Ch.282The Switch (2)

And contrary to my hopes, disaster struck.

The research facility was hit by a bomb attack.

By the time I arrived, it was already too late.

“……”

Looking at the ongoing firefighting and rescue operations, I couldn’t help but curse.

“These bastards.”

***

The Dark Holy Spirit Cult, Magnus.

I had suspected they would be our next opponents.

But I never expected them to emerge so early, and worse yet, to originate from the west rather than the east, choosing me as their initial target.

Well, I had considered it a possibility, but honestly believed it less likely than winning the lottery.

It was a truly absurd situation.

I hurriedly met with the research director. There wasn’t even time for proper introductions. We exchanged opinions sitting on a few chairs in one of the research buildings that remained intact.

The research director said:

“This was a planned crime.”

He showed me a video. It was footage of the inner wall of the bombed research building, clearly showing laser-engraved writing.

[Stop the research.]

“…A warning, I see.”

“Yes. This reveals the nature of this religious group. Their ideology is anti-science, and they are subservient to outer gods.”

We hadn’t even started construction yet, and now this mess.

I absolutely cannot forgive this.

If I can’t build the accelerator within the second half of the year, my graduation will be delayed. No matter what, I will punish those Magnus bastards.

The research director coughed and continued.

“We cannot stop the research. But relocating to another site would cause countless problems.”

That makes sense.

This place, the Rosenium planetary system, was well-equipped with the heavy machinery and planetary mining ships needed for accelerator construction. There was also an asteroid belt nearby, allowing us to procure raw materials whenever needed.

Above all…

“The Lagrangian points of this planetary system’s star are extremely stable. Whether during construction or operation of the accelerator, it’s much safer than other planetary systems.”

“Hmm.”

“As the head of the Rheinland… I mean, as a doctoral candidate, you know this too. Discovering gravitons has been the long-cherished goal of us physicists. We’ve had the technology for a long time, but lacked the capital. Now we finally have the chance.”

This graviton research isn’t just about my dissertation.

It’s an opportunity for countless high-energy physicists to satisfy their academic thirst and make good money too.

“With such a great opportunity right in front of us, we cannot back down.”

From the beginning, whether past or present, the particle physics field has had a narrower job market and lower compensation compared to other fields. When a major experiment comes along, why not take advantage of the opportunity?

“…I understand completely.”

The research director’s intended message seemed clear.

Use your political position as the head of the Rheinland family to drive away Magnus.

That was exactly what I planned to do.

I immediately put pressure on the government. At the same time, I sent a reply to the committee that was preparing to award me the Peace Prize.

[I, Eidel von Rheinland, will declare war on terrorism in alliance with the Federal Government and Stronium. All future casualties caused by terrorist groups will be my responsibility. Therefore, I must decline the Peace Prize.]

From now on, I might become a killer. At the very least, I will certainly disrupt peace.

A plausible reason to refuse the award. Maybe.

Anyway, my direction was clear: remove anyone who tries to interfere with our research.

Soon, I received a response from the government, and an anti-terrorism special task force was formed, centered around the Western Federal Army and the Defense Forces.

Then Rustila and Zernya rushed over.

“You two belong to the Southern division. Why are you here in the West?”

“Because we can’t let you get hurt.”

“To treat you if you get injured.”

I could understand Rustila, but Zernya was pregnant and must have had difficulty traveling. While I appreciated them coming all this way, I was more concerned.

“Are you really going to be okay?”

“That religious group seems to be targeting you. Doesn’t that mean we, your wives, are in danger too?”

“Zernya’s right. It’s better to stick together than be separated. Look, that’s why Seti came too.”

Seti waved from a distance. She approached with leisurely steps.

“My brother needs so much attention. I have to make him androids, give him money, and now I have to regularly check if he’s still alive.”

“You just came to see the Grand Triangle effect, didn’t you?”

When Seti’s constellation combines with the Grand Triangle, it adds a coin bonus.

“…How did you know?”

Seti stuck out her tongue and looked around at Sonia and Ireh. Ireh, disguised as Sonia, cleared her throat and looked around nervously.

Seti stared at Ireh and said:

“They said you were in disguise, and it’s true. If I didn’t look carefully, I wouldn’t be able to tell who’s who. Is this Ireh?”

