hotmtlnovel Chapter 4219 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (26)
Chapter 4219 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (26)
Chapter 4219 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (Twenty-Six)
That evening, Schiller met Reed again at the pub. Reed seemed very excited, saying, "The UN has approved my plan, and even that most difficult Tony Stark has affirmed my technical skills. I have to have a drink to celebrate! Hahahaha!"
Schiller poured him a glass of wine and then said, “I spoke with Tony, and in fact, he still has doubts. That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you.”
“Ask away,” Reed said. “I’ve answered all of Stark’s technical questions; he can’t find anything wrong with that.”
“It’s not about the technology.” Schiller poured himself a glass of wine, sat down opposite Reid, and said, “I’m more concerned about the social and ethical issues.”
“Oh, right, you’re a psychologist,” Reed said with a shrug.
Aren't you worried about your technology being stolen?
Upon hearing this question, Reed was bewildered. He blinked, looked at Schiller, and said, "What do you mean by 'stolen'? You mean it was stolen?"
“You should study grammar more,” Schiller said with a hint of helplessness. “Yes, what I mean is that it was stolen.”
Reed's facial expressions were quite varied. He gestured wildly in the air for a while, finally saying, "Why aren't you worried about 1+1=2 being stolen?"
"what?"
"You've studied math, haven't you?"
“I dare not say that I have studied mathematics in front of you,” Schiller said, shaking his head. “I can only say that I have heard of it.”
"Okay, so you know there are many theorems in mathematics, right? There are many formulas. You know trigonometric functions, right?"
"I do know that to some extent."
Do you know the applications of trigonometric functions?
"Uh, what aspect do you mean?"
“In every respect,” Reed said, “these formulas are essentially the embodiment of the cosmological constant. It’s because 1+1=2 that we have trigonometric functions. If 1+1 no longer equals 2, our current mathematics would completely collapse.”
Schiller nodded; he could understand that.
Reed was clearly racking his brains to explain the problem in a more accessible way. He said, "The technology we've developed doesn't actually exist. It's part of mathematics, just like 1+1=2 and trigonometric functions. It can be understood and learned, studied and applied, but no one can steal it."
"In fact, after the antimatter wormhole was used in the last war, I published the corresponding formulas and data. But obviously, no one cares except mathematicians. No one would steal such a thing."
“I think I understand now,” Schiller said. “It’s a kind of knowledge, not some concrete blueprint.”
"The blueprints certainly exist, but that's the result, not the origin. The origin of all mathematical problems in this world is 1+1=2. We know that, and the three great empires know it too. So why can't they do anything about my wormhole?"
"That's exactly what I was going to ask. Now that you've already published the formula and data, why are they still trying to interfere with the portal using the most traditional methods, instead of taking any countermeasures against your portal?"
“Because they can’t do it,” Reed said, spreading his hands. “Everyone in the world knows 1+1=2, but how many mathematicians are there? Mathematics requires inspiration. You can suddenly understand how the universe works in a moment.”
"So you understand, but they don't."
“Yes, but that’s just the basics. I understood how the universe works when I was six years old,” Reed said, waving his hand. “Understanding is only the first step; then you need to observe…”
Is observation a consequence of understanding?
"Yes. If you don't understand, you can't observe, or more precisely, you can't observe the universe from the right perspective. Only when you understand something, find that perspective, can you learn more. And then you need to learn."
"But you already understand."
"Yes, so what we need to learn is not the most basic things, but something higher up. I call this 'creative knowledge,' which, simply put, is studying how to be a creator."
Schiller was utterly bewildered. Everyone else wanted to be Lucifer's student, but you wanted to be Lucifer's father.
“That’s true of every subject,” Reed said matter-of-factly. “Understanding, observation, and learning are not the end goal; the end goal is application. Isn’t all your effort ultimately for application?”
“That’s undeniable,” Schiller said, “but it still sounds a bit crazy.”
"In short, when you start studying how to compile this universe, you are constantly getting closer to God and walking the same path as the Creator. All those who walk this path walk in different ways and in different directions. Me, Doom, or Stark, we are all human, but our paths are completely different."
"What about the three great empires?"
"They went the wrong way."
Schiller looked at him with some doubt, and Reed thought for a moment before saying, "The only thing I'm sure of is that the Supreme Intelligence has gone the wrong way."
"Can you tell me more specifically?"
"Now there's a room, and in the room there's a treasure chest. Everyone wants to get the chest, so they'll try all sorts of methods. Some will look for the key, some will try to pick the lock, and some will just smash the wall. That's all fine."
"And what about the Supreme Wisdom?"
He took a key and left without looking back.
This metaphor was vivid, and Schiller understood almost immediately: the path sought by the highest wisdom was closer to the fundamental power. Neither emotions nor social structures were the treasure itself, but rather the key needed to unlock that room. It was not the end, but the beginning.
