I'm in the Teyvat running group

"That's true... but that's not the key point. The key point is that my research has found that the distribution law of the spacing between non-trivial zeros is completely consistent with the statistical law of the eigenvalue spacing of a random complex self-adjoint matrix. In other words, these two functions are almost equivalent. If we can crack the former, then we may be able to crack how time moves under the physical laws."

Seeing that Yunxiu was still looking at him with confusion, Rene was also a little helpless. He had to take out a few more sheets of paper and make a few gestures to explain: "There is something called shadow puppetry in Liyue. If the law of time itself is the little figure behind the canvas, then what is our current situation? We have calculated that the little figure behind the canvas will always cast a shadow on the canvas, and it will always be consistent. At least, we have calculated that it is consistent so far."

"So if we understand the patterns of the shadows on the canvas itself, we can definitely find the patterns of movement of the figures behind the canvas, and we can even use the patterns of the shadows to determine what kind of shadow puppet show it is, and thus deduce the next move of the figures behind the canvas."

"Is this why Zibai likes to study prime numbers? Yes, she has a rather deep relationship with the Time Ruler." Yunxiu finally understood everything after looking at Rene's explanation, and then he asked, "This is your and Zibai's latest research. So, where have you progressed so far?"

“The current situation suggests we might need a new mathematical tool; the existing ones are completely inadequate. However, Ping Si is very talented, and his method of applying gauge fields to the equations of magnetohydrodynamics might be worth learning from.” After casually scribbling a few symbols on the paper, Rene continued, “We might also need to build a huge experimental setup to verify all of this…”

"Alright, now I know why you're telling me all this... How much?" Yunxiu listened to this half-understood stuff with a headache; these things were indeed too painful for a mage like him.

If he couldn't understand it at all, then it would be fine to just listen to it like a book. If he could understand it completely, then he could directly participate in René's research. But now his problem is that he can understand some of it. Because he is also a master of magic, these things are exactly the kind of thing that he can understand. He can understand the basic concepts and what the mathematics is talking about, but he gets confused when it comes to the core theories. This is the most difficult stage for him.

But he quickly and astutely discovered the key to what René was saying: Mora.

"It will cost around 200 billion Mora, which is equivalent to the cost of two Jade Pavilions, and the sooner the better." René rubbed his hands awkwardly. "After this thing is built, Ping Si and Xiao Yue will also be able to use it, since there are still many secrets about the space itself that have not been solved."

"Alright... How quickly can it be completed? Do you have the blueprints?" Yun Xiu gritted his teeth. Two hundred billion was indeed a considerable sum, but he should be able to scrape together the money. After the Spirit Realm allocation meeting this year, a lot of funds started arriving. If he could truly verify the relationship between time and fate, then there would be so many things he could do...

Putting everything else aside, he still doesn't really understand his first and second corpses, or even how time in Teyvat is perceived and flows. In his mind, the War of the Burial Fire that his first corpse is experiencing is at its climax. Several archangels and his second corpse are constantly taking action, and the dragon legions are constantly fighting back and forth. But the flow and contact of time are extremely strange. He even saw the appearance of emptiness!

Moreover, it is clear that at that time, Kong was still an almost complete Adventist.

But here's the question: which of the three Adventors is Kong? It's certain that Ying is the fourth, and the third Adventor couldn't possibly be this prince of the Abyss, at least not to the point that he has no recollection of him.

Of course, another explanation is that Nibelungen was the original master of this world, and even if he returned, he wouldn't be considered a Descendant. In that case, Sora would be the second Descendant. But this would mean that Sora's existence might be much longer than imagined, and this would bring up another serious question: what did Sora do during the War of the Dead?

Yunxiu had asked Kong, but his answer was that he had forgotten a lot of things. This was not surprising, since he had already lost a lot after being demoted.

My original intention today was mainly to extract some information about fate itself and the world system from René. If this idea is true, then it means that René does indeed possess enough information. The existence of Sandone is proof of this. Perhaps I can tear open a hole about fate through René. But if René has a way to verify time and space and truly unlock the secrets of fate, then that's another matter entirely...

“There really is one. It was designed by me, some professors from the Imperial Academy, and that Miss Keqing a while ago.” René handed over a few schematic diagrams, then handed Yunxiu a glass of soda before sitting down on his own. “You can take a look at it briefly. The actual drawings are much more complex, weighing tens of tons. These are just some symbolic and conceptual designs, but they should be enough for you to understand.”

