Check out my new translation!
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"Teacher Dust?"
Finally managing to shake off Qi Xiuming, only to be called that again, Victor Wang spoke earnestly to Sheikh Zubayr: "Don't call me by my pen name. Just call me by my name. I'm Victor."
"Mr. Victor… I already heard about your debate with the Akademiya. I never expected you really were that Dust."
"It's nothing. My books don't have my photo on them, so it's perfectly normal you couldn't tell. A bit of caution is always good."
Turning his head to glance at Nilou who had just stepped onto the stage, Victor Wang's attention had already drifted far from the conversation. Yet Sheikh Zubayr sat down beside him and said earnestly:
"Since you really did initiate this debate, I must warn you—trying to defeat the Akademiya through debate is indeed a method… but your chances of winning are extremely slim.
"The key lies in 'the Akasha.' The Akasha Terminal can gather knowledge, and I've heard it even has functions like computation and prediction. Many say it is the very foundation that makes Sumeru a true city of wisdom—this statement is by no means exaggerated.
"But you two don't have the Akasha Terminal. And even if I lent you mine, it would be useless, because the Akasha Terminal has authority levels. The higher the authority, the more knowledge one can obtain. The Akademiya scholars definitely have higher authority than people like us.
"So, when debating with someone from the Akademiya, it may look like you're debating one person—but who knows how many people stand behind him…"
While politely maintaining eye contact with Sheikh Zubayr, Victor Wang used his peripheral vision to sneak glances at Nilou. He countered calmly, "Don't be nervous. Look at me—I'm not nervous at all."
"So composed… even though the debate is the morning after tomorrow."
"Seems like it. The morning after tomorrow, at 10AM, on the platform before the Akademiya."
"For a debate concerning 'wisdom,' the audience will surely be vast. We'll be there as well. Hopefully our support will help you somewhat."
"It definitely will."
…
"Greetings to all scholars present. I am Karan, a scholar of the Akademiya, and I will be hosting today's debate on the topic: 'Is imagination useless to wisdom?'"
"Before the debate begins, I hereby swear: I will judge both sides' statements with the utmost wisdom and fairness, without interference nor bias. May the Dendro Archon bear witness to this clash of thought."
"Now, will the representatives of the affirmative and negative sides please step forward to begin the debate."
The people were many—far too many. With a simple sweep, Victor Wang spotted numerous familiar faces. The Zubayr Theater troupe had truly come, and even Katheryne was there.
Debating in front of the Akademiya itself was far too ostentatious—clearly Pravina's deliberate choice, wanting the whole city to watch them embarrass themselves. If she really succeeded, it would be shameful indeed.
Taking in a slow breath, Victor Wang casually stepped forward.
Qi Xiuming, however, stepped ahead of him and demanded of Pravina: "Hold on! You're allowed to wear the Akasha Terminal during a debate?"
"In Sumeru, debates have always allowed the use of the Akasha Terminal. Even a three-year-old knows that. But… since you two don't have the Akasha Terminal, I won't bully you. How about I take it off?"
Pravina chuckled, shaking his head, raising a hand to remove the device from his ear. But then Victor Wang said: "No need. Please keep it on."
"?"
Qi Xiuming froze. Sheikh Zubayr froze. Why reject a condition that clearly benefits them?
Even Pravina froze—was all the knowledge she memorized through the Akasha Terminal supposed to go to waste?
Victor Wang added lightly, "Otherwise, if I win, I'm afraid you'll make excuses."
A wave of uproar surged through the crowd. Pravina's hand stiffened, her face stiff as well. In the end, she did not remove the Akasha Terminal.
"Hmph! Such arrogance. I'd like to see just how capable this so-called Dust really is!"
Once Victor Wang stood across from her, Pravina wasted no time, eager to unleash her trump card in a single overwhelming strike:
"Imagination has always been grounded in reality—it cannot surpass it. Only practice is the sole method to test theory.
We arrive knowing nothing. We look with our eyes, we listen with our ears, we smell with our noses, we taste with our tongues, and we touch with our hands. Only then do we understand the world.
We reshape and reconstruct this world, then add concepts abstracted from reality, and this forms the imagined world. Everything within that world is a product of imagination.
Understanding this, we can see clearly—imagination has limits! Imagination has no innovation! Everything imagined is derived from reality and can never transcend it!
With that established… hmph, must we even continue this debate about which truly contributes—experience accumulated in reality, or imagination?"
First, define imagination in a way acceptable to all. Next, highlight its limitations. Then, drag all conclusions back toward reality. This completely negated imagination from its foundation!
"Reasonable and convincing!"
"Well said!"
Victor Wang scratched his ear. Something about that speech felt familiar… who uploaded his lines to the Akasha Terminal?
Amid the cheers, he countered unhurriedly: "You're saying that because Leonard imagined himself with wings and wished to fly, the Wind Glider was born—but because the Wind Glider was built by human hands, it therefore doesn't count as imagination?"
Refuting by example was the lowest-level method—the Akasha Terminal had surely already predicted it. Pravina replied smugly, "You didn't understand me at all. What I mean is that the Wind Glider simply imitates a bird's wings. Leonard's fantasy also came from birds' wings. Since it originates from reality, of course it isn't imagination."
"Apologies, but what I meant was: has imagination truly never provided even the slightest positive guidance for humanity? We are not debating where imagination comes from—we are debating whether imagination has value. Even if it is born from reality, doesn't it still spark human curiosity and desire, giving us the motivation to practice? Does that not count as a form of influence?"
"Hmph. Without correct understanding of the world, without accumulated experience—which is knowledge—imagination becomes nothing more than deranged delusion."
"Well said. Then tell me: in the development of wisdom, which part plays the larger role—knowledge, or imagination?"
"Knowledge, of course!"
But the debate topic was 'Is imagination useless to wisdom?' Even if imagination played a small role, acknowledging that role meant admitting it was useful. Realizing this, the audience began to stir.
Pravina sensed it too and quickly attempted to salvage the situation: "Don't play word games with me. I mean that knowledge is the essential foundation, while imagination is dispensable!"
Victor Wang wasn't in a hurry. He continued calmly, "Then tell me—before knowledge first came into existence, what was it that pushed humanity toward its birth?"
"It must have come from the accumulation of practical experience. Certainly not some fantasy."
"Then what about things that have no counterpart in reality?"
"What do you mean?"
"For example, the Wind Glider—you say it imitates the wings of birds, and thus has nothing to do with imagination. But if there existed a thing in reality with no original prototype, would that not mean it was born from imagination?"
Pravina shook her head, utterly confident. "There is no such thing in the world. You're digging your own grave."