Chapter 334: I've Tolerated You For Long Enough
Chapter 334: Chapter 322: I’ve Tolerated You For Long Enough
Shang Meng had heard people say the world was colorful. The sky was made of blue and white, the soil was brown, yellow, and black, and flowers came in an even wider array of colors, including green, yellow, red, and white.
She couldn’t understand these colors, because in Shang Meng’s eyes, the entire world was gray.
Her father had exhausted their already meager family fortune trying to cure her.
Neither the Ghost Scholars of Crystal City in the north, nor the secret remedies of the Little Elves in the south, nor the reclusive ancient spirits of Saniluo City, not even the Magic Potion Physicians of the Yao City Divine Hall Council could cure Shang Meng’s eyes.
Every Physician and scholar gave the same diagnosis: her eye condition would only worsen with age, and there was no cure.
Shang Meng had grown used to the world of gray, so she didn’t find it particularly sad.
She just saw her family growing poorer, with less and less meat on the table. Their clothes were patched and re-patched, and her father’s small business was struggling. She wanted to contribute to her family in some way.
Shang Meng learned to read and write at the Enlightenment school in Yan City. She read a vast number of books and scrolls, and at fourteen, she was admitted to the School of Engineering.
She studied engineering because her father was transitioning into the construction business.
But after enrolling, Shang Meng discovered that engineering couldn’t help a small merchant like her father. Mathematics, on the other hand, was a subject full of magic.
The most famous mathematics lecturer at the school was Prophet Shi Bao. This thin, kind old man would tirelessly explain calculations to his students, emphasizing the importance of this knowledge for the future.
Shang Meng was well aware that among the mathematics students, she was far from the brightest.
The student who left the deepest impression on her was named Jiujian.
Jiujian’s computational skills were extraordinary; he could see the essence of a calculation at a glance. He could casually explain the differences between various mathematical computations and even their cross-disciplinary applications.
Geniuses learned math quickly, but Shang Meng’s progress was slow.
At one point, she was so discouraged she wanted to give up on mathematics.
‘Mathematics is too hard!’
‘It’s not something an ordinary person like me can learn.’
‘Perhaps math is like Theology,’ she thought. ‘A skill that only the chosen can grasp.’
After the last class, Shang Meng went to find Prophet Shi Bao.
“Prophet, I don’t want to study mathematics anymore. Thank you for all your help and guidance during this time.”
The old Prophet looked surprised. “Why do you want to stop? Are there troubles at home?”
“No, the money my father gave me is enough for tuition…”
After hearing her reasons, Shi Bao chuckled and said, “So that’s why. That’s not a problem at all.”
“Shang Meng, did you know? All the knowledge the Yao Race has mastered is just a crude Imitation and depiction of the God above us, Lord Yao God, and of this world.”
“We try to sketch the face of the entire world with a pen. So we use Theology to observe Miracles, language to understand Oracles, medicine to understand our own frailty, History to record and reflect upon the past of the Yao Clan People, and engineering and Geology to understand how mountains collapse and rivers flood… Knowledge is just a result of our man-made classifications.”
“Different fields of knowledge are like pens of different colors. I believe that no matter which pen you choose, you are describing and imitating the same thing: the ultimate truth of this world.”
The old Prophet told her, “Mathematics is the same. To learn mathematics, a foundation in calculation is of course important, but the most important thing is a relentless heart. We are all climbers standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. Every step is important.”
Shang Meng was doubtful.
‘Will there really be results if I just keep pushing forward regardless of anything else?’
She decided to grit her teeth and persist a little longer.
Gradually, Shang Meng discovered that mathematics was incredibly useful for merchants. If you could model and calculate every business deal to arrive at a result with a controllable margin of error, it would be almost like prophecy.
‘It’s as magical as Magic!’
‘Mathematics is so interesting!’
Shang Meng learned slowly, but she loved mathematics, so it never felt arduous or tiring.
Just as the Physicians had predicted, her eyesight grew worse and worse. Anything slightly distant was just a blur in her eyes, a world of hazy, gray fog.
