111 The Wizard and the Laptop

111. The Wizard and the Laptop

The Los Angeles Institute of Microbiology on the West Coast was preparing to pour all its resources into its most specialized field. Other top-tier institutions around the globe in various fields had reached almost the same decision. Ever since the celestial event, this had become the norm in the high-tech sector. Of course, the term "high-tech" did not fully represent the entire Earth. Especially not those forgotten corners.

May 14, 2012, 05:13:21. The African continent. An ancient land near the Atlantic was about to welcome the first rays of the morning sun.

A dark cave. Dark stone walls. A dark stone bed, upon which sat a person with dark skin. In the darkness, the only hints of light came from eyes that had seen the weariness of the world, white hair plastered to the scalp, and a messy, short white beard.

At the entrance of the cave, a flicker of firelight suddenly shone in. Holding a torch that flared and dimmed, a lean, dark-skinned man walked into the cave.

"Wizard, they have all arrived. The time is almost upon us."

"Good."

Clutching the arm extended by the lean man, the old wizard on the stone bed stood up slowly and walked out of the cave.

The cave was located halfway up a mountain, facing an open, flat clearing. At this moment, a dozen or so quiet, dark-skinned men stood in the clearing. Unlike the lean build of the man supporting the wizard, the men in the clearing were short and gaunt, their bodies radiating an aura of prolonged starvation.

"Children, the sun is about to rise. Come over here..."

The old wizard walked slowly to the edge of the clearing. At this position, closest to the cliff, closest to the sun that was about to emerge, and closest to the giant screen in the sky, the old wizard slowly knelt. Behind him, the thin, frail men followed, kneeling in a mass.

After kneeling in silence for several minutes, the first ray of sunlight finally appeared on the horizon. The old man’s upper body bowed deeply at once, his forehead pressing against the cold stone. Behind him, the frail men also bowed deeply.

"Oh, God! Thank you for your care, thank you for your grace, and thank you for the guidance of the Prophet seated at your feet. I shall uphold your commandments; may you forgive my sins until I enter your heaven!"

"Oh, God..."

Following the old wizard’s prayer, the frail men chanted the prayer in discordant unison. After repeating the prayer three times, the old wizard straightened his back and sat down on a relatively flat rock nearby.

"Wildebeest..."

After taking a few deep breaths, the old wizard beckoned, and the lean man immediately walked to his side.

"Have Drum and Antelope returned yet?"

"Not yet..." the lean Wildebeest replied immediately, then added after a moment of thought, "Don't worry, Wizard... Drum is the most agile person in the tribe, and Antelope is the fastest runner. They won't get stung by the bees."

"I am not worried about them getting stung..." The wizard shook his head slowly. "I worry that they might damage the beehive..."

"We are not like the Kingdom of Heaven here..." The wizard gestured toward the giant screen overhead. "There are not that many beehives to waste."

"Don't worry, Wizard," Wildebeest comforted him. "You have instructed Drum and Antelope many times; they will be careful."

"Drum is fine, but that rash little fellow, Antelope..." At this, the wizard sighed softly and did not continue. He looked toward the crowd and beckoned again. "Owl, your eyes are the sharpest. Come and see."

A short while later, Owl, who had walked to the edge of the clearing, shook his head. "I am sorry, Wizard, I see nothing."

"Very well..." The wizard sighed again and stood up.

Wildebeest and Owl hurriedly supported him. At this moment, Owl could not help but ask, "Wizard, since God and the Kingdom of Heaven have appeared, and we can see the Prophet, why must we still move beehives and dig for cacti?"

"Owl..." The wizard turned his head, looking into the young man's eyes. "Actually, what you want to ask is why the Prophet does not simply take us to heaven, right?"

With his inner desire laid bare by the wizard, the dark face of the young man even showed a hint of a flush.

"It is all right, Owl," the wizard said softly. "Who doesn't want to go to heaven?"

Yes, who wouldn't want to go to heaven?

In the clearing, the other men who heard the exchange between Owl and the wizard turned, almost in unison, toward the giant screen in the sky.

Who wouldn't want to go to the Kingdom of Heaven? Although the will of God was unfathomable and the speed and power of the divine people in the Kingdom were incredible—making it hard for mortal eyes to follow the rapidly changing scenes of the divine realm—the glimpses of beauty that occasionally settled were deeply envied by everyone in the tribe.

Who wouldn't want to go to the Kingdom of Heaven?

In the Kingdom, water did not require fighting others with stone and wooden spears; food was not coveted by fierce lions or loathsome hyenas; and people were not shot to death by those riding in "iron bulls" who would burst in and use fire-breathing bows.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, water flowed around the village, and anyone could draw it with any container. Food grew in fertile soil that stretched beyond the reach of the eye, and one could eat twice a day, every day, on schedule. Even if the divine people of the Kingdom were occasionally lazy, they would only face a light lashing or a few blows from a stick.

The thin, hungry, and weary men began to chant softly, "Oh, God! Thank you for your care, thank you for your grace, and thank you for the guidance of the Prophet seated at your feet. I shall uphold your commandments; may you forgive my sins until I enter your heaven!"

The slight clamor caused the old wizard to raise his voice slightly. "Everyone wants to go to heaven, but mortals are easily greedy and prone to delusions of reaping without sowing. That is why commandments are necessary, and that is why God lets us see the Kingdom of Heaven..."

The wizard continued, "Even in the Kingdom of Heaven, water does not flow directly into houses, and food does not grow directly on trees. The divine people must also labor in the Kingdom to eat their two scheduled meals every day."

"Then... then, how are we any different from before?"

Perhaps because the wizard's tone was too gentle, Owl summoned the courage to continue his questioning.

"How could there be no difference? God is merciful, and God sent down the Prophet..." The wizard’s withered finger pointed at the giant screen in the sky, where the Prophet, having finished moving the beehive, was already lying quietly on his bed. "The Prophet tells us that bedding must be dried, insects must be chased away, and water must be boiled before it can be drunk..."

"Before, when people in the tribe had stomach aches, they would suffer for a long time. But since the Kingdom of Heaven and the Prophet appeared, everyone..."