Then came .

Alge-Brax flickered. “Only one thing can save us. The — a problem so beautiful, it generates pure mathematical light. But it requires collaborative thinking .”

“3 and 4 make 12!” he shouted, swiping.

The city's Chief Education Architect, a grumpy old man named Aldebaran who still used an abacus, had grudgingly installed the new system. “Bah,” he muttered, stroking his long, calculator-shaped beard. “No digital trick can teach true maths.”

“6 and 7 make 42!”