It cannot be denied that once you have the key, you will find it easier to open the door. However, the exact size of the room, the location of the treasure chest, and whether all treasure hunters will actually be able to reach it are all unknown and require continuous exploration.
But the Supreme Intelligence chose to take the key and leave, believing that the key itself was the treasure, and thus would only drift further and further away from the room where the treasure was.
“Let’s go back to the issue of channel technology,” Reed said. “The theory behind this technology is part of the knowledge of the Creator, which you could also call cosmology or cosmic compilation. If we take the location of this technology as the endpoint, then the initial understanding of the cosmological constant is probably far away on the other side of the Milky Way, with too many steps to take in between.”
“How many people can understand this?” Schiller asked.
“If we’re just talking about understanding, there are quite a few people,” Reed said after thinking for a moment. “Besides me, Doctor Doom, and Iron Man, there are people like Franklin, Scarlet Witch, Thomas Jr., and that guy named David. They can all understand. They’re born with keys. Of course, some of them have hammers, and others have excavators.”
"So what about the next steps?"
“Only three,” Reed said, tapping the table lightly. “Me, Stark, and Doom.”
"Doesn't Strange count? Or is it because he's a mage?"
Reed shook his head and said, “Technology and magic are the same thing, there’s no difference between them. Strange doesn’t count because he has no interest in the Creator. He doesn’t want to compile the universe, nor does he study it. If you have to say, he can understand and observe, but he doesn’t learn, much less try to apply it. Doom confided in me privately that the Sorcerer Supreme considers it evil.”
“I see,” Schiller said.
"Actually, I can understand him. We study knowledge related to the Creator so recklessly, betting that the Creator doesn't care. But whether the Creator cares or not, nobody knows."
"I think whether he cares or not depends on how you actually research it. If you were to actually blow a hole in his house one day, he would definitely care."
“We’re not talking about that,” Reed said. “If, as you say, someone can steal this technology, then we should be happy. After all, if they have that ability, they can wipe out all of humanity, and they can bring all of humanity back. No problem.”
"But how can we get him to bring all of humanity back? What if he's a very evil person who only wants to destroy humanity?"
“Then just punch him,” Reed said. “He can’t erase you anyway. Just rush over and beat him up, forcing him to restore all of humanity, right?”
Schiller was speechless. He said, "Are you sure?"
“Of course. I’ve known you since the first day you arrived here,” Reed said in a surprising tone. “I witnessed you compiling the universe in low Earth orbit and then appearing in New York.”
Schiller was terrified, because he suddenly realized that at that time, Stark was not mature enough and was suffering from anxiety, which prevented him from reaching his full potential; Strange was not even a wizard yet, just a surgeon.
But Reed Richards, who was hailed as the smartest person in the universe, was already in his complete form at that time.
If what he said is true, that he already understood the entire universe when he was 6 years old, and had already begun to observe and learn, and may even have started compiling, then his actions of traveling through time at that time would definitely not have escaped his notice.
To everyone's surprise, Reed said something completely unexpected: "The color of this capsule is a bit like a Poké Ball."
Schiller stared at him intently for a moment.
"When you landed, you saw those medicines on the table. The capsules were red on top and white on the bottom, which reminded you of something called a Poké Ball. I don't know what that is, but I think if we're going to keep track of your movements, it's best to find something that feels familiar to you."
"Pikachu??!!!"
Reed nodded and said, "Actually, I don't have mind-reading abilities. I can just observe the process of you compiling the universe, and your thoughts are included in it. But because the compilation process is too short, I don't have time to capture too many thoughts. After you thought of the Poké Ball, that yellow mouse appeared in your mind."
Schiller couldn't help but cover his eyes. "But you... I mean... since you haven't seen my memories, how can they be so accurate?"
“I didn’t restore it,” Reed said. “You did. To be precise, I perfected your compilation. After you stopped, the power didn’t immediately disappear, so I casually wrote a piece of code, and it actually got executed.”
Schiller understood now. This was a case of a programmer encountering a hacker. Wait a minute, it seems like he's the hacker here.
So the process back then was roughly this: the superego used the system energy left by Anatoly to compile its own single universe. But Reed Richards was already in his complete form at that time, and he observed this compilation process. So he made some slight modifications and materialized the series of associations that Schiller had when he saw the capsule in the room into reality.
He now understands better how the superego created his identity. According to Reed's theory, this is actually a kind of cosmic compilation technology, which transforms the virtual into reality by directly modifying cosmic data.
Clearly, Reed Richards was far more cunning than he appeared. His superego was likely detected the moment he acted, and since the superego's processing speed couldn't keep up with Reed's deciphering speed, a portion of the power was ultimately used by him to create Pikachu.