Yunxiu took the blueprints and saw that it was indeed a peculiar device. It was not like the accelerator or anything else he had imagined, but a huge product of four rings combined together, with a peculiar octahedron in the middle. Strictly speaking, it was very similar to the huge device in the middle of Fontaine, but with some slight differences.

The size of this thing is marked below; it is no less than the size of a jade pavilion. Moreover, the cost has skyrocketed due to the combination of various instruments and complexity. Its only purpose is to verify some of the ideas proposed by René and his group of scholars.

It's not even certain that it will succeed, but judging from Rene's past record and the current situation, this is indeed the closest it has ever come to success, and it's the only promising plan that Yunxiu can see right now.

"If I approve an additional 9 billion or so for you, how quickly can it be built and put into use?" Yunxiu asked with a hint of helplessness after flipping through the blueprints. "I really need to know the truth about the timeline... Is it feasible before September 15th?"

“I don’t know…” René was silent for a moment, but he quickly spoke again: “But I’m sure you won’t leave empty-handed.”

Chapter 481 Initial Experiment of the Device

"So, what exactly is this device?" As batches of spellcasters from various professions began casting talismans and using spells to construct it, a bard girl beside Yunxiu spoke up: "My cousin said that this might unlock the secrets of time... But as far as I know, aren't time and fate powers that only gods in stories possess?"

“No power necessarily belongs to a god, and besides, they may not even be real gods.” Yunxiu watched Shen Yue rapidly directing the construction while asking him all sorts of questions. It wasn’t that he couldn’t answer; on the contrary, it was precisely because he could answer so many questions that he hesitated.

“Rene has always been doing this, trying to describe the world with mathematics and formulas. I am far inferior to him in this respect, but I know he is right.”

“My cousin and my master said the same thing.” Shen Yue sighed. “They said that you and Master René are always doing the right thing, but I don’t really understand it. Maybe that’s why I haven’t been able to break through to the Familiar level.”

“It’s actually a good thing that you don’t understand. This world doesn’t have that many restrictions for the strong, or rather, you’re not the researcher type anyway.” Yunxiu smiled and said, “As for breakthroughs… it’s very difficult for bards to break through, otherwise there wouldn’t be more than five bards on the entire continent who have surpassed the Familiar level so far. You’re already the one closest to that goal.”

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Yunxiu."

"You're welcome... Hmm, I think this needs some adjustments. To test the underwater foundations, it would be best to add two more..." Yunxiu pointed to a blueprint on the crystal panel and said, "Let's add them here. Where is the head of the underwater operations department?"

"I'll call him over." Shen Yue clicked on a name on the crystal panel and sent the message. Soon, a middle-aged man still wearing underwater work clothes jogged over. Yun Xiu looked like he had original strength, and also had a bit of the capable temperament of a soldier.

"Ives, how's the underwater pile foundation testing going?" Shen Yue asked the middle-aged man. "If we need to add two more pile foundations here, do you have any suitable solutions? You can share them, and we can discuss them together."

“The underwater pile foundation test is fine. As for the solution… I don’t think it needs to be that complicated. According to Master Yunxiu’s current solution, these two piles are mainly for auxiliary stabilization. My suggestion is to change the two thick piles to six thin piles.” Ives said after reviewing the entire solution: “Although this will increase the cost slightly, considering the high-energy reaction after the device is running, six piles can better distribute the pressure, and Genshin Impact level experts can install them individually, which is also more convenient.”

“Good, I have no objection. Let’s do it your way. Be careful.” Yunxiu watched the underwater operations department head rush over to arrange the people and couldn’t help but smile. “This guy is really good. He can come up with a more suitable plan and approach than I can in a short time. He looks like a veteran, perhaps from the flood control war?”

"Yes, during the flood control war, he was the captain of the diving team of the Fontaine Sea Surface Strike Group. After the war, he had good merits and some talent, so he quickly broke through to the Genshin God level. He retired last year and joined the Rose Thorn Society. Now he is the head of the Rose Thorn Society's Underwater Operations Department." Shen Yue opened all of Ivis's information and said, "After the war, he also exchanged a qualification for his child to study at the Imperial Academy. His child seems to have good talent and has been taken as a disciple by an immortal... uh, Chu Li's disciple, strictly speaking, your grand-nephew."

