บท 3506: Chapter 2638: Mayfly World (Part 3)
Stark licked his somewhat dry lips and had to take another sip of ice water before he could calm down a bit and ask, "You have an idea?"
"Transforming human souls sounds too evil, but if we phrase it differently, doesn't 'human medical technology and longevity project' sound much better?"
"You aren't going to start some Eternal Life Factor project again, are you?! You damn swindler!"
"This time it can be considered a practical version of the Eternal Life Factor project," Shiller said. "It definitely has real effects, not just empty promises."
Then Shiller explained Strange's Magical Herb cultivation project at Kamar-Taj to Stark, who shook his head repeatedly.
"They'd be lucky to succeed without controlled variables, control group, precise data monitoring, or even diversified cultivation to exhaust all possibilities. How could they possibly succeed?"
"That's what I thought too, so I told Strange that besides bringing some business operation advice, you could also bring some scientific thinking," Shiller added.
"Some? That's a lot!"
"You could even say it's everything," Shiller complimented, following Stark's line of thought. "If you don't go, their plan probably involves studying in natural farmlands for a few years to see if something naturally grows out."
"I'll tell them what scientific research is, oh no, it's scientific magic research, and science must come first."
At this point, Stark suddenly realized and after some thought, he looked at Shiller and said, "So you want to create a type of Magical Herb that on the surface can strengthen the body and prolong life, but actually can transform the human soul, giving everyone a Magic Talent?"
"That's too far-fetched," Shiller shook his head. "If everyone could use magic, it would be akin to a country with no gun control. Public order would be a problem, and most countries wouldn't agree to it."
Stark nodded and said, "Especially countries with a high population density — magic is much more destructive than guns. And we still rely on China's manufacturing. We can't afford to fall out with them."
"Magic Talent and magical affinity are two different things," Shiller stated. "Nowadays, it's hard for ordinary people to use Magic Portals because their souls' magical affinity isn't strong enough. The disharmony makes it easy for them to be thrown off to some other place."
"Even though the Mages have later verified the Portals and they can transport a small flow of people, it's still a drop in the ocean compared to the human population numbers."
"What's more important is that there's a limit to the flow," Stark said with a frown, massaging his temples. "The Portal to the Stella Core Space Station has to stop and be recalibrated after transporting 60 ordinary humans; otherwise, accidents are likely to happen."
"There aren't enough Mages for verification, which largely takes half a day. With such efficiency, it's impossible to use for a regular commute—whose elevator breaks down for repair after five or six trips? Besides, magic materials are hard to come by and cannot be compensated for with quantity."
"The Shi'ar Empire's large Portals are indeed great; they hardly consider affinity, but the thing itself is a huge bomb. The Three Great Empires don't dare to place such things on their homeworld, let alone humans, not even within their star systems. They're only viable during the Colonial Era where the further away they can be placed, the better," Shiller agreed.
Shiller also agreed that the human race currently has technology that is not efficient enough to use, and what is efficient, humans are afraid to use.
The small, portable Magic Portals are indeed one of the leading technologies in the cosmos, combining frugality, flexibility, and safety. However, there is no perfect technology in the world, and small Magic Portals just fall short on efficiency.
Put simply, this is a technology suitable for surprise attacks, and when combined with Asgardians and human Mages who are notoriously tough in the cosmos, everyone has to show respect. The strategic deterrent is far greater than the actual efficiency.
But if it's to be used on Earth, which has such a high population density, to improve the quality of life, it's somewhat insufficient. It would be fine if it could transport many at once, but since it breaks down for half an hour after transporting just one, it's even more unusable.
After some thought, Stark said, "That really is a problem. We've never disclosed this technology, so we can't be sure whether it's only humans who have this issue or if all other races are the same way."
"Many civilizations in the interstellar space are interested in this technology, and we've exchanged quite a few valuable things for it. With human's current level of technology, even if we trade away some small Magic Portals, it wouldn't matter. But if others also can't use it smoothly because of magical affinity issues, then its trade value would be greatly reduced," he continued.
After drinking some water, Shiller sighed. He understood the dilemma of human civilization too well. They didn't have many cards to play, and most of them were trump cards. Asgard and Kamar-Taj were just too powerful, making many technologies unwelcome in trade deals due to low value.
Or it's precisely because their strength is so overwhelming that the technology, tailor-made for these powerful beings, was too advanced for most interstellar civilizations whose individual members were too weak to utilize it, leaving them in despair.
