Where do you think you are? This is hell’s main street, and there’s no second street. If I don’t like the next thing you say, I’ll kill you and feed you to urgun.”
Chirico took one look at the big man. “You don’t look like the boss to me. I’m looking for work. Get me the boss.”
“I’m telling you, this is hell on Earth…”
A voice called out from behind the man who was still trying to sound threatening.
“Zuobo, stay out of this.”
“Yes, sir.”
The big man obediently followed the voice and took a few steps back. A tall, thin man with sharp eyes emerged from the shadows.”I hear you want some work.”
“Right.”
“Young man, do you know what this place is like?”
“You dig for jijirium, don’t you?”
“Well, yes. But there’s a risk.”
“Risk?”
“Yeah. In the last war, a transport plane carrying jijirium crashed here, and its cargo was scattered all over the place. We can find it and dig it up, but it was originally the property of the military. We don’t have an official permit. To put it simply, they’re willing to overlook it, but everything comes with a cost. And you never know when they might change their mind.”
“Is that so?”
“All the people who work here are idiots. Trouble comes up all the time, but the solution is simple. Whatever happens, Zuobo takes care of it.”
The large man beside him flexed his arm.
“That’s easy to understand,” Chirico said.
“You’ve got guts. All right, go to work. The shares are 3/7. Three for you, seven for me. My name is Dabarda Zergio, and I’m in charge of this place. The seven shares are for sleeping quarters, food, tool rental, and so on. You can start working for me right away if you like, the sun is still high.”
The conversation was settled. What Zergio referred to as risk seemed to indicate only Zuobo. The big man guided them to where they would earn money, just a short distance from the hut.
It was in a shallow river several hundred meters wide that ran through the area like a net. It was already littered with garimpeiros, who were scattered all over. The only tools Zuobo gave them were a scope, a fine-mesh strainer with a square wooden frame called a jalipan, and a bag for jijirium.
The dried-up riverbed appeared to have been dug up. All the garimpeiros were looking for jijirium in the stream. As Chirico and Lu stepped into the stream, a nearby garimpeiro thrust out his chin and said, “This is my territory, get out of here.”
The water was too cold to work in for more than five minutes at a time, but the work itself was easy. Just shovel gravel from the river bottom, then use the strainer to separate jijirium from the gravel. The work ended when the sun went down.
The wind across the riverbank was chilly and seriously sapped their energy. When they returned to the hut, Zergio was waiting to weigh their find and record it.
“Can’t I get some cash?” Chirico asked reproachfully.
“I’ll give it to you when you leave here. If I give you cash now, you’ll be in trouble.”
A muffled laugh erupted from the garimpeiros around them. Zergio pointed to a table. “The food is over there.”
As they approached, they saw a cylindrical container of soup and a platter of some kind of stir-fried grain mixture. The garimpeiros divided the soup and food into their own dishes. Some ate on the spot while others carried the food to their huts, but all were silent and slow-moving.
Chirico and Lu took a mouthful of soup and food. Immediately, Lu shouted, “This is disgusting!”
“If you don’t want it, you don’t have to eat it,” Zergio said with a wicked grin. “But we’ll still deduct the cost of the food.
“The hut they had been assigned to was the kind of place that would be blown to pieces by the slightest storm. When they entered, they found the other occupants already sitting or lying on the floor.
“I’ll be taking care of you from today onward,” Chirico said to Lu. Then he looked at the others. “I’m Chirico. This is…”
Lu followed Chirico’s example and said his name. The residents just stared at them and did not speak. Looking around the room for a place to settle, they saw someone beckoning from a corner. They followed his hand and moved closer, and he shifted his body to make room. When they sat down, he spoke.
“Sorry. Call me Bob. We don’t say our names much here. We all have our reasons.”
The man, whose intelligent-looking forehead seemed entirely out of place on hell’s main street, closed one eye. He seemed around fifty or so.
