Reset Life with Infinite Talents - Chapter 135
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Infinite Talent Reset Life Episode 135
When the missionaries crossed the ocean at that time, they brought almost no musical instruments with them.
A voyage where the safety of life could not be guaranteed.
Naturally, they had no choice but to minimize their luggage.
God’s grace was bestowed upon them through the Catholics who had already established themselves in Latin America.
They received violins, pianos, and other instruments from them and headed to California.
However, there was one critical problem.
‘There was no one to play the instruments.’
Performance was the domain of musicians.
The missionaries wrote letters to their superiors while selecting people with musical aptitude from among the believers they had gathered through evangelism to teach them instruments.
Although they couldn’t perform themselves, they had heard much.
But memory is easily distorted, and people easily believe such distorted things.
As year after year passed, the hymns they remembered gradually changed, eventually creating hymns very different from the originals.
Resembling the lifestyle of the mission where they farmed and raised livestock.
The salvation they hoped for in the rough and barren California.
Prayers offered to the Virgin Mary.
With instruments when they had them, without when they didn’t.
With the voice, the greatest instrument God had given them.
They sang their own praises and exchanged with other missions.
And so…
‘While waiting for the time to return to their homeland, they modified them to boast that they had served God and spread God’s will.’
More precisely, they modified the hymns that were created this way into hymns for the cathedral.
Having their own hymns resound in the cathedral would be the greatest honor.
They created them by putting their heads together with believers who had musical aptitude.
‘The problem was that they made it so only they could understand it.’
These were hymns created from the beginning without musical knowledge.
Even if they produced sheet music, they couldn’t properly indicate at which point this instrument should enter and how it should harmonize. No, even if they could indicate it properly, they sometimes marked it differently to prevent other missionaries from stealing it.
But even this was lost when those who created the hymns died from illness, and the sheet music was lost over time, so what was transmitted to Spain was barely a handful.
In other words, even trying to restore the sheet music would be impossible unless the people who created the cathedral hymns at that time came back to life.
Unless it was Johann.
“Ah.”
The imagery seeps in.
The hills of California where rough dust blows.
The figure of a shepherd tending sheep with a staff.
The devotion of believers who, while sweating profusely to cultivate the wasteland, smile purely and offer prayers to God.
Foreigners who come looking around.
God’s lambs who welcome them with open arms.
Magnificent yet humble.
Rough yet delicate.
Crude yet precise.
How much they must have agonized to create these hymns, their anguish and sweat seem visible, blurring his vision.
“To really do this…”
“We film videos during the work process, could that serve as evidence?”
Videos shot for uploading to YouTube or for record-keeping purposes.
‘He was mistaken.’
God had not protected the old historical materials.
He had created a justification to guide Johann, this young angel before them, to them.
“We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
“Amen!”
Cardinal Levada firmly grasps Johann’s hand.
“Thank you, Knight of the Holy Spirit. I will ensure this treasure reaches the ears of all Catholics.”
“It could also resound in the California Old Missions, right?”
“Of course.”
It would certainly be so.
Because it was God’s will.
Also, commendations would be delivered to Mark Wahlberg, Emily Sherman, Walton PD, and the production team.
Though a knighthood medal would be difficult.
“Ah… then I don’t want to receive one either.”
“Crazy!”
Everyone looks at Walton PD and his companions.
They frantically shake their heads, telling him not to do that.
Cardinal Levada looks at Johann with a warm smile.
“Will you really give it up?”
“Yes. We all found it together.”
“Heh.”
‘He has such a heart.’
A natural, admirable and praiseworthy heart.
“I’ll try to work on that part.”
Everyone’s eyes widen.
But Cardinal Levada looks only at Johann.
“Then may I entrust you with restoring the remaining hymns?”
The moment he heard the hymn, he realized as if God had spoken.
That no one but Johann could restore these hymns so perfectly.
“Of course. Naturally. Here.”
No matter how much Cardinal Levada wanted to entrust the restoration, there needed to be evidence that the Holy See could accept.
Cardinal Levada carefully stored the USB that Johann handed over, placed his hand on Johann’s head and gave a blessing, then left with words not to come out, and Walton, who had entrusted filming to Kim Jin-tae, hurriedly approached Johann.
