During this period, the Empire was truly a symbol of vitality.

In both the mainland and New Frontier of the Empire, everyone was busily moving to realize all manner of creative ideas, delusions, and fantasies—symbolized by Hyang’s cheat-like abilities, Wan and Hyeon, and the many craftsmen and scholars.

The driving force that made others besides the cheat-key Hyang so active was the Record of Challenges.

Particularly, as the contents of the Record of Challenges were publicly disclosed up to an appropriate level, not only the Empire’s craftsmen and merchants but also scholarly officials living in retirement who were skilled in miscellaneous learning began taking on challenges.

The fields that scholarly officials challenged were mainly chemistry, mathematics, and physics.

“Isn’t it truly ‘the virtue of a gentleman’ to find and unravel the principles of the world so that those who don’t know may understand!”

Driven by the desire to make their names widely known by solving problems listed in the Record of Challenges, the scholarly officials devoted themselves to research.

The area these scholarly officials focused on most was mathematics.

Mathematics was not an unfamiliar discipline to scholarly officials.

Their familiarity with mathematics stemmed from economic issues. For scholarly officials lacking financial flexibility, mathematics was the optimal pastime.

As a result, there were surprisingly many hidden masters in mathematics, and these masters began challenging themselves to solve problems recorded in the Record of Challenges.

While most scholarly officials who challenged the Record did so for honor, most craftsmen and merchants had economic reasons.

This was because stories abounded of those who had become overnight millionaires with surprisingly simple devices, like those who swept up money with rakes from items coming out of Area 51 and the Imperial Workshop, starting with the iron horses, or those who made wire mesh.

Whenever they heard stories of such overnight millionaires, craftsmen and merchants would lament while emptying their cups at taverns.

***

Here, blacksmith Park, who was pouring drinks in a back alley on the outskirts of Seoul, was a similar case.

“What makes me inferior to those bastards! My handiwork is pretty damn good too!”

“Your hands are skilled, but your head’s empty…”

“You little shit! And I call you a friend…”

“That’s why I’m saying this because we’re friends…”

“Ugh~.”

Seeing Park pounding his chest in frustration and downing more drinks, his drinking companion offered an alternative.

“Instead of that, why don’t you look through the Record of Challenges?”

“Huh? Record of Challenges? Isn’t that something only people attending the Technical Academy or Engineering Institute can see?”

“Anyone who wants can go see it at the Technical Academy or Engineering Institute, or you can buy it at a bookstore.”

At his friend’s explanation, Park’s expression became serious. The cup in his hand and the effects of alcohol had already disappeared far away.

“Aren’t the difficult problems in the Record of Challenges something only educated people can solve?”

“Well, you have to choose the right sections in the Record. Not the academic fields full of unfamiliar characters, but look at the technical fields. Park, what you’re good at is alloys, right? There should be something about alloys too?”

“Hmm…”

At his friend’s words, Park stroked his sparse beard and fell into contemplation. Seeing Park like this, his friend continued fanning the flames.

“My friend, think about it. Yes, like you said, your handiwork doesn’t fall behind anywhere.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“But your head is the problem.”

“Hey!”

“Did I say something wrong? But that Record of Challenges can substitute for your head, can’t it? Then the problem’s solved!”

“Hmm… They sell it at the bookstore down there?”

“Yes!”

At his friend’s answer, Park’s expression became peculiar.

“That bookstore, isn’t that your shop? Don’t tell me…”

“Come on! Even without you, the Record of Challenges is the best-selling book! I just recommended it because we’ve been neighbors since childhood and went to school together! If you’re going to think like that, forget it!”

At his friend’s reaction, Park waved his hands in denial.

“No, no, that’s not it. I’ll come to your shop tomorrow.”

“Good, I’ll pick out some Records of Challenges in fields that might interest you.”

“Please do.”

The next day, when Park visited his friend’s bookstore, he carefully read through the Records of Challenges his friend had selected.

After examining the Records for several days, forgetting even to eat, Park finally chose one book.

“I’ll buy this one. Several things in here caught my interest, but I need to look more closely.”

“Indeed.”

A month later, Park sought out his friend.

“I found something I can do! It’s related to alloy steel, and this looks doable!”

“Really? Hmm…”

At Park’s confident expression, this time his friend’s expression became peculiar. Seeing his friend’s expression, Park expressed his puzzlement.

“Why the long face? Is there a problem?”

“You’re really confident about this?”

“I told you I’m confident!”

“It’s not that I don’t know your skills, but hmm…”

After pondering something, his friend asked Park again.

“It’ll cost some money to solve the problem you’re challenging, right?”

“It’ll cost quite a bit to get the iron materials and other minerals.”

“Hmm…”

At Park’s words, his friend’s expression became even more serious. After keeping his mouth shut and pondering for a long while, his friend looked at Park with a determined expression.

“Let’s go into business together!”

“Business?”

“Yes! I’ll cover the material costs! In return, when you succeed later and register the intellectual property, and it sells well, we’ll split the profits. What do you say?”

After briefly considering his friend’s proposal, Park soon nodded.

“Material costs were indeed a problem, so let’s do it together!”