They slept soundly that night, perhaps from exhaustion.
Chapter 14
See the original post here
The next day’s labor was tougher than expected. It was up to them to decide when to start and finish, but they were responsible for ensuring the amount of harvest.
This place, Le Chaan, was once a center for gold panning. At its peak, there were several thousand garimpeiros here, but as the veins dried up and the harvest dwindled, the place gradually became deserted. However, at the end of the Hundred Years War, the transport plane carrying jijirium crashed here, turning that into a treasure to replace gold dust.
“There’s only one month left for this year.”
According to Bob’s explanation, it would soon be impossible to enter the river due to the drop in temperature, and it was impossible to work from the riverbanks. After a day’s work, they were resting in the hut. Lu looked at the motion of Bob’s hands.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m killing time…”
Bob was writing and erasing something in a notebook opened on his lap. Upon closer inspection, Lu saw that it was a mathematical equation with letters and numbers.
“Why are you doing that to kill time?”
“Because it’s hard.”
“Why is it hard?”
“It’s a problem that no one has been able to solve.”
“Why can’t anyone solve it?”
Chirico realized it had been a while since Lu had launched a “Why? Why?” attack.
“Do you do math?”In response to Bob’s question, Lu gave him a serious look. “What’s math?”
Bob showed Lu his notebook.”It’s this.”
“I don’t understand.”
Bob looked at Chirico, who looked away. At this point, it seemed impossible to explain Lu’s interest. There was nothing to do but to pretend not to know. Bob was puzzled, but his response was polite.
“Do you know addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division?”
“What are those?”
Bob wrote numbers in his notebook. “What is this number?”
Lu answered immediately. “One hundred.”
“Right. And this one? And this one? And this one?”
“Eighty, sixty-five, twenty-seven. I learned them from Doctor Luftienko.”
“Then what do you get when you add this 80 and this 65?””What do you mean ‘add’?”
“What do you get if you put them together and make one number?”
“145.”
“Then what do you get if you subtract 27 from 145?”
“What do you mean by subtract?”
“You take one number away from another one.”
“118.”
“Right. Your addition and subtraction are perfect. How about multiplication?”
Bob’s lesson continued. Lu could not initially perform multiplication and division, but when they were explained he accomplished them in a matter of minutes.
“Then add this to this, multiply this by this, subtract this from this, and divide by this.”
Lu’s answers were quick. And he was correct.
“Right.”
“Let’s do more, it’s fun,” Lu urged.
“Wait a minute…”
Bob tried to collect his thoughts. He wondered how much education this boy, or young man, had gotten. Earlier, he’d said that he didn’t know how to multiply or subtract. But it would not be surprising if he’d had that level of education, considering his age. In fact, it would be completely normal. But Bob didn’t think Lu was lying. There was no lie in the light of those eyes, filled with curiosity. If that was the case…
“Do you go to school?”
“School? What’s that?”
Chirico answered without a pause.”He doesn’t go to school.”
Bob looked at Chirico. Chirico did not want to say why, and Bob didn’t want to ask, either. They had drifted all the way here, Bob thought to himself. They must have their own reasons. Everyone who drifted here has a reason. He made up his mind and thought he may as well continue.
“There’s something called a multiplication table.”
“What’s that?”
If you learn it, you’ll be able to multiply and divide much faster.”
Lu did not know the multiplication table yet, but his answers were still quick and accurate.
“Teach me. I’ll learn it.”
Bob drew up a table in his notebook. (Wow!) It was such a surprise that his doubts about Lu came to the forefront of his mind again.
Lu recited the table just twice and said, “This is useful.” He memorized it perfectly.
And they couldn’t stop there. Bob taught math and Lu mastered it. Bob’s lecture, which started with arithmetic, progressed to algebra, geometry, and analysis.
Lu simply said, “More, more, more! This is fun! More!”
