To Live Again, For the First Time!

Chapter 96 - Phashi Country Pt II: (The Goal She Set...)

Emilin ate her own slice of pentachocolate brownie sundae cake while sipping on her sugary drink, of which each layer had a differing flavor. The smell was practically integrating into its surroundings as it wafted through the air. Anyone who just stood there would most likely drool, especially if they weren't given a taste.

Emilin was doing some basic research on what kind of personage 'Nosa' was and what kind of work he did on her laptop while occasionally diverting some of her attention to the cats around her as well as Xander if need be. 

The cats, which were supposed to hunger for food and rest were instead hungering for Emilin's affection.

Xander on the other hand had already finished his piece. He had long given up on the cats here, all of which ignored him for Emilin.

Xander was currently flipping through a pile of papers which extended from the ones on the table all the way to the ones on the extra seat to the side.

For the next hour or so, his expression while flipping through the papers contorted and morphed, from one of elation, shock, surprise, to one of disbelief and skepticism.

"Logically speaking this should theoretically be impossible. There shouldn't be any such thing on this planet with such properties," Xander rubbed his chin as he mumbled.

If anyone else had handed him these papers, there would no longer be any room for 'shouldn't', 'should', and 'logically speaking'.

Xander would think that the other party was shitting him.

Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud now.

Emilin lifted her head to check which part of the papers Xander was reading.

"Oh, you're already on sector 3 of internal injuries?" Emilin was quite surprised, it had only been a week, but the speed at which Xander started processing information was already beyond her original expectations.

She thought that he would only be able to finish one sector this week, but he was already on the third.

It wasn't that the sectors were particularly long, the theoretical principles being only about 2 pages each, but there were dozens of pages of examples and special circumstances as well as how to deal with them, why, and other descriptions.

They wouldn't be particularly useful in the small frame of things, but they still had to be internalized in the big picture.

It was similar to when you learned a language, and there is one specific 'rule' and then dozens of exceptions.

Just because they are exceptions, doesn't mean that you don't have to learn them since they won't be used for most words, you still have to learn it for your sentences to make sense.

Does that make sense?

The difficulties really lied in the complexity of these ideas and not in the memorizing of the facts, which was also why Emilin was rather surprised, but it was a happy surprise since it also meant that she could get rid of this little burden faster than anticipated.

"Such substances and creams currently don't exist anywhere on the face of this earth, which is also why there is the word 'theoretical' and 'hypothetically on all the papers, none of these things have been accomplished as of this moment."

Emilin explained crushing Xander's heart, in the process.

No matter how absurd these ideas sounded, his heart had still held the slim hope for the success of the projects written on these papers.

"But you should also come to understand that these are all projects that can be set into motion at any moment."

Xander's eyes widened in an instant.

"Do you mean it?" Xander couldn't hold his curiosity back, nor did he try very hard on the matter.

"Do I ever say anything I don't mean on such matters?" Emilin retorted.

The anticlimactic response didn't bother Xander.

"Then why haven't we started yet?"

Xander was already on the edge of his seat, leaning in on the coffee table.

"You have to understand now, all the substitute materials to start most of these projects are out of our reach, mostly unattainable, even with money."

"But there still isn't a lacking in projects that we could start with the resources we have, but in reality, they would only bring us more trouble than its worth."

Xander understood this notion since he had been thinking about it too.

"I'm letting you read these not because I want you to work on them, but rather to help you build a foundation," Emilin tapped her finger on the table regularly. There was no specific meaning to this tapping, just, supposedly a habit.

"Foundation?" Xander was dumbfounded.

'Who the hell has this kind of foundation?'

These were files of paper centuries ahead of their times, yet this was but foundational work?

"It is indeed foundation, but don't expect me to give you anything more complicated even after you finish these. When you finish, your job will be to reverse engineer what you have learned."

Xander suddenly frowned a little, not due to the work he would have to do, but rather something else.

He felt like he would have to properly cherish this learning opportunity seeing as after he finished, there would be no more. It was quite disappointing. At the same time, some more thoughts popped into his head. 

"Does that mean..."

Xander's thoughts couldn't help but wonder. Even reverse engineering at a snail's pace with such a foundation could bring would bring more advancements than 10 years of research with their current information and technology.

"Yes, I want you to lead the development of the medical world in the future, but nothing too excessive," Emilin finally revealed her intentions seeing as Xander had caught on to something.

'But there are just too many things wrong with that sentence...'

'Nothing too excessive?'

'Lead the development of the medical world?'

These two seemingly contradictory ideas didn't seem to clash when they came from Emilin.

Seeing Xander's confused expression, Emilin didn't linger on the subject.

"Don't think too much about it right now."

"Just take this time to familiarize yourself with this material first."

Xander nodded and dove headfirst back to the material. They had developed an efficient system in which Xander would do his best not to ask any questions unless necessary in efforts to develop more independent learning skills.

That and so to not bother Emilin more than he already was.

As for Emilin, even though she still wanted to practice and she didn't really mind the talking (a message not conveyed to Xander), she also liked having some of her own time to work on her matters, so she didn't bother too much.

The cats were keeping her company as she did her research.

It was also around this time that the internet exploded with shocking news.

The trending topics as of that moment were as followed.

"Playboy Owen Zekan Turns a New Page?"

"Serious Businessman Mr. Zekan VS. Playboy Owen: Which One is The Real Him? Or Are They Both Real?"

"Who is This Man on The Cover of The Business Magazine?"

"Mr. Nosa Strikes Again."

The first three trending topics in the news at the moment are mostly about the famous businessman Owen Zekan, son of even more famous businesswoman Ainsel Zekan (last name obtained after marriage), both of whom worked in the fashion industry.

And at the end of the list of trending topics, there was a name that was unfamiliar to the laymen and general public, but even so, was pushed up to the number 4 trending news by the people who paid enough attention to care.

That was already quite a feat in itself.

It was also the topic that popped out to Emilin the most.

Emilin clicked to open the online magazine which redirected her straight to the front page which was now trending.

Emilin's eyes widened a little.

There was a hint of admiration and shock, but it was not for the handsome youth on the front cover, but rather an admiration for the expertise taken in order to perfect such an angle as well as a shock due to the clarity of the photo.

Even if Emilin's standards were quite low due to personal skills, she still knew when to compare and when to stop the birth of self-deprecation.

This was miles away from any one of the photos she had ever taken, in fact, it wouldn't be an overstatement to say that they were really worlds apart.

Mason's shot focused on the model's sharp jawline which blended and emphasized his deep eyes and tall nose. His height was indiscernible as the shot was not a full-body one, yet from this angle paired with his serious facial expression of a hardworking serious businessman, he looked mountains tall and incredibly reliable.

It didn't matter what kind of person he truly was, Emilin felt like anyone who looked at this would have an instantly good impression of him.

She just felt this aura of calm rage, yet sturdiness and determination emitting from this screen. And she wouldn't be wrong if she were to say that those were most likely the emotions Owen had been feeling when this shot was taken.

It gave people the mirage that this was how he usually was, when in reality, that fierce determination, was in fact that determination that Owen had felt when he solidified his will to leave.

And Mason had captured that moment perfectly while impeccably putting that shot into another context in the business magazine, which then extended to the celebrity magazine after becoming a hot topic.

The point was, it didn't matter just what kind of model was used for this photo, the skills were there, and they were undeniable.

This was what Emilin was striving for, what she wanted to strive to become.

Emilin had now set a goal for herself.