Episode 39 — The Triple-Use Schoolhouse.
I toyed with the ice in my glass, enjoying the cool, clinking sound.
After taking a sip of the ice-cold cola, I turned my gaze away from the drone footage and looked toward Gustav, who was sitting across from me.
“I think we’re clear on the school lunches. Tell Garam and his team to prioritize the kitchen design. …Now, let’s talk about the actual content.”
“The content? Do you mean the menu?”
“No, the curriculum. Building a school is all well and good, but how many people in Felsen can actually read and write?”
At my question, Gustav leaned back and thought for a moment before speaking.
“Let’s see… If we’re talking about those who can write their own names without it being a mess, perhaps thirty percent. When it comes to accurately understanding the content of an official document, that number drops below ten percent. As for calculations, multiplication involving large units is treated as a trade secret held only by a few merchants.”
“Ten percent, huh… That’s lower than I expected.”
I couldn't help but frown.
If the literacy rate is only ten percent, even if I were to create manuals to offload my work to them in the future, the education costs alone would take years.
“Gustav. Being unable to read or calculate means being ‘easy to cheat.’ What I’m looking for is a system that runs correctly on its own without me having to monitor it. That’s why we’re going to teach them the ‘multiplication table’ and ‘standard script.’ We’re aiming for a hundred percent literacy.”
I quickly scribbled a multiplication table on a piece of paper.
“Two times two is four… it’s a shortcut. If they learn this, they’ll stop getting ripped off by merchants. You’re giving the citizens a shield called ‘knowledge.’”
“To teach this to every commoner… Mr. Zect, that’s practically like leaking state secrets!”
Gustav leaned in and stared intensely at the table. No, man, it’s just basic math.
But then, I remembered something important.
“Oh, right. We also need to teach them ‘Zero’ properly.”
“…Zero? What is that?”
Gustav tilted his head. Just as I thought, the arithmetic of this world lacks a symbol for "nothingness."
“It’s a number that represents a state of ‘having nothing.’ If you have one empty box, that’s ‘0.’ With this, the concept of digit placement becomes clear, and discrepancies in ledgers can be spotted at a glance.”
I drew a round ‘0’ at the edge of the paper and briefly explained its utility. Gustav froze as if he’d been struck by lightning.
“Treating ‘nothingness’… as a number? You mean to incorporate ‘nothingness’ into practical calculations, rather than just philosophy or religion?! If we can do that, all our complex systems of place value will become relics of the past…! Mr. Zect, do you intend to rewrite even the very laws of mathematics?!”
No, it’s just a placeholder. To his eyes, it seems I’m playing with the laws of the universe. If I say any more, I’ll just accelerate the "God" treatment, so I forcibly steered the conversation back.
“Well, we can get to that later. Now, who should be the teacher?”
Gustav straightened his posture.
“There is a woman named Marta among the representatives of the citizen’s union. She is a physician and is highly proficient in reading, writing, and arithmetic. During our previous meeting, she immediately understood the infectious disease prevention benefits of your city structure. I believe she would be perfect, but what do you think?”
“Hey, sounds good. Let’s ask this Marta. She’ll be the principal. …But since we’re hiring a teacher and building a facility, I want to go with a schedule that maximizes the ‘utilization rate.’”
“Utilization… rate?”
“Mornings are for the ‘School.’ Gather the kids, have them study, and give them lunch. Afternoons are for the ‘Clinic.’ Marta can perform her primary medical duties there. We can just build a ‘Nurse’s Office.’ And nights are the ‘School’ again. A night division for the adults who have finished their work. If we serve soup for a late-night snack, they’ll be more than happy to come, right?”
Gustav was speechless, his shoulders trembling slightly.
“You mean to use a single building for the children’s future in the morning, for the sick in the afternoon, and for the adults fighting against ignorance at night? …What incredible rationality.”
“No, I just think it’s a waste to use a building for only a few hours out of twenty-four. Plus, if Marta teaches everyone ‘hygiene management,’ it’ll eventually lead to fewer sick people, which will make her afternoon work easier. It’s three birds with one stone, right?”
My internal calculation was that "reducing patients through preventive medicine means fewer people coming to me with complaints," but Gustav had tears in his eyes.
“Mr. Zect… Marta will undoubtedly be delighted to accept. She will be honored that you would entrust her with such a heavy responsibility. …I’ll go tell her immediately!”
Gustav shot out of the room like he was spring-loaded.
…Phew. If literacy rates go up for everyone from the working generation to the children, my future sleep time should increase dramatically.
“Mrrp”
Tama, on my lap, let out a voice that sounded somewhat exasperated.
What is it, Tama? I’m very seriously raising the standard of the populace just for the sake of my own peaceful slumber.
Stroking Tama under the chin, I turned my gaze back to the 4K monitor.
On the other side of the screen, in the plaza of Felsen, a light called "wisdom" was about to be lit.
All so that I can sleep in peace…
And maybe, just a little bit, for that good-natured Lord.
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