A Bizarre Adventure That Begins in Jujutsu Kaisen

The scene shifts, and a building with sleek lines, constructed entirely of glass and steel, appears on the screen.

At first glance, it looks no different from any high-end office building in a bustling city, understated yet modern.

However, upon closer inspection, one can discover that the massive steel frame and glass curtain wall are densely covered with intricate and complex runes, resembling the nerve pathways of a living organism.

These patterns, emitting a ghostly glow, extend and intertwine on the surfaces of glass and steel, eventually enveloping every corner of the entire building.

"The exterior adopts a minimalist design, with the main body consisting of a high-strength alloy steel structure and special double-layer low-emissivity glass."

The building is planned to have twelve floors above ground for office use, and five floors underground for special purposes.

The overall resistance to spell attacks is preset to Level 1.

The five lights adjusted the projection to display a cross-sectional diagram of the barrier, with the red dot of the laser pointer indicating each layer.

"In terms of the barrier, a 'multi-layered nested' active defense design is adopted, commonly known as a 'matryoshka doll structure'."

The outermost layer is a wide-area "wanderer dispelling" barrier that covers the entire headquarters district, which can only be passed by mages and non-mages with the necessary permissions.

As the core of the barrier, the spell artifact "I am not here" will continuously emit the message of "plain, boring, and not worth paying attention to", causing ordinary people to subconsciously ignore this area or think that it is just an ordinary industrial building, thereby greatly reducing the probability of accidental intrusion and attention.

The middle layer is a "curse power perception and alarm" barrier that is closely attached to the building surface, and it is also the most common type of barrier.

Any unauthorized contact with the curse or any attempt to penetrate it will immediately trigger a tiered alert and pinpoint the point of intrusion.

The innermost layer is a 'screening' barrier that covers all entrances and exits and key areas.

It is not a solid wall, but a screening membrane.

Only those wearing specific spell marks or those who are "permitted targets" through biometric identification can pass without hindrance.

Calculations show that this barrier is strong enough to prevent the forced entry of curses of level one and below for an extended period of time, even without maintenance.

To raise the power to the point where it can briefly block attacks from top-tier curses, at least three level-one mages must take turns continuously injecting curse power to maintain it.

Zhao Xin glanced at Theo and Tsukumo Yuki, who were watching intently to the side, paused, and said:

"As mentioned above, it is a hidden gem in the city, with a three-dimensional and proactive defense system that meets modern aesthetic and functional requirements."

The drawback, however, is...the cost. Preliminary estimates suggest it will be approximately forty times that of the first traditional design.

"Forty times? Not four times?" Yuki raised his eyebrows and asked to confirm.

This number clearly exceeded her previous estimates.

"Yes, Lord Tsukumo," Zhaoxin nodded in affirmation and explained.

"The impact-resistant alloy steel needed for the main structure is not a problem. At worst, we can get a batch of armor steel from the Navy's 'Malu'—the Wutiao family has some channels in this regard."

The real constraint lies in this 'skin'.

The outer curtain wall needs to have a spell circuit fused between two layers of low-emissivity glass to ensure a light transmittance of over 92% while also being able to withstand attacks from a level one spell spirit without collapsing.

This is essentially the production of large-scale flat magic tools.

The production capacity of this material is extremely limited, so its price has also risen accordingly.

This part of the cost accounts for more than 50% of the total budget for building materials.

In addition, the actual laying and debugging of multi-layered nested barriers also requires a lot of materials and the manpower and resources of barrier masters.

However, please rest assured that Gojo-ya undertook this project to serve the new director, and there was absolutely no overcharging or embezzlement involved.

All building material procurement and construction processes will be open and transparent; there will be absolutely no interference from "Smith's Specialist," and there is no possibility of goods "losing away at sea without cause."

A brief silence fell over the meeting room, broken only by the soft hum of the projector.

Theo pondered for a moment and then asked, "What about the third set?"

Zhao Xin took a deep breath, his expression becoming extremely serious, even carrying a hint of solemnity as he showed off his "treasured possession".

He swiped the tablet and opened the last modeling file.

The moment it appeared, even the well-informed Yuki couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly.

That was not a "building" in the conventional sense.

What unfolds before us is a massive, complex structure, a colossal creation composed of countless standardized hexagonal modules tightly joined together like a honeycomb.

It lacks the clear front and rear facades typical of buildings, as well as the traditional roof and base, presenting a strange, multi-directional, and homogeneous feel from all sides.

The overall design is full of strong geometric and futuristic styles. It is not ugly, but it is definitely far from the "beautiful" or "solemn" aesthetic in the eyes of the general public. It looks more like some kind of super-large industrial installation or science fiction base.

