Chapter 59

Chapter 59

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 59: The First Paper (4).

There’s one major problem with publishing a paper.

Time.

Considering the period for paper review, everything had to be finished before the start of this year’s summer vacation at the latest.

Unfortunately, finals were just two weeks away.

I decided to use my last resort.

“Hey, little sis.”

“What?”

“Lend me 10 million credits.”

Ceti, who was trading stocks on her phone, looked up with a dumbfounded expression.

“10 million credits?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think 10 million credits is something you can just pick up on the street?”

Fortunately, Ceti didn’t kick me out right away. Her expression said, “Let’s hear your reason.”

It was worth building a positive relationship with her all this time.

“I’m going to publish.”

“Publish? What?”

“There’s something that needs to be published.”

I hadn’t told anyone exactly what paper I was writing. There were three main reasons for that:

In case it gets rejected for publication. That would be very embarrassing for me.

To keep it a secret and minimize the chance of any Outer God catching wind of what we were doing.

To surprise everyone.

Therefore, I had no choice but to persuade her emotionally.

“You’re a student at Stellarium. If you really need money, do short-term tutoring like Mr. Meyer does.”

“Mr. Meyer?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot? The senior who tutored in math.”

Ah, right. My future graduate school colleague.

If I graduate early this year, does that mean I’ll be entering college in the same year as him? Anyway, that’s enough thought about it, but what’s important now is money.

I begged Ceti, “I’m sorry, but I don’t even have time for a part-time job. I’ll pay you back all at once when everything’s settled on my side. Can’t you just lend it to me without worrying?”

“Later, all at once…? Don’t tell me you’re planning to borrow now and then borrow again later from someone else?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you crazy?”

Borrowing money was almost like touching Ceti’s traumatic experience, especially if it was Aidel borrowing it and some random person. So, I decided to take special measures.

“I’ll write a promissory note.”

If not repaid, I agree to become impotent.

+10,000,000 credits have been deposited.

Somehow, I managed to secure it interest-free from Ceti. The power of a contract is that strong. Who could refuse when I left a clause saying, “Please ruin my future if I can’t repay this amount in a certain time”?

Of course, writing a promissory note, even when borrowing money from family, wasn’t ordinary at all.

“Young master, have you incurred another debt?”

Sonia sighed as she looked at my now full account. “I feel terribly sorry for you being a nuisance to Miss Ceti.”

“I will use it wisely,”

“You’re shameless.”

“Sorry for being shameless.”

Sonia glanced at me sideways. Her face was expressionless, but I could anticipate what she would say next.

“Is it gambling?”

“Even if I die, I am not gambling.”

“What in the universe do you plan to use it for?”

I waved my hands, indicating that I wouldn’t tell her. Even after that, Sonia kept following me and asking, but I didn’t say a word.

“I am exclusively yours, young master. And it’s frustrating not to know what you’re doing these days.”

“…….”

“Please tell me, just me. I will make sure not to inform the head of the family.”

“……Really?”

“Really, I will.”

“No. I have no intention of telling you. Go back.”

Sonia puffed her cheeks slightly, showing a sulky expression.

“There’s no bigger troublemaker than you around me.”

“Think whatever you want.”

Before I knew it, the sun was setting. While I was thinking about how to allocate the 10 million credits, Sonia approached and said,

“I’ll prepare dinner.”

“No, it’s okay. We’re going out to eat.”

“Do you have the luxury to dine out after borrowing money?”

“I do, actually.”

Not a single penny will be spent on dining out.

“Young master, I’ve prepared the bathwater… Where are you going!”

After barely escaping from Sonia, who had suddenly become increasingly overprotective of me lately, I fled the dormitory and boarded a shuttle heading to the College planet.

Knock, knock.

After straightening the squeaky sign on the research lab door, I knocked and waited.

Upon entering, I saw a young researcher intently staring at a monitor.

“Professor, I’m here.”

“Welcome,” he replied.

We exchanged brief nods. There was no time for pleasantries.

“The first draft of your thesis is better than I expected. It’s quite well done for an academic student, and I mean that sincerely.”

‘For something written by an academia student’… huh.

In other words, it was a complete mess by his standards.

I had anticipated this.

The journal required a specific format, which I hadn’t followed at all.

Of course, given enough time, I could buckle down and do it properly. But then, preparing for the final tests would become difficult for me.

And this was why I borrowed 10 million credits.

“Professor.”

Fiddling with the phone that held my funds, I said…

“Let’s hire an editor.”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s hire an editor. Someone to proofread and edit the entire paper.”

After the afternoon classes ended, the academia students scattered to attend to their own tasks.

Some chose to study more, while others practiced swordsmanship. This was their free time.

They could enjoy themselves to their heart’s content, or they could work part-time. The choice was theirs to make.

