Chapter 184: "Steins;Gate" Premieres! (2)
"The universe has a beginning, but no end."
"Infinite."
"While stars have a beginning, they eventually fade away by their own power."
"Finite."
"The wisest are truly the most foolish, as history can attest."
"This, one might say, is the final notice from the gods to those who dare to resist!"
At the start of "Steins;Gate," the protagonist, clad in a white lab coat, stands on what appears to be a rooftop, speaking into a communicator as if talking to himself.
Despite his words seeming rather melodramatic and illogical, they immediately capture the audience's attention.
Soon after, a black-haired girl in a pale blue dress approaches from afar. After a brief greeting, the two walk off together into the distance under the blazing sun.
...
The story's opening is brief and lacks a clear narrative, not even revealing the main character's name, leaving the audience somewhat confused.
However, viewers familiar with "Fate/Zero" and "The Garden of Sinners" are accustomed to this storytelling style and patiently await the intriguing plot to unfold.
Meanwhile, the mages of the Imperial Mage Academy are visibly surprised. They recognize the protagonist of "Steins; Gate" as Gebrun, the problem-prone, repeat student of the Spirit and Soul Studies department.
Moreover, the girl featured in the film is also from the Imperial Mage Academy.
Seeing familiar faces acting in a movie leaves many students unsure of how to feel, yet the film swiftly transitions to scenes captivating enough to grip their attention.
....
"Commencing infiltration of the venue now!"
Speaking in a tone filled with dramatic flair, the protagonist of "Steins;Gate" walks into a white building alongside the girl beside him.
"There aren't many people here. Is it because of interference from the organization?"
The girl, puzzled by the protagonist's cryptic words, asks:
"Is something about to start?"
"You followed me here without even knowing?"
The protagonist points to a large banner in the distance that reads: "Dr. Nakabachi's Time Machine Invention Presentation."
"A time machine? That's amazing!"
"Yes, Dr. Nakabachi beat us researchers to it and is holding this century-defining presentation. I must hear his ideas!"
Just as he speaks, a sudden, astonishing tremor is felt from above, surprising everyone in the venue.
The protagonist rushes to the rooftop, only to see a strange machine landing smoothly there.
Just as he's about to investigate this odd scene, he's stopped by a figure in peculiar clothing.
Assuming the figure to be security, the protagonist turns back and leaves.
Before returning to the venue, the protagonist notices the girl he came with, standing in front of a capsule toy machine, appearing frustrated.
The scene then shifts to a conversation between the protagonist and the girl about the capsule toy machine, during which the audience learns the girl's name—Mayuri.
The protagonist uses his money to play the capsule toy machine, successfully obtaining the special item Mayuri wanted.
Seeing the girl's eager expression, he hands the small toy to her.
"Is this okay, Okarin?"
"Call me Hououin Kyouma!"
"Thank you, Okarin!"
"I said, call me Hououin Kyouma!"
As they talk, the announcement begins.
"The presentation by Dr. Nakabachi will start shortly on the 8th floor! Please prepare to enter."
"…"
"The basic structure of the time machine is detailed in the distributed materials. Here, I'll introduce the foundational theories. So far, researchers worldwide have studied time machines…"
Dr. Nakabachi stood confidently at the podium, but his words seemed so perplexing that hardly anyone in the audience paid attention to him.
The protagonist sat bored in his seat, while Mayuri had rushed off in search of the little toy she had lost.
Meanwhile, the protagonist flipped through a book he had with him and suddenly widened his eyes in realization. Filled with anger, he stormed onto the stage and shouted:
"Doctor! What kind of time machine theory is this? Kerr Black Holes! World Lines! Isn't all of this just plagiarizing John Titor? John Titor claimed to have time-traveled and shared this theory back in 2000. Don't tell me you're unaware of that!!"
"How rude! Of course I know about him! But don't you dare mix my theories with that fraudulent nonsense!"
"Then explain! How is your theory different from his?"
Just as the protagonist was about to get into a confrontation with Dr. Nakabachi, a red-haired girl suddenly appeared behind him and pulled him away.
...
From the beginning of the film until now, the overly chaotic storytelling and the sheer number of characters have left the audience utterly confused.
Despite this, one key element stood out to everyone—the time machine!
"What exactly is this story trying to tell? Honestly, I still don't understand the content at all."
"While it might be confusing, isn't it clear enough that the protagonist attended a time machine invention presentation and had a dispute with the inventor?"
"Time machine, huh? What even is that?"
"No idea. I've never heard of such a thing before."
"The world in this film seems to lack supernatural powers. Could it be that there's no action in this film?"
"What? That would be so boring, I'd fall asleep..."
Voices of various opinions echoed through cinemas across the southern region, with most of the audience expressing disappointment, clearly not expecting the film to lack exciting highlights.
Even "Fate/Zero," after getting past the lengthy setup explanation, immediately dived into thrilling battle scenes, providing viewers with visual and auditory enjoyment.
This time, "Steins;Gate" doesn't seem to offer that sensation.
