Crash after crash, the torrential rain poured down like a waterfall cascading from the sky. The heavens turned dark and oppressive, and gazing at the white, misty spray splashing beyond the hall's entrance, one could not help but feel an illusion of being isolated and abandoned by the world.
"Rain in the Month of Blazing Fire really comes without any warning." In the banquet hall, Drummond stood by the window holding a wine glass, admiring the downpour, the dark red liquid within the cup swaying gently.
Isabella, wearing her crystal laurel crown, heard his remark. Comparing the warm, gentle atmosphere inside the hall with the wild, vast darkness outside, she smiled faintly: "The power of nature is far greater than our magic. Only a lord of the Legendary realm could manipulate weather on such a scale and create such a terrifying spectacle."
"Lightning, thunder, and stormy gales will always pass, just like the various obstacles we face. Whether it's the ancient magical theories passed down through generations, or the powerful and terrifying Church, they will ultimately be conquered by Arcane magic. Fate is like a great wheel — it rolls ever forward. Those who block its path will be crushed to a pulp, and those who cannot keep up are destined to be abandoned forever. I love the weather after rain the most — it's so fresh and wonderful, as if a world stained with filth has been thoroughly cleansed and a new world rebuilt from scratch." Drummond spoke with a touch of exuberance, and outside, thunder rumbled in waves as the rain poured down.
…………
Around Alinja, thunderclouds gathered thick, lightning danced wildly, and bright sunlight was instantly replaced by dark gloom — forming a stark contrast with the warm, pleasant scene in nearby Luntat.
Lucian had never imagined that the rage and roar of a Great Archanist could cause such terrifying atmospheric changes. The surrounding air had condensed into something almost solid, pressing down on him, making him feel as though he couldn't breathe.
"The world is discontinuous?"
"The world is discontinuous!"
Fernando's roar echoed in his ears, one burst after another, more violent than the thunder rumbling outside:
"But it is merely a prerequisite assumption for this formula — it is only a hypothesis!"
The "Storm" bore down on him. Lucian did not lower his head. Facing that almost tangible pressure, he spoke slowly, calmly, yet with cold resolve:
"Even if it is only a hypothesis, at least it is the only hypothesis so far!"
BOOM!
It seemed as though countless peals of thunder rang out simultaneously, and dazzling silver-white arcs of electricity flickered in Fernando's eyes:
"The only hypothesis? You dare rule out every other possibility now? Is there rigorous deduction? Experimental confirmation? Arcane verification?!"
Lucian's dark pupils were deep as a still lake, entirely unaffected by the roaring and the storm, as he said:
"Judging from our work over this period, at least all analyses from other perspectives have been ruled out. If we assume this inference is correct, is there any solid evidence or deduction to overturn it?"
This period of work had been completed through joint discussion and research by the two of them. Every rejection of an alternative explanation had been acknowledged by Fernando himself, and every obstacle overcome had been experienced firsthand by him. Under these circumstances, he could not deny Lucian's words. His conviction began to waver, and he could only roar:
"Evidence? The entire world is the evidence!"
Lucian suddenly smiled, gentle and serene: "Teacher, the true nature of the world is profound and mysterious. What we see, hear, and feel are all limited by our own perceptions. Do ordinary Archanists and Great Archanists perceive the world in the same way? Do Great Archanists who support particle theory and wave theory respectively see the world the same way? But this formula is real and concrete. Until we can find another explanation, we must provisionally accept this hypothesis."
"Teacher, you once told me something — sometimes, past experience and knowledge become obstacles to our progress!"
Hearing this motto — one that Great Archanists had distilled from countless "blood and tears" experiences — the Storm Dominator Fernando, with lightning jumping in his eyes like a deity of storms, stood still with his small frame. His bright red magic robe fluttered as though buffeted by a fierce wind. After a long while, the silver-white lightning in his eyes vanished, and the thick thunderclouds outside dissipated.
"Fortunately, it is still only a hypothesis for now. I will continue this work and search for explanations from other angles." Fernando sighed softly, a trace of weariness in his voice.
