"When dealing with non-physical entities and non-group life forms in the cosmos, it is crucial to fully comprehend their different perceptions of time and space from us. This is especially the case for humans or other short-lived species, whose sense of time differs greatly from most Immortal Species. We must bear this disparity in mind, instead of blindly imposing our own sense of time upon them."
"There are numerous ways to manipulate others using their understandings of time and space. For example, for humans, ten years is a remarkably long period of time, accounting for roughly an eighth of our lives. To the majority of humans, decade-long periods of waiting are simply intolerable."
"However, if you're dealing with the God Clan from Asgard or other Cosmic Sorcerers, ten years seem like an incredibly short period. If we ask a human to wait for us for ten years, it is tantamount to asking for their lifelong commitment. But if you say the same thing to a Demon God, they might simply surmise that you're planning on taking a brief nap before resuming the conversation."
"This brings us to a potential leverage point. When we understand their concept of time, but they do not understand ours, we can exploit this information gap by setting traps for them in the agreements…"
Standing before the lecturer's podium in the Dream School Amphitheatre, Schiller paced back and forth as he spoke. The seats before the podium were filled with students, but they weren't all young people attending the Dream School, nor were they all humans.
Most of the occupants in the fan-shaped area on the left were old staffers from the Holy Sanctuary who were here for advanced classes, primarily focusing on cosmic psychology and intergalactic sociology. Nearby, in a smaller section, were SHIELD agents, each symbiotically linked to a Symbiont. They chiefly participated in various types of cosmic science public lectures.
The Interstellar Security Committee members were seated in the central area. Schiller's published papers on intergalactic sociology were creating ripples in academic circles, and many members of the Interstellar Security Committee were drawn to his lectures.
On the far right sat individuals from Asgard, Inhumans, and some Skrulls. These cadets, belonging to races relatively friendly to humans, were mainly dispatched by the leaders of their respective races to study here.
The cosmos is vast and certainly isn't short of experts in psychology and sociology. What attracted such a large audience to Schiller, however, was the fact that everyone who knew their stuff was also aware that Schiller wasn't just studying theories—he was putting every theory he proposed into practice to perfection.
The human race has recently gained significant fame in interstellar society. In addition to the already notable Supreme Magician, the newly emerged Iron Demon God has garnered a sizeable fan base among mechanical civilizations.
The ubiquitous Spider Man has demonstrated the formidable power of individual humans to all civilizations. Not to mention mutants with full special effects like Magneto, who rose to prominence during the Insect Race invasion. Human civilization is the hot new trend in the civilization circle.
Experts recognize details that laymen tend to overlook. There are plenty of smart beings in the cosmos who understand that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Schiller wasn't trying to conceal his role, and most people in the know traced everything back to him.
However, since Schiller was surrounded by a slew of peculiar humans—each an impressive defensive tower in their own right—the best way these observers could study Schiller was by attending his lectures.
It wasn't until they listened in on these lectures that they realized Schiller's theories, while nothing radically new, perfectively embodied the astonishing moral flexibility that the human race had always shown. Schiller's ruthless pragmatism, which fully stretches moral boundaries, certainly refreshed many people's outlook.
During the part of the lecture when Schiller was discussing the time and space perceptions of Demon Gods, an audience member raised his hand. It was none other than Thanos.
Adjusting his glasses, Thanos spoke," Excuse me, Dean Schiller, In a previous class, you mentioned using attraction to the other party to create an enclosed space, inducing them into having Stockholm Syndrome. I wanted to ask: does the judgement of time lengths in each manipulation stage depend on the manipulator or the manipulated's idea of time?"
Schiller raised an eyebrow as Thanos sent him a silent signal, akin to saying, "How did you know I just caught a hefty fish?"
Clearing his throat, Schiller gave it some thought before responding, "Does the manipulator understand the manipulated's concept of time?"
"They fully understand."
"Then, does the manipulated understand the manipulator's concept of time?"
After some contemplation, Thanos replied, "If they bother to think about it, they should be able to figure it out. But I'm not sure how much effort they're willing to put in."