Meanwhile, Emperor Hubbard and his knights were also bewildered by the plot so far, unable to believe that Durin's latest film would be this perplexing.
"What kind of person is the protagonist? A mage? A scholar?"
To the emperor's confusion, Wilhelm also struggled to comprehend, saying:
"It appears the protagonist is a scholar, but quite different from what we're used to. In this story, scholars focus less on literature, history, religion, and sigils, and more on something that resembles magic..."
"A scholar studying magic? That seems... odd."
Wilhelm was just as perplexed by Knight Commander Willcliff's comment.
In this world, scholars are typically regarded as individuals who study cultural and historical anecdotes. While they hold a certain influence within noble circles, it rarely extends beyond that.
When it comes to the real matters of the empire's future development, ordinary scholars do not have a voice.
In this respect, both mages and the church hold far more sway than scholars. Mages wield the power to protect humanity as a whole, while the church influences the broad masses.
For a scholar to wield more significant influence, they would either need to gain the favor of a prominent figure and become their advisor, or they would need to awaken to magical abilities and become a powerful mage.
Otherwise, such a scholar would hardly catch the notice of influential figures.
In the film, these characters resembling scholars discussing topics akin to those of mages appear very strange to the people of this world.
Similarly, the orc prophet watching the film finds the scenes puzzling. In the Orc Kingdom, because the average intelligence of most orcs is below the norm, the few who can become scholars are mostly shamans with magical talents.
Since they possess magical talents, they naturally become mages rather than scholars.
Those without magical talent typically become warriors due to their racial abilities, rather than taking up the uncharacteristic role of a bookish scholar.
As a result, the profession of scholar doesn't exist in the Orc Kingdom.
The orc prophet, therefore, finds it even more challenging to understand the film's numerous references to scholar-like figures.
.....
As audiences in the cinema shared various opinions on the film, the mages at the Imperial Mage Academy also burst into intense discussions.
They had assumed the film would tell the story of mages, only to find it focused on scholars.
The surprising element was that these scholars were researching something as elusive as a time machine, a concept that even the Mage's Tower had made no progress on for thousands of years!
"What on earth is this? Isn't that Dr. Nakabachi just an ordinary person? How could he be researching something like a time machine?"
"Exactly! Since time was classified as a special element by the Mage's Tower, countless mages have attempted to unravel its mysteries, conducting a vast amount of research. Yet, aside from the archmage who invented teleportation magic, no one has made any progress."
"Even that archmage himself didn't publish any concrete research on time. He spent his entire life experimenting but ultimately achieved nothing."
"This 'Steins;Gate' doesn't seem to be as rigorous or magical as I thought."
"I have no idea what this film is trying to convey anymore."
While ordinary mages voiced their opinions, on a higher platform of the Imperial Mage Academy, lecturers and professors were also engaged in heated discussions, directing their criticism towards Durin, who was nearby.
"What is this film, Durin? If you said it was about mages researching time theory, that would be one thing. But why involve a bunch of ordinary scholars?"
"Yeah, what could regular scholars possibly research? They should go back to their saintly texts."
"You've gotten overconfident after making a few good films, haven't you? You've abandoned narrative rigor and magical elements?!"
Faced with the harsh criticism from the lecturers and professors, Durin calmly remained in place.
After they finished speaking, he smiled and responded:
"Are you all done? I don't intend to argue against your points. After all, this is the movie I wanted to make. I'll just say, you can watch it or not."
"You..."
The unexpected audacity of Durin, a recent graduate, left many in the Imperial Mage Academy wide-eyed and visibly infuriated.
But they suddenly remembered that the person standing before them was a grand mage.
Yes, because Durin rarely showcased his magical abilities after joining the Alchemy Tower, many of the lecturers and professors present nearly forgot his true prowess.
Most of them were merely high-level mages, a whole level below Durin.
Not to mention, Durin was now the head of the Magic Alchemy department.
It's true that with Durin's current status, he might have to show some restraint if facing the archmages at the very top of the Mage's Tower. But when it came to high-level mages, he felt no need to pretend or hold back.
After all, in a magical world, hierarchy and respect are secondary to actual power. Durin had no reason to give face to these ordinary lecturers and professors.
Of course, not all lecturers were high-level mages. From afar, Stitch, a fellow grand mage, stepped forward and asked gently:
"I think, Durin, that you should explain the story's essence a bit. After all, having scholars without magic talent as protagonists seems a bit..."
Nodding in acknowledgment of Stitch's gentle statement, Durin replied:
"You needn't worry about the rigor of the story in 'Steins;Gate.' Every plot point has its significance and necessity. The story's depth is something to be understood in relation to its background. You haven't yet seen what the world in 'Steins;Gate' looks like, so why rush to dismiss it?"
"This..."
Hearing Durin's words, the lecturers and professors were taken aback.
Indeed, Durin's argument was flawless; "Steins;Gate" had only just begun. Their earlier behavior now seemed rash and challenging.
Thus, the mages present fell silent and focused on the film, eager to discover how the story might unfold in unexpected ways.
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