An apartment near the University of Bonn.
Watching Professor Scholze pack his luggage, Professor Stix, who had been about to invite him out for drinks, asked in astonishment.
"Are you... going somewhere for a conference?"
If he remembered correctly, there did not seem to be any academic conferences worth attending anytime soon.
"No." After answering succinctly, Scholze picked out a jacket from the wardrobe and casually stuffed it into his suitcase. "It's not a conference this time. Professor Lu invited me. I'm planning to visit Hua Nation and discuss some academic matters with him."
"Hua Nation? Professor Lu?" Stix froze slightly and hesitated. "But at the International Congress of Mathematicians last time, didn't Professor Lu say that he was temporarily not considering mathematical research?"
"He did say that, but that isn't important." Scholze curled his lips into a smile. "His departure was a loss to the mathematical community. Now that he has returned to the field he excels at most—Number Theory—I think it's a good start, no matter what."
Stix asked curiously, "May I ask what problem it is?"
"The ABC Conjecture."
"The ABC Conjecture..."
An incredulous expression appeared on Stix's face as he muttered, "But I suppose it makes sense. Mathematical problems probably no longer pose much of a challenge to him. Only something that doesn't seem solvable by modern Mathematics could possibly pique his interest."
Closing his suitcase, Scholze looked at him and asked.
"Want to come along? You're an expert in Number Theory."
Stix shook his head. "I'd better not. I'm not very familiar with him, and he didn't invite me... Have fun over there. I hope to hear good news from the other side of the world."
Scholze smiled.
"That's for sure."
While Scholze was already on his way to Hua Nation, Shinichi Mochizuki, seated