Chapter 185: "Steins;Gate" Premieres! (3)
At the top of the Mage Tower.
The archmages were engaged in a discussion about the content of the film.
"Time… There's very little related knowledge about this in the forbidden archives of the Mage Tower. For thousands of years, human mages have made almost no progress in exploring the concept of time."
In response to Director Hohenheim's remarks, The archmage of special elements, immediately said:
"Not entirely true. The founding master who invented teleportation magic mentioned in his final notes that time and space are similar yet completely different concepts. Perhaps, if we reach the end of the path of space, we can uncover the secrets of time."
"Reach the end of the path of space? Does that mean achieving the farthest distance in spatial teleportation magic?"
"Well, I'm not exactly sure. Even for me, the farthest distance of spatial magic is only within the empire. To complete a continent-crossing spatial magic would likely require exceeding the sixth tier."
"If that's the case, the mysteries of time are still far beyond our reach, aren't they?"
"Perhaps, but who knows? Maybe in this world, there exists a creature for whom casting time magic is as simple as eating and drinking?"
"Uh, if such a being exists, it's probably a deity, right?"
Thus, the conversation among the archmages continued.
Even for those who have reached the pinnacle in various fields of magic, time magic remains a concept as elusive as seeing flowers in the fog—impossible to grasp.
Despite the fact that the archmage who created teleportation magic categorized time as an element and included it among special elements, most mages do not pursue it. Those who do often end up empty-handed.
Time machines, though theoretically proposed, have ultimately been proven as impossible as perpetual motion machines.
Though the world hasn't defined time paradoxes like the grandfather paradox, mages can easily perceive the irrationality of time travel.
If you travel back in time and kill your grandparents before your father is born, your grandparents would be dead, your father would not exist, and thus, you would not be born.
So, who killed your grandmother?
Such paradoxes make most mages believe that controlling time and altering history are inconceivable feats, even in imagination.
Therefore, as Durin attempts to convey the concept of a time machine in the new movie, even the archmages see it as having no possibility of realization.
...
In the movie, the protagonist of "Steins;Gate" is abruptly dragged to the hallway corner by a red-haired girl.
Faced with this peculiar girl, who wears her coat in an unusual manner and whose identity is a mystery, the protagonist asks in surprise:
"Who exactly are you?"
"That's what I want to ask you!"
"What did you say?!"
"You were trying to tell me something just now, weren't you?"
"Just now?"
"Around 15 minutes ago."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
The protagonist becomes even more perplexed but suddenly reacts as if realizing something and exclaims:
"You're Makise Kurisu... the one who published a paper in a top journal?"
"I'm surprised you know. Which lab are you from?"
Faced with Makise Kurisu's slightly troubled expression, the protagonist suddenly says, wildly:
"Are you a spy sent by the organization?"
"Huh?"
"It's me, caught by the organization's spy. Ah, it's that Makise Kurisu."
"You're talking on the phone. Who are you speaking with?"
"Yeah, no problem, just a mere spy. I will definitely overcome this situation..."
Seeing the protagonist's tense demeanor, the girl snatches the phone from his hand, only to find in surprise that it's not even on.
"What is this?"
Seeing Makise Kurisu's confusion, the protagonist freezes for a moment, then bursts into laughter and exclaims loudly:
"Let me tell you this—this is a special phone that automatically cuts off power if anyone but me touches it, heh heh, hahahaha!"
"Is that so? So you were just talking to yourself."
"..."
"Anyway, to make a long story short, what were you trying to tell me earlier? About fifteen minutes ago, you suddenly had a very concerned expression."
"..."
Unable to comprehend what this girl was suddenly talking about, the protagonist was certain that he had never met her before.
Thinking it over, he realized that she might be a fellow "chuunibyou"—someone who lives in a fantasy world like he does. Delighted by this thought, he exclaimed: "I've seen through everything, genius girl. You're my enemy, aren't you? I'll see you next time!"
With that, he ignored her cries of surprise and ran away as if fleeing in panic.
After distancing himself from Makise Kurisu, the protagonist instinctively took out his actual phone, only to find a blurry text message had arrived.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't read the message's content.
The increasingly chaotic situation furrowed his brows until Mayuri found him and brought him back to reality.
But before he could make sense of things, a scream suddenly echoed from upstairs.
He rushed to the scene only to find the girl named Makise Kurisu lying on the ground, bleeding—already a corpse.
"Dead... She's dead?"
The shocking and terrifying scene left him utterly panicked, his hands and feet going cold.
Eventually, his thoughts in disarray, he started running frantically, the recent images flashing through his mind. He dashed into the crowded street and immediately sent an email to his lab partner from his phone.
The email read: "Makise Kurisu has been stabbed!"
The moment he sent it, he suddenly noticed the space-time around him shifting in a bizarre way, and some kind of numerical fluctuation made his gaze freeze.
When he looked up again, the once bustling street was deserted.
"Wha... what's going on?"
In an instant, the empty street left him standing alone, like a ghost.
....
The sudden plot twist jolted awake all the viewers who had lost hope in the film, and they were instantly invigorated.
After all, for the audience, as long as the storyline offered enough shocking twists and rich content, most were willing to accept it and continue watching eagerly.
