Embers of Embers

Chapter 43 The People Who Changed the World
It feels like falling into a deep sea of ​​ice, with endless cold and darkness surrounding your warm body. No matter how hard you struggle and stretch out your hands, you can never touch the fading light above your head and the heavy feeling of suffocation. Grabbing your throat, all you can do is keep falling until you reach the bottom of the abyss.
In the end, nothing will exist anymore, except for the coldness. All you have left is thoughts thinking in the darkness, and gradually, you no longer know how long it took, until the only consciousness you have is sinking in the darkness. .
"Start will test."
"Electrode is energized...record the value..."
Someone whispered in the darkness, as if it was not the time to die, so he opened his eyes and returned to this crazy world.
Galahad coughed hard, spitting out some blood under the translucent respirator. He breathed heavily, and the machine rumbled, sending mist containing analgesics into the respirator.
His tired eyes swept back and forth, and all he could see were the four steel walls and the group of snakes carved on the steel dome. They were intertwined and biting each other's tails. The black scales were like the dark night, until they formed An everlasting circle.
That is ouroboros, which can be regarded as a religious symbol. Some people say that it symbolizes the cycle of life and death, or reincarnation or something. The mysterious alchemy describes it as the crystallization of the soul, but Galaha De knew very well that in his impression this thing only meant one thing.
Infinite, everlasting operation.
That was the concept proposed by the first director of the Mechanical Institute. He invented the great steam engine. On this basis, he believed that there should be such a machine in the world. Once started, it would never stop working without any follow-up. of energy, he named the machine a perpetual motion machine, citing the symbol ouroboros.
Galahad's mechanical attainments were very low, but he also knew that this was not in line with the conservation of energy. It was impossible for such a thing to exist. But just like human beings' crazy imagination, the commander believed that the machine must exist, so He built the Perpetual Motion Pump on top of the Mechanical Institute and pursues the ideal machine to this day.
"I thought you would be in a coma for at least a week, but I didn't expect you to wake up so quickly."
A voice sounded from the side, and Nicholas walked over slowly with a cup in hand. There were a pair of dark circles on his pale face, and he walked lightly, which always made people feel that he would die suddenly in the next second.
"How does it feel?"
Sitting aside, Galahad tried to move, and then he realized that he was in a translucent jar, filled with light green liquid covering him, leather and steel holding him firmly, with fatal wounds It slowly healed under the immersion, but on the other side, there was a metal cable exposed and also soaked in the water.
"Like a nightmare..."
Galahad said weakly.
Seemingly noticing his gaze, Nicholas continued.
"Please forgive me. You have been eroded by the Original Sin Armor. If you lose control for the second time, we scientists will not be able to control you."
Nicholas said as he looked around and smiled. They were a group of people in the same uniform as him, but just like ghosts, they walked without making any noise, and there was no unnecessary conversation. Some only had the sound of button presses and calculation formulas. The sound of writing.
There are young people, old people, and even some people pushing huge external circulation machines to maintain life and work hard. Everyone here is a giant in a certain field. It can be said that they have pushed the edge of human understanding of the world. Pushed to this current state.
The Mechanical Institute promotes the technology of mortals, and the perpetual motion pump on top of this is developed to pursue the power of gods.
This is the center of the world's technology, the entire center of Ying Erweg's wisdom. Once these people die, Yin Erweg's technology will stagnate for at least ten years.
"So this is your insurance?"
Galahad gathered some strength and looked at the cable soaked in liquid and said.
"Of course, above us is the Pillar of the Furnace. According to the Queen's approval, we have the highest priority power supply. As long as you lose control, I only need to gently pull down the gate, and you can experience the feeling of being struck by Odin's lightning. ."
Nicholas gave an ugly smile.
"But this feeling should be very short-lived, even less than a second. Without the Original Sin Armor, your brain will be scorched in an instant, and then the whole body will be carbonized into a pile of ashes. Press the drain button again and you can be with Thames. The river embraced each other.”
Galahad didn't like the joke, he said.
"Nicholas, you were not so full of nonsense before."
"There should always be some comfort for a terminally ill patient, right?"
