Chapter 190: "Steins;Gate" Premieres! (8)
After learning about the future world from John Titor, Rintarou Okabe pondered deeply and decided to first investigate what the organization known as SERN really is.
Using online resources, he discovered that SERN is the abbreviation for a world-class nuclear research institute headquartered in another country, which has been continuously conducting cutting-edge research in various fields.
Regarding this organization, he consulted Itaru Hashida, who had in-depth knowledge about it, and found that Hashida indeed knew about SERN.
Consequently, Rintarou Okabe immediately requested Hashida to hack into SERN's website, and they successfully logged into the site after several hours.
After breaking into SERN's website, the two promptly checked SERN's recent experimental records but found nothing significant.
Hashida attempted to delve into more data but discovered that the database was encrypted in a peculiar language that even he couldn't decipher.
The investigation reached a dead end, but Rintarou Okabe suddenly recalled a conversation with John Titor.
"Perhaps the IBN5100 can decrypt this language!"
With this realization, Rintarou Okabe attempted to take action, but they had no leads on the IBN5100.
Out of options, Rintarou Okabe had to give up.
The next day, while going to the laundromat, Rintarou Okabe encountered Kurisu Makise. They discussed the existence of time machines, but no matter how Rintarou explained it, Kurisu Makise refused to acknowledge such pseudo-research.
In response, Rintarou Okabe asserted that one day he would make her acknowledge it and told her about the IBN5100 and the evil conspiracy behind it.
Unsurprisingly, this was met with Kurisu Makise's rebuttal, dismissing it as mere fantasy.
Realizing the situation, Rintarou Okabe understood that only by finding the IBN5100 and thoroughly decrypting SERN's database could all the problems be resolved.
Thus, he earnestly searched for the whereabouts of the IBN5100 and was amazed to discover that Mayuri's friend Faris at the maid café had a lead on it.
What shocked Rintarou Okabe even more was learning that the IBN5100 was enshrined at the shrine of Ruka Urushibara, the cross-dressing shrine maiden, due to Faris father.
After some negotiations, Rintarou Okabe finally obtained the IBN5100 and excitedly called Kurisu Makise, intending to have her witness this historical moment.
...
Alongside a reluctant Kurisu Makise, Rintarou Okabe managed to haul the IBN5100 back to the lab. Just as Okabe was enthusiastically preparing to begin the decryption process, Itaru Hashida informed him that the IBN5100 model was too old and required a large number of additional components to function.
As a result, the decryption was temporarily halted, and until Hashida could purchase and assemble the necessary parts, Rintarou Okabe and Kurisu Makise could do nothing but engage in conversation.
Time passed slowly, and by late night, Itaru Hashida suddenly let out an excited scream, startling everyone in the lab. They quickly gathered around the computer.
"Did it work? What does it say?"
"Let me see…"
Kurisu Makise focused on the screen content and began to interpret it:
"Dominion over space-time and the destruction of history based on space-time. In other words, the creation of an ideal utopia encompassing both the past and the future—this has been SERN's purpose since the year 2000!"
"Utopia? Or dystopia?"
"How can it be? It's just a coincidence. Let me look at the main text."
With those words, Kurisu Makise dived into the document and successfully found the detailed text.
"This plan involves experiments on space-time transfer using high-energy matter collisions."
"Space-time transfer? Isn't that basically time travel?"
"No… This can't be real, can it?"
"How can it not be real? SERN indeed started researching time travel 40 years ago."
"Wait, let me continue. The first stage involves the construction and practical application of a large collider. The second stage involves the practical application and adjustment of a floatation device. The third stage is animal testing. The fourth stage… ah…"
Suddenly, Kurisu Makise gasped and covered her mouth in shock, uttering subconsciously:
"Human experimentation…"
"Can we see the detailed content of these experiments?"
In response to Rintarou Okabe's question, Itaru Hashida hesitated, then opened another document. It recorded the results of a total of fourteen space-time transfer experiments.