But for Shang Meng’s study of mathematics, this actually became a boon.
She wasn’t distracted by the distant colors or gatherings her classmates described. She could focus entirely on the numbers and calculations on the page.
And so, Shang Meng dedicated herself to mathematics. After graduating, she stayed at the school to become a mathematics lecturer. Her salary wasn’t much, but it was enough for a person to live on.
In her 29th year, two events occurred in Shang Meng’s life: one major, one minor.
The major event was that she discovered the equation.
The equation was an equality containing an unknown variable, born from Prophet Shi Bao’s four arithmetic operations.
That unknown could be the answer to a calculation, or it could be a dimension in engineering, a dosage in medicine, a Spell in Theology, or a ratio in Refining and casting.
This unexpected achievement made Shang Meng a Life-Long Scholar of the White Castle and earned her the attention and Blessing of Yao God.
She looked back and realized she had come a very long way.
Shang Meng now understood her teacher’s words on a profound level.
—*We are all climbers standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. Every step is important.*
‘It doesn’t matter if you’re not talented.’
‘As long as you keep moving forward, every footprint has meaning.’
‘Even an ordinary person like me can make a contribution.’
Aside from this major event, she also encountered a minor one.
Shang Meng got married.
Her husband was an Engineer named Senlu.
Senlu specialized in construction projects involving wood and soil, so he was constantly traveling for work. They had met during a bridge project in Yan City, where Senlu was involved in the on-site construction, and Shang Meng performed the mathematical calculations for it.
Shang Meng had poor eyesight, and Senlu had poor hearing.
“I nearly drowned as a child. By the time I recovered, my ears weren’t working so well anymore.”
Senlu said with a smile, pointing to his ear, “But as long as you’re close enough, I can still hear clearly. And you, Miss Shang Meng, just need to get closer to see clearly, right?”
Shang Meng nodded.
Senlu said seriously, “So when you speak to me, could I trouble you to speak a little louder? I’ll also lean in closer. Please don’t mind it, and please help me keep this little secret.”
“I don’t mind.”
‘So was Senlu’s hearing really bad?’
Shang Meng wasn’t quite sure.
Sometimes, he wouldn’t react for a long time to something she said. Other times, he’d be incredibly sharp and catch her muttering to herself.
And so, Senlu continued to draw closer to her, eventually proposing to Shang Meng.
“I’m going to be blind before I even get old,” Shang Meng reminded him.
“It’s okay. I’ll be deaf before I get old. We can be each other’s eyes and ears.”
Senlu said with a smile.
And just like that, in a bit of a daze, Shang Meng married him.
Of course, this was just a minor thing.
But a year later, another major event occurred.
A Scholar from the White Castle found Shang Meng and said, “Mr. Pasha has arrived with a Sub-Dragon! He says he wants to have a contest with the Brass Furnace Dragon.”
“Sub-Dragon… Brass Furnace Dragon…”
Shang Meng was still engrossed in an equation. “Me? What am I supposed to do there?”
“Have you forgotten?”
The Scholar said, “Miss Shang Meng, you are one of the designers of the new model Furnace Dragon, and the project’s mathematical designer. Apostle Philles insists that you go and see. This is a crucial moment to test the results; you can’t be absent!”
‘A new model Furnace Dragon…’
The thought finally registered in Shang Meng’s mind.
‘Oh, right. I almost forgot about that.’
As she hurriedly gathered her drafts, the Scholar urged her on. “Don’t pack that up! You can do that when you get back! This is a historic moment! Hurry and come with me.”
“Okay, okay…”
Shang Meng grabbed a bag and ran outside after him.
She nearly ran right into Senlu, who was holding a bouquet of roses.
“You have something to do today?” Senlu looked slightly surprised.
“Yes, there’s an experiment at the White Castle.”
“Is it important?”
“Very important.”
