Ch.230225 – Persuasion

Salmon rice bowl or cube steak rice bowl, that is the question.

So I ordered both.

“NoName, you’ll get indigestion! Eat slowly…”

I kept stuffing my mouth full of food until my dizziness finally subsided.

The plump salmon belly stuck perfectly to my tongue.

The satisfying fat content somewhat appeased my hunger.

But maybe they added too much soy sauce? The saltiness lingered, so I added another spoonful of rice.

My cheeks must be puffed out like a chipmunk’s, but who cares what others think?

Finally, I gulped down a cup of water and managed to regain my senses.

“There’s no rule saying you must handle aura in just one way.”

I pointed my spoon at each member of the weightlifting club.

Since I’m in a slightly elevated mood, bestowing my teachings directly wouldn’t be so bad.

“To put it extremely, even the Soviet elite practiced communism by day and capitalism by night, right? It’s kind of like that. As long as two propositions aren’t contradictory, there’s nothing wrong with creating a new worldview.”

Was that too difficult?

Well, it’s probably unreasonable to expect them to control multiple types of aura without mixing when they’ve spent their whole lives struggling with just one, trying all sorts of reasoning and thought experiments.

I finished my meal by putting one piece of salmon and one piece of steak in my mouth simultaneously.

Sadly, I left a lot of rice. My stomach is disappointingly small.

Finally, I answered Ban So-wol’s question.

“What else is light but heavy? Debt. Your pocket feels heavy now, but your balance becomes infinitely light.”

“Debt?”

“The aura I showed you at the end consumes ‘calories’ from the body to produce extremely powerful force in a short time. Unlike matter, mana and aura can be defined in negative values, so by setting ‘negative calories,’ you can draw energy from the near future.”

Of course, Erysichthon’s principle is far more complex and systematically regulated than this.

The phenomenon itself has a structure so complex it’s hard to imagine without a dragon’s head—born as a phenomenon yet capable of thought and personality.

Moreover, while there have been many attempts to scientifically explain aura’s power, there’s still a long way to go.

Like introducing simple economic models to market economies, humans chose to approach aura philosophically to build a more precise inner world.

“Question everything. That’s the only way to define anything.”

And so I gave the philosophy students something to ponder deeply.

Even after everyone left the restaurant after dinner, Ban So-wol remained deep in thought with her eyes closed.

Without borrowing the power of Corrosion, there was absolutely no way I could defeat her through force.

Ban So-wol had a calmer and more composed mind than most nuns from the Papal State.

Am I weak or is she strong?

How much effort must she have put in to reach this position?

The inconvenience of not being able to see must be beyond words.

“…?”

Noticing that I was staring at her, I asked Ban So-wol:

“How do you usually study?”

“I try to memorize what professors say, or I record it. And I review in virtual reality based on notes that my writing assistant prepares for me.”

“Ah, virtual reality. Still, it must be tiring to go through the same class twice.”

“Tiring? No, it’s fun. But I need to take 21 credits next semester, and I still haven’t found people for four subjects, which is a bit troublesome.”

Writing assistant?

Could this be a golden opportunity for Shin Yeon-ho?

“I know someone who could help you, should I ask them?”

With this, I’ve repaid my debt.

Though Ban So-wol is pretty, she seems like a rather boring, ascetic monk. Whether his love will succeed remains to be seen.

* * *

Today was the final Q&A session with professors hosted by the Cephiron Foundation people.

While Emily Mayakovsky was setting up 500mL water bottles and snacks at each seat, Dr. Robert Fuller handed me a Chupa Chups.

He already had an identical candy in his mouth. Probably a cigarette substitute.

“Is NoName perhaps an alien?”

“I hear that a lot.”

“Hahaha. It’s truly a shame that today is our last day. I really wish you would come with us to America.”

“Thanks to your consideration, I’ve had quite a lot of fun too.”

“Really?”

When else would I get to discuss things with such scholars?

Though it often devolved into a talent show, there’s nothing more enjoyable than when we occasionally found common ground.

“But NoName, I’m being completely sincere. Why do you insist on staying in Korea?”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t mean to disparage Korean culture, but I think it’s quite stingy when it comes to treating professionals. Especially since many Korean politicians aren’t from academia, and they seem to be heading toward hereditary politics like Japan thirty years ago, making it difficult to see a future.”

Robert Fuller began criticizing Korea bluntly and scathingly.

“Korea’s soft power is excellent by global standards. Particularly its manpower, which is world-class—that’s why our foundation invests generously in Korean education.”

Crunch—

Robert chewed the candy with his molars, breaking it into pieces.

After chewing a few times like it was a snack, he swallowed it.

“But excellent talent receives no care from the government, so they have no choice but to be subordinate to clans. And clans only use this talent for making money, which we don’t find particularly desirable.”

“You seem to know a lot about Korea, Doctor.”

