Rene and Jacob returned to the main hall and sat down, their minds reeling.
The good news: they'd found the Holy Sword. The bad news: it had become a core component of Noah's Ark.
Without even needing to ask, Rene knew the Academy wouldn't agree to let him remove the Holy Sword. Wait, actually, they'd probably be thrilled! That way they could slack off for another month!
Thinking about it that way, Rene didn't even dare bring it up. Otherwise, he might end up desperately trying to stop them from dismantling Noah's Ark.
While the Holy Sword's importance to the Prophecy was undeniable, Noah's Ark held an equally irreplaceable position.
If this ship could break through the World Barrier, then even if Teyvat were destroyed, humanity would still have a chance at survival.
However, because the ship was built to warship standards, it couldn't carry as many people as Rene had hoped. Thinking about this left Rene feeling utterly speechless.
Guys, the world is about to be destroyed! Couldn't you have built a bigger ship to carry more people? What's the point of a warship? Are you planning to invade other worlds after the apocalypse?
Rene felt deeply pained. Since the core of the Ark was forged using the Holy Sword, it meant that the miracle of Noah's Ark couldn't be replicated in the short term. This was likely the only ship of hope humanity would have before the apocalypse.
Noticing Rene's dejected expression, Alva approached and patted him on the head.
"Monsieur Rene, please try to look on the bright side."
"The Holy Sword hasn't left you. It's merely taken on a different form to accompany you."
Alva's words struck Rene like a jolt of electricity, causing him to bolt upright in his seat.
"No, no, no! I abandoned the Holy Sword myself! Since you found it, it belongs to you now! Don't worry about me!"
Seeing Rene's overly agitated reaction, Jacob was even more baffled.
"I'm thinking about something else entirely."
"Monsieur Alva, is there any room to modify the Noah's Ark now?"
"For example, could we expand its capacity to accommodate more people?"
As Rene finished speaking, Jacob turned his gaze to Alva as well.
Upon hearing Rene's request, Alva's face showed hesitation.
Seeing this, Rene sighed softly. As expected, I'm asking too much.
"It's alright, Monsieur Alva. I was just throwing it out there. If it's too difficult..."
Alva interrupted him.
"It's possible, but it would make the ship look less elegant."
Rene and Jacob exchanged bewildered glances.
"Just less elegant?!"
Both Rene and Jacob were dumbfounded. For these scientists, aesthetic considerations actually took precedence over practicality!
"Yes, the technical aspect isn't difficult. But the hull would become too bulky and less aesthetically pleasing."
"Previously, one team proposed doubling the weapons on Noah's Ark to fully embrace the 'firepower is truth' philosophy. However, the other teams united to reject the proposal because it would make the Ark too ugly."
"I doubt Monsieur Rene's proposal will ultimately pass, but that's alright. As the group leader, it's my duty and obligation to support my members' ideas!"
Hearing this, Rene and Jacob felt a surge of gratitude. Though Alva might have been slacking off a bit, he had always treated them exceptionally well, never belittling their clumsiness and patiently answering all their questions.
They recalled how the last batch of researchers this incompetent had ended up as cooks and janitors. Compared to that, their current situation was paradise.
"Thank you, Monsieur Alva. Please do your best to persuade the others."
"The larger Noah's Ark is, the more people it can save from the coming apocalypse!"
Alva nodded.
"I'm off!"
With a wave, Alva strode off toward another part of the facility, presumably to speak with someone else, leaving Rene and Jacob anxiously awaiting the outcome.
Moments later, Alva returned, his face beaming.
"As expected, it didn't pass."
Hearing this, Rene and Jacob felt a pang of disappointment, but they quickly rallied.
The situation is already far better than it was back then, Rene told himself. I shouldn't be so greedy.
Yet when he thought of the countless lives at stake, he couldn't help but wish for more.
Suddenly, Jacob noticed a shoe print on Alva's trousers and couldn't help but ask, "Monsieur Alva, what happened here?"
"Oh, that must be from when they kicked me out after I made my request," Alva replied casually.
Rene felt a pang of guilt upon hearing Alva's words. The man had suffered such treatment because of his matter. Jacob, however, couldn't contain his anger.
"They've gone too far! I'm going to settle the score with them!"
"Forget it, Monsieur Jacob," Alva said calmly. "They outnumber us. We can't afford to provoke them."
"But I'm strong!" Jacob protested.
"Yes, but they still outnumber us!"
-
Under Alva's soothing words, Jacob finally regained his composure.
"Ah, it's almost time to clock out. We need to hurry," Alva said, suddenly noticing the hall clock and clapping his hands together. "We still haven't decided on our research project for today."
"Let me think..."