"That means you haven't made yourself attractive enough to them. What method of attraction did you use? Did you make them feel threatened by you?"
"No, I am beneficial to them."
"That is not a stable manipulation relationship. Or perhaps that's the illusion that they want you to have, to make you feel like you're the one in charge. But in fact, the exact opposite may be true. There are several other fish in their pond, just like you."
Thanos furrowed his brows slightly, though he didn't counter Schiller's statement. Looking at him, Schiller said: "We can discuss this question after class. Now, let's continue with the next part of our discussion on time perception, the space perception of Demon Gods."
After the lecture, the students filed out of the classroom and Stark and Strange pushed their way in against the current of people. However, by that time, Shiller and Thanos had already left for the office, leaving them disappointed.
They rushed to the office, only to be stopped at the door by a Spider Man guarding it.
"Dean Shiller told not to let anyone in. If you guys go in now, you'll surely be scolded," the Spider Man shrugged, saying.
"Who's in there with him?"
"A big guy with purple skin."
Stark frowned, but Strange immediately called out his name, "Thanos? What are Shiller and Thanos...what are they plotting again?"
"Never mind, let's wait a while," Stark sighed, "As long as he's okay, we can afford to wait."
They ended up waiting for over seven hours.
Shiller and Thanos had a very, very long conversation, but there were no sounds of argument coming from the office. It seemed like they were both discussing calmly, but the long wait made Stark and Strange think they were fighting inside.
Although there is no concept of time in the dream world, they waited from day to night in the real world. Finally, Thanos came out of the office. He didn't even glance at the two men waiting at the entrance, instead, he left with a contemplative look on his face.
Stark and Strange followed him into the office. They were bursting with things to say, but upon entering, they were stunned by Shiller's appearance.
This was the dreamland, and the Shiller who came here had the image of the high tower, the younger one with the half-long hair.
"Um," Stark and Strange gasped like they were hitting the brakes hard. Stark stared at Shiller for a long time before hesitantly asking, "You're one of the Shillers. Where's Greed?"
"He's busy with some other stuff. But he's safe, he's not hurting himself, and he's not suicidal either. He's just busy," the reply came.
Stark and Strange exchanged glances. Strange frowned slightly and asked, "Which Shiller are you? What were you talking about with Thanos?"
"Rather than that, you should know that the flow of time in the Realm of Death doesn't match exactly with that of Earth. Are you sure you haven't missed too much?"
Stark paused for a moment, then slapped his forehead, saying, "Is that so? I didn't notice when I went last time because it was so short. I left behind a pile of documents to sign when I left. If I've waited too long, Pepper will go crazy."
Strange had already turned and begun walking out, muttering about the renewal times for certain Demon God Covenants. When they returned to Earth in the real world, they found that a new cultural movement was quietly spreading across the planet.
This was not a passing fad restricted to a particular country or culture nor was it confined to the realm of the internet. It encompassed all countries, all cultures, new media and traditional media, literature, philosophy, every kind of art, and even some branches of engineering. It was a large-scale cultural movement.
Only towards the end of the recent punk resurgence, with articles discussing the impact of changes in eras on cultural trends, did people start to realize that the new developments that had appeared in just a few years weren't simply making life more convenient for the general public, they were also profoundly significant in marking the passage of epochs.
The first person to point this out was a French historian named Boz, who mainly studied the Enlightenment movement. In his latest article about historical periods, he added a discussion about the current era.
"There are still a majority of people who do not realize that they are walking with many great people. The heroes they read about in their history books are standing right by their side, watching the same sun as they do.
The vibrant vitality exhibited in the field of technology signals that mankind is entering a new stage of development. After this, people will experience great changes in all aspects of life.
Just like the insignificant creatures that were part of the backstories of the great people written about in our history books, we, too, will be swept into the sea by the great tide of the times. And like me, historians will close the chapter on this period of history.
If I were to mark the climax of this short yet magnificent historical moment with the most representative symbol, I would call it—the third Industrial Revolution of mankind."