Chapter 13 (part 2/2) - The Tribunal

  Vincent dragged a small nearby table and placed it before the Archon, far enough that the entire tribunal could see it. At the center he set down the magic circle, the first computer he had ever created in this world.

  “I believe all of us should be useful to the tower in our own way, right? I truly admire the work you do here.”

  The lie was immediately detected by the Archon and his adviser, but the rest swallowed the flattery with ease.

  “And speaking of money… while I was working in the magic-circle workshop and observing what happens in the treasury, an idea came to me. In my world we have something called computers, thinking machines, the closest thing we have to magic. They make life easier, especially for simple and repetitive tasks.”

  Vincent approached the golden disk where bracelets were inserted and gave it a light tap.

  “It’s great that you have something this convenient for managing payments, but the numbers still need to be calculated by hand, right? And I know many of you dislike the idea of having a tortured soul trapped in a jar just to solve your accounts, which is why I brought this…”

  As he spoke of computers, he noticed the discomfort on several faces. The scholars did not react well to terms like computer or thinking machine. He had heard that the reason more advanced civilizations were not resurrected was because most ended extinguished or thrown back into prehistory by some cataclysmic event involving artificial intelligence. Pride likely played a part as well. Scholars preferred when their own systems surpassed all others.

  So instead of calling it a calculator, Vincent chose another name.

  “This is a Calculation Circle … something I was able to create thanks to the equipment and the knowledge I gathered from the tower. It was inspired by tomes from Earth that you have already collected.”

  The scholars reacted favorably when he appealed to their sense of pride. It was time for the main course.

  “And I thought of making this to make life easier for everyone who works with numbers. All you need to do is input the values by touching these marked carvings here, just giving them a small pulse. There’s no need to guide the energy.”

  The raised eyebrows told him he was on the right track, so he continued.

  “I’ll start with something simple… I’ll input a four-digit number first, then you rotate the disk to select the type of operation.”

  “Ohh.”

  The rotating disk in the middle wasn’t his invention. He had taken the idea from a book. But it was an advanced technique, difficult to execute and impressive on its own.

  “In the addition position, we load a bit more energy here to confirm, then enter the remaining numbers. Now we rotate the disk again to the answer position, and give a small pulse to the center to execute and display the result.”

  A second later, the panel glowed faintly and produced the answer. The Archon stood up to get a better look, as did the others. Vincent lifted the disk carefully and stepped closer to the stand so everyone could see. The numbers were crisp, and the craftsmanship of the circle elegant. A true piece of art.

  After a few demonstrations just a few steps from the audience, Vincent handed the circle to the Archon so he could try it himself.

  “It’s not dangerous, is it?”

  His behavior was contradictory. Despite having the presence of a warrior, he seemed almost fearful of the possibilities of magic.

  “Of course not. Unless you’re afraid of numbers…”

  The adviser gave her silent approval before the Archon handled it, and he became enthralled. After each calculation, pencils could be heard furiously verifying the operations by hand. The scholars weren’t idiots, after all. They knew mathematics; they had simply never thought to apply it like this.

  “This… this is remarkable, I must admit.”

  “I’m glad you liked it, Archon Lutero.”

  Vincent answered politely, even though minutes ago this man had been threatening his life. Beneath his role as a stern overseer of the tower, he was also a scholar, and what he had just witnessed was extraordinary. His pursuit of Vincent had always been about knowledge, nothing more. He held none of the personal resentment that others nursed.

  “As you can see, I’ve only used my hazy memories as inspiration, not as a source. The knowledge already exists here. You wouldn’t gain anything new by extracting my memories, but I would lose something of immense value… the memory of my loved ones. I beg you, please, don’t take them from me.”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  An Archon is not someone who bends to sentimental pleas, but what Vincent said was at least partially true. The Calculation Circle drew only from material already present in the Tower, and harming a resurrected who could connect those dots would be a waste.

  “I see your value now, Vincent. You have done well.”

  “Archon, sir, I’m sure that if you allow me to verify, we could…” suggested the Extractor, interrupting the verdict, but the Archon stopped him with a hand.

  “This Calculation Circle is something very valuable. I want to supply the rest of the Tower with them before introducing them to the Empire. I want you working on them full-time.”

  The Archon ordered.

  “Something valuable, you say?”

  Vincent asked with a sly, almost wicked smile.

  “I hope such a contribution is at least enough to cancel the heavy debt I placed on Magister Lily due to my untimely treatment…”

  And he answered himself as he rolled up his sleeve and bowed his head, extending his left hand where the bracelet rested.

  “…”

  The Archon nodded. Despite his severity, he was a fair man, and what Vincent had delivered was indeed valuable.

  “And for the prototype…”

  “Don’t push your luck, boy.”

  “It’s not pushing. I only need enough to cover the cost of the materials required to develop that prototype… around thirty silver Towers seems fair.”

