To focus the attention of the people in the conference room who stood dumbstruck, Suho clapped his hands with a sharp crack.
It was because more than just one or two people had lost their minds at the truly astonishing sight. No, in fact, everyone there had been like that.
“As you can see, ‘unlimited supply’ is no empty boast. So don’t worry about the supply of E-grade Aetherium. Now then, how about it? Isn’t it cheap? We supply electricity without restrictions, and since it’s clean energy, there’s no environmental burden either. Internationally, you won’t have to face pressure over carbon emissions. It will drastically reduce electricity bill burdens for citizens and corporations, and that will eventually return as productivity and national competitiveness, will it not?”
Only then did everyone come to their senses from their blank, dazed state.
“Let’s settle this. It’s decided, yes? Anyone opposed?”
It was a request for decision far too light and even irreverent for such a weighty, important topic, yet no one dared cast an opposing vote.
“L... let us do it. Go ahead. As you propose.”
With the words of the President, who had barely regained his focus, the conference room recovered its composure once more.
From that point on, they scrapped every discussion held prior to Suho’s appearance entirely, and a completely new meeting began.
* * *
If you consider only the volume-based efficiency of energy generated by nuclear fission, nothing can match uranium.
According to Ravi, uranium is a substance with such high energy density that it would rank within the top 100 even if you searched across the universe.
When 1 kg of Uranium-235 undergoes nuclear fission, 25 million kWh of energy is produced.
However, this figure is theoretical, and since the conversion efficiency in an actual nuclear reactor is far lower, taking that into account, one can realistically expect an electricity production of approximately 6.84 million to 9.12 million kWh.
Moreover, uranium is even cheap. Now that thermal power generation has been completely halted, its price has risen drastically to around 700,000 won per kg, but just fifteen years ago, it was a mere 200,000 to 300,000 won per kg.
When examining why nuclear power is so expensive despite the raw material being so efficient and cheap, the reason is that there are countless factors beyond raw materials that drive up costs.
First, the Uranium-235 used in reactors is enriched uranium that has undergone processing, and this enrichment process is costly. Furthermore, the initial construction costs of nuclear power plants, the long construction periods during which investment capital is tied up, costs devoted to strict regulation and management, waste disposal and decommissioning costs, high labor costs for highly skilled personnel, and the great many expenses required for expanding systems against safety accidents cause total costs to balloon enormously.
In contrast, Aetherium—which is highly efficient, eco-friendly, and even safe—when high-frequency Aether emission occurs from 1 kg of E-grade Aetherium, one can expect electricity production at roughly one-tenth the efficiency of uranium.
Therefore, per 1 kg of E-grade Aetherium, approximately 800,000 kWh on average. This is the amount of electricity that about 228 households can use for a year.
However, South Korea’s annual nationwide electricity consumption is approximately 560 TWh, which corresponds to 560 trillion kWh.
Thus, if one were to cover South Korea’s electricity usage (household, commercial, industrial, public, and agricultural) with E-grade Aetherium alone, the calculation comes out that roughly 700,000 tons of Aetherium are needed annually.
700,000 tons of Aetherium per year.
Even calling it the cheapest Aetherium, where on earth could one procure 700,000 tons of this E-grade Aetherium, whose price is comparable to gold?
Therefore, until now, Aether power generation had been a resource of dreams with less feasibility than even nuclear fusion.
Now then, let us see just how much E-grade Aetherium Suho possesses.
When Suho had been receiving the currency of Cheonyangwon by the yang won, he had also mindlessly received E-grade Aetherium by the yang won’s worth.
E-grade Aetherium, whose market price had already been established, was received at the market rate of 116.7 quadrillion tons, an amount even greater than the 100 quadrillion tons of pure gold Suho had received.
116.7 quadrillion tons is a considerable amount.
I once saw a documentary program that estimated the total mass of Mount Everest.
At the absolute minimum, this was 7.96 billion tons, and when estimated at the maximum with the mountain’s base area, average height, and the density of its constituent materials taken very high, it is said to be about 1.26 trillion tons.
An enormous figure.
On another program, the total weight of all structures humanity has built on Earth from ancient times to the present was calculated to be about 1.154 trillion tons; from this, one can guess just how colossal a mountain Mount Everest is.
But the amount of E-grade Aetherium Suho possesses is 116.7 quadrillion tons.
This is an amount sufficient to stack Mount Everest 92,619 times.
