May 2029, the Equator, Eastern Pacific Ocean
Greece had a thriving shipping industry, and more than one family claimed the title of "Shipping Magnate."
Mandy Petkova's second marriage had been to the heir of one such family, a man hailed as a "Shipping Magnate."
Mandy loved collecting art and was passionate about charity. Since her family owned a ship, the Central American Art Exhibition and Charity Auction she had launched was held aboard the Silver Beach cruise ship.
The Silver Beach sailed along the Equator toward the Galapagos Islands, 600 nautical miles west of Ecuador. Their destination was an uninhabited island in the archipelago called Henovesa Island (Genovesa Island), also known as Tower Island.
The charity auction at sea had been underway for several hours, and the generosity of nearly a hundred guests had raised a substantial sum.
The final lot was a Mayan Pottery Jar excavated on the Yucatan Peninsula. It was a practical household vessel, with little value as an artifact, and it was cracked, damaged, and chipped. So Mandy had put it last.
Unexpectedly, bidding for the Mayan Pottery Jar was fierce. After several rounds, the hammer price reached a staggering $100,000.
The successful bidder, who had been determined to win it, was Mandy's distinguished guest, Michael Max. Sitting beside Michael were Daphne and her father, Professor Braun.
Martha, an old acquaintance of both Mandy and Michael, came over. Mandy said to Michael:
"Thank you for your generosity. Your support brings more love to 'Living Fossil of Civilization,' the program to save the homelands of the Maya Indigenous People."
Michael replied with a smile, "It's my honor to help the Maya Indigenous People, and my good fortune to acquire such a beautiful piece."
"That sounds awfully official, Michael. If you always answer questions like that, I'll be out of a job as an investigative journalist!" Martha teased him wittily.
Everyone introduced themselves.
Martha was the chief investigative reporter for Sky High Media Group, the world's largest media company. She was also the ex-wife of the group's owner, media mogul Andek.
Martha had an Asian face, arched brows, and an outgoing, witty manner that made her popular among society's elite. Her writing was incisive and her nose for news keen; she often broke explosive stories.
Martha's way of handling things was far from ordinary. Five years earlier, she had introduced her best friend Mandy's mother, Irene Petkova, to her ex-husband and boss.
As a result, Irene Petkova, a molecular biologist and leading diabetes expert, became media mogul Andek's fifth wife.
But Irene Petkova was more than a molecular biologist. She had been born in the Former Soviet Union and came from a powerful family. Her first husband, Mandy's biological father, was the grandnephew of Marshal Petkov, a celebrated World War II general.
At that moment, on the cruise ship's top deck, Irene was showing her antique violin to a renowned musician.
As the violin sang out in pure, melodious tones, the ship slowly approached Henovesa Island.
"Ladies first." Mandy and Martha took Daphne by the hand, said goodbye to Michael and the professor, and boarded the first tender.
The music continued. Daphne recognized the pieces as violin works by Kreisler, a distinguished twentieth-century composer and performer.
One was Love's Joy; the other, Love's Sorrow.
Michael and Professor Braun sat side by side in the second tender.
Professor Braun was a senior official at the Bright Country Space Administration and the agency's lead for the spaceflight aspects of Plan T.
Six months earlier, Mr. E, head of Plan T, and Professor Braun had approached Michael and authorized his company to take part in the civilian application of Nikola Tesla's Superluminal Wave Theory, one of Bright Country's top secrets.
The professor asked, "Is this the site you've chosen for your space elevator?"
"Dear Professor, this is the place. But 'space elevator' is just the public explanation. The Sky Ladder I'm building won't stop at 90,000 kilometers. It'll reach 180,000."
The professor was startled. "180,000 kilometers would let you receive the full wavelength of superluminal waves. Are you planning to build a Superlight Wave Power Station on this island on the Equator?"
Michael briefly explained his plan.
Michael Max was both an adventurer and a practical man who could turn ideals into reality. He wanted to transform the dream of "Ultimate Freedom," something everyone longed for, into an achievable engineering plan.
His plan was:
To achieve freedom of the body through Interstellar Migration;
To achieve freedom of the mind through Brain-Computer Fusion.
The professor looked at his future son-in-law and said thoughtfully, "Neither of those ideals can be achieved without vast amounts of energy."