Among them, James Hendilton, a first-year student in the elite class, chose to work part-time.

“James!”

“Coming!”

His senior editor, who was also his mentor, pointed at the monitor and said.

“Here’s some new proofreading and editing work that came in for us. Could you take care of this?”

“Understood,” James replied.

James was working as an intern at an editing company.

Thanks to his diligent nature and faithful execution of tasks, he was getting along well with everyone at the company.

Becoming a great editor had been James’s dream for a long time, ever since he was a young boy who loved reading.

“The student could even be hired as a full-time employee later on,” one of the employees at “Mentee and Mentor Editing” remarked.

It was understandable. James’s extraordinary work ethic, especially for someone only seventeen, had everyone at the company eyeing him with interest.

“Can you believe it? Jackpot! We’ve hit the jackpot!”

A senior editor’s voice boomed through the office, causing a stir. James naturally turned his attention to the commotion.

“Molly, what’s going on?”

“Look at this,” Molly said, her eyes wide with excitement. “We just received a request to proofread a thesis. And the upfront payment is a whopping 3 million credits. Can you believe it? 3 million!”

“Not 300,000 credits?”

“Boss, really. Have you ever known me to lie?”

The employees around them wore expressions of shock and amazement.

“Wow, it’s true,” one of them murmured.

“If we’re talking about this much upfront, isn’t that incredible?”

Mentee and Mentor Editing didn’t just handle ordinary publications. The rise of proofreading and editing androids has led to a downturn in the traditional publishing editing market. To survive, editing companies had to innovate and explore different business models.

What they discovered was the niche market of thesis publishing.

Theses are publications where confidentiality and accuracy are paramount. This is a field where androids have limitations, and human expertise is still the gold standard.

The employees in the office repeatedly checked the prepaid amount, marveling at the figure.

“With this much… it must mean we absolutely need to keep it a secret, right?”

But that wasn’t all.

“The higher the amount, the higher the priority for processing. This has to be our top priority.”

“……”

“What are you doing? Hurry up and form a team!”

Soon, a proofreading team for the request was assembled.

James unexpectedly secured a spot on the team.

“Can I really proofread a thesis?” he asked, doubt creeping into his voice.

“James, you’re smart; you’ll be fine. You don’t need to look up technical terms; just take care of the flow and formatting. Oh, and issue a plagiarism check report and a proofreading certificate, too. You can handle it, right?”

“……Ah, yes! Understood!”

James gulped, feeling a wave of apprehension.

He felt inadequate to proofread complex publications like dissertations and theses. Yet, he had to do it now. It was his job.

His superiors were giving him as much work as possible to help him gain experience. Touched by their confidence in him, James clenched his hands tightly.

He resolved to return the document to the client in the best condition possible, no matter what.

With one week left until the final tests, James balanced studying during the day and immersing himself in editing at night. He completed the 3-million-won project.

“I’m happy,” he murmured, feeling a rush of fulfillment once the task was completed. He opened the company door wide, his chest puffed out with pride.

“Wow, jackpot!”

Spittle flew in front of him as an excited colleague exclaimed, “They added three million more!”

“What did you say?”

“We got 6 million credits for just one proofreading?”

James, too, was surprised and ran to where his mentor was.

The paper that returned after a week was quite satisfactory.

“The format is properly maintained, too… With this, there shouldn’t be any rejections in our submission, right?”

“Hmm. If the idea is good, it will be published right away,” Professor Feynman replied.

Indeed, entrusting the work to a reputable company saved time and reduced stress. Money, as always, had proven its worth. You need money to conduct research!

In gratitude, I sent an additional 3 million credits to the editing company. Altogether, I had spent 6 million credits just to write and edit a mere twenty-page paper.

“Are you really okay with this? Pouring 6 million into just one paper… and that too, on a theory?”

“It surely will be worth it,” I said confidently, though Feynman still looked puzzled. He seemed to wonder if it wouldn’t have been better to spend that money on research funds instead.

I understood his questions, but I knew something he didn’t.

There was a very capable colleague there. Though a bit slower compared to AI, the accuracy was guaranteed. And the person was so meticulous that you could trust him without even meeting him. Even better, that friend was now in the same class as me.

I didn’t want to be caught having written the paper myself for now, so I was requesting help this way. But I planned to recruit him later once everything was set.

“Keke,” I chuckled, already salivating in anticipation.

“I’ve never seen such a crazy person in my life.”

The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ feels profundity in you.

You have received a sponsorship of 3000 Pron.

Wiping the drool with my sleeve, I came to my senses. This was not the time to lose focus. I immediately submitted the paper with Professor Feynman.

As the final tests began, a very significant turning point came in my life.

Outer God ‘Orchestra of Mud and Flesh’ has started to watch your actions closely.

It was the moment when a major obstacle to the development of the Graviton bullet plan appeared.