Chapter 169

Semin’s main point was simple.

Before I filmed the revealing video, she conveyed that if people recognized my value in reality first, they would support me unconditionally, no matter what I said.

When an unrealistic event occurs, everyone is busy denying it, but the logic is that when it happens twice or three times in succession, everyone eventually adapts.

What caught Semin’s eye were my proof formulas.

He emphasized the necessity of breaking it down into stages.

First, I will showcase remarkable achievements that are inappropriate for my age to the public.

Second, by doing so, I expect a preemptive effect of tip-offs to those who don’t usually watch this kind of internet broadcast.

“In the end, ta-da, I was actually seven years old. How’s that for a scenario?”

How childish. Why do people like that peekaboo game so much?

“I can’t do it.”

“Why? Why not?”

“Because this isn’t something I proved myself… it’s just a kind of translation.”

Before it was a matter of means, it was a matter of my morals and conscience.

Most of the math I knew, especially in number theory, was merely concepts I learned from my mentor.

However, the concepts and notation used in that world were completely different from those used in this world, so I merely translated them appropriately to fit reality.

If it were a Broca problem, it would be one thing, but nothing else even pieced together a puzzle.

It was the task of moving a completed puzzle aside.

I couldn’t just use the knowledge filled with her passion and soul to walk a simpler path.

If this were a game, it would be cheats or map hacks.

It was the tempting fruit given to one who had merely experienced the two worlds by chance.

“Then can’t you just put my name as a co-author?”

“Co-author?”

You want me to write the name ‘Maria Euphrasia Terralubi,’ who doesn’t even exist as the first author?

Well, Semin didn’t know that I was a reincarnator, so that was a fair comment.

“She isn’t in this world right now.”

“Oh really…? She passed away… But then isn’t that even better?”

“Wow… wow… Your sense of ethics is something else.”

“No, that’s not what I meant! It’s a great chance to widely spread her name. Isn’t it?”

“Do you think submitting a paper is that easy? Of course, it requires author review first…”

“What does it matter? I’ll upload it on Vtube; let’s worry about that later.”

Semin replied naturally.

This person, who was going to be a doctor in the future, didn’t hesitate to engage in morally questionable acts?

“In the end, that’s just stealing.”

But it wasn’t about whether it would work or not.

I lacked the qualifications to prove it.

Curiosity when I received the puzzle, anticipation when I spilled the puzzle on the floor, passion during the process of solving it, and the sense of accomplishment when completing the puzzle.

Maria, my mentor, possessed all these elements, and I was nothing but an imitator.

I envied her passion for knowledge so much that I wanted to emulate her concentration on diving deep into one thing.

I devoured all the books she wrote, no, even every notebook.

Even so, I couldn’t become like her.

I could never match her genius.

“Why? Did you transcribe that knowledge exactly, without missing a single bit? You need to understand to translate it, right?”

“It wouldn’t be exactly the same.”

“I’m saying this because I’m not very knowledgeable about math, so forgive me if it’s a misunderstanding. But NaMeya, what do you think of the saying, ‘Stand on the shoulders of giants’?”

“I know what it means.”

Achieve greater accomplishments by stepping on those who have already shown sufficient achievement in the field.

“Human progress didn’t start from zero. When someone creates a wheel, another person thinks about adding an axle, putting on a handle, and creating an engine. A high school teacher told me that more than 90% of Einstein’s theory of relativity borrowed from external theories. Even the greatest genius scientist of the 20th century only took a single step further.”

“Really…”

“Yes! That one step! Didn’t you have any difficulties translating this, NaMeya?”

There weren’t any difficulties.

When I realized that the Ostankin Factor corresponds to the Kähler differential in this world, I spent days studying étale morphisms and étale cohomology.

“Coming back to the point, saying to step on the shoulders of giants doesn’t mean to steal others’ knowledge. Rather, it means that the true respect for that person’s experience and accomplishment lies in producing better results based on it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

What on earth is math?

In my previous life, mathematicians were all crazy.

While others accumulated wealth and fame through magic, they wore glasses with one end broken, continuously grading ink.

They were people skilled in exploring and expanding the unknown realm. Despite homes becoming smaller and the frequency of their wives’ nagging increasing, the mathematicians of the tower burned with passion.

