A middle-aged man in his 50s, with a shiny bald head, knelt down and began to bow fervently.

"Oh, oh—! O God of Science…!" "No, please, get up…!" "Bestow your knowledge upon this humble servant—."

No matter how many times I tried to make him stand, he remained on his knees, his bald head shining as he bowed repeatedly. I sighed, wondering how things had come to this.

Before arriving here, I could never have imagined things would turn out like this.

After being invited to join the secret scientific organization, Scholar, I immediately informed Regalia of the news. When I told her about the invitation, she nodded as if she had expected it.

"So, you've joined Scholar? That's good." "You knew about it?" "Of course. Why do you think I sent you there? It was all for this."

As I suspected, Regalia had sent me to the psychic research facility because of Scholar. I had wondered how she knew about this small organization with fewer than ten members, but it turned out there was a good reason for it.

"Scholar is an organization created by various corporations and governments coming together. Unless you’re a major corporation that represents a city, you wouldn’t even know it exists." "…So, Scholar is also a group supported by you, Boss?" "Indeed. Is that so surprising?"

Regalia, who runs an evil organization and even donates to the Hero Association, naturally also contributes to Scholar.

After all, the fact that she can casually offer 100 million dollars for research funds and 1 million dollars for maintaining appearances means she has access to significant resources. It’s not something that could be managed with just one or two corporate sponsors.

"Another thing. There’s another reason I sent you to join Scholar." "Not just for the research funding?" "If I needed money, I would have had you create something and sell it. Why would I send you away? Anyway—because Scholar is supported by various corporations and governments, its members are under strict protection."

According to Regalia, Scholar members are treated as beacons guiding humanity's future and are considered treasures of mankind, deserving of protection.

If I were ever kidnapped, the government would immediately mobilize all resources to rescue me, and if a corporation tried to poach me, other corporations and the government would step in to stop them.

Hearing this, I was impressed by Scholar's greatness, but I also tilted my head in confusion.

"Stopping corporations from poaching… but I’m already part of the Evil Organization." "It means that since you’re already affiliated with one organization, they won’t try to take you away. Haha, it also means that other corporations will prevent you from slipping out of my grasp."

Seeing Regalia chuckle at the thought, I could tell just how much she wanted to keep me under her control.

‘Not that I have any intention of leaving…’

Whether it's because she's a diamond spoon or because she’s never seen how other researchers live, Regalia seems to think that the amount of money and treatment she gives me isn’t enough.

When in reality, it's quite the opposite.

"Feel free to use the research funds they provide however you like. I didn't like it when those government people took money from me, but it feels good to be on the receiving end." "…Are you sure I can use the money however I want?" "Scholar is an organization that supports those leading humanity's future. They don’t interfere much with what their members do. They believe that too much interference stifles creativity. Ah—but of course, you can’t use that money for evil organization activities."

Regalia, who usually resented having to give money to Scholar, seemed quite pleased that I would be drawing research funds from them.

After all, if all the other corporations are being squeezed for money, and I, as her subordinate, am the one taking it, it probably feels like a win for her. I nodded in understanding.

"I’ll make sure to empty Scholar's pockets." "Yes. Drain Scholar's funds and carry out your research…"

As she spoke, Regalia suddenly paused, then looked up in surprise and glared at me.

"…Forget it." "Excuse me?" "Forget what I said about using the money however you want. Even when you get money from Scholar, consult with me first."

As I looked at her, wondering why the sudden change, she simply stared at me with a look that said I should think about my past behavior.

Having nothing to say, I simply shrugged.

If I can't use it, it's just a missed opportunity, that’s all...

After negotiating with the boss, I tried to receive research funding from Scholar, but they told me to come to their headquarters for instructions on the procedure.

When I asked if they wouldn’t just lend the money without any conditions, they retorted that such a sweet deal doesn’t exist anywhere. I couldn’t argue with that.

The reason the head of the psychic research facility initially rejected the research funding was because it’s not just handed out for any project. The support, which can go up to 10 billion dollars, is given only to research with a certain level of persuasiveness.