Bob quickly progressed to sets, differential and integral calculus, and linear space theory in just one night.
“This is a miracle!” Bob collapsed before dawn. When he woke up, they were gone. He thought it likely that what had happened the previous night was just a dream. He waited for them to return.
The earliest place to see them would be at the shed where they brought in their harvest. So he waited at the dining table. Eventually, they returned. They weighed the harvest, handed it over to Zergio, and went to the table. Bob greeted them.
“I’ve been waiting for you!”
“Thank you for yesterday,” Lu said. “It was fun!”
“Yes, thank you,” Chirico added.”Don’t thank me! We have more to talk about. Finish your meal quickly.”
The two of them took their soup and food and returned to their hut.
“It’s still as bad as ever,” they said. They sat down to eat and listened to Bob’s story.
“My name is Bobur Sharazain. I used to study pure mathematics at Oldars Gon College in Melkia. I had a promising future in the field, but I had a falling out with the head of the lab, so I had to jump ship.”
Bob’s story was a common one.
“You can’t make a living in pure mathematics once you get out of college. I switched to applied mathematics and worked in the private sector. Eventually I got involved in bad things. Probability theory helped me in the beginning, but this world is made up of things that can’t be divided. It’s not like math. Once it starts, there’s no stopping it, and that’s why I ended up here. But, depending on how you look at it, this could be heaven. We don’t have to think about tomorrow. But it’s not without its drawbacks.”
Bob paused there. Chirico nor Lu waited for his next words.
“The first drawback is that the food is bad. But that’s understandable when it’s prepared by Zuobo.” Bob laughed, but it was not funny to either of them. “Another drawback is that we have too much time on our hands. Whenever I get bored, I do this.”
Bob took out his notebook. “I’ve been doing this for a long time…” He opened it to reveal that it was filled with mathematical formulas. Lu’s eyes lit up.
“Let me see.” He took the notebook from Bob’s hand as if to snatch it from him. Bob watched as Lu stared intently at the formulae. After a pause, he flipped to the next page, then continued flipping. After a while, Lu looked up and said, “You haven’t solved any of them. Not even a single one has been proven.”
Bob took the notebook back from Lu and said to Chirico, “This kid is crazy.” Chirico did not reply.
“He didn’t even know the multiplication table before last night. Now he understands what’s written in my notes. This is impossible. Until last night, he didn’t know algebra, geometry, analysis, or even the words for them.”
Chirico’s silence was followed by a defensive remark from Lu. “Because you taught me. You taught me yourself.”
“Yes, I did! I taught you math that would take a normal person four years of college to learn!”
Chirico did not speak.
“You said this boy never went to school. I believe you. He said he didn’t know the multiplication table. I believe that, too! I don’t think either of you is lying. But you’re not saying anything. Nothing important!”
Chirico was as silent as ever. Lu had no idea what Bob was talking about.
“Listen!” Bob ran his fingers through his notebook. Page after page after page. “These are ‘unsolved problems’ in mathematics. I used to be a mathematician myself, so I’m interested in unsolved problems. I don’t believe in my own ability, but I have a faint hope that I might be able to solve them. If I can solve even one, I can go back to the real world. Back to the sun!”
Someone in the corner of the hut woke up at the volume and intensity of Bob’s voice.
“Shut up, scholar! You’re being a pain in the ass!”
“You’re the loud one!”
“Back to the sun? We don’t belong in such a place. We’re supposed to eat bad food in this cold place, get swollen hands and feet, and die before too long!”
Bob didn’t argue. Then he lowered his voice and said, “He’s right. Returning to that world is just a dream.”
After a while, Chirico spoke up for the first time.”What did you want to say?”
“It’s nothing. I was just daydreaming, that’s all.”
“Tell me what you were thinking.”
Bob slumped his shoulders and whispered, “Math is, in the end, all about talent. No matter how hard you study, no matter how hard you work, it all comes down to talent. In the end, the thing you need is inspiration. It’s a straight line from inspiration toward the solution. So…”
“So?”
