WORLD: EARTH
BRANCHED WORLD: IRREGULAR AT MAGIC HIGH
LOCATION: FLT
Four Leaves Technology.
Publicly, they were never a manufacturer of CAD products.
Their reputation came instead as a steady provider of spare parts essential to Magic Engineering.
Their ascent to the pinnacle of CAD development and production around the globe is largely thanks to the Silver Series.
Especially the Third Division, which now holds considerable sway in FLT after the advent of the Silver Series.
And so the engineers and researchers of that division swore unwavering loyalty to one man. One of the core developers.
Tatsuya,
Half of the legendary "Taurus Silver," the one responsible for the unfathomable software advancements that revolutionized the world.
But now, a software, or rather, a hardware which they couldn't understand was now being displayed in front of them.
"Young master, What is going on? Just what is this machine?"
"Is he trying to create some endless supply of artificial Sun?"
Inside a dark room, blue light illuminated from the LED lights placed on the bottom of the walls.
Additional lights from the monitor also illuminated the room.
But at this moment, those lights only illuminated the confusion of these scientists.
Especially with the concept of Negentropy and Force Core embedded in the data.
Wasn't that overdoing it? Negentropy.
It was all delivered in a single massive file.
A file so dense and encrypted it took agonizingly long to decompress, much less download.
Were it not for the access key they'd gotten, the files would have automatically deleted themselves.
The encryptions used to lock those files, not to mention the extreme size of the files that even displaying them almost short-circuited most of their high-end PCs.
More than that,
A lot of other terminologies they hadn't seen or heard before filled it.
Not to mention concept designs of strange mechanical machines, schematics of how they might function, detailed instructions with theories outside conventional magic or physics.
"Anti-Entropy? Neutral Charge energy? Dragon Machine? What's all this!?"
The Chief of CAD Development ruffled his afro-like hair, lips twitching as his eyes darted through line after line of the files.
An average-looking man, late twenties to early thirties, perhaps, an afro balanced over a trimmed beard beneath his chin.
His expression, however, was anything but average. His frown deepened.
Ushiyama's gaze slid sideways, pinning Tatsuya with suspicion, as though the young master only shook his head faintly, as if to say don't ask me.
"This data... what sort of military even needs a machine like this? Just from estimation alone... it could seize control of America."
"No, forget America, it's the whole world!"
Sitting beside Tatsuya, in front of one of the super PCs Japan could probably afford now, Ushiyama cringed as he muttered under his breath.
Standing behind the Chief and Tatsuya, the other researchers exchanged restless glances, silently nodding to show that they shared his dread.
"Say, Young Master. Where did you get this from?"
Tatsuya paused for a long time, staring at them. He thought the same too when he'd downloaded those files.
Not to mention, he saw some signatures signed by someone named Welt, and others by another named Bronya.
Ignoring all that aside,
"It was entrusted to me by... a colleague."
He couldn't call them a friend just yet.
On the main monitor, a rotating image filled the screen: the concept rendering of [Another Divine: Primordial Goddess of Creation - Another Tiamat].
Its body was something straight out of a fantasy book, and the specs, materials, and everything else were out of this world.
Its main core was powered by something called a [False Core].
[False Core]:
Data recorded by Anakin Skyler, in conjunction with Welt Yang and Bronya Zaychik.
- [Originally the core part of a "Dragon Machine," this unit was taken from the "Specialized General Machines" known as "Wyverns," then modified using an otherworldly source of energy]: [Negentropy].
- [Its specifications now measure up to eight times beyond its original capacity. Moreover, with the adaptive quality of the metal used, the machine may grow in sync with its pilot.]
"Haha..." Ushiyama let out a brittle laugh, his hand twitching near his mouth. "A data set like this... being entrusted... haha..."
Ushiyama continued laughing nervously. It was not that he didn't believe it, but rather he did believe this, afterall Tatsuya wasn't the type of person to joke with things like this.
As for how they knew its capabilities, it was already recorded with a formula to measure everything up.
They had converted the energy unit called Honkai Watt into conventional wattage, then compared it to the destructive power of a nuclear bomb.
It was terrifying.
Worse still, the entire calc had been tucked casually into the data package neatly, as if someone had always known their world would try to measure it that way.
The organization called Anti-Entropy was terrifying, to say the least.
"A folder this huge couldn't have been created by one person alone. Not to mention, everything is a perfect fit."
One researcher rubbed his forehead, looking at the ceiling as though all his life's research had been in vain.
Being a perfect fit means was that, even hypothetically, if they discussed this in pure and unfiltered hypothetical means, then....
There was no marginal error.
Each concept blends into the other and supports it to that terrifying level. That alone made most fall into despair.
Others mimicked the same expression, laughing and crying, stuck between the two.
But just then,
"Wait up... huh? The dates, did anyone ever get the timestamps of each file?"
Silence at first, then Tatusya clicked on the keyboards, fetching the timestamps.
[Stamped by]:
☆ Welt Yang
☆ Bronya Zaychik
Date: [03|04|2016]
[Pending approval from Project Administrator.]
"2016? Wait, hold up, are you sure they didn't get the dates wrong—"
"No. The timestamp is correct."
Tatsuya calmly corrected the researcher,
He then moved the mouse, dragging the cursor away from the glowing 3d rendering of [Another Divine: Tiamat].
Hearing that, the researchers froze. Their eyes darted to one another, wordlessly exchanging unease.
2016.
That was years before magic was even a thing. But, seeing as Tatsuya wasn't elaborating...
They didn't push.
