CH 620

They had spent so much time together, yet Harriet's chronic condition of habitual flushing had still not been cured.

That being said, it was a good thing.

The place Harriet dragged me to, with her face flushed red, was her laboratory in Lazak.

Every time I saw this place, I couldn't help but feel genuinely sorry.

I couldn't help but think of the massive research facility that was once located in the underground of the Temple Magic University.

Such a facility and scale were available for a single project.

Harriet's private laboratory was obviously not as well-equipped. Even then, Harriet had either made the equipment herself when she needed it or had consulted with the Vampire Lords of the Elder Council to create them together.

If Harriet had access to those massive research facilities at the Temple Magic University, what could she have achieved? I knew it was laughable to assume, but I couldn't help but feel sorry every time I saw it.

There was no need to go all the way to the Temple Magic University.

Frankly, the magic research facilities in Lazak were not even on par with the club facilities at the Temple Era Magic Research Club. Although, initially, it was a research lab for a professor-level mage.

Our Harriet.

It felt like watching a daughter with the wrong father, knitting her own socks in a rundown house.

In reality, she was a princess.

Seeing her trying to do something with whatever resources she had, I couldn't help but wonder if our Harriet was actually a resilient person.

She possessed the greatest talent in history but had met a man who couldn't support her, leaving her unable to fully showcase her abilities.

What should I do?

I'm the biggest obstacle in Harriet's life.

While others were creating Titans and armies with the name Immortal, our Harriet, who had no inferior talent and was arguably even more talented, was struggling in this attic-like laboratory because she had met the wrong man!

"I'm sorry."

"...Suddenly? For what?"

"I'm just sorry for everything."

"What are you talking about? It's out of the blue."

Harriet pouted as she told me not to say such random things.

I felt even more sorry and heartbroken because she had no complaints.

"Anyway, what is it?"

I admit that this is my nature to speak this way even though I think differently.

"Look at this."

Harriet pointed to a flat metal plate.

Many patterns were drawn on it, and to be precise, it looked like some sort of stand. Given the slightly convex protrusions, it also looked like a machine of some sort.

And it wasn't just one.

There were two plates.

"Harriet, I'm not a genius like you who can tell what it is just by looking at it. You have to explain it to me."

"Make up your mind, am I a genius or a blockhead?"

You're a genius, not a blockhead.

Right? That was a strange thing to say.

"Uh, Harriet."

"...Really!"

-Thwack!

"I told you to choose one!"

"Be quiet!"

She hit me even though I did as she asked!

Anyway.

There would be no end to our bickering.

I couldn't stop because it was fun.

Harriet knew this, so sometimes she would only say what she wanted when I kept fooling around.

Harriet placed the pair of metal plates on either end of the desk.

"Now, if I do this... hmm."

As Harriet began to fiddle with them, the thin plates started to move and take shape.

From what was once a stand, several metal sheets popped out, and it transformed into some sort of holder.

It might be described as a table with three legs turned upside down.

Harriet did the same thing again, this time with another metal plate.

Something that looked like a pair of brackets.

Harriet brought something that looked like a metal rod from among the clutter in the lab.

It had been the same at the temple.

Our blockhead didn't really clean up.

She said she knew where everything was and didn't need to put things away.

"Look."

-Screech! Sizzle!

Soon, blue sparks began to fly from a pair of metal plates.

"…Isn't that dangerous?"

"It's not dangerous. It's my first time trying it for real, though."

"How do you know if it's dangerous or not before you actually try it!"

"My theory couldn't be wrong."

Ah.

It was something like math, wasn't it?

If the formula was correct, then implementing it in reality shouldn't yield different results.

She must have run the simulation in her mind.

It wouldn't work for me, but it probably would for our blockhead.

"Then it's not dangerous."

"…I really don't know whether you trust me or not."

-Crack! Snap! Screeeech!

Soon, sparks began to fly from the sharp edges of the metal plates, and they started to glow blue.

The blue light gradually took on the shape of a sphere.

A pair of blue spheres.

Inside the blue spheres was pitch black.

Could this be?

"Ready."

Harriet inserted a metal rod-like object into the left sphere.

And then.

-Thump

The metal rod popped out of the right sphere, fell onto the desk, rolled around, and then dropped to the floor without any momentum.

There was no way not to know what this was.

"Hey… this is…"

"Yep."

Harriet smiled.

"It's a warp gate. A new warp gate that's unrelated to the Gate Incident."

Our girl had done it again.

In this shabby and crude environment.

She had caused another major accident.

"Is this… even possible?"

"It is possible, that's why I did it, dummy."

"You… you…!"

-Whack!

"Ouch! That hurts!"

"You're really the greatest blockhead!"

"What are you even saying!"

------

What are logistics and distribution?

Honestly, I still don't know the details.

I only know that it's very important.

And I also know that the golden age of the empire didn't come from the conquest of the demon realm, but was originated from the warp gates.

The golden age of humanity, and the golden age of the empire.