Take, for example, the well-known Asgardian spacecraft. Their unbroken streak of victories in space skirmishes is closely related to the durability of their ships.
But the issue is that the toughness of these ships is due to Asgardians who carry and ram the ships themselves. A specific technology of Asgardian ships is the Divine Power Shield. The principle is that all Asgardians channel their Divine Power into the ship, and the ship's converter turns Divine Power into a Shield that barrels straight ahead. There are very few civilizations in the cosmos whose ships could withstand such an impact.
In other words, it's not the spaceships or the converters that are powerful, but the Divine Power born within Asgardians. Even though there are many civilizations with Divine Power in the cosmos, none are as strong as Asgard, nor do they waste it like Asgard, so naturally, they have no need for such technology.
This is why Asgard's return to the Interstellar Society is so difficult. If they had a lot of enticing chips to offer, would they need to make such a big detour in negotiation? They're just lacking enough cards to play and end up going around in circles multiple times.
"That's why we need a way to ensure the stability of this technology," Shiller tapped his fingers on the table and said, "Even if every other race was born with magical affinity, we have to measure this affinity into concrete data. Then, using something else, make sure the magical affinity of all users is within a safe range for use. That is what's rigorous, precise, and presentable."
"Otherwise, when it comes time to trade, do you intend to tell others that they just need to focus hard enough to be successful? Who would trust such a vague technology?"
"Exactly," Stark said emphatically. "I've told Strange more than once about standardization, standardization, standardization, and he keeps saying that what's important about magic is the idea, that if we always fixate on data, we risk losing inspiration."
"Perhaps for Grand Mages involved in the development and maintenance of technology, it's indeed like that. A flash of genius in magic can lead to success. Therefore, there's no need to force them to change."
"But we must cultivate a team capable of grounding Magic Tech from scratch. Let the Grand Mages handle the lofty magical creations, and this group will specialize in implementing the technology."
"That's going to be tough," Stark said. "This group has to be both scientifically minded and understand magic. Not to mention how difficult it is to learn both areas of knowledge, but finding people who have both high IQ and magical talent is rare. I guess you could only find a few such people in the whole world."
"What about two universes?" Shiller asked with a smile.
Stark was taken aback and looked at Shiller. "Are you talking about that dark and gloomy universe you went to before?"
"That place is a breeding ground for geniuses, especially those with both high IQ and magical talent. Or to put it another way, it's unusual for someone in Gotham to not have magical talent."
"How is that possible? Statistically speaking..."
"Didn't I tell you before? The city's architecture has been laced with something that turned the whole city into a giant Magic Array. In other words, the souls of its inhabitants have been continuously transformed for over a century, naturally granting them exceptional magical affinity. There are many more people with Magic Talent there than elsewhere, so it's not hard to pick out those with high IQs."
Shiller took a deep breath and recalled before saying, "Strange had already helped them establish a Magical Defense Network before; it's time they returned the favor."
"So you're thinking..."
"You'll have to come back to Kamar-Taj with me," Shiller said. "Steven plans to transform Shambhala into the Himalayan Oasis as a large-scale experimental base for Magical Plants, and this task can't be managed by just one or two people. You're the only one who has led such large-scale transformation projects."
"You're telling him I'm there for business advice, but I'm not going to volunteer to…" Stark protested.
"Of course, you're there to give business advice, but don't forget whom you're advising."
Stark looked puzzled.
"Steven couldn't care less whether those two villages have money. So who do you think does care?"
"Oh, I get it. It's China," Stark snapped his fingers and said. "I'm pretty famous in China! There seems to be quite a few people on their internet saying all of China's technology was open-sourced by me. I've got a bunch of fans there!"
"I suggest you not take it seriously, but it has its perks. Their government officials have surely heard of you. More than business, you're famous for your research strength. When the time comes, you won't even have to tell Steven why you're there; they will appoint you to lead a research team."
Stark was nearly ready to applaud. "I'd bet Steven isn't happy about this. He's supposed to be the one leading those villages to prosperity, but I'll become the core of the research team. Still, for Kamar-Taj's sake, he'll have to swallow his pride. I can hardly wait to see him pinch his nose."
Stark got to his feet, rubbing his hands together with excitement. "When are we leaving? Do you need more time to digest everything?"
"Don't rush. Go back to my sanatorium first. I'll introduce you to some of my students from the other universe; most of them are magical geniuses in science."
"Is it really that miraculous?"
"You'll see when we get there. Let's go."
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