Seeing Angelo’s expression, Henry’s group observed the other monks’ faces.
As soon as the words ‘Challenge Record’ were mentioned, their faces lit up, and their eyes showed strong determination.
“Hmm…”
“Brother Giovanni, what exactly is this Challenge Record?”
At Giovanni’s question, Brother Giovanni answered.
“It’s a collection of many difficult problems encountered during various research at the institute and Area 51. When these challenges are solved, the solutions are recorded in the Response Record. The wish of everyone working at the research institute and Area 51 is to have their name recorded in either the Challenge or Response Record. This symbolizes being one step ahead of others. Without being ahead of others, one cannot find new challenges or their solutions.”
“What is Area 51?”
“It can be considered the Crown Prince’s direct workshop. But it’s not just a simple workshop. What exists only as numbers and letters in the research institute becomes tangible objects that everyone can see in Area 51. The steam engines you rode here and the steam engines themselves were all created in Area 51.”
At Brother Giovanni’s response, Henry’s group’s eyes gleamed with greed.
“If we wished to inspect that place, would it be possible to enter?”
Angelo shook his head at Giovanni’s question.
“Even Joseon officials cannot enter Area 51 without a permit.”
Henry’s group couldn’t hide their disappointment at Angelo’s response. However, Giovanni, unwilling to give up easily, continued his questions.
“Then can we obtain the Challenge and Response Records?”
“Impossible. When new challenges are registered in the Challenge Record or solutions are recorded in the Response Record, the details are posted on the bulletin board. We can only see the list of challenges in the Challenge Record. If we request to study a specific challenge from that list, the officials managing the records will copy just that portion for us. Very few have seen the original Challenge and Response Records.”
“Couldn’t one complete the Challenge Record by collecting all these copies?”
“They keep records of who requested what copies. Such petty tricks won’t work.”
“Sigh…”
Frustrated by the continued negative responses, Giovanni let out a long sigh.
To soothe his frustration, Giovanni emptied his cup several times before asking Angelo again.
“You truly won’t return to Florence?”
“I’ve already answered that question, haven’t I?”
“Y-yes. sigh…”
Giovanni sighed again at Angelo’s response.
We could force it with Vatican power. But the moment they return, predators would descend from all directions. There are such predators right beside us now.
Both Henry and Mehmet II sitting nearby were watching the monks with eyes full of greed.
Then Mehmet II bared his teeth.
“Then let me make a proposal. If returning to Italy is the problem, how about coming to me? I’ll provide all the facilities and personnel you need. Need a research institute and Area 51? I’ll build them exactly the same. Want wealth and women? I’ll provide those too. You can just continue your research as you do here. I have only one condition: break your precepts. Of course, I’m not asking you to abandon your faith. Just shed your monastic shell. If you’re not monks, you’re free from the bonds of proselytizing, aren’t you? Then you wouldn’t be breaking your promise to Joseon’s prince either, right? What do you say?”
Henry and Giovanni looked at Mehmet II with eyes full of surprise and concern.
They were amazed at such a bold proposal made in their presence and at his grand gesture of offering to build replicas of the research institute and Area 51, and worried that the monks might be tempted by these conditions.
“Well?”
At Mehmet II’s urging, Angelo asked him.
“Can you truly provide everything?”
“I swear by Allah’s name.”
“Can you give us thirty years?”
Mehmet II hesitated briefly at Angelo’s question but nodded firmly.
“Thirty years… I’ll wait.”
“No, I’m not talking about the next thirty years, but the past thirty.”
“Are you playing word games with me!”
Though Mehmet II shouted angrily, Angelo responded calmly.
“I’ve heard it’s been nearly thirty years since Joseon’s prince established the research institute and Area 51. Can you provide all the knowledge and technology accumulated during that time, along with the scholars and craftsmen who researched them? We sitting here only know a portion of what has accumulated. But what you seek from us is everything built up over that long period.”
“Ah…”
Mehmet II’s expression showed he’d been caught off guard by Angelo’s response. However, he didn’t back down easily.
I must have these men! Otherwise, we’ll forever be trailing behind Joseon!
“Couldn’t you achieve some results with just yourselves? No, if needed, I’ll provide everything necessary to bring along Joseon people who can help you too! Just say the word! If necessary, I’ll give you enough gold to fill this entire room!”
“If you speak of Joseon people who can help, we’d need the Joseon royal family, no, Joseon’s Crown Prince. He established and led the research institute and Area 51, and nearly eighty percent of the challenges in the Challenge Record came from his insights.”
Mehmet II shook his head at Angelo’s response.
“A perfect rejection. What about the others?”
Though he asked with a faint hope, the young monks’ expressions matched Angelo’s.
Seeing the monks’ expressions, Henry’s group had to wave the white flag.
***
“Since it seems our business is concluded, we shall take our leave.”
Shortly after, the monks left the gisaeng house. Neither the departing monks nor Henry’s group who saw them off wore pleasant expressions.