Moreover, "Steins;Gate" revealed an abundance of intriguing information, prompting everyone to break into discussions at that moment.
"What's going on? How did that girl just suddenly die? Who's the killer?"
"Why is the street suddenly empty? This feels eerie. Could this be a horror movie?"
"I'm losing track of what's happening. This girl named Makise Kurisu appeared out of nowhere, claiming the protagonist had looked for her fifteen minutes ago, yet the protagonist clearly has no recollection. Could this be a sort of deception?"
"Deception, really? And getting herself killed in the process?"
"This is so confusing, I can't make sense of it."
"..."
The audience voiced their confusion, not just about the plot but also about the protagonist's phone, which could send messages.
Although in "Fate/Zero," Kiritsugu Emiya used a similar device capable of transmitting voices, back then the focus was more on the heroic spirits, and the convenience of such long-distance communication devices wasn't highlighted.
Thus, with the new film "Steins;Gate" being set in a world seemingly devoid of special powers, the crowd's attention was captivated by this small alchemical device.
"What is this thing? It seems to allow communication over long distances, even direct conversation."
"What a magical gadget! Is it real?"
"When did this world's technology progress so quickly? With movies, television, and what seems to be called a mobile phone, I feel like I'm falling behind the times."
"Uh, that's a stretch, isn't it? I think this must be another one of Durin's inventions. A friend of mine at the Imperial Mage Academy said Director Durin has been doing a lot of groundbreaking work recently, even earning the admiration of the realm's top archmages."
"Durin Edward, once a genius boy famous in our southern region and most likely to become an archmage. I thought he would be down and out after being expelled from the Mage Tower, but now he's influencing the entire world."
"I have to admit, true geniuses really do exist in this world..."
"I just wonder if this thing called a mobile phone is available for purchase? And how far can you really talk on it? I haven't seen my parents back home in years."
"Yes, yes, I've been away from my partner due to work. If there's something this convenient for communication, it would be fantastic."
"..."
Various conversations erupted in the cinema as people expressed great anticipation for the new concept of mobile phones, something that exceeded even Durin's expectations.
This is quite apparent; although the overall system in this world may still be somewhat backward, the influence of magic—an extraordinary concept—has significantly elevated both the level of technological development and the populace's mindset and openness to new things, far exceeding the norm of a conventional world.
As a result, even when faced with a series of unprecedented new concepts, people generally show a high level of acceptance.
In this environment, the only potential obstacle to the proliferation of mobile phones would be the vested interests who might oppose long-distance communication capabilities.
Of course, since mobile phones are still in the production phase, there's no immediate concern about how to promote them just yet.
.....
Compared to the general public's excitement about mobile phones, Emperor Hubbard and General Wilhelm's sensitivity to this instant communication tool was beyond imagination.
Both exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting profound astonishment.
"I never imagined that my casual suggestion to Baron Durin, about using new technology to create an instant communication tool, could actually be realized," remarked Emperor Hubbard.
While General Wilhelm didn't voice his thoughts, his mind swiftly raced through the strategic uses such mobile phones could offer.
As a general of the empire, he understood that if seamless long-distance communication could be achieved, the combat capability of the imperial army would increase exponentially—perhaps tenfold or more!
This would mean that strategic and tactical planning could transition from days-long operations to actions executed in mere seconds, transforming campaigns into rapid, blitzkrieg operations.
The destructive potential of such a military force would be unimaginable!
Of course, since the concept of mobile phones currently only appeared in a fictional movie, General Wilhelm was not overly excited yet. However, should such a device manifest before him, his eyes might very well light up with excitement.
While these two high-ranking figures in the Human Empire were thrilled by the concept of mobile phones, the orc prophet in the distance remained unimpressed by the idea.
This was partly due to the innate intellectual predisposition of the orcs and partly because the Orc Empire had no prior concept of strategy or tactics.
In the Orc Kingdom, wars were fought with a single-minded approach: overpower the enemy or admit defeat—no middle ground.
Though this seemed simplistic, the sheer strength of many orc warriors meant that before humans had widespread access to magic, battles were almost always one-sided in favor of the orcs.
Faced with overwhelming strength, no amount of human intelligence or strategic planning could easily counter the orcs' raw might.
Adding to this, there were occasionally unique, extraordinarily powerful individuals among the orcs, akin to battlefield harvesters, requiring human heroes of archmage caliber to stand against them.
Thus, whether by coincidence or fate, the orc prophet, while contemplating various elements revealed in the film, overlooked the seemingly ordinary, yet potentially transformative device of war—the mobile phone.
Whether this oversight would lead to consequences in the future remains an unknown variable.
...
While the southern audience was captivated by the concept of mobile phones, the mages didn't pay it much attention. After all, short-range telepathic communication was already a natural skill for most mages.
Moreover, with Scar's recent introduction of a new technology at the Mage Tower—an instant communication magic array—many mages now had the capability for medium-range instant communication.
As a result, the mages' focus wasn't on these minor details. Instead, they were more intrigued by the suddenly deserted street and the peculiar circumstances surrounding the unexpected death of the mysterious girl, Makise Kurisu.
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