“My maternal grandmother was Korean. Let me tell you something unfortunate, NoName—the Korean government won’t actively investigate Walpurgis’s activities. Well… President Lee Jo-won, an outsider even among conservatives, might think differently, but that doesn’t mean his associates will change.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was none other than Korea that most actively opposed joint UN forces training in South Korea. Isn’t that strange? The ruling party ‘accepting’ the opposition party’s stance against UN forces stationing, and even actively ‘advocating’ for it. This is just a joke among our foundation members, but we suspect Walpurgis might have had some connection with the Korean government.”

Though there’s no evidence, he added finally.

I looked Robert Fuller up and down.

“What do you want? I’d appreciate it if you’d get to the point.”

“NoName, you’re amazingly adult-like for your age. The Cephiron Foundation recognizes your talent and hopes you’ll formally join our headquarters for the next 20 years.”

He handed me his business card.

It seemed to be an electronic card—as soon as I received it, an hourglass logo appeared in the center of the thin paper, followed by his personal information.

“This has already been unanimously approved internally. If you sign this card, it will be automatically approved.”

“When you say headquarters member, does that include Section Chief Kim Yong-seong?”

While my homeroom teacher Jacqueline Carroll is affiliated with Cephiron, she’s an academy graduate hired by headquarters, not someone dispatched.

He smiled and answered.

“It’s customary not to reveal who’s a member. If you join us, I’d be happy to tell you.”

His attitude is friendly.

He deliberately showed off the foundation’s intelligence to win my favor. That’s probably why he brought up Walpurgis.

Looking again, Robert Fuller had more characteristics of a businessman than a scholar. I guess appearances don’t lie.

As I continued to appear contemplative, he added:

“The world doesn’t run on money alone, NoName. Money is just something that follows secondarily. That’s the biggest factor hindering Koreans’ development. People who only look at immediate salaries and bonuses find it difficult to see the distant future. From that perspective, the Cephiron Foundation is willing to pay NoName sufficient resources to break free from that mindset.”

He’s not entirely wrong.

When people have enough resources to live comfortably, they tend to set higher values and goals.

“But it won’t be much.”

“It’s not small. 4 billion won annually for 20 years, after tax, of course. You’re good at math, so you can calculate—80 billion.”

80 billion won? At a 5% inflation rate, the present value is 49,848,841,371 won. What is he trying to sell?

These people clearly have no idea how much Switzerland offered me.

“No thanks.”

“NoName? This is an extraordinary offer. It even includes a clause allowing concurrent employment, so it’s absolutely not a small amount!”

“I know.”

He’s right. From beginning to end, he’s said nothing but the truth.

Even the best partner mages in the Raon Clan would struggle to exceed 20 billion won in annual after-tax income.

But the foundation’s intelligence falls short of my expectations, and it’s laughable to talk about escaping capitalism with a mere 50 billion won.

I recall that a serf household in wealthy Kaizen earns about 200 silver annually, which is about 3 gold, or roughly 2.5 million won at current rates.

How much did Hiasen offer to persuade me again?

[Two years, Estasha. You’re selling this empire’s future for just two years! Still not enough?]

It was roughly the Kaizen Imperial court’s budget for two years, so by simple calculation, about 18 million gold. 15 trillion won.

But thinking about it again makes me angry. He talked as if it involved the entire empire, but it was just limited to the imperial court’s budget.

Anyway, I really hate being affiliated with something.

I should tell Mr. Robert Fuller to refrain from this topic in the future, as I’d like to maintain a good impression of him.

“I truly appreciate your high regard for my talent, but for now, I’d like to focus on my studies without being tied to any organization.”

“You sound unsatisfied. If the amount is insufficient, I can personally speak to the foundation’s budget department.”

The doctor persisted quite tenaciously.

“Then go ahead and call them right now. My condition is 500 billion won as a lump sum, not a 20-year pension-like arrangement.”

“Are you kidding me?”

At the end, his translation magic must have expired, as a fluent American pronunciation of “are you kidding me” came out simultaneously.

I’m not kidding.

That amount would disappear after using 7th circle magic two or three times.

This side of Robert Fuller is very scholar-like, fretting over budget.

“Doctor! NoName! We’re all ready!” Emily’s voice echoed from the platform.

“You have a good subordinate.”

While the boss is just giving advice instead of helping.

I turned toward the tall Slavic beauty.

“There are a lot of people today.”

“Since it’s the last day, the doctor wanted to allow the general public in as well. Is that okay with you, NoName?”

Robert Fuller’s political calculation was obvious.

He wanted to persuade me to join the Cephiron Foundation in advance and then publicly announce that he had recruited me.

There was a reason he was so desperate.

“I don’t mind. As long as no one gets too rowdy.”

“I’ll handle everything. Don’t worry.”

She lifted one foot and kicked at the air.

Emily, who initially seemed robot-like and stiff, showed a more playful side after a few meetings.

“Are you good at fighting?”

“I’m a 6th dan in Muay Thai.”

“I see.”

I definitely shouldn’t mess with this person.