And it is an amount of Aetherium capable of supplying South Korea’s electricity for 166.7 billion years.
And that is merely the E-grade.
* * *
As the meeting dragged on, a brief recess was called, and people scattered into groups, taking light snacks, tea, fruit, and the like.
Those from Korea Electric Power Corporation also visited the restroom and gathered in one spot to chat, where the President of Korea Electric Power Corporation threw a subtle jest at the Head of the Power Grid Headquarters.
“Director, did you get on Jeong Suho Admity’s bad side today?”
The Chairman of the Korea Power Exchange also tittered and chimed in.
“Indeed. You were pressing him quite hard? Who would have thought he’d say it seemed like too much of a waste of time.”
The Director felt his face flush crimson in an instant and bowed his head.
“W-well... it is because I had no idea he possessed such abilities...”
“Haha, did this man get scared? It’s a joke. Just a joke.”
The President, who had been joking while tapping the head-bowed Director, felt something and narrowed his eyes.
“What is that in the Director’s pocket?”
“Excuse me?”
Looking down, something was stuffed in the welt pocket of his suit jacket, bulging out.
It was a suit with exposed pockets lacking flaps, giving a clean look, but a pocket structure where things easily slipped inside.
The Director, seeming not to have noticed himself either, put his hand in his pocket and only then realized what it was, his eyes going wide.
What came out in his hand was a handful of E-grade Aetherium.
“Huh...”
“Wh-why is this...”
“Ahem, it seems this got in when Jeong Suho Admity filled the hall with E-grade Aetherium earlier. Return it quickly.”
“Y-yes. I should. Understood.”
At a glance, there were more than ten pieces of Aetherium in both his pockets. Even if they were E-grade, if it amounted to about 1 kg, it would fetch over 100 million won.
As the Director flusteredly checked himself to see if anything else had fallen out, someone lightly placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Director, it is alright. Just keep it.”
“...Huh!?”
When he turned around, it was Jeong Suho.
“I am impressed. Honestly, there must be many people who have E-grade Aetherium in their shoes and pockets, yet you are the first person I have met here who is trying to return it. You are truly conscientious.”
“Oh my, Jeong Suho Admity-nim, I am Lee Taeseong, President of Korea Electric Power Corporation.”
“Hello. I am Kim Doyeong, Chairman of the Korea Power Exchange.”
“Pleased to meet you. I am Jeong Suho.”
After shaking hands with the two who bowed respectfully and extended their hands, Suho’s attention turned back to the Director.
“Might I ask your name...”
“I am Park Junhyeok, Head of the Power Grid Headquarters. I was rude earlier.”
“Not at all. Rudeness? It was a perfectly natural reaction. Anyone would have said the same.”
“Still... I apologize for making rash judgments without knowing about Admity-nim’s capabilities. Here, since this Aetherium is not mine, please take it.”
“No, it is truly alright. To me, these things are as numerous as sand in the sea... Honestly, I do not even know how much I have. What went into the Director’s pocket is yours, so please dispose of it comfortably—use it where needed or sell it.”
“No... but still, this is...”
“By the way, I know far too little about nuclear power. It is not even at a common sense level. I ask for much guidance in the process of converting to Aether power generation going forward.”
“Not at all, I am the one who should ask for your favor.”
Among those taking their break, Suho sought out those who had been particularly hostile to him with sharp words. He respected their opinions as something sufficiently worth pointing out and bestowed understanding and tolerance upon them.
Though it was social maneuvering that neither suited his disposition nor one he knew well how to perform, rescuing those who would be in the midst of shock and confusion seemed to be the priority.
Since they were all in the same boat for resolving a national energy problem, it was ultimately a loss for everyone if anyone had their channels of communication closed and was placed in an adversarial relationship.
The meeting resumed,
and when people returned to their seats, they found a transparent bottle placed at each seat. The bottle’s shape and the liquid inside were clearly not mineral water at a glance.
After confirming that all those who had been resting were reseated, the President guided them on this matter.
“Jeong Suho Admity-nim says he has prepared gifts for all of you who are working hard. What is placed at each seat is called an [Advanced Regeneration Potion]. Those who wish to drink may do so freely, and we shall resume the meeting.”
“Wow... advanced...”
“How can I drink this when it is too precious...”
“Thank you! I will drink it gratefully, Jeong Suho-nim!”
A round of applause burst out, and people showed various reactions.
Those who treasured it and carefully wrapped it to put in their bags, those who could not contain their curiosity and opened it to drink, and those who were surprised by the immediate effects—the conference room briefly became bustling.