"Almost all the immortals in Liyue can be traced back to the Emperor, but that doesn't prove anything," Yunxiu waved her hand and said, "About how long will it take to complete?"

"About two weeks, but I think you can go to Fontaine to stay for a while first. The Funina Prize should be held soon, and the Water God will be very happy if you go."

“No rush, I’m quite interested…” Yunxiu smiled as she looked at the huge device in front of her and said, “I’m really looking forward to seeing what it will look like when it starts spinning.”

After discussions with Rene, Zibai, and many others, the enormous device was still placed in Fontaine. This was mainly due to two reasons. Firstly, the waters of Fontaine were indeed the cleanest, and secondly, the device required an extremely high amount of energy to operate. Although the energy problem could now be solved by artificial demon cores, and they had already created one to use in the device.

However, heat dissipation became a huge problem, and Lake Fontainebleau was able to provide enough water for heat dissipation.

On the other hand, it is because this place is close enough to both Sumeru and Liyue. The location was chosen on the lake in the Mortei district near Gestalt. It is not far from Rudden Harbor and Baida Harbor. A steady stream of supplies will be transported from Shenyu Valley and Sumeru City by boat. A super island with a surface area of ​​three to four thousand square meters was built here. However, the surface area is mainly for energy devices, research areas and living areas. The real equipment is underwater.

The enormous, strange sphere has a diameter of over 1,500 meters. After Rene's optimization, it consists of six nested rings, plus the central sphere. This thing is not yet finished. Rene is still at the Fontaine Academy of Sciences with a group of scholars working intensively to build this device. After it is completed, it will be packed into storage bags, transported over, and assembled.

When it operates, it requires one-third of the energy of an artificial demon core. The enormous energy is forcibly compressed into the origin of space by a constraint body composed of six sets of rings, thus simulating the information that Rene needs most.

It also generates a huge amount of heat, which is why it sank underwater. It is used to dissipate heat. Frost arrays are set up within a 10-kilometer radius. They are opened while dissipating heat, and the heat is removed as much as possible through exchange. Otherwise, boiling the water within a 10-kilometer radius would not be a problem. The extra two-thirds of the Humanity Demon God Core's energy is used for this purpose.

Of course, even Yunxiu had to admire Rene for being a true genius. Once this thing is successfully built, it will likely be able to create many things, not just a time-based verification. Whether it's space, Yun Pingsi's electromagnetic field, or even the gauge field, it can be considered a crucial weapon. Therefore, this thing will most likely remain here after it is built.

As for why it wasn't built on the moon...

The answer is actually very simple: there is no good way to solve the heat dissipation problem when building on the moon. The heat output of this thing during one operation is extremely high, because less than one-tenth of the energy is actually converted into the energy to drive the magic array. The vast majority of the rest is heat energy. In space, heat dissipation can only rely on the magic array, and the law requires additional energy. The difficulty of cooling is far greater than that of heating.

Furthermore, with the space elevator already launching at an almost drug-fueled pace every day, it's simply impossible to squeeze out another million tons of launches for this thing within a few months.

Moreover, there is no need to build it in space. After all, it's not some kind of ring accelerator. Yunxiu had talked to Rene about this a couple of days ago, but he quickly rejected it. According to Rene, if such an accelerator were to be built, its circumference would likely have to reach the level of a billion kilometers in order to truly explore where the discontinuities in time and space are.

However, their current goal is not to detect this, but to use a new structure to draw the magnified "shadow puppet" that appears on the canvas for comparison and verification.

Although Yunxiu still doesn't fully understand these ingenious ideas, it's enough to believe that René is a genius.

Yunxiu stayed there for two more days. Seeing that the basic structure was almost complete and that René was starting to organize people to install the huge mechanical equipment, she also went to Fontaine for a few days to watch this year's "Furina Award" ceremony. This year, it could be said that "Guizhong Entertainment" swept most of the awards. From "Blood Battle of Xixi Island" to "Super Qunyu Pavilion", and their films "Qinglian Linyouji" and "Sword Immortal Record", all of them did well. However, Yunxiu thought that this was mainly because Guizhong forced Li Qinglian to come to the set to play himself...

