Chapter 131

Accidents cannot become inevitabilities, and inevitabilities cannot become accidents. Accidents are accidental, and inevitabilities are inevitable.

If asked why, the only answer is that it is because it is that way, therefore he continued—

"My meeting with you, James Moriarty, was purely by chance, and we may never see each other again. Therefore, to ensure this chance encounter only happens once, I hope you will remember Charles Babbage if possible."

And four years later, in 1818, something will happen in Geneva, Switzerland, which I hope you will be able to see then.

Moriarty remained silent, seemingly pondering the true meaning of Favia's words.

Are they accomplices? Or relatives?

Ignoring the silver-haired youth's thoughts, Favia continued.

"Look, James Moriarty, this is Dungeon I can't escape. Beneath the darkness and loneliness of the Château d'If, my body is slowly aging and losing its vitality. I don't think this is a good place, nor do I think it holds any possibilities..."

To Moriarty, the Dungeon where Favia lived was like Hell.

The place was always filled with silence and darkness. The interior was dimly lit, and the walls were made of rough stone blocks that felt cold to the touch and smelled damp and musty.

"Every day I've been here, almost everything I've seen is darkness, but this has also made me realize that every minute, every second, every moment of the world is beautiful gold."

Moriarty remained silent.

Every moment I can recall shines Gilgamesh.

"... Yeah?"

"Maybe it's hard to understand?"

"I can't understand it, I absolutely cannot understand it. Even so, is this world really that good in your eyes?"

"That's how wonderful it is. Whether it's a thousand years ago or a few hundred years ago, all time is so bright, James Moriarty. Even if you don't understand it now, when you look back at some point in the 'Future,' the 'now' will surely shine in your memories—perhaps right now, perhaps before, perhaps after—"

Favia gently touched the vanished traces on the wall and answered without hesitation.

When people give to each other out of kindness, they feel joy, and everyone shares this feeling, becoming happy together. Good days will come, and life will only get better.

"The so-called Garden of Eden is impossible; humans could not possibly be like that. It is absolutely impossible. No calculation could possibly predict it. There is neither such a coincidence nor such a necessity."

"Is that so? Ahead lies an endless sky without a single cloud, and one that will never again appear. The Sun, without a shroud, shines eternally in all directions."

The world is always golden.

This is exactly what an ideal is! Isn't this what an ideal is all about?

Although I've pondered and searched countless times, and know things will never be that way, there's still the unknown shore, where perhaps something remains undiscovered.

I've been searching and discovering, but the more I know, the more I realize it's impossible. Yet, the hope that someone will overturn this idea I've formed never ceases.

Let me believe that countless absurdities will come to an end, and a brighter tomorrow awaits discovery.

The old man extended his hand to Moriarty.

For some reason, at that moment, he felt that no one would refuse that hand, no matter the situation.

However, he refused and turned away without hesitation, appearing very resolute.

As he turned and staggered away a few steps, the Priest's last words came from behind him—

"I really want to see such a beautiful view just once."

In the final moments, at the gates of the Château d'If, the young man with a fierce look in his eyes walked slowly towards the outside.

Incomprehensible! Unbelievable! Nonsense!

That's how he internally assessed the conversation that had just taken place.

But--

My body feels so light.

My mind is very clear.

My brain is burning.

I stepped forward, passing through the gaps in the constantly flashing numbers that filled my vision.

Using your subconscious actions to resist the trembling that washes over your body, take a step forward.

Driven by a desire to fiercely refute the question that had just been asked, which had elicited a look of surprise on the person's face, I involuntarily invigorated myself and took a step forward.

The inexplicable words spoken by that man named Faria are exactly what I want to do now.

This is the first time I've thought this way.

It is not an obscene delusion.

It's not the annoying vanity.

It's not the kind of wish that can only be realized in fantasy, a wish that is unattainable for ordinary people.

I want to achieve that.

To succeed.

Even though your tone suggests it's impossible, I'm determined to prove you wrong. This is the first time I've ever truly felt this way about someone.

Moreover, if one cannot even take a single step on the perplexing path of doubt... if taking one step forward in doubt would lead to an abyss, then one will remain stagnant.

Although James Moriarty might not care about this decades from now, the feelings he has now might suddenly become completely indifferent someday in the future...

However, Moriarty, living in the present moment, didn't want to think that way; he wanted to live in the moment.

Therefore, Moriarty, who staggered out of the Château d'If, appeared to the guards as a silver-haired prison inspector who, for some reason, lingered on the ship for more than ten minutes without ever looking back, and whose departing figure resembled an enraged white Spider.

And that sound, like gritted teeth—

"That's right! Fine, just you wait!! You just wait and see!!! Faria!!!!"

Thus, James Moriarty had made a crucial choice in his life, and all he had to do now was ruthlessly and coldly advance down the path of evil.

"I'm sorry... but Abi, if you don't come with me, it'll be hard to find time later."

Meanwhile, inside the Dungeon, Favia said this to Abigail.

In fact, at the last moment, he reached out to Moriarty hoping that Abi and Moriarty would leave Château d'If together. Although Moriarty himself could not see it, once he realized that there were unseen things on the ship, he would probably understand the meaning of this gesture.

After all, Moriarty was also someone who knew Magecraft.

However, since Abigail refused, the attempt failed, leading Moriarty to believe he had been delusional and perhaps even a little angry.

