III
Sesom really was a scientist!
Ever since meeting Sesom, the old man's place had become Oliver's new "secret base." He would regularly go there to help Sesom with some odd jobs. In return, Sesom would tell him stories about the outside world. Sesom would have Oliver search for various insignificant items, such as bearings, discarded chips, parts with no apparent use, and even regular electric wires.
Bit by bit, Oliver gradually pieced together what Sesom was up to: He was searching for parts everywhere, trying to repair and build a huge machine right in the middle of his place. It resembled an oversized hologram projector, chubby and round with a circular opening in the middle. Sesom would often crawl inside and stay there for a good while. On one occasion, Oliver, driven by curiosity, slipped into the machine's belly when the old man wasn't looking. Using a glow stick for light, Oliver saw several loops of transparent tubes twisting and turning around a spherical device. There were also numerous gizmos and gadgets that Oliver couldn't even begin to name.
As expected, Oliver was caught red-handed by Sesom. Instead of chastising him, the old man simply advised him not to sneak in again.
"Oliver, it's radioactive in there," Sesom explained. "Radiation can make you sick."
"What's radiation?" asked Oliver.
The old man was momentarily taken aback by this question. A fleeting look of sadness appeared on his face as he replied, "Oliver, didn't you go to school?"
Oliver shook his head. "What is school?"
Sesom didn't answer, a hint of grief flashing across his face as he whispered to himself, "How has it come to this?"
He turned around and walked toward a cabinet, digging around before coming back with a strange object in hand. Sesom handed it to Oliver. Oliver inspected it with curiosity. It was a flat, heavy object, yet not made of metal. It featured bright patterns and some script that Oliver didn't recognize. He tried to press on the images and text, but nothing happened.
"What's this?" asked Oliver, looking up in curiosity.
"This is a book," the old man told him.
"A book?" Oliver became even more puzzled. He had seen books before. They were usually thin, transparent sheets, each containing thousands of books. But most of them were broken now, often found in junkyards. This thing didn't look anything like a book.
"Flip it open and have a look," Sesom suggested.
Flip it open? It dawned on Oliver that this "book" consisted of numerous thin sheets. He attempted to open the cover and was surprised to see that the pages were printed with lots of tiny words.
"Wow." Oliver was amazed. "This really is a book!"
"See? I wasn't lying," the old man smiled. "I'm sure you've never seen a book like this before. It's made of synthetic paper, and people have been using them for thousands of years."
Oliver quickly flipped to the last page, then looked up in confusion. "But, do the words remain the same over time, Grandpa Sesom?"
"Yes, they don't change. The words are printed with ink on the paper. I know what you're thinking. The amount of information in this book is limited, sure, but it's got its advantages. These old-fashioned books don't rely on electricity and won't get damaged by radiation like the ones that come with a chip. Also, these books have evolved greatly over time. You see, they're not actually made from paper anymore. Even if you tossed this into space, it would preserve its information for hundreds of thousands of years to come."
The old man paused for a few seconds and said with a solemn expression, "Oliver, I'll teach you to read from now on."
"Teach me to read?" Oliver asked in amazement.
"Yes, kids are meant to read, to learn." Sesom said, for some reason becoming emotional, standing up and pacing the room. "You're more than a miner; you should read and understand science. You could be an engineer, a scientist, anything you set your mind to."
"Really? If I learn to read from you, will I be able to become anything I want when I grow up?"
The old man walked over to Oliver, crouched down, and looked at him. "Kid, tell me: What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Huh?" Oliver scratched his head. It was just a random question; in fact, it was the first time he realized there were other options besides being a miner. "I don't know... wait!" His eyes lit up. "I wanna be an Explorer!"
"Explorer?" the old man said, puzzled.
"Yes," Oliver said, getting excited, "Didn't you mention earlier that Explorers travel to new star systems? If I learn from you, can I become an Explorer when I grow up? I'd love to be one, piloting spaceships to see all sorts of star systems!"
"Hmm..." the old man mused for a moment before nodding. "Yes, absolutely. The war's long over, and the new Explorer Operation is underway. To be an Explorer, you need more than essential knowledge; you must have a specialized degree from either Hermann University or Antontas University."
