Chapter 2. My name is Zhuge Liang! (1/2)

Chapter 2. My name is Zhuge Liang!

After Jo Gi Chun’s math lecture, Cho Ryu Hyang left Peng Ga Ho, who was complaining about how much his legs hurt, and went straight for the library. After a quick ID check at the entrance, Cho Ryu Hyang entered the library, and was instantly greeted with the familiar smell of paper and ink. Indeed, it was peaceful and quiet here. Other than Cho Ryu Hyang, there was no one inside the spacious room he was in. Cho Ryu Hyang enjoyed this kind of peacefulness.

Here at the library, there were still countless mathematical books to be read, and reading them was Cho Ryu Hyang’s only hobby, as well as a daily commitment.

From a young age, Cho Ryu Hyang loved to solve mathematical problems. And as his clan happened to be closely related to the government works, he naturally came across mathematics, which he happened to be suitable for him.

As long as you use the right algorithm, you always get the right answer. How appealing was that? If it was anyone like Peng Ga Ho or Un Geuk Lin, their faces would pale at the sight of it, but to Cho Ryu Hyang, mathematics was a fascinating subject that ceaselessly provided him endless joy.

Cho Ryu Hyang’s eyes seemed to sparkle as he stared at the countless books packed into the bookshelves of the library. His eyes moved to the bottom corner of the bookshelf, where all the old math theory books were gathered, and tilted his head in curiosity. There was a old, worn out book that had one of its corners stuck out. He walked to it, and looked at the title of the book.

Moon Edge Flower Algorithm Magic (月刃森羅算法術解) (上) (TL: 上 means book one.)

It was a book with a overly flashy name. It was a title he never heard of before.

‘Is this the original?’

Normally, a book this old would be copied by someone else by hand, and it would be put into the archives.

Most of the books in this building were like this. The originals were usually written such a long time ago, there was barely any of them here. It was rare to see an old book in the library.

That’s why his curiosity was aroused. He found something quite rare, after all.

He sat down on the floor right where he was standing. And then he opened the book cautiously, fearing that he might rip the paper.

surawang_2

『I hope I can teach the later generations my teachings with this book, as I was unable to pass on my skills during my lifetime.』

This was the introduction of the book. It was written in a relatively clean, and beautiful style.

『Every kind of measurement that exists in the world is created by mankind. And using those measurements, humans are able to measure how heavy or how big an object is.

Words like inches, gallons, and such things translate the part of the world we live in into a form that humans can understand.』

(TL: For inches, gallons, etc., the author actually uses this: 도량형(度量衡, 길이, 무게, 크기들을 잴 때 필요한 단위)이나 측량법(測量法), 척관법(尺貫法). Yeah, I can’t directly translate that.)

It was quite an interesting subject. Cho Ryu Hyang already knew most of what the author was talking about.

Becoming well-versed in the art of measurements was one of the requirements a good king should possess, as the nation relied on it greatly to perform tasks.

Therefore, there were many books regarding measurements. Because of this, Cho Ryu Hyang knew quite a bit about measurements already. He turned to the next page of the book.

『So I hypothesized something.

If you can create measurements for everything in the world, was it not possible to do the same thing with numbers? Was it possible to perceive the world with numbers?』

Percieve the world with numbers? Cho Ryu Hyang’s head spun when he read that.

It was an impossible task.

A senseless theory.

Usually, he would’ve stopped reading a book like this here. But the writing had a mysterious persuasive power to it. After thinking a bit more, Cho Ryu Hyang turned the page.

『Everyone thought I was being crazy.』

Cho Ryu Hyang looked like he took a hit. Didn’t he, too, think that the author’s ideas were crazy? He was only reading the book because the concept was amusing, not because it actually seemed plausible.

『But I didn’t care.

Many of the revolutionaries in history was seen as a crazy person, anyways.』

It was a statement that made you see a little of the author’s arrogance.

『Anyway, the first man created measurements with his body, and used it as a standard. One finger’s length, or the length of one’s hand. Or even the length of the arm, and etc. The standard measurements were created with the human body as a base. But the human body was too inconsistent to be used as a standard, so a measuring tool was created.』

The author was right about that.

Cho Ryu Hyang continued reading the next part.

『Following that, if the standard changed even by a little bit, the world would change tremendously.

Think about it, if on the ruler, the length of an inch changed even a little, wouldn’t the length of a yard be affected tremendously?』

Cho Ryu Hyang thought about it a little.

Indeed, the world wouldn’t be what it is now, if the measurements for the size and weight changed.

『This is what I want to talk about with the generations after me.

Everyone looks different, their personality is different, and their hobbies are different.

But because of that, anyone can become a standard, really.

Everyone’s unique standard.

If you look at the world with that kind of worldview, it is easy to perceive the world in numbers. Therefore, I was able to reach that state.』

He reached it?

What does it mean?

『I was able to perceive the world in numbers.

And everything changed.

Every complications in the world, big or small, I was able to understand.

I was able to understand any algorithm with just a glance.

I was able to do anything that I would normally be unable to do.

I was able to move ten miles with a single step, and if I started running, I was able to fly up to the clouds.

I was able to control the weather itself, and everything around me was at the palm of my hands. I became a superhuman in an instant.』

Cho Ryu Hyang stopped and thought a bit.

Wasn’t it enough to stop here? He was reading because this crazy talk was amusing to him, but reading more than this was dangerous. He could see that the author was getting more agitated. In the end, however, he was unable to close the book. He was curious what words the next page held.

『I thought there was no end to this power.

But I got stuck in a bottleneck at the most unexpected place.

I was unable to teach to others what I had learned.

Even if it was me, this was an extremely daunting task.

No one was able to understand what I was talking about.

I despaired.

And I only realized why no one was able to understand my words when I neared death. Because everyone’s standard (worldview) was different, if I used my standard as the base of my teachings, no one except a person like me would be able to understand my teachings.

I realized that far too late.』

Cho Ryu Hyang turned the page with a straight face.

Why was this story in the mathematics section of the library?

Perhaps the book was sorted here only because it had the word “math” in it.

『I didn’t want to be unable to pass on my teachings right after I gained insights, so I leave my teachings in text here.

In the future, I do not know if anyone would be able to become a superhuman by reading this, but with a thread of hope, I leave my teachings here.』

When he turned to the next page, he saw that the whole page was filled with numbers.

Then he realized. The reason why the book couldn’t be copied was because of this numbers. No one could copy these numbers onto a different book when they didn’t even know what the numbers meant. Then, something amazing happened while Cho Ryu Hyang was staring at the numbers.

“Hah?”

There was a pattern to the numbers.

When he realized that, his vision shook greatly.

No, was it more correct to say that his vision distorted?