NABC Chapter 206 The Sacred Legacy
Chapter 206 The Sacred Legacy
As dusk fell.
The Boston dusk always carries a touch of cold indifference. The setting sun shines through the blinds, cutting sharp lines of light and shadow in Whitman's office.
Allen stood quietly in front of the bookshelf, his gaze sweeping over the rows of yellowed academic books. His eyes glazed over, and he was lost in a distant memory.
On the desk, an old grandfather clock, with an extremely vintage feel, ticked mechanically, as if ruthlessly passing the time.
despair.
"Drink it."
Whitman casually placed the two steaming cups on the table, then plopped down into the old sofa.
"Thanks."
Allen smiled, picked up the cup, and brought it to his lips.
Hiss—
He frowned. The strong, dark coffee in the cup was not only scalding hot, but also so bitter it was almost unbearable.
"It really brings back memories. Back in the lab, I had to force myself to drink just to stay awake and keep working."
"Don't make a fuss, this stuff tasted just like this when I was an undergraduate."
Whitman calmly took a sip.
"Here, there are many things that remain unchanged no matter how the outside world changes or how time passes."
"Yes, the place hasn't changed, but I've changed a lot."
Allen stared at the dark reflection in the glass, his tone tinged with deep self-mockery.
"I made a boast to you back then, patting my chest and saying I would change the world."
And now? Every day I wake up and I'm busy doing nothing, spinning around like a top, not even knowing what I'm doing anymore.
Upon hearing this, Whitman paused slightly in her teacup, her gaze turning cold as she stared at Allen with a hint of disappointment and reproach.
"Allen, what ever changes is only people's hearts. Truth, however, always resides in that supreme position."
A brief silence fell over the office, with only the old grandfather clock continuing its indifferent ticking.
In the end, Allen couldn't withstand the oppressive feeling brought by the old professor's deep gaze and took the initiative to start a conversation, trying to break the awkward silence.
"But speaking of which... the student you've mentored this time is truly remarkable."
This seemingly casual remark seemed to have triggered some kind of magical switch.
Whitman, who had just been looking serious with a tense expression, suddenly seemed like a completely different person, and a bright, even slightly boastful smile bloomed on his old face!
"Hehe, that's why this old man is still stubbornly clinging to his office and refusing to retire!"
He took a large, satisfying sip of coffee to moisten his throat and continued:
"Allen, do you remember? My mentor when I was young was Professor Norm Keller."
"Is it Professor Keller, the one who did research with Richard Feynman?"
Allen's spirits lifted. This was a name that resonated throughout the world. Even though he was now an administrative bureaucrat, this was a pioneer in the field of mathematics whom he had to look up to.
"That's right. Back when Feynman was tinkering with quantum electrodynamics, it was Professor Keller who, with his unparalleled talent, provided the most solid mathematical foundation for Feynman's theory!"
Whitman's eyes shone with a light of reminiscence.
"When I was a graduate student under him, the old man would repeat the same sentence to us over and over again every day."
"What did you say?"
"Mathematics is a language that values inheritance."
Upon hearing this, Allen nodded emphatically in agreement.
"Indeed. From Pythagoras's numerical laws to Euclid's Elements, and then to Euler's bridges..."
These mathematicians may have long since turned to dust on a physical level, but they live on in a dimension unseen by mortals, communicating across time in a language only they can understand...
Allen even felt that these brilliant mathematicians were the true geniuses who transcended race, nationality, and even life and death.
Whitman laughed heartily upon hearing this.
"You're absolutely right. However, in the long history of this mathematical kingdom, occasionally, perhaps only once every few hundred or even a thousand years, such a person is born..."
That monster that completely disregards fundamental principles, can utterly dominate an entire discipline, and forcibly drags human civilization forward!
Before he knew it, Allen had become completely absorbed in Whitman’s narration, and even subconsciously leaned forward.
"That monster...who could it be?"
"Just as Pythagoras forcibly explained the laws governing the world's operation using numbers;
Newton used calculus to unravel the mysteries of the vast universe;
Gauss created the language of curved surfaces, making space nowhere to hide;
Gödel went even further, using formal systems to directly prove the absolute limits of human reason!
Whitman's gaze was piercing, fixed intently on Allen.
"Allen, what do you think these monsters, who are above mortals, have in common?"
this...
They are all mathematical giants from different eras, deserving of god-like status!
Each one of them, taken individually, is a monster worthy of having their name etched on the monument of human civilization.
If Allen were to force a common ground, he could probably only find one, no matter how hard he tried.
"They...are all incredibly terrifying, inhuman super geniuses?" Allen tentatively offered his answer.
Faced with this seemingly common answer, Whitman firmly shook her head.
"No, Allen. Their greatness doesn't lie in them creating some new axiomatic system out of thin air..."
The key is that they were the first to see through the universe, to understand the 'underlying rules' that have been silently operating since its inception!
"Ah..." Allen felt a buzzing in his brain.
He had the same question countless times in the dead of night.
Why do those geniuses who stand on the clouds always manage to lead the entire era in a way that leaves people in despair?
Why do they always stand on the mountaintop and laugh at all living beings when ordinary people are still struggling in the mud?
"I've been secretly speculating..."
That kid Su Hao... perhaps he also possesses the same intuition as those great figures in the long river of history!
It can be said that he is the darling of modern mathematics!
Or, to use your words, he is the most legitimate heir to our world!
Whitman's voice was extremely low, yet as heavy as a mountain.
"So how could I dare to die? How could I dare to retire?!"
Even if it's a struggle, I have to hold on while I still have my breath!
He imparted all his knowledge and skills without reservation, leaving nothing out!
Just like how my mentor treated me, it's a sacred legacy!