It was not because people could travel through the warp gates, but because logistics could pass through them.

The development of transportation and logistics brings about rapid urbanization of society.

Rapid development of logistics enables specialization.

Before the development of logistics, most cities had to be self-sufficient around major cities.

In terms of food, commerce, and manufacturing.

To some extent, they had to be self-sufficient.

However, when logistics and distribution develop to an extreme level, cities specialized in commerce or manufacturing don't need to produce any food at all. Of course, they can just import it. And that can be done by cities or countries with specialized agricultural environments.

For example, let's say there is a mine containing a large amount of magic stones in a cold-climate city.

If distribution is unstable, the city must have a system in place to provide a certain amount of food in the cold climate, making it difficult for people to live there. Consequently, development would also be difficult.

But what if there were a warp gate?

With imported food, the city could focus on mining the abundant magic stones in its mines.

The reason the Imperial Capital, became the largest city in the empire was because it had the most warp gates.

People flocked there, along with goods and resources.

Naturally, the Imperial Capital became the largest city.

The food problem in the Imperial Capital was initially due to the fact that it wasn't an agricultural city.

With distribution cut off and unable to sustain itself, the city had to produce its own food.

So, the empire forced farming and land reclamation, producing and supplying food in secure areas of other regions.

However, without the overwhelmingly convenient distribution facilities of warp gates, all tasks had to be solved through the mass teleportation of archmages.

Not only was production itself insufficient, but if production took place outside the Imperial Capital, highly-skilled archmages would be wasted on mere resource transportation.

After the Gate Incident, warp gate technology became completely worthless.

The reason was simple.

Monsters from the gates had taken over the so-called imaginary dimension as it turned into a real dimension.

Of course, it wasn't that they couldn't create warp gates.

They could.

It was just that monsters would pour out of them.

"So, you created a secondary imaginary dimension?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know much about it, but people didn't do it before because they couldn't think of it, right?"

"Probably not?"

It was one of the few times I had such a thought.

I wanted to hug Harriet tightly and give her hundreds of kisses.

"So, you were able to do it because you're incredibly amazing, right?"

What others couldn't do even with the best facilities was accomplished by her in this bare-minimum place, right?

At my words, Harriet's face turned red, and she fidgeted with her fingers.

"…I, I don't want to say it like that."

"Right or wrong. Just say it."

"Uh… right…"

She knew how great her accomplishment was.

Despite accomplishing a huge feat, she looked embarrassed, twisting her body.

She looked a thousand times cuter and more amazing than usual.

"Let me hug you, our genius."

"No, I hate it!"

"Why not!"

"It feels like you're praising a dog or something!"

"No, who's treating you like a dog?"

In the end, even after doing something great or not, we ended up bickering as always.

What was it like to create a new imaginary dimension?

I didn't know much, but warp gates were not an invention created by a single mage.

According to what I heard from Archduke of Saint-Owan, it was a project pushed forward by the emperor a long time ago, almost risking the fate of the empire.

The best mages of that time would have been involved, and it would have been the result of the collective efforts of the top mages of the time over a very long period.

Warp gates were the result of accumulated research and experiments over a very long time.

Harriet had done it alone, something that wasn't just the achievement of one person. And she did it here, without proper facilities or equipment.

From the beginning, Harriet had gone through all the research materials related to warp gates while claiming to study dimensional magic when I couldn't grasp the cause of the Gate Incident.

Harriet already had the accumulated knowledge in her head, so the stage before developing warp gates wouldn't be exactly the same.

However, the fact that Harriet accomplished what no one else could remain unchanged.

Anyway, unlike the original, Harriet's purpose was not to engage in battles, although she did participate in them. She wasn't always on the battlefield.

So, in the end, even though it was crude, she had time to think and found her own way to revive warp gate technology.

Of course, it seems clear that Harriet's research on warp gates, which she originally should not have known about, played a significant role due to my involvement.

The truth before my eyes.

Harriet had succeeded in devising a new warp gate system.

"How far can you go with this?"

"Since I tested it just to see if it works or not, it’s certainly short. The distance will naturally increase when it's scaled up. It's difficult to use it for any purpose at this level."

"Assuming we have the resources to scale it up?"

"It wouldn't be much different from the existing warp gates. You know warp gates connect with all other warp gates within their reach, right?"

"I know."

"And, do you remember that I configured the network between warp gates, creating gate passages directly to the destination without wandering around?"

"Somewhat."

The existing warp gate system, in other words, was like a randomly built subway line with too many transfer stations – like spaghetti code.

It was like the very first subway stations that were built were terribly outdated. Although the outdated aspect was not visible.

But Harriet designed this from scratch.

There was no need to disembark at gate waypoints and board again, disembark and board again, as with long-distance travel in the past.

"So, to travel long distances, we need a waypoint in between, right? Building a Nexus to connect the gates?"

"Nexus...?"

"We need a connection point for amplifying warp gate signals. It serves as a waypoint among the warp gate functions, but people don't actually pass through it."

