Chapter 382: King Meets King (3)

“Uhm…”

Over the phone, Lilith’s voice grew hesitant.

“Lilith can’t quite wrap her head around something so complicated. But if you’re planning to be wary of the Vampire, Miss Witch, you could always cast a vote against him during the meeting.”

“Heh.”

The Witch gave a helpless chuckle.

“That’s what’s so clever about the Vampire. He’s already established his public image. What’s the use of me being the only one to vote against him? I wouldn’t gain anything, and I’d just make another enemy.”

‘I think the other members feel the same way I do. No one would ever agree to the Vampire’s ridiculous idea of meeting the Alien… No one can bear those consequences, and everyone would suspect the Vampire of having some ulterior motive.’

‘But for trivial things like a confessional aurora or Antarctic Emperor Penguins forming a heart shape, no one can be bothered with him. They just let him do as he pleases.’

With that, the Witch stopped thinking about the Vampire.

She swiped up on her phone again, looking at the previous push notification.

It was an all-member announcement from September.

She had seen it back then, but she still didn’t understand why Pirate No. 4 would spend so many points on something with no practical value…

After all, the Pirate was a radical, so he didn’t have many points. Logically, he should have been more frugal with them.

The Witch blinked.

She looked again at the September announcement:

[September 4, 2025. Pirate No. 4. Expended 67 million points. Desires this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics to be awarded for the ‘Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling’ effect.]

This whole affair really didn’t make any sense.

The Witch had been following this year’s Nobel Prizes. On October 7th, the Physics prize was announced, and the winners were indeed three scientists who had researched ‘Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling’.

But… was that worth spending 67 million points?

In the Witch’s opinion, even without using Lilith to interfere with the Nobel committee, the prize would have most likely gone to ‘Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling’ anyway.

Moreover, the Nobel Prize is usually awarded for research achievements from decades ago, which require a certain amount of time for verification and testing.

These three winning scientists had verified the macroscopic quantum tunneling effect in a lab as far back as 1985, only receiving the award today, 40 years later.

So, this wasn’t some new breakthrough or technology, just a belated affirmation from the academic world.

‘One can only assume the Pirate wanted to ensure ‘Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling’ won the Nobel Prize to attract more public attention.’

‘Spending 67 million points just to advertise to the whole world… that’s very out of character for the Pirate. Unless…’

The Witch narrowed her eyes.

‘Unless the technology of Quantum Tunneling is crucial for the Pirate. Perhaps the development of some important tool or machine relies on deeper research into it…’

‘So, what kind of machine would make the Pirate spare no expense?’

She couldn’t figure it out.

But it didn’t matter.

After all, for her, the more chaotic and intense the current situation became, the better. It wouldn’t have anything to do with her in the short term, anyway.

“Lilith, book me a first-class ticket to East Sea City in the Dragon Country. I need to go there and clean up the traces Fang Ze left behind.”

The Witch stretched languidly.

“After I take care of these trivial matters, I’m going to Negril for a vacation. Negril is most beautiful this time of year. No matter how many places I go, I’ll always love the White Beach there the most.”

“Understood!”

Lilith’s voice was cheerful and bright.

“A first-class flight from Zurich to East Sea has been booked for you. 17,400 points have been deducted.”

“Have a pleasant journey, Miss Witch! Please be sure to continue upholding your noble ideals and building a better future for the world!”

…

「Switzerland, Zurich, Crown Hotel.」

Jiang Ran sat at the desk in his suite, looking up information on his laptop.

He had wanted to ask Fang Ze about any precautions for leaving the country and returning home, and book his flight back while he was at it.

But for some reason, Fang Ze hadn’t replied to his WeChat message.

Jiang Ran had even checked the time difference. It was afternoon in the Dragon Country, so Fang Ze should have seen the message. Even if he were in class, it was unlikely that two or three hours would pass without any reply.

Resigned, Jiang Ran decided not to wait for him any longer.

His mission on this trip to Switzerland was complete; there was no need to stay any longer.

Professor Noah had listened to his advice and said he would take the matter seriously, which meant he definitely would. After all, just as he wrote in his suicide note, he didn’t want to become a sinner against human civilization.

Soon, after a bit of fumbling, Jiang Ran managed to book his flight home.

There was only one direct flight from Zurich to East Sea. All the others required a layover, so if he wanted a simple trip where he could sleep all the way to East Sea, he had no other choice.

“These tickets are so expensive.”

Jiang Ran clicked his tongue.

Since he hadn’t bought them in advance, only first-class seats were left. He had to grit his teeth and pay for it.

After converting the currency, the first-class ticket for this international flight was over 60,000 RMB! It was a real eye-opener for Jiang Ran.

It wasn’t that he was short on cash. He still had over 10 million in his bank account, and the undisclosed bonus and research funding that Dean Gao Yan of the Longke Institute had promised to apply for were already in their final stages of processing and would arrive soon.

But…

His spending habits still hadn’t caught up with his rapidly growing wealth, so a 60,000-yuan first-class ticket was still a bit of a painful expense.

Lately, while roaming the 2045 Virtual World with Cheng Mengxue, he had also considered copying down some lottery numbers, stock tickers, or advanced scientific breakthroughs to take back with him and balloon his fortune once more.