  The Archon grumbled and conceded, signaling with a flick of his hand for the payment to be made. A man approached and instructed him to place his hand on the jade disk to finalize the transaction. Once his wrist was released and the heavy pouch of coins rested in his hands, Vincent could finally speak calmly.

  “I’m afraid I cannot work on the circle exclusively.”

  “WHAT?”

  The Archon snapped, furious, with an almost comical timing. Outraged by the audacity, but Vincent hurried to placate him.

  "If I were to shut myself inside the workshop I wouldn't have time for anything else. I enjoy a certain degree of freedom"

  But that first line only made Archon Lutero’s eyes grow even bloodier.

  "I will help in the workshop alongside Master Dodoon to produce the circles, but if I stay locked in there I won’t be worth any more than any other artisan. I would like your permission to accompany Magister Lily as her assistant whenever she deems necessary, whether to move around the tower or to go outside."

  "Insolent…" Muttered Drestan through his teeth, still watching from the crowd.

  "Of course I will help in the workshop and I will also assist in gathering useful tomes in the library… but I believe it is vital that I learn more about this world to inspire new ways in which I can improve."

  The Archon leaned toward his adviser’s mouth to hear her whisper. Whatever she said tinted his expression with doubt. Vincent noticed and reshaped his promise to sound more grounded.

  "I am sure that if I learn more about this world, other ideas just as useful for the tower will come to me. I promise."

  This time it was true. It wasn’t a lie to omit that he would also benefit.

  "Very well… I will grant you those privileges. As of today, you may consider yourself a level-5 Resurrect. Speak with the warden of your floor so they can relocate you… the considerations you have received do not come free of burden. It is obvious you are no longer a mere husk, so you cannot contribute as one."

  "That is understandable."

  "I want you to instruct the workshop as soon as possible so they can begin producing those circles, but I will give you one week of grace to see whether Dodoon and the other artisans can optimize it first."

  "Of course, sir. Thank you very much."

  The title change was carried out quickly through the jade disk. Becoming a Resurrect would increase the workload the tower demanded of him, but also his earnings. He had no idea how many hours of labor his bracelet would require to settle, so for now he preferred to focus on the bright side: he would earn more and have his own room.

  After the title change, Vincent bowed his head and hurried out of the tribunal. The room erupted into murmurs seconds after the verdict. Half of the scholars rushed toward the disk to study it; the other half approached the Archon to protest that his judgment had been far too lenient.

  Without another word, Archon Lutero rose from his seat, allowing only his adviser to follow him. They left the tribunal and headed to his office on the same administrative floor. The woman closed the door behind them. At last they were alone.

  "And what does his aura tell you? You were giving me very contradictory information."

  "He is definitely lying. I am sure you can sense that even without my abilities."

  "Of course. That boy is a shark. I would not be surprised if he told me we were the same age."

  The Archon chuckled as he smoothed the few strands of hair on his head.

  "He lies about what he knows, but there is truth in his words. I am certain he at least sensed that I have some sort of power, because he chose his words carefully to speak only truths… even though his aura screamed ulterior motives."

  "What parts were true?"

  "That he can be useful to the tower… and that he has an ironclad confidence that he will come up with more if you let him move freely. It is not the confidence of an egotist, though he may be one as well. That confidence only comes from experience. He is someone highly capable."

  The Archon stroked his chin, thoughtful.

  "Then should I have asked if he holds information the tower does not? Something the Earthborn possess that surpasses magic?"

  "You did well not to corner him too much. If he showed us that circle, it is because it was what he felt comfortable revealing. I am certain he only gave us a crumb. If you press him harder, that crumb is all we will ever get."

  Lutero leaned back in his chair. Part of an Archon's work was knowing when to squeeze and when to loosen in order to obtain the greatest benefit. He was well aware that extraction was not the most efficient method to feed the tower, nor the best approach for dealing with those accused of perdurance.

  In cases like Vincent's, he knew the most profitable strategy was to maintain steady pressure, reminding him that to be safe he needed to flee the tower, yet that the tower was also the only place where he could reach and manifest his greatness. He had to present himself as a villain to be outwitted… not as an impossible wall. Previous attempts to recreate a thinking machine without magic had ended in rooms filled with useless computer towers, enormous and fragile.

  Without realizing it, Vincent had skipped the arduous process of developing the technology, then understanding it, then teaching the scholars, and finally fusing it with magic. He had delivered the final result without going through any of the intermediary stages the tower always considered inevitable.

  Lutero understood it perfectly. Pretending fear before those engravings was preferable to showing genuine astonishment. Years on the battlefield had taught him that the most direct approach was rarely the right one. He did not want the boy to realize how much he had actually given away… nor how quickly that knowledge could change everything.

  "Vincent, huh? I expect great things from you..."