Chapter 169
Semin's point was simple.
He said that if people recognized my worth in the real world before I filmed the exposé, they would support whatever I said without question.
The added logic was that while everyone rushed to deny one impossible event, when two or three happened in succession, people adapted before they knew it.
What caught Semin's eye was my proof formulas.
He emphasized the need to break it into stages.
First, I would show the public an incredible achievement far beyond what my age would suggest.
Second, this would give even people who did not watch Internet broadcasts a preview.
“At the end, ta-da, I was actually seven years old. How about this scenario?”
It was childish in the extreme. Why did everyone like playing peekaboo so much?
“I can’t do that.”
“Why? Why not?”
“Because I didn’t prove this myself... It’s just a kind of translation.”
Before the question of means, this was a matter of my morals and conscience.
Most of the mathematics I knew, especially number theory, consisted almost entirely of concepts I had learned from my master.
However, since the concepts and notation used in that world were completely different from those used in this one, I had merely adapted them to fit reality.
The only exception was Brocard’s problem; the others had not even been puzzles for me to solve.
It was like moving an already completed puzzle from one place to another.
I couldn’t use knowledge imbued with her passion and soul merely because I wanted to take an easier path.
In gaming terms, this was a cheat. A maphack.
The fruit of temptation granted to someone who had merely happened to experience two worlds.
“Then can’t you list her as a coauthor?”
“A coauthor?”
Was I supposed to write down the name of a nonexistent person, ‘Maria Euphrasia Terraluby,’ as the first author?
Of course, that was something Cheon Semin would say because he didn’t know I was a reincarnator.
“She doesn’t exist in this world.”
“Oh, really...? So she died... But wouldn’t that make it even better?”
“Wow... Your sense of ethics is something else.”
“No, that’s not what I meant! It’s a good opportunity to spread her name far and wide. Don’t you think?”
“Do you think submitting a paper is that lax? Of course, the authors would have to be reviewed first...”
“So what? We’re uploading it to VTube. We can think about that when the time comes.”
Semin replied with perfect composure.
This man was going to become a doctor in the future, so why was he surprisingly good at doing things that pricked his conscience?
“It’s still theft in the end.”
But this wasn’t a question of whether I could or couldn’t do it.
I lacked the qualifications to prove it.
The curiosity you felt when receiving a puzzle, the anticipation when dumping it onto the floor, the passion while putting it together, and the sense of accomplishment when you completed it.
Master Maria possessed every one of those elements, while I was nothing more than someone imitating her.
Because I envied her passion for knowledge so deeply and wanted to imitate her ability to focus completely on a single thing,
I had read every book she had written—no, even every one of her practice notebooks.
Even so, I couldn’t become like her.
I could never catch up to her genius.
“Why not? Did you copy every single bit of that knowledge exactly? Don’t you have to understand something before you can translate it?”
“It wouldn’t be exactly the same.”
“I don’t know much about math, so if this sounds strange, just take it as me making a wild guess. But Name, I think of it this way. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’?”
“I know what it means.”
Stand on the shoulders of someone who has already achieved a great deal in a field, and use that vantage point to achieve something even greater.
“Humanity’s progress didn’t start from zero. If someone makes a wheel, someone else will think of adding an axle, then a steering wheel, then an engine. A high school teacher told me this, but apparently more than ninety percent of Einstein’s theory of relativity was borrowed from existing theories. Even the greatest scientific genius of the twentieth century only went one step farther.”
“Is that so...?”
“Yes! That one step! Name, did you have any trouble translating this?”
Of course I did.
Once I learned that the Ostantin factor corresponded to the Kähler differential in this world, I spent several days struggling to study étale morphisms and étale cohomology.
“To return to the point, standing on the shoulders of giants doesn’t mean stealing other people’s knowledge at all. Building on it to achieve something better is actually a way of respecting that person’s experience and accomplishments. Do you understand what I mean?”
What even was mathematics?
In my previous life, mathematicians had all been madmen, too.
While other people amassed wealth and fame through magic, they repaired glasses with one broken arm using tape and continued to consume nothing but ink.
They were experts at exploring and expanding realms no one understood. Their homes grew narrower and their wives nagged more often, but the mathematicians of the magic towers paid no attention and continued to burn with passion.
There had been a time when I was just as passionate about magic.
