"You are an exceptionally impressive scientist. There is no doubt about that. Even among interstellar civilizations, very few scientists are capable of perfectly cloning themselves while also achieving true rejuvenation."
Caelus closed the notebook in his hand, looked at Dr. Genus, though he had no idea which numbered clone this one was, and said, "Strictly speaking, I am not one of those heroes. I did not come here to uphold justice or punish evil. I was simply curious about what kind of scientist could transform humans into powerful creatures. What sort of philosophy do you hold? I also wanted to see what kind of ideas a rational scientist like you would develop in a world fundamentally governed by idealistic principles."
"...You aren't from this planet?"
An ordinary person would have found Caelus's words incomprehensible. However, as a genius scientist, Dr. Genus only took a moment to process them before asking with some uncertainty.
After all, the ability Caelus had displayed earlier, flattening a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional state, was far beyond his understanding. Combined with what Caelus had just said, Dr. Genus became even more convinced that the person before him had come from somewhere beyond Earth.
"To be precise, I am not even from this universe. Are you familiar with multiverse theory?"
"I am, but since such a theory is nearly impossible to prove, I have always treated it as pure speculation and set it aside. I never expected the multiverse to actually exist."
Dr. Genus did not shout in confusion or reject the claim in disbelief. Instead, a fanatical expression appeared on his face.
The existence of the multiverse meant that countless different life-forms existed across endless universes, along with all kinds of geniuses.
"Yes. I come from another universe."
"Oh! This is hardly a suitable place for a conversation. I have a conference room where we can speak comfortably. Would you like me to prepare some tea?"
"All right."
Dr. Genus immediately ordered his other clones to suspend Carnage Kabuto's awakening procedure. He then led Caelus into a sparsely decorated room whose walls were made entirely of metal. Were it not for the oval table in the center, it would have resembled an interrogation room.
After Caelus sat down, Dr. Genus eagerly served him tea and immediately began asking about the knowledge and circumstances of other universes.
Caelus briefly explained the nature of his home universe, placing particular emphasis on the remarkable achievements of the geniuses within the Genius Society.
"An organization composed of the greatest geniuses in the universe. Anyone who earns the recognition of Nous, the Aeon of Erudition, may join the Genius Society. Some may even possess the power of an Emanator, whose destructive capabilities can range from the stellar level at the lower end to the galactic level at the highest..."
Dr. Genus's entire body trembled.
How desperately he longed to enter such a vast universe at that moment.
It meant that worlds shaped by countless geniuses were waiting for him to explore. It meant that even someone as gifted as him would find countless difficult problems waiting to be solved.
More importantly, there would no longer be endless fools asking him questions that belonged in an elementary school classroom. Even after he patiently explained everything, they would still stare at him with the blank expressions of unintelligent apes.
Compared to him, just how extraordinary would the greatest geniuses selected from the immeasurable population of an entire universe be?
Although Dr. Genus was extremely conceited and confident, he was neither foolish nor arrogant enough to believe that he could already rival the finest minds produced by such an enormous universe.
He stared at Caelus, his breathing growing rapid. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he rose from his chair, dropped to his knees, pressed his forehead to the floor, and shouted respectfully, unable to conceal the fanaticism in his voice.
"Please take me to that universe! No matter what price I must pay, I will accept it!"
"Hmm. You need to consider this carefully. If you truly wish to enter that universe, you must be prepared to abandon much of what you have learned so far. Different universes may possess different physical constants and fundamental laws. Things you can accomplish here may be completely impossible there."
"Furthermore, many of this world's principles lean toward idealism. Your current intelligence and achievements may only have been possible because this world favored you."
"Once you enter that universe, you may become nothing more than an ordinary scientist. You might spend your entire life without accomplishing anything remarkable. You may even be forced to watch geniuses younger than you effortlessly solve the problems that defeated you, then continue advancing until you can no longer even see their backs."
"But why should that matter? I do not seek remarkable achievements or glorious accomplishments merely to gain hollow and hypocritical praise. I am pursuing knowledge. If there are people more talented than me, then that would be wonderful!"
"It would prove that they could pioneer more fields of research than I ever could, perfect more theories, reveal greater wisdom to me, and show me that I am not alone in this world!"
Dr. Genus truly did not care about fame or power.
Had he desired either, he would only have needed to reveal his anti-aging technology to the world. No matter how unacceptable his research or moral standards might have been, society would have treated him as an irreplaceable treasure, and countless people would have worshiped him.
Dr. Genus was lonely.
From the moment he entered the field of biology, his knowledge had advanced at an astonishing pace.
Eventually, there was no one left in the world with greater authority in the field than him.
Although his early experimental theories had been considered too radical and his values were rejected by society, the theories he developed and the academic papers he published still stood at the pinnacle of biology, unmatched and unchallenged.
He had reached the summit of biological science in this world.
When he looked back and realized that he had surpassed every one of his predecessors, an unprecedented loneliness surrounded him.
There was no one with whom he could discuss his most advanced research. No one could understand the difficult questions weighing on his mind. Whenever he searched through the work of earlier scientists for answers, he could not find even the faintest clue.
He was already standing at the summit, looking down upon the masses still struggling up the mountainside.
Now, someone was telling him to raise his head.
Above the mountain lay the sky, and beyond the sky stretched the stars of the universe.
He wanted to make all of humanity evolve because he wanted to transform more fools into geniuses, geniuses like himself.
Only then could the loneliness in his heart be eased. Only then could he lead those still climbing the mountainside and work alongside them to raise that mountain even higher.
Caelus looked into Dr. Genus's eager eyes and saw the fanatical longing within them. After some consideration, he agreed to the request.
He would transform Dr. Genus into a two-dimensional existence, then carry him out of this universe and into his home universe.
The price was everything owned by the House of Evolution.
To Dr. Genus, who was about to escape the constraints of this world and enter the vastness of interstellar civilization, everything he currently possessed was nothing more than useless baggage that could be discarded at any moment.
(To be continued.)
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)