Seeing signs that he was beginning to accept it, Lucian asked with concern: "Teacher, are you all right?"
"Fortunately, it is still only a hypothesis." Fernando repeated this. "If, when you presented this hypothesis, there had been irrefutable evidence to support it, then I would have already gone 'bang' and become a real storm — a storm of blood and flesh. Or, alternatively, my Cognitive World would have shattered and solidified, and my chances of further advancement in Arcane Magic would have become extremely slim."
"But now, given that it remains merely a hypothesis, I still have time to buffer. The very act of searching for explanations from other angles to refute it is itself a gradual process of changing one's acceptance. Of course, our discussions over this period have made me realize that, until a new theory emerges, the likelihood of fully explaining the significance of this formula from another angle is very, very small. Heh — perhaps the new theory that does emerge will actually be based on your hypothesis."
Teacher, the discontinuity and quantization of energy are only the beginning. On this path, there lie even more terrifying "demons" that overturn common understanding — demons so formidable that even Einstein, one of the greatest scientists on Earth, had his "Cognitive World shattered and solidified, never taking another step forward" because of them.
Of course, Lucian could not say any of this. The path toward understanding the world was always so cruel and inconceivable. But seeing that Fernando's emotions were relatively stable — he could even crack a joke — Lucian quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to blow his teacher's head up. After all, no mage below the Legendary realm had ever witnessed a Legendary mage's head explode from the collapse of their Cognitive World. No one knew what kind of destructive power that would unleash.
Perhaps it would be like the mid-rank and high-rank Archanists — simply sitting quietly in a chair before exploding, at most dirtying someone's clothes. Or it might annihilate everything within a certain radius.
After a pause, Fernando sighed once more. He no longer seemed like the stern, irascible Storm Dominator, but rather like an aging man near the end of his days: "I wish I had never conducted those thermal radiation experiments, never had this thought. But everything is irreversible. We may have released a terrifying monster capable of destroying the Arcane system, the Magic Council, even the entire world. Before today, I had never imagined that energy might be discontinuous, that the world might be discontinuous — like a series of frames stitched together. What do you think the other mages' reactions will be when they learn the significance and underlying assumptions of this formula?"
A more vivid way to put it would be that the entire world is like a movie — not continuous, but frame by frame. Lucian habitually corrected this in his mind, then smiled bitterly: "The vast majority of them will feel terrified, then comfort themselves by saying it's just a hypothesis, and finally subconsciously ignore the issue entirely, simply using the formula as before. A very small minority will be angry, will argue, will accuse, and will go 'bang'..."
"Good that you understand. The submission of this paper, and how to release it, both need further discussion. Even though it's still just a hypothesis, we should try to mitigate its impact as much as possible. What a subversive hypothesis indeed." Fernando returned to his serious demeanor. "You should organize today's work into a paper and send it to Douglas. He may be the Great Archanist most able to accept your hypothesis. Heh, energy being discontinuous, coming in discrete portions — isn't that just like particles? Hmm, let's call them quanta."
"As for Hathaway and the others, split the paper into two parts — an upper and lower section — to give them an extra day to process. Sometimes, things you figure out yourself are easier to accept than things told to you by others. At least my situation just now has proven that point."
Following Fernando's instructions, Lucian finished writing the paper. Just as he was about to sign it, Fernando, who had been leaning back in his chair, suddenly sat up straight and said solemnly: "The author on the paper should be you alone. I backed down when it came to the hypothesis. This achievement belongs to you."
"Teacher..." Lucian looked at him in surprise.
Fernando glared: "Just do as I say. I have no intention of putting my name on a paper whose conclusions I'm still unwilling to accept."
After sending off the letter, Fernando closed his eyes to stabilize his Cognitive World and contemplate the problem of explaining the formula from other angles. The entire room fell silent once more.
Lucian was also adjusting his state. Earlier, when his mind had been entirely focused, he hadn't noticed it, but only now did he realize that, facing the terrifying pressure of the Storm Dominator, he had broken into a cold sweat, his heart pounding so hard it nearly leapt out of his chest.
In this eerie silence, the time...