There was a thrill in seeing an impossible phenomenon incorporated into common sense.
At some point, that passion had become so diluted within me that it was difficult to find even a trace of it.
Magic had long since become a means rather than an end.
Could I regain that passion?
“Semin oppa, then I’ll do this.”
If I was going to stand on the shoulders of giants, it was only right that I show an achievement of my own.
I decided to use this opportunity to surpass my past self.
I had failed to prove it in my previous life, but if I borrowed the power of modern mathematics again, could I do it?
“Do you know about the Strong Goldbach conjecture?”
“No? I don’t know it. I’ve heard the name Goldbach, though. Oh, you just called me oppa—”
“Three days. If I can prove the Goldbach conjecture through my own efforts within three days, I’ll reveal the other six proofs in the same way.”
This was a proof of myself.
If I couldn’t do even this alone, then the other six proofs were ultimately no different from copying Master Maria’s ideas.
Was I confident? Absolutely.
I covered the smile that formed on its own.
“Even if you don’t want to know, you’ll find out soon enough, so wait and see. Your eyes will hurt after typing out seven proofs, so get some rest in advance.”
Yes, I would make Cheon Semin my typing slave. Seo Maru would surely be too busy editing.
Spending a long time staring at a screen wasn’t child-friendly.
“Seven? What? Are you saying there are seven proofs?”
* * *
The first wave of a tsunami is always calm.
<NoName Miner Gallery>
[Two VTube videos uploaded today!][24]
How am I supposed to wait until eight o’clock? I’m dying, NoName noona (she’s twelve years younger than me)!
And two more scheduled for tomorrow? You really came prepared, lol. *slurp* *chomp chomp* *smack smack* *sluuurp~*
[Comments]
-So that means the poster is two years old? LOL
└ No way they’re twenty-six, right? No way they’re human scum who goes around calling a twelve-year-old child noona, right? No way, right?
└ (Poster) Stop beating me up;;
-Kya, food was already scarce enough, so this is great.
-Honestly, I didn’t believe you, NoName!
-The direction of your sexual urges is wrong, isn’t it?
└ You can’t touch NoName.
└ If she takes a dislike to you, you’ll be punished under the Child Abuse Act, not merely for simple insult. Be careful.
NoName’s VTube channel usually uploaded two or three videos a week, but it suddenly began uploading a mountain of scheduled videos as if it had hit the accelerator.
[NoName Official]
[Subscribers 318K / 18 videos]
(Latest)
[#1 ABC conjecture and Brocard’s problem] - New!
[The Assassin Won’t Go Down! (2051 Jannatdae Day 1 Scrims)] - New!
[Honestly, even the judge laughed, right? (2051 Jannatdae Showcase Highlights)]
...
[#1 ABC conjecture and Brocard’s problem]
(3.2K views / 1 day ago)
-???
-The wrong video got uploaded!
-Huh, that’s NoName’s voice?
-Is this real?
-Wh-what is this...?
-Looks like the private room layout changed. It’s much better.
The black screen uploaded plainly among the NoName VTube channel’s Jannatdae scrim videos was enough to draw everyone’s attention.
Usually, the phrase ‘Sorry’ was something of a popular trend among VTubers, but NoName’s video was different.
Perhaps the black wasn’t a background but a kind of blackboard; when the camera zoomed out, NoName appeared at the edge of the screen holding a piece of white chalk.
[I’ll begin the proof of the ABC conjecture and Brocard’s problem. Conjecture 1.]
“Is it really okay to upload it as is?”
“Yes. There’s no need to edit it separately—upload the entire video. I’ll upload the last one myself. I want to make a bit of an occasion out of it.”
Although Seo Maru, the VTube editor, had questioned it midway, Name answered in a voice full of confidence.
As she had boldly promised, Name was able to prepare all seven proofs.
Even the ABC conjecture, which had seen the most research progress, required her to spend a long time filming the proof.
Concerned about her stamina, Professor Cheon advised her to include only the most essential content in the videos.
In the end, Name compromised at a reasonable point and, with lingering regret, wrote out the final proof.
“With this, I’ll conclude the proof. I’d like to thank Maria Euphrasia Terraluby and Professor Cheon Gyu-jin of Korea University for their assistance.”
The shutter of the camera filming Name closed.