“Why on earth!”
“I just told you.”
We all found it together.
If they hadn’t allowed it, he might have discovered it much later, but otherwise, they had all found it together.
“You really… Sigh. Let’s talk about this later.”
“Have a safe trip.”
As Walton PD hurriedly left, Johann looked at Larry, who was gaping, and grinned.
“This should attract more pilgrims’ footsteps, right?”
If these were hymns created by the Old Missions themselves at that time, people would spend time just to hear all the songs to the end.
The more that happened, the higher the probability of staying in nearby villages and cities.
There was such a reason for restoring these hymns.
“…This is driving me crazy.”
What on earth did he learn from Esa-Pekka Salonen and the tiger of the keyboard, Martha Argerich, that he could even restore hymns?
“Your greatest talent really is classical music.”
“I don’t think that’s it.”
“Good!”
Clap!
Everyone looks at Will.i.am at the sound of applause.
“Johann, I’m thinking of releasing this song as a campaign song, what do you think?”
“A campaign song?”
“Since it’s a song that represents the hearts of abandoned children, I think it fits the purpose.”
“…Oh, would that be possible?”
“If I were to covet money after hearing that just now, well… wouldn’t I receive divine punishment?”
The hymn that had been filled with devout faith.
That was true freedom, a prayer hoping for salvation.
Honestly, if Johann had wanted money, he could have received a massive amount, but Johann handed over the USB without showing any such sign.
Will.i.am had no choice but to accept being in this glorious position as God’s admonishment to do good deeds.
‘Christians really are hard to understand.’
Christians who accept all coincidences and results of effort as God’s will.
I don’t know why they reach such conclusions, but since the song is already sold, it’s up to Will.i.am how to use it.
“Alright. Then I’ll also donate part of the profits.”
For children abandoned by their parents.
“You really are… no, from now on we’re brothers, brother.”
The beginning wasn’t good, but now they’re brothers.
‘Suddenly?’
Still, it wasn’t a bad thing, so he grabbed Will.i.am’s hand, hugged him, and patted his back.
“Well, I should get going! Let’s keep in touch! Oh, the contract!”
“…Let’s go.”
As Andrew Pearson guided Will.i.am outside, Larry shook his head.
“Feels like a storm just passed through.”
“I agree.”
From the Order of Saint Sylvester medal to the blessing given directly by a cardinal, and even Will.i.am’s campaign song.
“How can he be like that, Larry?”
“Well….”
Since he’s not a Christian, he doesn’t know well.
But he has heard something.
“Because it glorifies the Lord’s name more, saves me, and benefits the world?”
He heard that giving more than what you receive with such faith is joy itself.
“He’s a saint.”
The kind of saint who smiles while tearing off his own flesh to share with the hungry.
“He’d be happy to hear that.”
Larry chuckled as he recalled the acquaintance who had said those words, and Johann fell into thought.
‘Hmm. Should I try making something that helps the world this time?’
It was the moment when the invention to present at this science competition was decided.
“Ah, Teacher Salonen. Could I borrow some instruments?”
He had officially received a commission.
He needed Esa-Pekka Salonen’s premium instruments.
His musical insight too.
* * *
“…Haha.”
It was the truth.
Johann had truly restored the hymns all by himself.
In the spacious work studio.
Johann restored the hymns as if building faith in his heart, playing the violin and electronic piano.
As if he knew the answers, there were no obstacles, and occasionally when his hands stopped, he would close his eyes for a long time as if listening to God’s word, and when he opened them, everything was resolved.
Cardinal Levada, who had watched the footage at 0.5x speed for the past dozen days without feeling bored in case he missed anything, now looked at the Bishop of LA Archdiocese as if asking if this was enough.
“With this… there should be something to say. Your Eminence.”
Though it’s the highest honor non-Catholic believers can receive, the knighthood medal has become virtually meaningless since the Catholic Church’s influence isn’t what it used to be.
Nevertheless, since it’s still the highest honor the Holy See can bestow, there was much talk not only in the Los Angeles Province but also in the Vatican.
Because he had merely found historical materials that God had protected by chance.
The Bishop had thought so too.
But not now.
If there’s anyone who would oppose after seeing this miraculous sight, their faith should be questioned.
“Even so, giving knighthood medals to all of them is still a bit….”
“Then we can just create one.”
“…Pardon?”
“There are precedents like the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, the Order of Malta.”
The relief order called by various names including Malta and Saint John.
Though not a pontifical order under the Holy See like the Order of Saint Sylvester, it’s a Catholic military order with deep ties.
“Besides this, weren’t the pontifical orders created by the popes of that time?”
There’s no law saying the current Pope Benedict XVI can’t establish one.
“No, you’re joking, right?”
“Of course.”
The Order of Malta also uses such a long name or introduces itself as belonging to a religious order because the title ‘order’ doesn’t fit modern times.
Thus, the era no longer demands maces and swords.
Founding a knighthood would face fierce opposition.
“Still, nomenclature has changed with the flow of the times like this.”
Even Catholicism, once a symbol of rigidity, has become flexible.
“So wouldn’t it be okay to just increase the number of knights by a dozen or so?”
“It’s absolutely not okay. Why are you acting like this when you know everything!”
“My memory is failing with age….”
“Your Eminence!”
“Haha. Still, let’s try to find a way once more.”
Johann seems like someone sent down by God.
If not, his talent cannot be explained.
Johann, who possesses countless heaven-reaching natural talents, coincidentally found 200-year-old historical materials.
Could this be called a coincidence?
It would be impossible if it weren’t God’s will.
That’s why he pushed for the knighthood medal knowing it was unreasonable.
Because he already had too much to give him anything else.
“Phew.”
This is maddening.
But the Cardinal wants it.
Someone who could become the next Pope.
“Understood. I’ll try to find a way….”
Knock knock knock!
“It’s Peter. May I come in?”
“…Come in.”
The door opened and a young clergyman entered hesitantly.
“What’s the matter?”
“You asked me to let you know if anything happened to Knight Johann Jefferson….”
Cardinal Levada and the Bishop’s eyes widened as they saw the news article content on the young clergyman’s phone.
The Bishop closed his mouth and nodded.
“I’ll look into it.”
“I’ll make an effort too.”
They looked at the phone again.
* * *
Murmur murmur.
Fairmont High School’s science fair was held on Saturday in the gymnasium.
Tables and inventions placed here and there like an exhibition hall.
And aspiring scientists standing behind their inventions doing final checks.
‘That kid, why is he at this kind of event?’
‘Didn’t you know? That kid’s crazy.’
‘If he transferred from another middle school, you might not know. Remember this. That kid’s really insane. Don’t be fooled by his looks.’
Johann, receiving such stares from other students, also places his cloth-covered invention on the table assigned to him.
Something with a large volume that was too big for Johann to carry alone.
Flash, who helped move it, laughs as if incredulous.
“Even with this, you’re a knight of the Holy See? …You?”
Something 2 meters wide and 2 meters long.
This was already the result of Flash visiting Johann’s house, discovering Johann doing something incredible, and talking him out of it to bring only this size – just the core.
Otherwise, Johann might have been forcibly graduated from high school and kidnapped to university.
“I never asked for a medal, did I?”
“That attitude is what’s annoying!”
That irritating attitude of acting like this is natural.
How much trouble did he have to endure recently because of the bracelet Johann handmade for Valentine’s Day?
“The Holy See needs to know about this side of you!”
“In times like that, you should act modest.”
If he hadn’t received the medal it would be one thing, but now that he had received it, he couldn’t have it stripped away by others rather than his own will.
“Maybe I should secretly film this.”
“Maybe I should stop coaching the baseball club anymore.”
“I was wrong.”
“Yeah.”
The Fairmont Little Pumas, who were promoted to AAA league 4 years ago thanks to Johann’s coaching.
The middle school baseball club Green Pumas also got promoted every year, eventually advancing to the majors and causing a sensation.
Of course, once Johann graduated and could no longer pay attention to them, they were immediately relegated.
He couldn’t throw away Johann’s coaching and the joy of victory over something trivial.
Even knowing what the knight’s medal meant, Flash would have chosen baseball.
“Then go outside and have fun.”
