Chapter 68: Taking a Long Way Around Can Sometimes Be the Shortest Cut

The Three-Dimensional Theory.

The "dimensions" here do not refer to the three dimensions of physics, where a direction vector is added to a two-dimensional plane system.

Instead, they refer to: the Self Dimension, the Medium Dimension, and the External Dimension.

In Roger's theory, "oneself" is the self dimension; things that "oneself" can influence are the medium dimension; and things that cannot be influenced are the external dimension.

To put it more vividly:

Roger's will can control his own body, so his body is Roger's medium dimension. His body can produce sound, so sound is also Roger's medium dimension. Sound can influence another person's actions, so that other person is likewise Roger's medium dimension.

Even if Roger could influence stock prices, the rise and fall of the stock market would also be Roger's medium dimension.

Yet, Roger cannot influence the phenomenon that "the sun shines," so the glowing sun belongs to the external dimension.

All intervenable existences are medium dimensions, but there are disparities in the intensity and precision of the intervention.

Intervention as it is, the difficulty of drawing a bow is vastly different from the difficulty of making an arrow hit a target a hundred meters away.

Because while you can control the trajectory of the arrow, you cannot control it with absolute precision.

The medium dimension, too, has its hierarchies.

Nourishing and expanding the self dimension through the medium dimension, continuously acquiring new medium dimensions, transforming lower-tier mediums into higher-tier mediums, and having the medium dimension encroach upon the external dimension—this is what Roger intends to do.

"...This is too bizarre." Halfway through reading, Dumbledore failed to understand why Roger had to take such a convoluted approach.

Dumbledore looked at Roger beside him with a puzzled expression: "What is the point of doing this?"

"You don't need to involve this... dimension thing at all. Wouldn't it suffice to simply say that you use magic to strengthen the body, use magic to command all things, and ultimately improve the precision of that command?"

Hearing Dumbledore say this, Roger couldn't help letting out a sigh.

He knew it.

This system of his was slightly too abstract, and upon first glance, many people would find it difficult to grasp.

"This has to begin with a phenomenon I discovered previously." Actually, this section was written in the final part of the book, under "How Life Evolves," but since Dumbledore asked about it, Roger proceeded to explain.

Roger then recounted to Dumbledore how he had noticed, through the green-skinned mushroom beasts created by Hagrid, that the convergence of a large number of human thoughts would produce an effect on magic.

Following the development of the Radiation Curse, he had completely verified this point.

Roger temporarily named this phenomenon Alaya Magic.

Later, as he embarked on the path of magic, while pondering how he could become "change" itself, he accidentally thought of the existence of Alaya Magic.

"If you re-perceive everything through the framework of 'Self,' 'Medium,' and 'External'..."

"You will find that every single advance in human civilization and wizarding civilization is brought about by the revolution of mediums."

"Humans acquired 'fire' as a new intervenable medium, while wizards acquired 'magic' as a medium."

"Through the mediums of language and writing, thoughts are able to transcend time, allowing humans to continuously accumulate each of their advancements."

"As reflections on the world accumulate, human cognition of the world becomes increasingly clear, and the things they can intervene in grow ever more numerous, causing the external dimension to shrink."

As his voice trailed off, Roger raised his head and gazed far into the distance outside the hotel window, looking at the dazzling streets and the splendid Muggle technological civilization: "Until humanity learned to use 'mediums' to fill the deficiencies of the 'self.'"

"Using microscopes to replace the narrow vision of the naked eye, using mathematics to replace vague cognitive logic, and using computers to replace the brain, which is temporarily unable to evolve."

"Lightning, an originally uncontrollable external dimension, has become a high-tier medium dimension that can be manipulated at will."

Withdrawing his gaze, Roger turned back to Dumbledore and continued: "The reason why wizarding civilization has progressed so little all along is precisely because our 'medium' has never undergone any development. For thousands of years, we have been grinding away at magic itself with minimal results."

"Magic is our cornerstone, just as boiling water, throwing stones, and telling stories are the cornerstones of Muggles."

"Muggles have advanced to the second stage, and it is time for us to advance as well. We also need 'electricity,' 'microscopes,' and 'computers.'"

"We need an energy source that is more stable and freely controllable by our will than overly idealistic magic; we need eyes capable of seeing the world more clearly; and we need computers that can evolve our thinking to a higher realm."

At this point, Roger paused briefly: "Magic is a miracle of the heart. Take *Expelliarmus*, for example—what it 'expels' is something you genuinely believe in your heart is a weapon that will harm you. It is a conceptual casting of spells."

If someone were to use *Expelliarmus* against a bare-fisted, robust criminal, it might well inflict unimaginable harm.

"If the Three-Dimensional Theory is embedded into people's cognitive systems, perhaps we can develop magic that casts spells directly upon the concept of 'dimension'!"

Roger raised his hand, gesturing as if to demonstrate to Dumbledore: "Headmaster Dumbledore, look."

Dumbledore looked over and saw Roger rubbing his fingertips, between which minuscule electric arcs flickered from time to time.

"You should be able to sense it—I am not using magic."

"After completely reconstructing my nervous system, I have acquired a slight ability to influence the nerves with my consciousness and manipulate bioelectricity to a certain extent. This current is tiny, but it is indeed under my control." This was not the simple electricity storage and discharge of an electric eel; Roger could manipulate it with extreme precision.

"It doesn't seem to hold much significance; a spell cast by any ordinary young wizard has more combat power than this, and in other aspects, it completely pales beside the wondrous nature of magic."

"Yet it signifies a possibility: that we can directly intervene in more things, just as we use our vocal cords to release mechanical waves or our lungs to manipulate airflow to a certain extent. We can intervene in forces that, like magic, can influence all things."

"Aside from magic, we can actually use our will to directly manipulate other energies."

"If we can cast spells directly upon 'dimensions,' we might be able to bypass the 'process' and directly turn those 'mediums' that were originally beyond our control into our new 'limbs.'"

"Constantly acquiring new mediums, continuously using magic to turn these mediums into high-tier mediums that can move according to our will, and then..."

If this step could truly be achieved, Roger could begin preparing for the next step.

Which was... dimensional reduction.

When all things can be intervened in by Roger, the dimensions will be reduced to merely the self dimension and the medium dimension. In all "movement" and all changes, I am within them.

I am change itself.

If one could subtract yet another dimension, then all would be self, and self would be all!

Dumbledore heavily rubbed the bridge of his nose, sorting out his train of thought, and finally understood the purpose of Roger taking such a massive detour.

"So, if I understand correctly, you want to architect a kind of new magic by changing all sentient beings' cognition of the world, and then use this magic..."

"To create a 'second kind of magic' that can be commanded by wizards, using the first magic to nurture the second magic."

"Ultimately, by utilizing the 'second magic,' which we can accumulate and comprehend, we will shatter the upper limits of wizards' power and life forms. The evolved wizards will also experience a strengthening of their spiritual power, which will in turn strengthen the 'first magic.'"

This approach was somewhat similar to Muggle science fiction: inventing an AI, having the AI deduce gene maps, creating gene-adjusted humans; the gene-adjusted humans possess higher intelligence, and these smarter adjusted humans then invent an even stronger AI, repeating in an endless loop...

...Would this thing actually work?

For a moment, even Dumbledore found it difficult to say for sure.