The Evolution of Genius: Every Night, I Get Smarter!

Not too long after, Therion came back, but he was a completely different person.

He now wore a striking red suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and tailored to perfection. His middle-aged features were enhanced by a clean shave, and he exuded an aura of authority and confidence.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden transformation and asked, "What’s up with the suits, guys?"

Therion, with a faint smile, responded to my question, "That’s what I wore back at Atar, the civilization I led as the Major. Red was a sign of authority."

I then looked at The Lord.

The Lord, meeting my gaze, replied with a hint of amusement, "What? Is something wrong with pink?"

"No... nothing," I said while shaking my head.

The Lord continued, "Now, Max, let’s get back to more important matters. As I mentioned earlier, Therion can better explain what needs to be said. We need you to gain knowledge in material science and quantum physics."

"Isn’t there already quite an amount of knowledge in that field available on Earth? And why is Therion more qualified to explain it?", I asked.

"Max, these matters are best explained by Therion. Ask him."

I turned to Therion, and after a moment of him looking at me with a peculiar expression, he began to explain, "Atar is a place of pure art and science. It’s a colony of Dylath-Leen, the primary Pan-human Order in the first cluster. I held the position of Major, so I’m great in both arts and science."

I inquired, "If you excel in both arts and sciences, as you mentioned, then why were you living on the streets? Couldn’t you find a job or some means to make a living?"

Therion’s expression turned into one of disgust.

"Pffft", He spat on the floor, but before the saliva could linger, the subtle light from the floor automatically cleaned it away.

Therion’s disdain was palpable as he scoffed at the idea. "Are you joking? Why would I lower myself so much as to work for someone on matters so trivial, especially on this small rock you call Earth? This Capitalism concept you have taken upon yourself is a complete joke. On Atar, all that matters is how you advance science or how great you are at arts. Based on that, ranks are given. No one slaves away."

I raised my eyebrow, not shocked at what Therion said, but at the change in his personality after he wore better clothing. He transformed from an embarrassed cat to a domineering pegasus.

"So, what should I focus on learning? There’s already a wealth of knowledge on Earth that I haven’t grasped yet."

Therion looked disappointed and responded, "Maybe on Earth, you’re considered one of the most intelligent people, but the knowledge on Earth is nothing more than a quark in the vast ocean."

"I see. I mean... I will gladly learn, but why wasn’t I given the information beforehand? If you’re so invested in me understanding all these concepts, then why didn’t you prepare a tutorial for me to go through?"

The Lord sighed, "Max, you must comprehend that the mean SL score of humans on Earth is so modest that imparting the knowledge to you would do nothing, but propel you into madness. By my understanding, the Somnus Veri has gradually broadened and solidified your synaptic connections."

I really wanted to ask what SL was, but I pushed further, "I wasn’t asking why you didn’t give me the info itself, but you could lay out the concepts that I really needed in simple terms and start from the basics."

The Lord’s silvered locks gleamed as he turned his gaze upon Therion. "Therion, do you believe you could have prepared such a creation?"

"Ha. Most definitely not me. Maybe I could ask some kids back at Ater, but it would take a long time, that’s for sure.", Therion laughed.

The Lord turned back towards me. "You see, Max. What you have grasped thus far are principles etched deeply within our neural pathways. However, we have used them to understand far more intricate notions. Hence, explaining them in simple terms would pose a formidable challenge. We had no time for that."

I found their explanation a bit hard to believe. While I might not be as intellectually advanced as they were, I wasn’t naive. The idea that they had no time seemed dubious.

Why not provide me with the necessary information in a more straightforward manner? It sounded like an excuse.

My intuition whispered that there was more to their story, perhaps hidden motives or information they weren’t willing to disclose.

After all, true understanding, in my view, involved simplifying complex concepts to their essence, something that seemed absent in their approach.

"How I see it, you didn’t want to make it easy for me. You didn’t want to hand it to me on a silver platter, but I can’t seem to understand why..." I stated.

There was no reason to keep quiet about this.

"No, Max", Therion said, "The problem isn’t us. You are the problem. You and your lack of understanding. I will give an example that you might at least have a slight clue about. But before that, let me do a quick experiment on you."

He then walked towards a cabinet that stood against one of the walls.

"Experiment? I did not agree to anything of this sort...", I said.

"Don’t worry. I just want to see your SL.", he claimed.

I opened my eyes wide, "The SL again, you know that I have no idea what that means, right?"

Therion took out a yellow metallic orb out of the cabinet and came closer to me.

"Wait. wait. wait. I’ve seen a similar orb before. What is this?", I asked, surprised.

A viscous liquid filled the orb, a mix of metal and liquid.

"Oh, you’ve run into one of these before? Yeah, probably when you were chatting with the Ulthar strategist. He said you’re quite the interesting character. This thing I’m holding is Nyctallum; we use it for all sorts of things.", he explained.

"Is there metal in there, or is it all liquid?" I asked, eager for some clarity.

"I will tell you in a second, but first, the test. SL, my friend, stands for Synaptic Luminescence. And this thing I’m waving around," he jiggled the orb containing the liquid, "essentially gauges the glow of those bio-organic compounds that handle the way your synapses interact in your brain to create pathways between your neurons."

I didn’t know when I became friends with this man. And I don’t know if I liked the idea of being able to measure intelligence.

IQ was controversial enough, and there were occasions where horrid selections have been made due to the tests done on humans.

After that, Therion positioned the orb above my head, and I sensed that the liquid, or whatever it was, began to interact with my brain in some way or another.

"So how will you know my result?", I asked.

"It’s a two-way interaction, the information is conveyed through my nerves into my brain as I hold the Nyctallum"

"So... how is it?"

He retrieved the Nyctallum and looked at me before saying, "It’s not bad at all. The score is tied to the frequency of the glow. It takes someone with experience to interpret it. Yours is 86."

"And how on earth am I supposed to know if that’s any good?" I inquired, my eyes following him as he returned the orb to its designated spot. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The Lord, who had been quietly seated on the sofa opposite me all this time, interjected, "Firstly, Max, you’re not on Earth."

"Haha, very funny", I said.

"And secondly, Max, an 86 is slightly below average on Coelus, the planet I hail from," the Lord added.

Holy shit, there was a lot to take in.

"Therion!" I called out.

"Yes, Max?"

"Could you give me a quick rundown on how that Nyctallum thing works? It’s piqued my interest."

"Absolutely, Max. The Nyctallum is our way of introducing the youth on Atar to quantum physics," he explained.

I wasn’t thrilled about being compared to a kid, but my thirst to learn was greater.

Therion introduced me to the Metallofluid Paradox, as he called it. It was something like the Schrödinger’s cat idea. The state as a metal and a liquid was not predetermined until observed or interacted with.

Although the act of observation would collapse this quantum superposition, the orb surrounding it acts as a quantum stability field, dampening the quantum fluctuations and interactions from the environment.

Finally, it not only protected the superposition but also created localized quantum coherence, which brought to life distinct quantum behaviors, patterns, and fluctuations that were used for various applications.

The Lord finally spoke, "Max, your presence is crucial. You can’t fathom how much we rely on you. Without your involvement, not only our cluster but possibly others as well will be at risk of starvation and will face the danger of peril. You need to make a decision..."

"Oh! So all of a sudden I have a choice?", I said.

"Yes. You do. The choice lies between accompanying me to Coelus, where, with the right schooling, you could advance your knowledge much more efficiently, or remaining here on Earth."

That seemed like a simple decision. Efficiency over everything else, right?

After a brief consideration, I stated firmly, "I choose to remain on Earth. "