This meant that the supporters of Scholar weren’t just beneficent angels. After all, no global conglomerate, regardless of its size, would casually waste billions of dollars on something they know nothing about.

"Welcome, Dr. Eight." "Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

When I said I was heading to Scholar’s headquarters, a driver soon arrived in front of the company. Since the location of the headquarters is a highly classified secret, even Birama couldn’t accompany me.

Leaving her disappointed smile behind, I got into the vehicle, and the windows immediately turned pitch black, completely isolating the inside from the outside world. It was the same technology I saw in the psychic research facility’s conference room.

"Please don’t be alarmed. The exact location is a secret, even to members."

The driver said this as he drove the vehicle somewhere. I found it fascinating that the windshield was completely black, yet he could still drive. I wondered how he could see where he was going.

After traveling for some time, the vehicle finally stopped. There was a brief sensation of moving up and down, as if in an elevator, before the darkness surrounding the vehicle lifted.

What appeared before me was a large hall filled with machinery reminiscent of Earth’s research labs.

"Dr. Eight, welcome."

As soon as I got out of the vehicle, the head of the organization greeted me with a beaming smile. Taking me from the driver, he immediately led me inside, explaining the various pieces of equipment installed there.

"That over there is the latest…" "Spatial acceleration device, right? Something used to manipulate space-time." "Oh—indeed, Dr. Eight. Can a genius like you really identify something just by looking at it?" "No, it’s just that I’m familiar with these things." "Familiar…?"

Leaving the puzzled head behind, I wandered around, looking at the equipment. Seeing these devices brought back a flood of memories I hadn’t expected.

They reminded me of the science experiment kits my parents gave me as a child or the laboratory tools in my school’s science lab. While they look different, they serve similar purposes, filling my mind with nostalgia.

"That doesn’t seem possible… Well, in any case, let’s head further inside. Another member has arrived today as well." "Another member?" "Yes. Normally, the members are holed up in their own research labs and rarely come out… but it seems, like you, they came to claim research funds. Quite a surprising coincidence."

The head of the organization told me that if I didn’t want to see the other member, I didn’t have to, but I wanted to know what the other members looked like. I was also curious about the level of geniuses leading the world.

When I nodded, indicating that I’d like to meet them, the head smiled excitedly and led me to a room where a bald man in his 50s and a beautiful woman in a maid’s outfit were standing.

"—Dr. Kuroi, this is Dr. Eight. He’s our eighth member of Scholar." "…Hah—so now they’re accepting kids like this?" "Please watch your words. Dr. Eight has made groundbreaking discoveries in psychic research—" "Enough. Hey, kid. I don’t care what you’ve created. Whatever you made, a genius like me—"

"—This is an android made from an Eblis Corp toy, isn’t it? Impressive. Truly something I wouldn’t have imagined."

When I complimented him like that, Dr. Kuroi stopped talking and cleared his throat awkwardly. It’s hard to stay hostile toward someone who’s genuinely praising you.

Especially when the praise is sincere. I then turned my attention to the beautiful maid standing next to Dr. Kuroi. At first, I thought she was just an attendant, but when I heard Dr. Kuroi’s name, I remembered.

‘So this is the creation that was built by linking together tens of thousands of circuits…’

As I had initially thought, it was indeed an astonishing creation. To create a strong artificial intelligence by connecting tens of thousands of circuits from a toy?

It’s as amazing as making a CPU out of tens of thousands of abacuses or building a supercomputer in Minecraft using redstone blocks.

Theoretically possible, but no one actually does it. It’s an insane amount of work, and that’s what makes it incredible.

‘To think someone actually made this…’

However, there was one regret.

Because it was made using circuits with clear limitations, it has no future potential for development.

With just a little adjustment, it could be improved.

Just a little…

"…Why are you staring at Lucia like that, kid?" "Oh, I apologize, Dr. Kuroi."

Dr. Kuroi began to tremble, clearly uneasy.

I smiled gently, as if to show I meant no harm.

But even so, his unease only seemed to grow.