Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 335 "The Believer in Miracles"!
Once the three magic slots are set, they cannot be modified, but they can be set one by one. He plans to set the cheapest "close-up magic" first to test the effect and operation mechanism.

This is a rare opportunity to develop the ability to "plan independently," without relying on external forces.

Of course, thinking and planning can begin today.

At his desk, Zhai Da first wrote down three options: "close-up magic", "stage magic", and "large-scale magic".

Clearly, the classification is based on the scale of the magic trick. Close-up magic is often performed face-to-face with only a few or even one audience member, and is basically limited to "techniques".

Stage magic has some space, and lighting, sound effects, smoke, and mechanisms are all available options, making it more visually appealing.

Large-scale magic tricks should refer to those that make full use of the natural environment outdoors, such as the famous "crossing the Great Wall" and "disappearance of the Statue of Liberty".

Zhai Da wrote down many known categories of magic under the three options.

Close-up magic: playing cards, disappearance/appearance, object manipulation, mind reading/hypnosis.
Stage magic: making people appear out of thin air, escape magic, flying and levitation, teleportation and disappearance, water and fire control.
Large-scale magic tricks: time travel, disappearance of large objects, and more complex escapes.
The last type is relatively rare because large-scale outdoor magic shows are few in number. Each one is individually designed, and only the top magicians are qualified to perform them. They also require the cooperation of television stations to deceive the audience, such as David Copperfield.

First and foremost, it must be said that Zhai Da, also a magician, fully understands that all magic tricks are based on "sleight of hand." Even when he snaps his fingers to conjure something, he always hides it in his sleeve or the back of his hand beforehand, completing the trick through visual concealment.

Many amazing magic tricks, once revealed, have principles that can even seem laughable.

Who would have thought that the magic trick of "the Statue of Liberty disappearing" was simply a matter of rotating the audience seating area by 20 degrees?
As a project with a long history, including its predecessor "magic tricks," the difficulty has been increasing with the development of the times and the progress of technology.

As ordinary people's understanding improves and video clarity increases, they are less likely to truly believe that magicians possess "magical abilities." Instead, their skepticism has increased many times over. This is the biggest challenge for "miracle believers."

For example, a magician performed a trick on the Spring Festival Gala, controlling a "magic pot to pour out cola." Great, whether it was due to filming reasons or the presence of stooges, the performance was a success on a show that reaches hundreds of millions of people.

Do viewers really believe he possesses this "magical ability"?

The audience will only wonder what kind of mechanism he used to do it. Even those who are unwilling to think about it in detail will be convinced that it is just a "sleight of hand". Even elementary school students will think about it with a questioning eye.

We're both educated, why are you trying to play these kinds of ghost stories with me?
Therefore, the most important aspect of this ability lies in gaining "believers." That is, the success of the magic trick is only the foundation; it is also necessary to ensure that there are genuine people who believe that he has "magical abilities."

There aren't many fools like that anymore. Take the magician surnamed Liu on the Spring Festival Gala as an example. So what if he performs for hundreds of millions of people every year? How many fools would actually believe he has superpowers?

After a moment of contemplation, Zhai Da wrote down four large characters: Happy Education!
People in China might not believe it, but people abroad might. Those teenagers who firmly believe that the US bombed Pearl Harbor and can't find their own country on the map might actually believe it!
People believe in the flat Earth theory, so what's so special about superpowers?
Don't talk to me about education or anything like that, I'm just asking you if you're happy!

Zhai Da: From now on, I officially support happy education, as long as it's not in China!
There are also those who simply "lack education," such as the Indian brothers who firmly believe in the Lizard God cult, or people in similar places.

The last category is children, who may actually believe, but children grow up, and the "miracle believers" are subject to dynamic monitoring, meaning that if they are children in China, they will almost certainly be lost.

Summary 1: "Miracle believers" are more suitable for exporting to Chinese people without deceiving them.

In addition, the "dynamic detection" mentioned by the system is also very important, which means that when believers' cognition changes, their abilities will also change or even become ineffective.

This change may not have been caused by a magic trick error, but could have come from an external source.

For example, through his long-term efforts, he made many people believe that he could "teleport." Then, Stephen Hawking, who had become interested in studying white holes on Lolita Island, suddenly stood up and publicly stated that "this is impossible." So even if this 30-pound person had 29 pounds of bad apples, his influence could still change the perception of most believers.

For example, if Zhai Da becomes "infamous" for unknown reasons, such as being reported for tax evasion, the damage to his image will cause believers to no longer believe that he has "miraculous abilities".

Putting superpowers and tax evasion together creates a jarring and incongruous image.

Summary 2: The pressure may come from the outside. Believers do not need to expose him; they can simply stop believing in him silently. His abilities are not necessarily better the more outrageous they are. This will affect the difficulty of gaining believers and may also lead to professionals from various fields questioning him.

Zhai Da stroked his chin. It seemed this ability still had many limitations.
No, perhaps it shouldn't be called a restriction, but rather a "rule".

Having determined the target audience, Zhai Da then began to seriously consider what type of magic trick to choose.

This is also the part with the most room for imagination; he doesn't necessarily need to replicate classic magic tricks, he can design his own magic tricks!

If we disregard the difficulty and only consider what he wants, let's think outside the box.

Zhai Da wrote down the four characters: "immortality".

But after much deliberation, he ultimately crossed it off. Although it was a very tempting option, he simply couldn't think of any magic trick that could bring that kind of understanding to the audience.
Summary 3: Effects that cannot be achieved visually in a short time are difficult to obtain through magic.

