—Three chapters today to make up for the late ones, plus an extra chapter at month's end~ Please vote with your monthly tickets.
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Due to the High Council's emphasis on this collaborative research project, and because it primarily involved elemental and necromantic arts, all Archanists in the Alinement factions who excelled at research had been drafted in—naturally including the authoritative Archanists from the Archanist Review Committee: Ravendie, Gaston, Locklini, Pessol, and the vast majority of mid-tier Archanists qualified and capable of helping them review papers.
Thus, a temporary paper submission and review area had been set up inside the "Saliwa" estate, allowing the Archanists participating in the project to submit their research results at the earliest opportunity.
Just emerging from the room lined with Magic Circles, Lucian spotted Woods from the *Ordinary Archanist Monthly* appearing at the far end of the corridor. "Good afternoon, Mr. Woods. I didn't expect to see you here—I seem to recall your specialties lie in force fields and astrology."
"Good afternoon, Evans. But I'm now also the deputy editor-in-chief of the *Ordinary Archanist Monthly*, so of course I have to come and look around, see which Archanists' research results might be published in our journal. After all, all the Archanists from your elemental and necromantic factions who are capable of writing high-quality papers have been gathered here. Our *Ordinary Archanist Monthly* isn't like *Arcane* or *Magic*—we can't just sit back and wait for submissions, so we had no choice but to come."
Woods smiled and nodded. Thanks to the periodic table business from two weeks ago, he had been promoted from reviewing Archanist to deputy editor-in-chief of the *Ordinary Archanist Monthly*. At the same time, papers discovering new elements tended to earn high Archanist points, and the periodic table's correctness had been verified, which gave him hope that his Archanist rank—stuck at fourth-tier—might break through within a year.
After speaking, Woods, who sported a golden handlebar mustache, regarded Lucian with concern. "After I arrived, I heard from some Archanists I know that you'd been attacked, so I went to your room to visit, but the maid told me you'd come here. Well, you look like you're not doing too badly, so I'm relieved."
Aside from his complexion still being somewhat pale, Lucian had mostly recovered, though his "Shapeshifting Robe" needed to be sent out for repairs.
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Woods. I was merely caught in the crossfire—the attacker was primarily targeting Mr. Felipe and didn't cause me any real harm. The injuries basically came from the backlash of using the 'Elements' ring across my tier." Lucian gestured for Woods to walk with him.
After he had been brought back to the estate by Ravendie, Gaston, and the others, acquaintances like Larry, Timothy, and Ulises had come to visit in succession. But since the news was still contained to the immediate area, not even Elstine and Exirion the elves knew, so friends like Lazar had not come.
Woods frowned slightly. "Don't be fooled by how quickly this kind of backlash seems to recover—it actually conceals hidden damage to both your soul and body that can't be eliminated, shortening your lifespan. But since you, Evans, have hopes of becoming a high-tier Archanist before fifty, it shouldn't be a major issue. The less you use it going forward, the better."
The two chatted idly as they walked toward the room where Lucian had been recuperating. Just as they reached the door, Woods seemed to remember something and smiled. "That room was where papers were being submitted before—don't tell me you've written another research paper, Evans?"
"Yes, this week's Arcane research results—three alchemical substances that can promote increased grain yields, along with methods for their large-scale production." Lucian pushed open the door with a smile, as though discussing a perfectly ordinary paper.
Woods looked at Lucian with a mix of mild surprise and amusement. "I saw your project briefings these past few days—you seemed to have hit a bottleneck. But I just turned around and heard that you'd already worked it out. I can hardly believe it."
"I was inspired by the Archanists' research results in the project briefings, and after the analysis of fertilizer from burned vegetation and manure composition, I switched to three alchemical substances soluble in water to try." Lucian had the maid standing by the door pour Woods a cup of black tea.
Woods picked up the teacup, took a sip, and chuckled. "So that's how it was. If these three alchemical substances truly can be mass-produced and popularized, grain yields will increase dramatically, making many mages and knights a good deal wealthier, and your paper will receive a widespread rating result, Evans."
As a man born into a mage family who had grown up in Alinement his whole life, Woods had never experienced genuine hardship, nor did he have a mind for business. On top of that, he was a mid-tier Archanist, occupying a completely different social stratum from the farmers and common folk at the bottom. He might feel the occasional pang of concern or sympathy for them, but it was only a fleeting emotion—and so he did not consider Lucian's paper to be of any great significance. The reason this project had been taken seriously by the Magic Council was that the High Council's lords wanted to study natural Divine Arts.
"Let's hope so," Lucian replied after a sip of tea, without a trace of boasting.
Woods set down his teacup, smiling yet earnest. "I wonder whether you'd be willing to let your paper be published in our *Ordinary Archanist Monthly*, Evans?" Although less than half the month had passed, if they could secure one of the key research results from this high-profile project in advance, the next issue's total citation count would certainly increase substantially.
Lucian answered with a smile. "I once said that if the opportunity arose, I would continue submitting papers to you and your colleagues at the *Monthly*, Mr. Woods, and you've been the first to come to me. Mm—so long as my paper passes the committee members' review, I'd personally be happy to publish in the *Ordinary Archanist Monthly*."
"I'd like to thank you on behalf of the *Ordinary Archanist Monthly*, Evans. Oh, and—could I take a look at the paper's content? Just so I can determine where to place it in the issue." Woods asked in a negotiating tone, since Lucian's paper had only just been submitted for review, and such a request could be suspected of ill intentions.
Lucian did not refuse. He pulled a backup copy from his storage pouch and handed it to Woods. "It's fine—I already gave a copy to the *Project Briefings* when I submitted to the Archanist Review Committee for discussion purposes. Everyone will be able to see it tomorrow."
Woods took the paper and began reading it with care and seriousness. Although Lucian Evans was a newcomer who had only been immersed in Arcane magic for a few months, both of his papers had already drawn significant attention—especially the second, which had stirred up a storm in the field of elemental magic and held an extremely important position. Therefore, one could not afford to treat his work carelessly.