There was a time when I was as passionate about magic.

There was a thrill when something absurd became common sense.

From a certain moment, that passion heavily diluted, leaving barely a trace.

Magic had long since become a means rather than an end.

Could I not recover that passion again?

“Semin, then I’ll do this.”

To stand on the giant’s shoulders, I would need to show corresponding accomplishments.

Seizing this opportunity, I decided to surpass my previous self.

Though I had failed to prove it in my previous life, perhaps I could do it again with the power of modern mathematics?

“Do you know the Strong Goldbach Conjecture?”

“No? I don’t know it. I’ve heard the name Goldbach. Oh, you just called me ‘oppa’—”

“Within three days, if I can prove the Goldbach conjecture by myself, I will reveal the remaining six proofs in the same manner.”

This is proof of my capability.

If I couldn’t even manage this alone, it would ultimately be no different from copying my mentor Maria’s ideas.

Was I confident? Absolutely.

I covered my mouth to hide the smile forming involuntarily.

“You will know soon enough whether you want to or not, so wait a bit. As you work on the seven proofs, your eyes will get tired, so take a break beforehand.”

Yes. I should make Semin do the typing. Semaaru would surely be busy editing anyway.

Staring at a screen for a long time wasn’t child-friendly.

“Seven? What do you mean? Are there seven proofs?”

* * *

The first wave of a tsunami is always calm.

[NoName Minor Gallery]

[Two videos being uploaded to Vtube today!][24]

How am I supposed to wait until 8 o’clock! I’m dying, No Name noona (12 years younger than me)!

Moreover, you reserved two more for tomorrow? This is just too perfect, hahaha, churu-rup chap-chap chuwap-chuwap hururup~

[Comments]

– So the author is two years old? Hahaha

└ No way, there’s no way they’re 26 years old. No way would a human scum like that tease a child who’s a generation younger, right? No way?

└ (Author) Stop that; please.

– Wow, food supply was already running low, and now this is just right.

– I didn’t believe it at all, No Name!

– The direction of sexual desire is all wrong, though?

└ You can’t touch No Name.

└ If you get on their bad side, it’s not just a simple insult—be careful, or you could be charged under child abuse laws.

No Name’s Vtube channel, which usually uploaded two or three videos a week, suddenly started uploading a flurry of reservations as if it had experienced a sudden acceleration.

[NoName Official]

[Subscribers: 318,000 / Videos: 18]

(Most recent)

[#1 ABC conjecture and Brocard’s problem] – New!

[Hill scene not collapsing! (2051 Jannadae Day 1 Scream)] – New!

[To be honest, even the judge smiled (2051 Jannadae Showcase Highlights)]

…

[#1 ABC conjecture and Brocard’s problem]

(Views: 3,200 / 1 day ago)

– ???

– The video was uploaded by mistake!

– Huh, that’s No Name’s voice?

– Is this real?

– What… what is this…

– They must have rearranged the private room; it looks much better now.

The black screen added among the shriek videos in No Name’s Vtube channel attracted people’s attention sufficiently.

Typically, the phrase “I’m sorry” was popular among Vtubers, but No Name’s was different.

The black color wasn’t just a background; it was a kind of chalkboard, and as the camera zoomed out, NaMeya appeared holding white chalk at the edge of the screen.

“I will now begin the proof for the ABC conjecture and Brocard’s problem. Conjecture 1.”

“Can I just upload this?”

“Yes, there’s no need to edit separately; upload it all as one unedited video. And I’ll upload the last video. I just want to feel something.”

Though Semaaru, the Vtube editor, had some doubts in the middle, NaMeya responded with confidence.

True to her word, NaMeya managed to prepare all seven proofs.

Even for the ABC conjecture, which had made the most research progress, I had to spend a long time filming the proof video.

Professor Cheon was worried about her physical stamina and advised her to include only the most essential content in the video.

Ultimately, NaMeya, having settled for a suitable compromise, left behind her regrets and wrote the final proof.

“With this, I will conclude the proof. I would like to thank Maria Euphrasia Terralubi, who helped me, and Professor Cheon Kyujin of Korea University.”

The shutter of the camera filming NaMeya closed.

