Fernando's Common Language carried distinct Briala Kingdom characteristics — slightly odd and shrill. This was the provincial accent looked down upon by the people of the Holm Kingdom, lacking any hint of elegance. Yet within the Holm Kingdom itself, the citizens of Lontard mocked their fellow countrymen from other provinces and cities, convinced that only the Lontard accent was truly representative of the aristocracy.
This peculiar notion, owing to a tangle of historical reasons, had somehow gained universal acceptance across the nations on the other side of the Storm Strait. Their nobles and commoners alike took pride in speaking an authentic Lontard accent, considering it a mark of great prestige.
Of course, no one dared mock Fernando's accent in front of a Grand Archanist like him. Moreover, Lucian and the others were listening intently to the contents of the letter, worried that the slightest lapse in attention might invite a terrifying roar.
"Perhaps you think I'm being too absolute, but I have no doubt this is the case — Transfiguration, Illusions, Elements, Summoning — all of them will be brought into this framework. The discovery of the Periodic Law of Elements has only strengthened my conviction. Elemental alchemical reactions are fundamentally electromagnetic reactions, just as heating an object produces electromagnetic waves that manifest as different colors. Otherwise, why would atoms — the most fundamental, indivisible building blocks of matter — exhibit such bizarre properties? And in what manner do they display these properties? Shouldn't the most fundamental things be the most elegant? Was this all arranged by the God of Truth?"
"No. I believe that atoms of different sizes and masses radiate different electromagnetic waves, which in turn produce their various properties. Of course, at present, no experiment or magic can confirm my hypothesis. We can only continue exploring and experimenting at a steady pace."
"...That roughly covers my recent research. I hope to hear your thoughts. Finally, let me reiterate what I said before. Although there remain the issue of the propagation medium for light, the question of planetary existence, and the fact that several major schools of magic still cannot be more fully integrated into this framework, there is no doubt that the Arcane world has reached an initial stage of maturity. Our work going forward is one of refinement, unification, correction — and of channeling it all into practical applications of magic."
"I count myself fortunate to live in such a magnificent era, to devote myself to such a wondrous world of Arcane Magic. And the foundation of it all rests upon the establishment of calculus — it enables us to calculate and comprehend this continuous world with precision. Whether it be Lord Douglas's or Lord Brooke's formulas, they are suffused with a sense of continuity, symmetry, and sublime beauty, like time flowing on without cease. In my eyes, this surpasses poetry, music, oil paintings, and sculpture by ten thousandfold."
Lucian listened in silence. It was plain to feel how this letter from the great mage Roland brimmed with reverence and satisfaction toward the current state of Arcane Magic, carried a fierce pride, and overflowed with confidence in the future. Even the cool and reserved Chloe showed a faint flush on her cheeks, stirred by the thought of having grown up in such an era.
Lucian did not laugh at their reactions. The knowledge in his soul library still needed to be verified through experiment, magic, and calculation — otherwise, he couldn't simply assume it aligned with this world's "truth."
"What are your thoughts on this letter?" Fernando asked, not offering his own commentary directly. He refolded the envelope and turned to his students.
Thampu was the eldest and the one who had studied under Fernando the longest among his living students. He spoke first: "Roland's views represent a large portion of Archanist opinion. Even though the existence of planets can't yet be proven, that doesn't prevent us from freely harnessing the power of gravity through Lord Douglas's theories to create powerful and wondrous magic. Perhaps we haven't yet approached the essence of the world, perhaps we can't yet fuse the two great systems with atoms — the material foundation — into a single, essential unity. But there is no doubt that the Arcane world has reached an initial state of completeness."
He specialized in Elements, so naturally he pointed out that Roland's letter had overlooked atoms as the material foundation. If the two great systems were the sun and silver moon of the Arcane world, then atoms were its very earth!
He meant no criticism, of course — this was merely a private exchange of correspondence, not a formal paper requiring Roland's usual rigor. More importantly, Thampu knew that Roland was a proponent of the "energy-essence theory," which held that neither matter nor spirit truly existed; only energy was the fundamental nature of everything. All matter — including atoms, including the human body and spirit — was simply energy composed in different forms, manifesting as electromagnetic waves, gravity, and other characteristics.
To those who held this view, only such a framework could explain how Transfiguration was possible, why catalysts appeared in alchemical reactions, and how spiritual power could intervene in reality to cast magic. And now the emergence of the Periodic Law of Elements seemed to be further validating their speculation.
"Indeed — even a breakthrough as revolutionary as overturning the theory of human vitality was really just patching up this grand Arcane world."
Ashikana had a trace of elven blood — pointed ears, verdant hair, green eyes — giving her a delicate, refined air. But when the discussion turned to Arcane Magic, her eyes blazed with fervent intensity. "My good friend Isabella and her student Rachel conducted long-term observations of how illusions affect the human body. They discovered that when subjects fall under the same illusion, the body secretes identical sets of substances. After painstaking extraction and experimentation, they concluded that these substances — similar to alchemical compounds — can directly induce specific hallucinations or emotions."
"That sounds rather impressive," remarked Alfriss, the "diminished" giant dragon lying nearby. "It's only a discovery, true, but it brings part of Illusions into the Arcane world, corroborating Roland's letter. It's more than enough to earn the Wizard's Laurel award. Awoo! Awoo! Awoo! Why couldn't I have made the discovery? I want a Wizard's Laurel! A beautiful, valuable Wizard's Laurel!"