“Then you should go. I’ll wait for you… But come back early, okay? Today is our first wedding anniversary.” Senlu smiled and handed her a box. “This is a gift I prepared for you. I’ve been working on it for almost five years.”
“What is it?”
Senlu winked. “Don’t you have an experiment to do? Go to the White Castle, then open it and use it.”
The Scholar up ahead kept urging her to hurry.
“Then I’m heading off!”
Shang Meng ducked into a Fire Steam Carriage and rode all the way to the testing grounds inside the White Castle.
By then, the testing grounds were already surrounded by Scholars. They were all dressed in white coats, whispering amongst themselves, and all eyes were turned toward the sky.
Amid gasps from the crowd, two blurry, colossal figures appeared in the sky.
Shang Meng squinted, trying her best to make out the Sub-Dragon’s appearance.
But she was on the outer edge of the crowd and wasn’t very tall. Her weak vision could only perceive a single shadow.
Just then, she suddenly remembered the box.
‘What could be inside?’
Shang Meng carefully opened the box and found a pair of small glass lenses inside. The lenses were framed with leather and sinew, forming two round, thin discs.
There was a note inside.
—*Put it on.*
‘Put this on… How do I wear it? The two glass pieces should correspond to… my eyes?’
Shang Meng put them on, and her eyes shot wide open.
The once blurry distance was now incredibly sharp. Her vision had never been so clear and bright.
She could see a hair on the coat of the Scholar in front of her, the brass handle of a Casting post on a distant platform, and in the very center, a long-horned, powerful creature… The Sub-Dragon, steaming, wings spread, its gaze fierce!
‘So this is what a Sub-Dragon looks like.’
Shang Meng excitedly drank in everything in the distance with her eyes.
At that moment, the crowd parted to form a path.
From the front came the voice of Apostle Philles, “And now, let’s have Miss Shang Meng introduce our new model Furnace Dragon. She is the mathematical designer for the entire project, and the key to making the Furnace Dragon move.”
Everyone turned to look at her.
With the glass lenses on the bridge of her nose, Shang Meng saw the countless gazes directed at her clearly for the first time, and her whole body tensed up.
“Miss Shang Meng, come.”
Philles’s voice was gentle, but the grin on his skeletal skull was so frightening that Shang Meng’s legs felt a little weak.
She walked to the front, trembling.
Facing her was the Dark Sun Dragon, with its tall, powerfully built draconic body and cold gaze.
Just facing the Dragon’s gaze sent a chill down Shang Meng’s spine and made her fingers tremble.
She wished with all her might that she couldn’t see clearly again.
Shang Meng closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself.
‘Mathematics. It’s time for mathematics!’
She opened her eyes and said, “…The new model Furnace Dragon is 12 meters long, weighs 24,000 shi, possesses over 4,000 horsepower, and can be equipped with three Conqueror’s Purple Roses…”
The Dark Sun Dragon looked confused.
Philles cleared his throat. “Miss Shang Meng, Mr. Pasha isn’t interested in all that. Keep it simple.”
‘I almost forgot.’
Shang Meng looked at the Sub-Dragon’s Body Type, adjusted the lenses with her finger, and observed it carefully for a long moment.
Then she said to the Dragon King, “Mr. Pasha, this Sub-Dragon is too small. If it encounters the new model Furnace Dragon… it will die.”
The moment her words fell, Shang Meng felt an immense pressure bear down on her.
The Dark Sun Dragon’s eyes flashed with killing intent and rage. “Very good. Very good. Since you’re so confident, let’s have your toy fight my Sub-Dragon directly.”
Shang Meng looked anxious. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that based on its mass, it’s impossible for that Sub-Dragon to win against the new model Furnace Dragon, whether in weight or power…”
“Enough!”
The Dragon King roared and raised a Dragon Claw. “I have tolerated you for long enough! Dragons are not some paralyzed things you’ve cobbled together that just lie on the ground!”
“Since you say my Sub-Dragon is no good, then we’ll follow the rules of the Dragon Race! A Dragon Blood Ceremony! Let them fight!”