The movie adaptation of the game "Hall of Night" also won several awards. This was Sugar and Fischl's first attempt, and the results were quite good.

Yunxiu not only watched all the awards ceremonies, but also took the time to make a cameo appearance in Fischl's new movie. She even used a few cringeworthy lines and gestures, making the "princess" a little embarrassed. Although this princess is now a big figure in Mondstadt and even owns a large company, she is still cringeworthy and funny. Yunxiu also enjoys teasing her.

After spending a few leisurely days in Fontaine, Yunxiu led the group to the experimental base named "Creation Center" by René, to observe the first trial run of this new creation.

According to René, the data obtained after the trial run needs to be corrected as a whole before a real test can be carried out; otherwise, a true full-power test cannot be conducted.

"Daddy, Uncle René's... will it really succeed?" A pretty little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes stood beside Yunxiu, looking at the huge sphere with a diameter of over 1,500 meters in front of her, and said in surprise, "Mommy said that we can feel his energy and aura in Baisong Town, it's really terrifying!"

“Anwei, don’t worry, this is science…” Yunxiu smiled and patted her daughter’s head: “Science eliminates all terror.”

Chapter 482 Genesis of Circular Constraints

"Dad, I don't really understand what science is..." Yun Anwei touched her face, which was a blend of Navia's beauty and Yun Xiu's heroic spirit. She looked at the huge sphere in front of her, but she soon saw her brother Yun Pingsi carrying a large pile of crystal plates with his mage's hands and walking to the core to look at the series of numbers on it.

"The binding array is operating normally, with a maximum binding force of 115% and an energy index within normal range..."

"Brother Pingsi! What are you calculating?!"

“Anwei, this is a device that can change your destiny.” Yun Pingsi smiled and pinched Yun Anwei’s little face. Looking at Yun Xiu beside him, he smiled and said, “Father, it should be almost done. We should be able to conduct a trial run today and use my equations to perform constraint tests. If it is successful, we can start the full-power test tomorrow.”

Yunxiu nodded. The principle behind this thing is actually very simple: compress one-third of the output energy of an artificial demon core into a space the size of an atomic nucleus, and then "detonate" it. This way, it can simulate the creation of the world while also breaking up the fluctuations in time and space. At the moment it is blown up, René can capture the outline of the "shadow" through the detector and then compare it with his mathematical formulas to verify it.

The first test will naturally not be able to operate at full power. This test will operate at 70% power, which is just right for Yun Pingsi to test the maximum constraint limit of his equation system. This energy level is more than enough.

Soon, Rene and Tsuki arrived, and even the elusive witch Iris came to see them. Klee followed behind her. Perhaps because of her immortality, Klee had probably only grown by about a year in the past nine years.

So, Yun Xiu and Yun Anwei were actually about the same age, and the two children quickly became friends. They took out their various toys and started exchanging them. Yun Anwei had a great talent for art, so most of her toys were designed by herself. Yun Xiu would use a weakening wish to create a batch of finished products for her daughter every now and then. If they were really good, she would usually put them on the market for sale. This made Yun Anwei the one with the second most pocket money among her siblings before she even graduated from elementary school...

The one with the most money is Yun Pingsi. Although Yan Fei manages most of his funds due to his age, his wealth is indeed terrifying, especially the artificial demon god core.

According to Sugar's final distribution, the mother and son took a total of 7% of the energy produced by the artificial demon core. It may not seem like much, but it's important to note that this is 7% of the total Teyvat revenue! Although civilian energy is free, industry and commerce still need to make money.

Even if the price drops to one-tenth, consumption will increase rapidly. Even if the mother and son only receive 7% of the profits, they will still earn hundreds of billions of Mora every year. Abedo and other researchers took 12% of the profits, and the rest was divided among the various countries. Liyue took the largest share of 24%, while Zhidong contributed the least, only 3%, and the remaining countries received between 17% and 5%.

After the first artificial demon core was installed in Lingjing, the computing power of Lingjing increased fourfold in just one week, directly bringing Sugar and her son tens of billions of Mora into their accounts. Even so, it was still worthwhile for Lingjing, since the cost of the artificial demon core was much lower than that of energy crystals.