Its tail thrashed about in agitation, but there was nothing to be done — the fact that Ashikana could discuss it openly meant the paper had already passed the review and evaluation of the Arcane Audit Committee.
Someone has already discovered the function of hormones? Then I'd better push out both versions of the Charm Human spell as quickly as possible before they lose their value, Lucian thought to himself. Even if a great many wondrous illusions couldn't yet be incorporated into the Arcane system, at least this was a solid first step — bringing one of the three major schools that had been drifting outside the Arcane system with only loose connections — Transfiguration, Illusions, and Summoning — into closer alignment with it.
Chloe smiled with a faint flush on her face. "Even though I strongly disagree with Roland's views on the energy-essence theory, I have to express my agreement with this letter. After centuries of development, we now possess a relatively mature and complete Arcane world. What lies ahead is further development, refinement, and correction."
Before Leishi Carter could respond, Fernando suddenly let out a low roar: "Foolish! Foolish! This letter is riddled with foolish errors from beginning to end!"
His roar grew louder: "Are you all illiterate? Blind? Haven't you read the historical records of the ancient magical empires? Back then there was no understanding of gravity, no knowledge of electromagnetic induction, no discovery of electromagnetic waves — and yet countless spells embodying these principles were cast without any hindrance!"
"Today our magic has advanced tremendously — all that proves is that the Arcane approach is closer to the truth of the world. But to dare declare, while so many disputes remain unresolved, that the Arcane world is mature and complete, that no more results capable of overturning the entire system will ever emerge — that is naivety, that is blind faith, that is arrogance, that is foolishness! Do you all want to end up like Roland?"
"Setting everything else aside — take just the debate over whether spiritual power exists, and whether light is a wave or a particle. A large contingent of Archanists still rejects the current mainstream view, and that includes Council Chairman Douglas himself. Until the medium of light's propagation is found, he will never be convinced. If that conclusion were overturned by him, would half the Arcane world collapse? And if planets truly don't exist — if they are merely the illusory manifestations of fate and divinity proclaimed by those charlatans of faith, and gravity is merely another form of holy power — would the other half of the Arcane world collapse as well?"
"When we stand at the summit of the world, standing close to reality, what we need are two words that contradict each other — humility and perseverance. Otherwise, we will be blinded by illusion!"
After this thunderous tirade, everyone — Chloe included — sat in stunned, fearful silence.
Fernando put the letter away, then spoke in a tone so calm it was as though the enormous outburst had come from someone else entirely: "I have numerous research projects in progress. There's the fundamental nature of elemental laws, a collaboration with Hathaway. There's the creation of a legendary-tier Thermal Magic spell. There's further research into applications of electromagnetic waves. I'm also in correspondence with other Grand Archanists and legendary mages, discussing problems in their own research. However, since I've finally created an experimental Thermal Magic spell capable of obtaining fairly precise thermal radiation data, I intend to derive the formula for thermal radiation — that should lower the difficulty of many Thermal spells."
He gave a broad overview of his current research projects and explained some of the difficulties he'd encountered in detail, ensuring his students could follow along while still gaining something of value.
When he finished, he turned to Lucian. "You've only just begun studying under me. If you don't have an urgent or demanding research direction of your own, you could select one of these projects to assist me with."
"I'd like to work with you on the thermal radiation experiments, Teacher." Lucian had long been frustrated by the difficulty of collecting data for such experiments, unable to carry them out on his own. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he certainly wasn't going to let it pass. This was a critical step in discerning the differences between this world and his original Earth. One of the major reasons he'd agreed to become Fernando's student — a Grand Archanist specializing in Thermal Magic — was precisely because of his expertise in this field.
Fernando offered no comment on the choice, and instead turned to his other students. "One by one, share your recent research progress and the difficulties you've encountered. Let's start with you, Ashikana."
Ashikana, seated in the chair furthest to Fernando's left, was called upon first. Lucian, sitting beside her, would be next.
"Teacher, I've recently been attempting to approach absolute zero. This could amplify the power of many high-tier and even legendary Ice and Frost spells, but I still haven't made a breakthrough — I'm still roughly twenty degrees Celsius away from absolute zero." Ashikana explained her magical experiments in detail.
By the time she finished, Lucian had picked up a good deal of valuable knowledge regarding Ice and Frost magic. Now the eyes of Thampu and the others shifted toward Lucian.
"I'm currently preparing for my advancement to the Fifth Circle. Apart from serving as your assistant, Teacher, I'm not yet in a position to undertake other research," Lucian said honestly. "However, I do have some earlier, unfocused research with no clear direction. After hearing Roland's letter and Ashikana's account just now, I've finally arrived at a clear idea. It stems from my research into Mechanical Mind, from studies of certain Illusion and Necromantic spells, and from the Nightmare King's explanation to me — that stimulating specific regions of the human brain and soul can produce true dreams."
"The human brain emits faint, distinctive electromagnetic waves that influence emotions, feelings, dreams, actions, and more. The soul is also subject to a degree of interference."
Ashikana blurted out: "Evans — do you even realize what you're saying?" Combined with her friend Isabella's research findings, this could bring a vast portion of Illusions into the Arcane system!