Rene watched Alva deep in thought, suspecting that the man spent more time pondering research projects during work hours than actually conducting research.
"Everyone, please quiet down for a moment."
A voice suddenly rang out from nearby, drawing the attention of the trio and everyone else in the hall. The Head of the Research Institute stood there with a wide smile on his face.
Once the crowd had gathered closer, the Head slowly began to speak.
"I have an important announcement to make."
"Monsieur Neuvillette has just sent word through an envoy. He wishes for us to create a device that can determine whether a person has recovered their past memories."
Upon hearing this, most of the researchers immediately lost interest.
"Honestly, can't Monsieur Neuvillette give us more challenging requests? This feels like an insult to my intelligence."
"If we take on this project, our overtime pay will be cut by at least half. No way, no way! Whoever wants it can have it."
"Ugh, seriously? I was having such a good sleep. Next time, please don't bother me with such a pointless task. If I'm too tired to work overtime later, I'll lose out big time."
"Why don't we just tell Neuvillette we can't do it? That'll save us from him making more boring requests later. It'd be much better if he just gave us more funding!"
"You've hit the nail on the head! How much funding are we getting this time? If it's too little, forget it!"
Rene and Jacob's eyes twitched involuntarily as they listened to the others' chatter.
Just moments ago, they had been genuinely excited about the news, confident that the Academy's researchers could solve the problem without much difficulty.
But what they never imagined was that the problem wasn't too difficult—it was too easy, so easy that no one even wanted to bother with it!
Is this really that simple?!
Why can't we even come up with a single idea?!
Rene and Jacob felt their confidence being ruthlessly crushed.
Though they should be used to this by now, the sting still lingered.
"Alright, everyone, let's calm down."
"Though it's a simple request, since it's coming from Monsieur Neuvillette, let's at least give him the courtesy of considering it."
Despite the Head of the Research Institute's plea, no group volunteered to take on the task.
Rene glanced at Alva, hesitating.
Noticing Rene's unusual behavior, Alva turned to him and asked, "What's wrong, Monsieur Rene?"
Rene hesitated again, then his expression hardened. "Monsieur Alva, how about our group takes on this project?"
As Rene finished speaking, Jacob and he both looked at Alva with hopeful eyes, fully aware of the significance of this endeavor.
Fontaine was riddled with spies, yet the Fontaine authorities had taken no action.
Was it because they didn't want to investigate the moles?
No, it was more likely that the investigators themselves were the spies. If they started investigating, they might end up throwing innocent people into prison—a disastrous outcome.
This posed a grave threat, one that could jeopardize Fontaine's very survival.
For example, if there was a spy within the Fontaine Research Institute, the enemy could easily steal their research findings, erasing the technological gap.
Neither Rene nor Jacob wanted to abandon this project. After all, if everyone claimed it was so simple, perhaps they could figure it out too.
"If Monsieur Alva isn't interested in pursuing this research, he can entrust it to us. We'll produce results as quickly as possible."
"Why are you interested in this project?"
Hearing Rene's words, Alva eyed them with suspicion. This look made Rene and Jacob's composure crumble.
Who's the weird one here?!
The apocalypse is coming! The freaking apocalypse!
Can't you show even a sliver of urgency? Your nonchalance makes us feel like idiots!
Just then, the Head of the Research Institute, seeing that no one was taking on the project, spoke up again.
"Alright then, let's do it the old way. Group leaders, come forward for rock-paper-scissors to decide which group gets the project."
Rock-paper-scissors?!
Rene and Jacob stared at the Head of the Research Institute, utterly dumbfounded that such an irresponsible suggestion could come from him.
And judging by his tone, this wasn't the first time they'd resorted to such a method.
When they had accompanied Neuvillette earlier, he had seemed perfectly normal, completely deceiving them.
Looking back, it made sense. If the Head of the Research Institute had been completely normal, he wouldn't have led such a group of eccentric researchers.
"Ugh, seriously? Couldn't some less bright guy just volunteer for the project?" Alva grumbled beside them.
Rene and Jacob felt personally insulted, their intelligence scorned, their dignity trampled!
Jacob began to understand why the previous batch of researchers had ultimately been unable to endure. After just a few days, he was already starting to doubt whether he was a complete failure.
"Then I'll go. I hope I win—if I win, I won't have to take on the project!"
"Last time it was me, and I was already so unlucky! Surely I can't be that unlucky again this time!"
Alva rubbed his hands together, looking incredibly nervous.
This was the first time Rene and Jacob had ever seen him like this. Previously, when working on other tasks, he had acted as if it were no big deal, discussing it with them as casually as discussing what they had for breakfast.
"Wish me luck, Monsieur Rene, Monsieur Jacob."