Without a single exception, bright faces laughing with unreserved joy.
Not a single person was frowning.
I should have greased the wheels from the start. Suho rebuked his foolish self.
In the meeting resumed after the recess, discussions focused first on Aether power plants.
Discussions went back and forth on matters such as the transition from mixed-use with nuclear power to gradually moving to Aether-only facilities until commercialization, and measures to ensure that the existing transmission and distribution systems established nationwide could still be utilized when Aether power plants were built. Plans were also actively discussed to urgently manufacture and operate temporary small-to-medium-sized Aether power plants to supply electricity to cities nationwide in order to resolve the immediate blackout phenomenon.
Then, when talk arose about low-to-intermediate level radioactive waste and high-level radioactive waste generated from nuclear power generation, Suho grabbed the microphone again.
“Does radioactive waste disposal not cost a great deal? I think I can help with that part as well.”
As this was one of the most sensitive issues in nuclear power generation, everyone showed interest in Suho’s words.
“From what I know, no matter how much you solidify it and bury it in landfill facilities, I heard that if you keep burying it in the ground, soil pollution will become severe... Is that correct?”
The Director-General for Nuclear Energy Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy brought his mouth to the microphone.
“...Of course, we follow carefully designed procedures to prevent soil or groundwater contamination. We build multi-barrier systems, proceed with plans capable of maintaining stability over long periods, and continually monitor to check safety status. But... yes. It is not perfectly safe, and it is also true that astronomical costs are invested here. I wonder if Suho Admity-nim might have a different approach.”
Suho slightly raised the corners of his mouth. There had been an effect to soothing people by going around during the break. Had their expressions not already softened?
Or was it because of the Aetherium show or the Advanced Regeneration Potion?
In any case, regarding the Director-General’s answer, Suho briefly stated his plan.
“Honestly, it is nothing you would even call a method. Using my inventory system, I contain radioactive spent fuel or used nuclear fuel, then take it out and dump it in another dimension outside Earth.”
Was there still something left to surprise them? The conference hall became noisy once more.
“Another dimension outside Earth, you say...”
“Hah, wha... by another dimension, you mean...”
“Not space or something like that...?”
“He said another dimension. If it were space, he would have said space.”
Seeing the buzzing people, Suho scratched his head, realizing he had misspoken.
Now that he thought about it, how on earth was he supposed to explain this... It was terribly awkward.
He could not tell the truth like, “Actually, there is a subspace as wide as the solar system, and it is mostly empty, so you just dump it near Uranus’s distance and come back”...
Nor could he say, “There is a lot of granite, so make a super-massive cube with 100 km sides and 10 km thickness out of this granite, dump it inside, and seal it up.”
After sorting his thoughts for a moment, Suho wrapped it in the “item collecting” excuse he had always used until now.
“Well, it is the Tower. A tower right before it perishes after conquest is complete. You can put things there. Just as you can excavate things through item collecting.”
“Good heavens...”
“Is such a thing possible?”
Everyone exclaimed in pure admiration. This man called Jeong Suho was truly like an onion—no matter how much one peeled, its mysteries were never fully revealed.
As the overall discussions were winding down, Suho raised his hand.
“Ah, there is one more thing I would like to request, Mr. President.”
“Yes, please speak, Suho Admity-nim.”
“To stop the accelerating global warming, it is not something that will work out just because we alone use clean energy, is it? The entire world must strive for carbon neutrality together. I want to recommend this Aether power generation I am proposing to South Korea on a global scale as well. Therefore, could you appoint me as something like a ‘Special Presidential Envoy for Future Alternative Energy Issues’ and let me attend the UN General Assembly? Is that possible?”
“Hoo... that is a good idea. When a specific technology can play an important role in resolving a global issue, it is entirely possible to invite a civilian expert. I will actively review and pursue this.”
He had thought it would be somewhat difficult, but seeing the President answer readily, he was relieved.
Perhaps that was why Suho added an unnecessary remark.
“And... please keep it classified that I said I would supply unlimited Aetherium for Aether power generation to Korea and only take 20 trillion.”
“Hmm, very well. Might I ask the specific reason?”
“Because I cannot give this discount to other countries too. This is a domestic-only discount as a special favor for our country. For other places... I have to get full price.”
Suho smiled awkwardly and shrugged his shoulders.
Everyone seated there simultaneously felt deep relief and a chill.