“Then let’s go to the Imperial Office and write up a contract!”

Thus, the two men drew up a contract, and Park began his challenge of the Record.

Afterward, Park’s friend had to endure all sorts of nagging from both Park’s wife and his own.

“Why did you put ideas in the head of someone who was living just fine and create this mess! Why are you shaking the foundation of someone else’s household!”

“You damn troublemaker! As if I’m not struggling enough! We can barely make ends meet and you’re talking about investment? Investment! I can’t live like this anymore! Today, either you die or I die!”

Despite receiving such scolding, the two men stubbornly continued their challenge.

***

With the public release of the Record of Challenges, cases like blacksmith Park and his friend became common.

“I may lack brains, but do I lack skill?”

Speaking like this, many craftsmen purchased the Record of Challenges to find something they could handle.

As craftsmen moved, merchants moved too.

When rumors spread that someone among the craftsmen belonging to trading companies or living in the neighborhood was challenging the Record, merchants immediately reacted.

Merchants investigated the craftsmen in question and their surroundings.

After finding out what kind of craftsmen they originally were, their skill level, and what they were challenging, merchants seriously decided whether to invest.

And once investment was decided, they moved quickly.

“We grab them before other bastards get their hands on them!”

“Even if only one out of ten hits properly, it’ll be a success for the history books!”

Aiming for the jackpot, merchants and craftsmen moved with their utmost effort.

However, not all craftsmen benefited from riding this trend.

“This is delusional!”

“There have been things we thought impossible that turned out to be possible! But this goes too far! This is delusion!”

There were quite a few craftsmen and scholars who were pushed out of investment opportunities while receiving such evaluations.

“Is it really so…”

Having received reports through various channels since ascending to the throne, Wan fell into contemplation.

This was because Wan had grown up watching someone right beside him who had actually created things that everyone else said were “impossible” or “delusional.”

“Indeed, it must be ‘the one who tied the knot must untie it’…”

After much deliberation, Wan muttered this and sent a letter to Hyang.

“The one who tied the knot must untie it…”

Receiving the letter Wan sent, Hyang smiled bitterly.

“That’s not wrong…”

Considering all the things he had stirred up until now, he couldn’t argue even if called the “prime culprit.”

Eventually, Hyang and Wan created a new system.

• Those who have ideas about new concepts or devices but face difficult circumstances should come to the court!
• The Emperor and court will separate wheat from chaff, and what we consider wheat, the court will support.
• However, we will accept applications once every three years.

They had created a kind of competition.

In later years, this event would earn nicknames like “The World’s Greatest Delusion Contest” or “The event that proves genius ideas and creative delusions are separated by a sheet of paper.”

Those placing their last hope on the proclamation issued in the Emperor’s name rushed to government offices.

And the officials at the offices made bitter faces and spat curses.

“Goddamn it! His Majesty has created more work again!”

“What are the higher-ups doing! They should have stopped His Majesty!”

While spitting such curses, the officials who received the proposals only recorded personal information before immediately sending them to Seoul.

It was their own small revenge.

“Hah~.”

Looking at the mountain of proposals with an incredulous expression, Wan soon made a decision.

“Pack them as they are and send them to the New Frontier.”

“Your Majesty?”

“His Majesty the Senior Emperor possesses exceptional insight, so he will surely select good gems.”

At Wan’s words, the eunuch pondered briefly, looked around, then quietly said:

“Your Majesty, His Majesty the Senior Emperor won’t stay quiet about this.”

“Isn’t he someone who particularly likes ingenious things?”

“Your Majesty, to speak frankly, the future consequences…”

“Let’s think about that when the time comes.”

“…I receive your command.”

Receiving the problematic proposals through regular mail, Hyang let out a hollow laugh.

“Hehehe…”

Along with the proposals that filled an entire train car, Wan’s letter contained this message:

• With my limited intellect, I cannot determine whether these are delusions or good ideas.
• As Your Majesty has always been ahead of the times, you will surely be able to separate wheat from chaff.

“Simply put, he’s passing the buck.”

Understanding the hidden meaning in the letter, Hyang wore a sardonic smile.

“This kid has grown quite a bit?”

***

Through the last regular mail of that year, Hyang’s response arrived.

• These are worth pondering even if they require time and funding.
• And those I’ve marked separately, I recommend adding to the Record of Challenges.
• Considering the volume and weight of duties the Emperor handles in the mainland, I believe it’s appropriate for the Senior Emperor to handle the evaluation and classification of such proposals. Therefore, I wish to establish this as law.

Reading up to here, the ministers exclaimed in unison:

“Truly a most appropriate proposal!”

“It is right to establish this as law!”

“That may be so…”

But Wan’s expression wasn’t particularly good.

This was because of what Hyang had written about this matter in a personal letter.

• You don’t have many days left before coming to the New Frontier, do you?

When that law began operating properly, the one working in the New Frontier would be Wan.

The problem was there was almost no justification to refuse this law.

Even though there was much work in the New Frontier, it was still somewhat less compared to the mainland.

“Haah~.”

Watching Wan sigh while recalling the letter’s contents, the eunuch shook his head slightly.

‘That’s why I tried so hard to stop you…’