"Um... do you think Abi is being nosy?"

The blonde girl frowned slightly, revealing a weak expression.

"... No, it's just--"

Favia denied it, but before she could finish speaking, the girl, whose gaze had softened, covered her mouth with her faded long sleeve and forcibly held her head.

"Look, you'll go hungry without me, won't you?" Abigail's smile blossomed like a flower. "You'll be so lonely without me... Actually Abi, I don't need a big world. Although things are tough right now, I 'Abi still happy because I've always been waiting for you."

She just stared at him blankly, her eyes narrowed as if she were sizing up her prey.

Actually, the girl didn't dislike his unique theory, because that's pretty much what she thought too.

However, the moment Favia reached out his hand, she couldn't help but turn her back to him and lean against the wall.

"... Ugh!"

The girl covered her mouth as much as she could, trying her best to suppress her voice, feeling that she could not let her brother down. Although she was in great pain and even slumped down on the damp floor, she still did not let go of the hand covering her mouth.

In that instant, they both felt their heartbeats were incredibly loud, as if trying to drown out all other sounds.

"Just like you said, this world shouldn't be one where you have to fight tooth and nail for someone to care about you... right, my brother?"

216: A family of three from an evil organization, and another member in the Dungeon (6k5)

--Ah, old man, now the pupa has transformed into an evil butterfly, the innocent young man has vanished, leaving only an evil leader.

Before long, the butterfly will become the emperor, sitting on the Throne, mercilessly surveying the world, not from above, but from below.

Because where I dwell is darkness, the right to walk in the sunlight belongs only to the virtuous.

I have embarked on a dark journey. Remember to kowtow to me properly in your Dungeon from now on, for I will soon be the emperor of the Criminal World!

James the Emperor, who rules over all evil men!

"What are you writing, Moriarty?"

"Oh no, it's nothing, it's nothing."

"Yeah?"

The black-haired youth looked at Moriarty with suspicion.

Because Moriarty was writing with a proud smile, he was curious and casually asked a question. But unexpectedly, the usually calm young man became a little flustered and even covered his eyes from the letter.

Speaking of which, in my youthful memories, my friend Moriarty seemed to write a letter with similar packaging every year.

"Then I won't bother you any longer, you can continue."

The black-haired youth didn't delve too deeply into it; he simply ran his fingertip across his tie and smiled it off.

In his view, it might be a private matter concerning James Moriarty, who published a paper on binomial theory at the age of twenty-one, which became popular in Europe, and then published the groundbreaking pure mathematical work "The Mechanics of Asteroids" in a short period of time.

However, the man was still very surprised that he would also show such an expression, the kind that looks like someone who has run away in a fit of anger and wants to show off after achieving something— Moriarty's pupils reflected the room light as he wrote furiously, making them look gleaming.

Is he a relative? Or a friend? Someone he likes? Someone he admires? Or... that old Priest he mentioned?

The black-haired youth leaned slightly forward on the Sofa, his eyes peering through the water glass in his hand at the silver-haired youth, thinking to himself.

His name was Charles Babbage, a 19th-century Mathematician and scientist, and also the Steam King dreamed of bringing about change to the world.

He proposed the design concepts of the 'Difference Engine' and the 'Analytical Engine', which were the prototypes of the world's first computer based on steam engines. He is now known as the 'Father of the Computer'.

These were friends Moriarty made in England after leaving Château d'If that year.

Although Moriarty did approach Faria with the question of Divinity Charles Babbage was, the two, who shared similar interests, quickly became good friends after getting to know each other.

After all, Babbage had helped establish the Analytical Society as early as 1812, whose purpose was to introduce the achievements of Europe in mathematics to England and promote the revival of mathematics in England. Therefore, Moriarty, who was very good at mathematics, hit it off immediately.

It was at this time that Babbage, while calculating celestial motions, fell into deep thought—faced with a massive amount of data.

It's not just in the field of astronomy. Whether it's government research departments or independent companies, almost all experiments and operations require dozens of people to operate when performing massive calculations. If these countless calculations could be replaced by machines...

Babbage continued to think--

This works. A machine that uses a steam engine to perform complex calculations is called Difference Engine.

That's right, mathematics is used in all kinds of studies.

When this machine is completed, humanity will be able to achieve leaps in time savings across various fields.

Civilization could surely advance for centuries, a dream that no one has been able to achieve.

"Precisely because it's a dream that no one has been able to achieve, according to my calculations, it's not very likely."

Babbage was not angry when he heard Moriarty, whom he had only known for a short time, deny his ideas.

Because some entanglements only arise in competition, and some aspects of interpersonal relationships can only be seen clearly through competition. Humans are a combination of clarity and turbidity... Only by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the other person's words and actions, and then acknowledging and recognizing them, can we truly know them.

Life is never without risks; you might anger someone or be disliked. Without taking such risks, you can't build true trust. He understands this very well.

Therefore, he simply smiled and replied:

"How will you know if you don't try? Although you can't achieve everything just by working hard, no matter what setbacks you encounter, or when you can't bear the glory of your goal and bow your head, you still need to keep trying."

"Is it because you won't understand some things unless you try them?"

After reviewing the data written by Babbage, Moriarty stood up.

"Yes, that's about right."

"... Why are you just like that old man?"

James Moriarty suddenly muttered something.

Babbage responded with a very complicated expression.