That night, the rain was heavy. Thick storm clouds covered all starlight and moonlight, while dense raindrops battered the car roof with endless crackling sounds.
Inside the dim sedan, two figures sat quietly. The driver in the front wore a black hat, his gaze cold, while the young man in the back seat was equally expressionless.
His slender fingers held a cigarette. As the young man took a deep drag, the faint glow at the tip reflected in his cold blue eyes.
The sedan had been parked there for a long time. The two inside seemed to be waiting for someone. Ahead of the vehicle stood a fairly luxurious manor.
Soon, under the dim glow of the sparse streetlights, both the driver and the young man saw a figure rushing out of the manor through the rain.
"Young master, he's here..." the driver said in a low voice while tightening his grip on the steering wheel. What surprised him was that the young master said nothing at all.
They simply watched as the rain-soaked figure rapidly approached the sedan.
"Young master!" the driver seemed anxious now, but the young man still remained silent. Finally, the figure arrived beside the car, and the driver sighed helplessly. There was no chance left now.
As the car door was pulled open, the drenched figure swiftly climbed into the sedan. The temperature difference between inside and outside quickly caused a faint mist to spread through the cramped cabin.
"It's freezing, Ebson. Good thing you're here, otherwise who knows how long I'd have been stuck in the rain," Norman said while removing his completely soaked coat.
The young man who had been quietly smoking inside the car was none other than Norman's best friend, Ebson.
While hurriedly taking off his wet clothes, Norman noticed the cigarette between Ebson's fingers and asked in surprise,
"Eh? Since when did you learn to smoke? Did Bill lead you astray? Cigarettes aren't good for you. You can't get addicted to this stuff."
Faced with Norman's concern, Ebson merely smiled ambiguously and turned his head slightly.
"How did you know I was here? And you just got into my car without hesitation?"
Norman found the question amusing. In this era, owning a sedan like this was exceedingly rare throughout Marley. Transportation was still primarily horse-drawn carriages, while automobiles were unbelievably scarce. Only a handful of families in the Marleyan capital possessed cars.
And Norman wasn't riding in a Louis family car for the first time, so naturally he recognized it immediately.
"Yesterday you said you were going to come clean to your family, so of course I came to see what happened. Well? Can your family accept Pexi?" Ebson asked calmly.
At those words, Norman's eyes dimmed slightly. His mother's hysterical rage and curses, along with his younger brother's cold and piercing condemnation, had left his heart utterly chilled.
The prejudice in people's hearts truly was like a mountain.
For the first time, the always confident and optimistic Norman realized how cruel reality could be. Perhaps, in the eyes of most Marleyans, his goal was nothing more than a joke.
But Norman shook his head.
He couldn't allow his resolve to waver now, because the burden on his shoulders was far too heavy to abandon.
Pexi... and his child...
Thinking of this, a trace of determination flashed through Norman's eyes.
"It's fine. Right now, what's more important is the final critical step of the experiment. As long as we succeed, the future of the Eldians will change. Humanity's future will change as well! Ebson, believe me! It can definitely be done!"
Ebson smiled, though due to the dim lighting, Norman couldn't clearly see his expression.
Soon, the sedan brought the two back to the laboratory. Ignoring his drenched and miserable appearance, Norman hurried back into the lab and resumed his research.
Below is Norman's monologue.
"According to scientific theory, something like Titan power shouldn't exist at all. It completely violates multiple scientific laws: conservation of mass, functional balance... But then again, if something like transmigration can happen, if manga can become reality, then what do scientific laws even matter?
No matter how I came to this world, since I am here, I will definitely do everything I can to change it!
The Eldians refer to the power of their Founder as the Coordinate. Broadly speaking, coordinates are anchors of space and time. Perhaps that's an exaggerated description, but from a certain perspective, isn't that itself a form of understanding possessed by the Eldians?
Isn't the existence of Paths itself an anchor point for space and time? Only by possessing this kind of power capable of anchoring time and space can the Titan powers of the Eldians be reasonably explained.
Then, if the entire Paths realm is viewed as a massive coordinate collection system, every Eldian's coordinate should exist somewhere within the Paths. Founder Ymir perhaps manipulates Titan power through this anchoring force.
And the bloodline of the Eldians should be the key—a key that places one's own coordinate into the Paths realm. The Nine Titans are especially unique. Although I don't know why there are exactly nine intelligent Titans, the coordinate power within these Nine Titans is absolutely different from ordinary Eldians, because these Titan powers can be inherited generation after generation.
In other words, if the coordinates within ordinary Eldians are keys that allow entry into the Paths realm, then the coordinates possessed by intelligent Titans are super VIP certificates specially recognized by the Founder—and they're the kind that can be passed down through generations. As for the coordinates of ordinary Eldians, they disappear along with their lives.
For thousands of years, whether it was the original Eldian Empire, the later Marleyan Empire that overthrew them, or even other nations, research into Titan power has never stopped. According to the results, unless someone is born with Eldian blood, humans of other races simply cannot touch Titan power.
Forced blood replacement is the same. Those unfortunate test subjects probably suffered miserably. The coordinates of ordinary Eldians disappear over time, meaning each coordinate is uniquely special. Every ordinary Eldian possesses a unique coordinate. Naturally, other humans cannot possess them unless that person somehow completely transforms into an Eldian.
But if we change our way of thinking, since the coordinates of ordinary Eldians are unique, why not consider coordinates that aren't unique?
That's right! The coordinates represented by the intelligent Titans!
I have to admit, this is an insane idea. For thousands of years, no one has ever considered targeting the intelligent Titans. Everyone seems to believe that the existence of the Nine Titans is predetermined. But is that really true?
Thinking about that bizarre Hallucigenia... that thing definitely isn't a god. I don't know what it actually is, but if we can successfully obtain the coordinates of the intelligent Titans—or even simulate the coordinates of intelligent Titans—then there would be no need for ordinary Eldian coordinates. The coordinates of intelligent Titans themselves would be VIP certificates. If we can simulate them, then other humans could also obtain Titan powers.
If successful, then the future of all humanity will likely change completely, because..."
(Because so much time has passed, some readers may find certain plot points difficult to follow smoothly. It is recommended to revisit around Chapter 299 together with the earlier chapters for a better experience.)
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