"Magician Management Department."
Eric looked Lucian up and down, his pale grey pupils reflecting the handsome, reserved figure before him. Speaking in a light, almost ethereal tone as though treading on clouds, he said, "All your Arcane Fundamentals examination subjects have been graded as Excellent... If I didn't know you, I'd certainly believe this was the work of a mid-level Archanist with at least ten years of arcane education—especially the mathematical proofs and derivations; the logic is remarkably rigorous. Did you truly study arcane and magical fundamentals for only three months?"
"Yes." Lucian had no doubts whatsoever about passing the Arcane Fundamentals examination. A smile played at the corner of his lips as he gave a slight nod.
Eric rubbed his right hand across his cheek. "In the Magician Management Department's examination rooms, cheating is virtually impossible unless you possess a legendary-tier magical artifact—and even then, Miss Lucy and I were both supervising simultaneously. Therefore, I hereby certify that Evans, your Arcane Fundamentals examination results are authentic and credible. Once the Director countersigns, you will receive one Basic Arcane Credit. Please wait."
The Magician Management Department had one Director and three Deputy Directors who took turns on duty, with the Director also serving as a member of the Affairs Committee.
Watching Eric transmit the examination results through the Tower's teleportation circle to the Director, Lucian asked with a hint of anticipation, "Mr. Eric, do you know when the review of my arcane paper might be completed?"
Even though Lucian was better at maintaining his composure than many of his peers—and indeed most mages—at this moment he felt a measure of unease.
The Periodic Table of Elements was unquestionably significant in the history of terrestrial chemistry and equally important in the broader arc of scientific development. It marked the end of humanity's scattered exploration of nature's elements, summarizing their patterns and using those patterns to guide future research. And the mysteries concealed beneath its periodic surface represented yet another unimaginable realm—one whose deep study utterly shattered previous terrestrial understanding of physics and might overturn the majority of the Magic Parliament's current theories.
Calling the Periodic Table the bedrock and throne of elemental knowledge was no exaggeration. Yet even such an important achievement, when Mendeleev first proposed it, was met with scorn from many quarters. Even his own teacher dismissed it as meaningless, a waste of life. And even in the early twentieth century, when its importance had been widely acknowledged, it missed the Nobel Prize in Chemistry by a single vote.
Thinking of all this, Lucian couldn't help feeling a touch of nervousness. A paper that was purely summative, without any theoretical derivation to support it, needed to be verified by later researchers.
Although he had boldly predicted and conjectured about certain atomic weights that needed correction and even new elements, this was a different world. Where exactly the new elements were hidden remained unknown—it was anyone's guess when they might be discovered. Some of the atomic weight corrections involved separating strange isotopes that couldn't be verified for the time being. Perhaps the Archanists would curse and give up when they reached that point.
All of this required time. Lucian certainly didn't want to find himself at some future "Holm Crown Award" ceremony where a high-ranking mage would say in a mournful tone, "Let us solemnly mourn the passing of Mr. Lucian Evans. His Periodic Table of Elements stunned the entire magical world, yet he was tragically killed before his research was ever recognized."
To receive a positive response quickly, the paper needed to be published in a journal with sufficient influence, seen by as many Archanists as possible. If even one of them verified the atomic weight errors and published the results, his Periodic Table paper would finally receive the attention it deserved.
When Eric heard Lucian's question, he replied seriously, "The paper review takes a minimum of three days. Sometimes, if the committee members are busy, it could stretch to a week or even a month. Evans, the reason your last submission was reviewed promptly was that you had also submitted a new spell at the same time—one of the gentlemen was moved by its ingenuity and took the time to read through your paper carefully. That wasn't the normal procedure. Rest assured, every paper is archived within the Arcane Review Committee, and each is reviewed independently by two separate members. No one will steal your work."
"Three days, then." Lucian said nothing more. In the short term, there was no risk of his cover being blown. In Allendia, important buildings like research towers had formidable defenses. To infiltrate without alerting anyone would require at minimum the strength of an Archmage.
If not for the weight of his many secrets, Lucian would have considered drawing up a plan to leverage the Magic Parliament's power directly to eliminate the undead and unmask the person behind it. They would never have guessed that he possessed a near-legendary-tier divine artifact!
After a brief wait, the Director's signed document was returned. Eric tossed Lucian's arcane badge and magic badge together into the iron cage and rang the bell to refresh the records.
"Evans, you have been awarded one Basic Arcane Credit. Additionally, in the latest issue of the journal, eight arcane papers have cited your bat experiment paper and your new spell principles. Combined with the citation from the Storm Dominator, you have earned a total of nine citation credits. Your current total Arcane Credits stand at seventeen—congratulations on your promotion to First-level Archanist." Eric first examined the arcane badge, then extended his right hand to shake Lucian's in congratulation.
The arcane badge had transformed into a silver star upon a black background—deep and beautiful.
Next, Eric produced the magic badge and handed it to Lucian. "Thanks to the Storm Dominator's citation, a great many Archanists have taken an interest in your apprentice-tier new spell. Since one Arcane Point is quite affordable as an exchange price, you've earned a total of seven hundred and sixty-nine Arcane Points. That's quite an enviable start." As for the information about his magic rank advancing to the second circle, Lucian planned to update that after this whole affair was resolved.
Watching Eric's mouth move ceaselessly, Lucian took a deep breath, stunned by the figure. This meant that nearly one in ten mages in Allendia had exchanged for his Bat's Scream spell—an astonishing proportion!
The influence of a Grand Archanist was truly unmatched. While "displaying him on the city walls for all to see," they had also brought him substantial rewards. Even if he settled down as a magic teacher and did nothing at all—no eating, no drinking, no working—it would take him at least six or seven years to accumulate this many Arcane Points.
As someone who was not exactly immune to the allure of wealth, Lucian found it hard to suppress his joy. But the moment he thought of that undead creature, he forced himself to become calm once more.
Donning his new arcane badge and magic badge, Lucian returned to the main hall of the Magician Management Department.
Although Cindy and Donna had anticipated from Lucian's paper—and the Grand Archanist's early verdict—that he would be promoted to First-level Archanist, they were still filled with astonishment and envy as they congratulated him. After all, he was the fastest mage to receive an official Archanist ranking since joining the Magic Parliament, and his future looked exceptionally bright.