My physics masters couldn't possibly be grand mages.

"Why did his face turn pale when he heard you say that name?" Xia asked Tesla, puzzled. "Is there someone with the same name?"

"Who knows?" Tesla turned and walked towards the villa. "This guy's expression hasn't been quite right since he came to the library. He might be a bit neurotic."

Char recalled how he felt when he first met Bourne and nodded silently.

He is indeed a bit neurotic.

He walked into the living room with Tesla.

Einstein leaned back on the sofa, gently exhaling clouds of smoke, seemingly deep in thought.

"So, are we going to wait for them to choose to hand that thing over to you before we go?" Xia asked.

Einstein slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, shook his head, and said, "Don't entrust your destiny to others."

"The joint entrance exam for the three schools will probably still require a sixth-tier team to lead the way, and we'll have to face the sixth-tier teams from other schools. Although it's unlikely that something like the witch will happen again, and there won't be any obvious targeted tests, having no way out is always unsettling."

"We need to resolve the witch problem before the three-school joint exam," Tesla said, sitting down on the sofa, leaning back in his chair, and closing his eyes. "Even if we don't resolve it, we need to find a way to make the location we're teleported to as far away from that witch as possible."

"This is a big project," Einstein said.

"Then it's better to go sooner," Xia said. "The sooner we go, the more time we'll have to deal with the problems we encounter in 2072."

He has the ability to travel between the two worlds at any time, and the timelines of the two worlds are independent of each other.

This also means that when he encounters danger, he can press "ESC" like in a game to go to another world to think of a solution.

He thought for a moment and then began packing his things.

Einstein leaned back on the sofa, silently watching Char's actions.

As the "mysterious archmage" that Char used to intimidate the witch, Einstein could not go with him.

The most effective use of nuclear weapons is when they are no longer needed.

However, although this trip carries some risks, Char's time-traveling ability will allow him to avoid most of them.

After watching Xia finish packing his things, he finally spoke.

"When you go to 2072, if you encounter any survivors, remember to keep an eye out for those who graduated from prestigious universities."

"Of course, it must be within one's own capabilities."

Xia was taken aback. "What are you going to do?"

Einstein chuckled and joked, "You've had too much of a comfortable life here, forgotten what you're supposed to be doing?"

Char did not answer.

Einstein slowly got up, pulled over the wheeled blackboard that was in the living room, and started writing on it with chalk.

[Resolve the witch threat] [Collect Ark data].

"This is your short-term goal for reaching 2072."

Then, he wrote down another word.

[Joint Examination of Three Schools]

"This is something we need to prepare for in the middle of the term. Of course, we don't lack anything now, and we don't necessarily need to get good results in the joint entrance examination. But it would be a good thing to get more resources and make more friends."

However, our ultimate goal is still this...

Einstein wrote below.

[Save the world, continue the future].

"Whether it's a short-term or medium-term goal, we're all working towards this ultimate objective."

But have you ever considered whether we can achieve this ultimate goal simply by completing short-term and medium-term objectives?

Char nodded. "We must continue to grow stronger."

"I've never been to 2072, let alone seen what those monsters look like," Einstein said, slightly raising his chin. "But I know the power of industry, the power of technology. A hundred years from now, human technology will only be more advanced, and industry will only be more terrifying. What could cause such a civilization to face extinction is not simply a matter of quality and quantity."

"The quality issues are something that I, Tesla, and the scientists who may work with us in the future can probably resolve."

But how do you solve the quantity problem?

Xia opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he remained silent, and his expression gradually became serious.

As Einstein himself said, he did take things somewhat for granted.

Xia couldn't imagine what level they would need to reach to solve those problems.

Sixth rank is definitely impossible, seventh rank? Eighth rank? Or even... ninth rank?

"We cannot stay in the Tower of Truth forever," Einstein said. "But the power we can gather may far exceed that of the Tower of Truth, or even the combined power of the twelve Golden Families."

"The resources we need are enormous, and the number of 'geniuses' we need will also be enormous."

So... can one succeed simply by traveling through history?

Xia didn't speak; he shook his head.

Even if it succeeds, it will take an exceptionally long time.

Einstein gazed intently at Char, his eyes burning with determination. "What we need to do now is not to become the main force in saving the world, but to become a lever, using a fulcrum to leverage a hundredfold, a thousandfold of power."

"What are your plans?" Xia asked.

"A school," Einstein said. "We want to build our own magic school, where the students, once graduated, will be the main force in saving the world."

Hearing this, Xia finally understood what he meant by having to go to 2072 and keep an eye on those high achievers.

"What could be more talented than a student receiving a formal university education in 2072?" Char murmured softly.

Even an ordinary college student like Char is considered a genius in this world, so those truly outstanding graduates from top universities must be even more exceptional.

"But do we need to assess their character?" Xia Ya continued to ask.

"Can you read people's minds?" Einstein asked rhetorically.

"That's true." Xia nodded. "Only time can test a person's character."

He paused, then frowned and said, "But how to unite them is a big problem."

I read an e-book on your computer a while ago.

Char looked in the direction of the sound and saw Tesla carrying a kettle out of the kitchen, pouring a glass of water for himself, Einstein, and Char.

He continued, "It's called 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind'."

"There is a passage in it that says: Under normal circumstances, the 'natural' community that humans can maintain is about 150 people."

Once this number is exceeded, most people cannot truly gain in-depth understanding.

He looked at Char, "But do you know how humanity crossed that threshold and created cities with tens of thousands of inhabitants, or even empires with hundreds of millions of people?"

Tesla stopped being cryptic and went on to say, "It's about 'storytelling,' telling a story that everyone believes."

Even a large group of strangers can collaborate as long as they share the same belief in a story.

Two Catholics, even if they have never met, can still participate in the Crusades or raise funds to build a hospital together as long as they believe in the same God.

Two strangers from the same country might risk their lives to save each other, provided they believe in the very existence of that country's territory, flag, and fundamental nature.

"But by 2072, the state itself is on the verge of collapse..."

"So we need to tell a new story."

Tesla thought for a moment and said.

"How about a time-traveling savior organization?"

Will they believe it?

"This is the direction we need to work towards next," Einstein continued. "We need to build a 'school' that truly belongs to us in this world, and we need a large number of 'Sixth-Order' Magisters."

"Imagine if you hadn't encountered all of this, and were still struggling to survive in some corner of 2072, only to be rescued by a mysterious magician in your most desperate moment and taken to a place like the Tower of Truth, how would you feel?"

"Shocked," Xia said, "and then I wanted to stay."

"We need to have our own 'momentum,' we need to raise a flag," Tesla continued. "As long as this flag is strong enough, whether they are public-spirited people or sophisticated egoists, as long as they are smart, they will choose to unite firmly under the flag we have raised."

Xia Ya pondered silently, and the more he thought, the brighter his eyes became.

"Moreover, given your historical standing and Tesla's position, you are a natural object of their trust."

He didn't ask any more questions or linger any longer, but walked to the center of the living room.

"Then I'm leaving."

"Good luck," Einstein said.

Xia didn't answer. He composed himself, then raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly...