It must have been about eight years since we were petrified.
I can't count seconds like Senku-kun can, but I want to stay awake.
I know that Senku-kun and Taiju-kun and, well, everyone else, too...
They'll come to revive us.
Dawn of the Computer
It's so fast!
Dr. Xeno's Multi-purpose Ship, the Demeter
We'll be there in no time!
I bet.
And I'm sure they're waiting.
You shouldn't have skipped your science classes.
The radio waves have been screaming down at us
from the heavens this whole time!
So, what's going on here?
Here.
Senku and Xeno joined forces to build a spaceship.
Joined\h\h\hForces
And just as they got started,
Mystery Enemy
Why-Man sent this creepy message asking if we want to die.
Not that I'm scared or anything, though.
But we decided that we should take the spaceship
Moon
Landing
to the moon before Why-Man petrifies everyone again.
I'd love for us engineers to drink to that.
Where's Kaseki?
Kaseki's in India with Senku and them.
India?
Are they making something there or something?
Yeah, well, don't freak out when I tell you, but...
We're making a computer.
What?!
How are we supposed to not freak out?
The Kingdom of Science's insane crafts have
seriously come all the way, haven't they?
How?!
What's the matter, Sai?
You're the one who wants a computer the most, aren't you?
Am I right?
Well, yeah, but...
I mean, what exactly goes into making a computer?
What are you making? With what? How?
I can't even make heads or tails of it.
A computer's whole world is a bunch
of switches that are either on or off—one or zero.
In other words, anything that can deal with ones and zeros can make a computer.
Whether it's the front and back side of a playing card or a flag held up or down.
You can make a computer by raising a flag?!
What does that mean?
The guys' white flags are numbers.
So you mean raising it makes a one and lowering it makes zero?
And the ladies' red flags are the answer.
Suika, your task is to
raise your red flag if the guys' flags are opposite each other's.
That's it?
And what do I do?
I notice my flag is a little bigger than the others'.
When the guys raise both of their white flags, you raise your red flag.
Foundational computer science.
Give it a try. It's addition!
Addition?
With these flags?
Zero plus zero
is zero.
One plus zero
is one.
One plus one
is two.
Ah, so Kohaku-chan's big flag means two.
Perfect!
This is amazing!
We did addition without even trying!
Seems pretty obvious, though.
Circuits do the obvious with precision.
You can put them together in all sorts of ways.
Sure, you can make a half adder if you have an XOR gate and an AND gate.
Yet again, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Don't worry.
Us twenty-first century people don't get it, either.
But there's no point unless you can do it electrically and super fast!
You said transistors are ten years away!
What do you plan to make them with in this Stone World?
Oh...
We'll make them with donuts.
Donuts?!
Cheap, fast, and durable.
Unbeknownst to history, Japan had put its skills to work
on the donut computer...
The parametron!
Wrap a wire round and round a metal donut cooked out of copper and zinc.
That's basically it.
Already?!
You're going to ask us to make, like, 800 of them, aren't you?
Let's start with five.
That's it?!
Mecha-Senku here!
To put it simply, a parametron is an electric swing.
It's like if you were going back and forth on a swing.
If you have some going forward and some going backward,
the direction of the swing is decided by majority.
That's the idea behind the parametron.
I'm confused as hell by that, but you get more ones when you add one, right?
So I guess you can do addition with that.
m 0 0 l 174 0 l 174 76 l 0 76
Adder circuit acquired!!
He said he's going to teach us how to make them so we can pitch in.
How are we supposed to make a computer?
What are you talking about?
We made diamonds, remember?
He said anyone can do science, didn't he?
Is it all right if I try it?
Of course it is.
You're our leader in tinkering with computers, Sai.
Though, you don't need this so-called "computer" to do
zero plus one or one plus one.
We're connecting a bunch of these parametron adder circuits together.
That way, little by little, we'll be working with bigger numbers.
And...
ultimately, it'll supersede human capabilities.
I'll connect them.
This is the first step to building
Adder Circuit
Parametron (Donut)
Copper
Zinc
Wire/Resistor Capacitors
Display
Glass
Argon Gas
Rust
Manganese
Ferrite Magnets
Memory Storage
Calculator
my beloved computer.
Program
ROM Cassette
Nintendo
Parametron Supercomputer
Er...
We're connecting a ton of them?
I have a really bad feeling about this.
Yeah, I bet we're making, like, 800 of them.
Two hundred thousand.
We're making automated metal donut machines.
We're entering the age of automation.
That said, the grunt work of wrapping wires is going to be up to you
and your crafts team, Yuzuriha.
We'll wake up a bunch of people in Corn City for manpower.
In order to achieve the pinnacle of human crafts,
the computer, we're going to need machines and manpower to come together.
Can you do it?
Of course!
We're baking a crap ton of donuts
and making a computer by hand!
Specifically, metal donuts.
We're mobilizing Corn City en masse.
It's a grueling team effort grind.
Each of those adders can only count to one,
but when you put them together...
Holy crap!
Freaky cable kraken!
Nice!
Time to play Dragon Quest... I guess not yet.
Maybe a simpler game? Like chess?
Slow down.
It's a level 1 computer.
How are you guys so excited?
We can add up to 255!
Here's the circuit diagram.
Yeah, I knew I wouldn't get it.
How are we supposed to communicate this complicated assembly
to the people in Corn City?
I don't see how we're doing it through Morse code.
If only we could send them a photo of the actual thing...
There's one particularly elegant way to do it.
We can send photos and circuit diagrams online.
Don't tell me we're turning into human fax machines!
There's no way we're getting a whole photo across.
A real fax machine this time.
There was no getting around it so long as
we're connecting the whole world in this battle.
I gave Taiju's team the instructions on their way to North America.
Now, Senku, will you need a happy DIY fax machine tutorial, as well?
Don't make me laugh.
All you need to tell me is how we're doing it.
The sphalerite I picked up!
It's the stuff I used to make the shining kites.
Boil it up and coat it on paper, and we have fax paper.
You can print on it by burning it with electricity.
The scanner side is a little more complicated.
Depending on whether the part you light up is white or black,
you get a slight electrical signal.
We send that across the air waves and etch it onto the paper at the same speed.
Then we can leave the actual construction of the computer to Corn City
and move on to building the next city!
Are we heading out, then?
Excellent! We ought to advance as fast as we can.
You really do like charging ahead.
Okay, everyone, I wish we had more time together,
but I'm staying here in India to focus on making the diagram for the computer.
Once I'm done, I'll fax it...
Nonsense.
Sai, you're coming with us!
Huh? Wait, which is it?
Sure, it'd be fun to have him come along...
We might need your math knowledge along the way.
No!
I'm never, ever going with you, Ryusui!
This is how he always is!
Ryusui always wants everything! He wants power!
And he bosses me around...
I finally escaped to India.
Why do I have to...
Synchronizing the scanning side and the printing side is hell.
Get it wrong, and the photo's going to end up all jagged and messed up.
They're sending something!
The people in Corn City!
m 0 0 l 170 0 l 170 76 l 0 76
(Real) Fax machine acquired!!
A group photo!
Looks like they got everyone in it for memory's sake.
Both the Japan team and the US team.
Everyone looks well.
Group photos...
Holy crap.
I want to take another picture, too.
Hey, sounds good.
I want to see if I can get him to talk,
but it seems like Ryusui-chan and Sai-chan have some trauma around photos
that I don't know if I should pry into.
Maybe I can dance around it, and...
Hey, hey, do you guys have a problem with group photos?
Prying Chelsea
Nanami Brothers gotta stick together!
Just come with us, Sai!
It just brought back bad memories.
Ryusui and I were always excluded from the Nanami Conglomerate group photos.
Ryusui and I aren't the children of the Nanami matriarch.
What do you mean by that?
Prying Chelsea
Your mom isn't your mom?
My dad and his family trained me to focus on math.
Like an obedient soldier.
Meanwhile, no one in the family could control Ryusui.
He'd say...
Sai, I want your abilities!
I... re...fuse!
Ryusui only ever thinks about using people.
I'm not a mathematician!
Sai!
Teach me chess!
Let's...
I'm sorry I was so rude!
You two are so pure.
Pure? It's nothing like that.
Ryusui is selfish and self-centered. He doesn't care...
I think Ryusui-chan just wanted to work with you.
Maybe that's all it was.
He really does want everything.
Including a true brother.
Did Ryusui-chan always ask you to do something?
Sai, I want your power!
We're building a race track again!
We're building sails together!
You're coming with us!
Sai!
We have some time until we set sail!
Train me!
Let's play chess—
I told you, I refu—
Okay. Sure.
You're strong, Sai!
You're unbeatable when it comes to purely logical games like chess.
Sai!
I'll be bored out there.
I want a worthy opponent to play against on the ship.
That's the last one.
We're done loading the cargo.
Is that everyone who's coming?
Let's go.
Let's go, Ryusui.
Together.
m 0 0 l 188 0 l 188 70 l 0 70
Sai has joined the party!!
The Truth About the Rocket
Next Episode
The Truth About the Rocket
This is a work of fiction, but the plants, animals, and production methods described are based on reality. Foraging and making things on your own accord is extremely dangerous and, in some cases, illegal. Please do not imitate without expertise.