"Huh?" Oliver couldn't make heads or tails of what the old man was saying.
The old man patted Oliver's shoulder and pointed to the books around them. "As long as you study with me, I can grant you an Explorer certificate."
"No way!"
"Absolutely." The old man nodded with certainty. "Starting now, you are my student, and I am your teacher."
"Teacher?" Oliver pondered the strange word. "You are a... teacher?"
"Yes, call me Mr. Kaos from now on."
Henceforth, Grandpa Sesom became Mr. Kaos, even though Oliver never quite understood the meaning of that word "teacher." Oliver's new "mission" was to study with Mr. Kaos. He later discovered that Mr. Kaos had a bookshelf packed almost to the brim with hundreds of books.
"Mr. Kaos, why do you have so many books?"
"There used to be more," Mr. Kaos sighed, "These books are actually part of the collection from the April Space City Public Library. It's tradition for every space city to build a library once established, storing books like this. These were shipped from Earth. When the Stargate was destroyed, April Space City was hit by calamity. They wrecked everything and burned all the books. These are the ones I kept hidden."
"Who are they?" asked Oliver.
"The Carr Mining Group." Mr. Kaos' answer surprised Oliver.
"Huh?" Oliver was even more confused. "Mr. Kaos, why would you say that?"
"You must have seen the ads from the Carr Mining Group, right? What did they tell you?"
"We must stand as one to rebuild the Stargate." Oliver shrugged. "I guess you didn't notice. These slogans are all over the place."
Mr. Kaos fell silent for a while, letting out a sigh. He said no more. However, after that, he started teaching Oliver how to read. Over time, Oliver learned how to read to himself, picking books from the shelf to read on his own.
Many years later, Oliver could still recall such moments in detail. Under the warm glow of a desk lamp, a young teen sat deeply immersed in a book while a white-haired old man busily worked beside him.
Through those books, Oliver learned a lot about human history, tales about Earth, and how humanity transitioned from barbarism to navigating the ocean of stars.
He learned how thousands of years ago, Explorers journeyed through the L001B Stargate located in Proxima to this one and then built the Lagrange Stargate under harsh conditions. The Kaos Star System, rich with Trojite Crystals, featured one of the galaxy's most extraordinary landscapes. It soon became the mining center for Trojite Crystals after the Stargate was constructed. The continuous export of Trojite Crystals from Kaos had significantly bolstered human expansion. Soon after, two successive exploration movements enabled the rapid formation of an extensive Lagrange Network.
Later, the Sacrum Chu Imperium rose to power in the Star Crown System and started reaching into other star systems. With its overwhelming military strength, numerous star systems previously under the Terran Sphere's domain defected to the empire. During that time, the Kaos Star System became part of the Sacrum Chu Imperium. Although humanity had discovered many other star systems abundant in Trojite Crystals, the Kaos Star System continued to supply the empire with high-quality crystals.
Mr. Kaos told Oliver that with the decline of the Sacrum Chu Imperium, rebellions erupted and order crumbled, making the Kaos Star System a target for both rebels and the empire's army. During the war, a fierce battle occurred around the Stargate between the rebels and the empire's army. What exactly happened in the battle was a mystery, but the Stargate was annihilated. Enraged, the remnants of the empire's army launched indiscriminate attacks on every space city, plunging the entire star system into war.
Ultimately, led by the Freedom Army, the empire was utterly defeated, liberating the Kaos Star System. Yet, this freedom came at a heavy price: The destruction of the Stargate, with little hope for repair, left the Kaos Star System isolated. Moreover, it was in dire straits, more so than other star systems in similar situations. Due to its extremely limited economy, it focused almost exclusively on Trojite Crystals with little else in the way of heavy industry or technological centers. Almost all essential resources had to be outsourced. The destruction of the Stargate led to the inevitable fall of the Kaos Star System.
"I see," Oliver responded, overwhelmed with emotions. "So, that's why the Carr Mining Group has been trying to get everyone together to restore the Stargate?"
Mr. Kaos paused before nodding slowly. Oliver got the impression that the old man was on the verge of saying more, something he was unwilling to disclose.
