Part 6: Just Numbers

The sight in front of them seemed much like it always did.
The salty breeze and the grains of sand carried by it.
Two figures strolled hand in hand.
No one cared about the children sneaking away from the congregation. They just had to be careful to avoid getting caught.
Sophia: Wow, this place is so beautiful and wide. It’s much bigger than my yard back home!
Sophia: Have you ever played hopscotch?
Sophia pointed towards several lines drawn in the sand with shells.
Together, the lines formed clumsy squares.
Sophia: Jump from here to there, but don't step on the lines or squash the shells.
Sophia: I used to play this game before I came to the island. It's different from hide-and-seek; you can play it alone too ...
37: That sounds fun!
37: But I can't understand the meaning of the lines ...  They don't form a pattern I can recognize.
37: Maybe I need more time to understand their meaning.
37 playfully kicked up some sand, twirling around.
37: Why do we only jump on the squares?
37: Adding a nine-point circle to this game would be nice!
37: Four inscribed circles, twelve tangential circles—it'd be amazing if you only jumped from the points ...
She shared her thoughts, trying to convey what she saw in her mind's eye.
Her tone grew earnest and persistent, trying to illustrate the things she imagined.
Yet, it was like endlessly picking up shiny pebbles on the beach ...
... just like today.
37: 210 always tries to make simple things complicated. Hugh just wanted us to finish the game's problems—
37: Well? Of course, the scripture say: "One who does not divide the problem into three parts cannot achieve true wisdom."
37: But that's no reason to propose three-player matches!
The present scene intertwined seamlessly with past memories, unaffected by time.
Sophia: Ha-ha!
The girl's rare smile piqued her companion's curiosity and she came over.
37: Sophia, what's on your mind?
37: What's made you so happy?
Sophia: I was thinking, since the "Emanation", we've hardly ever gathered together like this.
Sophia: 6 became 6, you've taken over your mother's research, and 210 is always so busy with his proofs and fraternizing.
Sophia: Even discussions like the one we just had happen so rarely now.
Sophia: Yet after all this time, you remain so resolute.
Sophia: It's like you never changed.
37: Hmph! Maybe you haven't noticed, but I have changed.
Raising her hand high, 37 gestured from the ground to her head.
37: I've grown taller than before.
37: And my hair's longer and harder to manage now.
37: It takes much longer for you to comb it.
Sophia: Not these surface-level changes, 37 ...
37: Oh, then I’m not quite sure what you mean.
37: Never mind that—I need your help, Sophia!
37: We're down to the last two questions, just a stone's throw from the answer.
37: I was hoping we could finish it together.

Closing her notebook, 37 felt every detail course through her body.
The result was clear; from the beginning, everyone could see the number laid bare on the paper.
37: 6333434533.
A composite number divisible by 41, its largest prime factor was 154474013.
If you saw it as a sequence, it was a simple combination of 3, 4, 5, and 6. 3 appeared 6 times, 4 appeared twice, while 5 and 6 appeared once each.
37: Whether you look at it as a number or a sequence, it still feels like something is missing ...
37: Hugh's annotated shapes must hold the key.
37: I just haven't figured out what those little points mean yet.
37 pointed to an ink blotch on the notebook directly under a hexagon.
210: It's just an accidental smear.
37: But look, there’s the same mark below this question later on too.
210: Sometimes, for convenience, they put a dot over repeating decimals in infinite series.
210: That dot's above, but this one's below—perhaps Sophia's father thought 6 had its limitations?
37: That makes no sense, it can't be.
210: Having a sense of humor every now and then wouldn't hurt.
He shrugged, pretending indifference to 37's rebuttal.
37: I admit I overcomplicated Hugh's marks at first.
37: There are so many possible attributes that they easily steered my thinking in the wrong direction ...
210: Remember what you said to me earlier: "Don't complicate simple things."
210: Maybe there's no deep meaning in these symbols—maybe you've just made it complex.
37: No, absolutely not! Hugh didn't leave these marks at random.
37: Look, only the questions whose answer is the number 3 have this kind of pattern.
37: It's a small puzzle related to the number of triangles.
Sophia: My father did love geometric shapes. I think 37 might be onto something.
Feeling supported, 37 confidently continued.
37: I thought if I experienced the game firsthand, I'd understand the meaning behind these marks and sequences ...
37: But I still don't get it.
37: There's something missing here, and it's because I don't understand Hugh well enough. If I were Sophia—
210: Oh, so the conclusion is there's no secret to this game after all?
210: In that case, it looks like I've won.
37: Don't be so hasty, 210!
37: The scripture say the learned remain silent. They listen attentively and take others' words seriously.
37: So perhaps you will show yourself to be a proper learned scholar and let me finish without interruption?!
210: The teachings also exhort us to listen to the sound of the wind.
210: They demand that we earnestly listen to everything to expand our thinking—Have you considered that I too am a part of "everything"?
210: Think about your argument—simple games can hold the most beautiful wisdom.
210: Yet now you realize that this wisdom eludes you because you don't understand Hugh well enough.
210: Can't you see, 37? I don't even need to knock your castle down; it's already a puddle of quicksand.
210 sarcastically shook his head implying that the conclusion was self-evident.
Unyielding, 37 crossed her arms.
37: More meaningless rhetoric!
210: Calm down and let me explain.
210: The beauty of wisdom should apply to everyone, yet you want to uncover truths through personal relationships.
210: Maybe this sequence indeed holds meaning, but perhaps it's just a personal note Hugh gave to his daughter. After all, it's not a collection of axioms; it's a personal notebook.
210: These numbers might only hold meaning for Hugh and Sophia. But what use do you have for them?
210: The scripture also says: "Do not easily extend your right hand to others." In other words, one should attend to their own affairs.
210: Yet, the Star of Hermes eagerly takes away others' proofs and treats them as her playthings.
210: Aren’t the materials left by your mother enough to pass the time?
210's mockery was evident in his words.
But his opponent remained steadfast.
37: No, the teachings mean that we shouldn't easily impart wisdom and knowledge to those who don't appreciate it. You've twisted its meaning!
37: Once you enter the temple, you cannot turn back. In the pursuit of truth, insufficient knowledge is worse than total ignorance.
37: Since I've begun exploring this, how can I stop halfway?
37: And the meaning of numbers isn't determined by anyone! They exist, unrelated to time, space, or who we are.
37: They're not someone's property!
37: If none of us know the sequence, how can we assert its nature?
The conversation veered again towards an endless back and forth.
Sophia: Oh no ...
The Corrector felt torn, caught between the two.
Mediating disputes was her strength, but this seemed despite their emotions, to be a well-reasoned debate.
Maybe she should leave them to exhaust the truth, it aligned more with their scholarly approach.
As she pondered this, 37 suddenly turned to her.
37: In that case, let Sophia be the judge!
37: Uncover the secrets in the notebook and see who's right.
210: I agree, let the Corrector determine the truth!
Sophia: ... Oh, so this is how it's going to be?
She sighed, regretting her momentary hesitation.
It would be too difficult to refuse the expectant gazes of her friends.
Sophia: Fine, I'll make the judgement.
Sophia: First, let me go over the game properly ...