He randomly opened one of them.
"The eighth experiment—a death of the subject. Following the experiment, a suspected subject's body was found in an old newspaper dated April 3, 1921. The body was gelatinous in shape and embedded in a wall, causing a sensation at the time."
"Isn't this…"
"Jel Bananas?"
"So, although incomplete, they have indeed accomplished time travel?"
"Keep reading!"
Suddenly, they went through all fourteen experimental reports and found that each experiment resulted in similar outcomes. The subjects were transported to a point in the past, often discovered in distorted forms, their bodies gelatinous and their consciousness long extinguished.
"SERN is developing time travel technology…"
Faced with such an undeniable reality, even Kurisu Makise had to finally acknowledge the truth.
Rintarou Okabe, after a moment of dejection, suddenly burst into laughter, exclaiming loudly:
"The conclusion is crystal clear! We just need to create a perfect time machine before SERN does and leave them in the dust! Once we succeed, we'll have the power to reshape the world and prevent the dystopia from ever happening, hahaha!"
Kurisu Makise could only look on with a sense of helplessness at Okabe's declaration.
Similarly, those who witnessed the entire scene felt the same sense of exasperation.
....
"Okabe is being too reckless, isn't he? In situations like this, shouldn't he seek government assistance? What if something goes wrong while trying to invent a time machine?"
"Exactly, SERN is a world-class organization. Who knows what methods they have? It's terrifying."
"But this is a time machine we're talking about! Honestly, no matter who gets their hands on something like that, it could lead to the emergence of a dystopia. After all, human desire is the most fearsome force!"
"So, the best course of action would actually be to fundamentally prevent the existence of such technology—ensuring that no faction has the ability to interfere with time. Or, perhaps, make the information public worldwide so that all organizations and factions have access to time machines, creating a deterrent effect."
"Unfortunately, neither of those options is something an ordinary person like Rintarou Okabe can accomplish."
"The most reasonable solution I can think of is to destroy all documents related to time travel that they possess, and then expose SERN's activities to the world, turning them into a global enemy. That way, even if SERN doesn't collapse, all their research will have to go underground and be monitored by various nations."
"Yeah, I agree that's a better approach. But regardless, Rintarou Okabe is just a typical chuunibyou, and his decision reflects his mindset. In a sense, he probably hasn't escaped human desire himself; he wants to have that time machine."
"All human conflicts arise from desire. That's an undeniable fact."
"…"
The audience sighed, collectively expressing their discontent. Anyone who understood the unfolding plot found various faults with Rintarou Okabe's actions.
After all, personal strength is inherently limited. Facing a world-class organization, relying solely on individual power will surely lead to disastrous outcomes.
Of course, considering that this was, in a sense, a necessity of the plot, the audience didn't dwell on it further.
In contrast, a significant portion of the viewers didn't quite grasp the complexities of the situation. At this point, they only had a vague understanding that there was something called a time machine and that the main characters intended to create it.
...
Compared to the ordinary viewers, Emperor Hubbard and many knights, including General Wilhelm, took a much more serious stance regarding Rintarou Okabe's actions, as they were acutely aware of the consequences that could arise from the protagonist's behavior.
"This is getting out of hand. Rintarou Okabe is completely unaware of what he's done or what he's about to do. He is not prepared at all," Emperor Hubbard lamented.
General Wilhelm nodded in agreement, adding, "To save the world, the prerequisite is not to destroy the existing world or to have the capability to build a new one; otherwise, what is purported to be saving the world is merely a guise for its destruction."
"Exactly. While Rintarou Okabe may be creating a time machine to thwart SERN's conspiracy, the machine itself embodies the greatest contradiction. It will entirely dismantle the framework established by the old world and usher in an inevitable evolution. But evolution is not solely beautiful; it can also bring about immense disasters. The moment Rintarou Okabe creates the time machine, whether he intends it or not, he becomes the chief catalyst of destruction. He is blind to the impending calamity, only seeing the uplifting potential of evolution, while being unprepared to confront the ensuing disasters."
