The content that made Hyang freeze filled almost a third of Volume 6 of the Miscellaneous Thoughts Record.
Roughly summarized, the content was as follows:
—When you look at an adult’s appearance, it’s difficult to find traces of their childhood. Of course, some things like moles or ear shapes never change throughout life, but other features change greatly over time.
—Is this limited to humans alone? Beasts as well as insects are the same.
—This change is most evident when observing the growth of insects, frogs, and fish. Looking at caterpillars crawling on ground and trees, gnawing on leaves, can you imagine them becoming winged butterflies or moths?
Looking at tadpoles swimming in water, can you envision frogs, toads, or tree frogs?
—Plants are the same. Looking only at tiny cotyledons emerging from the ground, can you imagine the form of a great tree?
—What causes such transformations in humans, beasts, insects, and trees alike? Aren’t there laws or reasons we don’t yet understand?
—Stories passed down from ancient times and those who believe in gods say everything follows the providence of a supreme deity. However, simply believing and accepting this is not the way of a scholar.
—Furthermore, just as humans change in appearance and behavior as they grow, isn’t this world also continuously growing and changing? If so, will the world hundreds or thousands of years from now look the same as today? Or what about the people and all things existing in the world after even longer periods—time so long that ordinary people like myself can barely imagine it?
“Sigh…”
After reading the entire content, Hyang let out a long sigh. Staring blankly at the Miscellaneous Thoughts Record, he suddenly let out a chuckle.
“Father calls himself an ordinary person? If common folk heard this, they’d curse. You’d get stoned…”
After chuckling at Sejong calling himself an ordinary person, Hyang soon clutched his head and fell deep in thought.
“But where should I assign this? The research institute doesn’t have a biology department… And considering the philosophical contemplations that follow, the Institute of Science can’t be left out either…”
After pondering which department or institute should handle this properly, Hyang finally made a decision.
“No choice. Establish a biology department in the research institute. The justification will be to properly raise poultry and livestock, and find methods to control harmful beasts and insects that harm people. Next… I’ll also give it to the Institute of Science, and the grade is… I’ll need to create a new grade as well. Hmm… the name…”
After pondering the name for the new grade, Hyang soon found an appropriate one.
“Unprecedented… unprecedented… good! Grade: upper level!”
Thus, a new department and a new grade were created. A grade even higher than “Moving Mountains,” which had been the highest existing grade, was born.
Hyang’s decision to name it “Unprecedented” had its own rationale.
All tasks previously classified as “Moving Mountains” level had tremendous difficulty. However, they all had at least one foot planted on traditional knowledge that had been passed down from before.
But something like this miscellaneous thought reminiscent of evolution theory had no such foundation.
It required creating concepts and theories completely from nothing.
Of course, there was a similar case with heliocentrism, but advocates of heliocentrism had existed since ancient Greek times.
Because this was completely different, Hyang created the new grade of “Unprecedented.”
Having overcome one hurdle, Hyang turned the page and sighed.
“Sigh… Mountain after mountain.”
—I watched the craftsmen of Area 51 devising ways to make magnets.
—Magnets are useful objects including compasses. However… (content omitted)
“Skip the prologue…”
What Hyang focused on came next.
—Magnets have north and south poles, and opposite poles attract when faced together.
—Looking at cases where they stick together, there’s a pattern. Small magnets get pulled toward and stick to large magnets. If they’re similar sizes, they pull each other together.
—Perhaps all things in the world work this way?
—Water flows from high to low, and stones thrown upward always fall to the ground.
—But maybe these phenomena occur because they’re pulling each other? Simply because this earth is enormously large and heavy compared to all things, everything falls to earth, and humans and beasts all live with their feet planted on the ground?
“‘Newton’s apple’ becomes ‘the Emperor’s magnet’?”
Muttering with an incredulous expression, Hyang soon determined the grade.
“Grade: Unprecedented, difficulty upper level. Assignment: Natural Philosophy Department and Mathematics Department. Hmm… Lee Soonji will be happy.”
Unlike the history before Hyang’s intervention, Lee Soonji was still alive and actively continuing his research.
“It seems to be because he’s doing work perfectly suited to his aptitude…”
Having suffered from depression while forced to do work that didn’t suit him in the 21st century, Hyang thought this was why Lee Soonji’s lifespan had increased.
Volume 6 recorded several more of Sejong’s miscellaneous thoughts. However, since they were either truly simple thoughts or not very difficult, Hyang easily finished organizing them.
“It’s not like sweet-salty-sweet-salty… no wait. Is it salty-salty-sweet-sweet?”
Making such observations, Hyang picked up Volume 7 with a relieved expression.
“Whew! Huff…”
Holding Volume 7, Hyang tensed up and caught his breath.
“This was intense from the start, wasn’t it?”