“This kid is weird! He absorbed my knowledge in one night! You heard what he said! ‘You haven’t solved a single problem.’ He understood an unsolved problem to be an unsolved problem.”
Chirico knew that Bob had recognized Lu as special.
“You would expect, with my knowledge and this child’s talent, that one of these would lead to a solution.”
Lu had been listening, and his eyes lit up.
“Let’s do it! I want to do it.”
Chapter 15
See the original post here
Lu was interested in the unsolved math problems presented by Bob.
“I want to do it!”
His eyes lit up. He wanted to solve and prove the problems himself.
“If you want to do it, go ahead,” Chirico said and laid down on the floor.
“Bob, let’s start with one.”
“Okay, let’s see…”
Listening to the two of them, Chirico thought, “What are we going to do now? Eventually…they’ll find us.” It would probably be the military. They had the most information for now.
(I don’t want to give Lu to them.)
Chirico looked at Lu with a sideways glance. Lu and Bob were absorbed in mathematical formulae.
(As long as they play with numbers, they’ll be fine.)
Chirico hoped that no one but Bob would pay attention to Lu.
For a few days, things went according to Chirico’s wishes. Lu mined jijirium with Chirico while the sun was shining. And when the sun went down, he and Bob would wrestle with the numbers. The balanced fatigue of body and mind made Lu quiet and unobtrusive.
But one day, on the way back from the riverbank, Lu asked, “What’s that?” He pointed to a red, rusted lump of iron on the edge of the row of huts.
“That might be…” Chirico walked closer to examine it and found it to be a kind of pump. When he asked Zergio about it after the daily weigh-in, he answered, “Oh, you mean the dredge? That’s the dredge pump we used to use when we were digging for gold. It’s been that way since we got here.”
“Can’t we use it?”
“You guys are more convenient to use than those things,” Zergio chuckled.
“How is it used?” Lu asked when they returned to the hut. Chirico gave a brief overview of how the dredge worked and what it could do.
“Hmmm.”
Lu pretended to think for a moment. He wrote a few equations in the blank space of his notebook, which he always worked on with Bob, then said, “It’s going to be like this.”
“What?” Chirico looked at the equation, but did not immediately understand what Lu was talking about.
“Which one?” Bob looked at the note. “I’m surprised. This is a kind of expense sheet,” he said.
Chirico looked at Lu. “Expense? What for?”
Bob answered on Lu’s behalf. “It’s the cost of mining 500 pieces of jijirium. That’s about a day’s work here.”
“Five hundred…that’s worth about ten million gildan. What does that mean?”
“I mean…” Lu began.
Bob explained: “The cost to rebuild that rusty dredge, the engine and fuel to run it, the labor to sort jijirium from the gravel dredged by it, and so on. If you calculate all that, it will only cost 2 million gildan to mine 500 pieces.”
“One-fifth…?”
“That’s right. Simple math shows that with the dredge, our labor would be reduced by a factor of five and our reward would increase by a factor of five.”
“Let me see it again.” Chirico looked at the note again.
After Bob’s explanation, he knew exactly what each number meant. The cost of repairing the dredge, the cost of renting Zergio’s car to power it, and many other things had been calculated almost without omission. The most important thing was that it would save them the effort of going into the river.
However, “This is trouble,” Chirico thought instinctively. By his estimation, the jijirium mining season here would soon be over. It would be good if they could remain unnoticed until then.
Income didn’t matter. Zergio would exploit them either way, and there may be nothing left over. At any rate, it would be good if they could get into the city of Higneus before winter arrived. But powering up the dredge here would cause a stir. He wanted to avoid that at all cost.
“You seem dissatisfied,” Bob said, reading Chirico’s expression.
“Shouldn’t we be thinking about this?” Lu asked anxiously. His expression was full of trust in Chirico. Then he added, “I thought it would make things easier for everyone.”
