I frowned and crossed out my last word. I couldn’t assume qi was the same as electricity. There might be no analogue for alternating current at all. And this was probably not the right way forward, anyway.
As I felt a familiar presence approaching, I raised my head and extended my domain to open the door before he could knock. Alaster hesitated for a second before he walked in. He’d advanced a bit in the time I’d been gone.
“Hi, Al. Give me a bit to finish this up, okay?”
“Sure.”
I finished writing down my thought process, then checked the simple additions I’d done for the last time. They should work.
Then I put down my pen and turned around. My office was so cramped Al couldn’t keep much distance even if he wanted to. He looked around at the mostly-empty bookshelves and put his hands in his pockets.
“It’s good to see you again,” I said. “Sorry for not meeting you sooner. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to come.”
“That’s fine.” He took a step closer and peered at the papers in front of me. “What are you working on?”
“I’m trying to figure out calculation in binary.” I flipped the page. “It’s been a while since my introductory computer science lecture, so I had to work it out again. The math is simple enough. But I don’t know how to build something to actually do it. Especially with the option of qi.”
“Hmm. Don’t computers basically use transistors?”
“Yeah. But we don’t have the level of technology to imitate modern computer chips, and I don’t really know how it started. We could use enchantments, but those are way too big and can’t really be miniaturized enough in the future.”
Al shrugged. “I wish I could help. So, your focus is on trying to build a computer?”
“That’s our star project. But it’s probably the most difficult.” I stood up. “I could show you around, if you want?”
“That would be great.”
I put away my notes. Part of the papers went into the desk, the rest into my spatial ring. That might be inefficient, but I didn’t want to store everything in one location, so I’d make backups of everything important.
When we left the room, I locked the door with both a physical key and a pulse of qi to arm its alarm formation. Then I took a look around. Mother had taken over a small building in the palace grounds to house a group of scholars and artificers, and given them the notes I’d left. Most of my time yesterday and today had been spent trying to catch up to everything and get to know the team.
The interior was simple considering its location, with white walls bare of decorations and sturdy furniture placed in the offices and workspaces. It didn’t look like my old university, but then again I hadn’t expected to lead a research team any time soon. I’d give that up for a working computer, though.
I led my brother down the corridor to the central room and showed him around. It functioned as the main office for the group, but only projects that didn’t need much space for practical works could be seen here.
“This is Lei, another cousin or something.” I pointed to a man in a corner who was hunched over some sketches. “From a world I’d put at a similar level of technology as the pre-world war one era. He’s taken over the telegraph project. At some point, we’ll work on radio.”
Although I hadn’t lowered my voice, the transmigrator showed no reaction, apparently too focused on his work to notice. I shrugged and pulled Al along.
“Here, this is the real game changer for the near future. I hope.” With a snap of my fingers, I ignited the light in the next room, then walked inside, Al following behind.
“There’s no qi here.” He frowned.
I glanced at the machines. One of them was mostly complete, the rest consisted of a framework and some wood on a worktable. Except for a few tools and the light, you really couldn’t feel any accumulation of qi in the room, in contrast to most of the surroundings.
“Is that cotton?” he asked.
“Something close enough. These are weaving machines. One of the important things at the start of the industrialization, I think. That’s why they don’t have any qi.”
Al walked over and ran a hand over it. “You want to game-change the textile industry?”
“No, I want to make one.” I shrugged. “This is just a prototype, we’ll get to other machines in time. The point is, I want to start factories for this. I mean, clothes are something everyone needs, but most people don’t actually wear qi-imbued outfits. So they can profit from this. Cheaper clothes for the common folk, plus introducing the first factories. It would create jobs and set up the concept.”
Al sighed. “I can’t believe you go from designing a computer to this.”
“I have to make myself deal with other projects, not just the one that interests me,” I admitted. “It’s about compromise, right? Let’s go back.”
As I’d sensed, my new retainer had returned to the room. Tenira was currently organizing stuff on her desk neatly. She seemed to do that a lot, but considering my own messy habits, I was in no position to complain. Her blue robes were the fanciest clothing in the room and looked like they came fresh from the tailor, not a single crease out of place.
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“Hey, Tenira,” I said. “I assume you know Alaster?”
She straightened up and exchanged a polite hello with my brother. It felt a little weird seeing someone treat him without deference, but considering he was a kid and she a valued scion of the clan, that made sense. Maybe I should stop avoiding most of the family …
Then she asked after his soul journey. Al dodged all questions, before he turned back to me and asked me to talk about the various projects we were working on.
I was happy to explain, although there wasn’t much to mention yet. A few of the scholars were trying to puzzle out what new discoveries the chemistry knowledge from recent soul journeys like mine hid. They looked for ways to improve agriculture and the food supply, with things like better fertilizer or preservation methods. I could see the importance, but I’d rather deal with a dissection than that. The rest of the team were excitedly poring over airplane designs or physics projects.
I wasn’t quite sure how practicable the airplane fever was, but maybe they’d come up with something good. If nothing else, the army would probably appreciate the bomber designs.
