A Scientific Urban Detective

“What kind of enemy… Right, I didn’t have time to tell you just now—as far as I know, he is an alchemist,” Lin Wuming said. “He can instantly turn everything around him into gold…”

“Huh? Is there really alchemy? Magic to turn iron or lead into gold?” Touma Kamijou, who had been listening quietly, quickly interjected. “Wouldn’t he be very rich then?”

“If his alchemy could be permanent,” Lin Wuming shrugged.

Lin Wuming checked and found that the emery and steel balls in his wheelchair storage compartment were all there and in their original condition, without any trace of gold mixed in.

He didn't know if Aureolus didn't want to reveal any flaws, so he restored all these substances, or if they automatically reverted to their original form after leaving the Misawa Cram School area…

“Touma, don’t interrupt! I’m asking something important!” Index glared over with a serious expression. “According to the Church, this city shouldn’t welcome magicians. I, as well as Stiyl and Kanzaki Kaori from last time, are special cases and have obtained prior approval. So, that alchemist that Mr. Lin Wuming mentioned…”

“He didn’t obtain approval; he entered the country illegally,” Lin Wuming nodded. “I’ve already confirmed this with Chairman Aleister.”

“Hmm…” Index pondered. “Please rest assured, I will inquire with the Church—about Mr. Lin Wuming’s ‘Stigmata’ and the matter of that alchemist. However, as expected, we still lack information.”

“Hey,” Touma Kamijou immediately became alert, “Don’t go running off to that Misawa Cram School. In your normal state, you don’t have any combat power, and the ‘Moving Church’ is broken!”

“Of course I know that!” Index said loudly. “But the lack of information is also a fact!”

“Ahem, I apologize for not being able to provide more valuable information,” Lin Wuming said helplessly. “After all, I’m not a magician, and I don’t know anything about this… Oh, right!”

“What is it?” Toru Hachisuka asked from behind.

“I have a big learning gift bag on hand; I need to take a good look at it later,” Lin Wuming suddenly remembered the tablet he received from Chairman Aleister last time.

Because he wasn’t very interested in the knowledge of the magic side, and he had been quite busy recently, Lin Wuming hadn’t had the chance to calm down and take a good look at the contents of the computer.

Now that he had an urgent need, he had to start studying even if it meant cramming at the last minute!

Index on the other side looked over with a complicated expression… From her standpoint, the science side was dabbling in magical knowledge, which was undoubtedly a red line.

However, Index didn’t have much resonance with these “taboos” and “red lines.” Because her memory was periodically erased, she only knew about these things as “knowledge” and didn’t have much personal experience.

In Index’s view, it was no big deal for the espers of Academy City to want to learn magical knowledge. What really worried her was another piece of “knowledge” in her mind—esper powers and magic cannot coexist. Anyone who tries to master both powers at the same time will suffer terrible backlash, even endangering their lives!

“Mr. Lin Wuming, you are an esper. If you want to learn magic…”

“I know the risks involved,” Lin Wuming said. “Don’t worry, I’m just learning about magic-related knowledge; I don’t intend to learn ‘magic’ itself. After all, knowing your enemy is half the battle.”

“That’s good!” Index showed a relieved expression. “Mr. Lin Wuming is indeed a trustworthy, mature, and reliable man, much more reassuring than Touma!”

“Hey!”

Index ignored Touma Kamijou, who was protesting: “Mr. Lin Wuming, if you have any questions during the learning process, feel free to ask me. Although I can’t use magic, I’m confident in my knowledge!”

“Then I’ll thank you in advance, Miss Index,” Lin Wuming didn’t refuse her kindness. “You and Touma, if you have any difficulties or needs, you can come to me.”

Leaving the ward, Lin Wuming couldn’t help but sigh: “In the end, it was all for naught…”

At most, he gave Touma Kamijou an early warning. If the plot still unfolds according to the original work, he will personally go to conquer the Misawa Cram School in a few days, so he won’t be too confused at that time.

“Seriously, what kind of perfunctory communication process was that just now?” Misaki Shokuhou complained from the side. “Miss Index, Mr. Lin Wuming, and so on…”

“After all, that’s the kind of relationship I have with her,” Lin Wuming shrugged. “She’s not a student here, so I can’t directly call her a classmate.”

“So, Senior Wuming really intends to go back and catch up on magic knowledge?” Misaki Shokuhou asked again. “Isn’t it a little late to start learning from scratch now?”

“Better late than never; we have to start eventually,” Lin Wuming said.

——You also know that this knowledge will always be needed in the future.

——That’s true, but compared to that, I still think Senior Wuming’s idea just now is more feasible.

Misaki Shokuhou looked over with a smile.

“Just now…” Lin Wuming couldn’t help but be taken aback. “Ah, that…”

Mikoto Misaka rolled her eyes on the other side: “Tsk, here we go again…”

The latest novels are first published on 6_9_shu_ba!

——These two are starting “encrypted communication” again. Speaking of which, doesn’t my Railgun have an application for encrypted communication?

Theoretically, it does, but the prerequisite is that the other party must also be an Electromaster.

“Hehe, don’t worry,” Misaki Shokuhou looked over with a smile, “I’ll tell you… when the time is right~”

Under Misaki Shokuhou’s reminder, Lin Wuming also recalled one of his previous ideas—

Aureolus’s “Ars Magna” is an ultimate deduction. Its essence is to accurately calculate all the variables in the world and then reproduce the entire world in his mind—that is, to create another world.

Omniscience, and then omnipotence.

Because of this, Aureolus can become the “Creator God” in his domain.

To explain it in the language of the science side—Aureolus created a “Laplace's demon.” In the final analysis, it is using extreme computing power to simulate the operation of a world.

Similar things are not uncommon in the science side, in Academy City, but the degree of completion is somewhat insufficient.

The main purpose of almost all supercomputers is to do similar things.

The best of them is the “Tree Diagram Designer.”