Chapter 402: Chapter 351: Another Awakener

Anvil Star.

The planet lives up to its name, known throughout the human domain for heavy industry, giant machinery manufacturing, and cutting-edge materials research.

Massive orbital docks outline the planet’s silhouette like a jungle of steel.

The surface is covered with automated factories and smelting facilities stretching for thousands of kilometers, and the air seems to be filled with a unique scent of metal and energy liquid.

Jeming came here to investigate its core industrial technology and learn.

To do this, he attended a public technical seminar on optimizing the efficiency of the new generation of high-energy plasma transmission pipelines, hosted at the headquarters of the "Giant God Forging Press" group, thanks to his status as an excellent graduate of the school.

The venue is set in a huge tiered conference room with a hardcore industrial vibe, where engineers and researchers from various star districts are discussing fiercely.

Amid the clash of technical terms, a familiar voice with a slightly urgent yet extremely clear tone attracted Jeming’s attention.

He followed the sound and saw a figure that was drastically different from memory yet subtly overlapped at the core.

That person...is Reks?!

Jeming could hardly believe his eyes.

The person before him was no longer the Tenth Level Super Genius covered in daunting mechanical constructs, exuding the aura of Alchemy and metal during the Nolun Workshop graduation trial.

No more flashing rune eyes, no buzzing power joints.

In their place stood a young engineer dressed in slightly oversized standard overalls, thin, with a pair of plain glasses perched on his nose.

He was standing at the presentation stand, fiercely debating with an elderly engineer with gray hair about a transmission node’s energy vortex loss issue.

"Your model overlooks the second-order topological effects of superfluid media in non-uniform magnetic fields!" Reks spoke rapidly, tracing complex formulas and data on the virtual light screen with his fingers.

"Look here, if we introduce this correction parameter combined with the chaotic oscillation model of the boundary layer, we can account for that extra 3.7% of energy dissipation!"

His words were ordinary, but the logical chain was as tightly interlocked as precision gears, showcasing his impressive technical prowess.

The person before him seemed immersed in his technical world, intolerant of any flaws, somewhat stubborn in his technical pursuits.

In Jeming’s view, this guy’s personality had hardly changed; he essentially still treated those around him as air.

As he listened, Jeming’s keen senses caught a hint of something amiss.

Not from Reks’s appearance or personality, but from the unconventional technical ideas and simplified models he occasionally used during his argument.

Those ideas, on the surface, appeared to be common engineering methods in this plane, but their internal simplification logic and certain "intuitive" ways of handling energy subtly gave Jeming a sense of familiarity.

After pondering for a moment, Jeming confirmed that it resembled a certain way Wizards handle Elemental Energy, rather than pure physical formula-based deduction.

"Could it be..." Jeming’s gaze flickered, thinking of a possibility.

But he did not rashly step forward, as previous intelligence mentioned three unlucky souls who died in this plane, indicating that this plane was not completely safe.

After waiting for a while, the seminar entered the free exchange session.

Jeming discreetly approached Reks, who was independently organizing his notes.

"Sorry to interrupt," Jeming donned a friendly smile with an inquisitive desire, "Your discussion on the chaotic oscillation model applied to the energy boundary layer was brilliant. But I have a question, the ’resonance frequency compensation’ algorithm you mentioned doesn’t seem to be a library standard solution, did you derive it yourself? Its assumption of the foundational energy field’s ’affinity’ is...quite unique."

He deliberately emphasized the word "affinity" subtly.

This is a concept commonly used in Wizard elements to describe the matching degree of energy with specific runes or mental imprints.

But in this plane, the word generally doesn’t describe such things.

Reks raised his head, adjusting his glasses, initially flashing a hint of impatience at being interrupted.

But upon grasping Jeming’s question, the impatience quickly turned into extreme bewilderment and vigilance.

His fingers unconsciously curled slightly.

"Standard algorithms are too rigid," Reks’s voice became deeper and his pace slower, "In actual high-energy environments, the field’s inherent... ’bias’ must be considered."

He avoided "affinity" and used "bias" instead.

But for someone who previously displayed such a strict technical persona, to silently modify terminology without directly correcting the error was already a subtle response.

"Indeed, rigid standards cannot address all variables." Jeming followed his words, locking his gaze onto the other’s eyes behind the lens, "Sometimes, I wish we could manipulate energy with willpower, don’t you?"

This sentence was almost explicit.

Reks’s body imperceptibly stiffened for a moment.

He did not respond immediately but adjusted his glasses again, a habitual action to mask his inner fluctuations.

After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly posed a seemingly ordinary technical question:

"Suppose...there is a closed system where internal energy obeys conservation laws, but external observations reveal its total entropy fluctuates periodically... What do you think is the most likely cause? Measurement error, or is there a ’breath’ inherent in the system that we don’t know about?"

This question, ostensibly about thermodynamics.

But terms like "closed system," "entropy periodic fluctuations," and "breath," when combined in the Wizard worldview, are often used to describe the evolution of Half-Planes, the operation of large Barriers, and even the energy tides during meditation by some powerful entities!

The air between them seemed to instantly freeze.

The surrounding engineers’ discussions and the flow of data on light screens became blurred background noise.

They stood in the bustling crowd, as if on an invisible stage.

Jeming’s heart raced, aware that Reks was counter-testing.

He dared not be careless; his brain worked rapidly to provide an answer that fit this world’s physics framework while conveying signals that only "kindred spirits" could understand in every word.

"Measurement error possibilities need to be ruled out," Jeming cautiously formulated his response, his gaze unyielding, "If the system’s ’breath,’ then it might indicate it is not entirely closed, but weakly engages in energy exchange on a certain ’Law’ we have yet to recognize with a greater ’Void.’"

He used "Law" and "Void" to replace "rule" and "universe."

If a normal person from this plane heard Jeming’s words, they might think he lacked finesse, but they would understand his meaning.

However, in reality, these terms are core concepts of the Wizard Civilization.

Reks’s pupils slightly contracted, involuntarily raising his head for an eye contact with Jeming.

From each other’s eyes, they both saw the deeply buried, yet undeletable... echoes of another civilization.

(Taking leave tomorrow for one day)