For the monks, what should have been a simple courtesy visit had turned into an outright attempt at persuasion, making it an unpleasant situation. For Henry’s group, besides the displeasure brought by the monks’ strong rejection, they felt uncomfortable having glimpsed Joseon’s hidden strength.
After seeing the monks off, Henry returned to his seat, emptied his cup, and sighed.
“Sigh… True to their calling as monks, so inflexible…”
Giovanni shook his head at Henry’s words.
“It’s not just inflexibility—where else could they research so comfortably?”
Henry nodded at Giovanni’s observation, while Mehmet II grumbled.
“Please exclude Islam from that statement.”
Henry and Giovanni scoffed at Mehmet II’s words.
“Hah! You think we don’t hear such things too?”
As Henry and Giovanni suggested, Islamic science had greatly declined during this period. In the early days of Islamic civilization, science and learning flourished as various cultures—Persian, Indian, Greek, and Roman—mixed together. However, as time passed and Islamic culture became more uniform, it lost its diversity and openness, leading to the regression of learning and science.
As a result, the scientific level of Islamic nations had become roughly equivalent to Europe’s.
After trading these barbs, Henry’s group continued their complaints over drinks.
“Joseon’s current dominance isn’t a good situation.”
“I agree. But there’s no clear solution. No solution…”
“There is a solution. If we send exchange students…”
Henry stopped mid-sentence about ‘exchange students’ and shook his head.
“No, that won’t work. The Vatican would cause an uproar immediately.”
“The same goes for Islam. The Imams (إمام) would create chaos…”
As Mehmet II’s complaints continued, the group emptied cup after cup.
Giovanni reached the final conclusion.
“In the end, absolute victory in this war is our only answer.”
“Victory is the answer?”
“We must win the war, secure the passage, and then whether by railway or canal, make those fools see Joseon’s true nature. Make them realize they’re in the same position as the barbarian tribes who encountered the Roman Empire. Only then can we silence all this nonsense about heresy.”
“Indeed…”
“That must be the answer.”
The three reached the conclusion that ‘only victory would be the ultimate solution.’
***
Meanwhile, through the interpreter’s eavesdropping, the content of the conversation between the three men and the monks was conveyed to King Sejong and Hyang.
“What do you think?”
At Sejong’s question, the ministers’ eyes and ears focused on Hyang.
After brief consideration, Hyang shared his thoughts with Sejong.
“If they win the war, we should accept exchange students.”
“Exchange students?”
“Yes.”
Hwang Hui cautiously asked about Hyang’s response.
“We risk losing the essence of the research institute and Area 51.”
“We should share enough for them to reach a certain level, if not the highest standards.”
“What is your reasoning?”
Hyang explained his reasons to Sejong’s question.
“They deeply realize that Joseon is ahead and are trying to catch up. But in the current situation, that’s impossible. If this continues, it will breed envy, and that envy will turn to hatred. In national diplomacy, isn’t there nothing more foolish than multiplying enemies?”
Just like that self-proclaimed great power in the 21st century.
Though Sejong nodded at Hyang’s words, he didn’t forget to point out the problem.
“But no matter how we try to prevent it, the essence might leak out.”
“I believe we should regulate that appropriately. We need competition. Monopoly breeds arrogance, arrogance leads to conceit, and conceit leads to regression.”
“You mean to deliberately create competitors? Isn’t that too dangerous?”
“We already have two competitors—Ming and Japan. Then we should create a situation with multiple competitors. This way, we can not only let them wear each other down but also continue to stimulate ourselves—it’s a good strategy.”
We must avoid becoming a Galapagos Korea if we’re not careful.
“Hmm…”
As Sejong pondered Hyang’s explanation, Hwang Hui stepped forward with a counterargument.
“Your Highness’s words are truly beautiful but too idealistic. What you speak of isn’t about the next 10-20 years, but spans at least 100-200 years. If our descendants don’t understand Your Highness’s intentions, they could suffer greatly.”
Hyang responded firmly to Hwang Hui’s point.
“Of course, that’s possible. But even at such risk, competition is essential. History’s cruelty shows that without constantly training oneself while watching one’s surroundings, a nation ultimately heads toward destruction. In this cruel world of survival of the fittest and winner takes all, shouldn’t we use every method available for our Joseon, no, the Great Han Empire to survive? That way, we won’t hear future generations cursing their ancestors, right? Rather, we should say this—you there, historians and scribes.”
“Yes?”
Calling to the historians and scribes, Hyang spoke in one breath.
“Record exactly what I say now: ‘We did our best for future generations. If things go wrong, it’s because you were foolish, not our fault.'”
At Hyang’s bold statement, the historians and scribes all looked to Sejong.
While it was their duty to record every word spoken in this place without omission, Hyang’s words had crossed a line.
Receiving the silent question from the historians and scribes, Sejong answered with his hand on his forehead.
“Record it exactly as spoken.”
At Sejong’s command, the historians and scribes busily moved their golden brushes.