"You think those damn jokes are trying to comfort me?"
This group of lunatics have been underground for a long time, and their mental state is really not normal.
"Okay, let's skip this unpleasant part."
Nikolai's eyes darkened, his face was as dead as water, he picked up the report sheet on the side, walked to the edge of the container and said to Galahad.
"Galahad, the result of your will test is very bad. You are contaminated by the Original Sin Armor."
"Let me tell you the result directly. I am the Knight Commander, and I know what the Original Sin Armor is made of."
Galahad said calmly, not caring about the so-called "terminal illness".
After a moment of silence, Nicholas slowly read the data on the report sheet.
"Your nerves have been eroded by the Original Sin Armor by 47%. Although it has not exceeded the critical value, your nerve damage is too deep. After treatment, the erosion should be reduced a little, but only a little."
"That means this erosion is irreversible, right?"
Galahad's expression changed for the first time, but just for a moment, he returned to his cold look.
The Original Sin Armor is the secret weapon of the Perpetual Pump. I don’t know how these madmen created this thing. It has the characteristics of a demon, but unlike a demon, it can be controlled by humans.
But like a double-edged sword, when humans use it, they are like fighting monsters, suffering from its erosion.
"Yes, contact with demons will cause us to be contaminated, and then the weird pollution will erode us. The degree of erosion will gradually calm down after getting rid of the source of pollution. But for some people who have been in contact for too long, such as you, the degree of erosion can only be reduced slowly, or even Talk about rebounding, but once you break through the critical value... you will start to be demonized, and when you reach 100%, you will become a demon."
This is something that everyone who works in the Purification Agency will know, but it is cruel to say it at this time. Those who fight against demons will eventually become demons.
"But don't worry, I will propose to Arthur to transfer you. You are not suitable to work on the front line Galahad."
Nikolai continued, seeming to think of his long-lost hometown.
"Do you need me to sort out your retirement life for you? You can go to my hometown. Although it is a bit far away from Inverg, the weather there is sunny and it is a pretty good place to retire."
hometown?
Galahad was slightly stunned. He had known Nikolai for so long, but he had never heard of Nikolai's hometown. This guy was an international student who came from a small place and entered the first class of the Royal Academy of Mechanical Engineering. In the first semester, the entire school was cut off because of inventions.
He was not punished. At that time, a researcher of the Mechanical Institute was working part-time as the director. He discovered Nikolai's talent and introduced him to the Mechanical Institute.
The madman entered the madman's paradise, and then rose all the way to the present. From Galahad's perspective, Nicholas's life was filled only with inventions and explosions.
"Yes, my hometown. If I hadn't heard that Old Dunling was the most advanced place in the world, I wouldn't have wanted to leave my hometown."
"Leaving home... sounds really heavy. Why did you come here?"
"For science."
"science?"
"Yes, science. Galahad, you are just a fool. I have seen your transcript from college. Your mechanics are simply unsightly."
Geniuses are always like this, mocking mortals in their casual conversations.
"Whether it is political power or superb swordsmanship, their impact on the world is only a little bit, affecting only a few generations, but science is different.
Everyone in the world is directly or indirectly enjoying the convenience brought by science and technology. This is not something that can be done by ideas and force. Therefore, it is not politicians or soldiers who really change the world, but science. "
The eyes dulled by lack of sleep were gleaming, and it was hard to believe that Galahad saw something resembling an ideal in the eyes of this madman.
"So Galahad, no matter what decision Arthur makes, don't resist. If you continue, you will only become a monster and your change in the world will be minimal."
Like persuasion.
"...what I did after I lost consciousness."
Not paying attention to Nicholas's words, after a brief daze, Galahad lowered his head slightly and looked at his body soaked in light green liquid.He lost control, but he was still alive. Galahad still remembered the powerful feeling after putting on the armor. It was reasonable that he would be corroded to death by the armor, but now he survived... someone subdued him.
"You almost killed the robin and the shrike, and then you almost killed me with the smoothbore shelling and high-voltage electricity."
Nicholas analyzed the battle situation at that time. His sick face showed no expression. It may be that the facial nerves were necrotic from staying up late for a long time.