“What are you going to do? There’s still time before it starts anyway, let’s grab some coffee.”
“I need to look around at other kids’ works too.”
One of the purposes of participating in the science fair.
As Flash clicked his tongue and waved his hand saying he’d see him later before leaving the gymnasium, Johann used Absorption Reading on ‘The One Who Became a Star’ and blended into the crowd.
‘Wow, there are a lot of interesting things this year too?’
From 5-stage separating water rockets to ingeniously conceived fertilizers.
Among them, some looked commercially viable, and some items appeared capable of winning prizes even at the California science fair or national science fair.
While looking around like this, Johann stopped in front of one student.
“Mealworms?”
“Je, Jefferson?”
“You know me?”
“There can’t be a student at Fairmont who doesn’t know you…”
The typical appearance of a geek from media. A fat white boy with transparent goggles, red curly hair, and acne all over his face.
Johann reads the introduction in front of the glass box full of mealworms.
“A new paradigm for plastic and styrofoam decomposition?”
“Th, this is it!”
“Mealworms?”
“Yeah! Me, mealworms really eat anything and everything!”
Whether it’s plastic or styrofoam, they eat it all and decompose it completely.
“I only discovered this not too long ago…”
The discovery was really by chance.
While making a plastic model, one part flew off, and he couldn’t find it for days, worrying constantly. Then by chance, he was able to find the part with about a finger joint’s worth missing inside this mealworm breeding box.
“So I cut up a plastic bottle and fed it to them, and they ate it all up!”
No mealworms got sick or died from it, and no traces of plastic could be found in their excrement either.
“This definitely means mealworms have special decomposition enzymes!”
Actually, when he collected substances secreted from the mealworms’ digestive organs and experimented with them, he was able to confirm that parts of plastic cut to 1mm size had dissolved.
“Oh!”
If he wasn’t mistaken, this was an incredible discovery.
“What’s your name?”
“Me? It’s Aa, Aaron… why?”
“You haven’t told anyone else about this, right?”
“But…?”
“Okay. Contact me at this number after the competition ends.”
It looks worth researching.
“If you want, I’ll connect you with universities too.”
He knew professors at Stanford and Caltech.
Though it wasn’t their field of expertise, there would definitely be someone among their colleague professors who would be interested.
“…Crazy?”
“See you later.”
Johann patted Aaron’s shoulder and turned around, while Aaron blankly watched Johann disappear into the crowd.
And shortly after, the Fairmont High School science fair began.
Step step step!
“There are many wonderful works this year too.”
“How can they show off such creativity every time?”
“That’s youth for you.”
Fairmont High School’s principal and science teachers from physics, chemistry and other fields move around in groups, scoring students’ inventions.
Students who receive excellent scores among these will be given the qualification to compete in the California science fair, so for the school’s honor, they have no choice but to check thoroughly.
“I find Charlie’s fertilizer impressive, what do you teachers think?”
“There are more advanced fertilizers being sold commercially…”
“Ah.”
“Rather than that, I found Aaron’s mealworms impressive.”
Teachers briefly sharing opinions in small voices while moving from table to table, worried students might hear.
While evaluating like this, they stand in front of Johann.
‘Hmm.’
‘Hmm.’
Fairmont School’s pride, Johann Jefferson.
However, at science fairs, he’s a problem child among problem children.
‘I thought his interest in science had waned since he didn’t participate in 8th grade!’
Of all times, he participated right after advancing to high school.
They look at the invention still covered with cloth with reluctant expressions.
Johann grins and grabs the cloth, throwing it up into the air.
“…A plaster board?”
A 0.2-inch (about 5mm) thick plaster board with holes drilled at regular intervals like a Go board stands upright, with an oxygen welding torch placed in front of it.
“No.”
It’s not something like that.
“Let me introduce it. The dream new material, Starlite.”
Theoretically, it can withstand temperatures of about 10,000 degrees Celsius.
It was a dream new material invented by a British hairdresser and amateur chemist in the 1980s, but is currently shelved for some reason.
‘I originally planned to make a 1/100th scale jet engine including this, but Flash dissuaded me so I only brought the core materials!’
The Principal and teachers stared blankly at Johann upon hearing the words “10,000 degrees.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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