All of the people here tried to incorporate qi into their projects in some way. I’d already pointed out a number of times where it would be better to use mechanical alternatives. The mindset here really differed from back home. The ability to replicate, mass produce and have things widely available didn’t get as much consideration.
All through my explanations, Al interjected comments. Most of them jokes or snide remarks. I could tell by his expression that he was impressed, though. Maybe being a snarker was just part of his personality regardless of memories.
After a while, he wandered off to take a look into the other rooms. I was about to accompany him, but Tenira caught my eye.
“I’m sorry if this is out of line,” she said. “But I get the feeling Alaster hasn’t heard about your night after you returned yet.”
I rolled my eyes. “So there are rumors? And why do you say that?”
“He hasn’t mentioned it, and knowing him, he’d at least get in a few jabs.” Tenira lowered her gaze. “I don’t mean to presume, but perhaps it’s best if he learns it from you. We don’t know what sort of cultural values his soul journey might have given him.”
I cursed as I realized what she meant. I’d never talked about my sexuality with Al, obviously, and considering their age, my old self probably hadn’t, either. Since there hadn’t been any lovers before, the only way to tell would have been observing the way I acted. There was a good chance he didn’t know I liked girls.
“Thank you,” I said, making a mental note of her consideration and thoughtfulness about this.
Then I looked for my brother, who was currently reading plans for a telegraph station.
“Thanks for showing me around,” he said when I came. “I’m trying to get as much cultivation advancement as I can from my soul journey, so I don’t have much time to help here. But I might be able to help out a bit.”
“That would be nice,” I replied. “Do you want to go to the training courtyard for a spar?”
He smiled. “Sure!”
He rushed off, and I had to walk quickly to keep up. The whole way through the palace grounds, I barely noticed our surroundings, focused on keeping my breathing even and my thoughts centered.
I thought I’d moved past the trouble of a coming out. But now the familiar anxiety returned. I’d felt the same when I told my parents. Not because I thought they’d reject me, but because they could. Now, I was more mature, but I also didn’t know what sort of background Al had, and that made it hard to gauge his reaction. If he freaked out, I might have a big problem on my hands for a long time. Well, at least his subconscious would still be that of the boy from here, right?
When we reached the courtyard, our guards spread out to cover it. I almost missed Aston giving me a thumbs-up gesture. It looked awkward, and I had no idea where he’d learned about it, but I appreciated the sentiment. I smiled back, and actually felt better knowing he supported me.
We started warming up with some light exercises. After I felt my muscles loosen up, I paused and looked to Al. “Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you.”
He stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“I like girls,” I blurted out. “I mean, I like boys, too. I’m bisexual. Just, uh, wanted you to know that.”
His eyes widened. He stared at me for a second, then looked away. I couldn’t quite read the expression on his face. After a moment, he said, “Okay.”
I bit back a response and started moving again. He followed suit, doing a few air kicks.
Then he said, “Thanks for telling me. That’s good to know. I’m …”
The silence stretched on.
I prompted, “You’re what?”
He stopped moving, looking at his feet. “I think I might be gay,” he said quietly. Then he looked back up, and I could see the shadows in his eyes. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it in this life. On Earth … I tried to avoid thinking about it. Thought it was just hormones acting up and I’d fall in love with a girl eventually. My family was pretty conservative, and it’s not as socially acceptable as in other countries. I never talked about it and just avoided romance. I mean, I’m only a teenager. I think I was in denial.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, tentatively putting a hand on his shoulder. This must be so hard for him.
“Coming back here with different memories …” He shrugged. “With the different attitude, it made me realize the weirdness. I don’t really know what to think.”
“That’s alright,” I said. “Your body is only twelve, and just entering puberty. You have time to figure it out. But I’ll support you no matter what. It doesn’t matter what your sexuality is, your family loves you regardless. And you can talk to me any time.”
I couldn’t help thinking about the implications. People would be disappointed, since they wanted him to provide heirs for the Imperial family. There’d be pressure. But I kept that thought to myself.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
I hugged him. After a moment, he buried his face in my shoulder and took deep breaths. We stayed like that for a while, until he pushed away.
He smiled. “To think I was jealous of you for being normal.”
I laughed. “No one’s ever accused me of being normal, but I’ll take it.”
In silent agreement, we continued with our warm-up exercises. If they were taking longer today than usual, no one commented.
“Really, I was jealous for a different reason,” he suddenly said, sending a glance at me. “That you’re a high-level genius with such a cool ability. That you’re the eldest and heir. I’ll never be Emperor because of you.” He spun around in a fancy move, facing me again. “I know I probably wouldn’t even be happy if I was, that it’s right you’re the heir. I’m dealing with it.”
How did you respond to that? After a moment of thought, I settled on, “Thanks.”
He stopped and assumed a fighting stance. “It’s alright,” he grinned. “Instead, I’ll be the best general the world’s ever seen.”
In that moment, he looked and sounded exactly like he did before his soul journey. I returned his grin. It was nice to see that the little brother I’d gotten to know was still there, just a little weathered by new experiences.
But what did that mean for my own identity? Was I really the same person I’d been in this world, even if I couldn’t remember it?
We started sparring. Of course, I went easy on him, and stopped to teach him a new technique after a while. It was nice.