Professor Cheon brought over several tissues and wiped Name’s nose.
Thin tissue paper soaked up the red blood flowing from her nose.
[Cast: Tissue Regeneration]
“It would have stopped even without magic. You’re being too dramatic.”
Name rolled up the tissue and stuffed it into her nose.
Professor Cheon’s expression grew even more troubled as he looked at her.
“Would it be rude to ask you not to upload the video, even now?”
“I understand what you’re worried about, Professor Cheon.”
Name had taken an entire week off from the academy to immerse herself in the proofs.
As her unexcused absences continued without explanation, the academy kept contacting her.
Her teachers’ concerns continued to pile up, wondering whether she might be sick or, despite being a lower-grade student, had become involved in school violence or something similar, but each time Name reassured them that she was fine and asked after their well-being.
“Far more things will change than you think. Some people will want your brilliant talent, while others will envy it. I wanted our Name to live an ordinary life.”
“An ordinary life...”
“Eating breakfast, heading off to school and work, talking about what happened that day when we came home, and discussing magic-circle theory together whenever we were bored—I suddenly became afraid that these precious everyday moments might not continue. Have you ever heard the saying ‘an awl in a pouch’?”
“An awl in a pouch?”
“I suddenly thought it was a fate geniuses can’t escape. Someone with exceptional talent eventually becomes known to the world one way or another. I hope you remember that this isn’t necessarily a good thing, Name. If I go on any longer, it’ll just sound like nagging, won’t it?”
“That was a good time to cut you off, Professor Cheon.”
Name gave him a thumbs-up.
Professor Cheon burst out laughing and patted Name on the head.
“Hahahaha. Right, right. You said the competition starts tomorrow, didn’t you? Still, after Name worked this hard to prepare, shouldn’t she win, if only so all this effort won’t be wasted? Otherwise, it’ll all be for nothing!”
“Of course! I’ve only been holding back my true ability until now. Did you know? They said the new-model capsule I ordered today would arrive. The one I’ve been using is far too slow to respond... It should definitely be here by now.”
Ding-dong—
“It looks like the installation technician is here.”
“All right, work hard. I’ll be cheering for you.”
“It’s a little embarrassing knowing someone is watching me. If I happen to lose the competition, I’ll blame you, Professor Cheon.”
“Then I’ll have to cheer even harder. Hahaha.”
Left alone, Name sat in the center of the room and slowly surveyed the whiteboard filled with the proofs she had written.
There had certainly been some shortcomings while filming the videos.
Since it was impossible to write down every detail, she had tried to show only the key points of each theorem and proposition.
Even so, the board was stained with black ink in places from being erased and rewritten several times.
Name lay down on the carpeted floor and decided to rest her eyes for a moment.
[#7 Strong Goldbach conjecture (1742)]
[Q.E.D.
Corollary 18.9. Every even number greater than 2 can be expressed as the sum of two primes.]
Even with her eyes closed, the scenes of her writing it out came vividly to mind.
Before long, the corners of Name’s mouth began to rise, little by little—ever so slightly.
Now even Name understood.
“Two plus two is four.
Three plus three is six.
Three plus five is eight.
Three plus seven is ten...”
Why her master had hummed numbers whenever she climbed the stairs of the magic tower.
“Seven plus twenty-three is thirty... Am I starting to go mad, or have I already gone mad like my master?”
The story of the one-eyed village. The incompleteness theorem.
Shaking off every thought that surfaced in the stream of consciousness, Name’s eyes slowly closed.
The computer, which had been returning to power-saving mode, began to blink.
It was the signal that the video upload had finished.
[Playlist]
[proof]
[#1 ABC conjecture and Brocard’s problem (1876)] - 4 days ago
[#2 Erdős–Straus conjecture (1948)] - 3 days ago
[#3 Weaire–Phelan structure optimization (1993)] - 2 days ago
[#4 Collatz conjecture bound further to n^0.737 (1937)] - 2 days ago
[#5 Moving sofa problem upper bound improvement (1966)] - 1 day ago
[#6 Twin prime conjecture (1849)] - 18 hours ago
[#7 Strong Goldbach conjecture (1742)] - 1 minute ago
Name had presented a solution to a difficult problem that had remained unsolved for more than three hundred years.
The public would be responsible for verifying it.