Alva waved at Rene and Jacob before walking over to them.
As they watched his retreating figure, Rene and Jacob silently chanted, "He has to lose."
Perhaps the Hydro Archon heard their wishes. When Alva returned with a sour expression, Rene and Jacob knew the matter was settled!
They quickly cleared the table and, with beaming smiles, turned to Alva.
"Come on, Monsieur Alva, we're ready!"
"You...!" Alva pointed a finger at them. "I haven't even said anything yet!"
"But your expression says it all."
"Sigh, you guys..." Alva shook his head helplessly. "Fine, what else could I expect with my luck? Just do a half-hearted job then—enough to appease Neuvillette."
Hearing Alva's words, Rene and Jacob exchanged awkward glances.
Just then, Alva suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, I just remembered you were both brought here by Neuvillette. You wouldn't rat me out to him, would you?"
After hearing Alva's words, Rene and Jacob were initially stunned, then shook their heads vigorously.
"Don't worry, Monsieur Alva! We're not those kinds of people!"
"Besides, Monsieur Neuvillette only brought us here. We're members of Group Two now, so we'll follow your instructions!"
"Good. That puts my mind at ease." Alva nodded, his demeanor shifting abruptly to one of intense focus and seriousness.
Rene and Jacob were used to this by now. Glancing at the clock in the hall, they saw it was indeed quitting time.
"Monsieur Rene, and Monsieur Jacob, this research may require your cooperation," Alva said earnestly. "I've already worked out the plan."
So fast!
Even though they knew Alva was quick, this speed still startled Rene and Jacob, quickly giving way to excitement.
Alva continued, "We can create a system that compares a person's past behavior, habits, preferences, and other characteristics against their current ones, thereby verifying whether their memories have returned."
"When someone is suddenly flooded with memories far exceeding their current lifespan, they can't completely conceal it. By collecting enough data and comparing it to their present behavior, we can determine the truth..."
As Alva explained, Rene's eyes grew increasingly bright.
He had to admit, this method was both viable and remarkably effective.
While some individuals might succeed in concealing their true selves, such cases would be rare. This device would undoubtedly identify the vast majority of risks within Fontaine!
He hadn't expected them to tackle the problem from this angle, and it broadened Rene's perspective.
Their original challenge had been figuring out how to detect traces of past lives within a person's memories. Now, the challenge shifted to gathering sufficient data for before-and-after comparisons.
Though the principle seemed simple, its practical implementation would be anything but. Integrating such a massive dataset would require immense effort and resources.
Rene estimated that undertaking this task alone would take him at least several years, perhaps even decades.
Jacob, on the other hand, felt a surge of relief. Finally, he was hearing something he could understand! It had been far too long!
"Moreover, beyond verifying whether an individual has recovered past memories, this device has other potential applications."
"Once it gathers sufficiently comprehensive information about a person, it can easily understand their preferences and habits, thereby recommending suitable products..."
Upon hearing this, Rene and Jacob were once again stunned.
Good heavens, they've even expanded its capabilities beyond the original purpose!
Just from Alva's description, Rene and Jacob recognized this as another groundbreaking scientific achievement.
Of course, such a breakthrough would inevitably raise various ethical and societal challenges, requiring long-term solutions.
It was clear that Alva was trying to prepare for all future research projects in one fell swoop!
"Furthermore, since we've already collected all of a person's data, we could also try constructing a digital replica of them in the computer..."
Rene and Jacob: "??!!"
"Wait a moment, Monsieur Alva! Perhaps we should discuss matters in this Domain later!"
Seeing Alva about to "light up" an entirely new technology tree, Rene and Jacob hastily pulled him back to reality.
"You're right," Alva said with a hint of regret after hearing their words. "Let's take things one step at a time."
"Now, I need your cooperation to gather information through your memories."
"Rest assured, all your memories will be stored in a computer, and I'll configure the program to only allow categorization and management of the data."
"If you're still uneasy, I'll find someone else. What do you think about asking Monsieur Neuvillette and Lady Furina? They'd probably agree, right?"
Hearing Alva's suggestion sent a shiver down Rene and Jacob's spines.
"No, no! We'll do it ourselves! No need to bother those two!"
Though still hesitant, they reminded themselves that this was the fastest way to eliminate potential risks in Fontaine and restore peace to the nation. They temporarily set aside their reservations and agreed to Alva's request.
After spending the past few days with him, they had come to believe Alva was someone they could trust.
Of course, they didn't really have many other options.
Seeing Rene and Jacob's agreement, Alva smiled and nodded.
"Very well. Come with me, then."
"Just close your eyes and rest for a while. When you wake up, it will all be over..."