Professor Cheon, who had taken a few sheets of tissue, wiped NaMeya’s nose.

The thin tissue was stained with the red blood that flowed from her nose.

[Spell: Tissue Regeneration]

“Anyway, it would stop anyway; it’s a bit over the top.”

NaMeya rolled the tissue up and stuffed it up her nose.

Looking at her, Professor Cheon’s expression grew somber.

“Would it be inappropriate to ask now for you not to upload the video?”

“I understand your concerns, Professor Cheon.”

NaMeya had spent an entire week away from the academy, immersed in proofs.

As unexcused absences continued, the academy staff had been trying to reach her.

Teachers worried whether she was sick or if she had been caught up in bullying, even though she was in a lower grade. But each time, NaMeya reassured them, saying she was okay.

“There will be more changes than you think. There will be people who want your shining talent, and there will also be those who envy it. I wished that our NaMeya could live an ordinary daily life.”

“Ordinary…”

“Eating breakfast, heading to school and work, chatting about the day’s events when coming back, and if we’re bored, discussing the Theory of Linear Relations together; I’m suddenly worried whether these precious daily life moments will continue. Is it perhaps a saying about hidden talent?”

“The thorn in the pocket?”

“I suddenly think it’s a fate from which geniuses cannot escape. People with outstanding talent will somehow be known to the world. I hope you remember that’s not necessarily a good thing, NaMeya. If I speak longer, it might sound like lecturing, right?”

“The timing to stop was good, Professor Cheon.”

NaMeya gave a thumbs up.

Seeing that, Professor Cheon chuckled and patted NaMeya’s head.

“Hahaha. Was it from tomorrow that the competition began? Still, NaMeya has worked hard to prepare for this; you must win, or it’ll be unjust, right? Otherwise, it would all be in vain!”

“Of course! Until now, I just hadn’t shown my true abilities. You know? They said a new capsule I ordered is coming today. The one I’ve been using has a response time that’s way too slow… It should be time for it to arrive.”

Ding dong—

“I think the installation technician has arrived.”

“Okay, work hard. I’ll be cheering you on.”

“It’s a bit embarrassing knowing someone is watching. If I do poorly in the competition, I’ll blame Professor Cheon.”

“Then I’ll have to cheer you on even harder, hahaha.”

Sitting in the center of the empty room, NaMeya slowly scanned the whiteboard filled with her proofs with her eyes.

While filming, there were certainly some shortcomings.

Since I couldn’t write everything down, I tried to show only the core of each theorem and proposition.

Still, the board was stained with black ink from repeatedly erasing and rewriting it.

NaMeya decided to lie down on the carpeted floor and take a moment to rest her eyes.

[#7 Strong Goldbach Conjecture (1742)]

[Q.E.D.

Corollary 18.9. Every even number greater than 2 can be expressed as the sum of two primes.]

Even with her eyes closed, the scenes of her writing replayed vividly in her mind.

Gradually, the corners of NaMeya’s mouth lifted slightly.

Now, she too had come to understand.

“2 plus 2 is 4.

3 plus 3 is 6.

3 plus 5 is 8.

3 plus 7 is 10…”

Why her mentor hummed numbers every time she climbed the tower stairs.

“7 plus 23 is 30… Am I also starting to go insane now, or have I already lost my mind like my mentor?”

The story of the one-eyed village, the incompleteness theorem.

Wiping away all thoughts that arose with the flow of consciousness, NaMeya slowly closed her eyes.

The computer that had been in sleep mode began to flicker with light.

It was a signal that the video upload was complete.

[Playlist]

[proof]

[#1 ABC conjecture and Brocard’s problem (1876)] – 4 days ago

[#2 Erdős–Straus conjecture (1948)] – 3 days ago

[#3 Weaire–Phelan structure optimization (1993)] – 2 days ago

[#4 Collatz conjecture bound further to n^0.737 (1937)] – 2 days ago

[#5 Moving sofa problem upper bound improvement (1966)] – 1 day ago

[#6 Twin prime conjecture (1849)] – 18 hours ago

[#7 Strong Goldbach conjecture (1742)] – 1 minute ago

NaMeya had proposed solutions to problems that had remained unsolved for over 300 years.

The verification of this would be up to the public.