"That's right. Space industry needs energy, and so do Artificial Intelligence and Brain-Computer Fusion. Insufficient electricity has become the biggest obstacle to increasing Computing Power," Michael said. "Moore's Law for chips has hit its limit, and geometric improvements in Computing Power are no longer possible. Superluminal Wave Energy seems to be the best option."
The professor cautiously said that building a power station on the island required a risk assessment and a report to Mr. E.
The tenders reached shore one after another, and the group reunited.
Beneath a huge tent erected for the occasion, Michael once again became the center of attention.
Naturally, the conversation turned to the exhibition and its lots. Michael asked Mandy:
"Mandy, you're so interested in Maya culture. Is there a particular reason?"
"Haha, now that's the right question! I'll let my dearest mother reveal the answer." Playfully, Mandy ushered Irene Petkova into the center of the group.
Facing Michael, Irene told everyone a story from long ago, one with a touch of legend.
Irene was born in 1957. She had lived in the Former Soviet Union for more than thirty years before moving to Bright Country. Her father-in-law was Marshal Petkov's nephew and had served as a regimental commander in the marshal's forces during World War II.
In April 1945, Regiment Commander Petkov led his men into the Battle of Berlin, tasked with capturing the Imperial Library, which the Germans had turned into a fortress. One of his company commanders, a captain named Mirov, came across a unique nineteenth-century book on Maya culture among the items he seized.
As everyone knew, after the discovery of the Maya civilization, the world had been amazed by it. It had mysterious pyramid temples, exquisite carvings and paintings, precise astronomical records, and advanced mathematical knowledge.
Sadly, the Maya Script had long remained undeciphered. Many linguists had no idea how to approach the Maya texts. Some scholars even suspected the patterns carved into Maya stone tablets were merely ritual symbols, not actual writing.
Heroes weren't found only on the battlefield!
Captain Mirov, a veteran with no knowledge of archaeology or linguistics, had nevertheless devoted himself to studying the Maya Stone Rubbings, driven by intense curiosity and unyielding perseverance.
Ten years later, in the 1950s, Mirov published a paper proposing a new approach to deciphering the Maya Script. He argued that it combined pictographic and phonetic writing. His findings sent shock waves through the academic world.
Building on Mirov's work, linguists had worked together, and by now, 80 percent of the Maya Script had been successfully deciphered.
"I first met Uncle Mirov at my wedding in 1979," Irene continued. "That was also when I first learned that, beyond the writing, Mirov had conducted in-depth research on the Maya Calendar and mathematics."
Mirov had even persuaded the Former Soviet Union government to launch a project based on his findings. It had lasted more than twenty years, but the government eventually abandoned it in 1979 for lack of funds. That had become his lifelong regret.
"It was in that context that I received a special wedding gift from Uncle Mirov."
Irene opened a box and took out a large envelope.
"Mirov said the Soviet Union didn't have the means to put his research to use. Perhaps Maya scientific ideas were too far ahead of their time. Maybe humanity would have to wait one Maya Short Count Cycle—that is, 52 years—before technology and needs caught up with their ideas."
Irene walked over to Michael and handed him the envelope. He looked confused. Irene explained, "Uncle Mirov entrusted me with this letter, asking me to give it to someone who needed it and could put it to good use. I believe you're the person he had in mind."
"Oh, 2031 will be exactly 52 years later? The time hasn't come yet." Michael looked even more puzzled. He noticed that the envelope was sealed with red wax.
"My wedding date was August 22, 1979. August 22, 2031 will mark exactly 52 years. I suggest you wait until then to open it," Irene told Michael solemnly.
Curious, Daphne leaned closer to the envelope in Michael's hand. She noticed the Russian on it. Since Maya was a universal script, she guessed the title meant: Maya Notes.
There were two more lines in Russian, which Daphne couldn't understand. She asked:
"What do these two lines in Russian mean?"
Irene and Mandy translated almost simultaneously, their voices proud and loud:
"For the Soviet Union, and for all humanity!"
Poems assembled to conclude the chapter:
Facing the distant mountain, its image seemed to match, Tang dynasty, Zhou Pu
Then, from the jade palace, climbed the vermilion stairs. Tang dynasty, Huang Tao
Gradually rising, it soared up into the clouds, Song dynasty, Yuan Xie
Only at the summit did one realize how low the world lay. Tang dynasty, Zhi Liang
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