Moreover, even if one obtains "immortality" through this method, it is still "pseudo-immortality." With the development of the times or changes in the external environment, if one day the number of believers suddenly becomes insufficient, wouldn't he just die suddenly?
Zhai Da then wrote: Invulnerable to swords and spears (bulletproof).

This is a good and practical option, and it should be categorized under "stage magic." Similarly, "rapid regeneration" is also very practical, both belonging to the category of life-saving abilities, but the latter has some issues with stage presentation.

If it's not "real" enough, it can't generate any power; if it's too "real," it won't be allowed to be broadcast on television. Perhaps all life-saving abilities could be combined to design a comprehensive stage magic trick called "Immortality."

For some reason, images flashed through Zhai Da's mind: Next, please welcome the famous writer Zhai Da to demonstrate his "immortality"—first, catching a bullet with his abs, then underwater breathing, and finally breaking a boulder with his chest.
This is so abstract! Doesn't this person have to wear a cape while performing?

But it's really practical! Sacrificing a little appearance for a powerful physique isn't a bad idea!

Alternative.

Mind-reading/mind control magic.

Close-up or stage magic is theoretically more concealed and harder to question, but its practicality is generally limited. As for hypnosis, he has something similar called the "Uncertainty Pocket Watch." As for mind reading, he believes that the "Eight Sufferings" set is the future direction for this, and is even more powerful than mind reading.

After experiencing the "Eight Sufferings," he fully realized that gaining insight into extra information was not necessarily a good thing, as it inevitably led him to see things that would affect him.
He felt there was no need to do anything illegal or disorderly, or simply to satisfy his desires. Having been reborn and now living to this point, he could satisfy most of his basic desires; it was just a matter of whether he wanted to or not.

Are you really going to go to the island to study the Little White Cave?

Cross it out.

Telekinetic object control (can be combined with disappearance effects)
Close-up or stage magic, a timeless skill, cannot save lives, but it has another dimension of "practicality" and is very interesting.

Comparatively speaking, a category that has been performed countless times by magicians in the past is more likely to gain followers and is less likely to challenge the public's intelligence, because people have become accustomed to its existence and will not think about it or take it seriously.
Alternative.

Instantaneous teleportation (short and long distances)
Stage or large-scale magic tricks are theoretically incredibly impressive, possessing both practical and life-saving properties, but they are too intellectually taxing for the general public.
Even with "happy education," it's not necessarily reliable.
Furthermore, his overly absurd abilities would mean he could only use them secretly, lest someone discover his teleportation ability outside of performances.
It's unlikely that Qian Lao's disciple would slice him up, but it will definitely cause trouble. How will he explain that?

Summary 4: Acquisition is one aspect, but for smooth use, the ability should ideally lean towards the mysterious attribute, rather than something that defies common sense too much, like sparks and lightning. It should either not be worth investigating or not be easily discovered. In addition, the magician's persona should be continuously strengthened to cover up some of the magical abilities.

However, in the end, Zhai Da still kept this option.

Simply put, it's too tempting!
Alternative.

Flying magic (levitation works similarly, but flying is more practical).

Large-scale stage or outdoor magic tricks, especially outdoor ones, are more difficult. If this magic trick were to be converted into an ability, frankly speaking, its practicality would be only so-so. If you're bold enough to follow the system, you could just make a hang glider to replace it.

The only advantage is that it is more free and more romantic, which is a desire rooted in human genes.

Being strong is a temporary thing, but being handsome is a lifelong thing.

Being handsome secretly is still handsome.
Alternative.

He listed out the different types of magic tricks, either as options or crossed out because they were unsuitable.

For example, all card-related abilities are useless, or rather, not worth wasting a slot on. The ability to guess/change/predict cards is utterly useless.

Things that are particularly intellectually stimulating, overly flashy, or look cool but are actually meaningless are also crossed out.

About half an hour later, the sound of the Harbin Institute of Technology math prodigy girl flipping a spatula came from outside the door, and Zhai Da had a preliminary judgment.

His expectation was that at least one of the three magic tricks should have the ability to save one's life, and the other should have the ability to cause damage in critical moments but also be able to be performed in ordinary times.

Although I plan to just hang one "Close-up Magic" skill to test the waters first, I also need to consider the overall setup. After all, the Close-up Magic slot only requires 10,000 followers, which is the easiest to obtain and the least likely to be lost.

Even if we just gather 10,000 idiots, it'll work. At worst, we can have a nationwide charity performance at a mental hospital.

Finally, Zhai Da wrote "telekinesis" in the "close-up magic" column on the blank paper.
It may seem conventional, but it is extremely versatile. With just a slight adjustment to the believer's mindset, it can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

For example, details such as distance, speed, force, and what can be controlled can all be demonstrated through magic effects. In addition, it can also provide a certain degree of self-protection in critical moments.

It's amazing but not outrageous; others might just think it's magic and not think twice, so it won't trigger a "slicing warning."

Zhai Da heard the sound of the plates being placed on the table and knew that dinner was about to begin. He nodded to himself and put a checkmark on the four words.

He then silently opened the system and found the description of the "Miracle Believer" ability in the "Set List". The three blank diamond-shaped boxes below indicated that he could set three abilities.

Just as Zhai Da was about to confirm, he suddenly stopped and touched his chin.

Don't panic when something big happens. If it can't be changed, why not wait a day?
　You know what I mean, right?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)