***
—Large, hard boulders break to become rocks, rocks break to become gravel, gravel breaks to become sand. And when sand is ground further, it becomes soil.
—With gravel or sand, you can identify the original stone. This is because the properties of the original stone remain.
—However, with soil, you cannot identify the original stone. Because it’s too fine.
—Then, if we continue breaking things down smaller and smaller, won’t they eventually lose their original properties?
—Take iron as an example. Iron sticks to magnets. Iron powder made by breaking and crushing large iron blocks also sticks to magnets. But if this iron powder is ground even finer until it’s barely visible to the eye, will it still stick to magnets?
—Then how small can iron be and still maintain its iron nature? And what maintains this nature until it reaches that size? Is it energy? Force?
—If what maintains this nature is force or energy, how powerful would it be? And could humans use that energy or force?
Having organized the content to this point, Hyang clutched his head and glared at the Miscellaneous Thoughts Record.
‘Why does nuclear physics appear here?!’
“Sigh…”
After a long sigh, Hyang reached a conclusion.
“Grade: Unprecedented upper level. In charge: Natural Philosophy Department, Mathematics Department, Chemistry Department, Engineering Institute, Area 51.”
***
Hyang’s struggles continued after that.
—They say “You can’t steal seeds” and “Plant beans and get beans, plant red beans and get red beans.” Why? What’s the reason?
“Genetics this time? Moving Mountains upper-moderate-upper. Assignment: Biology Department, Medical Institute.”
—Ships usually float on water and move. Couldn’t we make ships that go underwater? If they can go underwater, how would they breathe?
“Even submarines? Moving Mountains upper-moderate-moderate… wait?”
Hyang paused while determining the grade.
“Isn’t the grade too high for submarine development? Didn’t I just assign it out of habit?”
Doubting his own judgment, Hyang stopped his work and began reviewing again. Writing a list of technologies and scientific knowledge needed for submarine development on a piece of paper, Hyang nodded.
“I set the grade too low. Adjusting to Moving Mountains upper-moderate-upper…”
Having adjusted the grade, Hyang looked toward Sugang Palace and muttered.
“If he could live just 10 more years, the future would be even more promising… though scholars would die from overwork…”
***
While Hyang and his brothers were busily working, a eunuch came running frantically from Sugang Palace.
“The Venerable Emperor is critically ill!”
At the eunuch’s cry, Hyang sprang from his seat and shouted.
“What! Wasn’t he well until this morning!”
“He suddenly lost his strength…”
“Oh no!”
Hyang and his brothers began running urgently toward Sugang Palace.
When Hyang and his brothers arrived at Sugang Palace, people already filled Sejong’s room.
Starting with the Empress Dowager, Emperor Wan, and Crown Prince Hyeon, even high-ranking officials had stopped their work and crowded into Sejong’s bedroom.
When Hyang and his brothers arrived, those who had come earlier rose from their seats one by one, bowing and making way.
Sitting right beside the bed where Sejong lay, Hyang called to him with a face full of sorrow.
“Your Majesty…”
Hearing Hyang’s voice, Sejong struggled to open his eyes and turn his head. Seeing Hyang, Sejong smiled faintly and spoke.
“You’ve come? It seems time for me to go.”
“No. You’re simply weakened now, and you’ll soon rise again.”
“No, I know my own body well. It’s time to go. Thank you for everything. Because His Majesty stood firm, I could achieve great undertakings.”
“No. It was only possible because Your Majesty led us.”
“Thank you for saying so. There’s a letter for His Majesty in the desk. Only His Majesty should read it.”
“I shall do so.”
“Could you help me up for a moment?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Hyang personally supported Sejong. With Hyang’s support, Sejong raised himself and looked at the people filling the room before speaking.
“With everyone’s help, I was able to achieve great undertakings. I’m truly grateful.”
“You’re too kind.”
At Sejong’s words, Wan and the ministers bowed their heads in unison. Smiling at the ministers, Sejong looked at Wan and Hyeon.
“I have words for His Majesty and the Crown Prince. As written on the great beam of Geunjeong Hall, the Crown Prince and I did our best and achieved satisfactory results. Now protecting this empire is the responsibility of His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and descendants who will follow. Please do your utmost.”
“We shall engrave this in our hearts!”
After emphasizing imperial family harmony and loyalty to the emperor, Sejong lay down again.
“Now I must walk a path I’ve never traveled. I wonder what it will be like?”
With those words, Sejong closed his eyes and never opened them again.
It was the moment when one of those who played the greatest role in changing the history of Joseon—no, the history of the world—disappeared into history.
Sejong’s death was not simply a death.
It was a signal that generational change among the empire’s power structure had begun.
And it marked the end of a chapter in what historians would later call the ‘Great Leap Period’—the revolutionary era.