Mobius turned her head toward the newcomer.
It was a female scholar with a high ponytail. Her deep eyes flickered with a lack of interest in research yet burned with a fiery desire for enjoyment. She wore a black suit—formal, yet somehow loose and casual, as though she might shrug it off at any moment.
After thinking carefully for quite a while, Mobius finally recalled the familiar name.
"Dr. Tesla. You too? Not busy enjoying your seaside vacation, and instead finding time to attend a small gathering like this?"
Dr. Tesla laughed.
"I'm here to see Einstein. I heard there's new progress on the Equipment · Living Form."
"If you still paid attention to the Mu Continent Academic Forum, you would know Dr. Einstein is hosting a quantum supercomputing experiment in Atla," Mobius replied irritably.
Dr. Tesla spread her hands.
Having long since graduated from the Mu Continent Academy of Sciences, she only ever remembered to browse that highly specialized academic forum when writing her annual reports.
"Forget that. I heard you're looking for a genius?"
"And where did you hear that?" Mobius shot a sidelong glance at Blanca, who hurriedly shook her head.
"Just now..." Dr. Tesla pointed at the phone in Blanca's hand.
Mobius stared into Tesla's eyes.
"So what if I am? Does Dr. Tesla happen to have someone to recommend? A funding thief?"
Uh...
Dr. Tesla thought carefully about Vill-V's past behavior.
When it came to spending research funds, she did seem even more extravagant than Tesla herself.
In a certain sense, Mobius had not guessed entirely wrong.
"Well~ at least I can guarantee she's a genius. A genius far beyond anyone in this era!"
"A genius beyond everyone? Heh... what bold words." Though Mobius verbally refuted Tesla, interest flickered in her eyes. "Fine. We can discuss the details later. Some annoying people are getting impatient waiting for me. Give me her name."
"Vill-V..."
...
"Vill-V? The genius who completed advanced mechanical dynamics at sixteen? Dr. Tesla's doctoral student?"
At Harvard Academy, two men in black repeatedly emphasized this to the staff member in charge of student records.
The official responsible for academic records searched again and again, but could not find any student with that name.
Not among doctoral candidates.
Not among graduate students.
Not even among the affiliated primary and secondary schools.
There was simply no such person.
The two black-clad men from MOTH immediately felt they were being toyed with.
"We understand you don't want your talent poached before graduation. The World Government will increase your subsidies afterward—"
The president of Harvard Academy wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
"But we truly have never heard of such a genius within the academy."
He turned to look at the head of the Mechanical Department.
The department head could only shrug blankly.
"What about Dr. Tesla?" the president asked without much hope.
"She went to Las Vegas for an inspection trip."
Two days later, Dr. Tesla hurried back from Las Vegas, still somewhat irritated.
Complaining about the academy's chaotic management, she kicked open the door to Vill-V's dorm room.
"Hey, big genius, wake up!"
The dormitory was empty.
There was not even the faintest trace that anyone had ever lived there.
The laboratory—no one.
The equipment room—no one.
The storage room piled high with the genius' little scraps of junk—still no one.
Academic credentials—fake.
Identification—fake.
Home address and family relations—all fake.
Dr. Tesla flung the half-smoked cigarette in her hand to the ground, half laughing, half on the verge of tears.
"Vill-V, you damn funding thief!"
...
Not long before that, the Mad Hatter Party's intelligence agent, Ido, had also encountered a thief.
Intelligence Agent Ido: Mr. Mad Hatter, I'm so sorry!! I lost all the secret tools you gave me >_<
Mad Hatter V: Well done, Number Three.
Intelligence Agent Ido: Eek—please don't use sarcasm, Ido is scared.
This was not Vill-V speaking sarcastically.
Rather, the loss of the secret tools confirmed that while Ido was searching Dusk Street, she had been "stocked" by Pardo.
Although Ido was usually careless and easygoing, her ability as an intelligence agent was beyond doubt.
She would never make the mistake of losing important tools without reason.
As for why she had been targeted by Felis, it was likely because Dusk Street was rather xenophobic.
In Vill-V's past impression, Dusk Street had resembled a slum—yellow sand piled everywhere, scrapped vehicles scattered about, most of its residents gaunt and familiar faces. A well-dressed stranger would naturally draw attention.
Only after arriving did Vill-V realize things were no longer exactly the same.
In just a few years, Dusk Street had sprouted high-rise buildings and magnificent structures.
Yet dilapidated, outdated homes lacking maintenance were still visible everywhere, along with numerous abandoned factories and vast stretches of unfinished construction projects.
The magnificent buildings stood out like cranes among chickens.
The most eye-catching of them all was [Dusk Street Theater].
"In this entertainment-first era, all around the world various entertainment complexes are being constructed. Here in Dusk Street, it is this [Dusk Street Theater]."
Dressed as an office secretary, Vill-V explained this to the well-suited middle-aged man beside her.
The man nodded.
"Mm. I truly wish I could see Houdini's magic show."
Vill-V smiled.
"Although that legendary escape artist cannot appear, the mysterious genius invited this time—the 'Magician'—is no less remarkable. Her performance will surely leave the audience with memories for a lifetime."
The middle-aged man nodded again.
"Indeed. To avoid those tax officials, we spent a full one billion pounds to host this magic performance."
This man was the chairman of the Rothwell Group, the largest of Europe's five major conglomerates.
He had come to sign strategic agreements with other groups.
This agreement concerned the interests of more than ten third-tier European cities, including Dusk Street.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Vill-V spoke apologetically.
"My employer has arrived. I'll deliver your documents to him right away."
"Good. Give Benjamin my regards. I hope this transaction goes smoothly!"
The elevator doors slowly closed.
Vill-V pulled every document out of the folder and used a scanning device to scan them.
Then she spoke to the mechanical watch on her wrist.
"Lecturer, immediately send them to the designated company email. Afterward, transfer the bank remittances in batches to the temporary black cards, then execute Process B. Move quickly."
"Understood," came the synthesized voice of the quantum computer from the mechanical watch. "According to the plan, you will need to use the performance to occupy their attention for thirty minutes, preventing them from noticing the company notifications."
The elevator doors opened.
Vill-V had already changed into a brown magician's performance outfit.
With a flick of her slender finger, the gears atop her hat began to rotate slowly.
"Heh heh~"
"The greatest magician of the Dusk Era makes her dazzling debut!"