“Every time we meet these past few years, it seems like you have a few more children.” Alice handed Yunxiu a box of pastries, saying, “Kleiner brought these back from S-712. Give them to the children.”

"Actually, one thing I still don't quite understand is... when did this 'snack diplomacy' start?" Yunxiu smiled as she accepted the snacks from Alice and put them into her storage bag before saying with a smile, "It's rare for you to make a trip back to Teyvat just for Rene. How's the situation in the False Heaven lately?"

"Same as always... but the Abyss is recovering faster than expected. Fortunately, the last flood discharge was much larger than anticipated, so it should still be achievable in about twenty-five years." Alice smiled, resting her face on her hand. "Barbielos and Keperlos will be here later. After today's successful test, we'll all watch the full-power test together tomorrow. As for Nico, she should have arrived by now."

"Oh dear, I couldn't hide it from my old friend after all."

Suddenly, a pencil on the nearby table transformed into a ball of light, which then turned into a blonde beauty who landed on the ground. She smiled at the people present, and a voice rang in everyone's minds once again.

"I definitely have to come and see this. The development of transformation magic in recent years can be said to have reached its peak. Without a sufficient understanding of the basics, it is obviously impossible. However, the spacetime magic runes of transformation magic have never been analyzed. I want to take advantage of this test to study them carefully. Maybe I can give the transformation school a few more ministers, so I can take a good rest for a while. I don't know how long it will be before Mizuki becomes a high-level legendary mage..."

“Nico, first of all, Teyvat calls Legendaries ‘Familiars’…” Alice smiled and took out a box of peculiar runebooks, handing it to Nico: “Here, take this. It was brought back from S-273. This is a book that Okotavia specially prepared for you. It’s said that you asked for it when you met her last time.”

"Thank you! It's said that the temperature on this planet is approaching the lowest point of particle kinetic energy, and may even reach absolute zero. This is really useful to me. Okotavia is such a kind person. Where is she now?"

"If I'm not mistaken, she may already be back, but given her habits, she's probably having tea in Mondstadt right now."

"Speaking of you two witches, I've been pondering a question... Is wandering between different planets really that simple?"

"With your strength, you can do it too. Don't tell me you don't have the ability to physically travel through space."

"Of course I can do that. I even got a star map of the surrounding space from Ying, but it's still quite troublesome without a spaceship."

"You can buy one. With your abilities, well... taking on a few adventure missions or selling some legendary equipment would be enough."

"Yes, yes, you can refine one and sell it. This kind of thing isn't worth much in the universe. Like the world base material that you exchanged with Okotavia last time, one piece could be exchanged for dozens of small spaceships. If you also have something like a carving knife, you could exchange it for hundreds of ships. Things that Teyvat can make aren't worth much. Many small spaceship arrays aren't even at the legendary level. The ability of mortal civilizations to fly out of the universe has little to do with the strength of individual individuals."

“Aunt Alice, it should be starting soon.” Abedo walked up and handed a crystal plate to each of them, saying, “When it opens, the surrounding area will be sealed with rock elemental stone plates personally condensed by the Rock King Emperor, so you can’t see inside. You can only use this to check the data. And then… there will be a lot of noise.”

"I understand, Abedo. Go ahead and get busy, I get it." Alice waved her hand, signaling him to go about his business.

Abedo chuckled at Yunxiu and Nico, gave a slight bow, and left.

He quietly entered the control room, where Teyvat alchemists and archmages such as Moonslash, Sugar, Cloudspan, and Aino were already looking at the large crystal panel in front of them.

"Check the heat dissipation arrays in zones seven through twenty-five." René patted his disciple on the shoulder; this was a ninth-ring alchemist who looked quite young.

"Areas 7 through 25 are all normal, the magic array runes are intact, and the energy channels are unobstructed."

"The rest, all report on the situation," René said calmly, glancing around.

"Zones 1 through 6 are normal."

"Numbers 26 to 38 are normal."

"..."

The different numbers for the zones are due to the different conditions for heat dissipation underwater and the different terrain. So, although the area each person is responsible for is roughly the same and the number of magic arrays is not much different, the zones are different. Some are divided into several large zones, while others are divided into dozens of small zones, but the monitoring points of all disciples are roughly the same.

Upon hearing that all the heat dissipation arrays were functioning normally, René chuckled softly.

"Stone slab locked, energy injection begins!"