“……”

“I guess so. The vibe is completely different.”

“Young Master Eidel, the wind is cold. We should go inside.”

“Wow, you’re quite the actress.”

“L-let’s go quickly!”

Pushed by Ireh, I went to my private lab. It seemed I would be living here for the second semester under the pretext of a long-term business trip.

Eventually.

Both construction and operations began simultaneously.

“I’ll be back.”

Rustila geared up and flew to the Manus planetary system. With Rustila’s help, the Magnus cult wouldn’t last long.

I also exchanged opinions with the research director and various scholars and technicians.

The research director said:

“We plan to create fixed points at the five Lagrangian points and connect tubes in a spindle shape around these points. The sections connecting each point will be the acceleration parts, and the ends of the spindle will be the collision points.”

“Is that method efficient?”

“From an economic perspective, it’s not very efficient. But it’s much better for concentrating energy in a narrow area.”

Unless using a warp drive, an object’s speed cannot exceed that of light.

And planetary systems typically span 1-2 light-years.

This means that based on existing theory, discovering gravitons would take at least a year per experiment.

“With this design for the accelerator, experiments will only take a few days. It requires more capital, but the experimental time is significantly reduced.”

Buying time with money.

Buying time means I can get my doctorate earlier… no, that’s not it.

Buying time is equivalent to having more time to create graviton bombs. What’s a few thousand trillion when dealing with outer gods?

“That’s all I have to share today. We plan to begin construction as early as tomorrow.”

“Wow, that quickly?”

“With money flowing in the world, we need to put workers to work quickly.”

The research director smiled happily.

“This year, I’ll be able to order large pepperoni pizzas for my family to my heart’s content…”

***

Rustila and the Western Federal Army combed through the Manus planetary system meticulously.

The perpetrators of the bomb attack were captured or killed in various locations. The speed was truly remarkable. It was hard to believe this was the same Federal Army that had recently experienced a major war.

But this couldn’t shake the cult’s faith.

So the followers of Magnus hid in deeper places.

It was a chapel located deep underground. Gray stained glass lined the walls, and statues carved with tentacles stood in the gloomy space.

“Fellow believers!”

A girl with grayish-white hair removed her veil, drawing attention.

“Look!”

“It’s the Holy Maiden!”

“The apostle of the outer god!”

The believers burst into exclamations.

It wasn’t just her status; many were captivated by her mesmerizing attire. Everyone, regardless of gender, was entranced by the drab holy maiden outfit that revealed her lower chest and sides.

The Holy Maiden.

Julia Magnus.

She raised her voice:

“As you all know, our universe is inevitably heading toward destruction according to the irresistible flow of entropy. This is causality. But we have been searching for an idea that transcends this causality.”

Holy Maiden Julia continued:

“That’s when the Steel Outer God showed us a way to defy the flow of this world. It is to conform to the Outer God and for everyone to become his avatar. By becoming avatars, we will ascend to higher-dimensional beings, and we can all be saved.”

“O Steel Clockwork. We shall be your servants. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah forever.”

“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah forever. Thank you. The Outer God knows the depth of your sincerity in coming here. Therefore, the Outer God has bestowed upon me an oracle and sacred objects.”

Snap.

The Holy Maiden snapped her fingers. A screen appeared before her, showing a man and woman walking.

Eidel von Rheinland.

And Sonia.

“The culprits behind this incident are scientists who, in their mere human bodies, are trying to hasten our destruction. Among them, Eidel von Rheinland must be captured and judged. But beside him is a being presumed to be an avatar of another outer god.”

The cult doesn’t worship all outer gods.

They only follow the Maxwell-type outer gods who can reverse time and entropy.

In the Holy Maiden’s view, that maid beside Eidel was not of the Maxwell-type outer gods.

A being that must be defeated.

“Your mission is to capture that maid called Sonia. But it won’t be easy, so the Outer God has told me to give you this net.”

The Holy Maiden clapped her hands, and a net with an inky hue appeared.

“The name of this net is ‘Iron Wire Binding,’ an artifact of our Outer God.”

“Ohhh!”

The Holy Maiden handed the net to the believers and concluded:

“Capture that maid and offer her to our Steel Cult.”