Chapter 44: Jules Verne - 2 (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

“Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.”If you calculate that number accurately, the novel could be translated as “200,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” This adventure novel, filled with the sci-fi imagination of the French author Jules Verne, explores the unknown realm of the ocean using the new technology of the submarine. It has become an immortal classic symbolizing the romance and passion of adventure.

Jules Verne’s sci-fi imagination wasn’t just fanciful.

Rather, it was similar to the genres now called hard science fiction. Of course, by today’s standards, stories about traveling to the moon by cannon or the existence of a hollow Earth might sound like utter nonsense, but…

Jules Verne crafted stories full of conviction by actively using science and statistics to lead to these ‘fanciful results.’

Thus, in translating this novel, that same approach was necessary.

Deriving fantasy from reality. And I knew just the right person who could excellently fulfill this role.

“Chief Mage Millie Cléang here… I’m the chief…”

“Yes, yes. Chief Mage, we’ve called you this time for a little ‘consultation.’”

“I understand… There’s no one else as helpful as I am…”

Millie Cléang, the Chief Mage of the Grey Tower.

Her personality was somewhat regrettable, but… her vast knowledge and abilities were certain. Combining the various testimonies from the top sailors with her knowledge, we could create a quite plausible ‘sci-fi adventure novel’ even for the people of this world.

“Is this the novel I’m supposed to read…? The new work by author Herodotus…?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Hmm… sounds good…”

Millie Cléang spoke very slowly, but her reading speed was incredibly fast.

I also read books rather quickly, but she was even faster. The term ‘genius’ fit her perfectly.

After quickly reading the manuscript, she placed the papers on the desk with a satisfied smile.

“This is good… I really like it… In my taste, it might be better than detective novels or the Conan saga…”

“Really?”

“Yes… I particularly liked the new magical concepts and knowledge… The way it was guided was very logical… Did author Herodotus study magic as well?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll teach you…”

“I’ll decline.”

“First, let’s talk about what magic is… To explain this, it would be good to hear about how I got into magic in the first place…”

Oh, it was too late.

Millie Cléang, with her tired eyes brightened by dark circles, began to recount her own story.

Although it was supposed to be about magic, most of it was self-praise.

However, there were occasionally quite interesting stories. For example, tales about this world’s technological civilization─ firearms, magical trains, airplanes, and such.

“The mages of the Grey Tower deal with probabilities… so you can’t kill a mage with a gun.”

“Sorry, what?”

“As long as gunpowder is used, there’s a chance of a misfire, and the delicate structure can break down in an instant. Given that bullets travel in a one-dimensional path, the likelihood of simply missing is high… It’s not unusual for the barrel to burst or for the range to be significantly reduced… This is why mages are considered the nemesis of the military… The more complex the device, the more it becomes mere scrap metal to a mage…”

“Hmm. So does that mean the military is useless as long as mages exist?”

“That’s just a manner of speaking; it doesn’t mean they truly can’t be killed… While probabilities might be a bit more favorable for mages, they ultimately apply to everyone… If you overlap enough linear trajectories, won’t you ‘inevitably’ kill the target? This is why the Empire puts so much effort into standardizing service firearms… Standardization is essentially statistics, and statistics are essentially possibilities… Magic is ultimately the replication of events… Thus, standardizing equipment, adopting service procedures, and training against human-shaped targets all serve to increase the probability of hitting the mark…”

It was a peculiar story.

Standardizing weapons, adopting service procedures, and training through repetition should be natural for any military, even without magic. From the perspective of increasing the likelihood of victory, it was indeed a ‘meaningful’ action, but it was the same without the ‘magical’ miracles.

I recalled what she had told me during our last meeting.

If something is possible through magic, it should ultimately be possible without magic as well. I felt like I understood the meaning of those words a bit better now.

“If it’s hard to understand…hmm…imagine a murderer appears and kills ‘all’ the people in the world…”

“Yes, yes.”

“Then, from a magical perspective, that person gains the right to ‘decide certain death’ for any individual… This is called ‘transcendence’…”

“If they’ve already killed everyone, isn’t that an ultimately meaningless power?”

“Exactly…”

“Then what meaning does transcendence hold?”

“Hehe… That’s where a trick comes in…”

“Hmm?”

The Chief Mage chuckled, seemingly amused by something.

Given her dark circles and disheveled hair casting shadows, her laughter felt a bit eerie.

“Since any child shares about half of each parent’s traits… you could say that a child is born with ‘half’ the possibilities of each parent, couldn’t you…?”

“Yes.”

“If a ruler of a great dynasty killed half of humanity and passed that potential to their children, and those children became kings and killed half of the people of their era again, and if they continued to inbreed, passing down both the potential from their ancestors and their own… and if such acts were repeated over several generations…”

“…….”

“Wouldn’t things become very interesting…?”

The mage paused for a moment to sip her tea.

She then picked up the teapot to pour more into her cup, but the teapot was also empty, resulting in only a few red droplets falling.

The mage frowned slightly and pushed the teacup aside.

“Well, in reality, it’s not that simple, and no one would attempt such a foolish thing… Ah, but there is a similar case. The Emperor of the Empire holds the ‘right’ to be revered by the imperial subjects, and it’s not just a matter of law… Especially because the previous Emperor purged quite a few nobles, that atmosphere still lingers in the imperial family… That’s why mages like us find it hard to get close to royalty… Haha… It feels like standing before a man-eating snake…”

The mage shuddered as if recalling something. Her complexion seemed to pale a bit.

Come to think of it, I felt a similar atmosphere from ‘Lady Es.’

The feeling of being a frog before a snake. The fear of a prey standing before a predator.

I had thought I was merely nervous due to her power, but perhaps some magical principle was at work as well.

“You can boil tea with a teapot, but you can’t boil tea with a teacup, and that is also the limitation of magic… That’s why it’s so enjoyable to read novels full of such magical concepts… Haha… Some are nonsensical, but there are a few things I’d like to experiment with…”

“Is that so?”

“Would you like to visit the tower sometime, writer…?”

“Well, I’ll have to decline for now. I’ll be busy with writing.”

“That’s a shame… Well, I can just offer some consultation… Could you give me some paper…?”

“Sure.”

Millie Cléang nodded and began her consultation in earnest.

The story, unraveled in a scientific and magical manner, drew attention away from the various falsehoods hidden in the shadows due to its vivid and fiery style. Anyone staring at the flickering flame would have no doubts about its heat.

The sparkling embers, the yellow and red glow illuminating the surrounding darkness, and the dancing shadows.

The more defined the style became, the more life the story held. Since an adventure novel dealt with the unknown, it was more like a torch burning away the darkness than a lantern lighting the path.

There, no doubt or falsehood existed.

[“Tyrants have no right to rule the sea. They may claim wicked rights above the surface, fighting and devouring each other, dragging everything down into terror. But below 30 feet under the sea, their power ceases, their authority wanes, and their dominion vanishes!”]

[“The sea is free!”]

Only freedom was clear.

The freedom that no oppression could bind us to one place. That was the beauty of adventure novels.

It was the beauty of romance and the spark of progress.

Jules Verne led us to the sea.

“Hmm! Much better…” Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NovᴇlFɪre .ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“Thank you for the excellent consultation, Chief Mage Cléang.”

“My consultations are always exceptional… After all, I am the Chief…”