Theo took a few steps closer and stood in front of the screen, his gaze sweeping over the densely packed hexagonal modules.

"...This looks like Lego bricks for giants to play with."

Is the design concept of the headquarters building for the Department of Cursed Arts too... avant-garde and experimental?

Zhao Xin replied immediately, his tone filled with the enthusiasm of a technology demonstration: "Lord Theo, the core of this plan is not its appearance, but its 'weaponization' design concept."

It integrates two important invention patents from Kyoto High School and Kokichi: the "Curse Power Storage Unit" and the "Miniature Curse Power Cluster Launcher"—also known as the "Mini Exorcism Cannon."

He zoomed in on a detailed image of a hexagonal module.

"Each hexagonal module you see is essentially a rechargeable, independent spell-emitting unit."

When needed, the module surface can be opened to extend the firing port of the "mini exorcism cannon".

This means that, theoretically, the entire building can launch magical attacks simultaneously from any direction and any number of points, forming a comprehensive firepower coverage network.

"I remember that kid's prized puppet used a much more powerful 'Great Exorcism Cannon,' right?"

Yuki Tsukumo glanced at him and made a sarcastic remark. She had heard about the handcrafting skills of "Mechanical Maru" from her disciple, Aoi Todo.

"Lord Kujukyu is wise." Zhaoxin nodded. "The 'Small Exorcism Cannon' that you and Xingji submitted a patent for is actually a less efficient version of the 'Large Exorcism Cannon,' designed specifically for this kind of large-scale magical artifact architectural concept."

Theo shifted his gaze from the striking model to Zhaoxin and asked the most crucial question:

"A stunning design."

However, Mr. Zhaoxin, setting aside the stunning design and construction difficulties, let's return to the most fundamental question.

Is such a "weaponized fortress" strong enough to withstand a direct attack from a super-grade curse?

Or, to put it another way, when the supreme curse suddenly appears before it, will these "mini exorcism cannons" have enough time to react and effectively intercept it?

The air suddenly became quiet, and the professional enthusiasm that resembled that of a salesperson on Terunobu Gojo's face faded.

He slowly shook his head and said frankly, "...I'm sorry, I can't guarantee it completely."

Lord Theo, you understand better than anyone that the gap in strength between Special Grade and Grade One cannot be easily bridged by simply increasing numbers or enhancing firepower.

This design focuses on saturation attacks and area suppression at close to medium range. However, for super-curses with domain or special abilities, the structural defense of the building itself remains its biggest weakness.

These modules are at extremely high risk of being destroyed in the face of a full-force attack from a super-grade curse.

However, without actually building one, modern solutions to the curse of construction will remain on paper and cannot be refined and upgraded in practice.

Therefore, I still strongly recommend this plan.

After speaking, Zhao Xin said no more, but remained slightly bowed, awaiting the final decision.

"How much will it cost?" Tsukumo Yuki asked another question that Theo was also concerned about.

"Uh..." Zhao Xin's Adam's apple bobbed, and he hesitated briefly. "It's... ten times the second plan."

"How much?!" Theo's eyebrows suddenly rose, and a rare, barely concealed fluctuation appeared in his usually calm voice as he pressed for an answer.

"Lord Theo, there is indeed a reason for such a high cost."

First, the cost of the hexagonal module array is six times that of a special glass curtain wall.

Secondly, the core operating logic of the "Curse Power Storage Unit" largely depends on Yukichi's "Heaven and Curse Binding" constitution.

"Therefore, we not only need to pay patent licensing fees, but also long-term and high expert consulting fees to technology providers," Zhao Xin explained.

"If I immediately propose to the Prime Minister that Kokichi be appointed 'Minister of Craftsmanship' and granted him the corresponding authority and privileges, could the overall expenditure be reduced to a level similar to the second option?"

Zhao Xin shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, it's not possible."

The value of technological patents and special physical conditions cannot be replaced by official positions or titles.

Even if he were willing to contribute free of charge, the research and development system, maintenance team, and continuous technological iterations involved would still require substantial financial support.

The atmosphere in the meeting room became subtle and stagnant.

The experienced "barrier craftsman" presented three options with apparent respect. However, the first option was rejected outright due to its unsuitable style, while the third option seemed impractical due to its astonishing cost and complex dependency issues.

The two plans are like mere decorations, ultimately pointing only to the path that has already been laid out.

Moreover... the second plan explicitly promised to "eliminate corruption," while the third plan made no mention of it.

Does this old fox really think I can't see that?

"The third option is indeed lacking in practical significance at this stage..."

"Alright, let's go with the second option then." Theo finally made the decision.