All of them trusted him. If he decided it wasn't worth it for them to know its source, then it's good.
Ignorance was bliss.
So they decided not to look further into it.
Scrolling across the directories,
He went down to the [Terminologies] menu, and it then opened many other submenus under it.
"From what I've noticed, this machine uses three different energies. At least... each is a conversion of one energy."
"Honkai... Negentropy... Force Core Energy."
Tatsuya began, calmly reading through. It wasn't there, but he made his own inference through the data.
"It's not written explicitly, but if you trace the conversion pathways, this system doesn't stop there."
"It forces at least six different energy states into compression."
As Tatsuya paused, Ushiyama beside him slowly completed the rest horridly.
"The result is an active artificial gravity singularity... a supercompression of energy into gravity?"
They'd gone past being surprised and were now analyzing the ultimate machine Laurel wanted to come up with.
"But then won't that overload the system? Constant consumption of six different energy types?"
"Probably doesn't mean it that way."
"Like just theoretically speaking about it being able to adapt to any energy source and convert it."
A researcher snapped his fingers as though the idea had finally clicked into place.
"Right. That. Whoever designed this, they'd already be aware of the load from simultaneous conversions and they'd planned around it."
Tatsuya at that point simply looked at the researchers. He felt he could leave the rest to them, and they'd do a good job.
Yet, he sighed, shaking his head.
"It's energy capabilities aside. What about its materials?"
Tatsuya then clicked away, towards the Material submenu.
[Magisteel]:
- [A very durable and heat resistant metal. Compared to other rare metals, which have at most a melting point around 5,000 degrees Celsius, Magisteel can withstand temperatures close to 10,000 degrees Celsius.]
- [Furthermore, it has a self-repairing trait and is exceptional at inducting mana, enabling any objects made from magisteel to "grow" with their user.]
Reading the description, they all fell silent, rather, they held their breath.
Self-repairing. Adaptive conductivity. Growth synchronization with the pilot.
This wasn't metallurgy! That was fucking evolution written into steel, dammit!
No wonder they are all strong. Tatsuya mused.
Each of 'them' had absurd materials or technology in their worlds that could do this sort of thing causally.
Compared to them, Earth's so-called "cutting-edge" was little more than a child's puzzle box.
If they had a small percentage of those fantasy metals, heck, they could take over the world!
Again,
It wasn't that they too could attempt it.
But to reach that level of technology, with the meager scaffolding of their current world's science... hard was an understatement.
At least, creating one that mimics this would be, at the very least, close to impossible.
"The more I read this, the more I'm extremely jealous of whoever thought of this concept."
Tatsuya's lips parted slightly, almost to agree, but ultimately, he stopped himself.
Agreement would mean admitting something he wasn't willing to say aloud.
It was just then,
[Fourth Calamity: Hello everyone.]
[Fourth Calamity: Kurumi's world has undergone timeline synchronization. Thought I'd let everyone know.]
Timeline synchronization?
Wasn't that something that can only happen if a world is conquered...
'Perhaps I've been the one misunderstanding.'
But certainly, with their worlds' changing descent, there's no telling how the masses will view them.
Especially when things were already tense between magicians and humans.
There's also no telling how the government will react to them.
Not to mention, his normalcy with his sister will be gone.
If news spread within the government, then the Ten Master Clan would hear.
And when that happens, his aunt would call him back home, and from there... it's goodbye to normal life with Miyuki.
Those were his thoughts.
[Nightmare: Ufufu~ I'd like to thank Laurel-san for his help~ Thanks to him, a part of my regret has been settled.]
[Vampire Ancestor: Huh? Who knew that Calamity could bring good to others.]
[Fourth Calamity: whatever do you mean by that.]
[Fallen Heiress: I do think Laurel is a good Calamity.]
[Weakest Undefeated: ...]
[Fourth Calamity: Ha! Hear that! I was right!]
[Maeshvara: 'Define Good Calamity?']
[Weakest Undefeated: ???]
[Fallen Heiress: A Calamity that protects People close to him?]
[Weakest Undefeated: ??????????]
[Fourth Calamity: SEE @Weakest Undefeated! I'm not delusional! I'm not Schizophrenic!]
[Maeshvara: Why is he like that?]
[Weakest Undefeated: Cause I once told him nothing like that exists.]
Tatsuya was surprised too. This was the first he'd heard of the term, Good Calamity. In the first place, does such exist?
No. Clearly not.
The title of Calamity meant ruin, by its very nature.
"Young Master?"
Suddenly Ushiyama jolted him out of his revelry, prompting him to turn a beat back, then slowly shake his head.
"It's nothing."
He rose from his chair with deliberate calm, sliding on his black jacket over the grey shirt beneath.
His hand brushed the keyboards before disconnecting the drive.
"I'll be heading home for today."
Saying that, Tatsuya then slipped it into his pockets.
Under the gluttonous gaze of every researcher there, he did that. Though none of them ever had the thought to even try to steal it.
Regardless, seeing that bundle of foreign things that, if you remove the whether or not it can work part of it, was still intriguing enough.
"I have to quickly get home. Otherwise, Miyuki will be mad at me."
Hahaha... they all let out a chuckle, making way for Tatsuya to give them a slight bow of his head before heading out.
"Kiii~! How I wish I had a cute younger sister like Miyuki-sama."
"Oi, oi. Careful what you say."
"Outto. My apologies, my apologies."
Chatters of laughter filled the room, nobody touching on the forbidden subject that has now been referred to as highly classified information:
[Project TIAMAT].