Emperor Hubbard's words defined Rintarou Okabe's actions in a profound way.
As an emperor, he had experienced myriad similar situations. This empire, established nearly a thousand years ago, had endured countless revolts fueled by various reforms.
Many policies that appeared aimed at creating a better future ultimately led to deeper corruption and decay once enacted.
Institutions intended to prevent decline often resulted in even greater deterioration of the empire.
If such was the case for policies, one can only imagine the risks involved with a technology capable of directly altering eras.
The birth of the time machine was destined to bring about chaos and bloodshed, yet at the helm of this storm stood Rintarou Okabe—still a naive young man, essentially a blank slate.
This situation could indeed be viewed as a tragic tale in and of itself.
.....
In contrast to the judgments made by common people and rulers based on their perspectives, the mages at this moment were not particularly concerned about the potential consequences of Rintarou Okabe's actions.
As fellow researchers, their mindset was quite similar to Okabe's; rather than worrying about the future, they were more intrigued by the concept of the time machine itself and harbored an endless curiosity about the mysteries of time.
The experimental records from SERN sparked a great deal of interest among the mages, leading to a variety of discussions.
"Why does the body of the test subject turn into a gelatinous form? The previous banana was like that too, right? Is this a necessary phenomenon of time travel?"
"To understand that, we should consider the preparations for the experiment. There are four steps in SERN's experiments, right? The first step involves some kind of large energy collider, where colossal energies collide to create a hole in space. Perhaps the time machine forces an object through this hole to achieve time travel, but due to the hole being so narrow, any object undergoing severe compression ends up distorted!"
"I see, and in a sense, this step is remarkably similar to teleportation magic."
"Indeed, teleportation magic relies on gathering a massive amount of energy into a magical array and uses the internal magic to distort the balance of dimensional reality in an instant, creating a hole that connects two different locations."
"Generally speaking, the destructive power of such unstable spatial states is enormous. To use teleportation magic, one must release a large amount of magical energy to stabilize the space, which is why the threshold for casting it is incredibly high. Only a high-level mage can maintain such vast magical energy."
"According to the film's narrative, after completing the first step, the second step involves a unique device called a floatation machine. With just these two items, one can achieve time travel?"
"Uh, that's probably just part of the setting."
"Regardless of whether it's part of the setting or not, it's definitely intriguing!"
"If the film's premise is feasible, then doesn't that suggest that spatial teleportation magic is a prerequisite for time magic? If we could unlock another mystery, we might achieve time travel!"
"Hmm…"
Although the discussion among the mages grew increasingly passionate, when it came to practical application, most of them held back from speaking up.
After all, regardless of whether time magic could be created, whether the Mage Tower would permit the existence of time magic was a significant issue.
Interfering with time means distorting history, and without proper restraint, the consequences could be astonishingly profound and unpredictable.
Similarly, the lecturers present on the platform remained silent, even those high-level mages capable of casting teleportation magic.
On this topic, even the most experienced old mages were uncertain about what stance to take, ultimately choosing to refrain from discussing it.
.....
At the top of the Mage Tower, the Archmages fell into silence.
After a considerable pause, Dean Hohenheim sighed and spoke:
"It is our duty as mages to explore the essential mysteries of magic. We need not concern ourselves with matters of public morality; anyone who wishes to conduct research in this area should feel free to do so. The only requirement is that they must present their findings in the grand hall and absolutely must not conduct research privately. Otherwise, the consequences will be the same as those for unsanctioned research into immortality!"
"Agreed."
In response to Dean Hohenheim's words, many Archmages nodded in agreement. No one saw any issue with penalties as severe as those for unsanctioned immortality research, and some even felt that it was still somewhat lenient.
After all, while the mysteries of time were fascinating, the potential consequences of such research, if it truly came to fruition, would be unimaginable!
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