"Did you develop that as well? That quickly?"

"…Of course not. It's just that if you make only half of a warp gate, it becomes a Nexus."

"…Huh?"

"Don't you understand?"

"Of course not."

Teacher, I don't understand what you're saying.

Harriet draws a diagram.

1 - 2 - 3

"Let's say it's a straight path."

"Yes, senior."

"…What are you saying?"

"No, go on with the explanation."

"So, normally, you have to complete all the warp gates for points 1, 2, and 3 to be connected."

"That's right."

"But now, since most of the cities are destroyed, there's no need to build warp gates in every location. Right? There's not even a city at point 2. But we want to connect points 1 and 3. However, points 1 and 3 are too far away. Let's assume that."

"Uh-huh."

“At first, there is no need to fully complete the warp gate at point 2; it is only necessary to build half of it to serve as a transfer point. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Like a stepping stone?"

"Exactly."

I finally understood the meaning.

"In the previous warp gate technology, we had to build a warp gate at point 2 as well. However, that would mean that unnecessary resources would be invested in building a warp gate at point 2, which would only be used as a transfer point. By shortening that process and recognizing that there's no actual need for people to come and go at point 2, it would suffice to have a structure there that only performs certain functions of the warp gate. The term 'Nexus' is a convenient name, and if you just build a small part of the warp gate, it can serve as a Nexus. If later on it seems necessary to build a warp gate at point 2 as well, we can complete the half-built Nexus into a warp gate since they're fundamentally the same structure."

Hmm.

I still couldn't fully understand, but I grasped enough of what was being said.

It was like setting up a temporary station, connecting it first, and then completing it into a proper station when needed.

And more importantly.

The cost of connecting the entire continent with warp gates could be astronomically reduced. The inefficient technology that had persisted since its development had completely disappeared, and now a completely efficient operation was possible.

Harriet smiled at me, who had half-understood what she was saying.

"Do you know why I've been telling you this long story?"

"How should I praise you?"

"…What do you think of me?"

Harriet narrowed her eyes, saying she didn't say all that just to get a compliment.

"The point is that it's not impossible to connect the Empire and Edina with warp gates. It can now be done at a much lower cost."

I couldn't help but widen my eyes at her words.

Connecting the Empire and Edina with warp gates was an extremely dangerous thing to do.

The Empire still didn't know where we were. That's why we could be safe.

But Harriet certainly wasn't saying this because she wanted to destroy Edina.

"We can bring the anti-Imperial forces on the Imperial Capital directly to Edina. Then, nobody would have to get hurt."

"…"

"Weren't you thinking about leading all those people out of the Imperial Capital when the situation explodes? You know that's impossible."

The seeds of division had already been sown and sprouted, and they were growing.

At some point, when this division became apparent, a huge number of people would die.

There was an option to topple the Empire.

And another option.

I could lead those who followed me away from the Imperial Capital, heading endlessly south toward Edina.

Would it be war or a great journey?

Both options would clearly result in the sacrifice of a great number of people.

Driving people into the jaws of death in an attempt to avoid war would be foolish.

But would it be wise to start a civil war in Imperial Capital the moment this division became apparent?

I hadn't chosen what to do.

I was just thinking that I might have to do it.

Connecting the Empire and Edina with warp gates was undeniably a very dangerous thing to do.

However, if tens of millions of people could be divided without fighting because of it, it would be better than the great journey.

"It doesn't have to be that way."

"..."

"But we've gained a new possibility, and even if it's not this way, we've obtained a necessary means to rebuild the world."

Depending on its use, the warp gate could be a technology for war or for prosperity and reconstruction.

"And for now, I'm focusing on connecting the archipelago. If the travel time between the islands is reduced, not only will unity increase, but the central administration's control will also grow stronger. You know there was a reason the empire's authority was absolute after the development of the warp gate, right?"

First, reconnect the whole islands in Edina Archipelago with the warp gate.

The next task would be the next task.

It was amazing that such a world-changing technology had come from such a small, cute head.

"I'll grant you one wish. What is it?"

With this mood, I could do anything!

Even if you asked me to bite my tongue and die, I could do it!

What do you want!

I'll do it all!

"Don't be so serious... Well..."

"No, it's not just one. Just say it! Anything! Just! Whatever! I'll do it all!"

"That's too much pressure!"

Harriet seemed to not have expected my passionate response, and after hesitating for a long time, she sighed.

"Never mind, just turn into a cat."

Wait.

What?

Suddenly?

"But I did that last time too...!"

She, too, was a severe cat syndrome patient, just like Ellen?

She kept asking me whenever she get the chance!

And was that all?

"Is that a no?"

She looked at me as if to say, you acted like you'd do anything, but you can't even do that?

Well.

If the price for creating a new warp gate was that...

It might feel like too much of a bargain...

"Are you going to do it?"

"...Of course."

In the end, that night.

I had to fall asleep with her holding me in the form of a cat.

Honestly, wasn’t this just basically a win for me...?

I thought that, too.