The hall is silent as the researchers listen intently.
Windsong takes a sip of water before speaking.
Windsong: By now, perhaps you have your answer to my question.
Windsong: When it comes to a school of thought, who do you need more—those that get the work done or the ones that make it popular?
A shiny metal arm sticks out from the audience.
Windsong: Yes, the comrade in the back.
Researcher III: The root of the problem in your story seems clear.
Researcher III: The decline of the study of ley lines was caused by those who exploited it for personal gain.
Researcher III: So the people you need more are those who truly care about the subject.
The answer is quickly refuted.
Researcher VI: But the study of ley lines always lacked a proper barrier to entry. The composition of researchers was quite diverse and rather loosely defined.
Researcher III: Had there been no one to actively publicize it—those people who worked to build its respectability—hardly anyone would've taken it seriously in the first place.
Researcher V: "Those people"? It was Lisov alone who made the subject famous. I heard he was even invited to teach in some other countries.
More and more people join the discussion. Windsong has to raise a hand to return order to the room.
Windsong: Thank you, thank you all.
Windsong: I understand where each of you is coming from, but my answer differs slightly from yours.
Windsong: Before the session started, a pair of comrades came up to me and asked two questions: "Why are you still working on ley lines?" and, "What made you stay?"
Windsong: What is the study of ley lines, exactly? Is it a science or an arcane subject?
She types the words "science" and "arcanum" on the screen.
Windsong: Today, most of it has been buried in the sand.
Windsong: People can only conjure a vague image of it through stories or records.
Windsong: So, is it a science? Sadly, there's no doubt it's under the category of arcanum.
Windsong: To many people, ley lines are not even an objective phenomenon, nor are they consistently verifiable.
Windsong: Many theories regarding ley lines can't even be cross-examined using scientific methods.
She shakes her head ruefully.
Windsong: Yet its arcane nature is not a sin or the reason for its decline.
Windsong: No, it was undermined by the high hopes that people held for it. They wanted it to be the ultimate solution—the answer to all their questions. It was doomed to disappoint them.
Windsong: It had its heyday—it even flourished. Many believed it to be the path to our next great advancement.
Windsong: Until the dream was shattered by the cold reality.
Windsong: It's an arcane subject with a very narrow application. It could never stand on its own two legs as a specialized field of study.
Windsong: People abandoned it because it didn't offer the solution they sought.
Windsong: It had drawn too much attention it didn't deserve in academia.
She sees a few nodding heads in the audience.
Windsong: But I think every researcher, no matter their field, is an explorer, wandering wherever the truth may lie.
Windsong: We could go in the wrong direction, get lost in the wild, and start all over again.
Windsong: This is the point we're at with the study of ley lines.
Windsong: This time, I hope to find a new path for it. It may be rough, muddy, and full of danger, but we must take the first step.
Windsong: There have been many breakthroughs and advancements in the last few years, and I sincerely congratulate you all on these achievements.
Windsong: And I always hoped you would think of this path whenever a mountain stood in your way.
Windsong: Perhaps it could be a detour, leading you to the destination.
Windsong: This is why I'm still here, as the last ley hunter.
Windsong looks at the first researcher.
Windsong: Let's go back to my question. When it comes to a school of thought, who do you need more—those that get the work done or the ones that make it popular?
Windsong: The truth is, I think neither of them are that important.
Windsong: But Sofia made me realize that the only way to keep the subject alive is to let people see it for what it truly is—to understand it and acknowledge it.
Windsong: Networking and connection-making won't keep the subject alive, and if we only focus on writing academic papers, we'll soon find ourselves in financial trouble.
Windsong: For now, they're both unimportant to the study of ley lines.
She pauses, giving the audience a moment to process the information.
Windsong: No, what it really needs is a genius, one that can extend the path and bring our study to another level, so people can see its true value.
Windsong: Like Newton to physics, Einstein to relativism, Watson to biology.
Windsong: Maybe the genius we need is among us in this very room.
Windsong: This is the other reason why I stay in this field.
Windsong: I hope that people will learn about ley lines from the reports I've written and the projects I've participated in.
Windsong: I will keep walking this path.
Windsong: And I hope to see you all along the way.
Windsong: That concludes my lecture. Thank you.
She bows to her audience.
"Clap, clap ..."
At first, there are just a few scattered claps. But the applause quickly turns thunderous.
Administrative Staff: Ms. Windsong, please wait here. Madam Lucy will join you in a moment.
Windsong: Sure.
The staff member puts down a bottle of water and leaves. Windsong looks around the empty office.
Windsong: Never thought a lecture could be so tiring.
She pulls over a chair and sits by the window.
At times like these, she finds herself thinking of Rayashki ...
... the people who embraced the study of ley lines from the beginning, and the people who saw her as family.
Windsong: To think that a "Storm" could take away a world. It's almost too absurd to be true.
There are strange footsteps coming from the hallway. Windsong looks toward the door.
"Knock-knock."
Without waiting for an answer, the door is opened.
Lucy: Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Windsong.
As soon as she enters the room, Lucy plugs herself into the power socket.
Windsong: Madam Lucy, thank you so much for inviting me here to give the lecture.
Lucy: The pleasure is ours. I believe you have many questions to ask, including about the "Storm" in Rayashki.
Windsong: Yes, ma'am.
Her face turns serious.
Windsong: What exactly happened to Rayashki and its people?
Lucy: It was not just Rayashki. The entire world has been wiped out by the "Storm."
Lucy: To put it simply, the world they lived in has been reversed to a time before its existence.
Lucy: Would you feel better if I put it this way, Ms. Windsong?
Windsong: If I made it sound like we still have a chance to undo all this?
Lucy: It is true that we may have found a way to stop it from happening again.
Lucy: We have people here using every ounce of their knowledge and every means possible to find a way to end the occurrence of the "Storm."
Lucy: That is also the purpose of Laplace.
Lucy: We need your knowledge, Ms. Windsong. We need your help to end the "Storm."
Windsong: To end the "Storm"?
Her voice carries a bitter amusement.
Lucy: Your heart rate and body temperature indicate that you are having an emotional reaction. Are you angry, Ms. Windsong?
Windsong: I missed my only chance to save my friends.
Lucy: That was not your only chance, Ms. Windsong. I am not asking you to end it yourself. I am only requesting a ley line report on it.
Lucy: More "Storms" will come, and we need you to help us see them clearly.
Lucy: We will eventually find a way out of the "Storm."
Lucy: And when that time comes, we will find the person with the means to end it.
Windsong unclenches her fists.
Lucy: That is why I am inviting you to join Laplace. We need your expertise to improve our chances of putting an end to these tragedies.
Lucy: Laplace will fund your project. More people will hear about ley lines, the stories behind them, and also the story of you, Ms. Windsong, the last ley hunter.
Lucy: We cannot change the past, but we can decide the future.
Lucy: The future. It is such a beautiful word in humans' eyes, and they attach to it the most wonderful fantasies.
Lucy: It will not be easy to have the future of the study of ley lines resting on your shoulders.
A light flickers across the slit on her face.
Lucy: However, you have done an exemplary job so far, Ms. Windsong.
Windsong: ...
Windsong hears the ring of a telephone. An echo in her mind.
She takes a step forward and extends a hand.
Windsong: I accept your invitation.
She smiles, looking into what she believes to be the robot's eyes.
Windsong: I look forward to working with you, Comrade Lucy.
