Diodes. Signal converters. Motherboards. Capacitors. Memory sticks. Large capacitors. Cooling fans.
A whole pile of components.
Even though Ryden recognized most of them, he was still busy as hell.
A computer looked simple.
Making one was not.
This wasn't some cheat-code fantasy where you snapped your fingers and got a tiny, ultra-advanced machine that could run nonstop for a month of gaming.
Ryden was certain of one thing.
Those were all fake.
Dreaming was fine.
But that level of dreaming was excessive.
To reach something like that would take at least a hundred years.
No-two or three hundred.
If he really had a cheat, he'd already be invincible.
After venting internally, Ryden lowered his head again and continued working, living a painfully honest life.
He used to think Ms. Jennifer was lazy.
Now he realized doing things himself was better.
At least he wouldn't put left-side components on the right like his mentor did.
No wonder she had taught several geniuses.
Her hands-on ability was terrible.
To an extreme degree.
Her theoretical knowledge and calculations were flawless, though.
A giant on paper.
A dwarf in practice.
If not for him, Ms. Jennifer would probably still be living a not-so-rich life off her salary.
"Ryden, what exactly are you making?" Ms. Jennifer had been watching for a long time and still couldn't tell.
The square object didn't look like a microwave.
It sort of resembled a television.
But it wasn't.
She knew her student never did meaningless work.
He was the type who wouldn't act until he saw the rabbit.
"Hehe. This is a great invention," Ryden said smugly. "Teacher, I'm not bragging, but every single part in this thing is a patent. It's guaranteed to make a lot of money."
He wasn't wrong.
Even without mentioning the computer itself, the light-emitting diode screen combined with a transparent glass panel to create a color display was already shocking.
From nothing to black-and-white.
From black-and-white to color.
From color to high-definition.
Each step was a massive patent that would leave a permanent mark on history.
With this alone, he'd make a fortune.
Heh.
Even ignoring shares, he could live off patent fees for a very long time.
"Oh right. I should collect shares when I get the chance," Ryden muttered. "Stark Group. Wayne Enterprises. Any long-established company. Become a shareholder and wait to get paid."
That would be perfect.
"Losing money is impossible. I'll make money until I get tired of it."
Ryden admitted he wasn't interested in earning money.
But spending it?
That, he liked.
"Oh? Then what exactly is it?" Ms. Jennifer's curiosity kept climbing.
Every time, this student managed to shock her.
A mischievous thought suddenly crossed Ryden's mind.
His gaze slid briefly over Ms. Jennifer's full figure, her elegant posture, her mature and alluring face.
She really was a beauty.
"I'll tell you," he said casually. "But if I do, you have to personally cook me a meal and open a bottle of good wine."
The more he said it, the more curious she became.
Curiosity was a woman's weakness.
A meal was nothing.
Even a month of meals would be fine.
Her heart felt itchy, like a cat scratching at it.
"Tell me," she said immediately. "If you do, I'll cook for you myself and bring out my treasured old wine."
Ryden smiled like a fox who had succeeded.
He finished assembling the diode screen, took out a videotape, inserted it, and plugged everything in.
The playback box began to rotate, producing mechanical sounds.
The diode screen flickered.
Black and white.
Lines surged up and down like lightning, faster and faster.
Then the crystal warmed.
The image stabilized.
A trace of color appeared.
It spread slowly, filling the screen-
Until the entire display burst into full color.
On the screen was Ryden's thirtieth experiment with the flying backpack.
There was no sound.
But the impact was no weaker than a nuclear bomb detonating on the spot.
Ms. Jennifer froze.
She couldn't speak.
Her slender finger pointed at the screen.
A color image.
The first time she had ever seen one.
The effect was shocking.
Almost magical.
Ryden was overflowing with pride.
This era was overflowing with opportunities.
As long as you had a brain, you could make money.
"Hehe. Later, I'll have the Spades Gang handle sales of my civilian products and open shops worldwide. I'll make money until my hands cramp."
Don't be fooled by how little he spent now.
Once he had many women, money would flow like water.
Clothes.
Education.
Living expenses.
Medical care.
"Oh my."
So many ways to burn cash.
"Ryden, you truly are a genius," Ms. Jennifer said sincerely. "I believe you'll become the most outstanding scientist of your era."
She looked deeply satisfied.
Like a seed she had planted had finally bloomed.
While her help came in a different form, she had indeed given Ryden a solid theoretical foundation.
A foundation.
Once it was set, Ryden could build a villa.
Or a hundred-story skyscraper.
Ryden patted her back proudly, like a landlord inspecting his property.
"Now you know. Haha. Go cook dinner for your smart student and reward him properly."
This time, Ms. Jennifer wasn't angry.
She was too happy.
A color television had enormous civilian and military value.
It would cause another sensation.
And as his mentor, she would share the honor.
After all, many professors chased fame and fortune.
Seeing their students succeed was fulfillment enough.
Ms. Jennifer left with light steps, Ryden's unrestrained laughter echoing behind her.
"Wait, Teacher! Take this!"
Ryden handed her a round black object.
Plastic casing.
Metallic texture.
"What is this?" she asked, examining it.
"A pager. A prototype," Ryden explained. "I wanted to make a short-range communication device so two people could talk directly. That's not happening anytime soon. This is a simple electromagnetic signal device. Press the button, and I'll receive it."
He shrugged.
"That way, you won't have to come shout at me when dinner's ready."
Ryden sounded slightly dissatisfied.
A walkie-talkie wasn't easy.
It required electromagnetism and sound transmission.
The former was fine.
The latter, he didn't fully understand yet.
Ms. Jennifer put the pager away and walked off without turning back.
The sound of her heels echoed softly.
Each step seemed to land on his heart.
Her swaying figure looked impossibly beautiful as she disappeared.
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