"A warhead weighing thirty kilograms can only stop you for a moment. Even the deadly mercury vapor cannot subdue you. Thanks to your loss of control, except for Lancelot's Original Sin Armor, other Original Sin Armors still need to be readjusted. , I don’t want to take back you a second time.”
Lancelot.
The familiar name sounded again, and Galahad felt an unspeakable feeling.
"That guy can control armor?"
It was a nightmarish experience, and even a familiar colleague couldn't help but feel strange to Galahad who could sustain himself in that horror.
"That guy is simply born for armor. You knight captains are all neurologically specialized people. You can withstand the erosion of the demon's will longer than ordinary people. You can even ignore most of the erosion, and Lan Slaughter is the best among you.”
Nicholas recalled the first experiment. As the test pilot, Lancelot did not lose control after being completely wrapped in the Original Sin Armor. He even said that he did not even have any emotional fluctuations. He was absolutely rational, like a cold machine.
Following Nicholas's instructions, he completed all the difficult moves, was cold and efficient and absolutely obeyed orders. For this reason, Arthur conducted a separate test for him, and Lancelot passed with full marks.
"You also know the special nature of the Original Sin Armor. It took our Perpetual Pump so many years to create the first batch of finished products. Every invocation requires Arthur's approval, and Lancelot was directly assigned by Arthur to carry it independently. The Armor of Original Sin.”
"Okay, don't think so much. You need to rest. The remnants of the Original Sin Armor in your body also need to be cleaned. Go to sleep."
As if he was tired of chatting, Nicholas didn't give Galahad a chance to speak anymore. He pressed the switch on the side, and new gas poured into Galahad's trachea through the breathing mask. It took only a few seconds for Galahad to... De's consciousness fell into darkness again, and he fell into a deep sleep in the container.
Looking at the sleeping face, Nicholas' expression gradually became serious, and he walked around to the back of the container. Galahad's body could be seen from the translucent container wall.
The back was a strange gray color, and most of the flesh and blood seemed to be necrotic. It gradually decomposed under the light green liquid, and fine sarcoma fell off. The trauma was worse than Nicholas said.
"The area that was assimilated to the Original Sin Armor has been removed. Based on the nerve fluctuations during the conversation, it can be confirmed that the degree of Galahad's erosion is stable."
The assistant on the side came over. He had been recording data in that dark corner since Galahad woke up.
"It's really serious..."
Nikolai knew very well what the Original Sin Armor was made of, and being assimilated by that kind of thing was more like partial demonization. But fortunately they rescued Galahad, otherwise what awaited Galahad would be the Perpetual Pump. of the incinerator.
"Give the report to Arthur. It's up to him to decide what to do with Galahad next."
Nicholas said as he signed his name on the report. After writing the first half, he seemed to have forgotten something. He stopped writing and rummaged through his pockets for a long time and finally found his nameplate. No wonder Shrike said that this place is a group of lunatics. The lunatics were so happy that they couldn't even remember their own names.
He picked up the pen but stopped in mid-air. Nicholas froze in place, looking at the figure in the container like a sculpture.
After withdrawing from the front line, Galahad is bound to never be able to go to the battlefield again. Although most of his EQ is used in exchange for IQ, Nicholas knows very well that this is a blow to Galahad, and he is also among them. The reason, if it weren't for his experiment, maybe Galahad would be fine.
As if to comfort himself and to comfort Galahad, he whispered.
"So one person can't change anything in the world, but I am different, Galahad.
I am a scientist, and I am a person destined to change the world. "
As those words fell, a few meters thick electric light flashed across the steel dome. The electric light illuminated the dark corner and also made Nicholas's face pale.
Thousands of cables are arranged around it, like a mysterious ritual, and lightning and thunder flash from time to time, as if a god has descended into the world.
The staff all stopped, not to rest, but to wait for Nikolai. All preparations for the experiment were made, and now they were waiting for Nikolai to start it all.
Taking one last look at Galahad, who was sleeping in the container, Nicholas handed the signed report to the assistant beside him, and saw a line of crooked handwriting under the dense data.
Nikola Tesla.
(End of this chapter)