“That’s the problem,” Chirico thought, though he didn’t say it out loud. Lu had neither greed nor gain. It was simply the conclusion he came to when he manipulated numbers. But there were things in this world that could not be measured by numbers alone.
“I don’t think Zergio would object. It’s more productive, and he’ll make more money.”
“I agree,” Bob added.
Chirico nodded. Whatever they tried would achieve results.
(Lu might need that.)
Chirico proceeded cautiously. After thorough research, he asked Zergio to procure the parts and tools needed to rebuild the rusty dredge.
“I won’t be held responsible if it doesn’t work,” Zergio said, and agreed to get them from Higneus, which he visited regularly. Of course, Chirico would pay for them. If it worked out, they would make a profit for themselves.
Chirico was also careful not to provoke the other garimpeiros. They said, “As long as we don’t have to get involved, do whatever you want.” Conveniently, they didn’t care about anyone but themselves.
“We’ll repair the dredge all at once,” Chirico said to Lu and Bob. “We can’t give Zergio or the others time to think too much about this.”
Zergio delivered the materials. They carefully inspected everything to make sure there were no omissions. They had all the tools they needed, and the dredge repair was completed in one day. Everything was in place. The next day, without warning, they had it up and running.
“We did it!”
The car that powered it was Zergio’s, so he was the only one who could witness the moment.
“These guys…” Zergio’s cunning brain began to spin furiously as he watched the growling dredge. He decided that he would have to reconsider the conditions Chirico had presented to him. But Chirico had calculated it all out.
“What? What! What??”
“Listen up everyone!” Chirico shouted to the garimpeiros who had gathered at the sound of Dredge’s maneuvering. “Winter is coming! I have a proposal!”
Bob, Lu, and Chirico had thought long and hard about what to say to the garimpeiros.
“This is what the gold diggers used to use!”
The dredge pipe writhed before the assembled crowd, overflowing with earth.
“It will take care of the rest.”
Chirico motioned to Bob, who was standing beside him. Bob nodded and raised his voice to the others.
“Listen up, everybody! You all know I’m good with numbers!”
“Damn scholar, we know you’re good with numbers, but we also know you’re bad at gambling!”
Someone burst into laughter.
“You know your business better than I do. But I’m not talking about gambling. I’m serious. You can increase your efficiency five-fold just by using this dredge to scrape the bottom of the river and sort what you catch. First of all, you don’t have to go into the friggin’ cold water. And only a tenth of that five-fold share will cover the cost of the repairs and fuel used for this machine.”
Bob pointed to Zergio. “When we discussed our plan with him, Zergio graciously lent us his car to help. The pump that’s roaring here is run by Zergio’s car!”
Bob applauded for Zergio, who looked confused. “I didn’t know Zergio was such a nice guy, but he’s getting a much bigger share of the profits, so it’s not surprising!”
Chirico and Lu joined Bob in clapping.
“Today is just a test run, so it’s up to you to decide if you want to go for it or not!”
Even before Bob finished his pitch, the garimpeiros swarmed to the dredge’s pipe with their strainers, cheering. Of course, some were skeptical of Bob’s proposal, but even they had to admit the efficiency of using the dredge on that one day alone.
Lying on the floor of the hut, Chirico chuckled to himself.
(What did I do…)
Remembering the trick he had played on the garimpeiros at the riverbank, he thought of Goto, Vanilla, and Coconna.
(Everyone was struggling to survive back then…)
Chirico was aware of his change. He looked aside at Lu and Bob. They were working on their formulae as if they had forgotten all about the breakthrough.
(A couple more days will be all right, but…)
Things had gone well today. Lu’s wish was fulfilled. The people here would make more money, and Zergio’s pockets would be much fuller. If it could stay that way, everything would be fine. But Chirico’s instincts told him that’s not how it would go.
To Be Continued