Chapter 5: Fernando's Inquiry

Everyone present was at minimum a high-ranking mage. Even though Lucian's description was simple, abstract, and vague, it didn't prevent them from recognizing the value of this line of research. This was a breakthrough that could further incorporate Illusion magic into the current Arcane system — a development of immense significance.

Tomp and Lexi? Carter suddenly felt a surreal sense of disbelief. This was only Lucian's first discussion meeting, and he was already producing such startling discoveries in the fields of Illusion and electromagnetism — it was almost too brilliant for one person. In his memory, only a handful of Grand Archanists had ever had comparable experiences. And what exactly was Lucian's specialty — was it Astrology, or was it Illusion and electromagnetism?

"Once Roland accepted the Theory of Energy Essence, he theorized that human thought activity was essentially the combined effect of energy currents and magnetic fields," the Storm Dominator said in a flat tone, introducing to his students some of the progress that had been made in this area. The faintly mocking note toward Roland was unmistakable in his voice — the man had missed an opportunity to perfect the current Arcane system.

The Theory of Energy Essence wasn't the point. The point was that when a theory still had no direct evidence, no experiments or magic to verify it, when it still had so many holes and so many things it couldn't explain — to cling to it blindly like that was truly foolish beyond measure.

Having finished the introduction, the Storm Dominator Fernando looked toward Lucian. "Describe your discovery process in detail. Many conclusions may require bold hypotheses, but they must be verified with great care."

When discussing Arcane matters, he showed none of his usual humor or vulgar affect. His expression was serious, his voice measured. He hadn't simply taken Lucian's word at face value upon hearing his presentation — he didn't automatically believe that the human brain produced special electromagnetic waves that influenced emotions and actions, which was precisely why he demanded a thorough explanation.

With him chairing the meeting, there was absolutely no concern that students like Ashikana might plagiarize Lucian's findings. As for himself, whether in terms of Arcane reputation or accumulated wealth, he had already approached the peak. What he valued more was the exploration of fundamental principles, the discovery of underlying laws, and the understanding of the world — he rarely concerned himself with the empty fame attached to Arcane or magical achievements.

"It began when I obtained a portion of the Book of the Dead. Through comparison, I discovered that part of the structure of the 'Charm Human' spell involved the soul, while the remainder appeared to act upon something else entirely. Driven by curiosity and a desire to explore, I studied this structure at length. By chance, I compared it with the structure of the Mechanized Mind spell and found certain similarities. So I took the bold step of modifying the Charm Human spell — and to my surprise, it actually succeeded."

Lucian spoke at length, reversing the actual sequence of his modifications to the Charm Human spell. What had originally been a purposeful enhancement guided by theory was reframed as an exploratory improvement based on structural similarities with other spells. However, precedents for this kind of thing in magical research were too numerous to count. Neither Fernando, a Grand Archanist, nor any of the other high-ranking mages found anything suspicious.

"My initial attempts were blind and reliant on luck. But since the spell could be successfully cast and achieved its intended effect, that meant this spell structure wasn't purely the result of blind luck — there had to be some underlying law hidden behind it. I simply couldn't yet comprehend the meaning it represented or the principles it reflected. So I kept trying to understand this spell, and only when I came into contact with electromagnetic wave theory did I notice the similarities..."

For once, Fernando didn't interrupt his student to nitpick or correct him. He gave a slight nod, expressing approval of Lucian's way of thinking, and gestured for him to continue. Many mages, after accidentally or coincidentally creating new spells, simply dismissed it as luck — treating the spell's success as equally fortuitous — and never bothered to explore the hidden reasons and laws behind that accidental success. As a result, they missed many valuable discoveries.

"...My research in this area had always been intermittent and disorganized, lacking clear direction. I had discovered the existence of faint electrical currents in the human body and detected several types of special electromagnetic waves emitted by the brain, but I had no understanding of their significance. It wasn't until I was stimulated by the Nightmare King's true dream, inspired by his words about the distinction between reality and dreams, touched by Archmage Roland's description of the human body as composed of energy with electromagnetic waves as its external manifestation, and stunned by the research findings of the mage Isabella that Ms. Ashikana had mentioned — only then did I roughly understand the law hidden behind the spell I had modified."

"When encountering different situations, the brain produces different special electromagnetic waves, which stimulate the body to secrete alchemical substances similar to those Ms. Isabella discovered, thereby generating emotions and sensations."

Lucian finished speaking haltingly, as though he had only just now straightened out his thinking.

Fernando asked with meticulous precision: "There are electrical currents in the body, and there are special electromagnetic waves — but have you discovered a magnetic field in the brain?"

"No. Perhaps the experimental requirements are too stringent, or the surrounding interference too strong." Lucian shook his head.

Fernando continued: "How many types of special electromagnetic waves are there, what categories of alchemical substance secretion does each correspond to, and what emotions or hallucinations does each produce?"

"Through the analysis of several Illusion spells, I identified a number of frequency bands of special electromagnetic waves. But I'm unclear on which categories of alchemical substance secretion each corresponds to. However, when the electromagnetic wave intensity was adjusted, there were clearly observable changes..." Lucian gave a general explanation of how different brainwave stimuli affected certain emotions and hallucinations.

Fernando maintained his serious expression, firing question after question at Lucian's research findings. The barrage left Lucian feeling a cold sweat trickling down his back — there were many aspects he simply couldn't answer. Fortunately, he had stated upfront that he had only just begun to sort out his thinking, so he hadn't exposed himself too badly.

After a great many questions, Fernando finally subsided and offered his assessment: "Emotions and sensations are numerous. Relying on just a few types of brainwave-stimulated alchemical secretion makes control extremely difficult. There are many things lacking in your research, and in several areas you're still at the stage of hypothesis. You have a long road ahead in this line of inquiry. However, Arcane research thrives on discussion — write it up as a paper and submit it as soon as possible. And if you don't mind, you could demonstrate for us the 'Charm Human' spell on two different targets."

"I'll try! I'll try!" Alves sprang to its feet. Mental and psychic Illusion spells were its absolute favorite.

Tomp looked at it helplessly. "Alves, this is Charm Human, not Charm Dragon…"