New chapter of Control Engineer is out! (1/1 chapter)

Exploration (2): Trinity

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After returning to the dome in the center of the shrine, I of course investigated the remaining two passageways as well. Both of them ended in dead ends after just a short distance. And on the walls at the end of each passage, I found an activation symbol. I tried bringing the activation symbols to mind and activating them, but none of them triggered.

“Fufufu…” (Leon)

Despite that, after finishing my investigation and returning to the dome, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Maybe the country’s investigation team or whatever did the same thing I did and gave up. Or maybe, even before that, they judged it to be the same as the other ruins and withdrew. Well, there’s no guarantee the other ruins are the same as this place, though.

But still. I have an idea. A theory that the activation symbols are not individual, but three-in-one. I don’t fully understand, but there is a memory like that in Reo. A memory where, when three incomprehensible circuit diagrams are overlaid, they form a single complete circuit. I think the activation symbols might be the same.

Maybe I could outsmart the ancient investigation teams of old.

I booted up SimuConnect in my mental system and pulled up the block diagrams corresponding to each activation symbol.

Merge and synthesize.

Hmm. No, that’s not it.

Even when I overlaid the three diagrams, the block diagram wasn’t complete. I had kind of expected that.

There were only parts like transfer functions and coupling points, but most of them weren’t connected. If I didn’t link them all with lines, the diagram wouldn’t function. But I only understood that because my mental system had converted the activation symbol-like symbols into a block diagram.

Could anyone tell just by looking at the activation symbols? Well, rather than unknown people, this diagram here is what matters now. As for how to connect it, I’ll just have to try and see. Fortunately, nothing breaks inside the mental system even if I mess up.

For now, I’ll group one corridor’s worth and try moving the whole section. I’ll place the first corridor’s diagram in the center, the left one to the left, and the right one to the right.

Hmm. Something’s off. I don’t like how the branch point is on the left.

Then… let’s put that one over here, and this one over there. Huh? Something…

I connected a line from the box on the left through a white-circle coupling point into the input of the top-center box. Then, from that box’s output, to the input of the right-hand box. From there, I ran the output through a black-circle terminal to the final output. Then, I branched a line from that terminal into the bottom-center box, and its output went back to the left coupling point. I set the sign to negative.

Thus, it was completing the block diagram of a negative feedback system I had seen more than my parents’ faces. For now, the layout was settled.

“Now then.” (Leon)

Muttering to myself, I dragged a scope from the component palette to the output terminal and connected the wire. This should let me see the waveform.

Next is, what should I input at the far-left initial input? I guess I’ll go with the standard step input.

A step input is a waveform that jumps from level 0 to a fixed value like level 1 instantly, then stays at level 1. A very ordinary shape, but it contains countless high-frequency waveforms, so it’s often used to test a system’s transient response. In other words, its stability.

I dragged the step waveform generator component into place, connected it to the input terminal, and added a scope there too. Then, ran the simulation. I looked at the output scope. A noisy, jumbled waveform appeared, but it quickly settled to a constant value.

Missed the mark, huh. Well, hitting it would’ve been less likely anyway. No, no, don’t give up. Maybe the input waveform is wrong? If the step doesn’t work, maybe I should try a periodic wave?

I removed the step input component and replaced it with a sine wave generator component, then executed it.

Oh! A square wave (a square alternating waveform) appeared. Then it cut off, then another square wave, cut off, square wave…

Hmm.

The period of the square wave matched the sine wave’s input period. Ooh, I was just thinking the interruptions were decreasing in frequency, but then they started cutting off frequently again. Noise?

Hmmmm, the waveform looks meaningful somehow.

I stopped it and ran it again.

Same result.

I stopped it again and slid the scope’s slider to the left. Rewound the recorded waveform’s time.

The square wave’s duty ratio (ratio of high time to low time) is about 50%, so if I assume a basic binary interpretation of the sine wave using 0 as the threshold, what’s with the interruptions?

The intervals between interruptions get shorter the further left I go. Meaning, as time passes, the interruptions become less frequent. Then what is it like at the very beginning?

I slid the slider all the way back to time zero.

Hmm. First it interrupted after two square wave cycles. Then, after three. Then, five. Then, seven. Then, eleven… 2, 3, 5, 7, 11.

Prime numbers?

Wha… what?

Suddenly, the ground beneath me glowed green. The light rose in a ring and enveloped my entire body. For an instant, I saw a rainbow-colored glow and felt a sensation of floating. That vanished in seconds.

Whoa… my sense of balance feels off. Huh? Where… is this place?

I looked around.

It’s vast. I mean, even squinting, I couldn’t see any walls or ceiling.

I couldn’t even tell if this was indoors or outdoors, but at the very least, there was no sky above me.

Still, what’s this sense of openness?

It was clearly a different space from the dome. There was no feeling of confinement.

───Intruder, how did you enter here?

What was that?

A voice echoed in my head.

This is like when Reo was reincarnated… similar, but not the same.

I still felt my arms and legs. I could see with my eyes. I felt my body’s weight, and above all, I was breathing.

───Intruder

“You mean me by intruder?” (Leon)

───Is there anyone else here but you?

I looked around again, but there was no sign of anyone else.

“True, there’s no one else here.” (Leon)

───How did you get in here?

“Well, when I combined the three activation symbols, the waveform…” (Leon)

Yes.

“And I thought the waveform was a series of prime numbers… and then I was here.” (Leon)

───So you solved the riddle of the gate. You seem to possess the wisdom of the gods.

“Wisdom of the gods?” (Leon)

───The method of deciphering activation symbols.

Apparently, it was referring to the SimLab Emulator in my mental system.

“So, what if I have it?” (Leon)

My knees were trembling, but I forced myself to talk back.

───Solving the riddle alone should not have allowed entry… Hmm, a lineage?

Lineage?

───This is the Record Akasia of the deceased High Elves.

“Deceased High Elves?” (Leon)

───You possess divine wisdom and yet don’t know? How amusing.

“Amusing?” (Leon)

───In honor of your entry, I shall connect you.

“Connect? Connect to what?” (Leon)

───You’ll understand soon. However, your presence here is…

“What—!?” (Leon)

Suddenly, I lost all bodily sensation.

───Farewell, distant kin.

 

—

 

Huh… what?

When I opened my eyes, the ground was right in front of me.

“Why…?” (Leon)

I was lying flat on the ground. I quickly sat up in surprise.

“Ow, ow.” (Leon)

Some gravel had dug into my arm.

Where is this?

As I rubbed my arm and looked around, I saw a hole in the slope.

“Ah… this place…” (Leon)

A memory from some time ago came back. I had come here with Hein-niisan before and it was in front of the shrine.

I looked up. The sun was low in the sky.

It seems like I had been lying down for quite a while. But why? More importantly, why am I even here?

That’s weird. I left the mansion planning to go to the lakeshore. But if I’m here, then I must have turned right midway through the stream. I have no memory of that. Of course, I also don’t remember ending up lying down here either.

Was I brought here by someone? By who? I have no idea.

Now that I think about it, last night I stayed up reading magic documentation. Maybe I was just sleep-deprived. That’s all? I really don’t feel like doing that history of the kingdom assignment now… This is frustrating.

Whoa… there’s no time for that. I’m running out of time.

I quickly left the front of the shrine.

 

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