Magic Council headquarters, eighteenth floor. The seventh laboratory was spacious and bright, with alchemy platforms arranged at various positions and in specially partitioned small rooms, their lines cold and sharp, alongside magic circles of complex and mysterious runes. Different colored lights, set against silver-white metal walls, adorned the entire room like a dream. Inside the laboratory, only Lucian, Lazar, Roch, and Jerome—the four mages—and Anik and the other magic apprentices were present. Not a single guest had come to offer congratulations. After all, for the Magic Council's Archanists, the beginning of an "arcane research project" was simply supposed to be like this. Though the name "Atomic Research Institute" was peculiar, it still qualified as an arcane research project approved by the Magic Research Committee, and there was certainly no need to hold a celebration like a building inauguration or school founding. Lucian, for his part, was perfectly happy with the quiet and had no intention of inviting guests to an "establishment banquet." And so, the "Atomic Research Institute" was founded in this completely unnoticed manner.
As the presiding Archanist of the "Atomic Research Institute," Lucian cleared his throat and spoke with a serious expression: "Our research has not yet begun, our members are still few, and our results have not yet appeared. Everything is just getting started. Ahead lies an entirely new domain, a world never before explored, waiting for us to venture into it and develop it. I believe that along this path, we will witness magnificent vistas and reap bountiful fruits." As he spoke with increasing "earnestness," Lucian's mischievous amusement grew: "Today, we take pride in the Magic Council; in the future, the Magic Council will take pride in us!" Everyone, who had been stirred and energized by Lucian's earlier words and eager to get started, was instantly struck dumb. Wasn't that ambition a bit too grand? Seeing the change in their expressions—his purpose achieved—Lucian set aside his joking manner and began assigning research tasks: "I need to attend the monthly discussion meeting shortly, so Lazar will handle the institute's day-to-day operations for now. Jerome, you'll take half the apprentices and study how various substances change properties at different low temperatures. For now, focus on common materials—charcoal, iron, mithril, adamantine, and so on. If we want to investigate what lies behind the laws of the elements, we need to be familiar with the properties of matter, and so far, no one has ever conducted complete experiments on how various substances behave under ultra-low temperatures."
"My requirement is that you record observations at every single degree Celsius. We may discover something from the data. This will be a tedious, meticulous experiment. Jerome, you have the patience and mild temperament suited to this task. Oh, and be extremely careful about the dangers of ultra-low temperatures during the experiments." So far, the Magic Council's research into ultra-low temperatures had only reached the level of liquid hydrogen, still about ten degrees Celsius short of the temperature needed for superconductivity. This bottleneck wouldn't be resolved until helium was discovered. Lucian had no expectation that they would discover superconductivity now—what mattered was that at around minus one hundred and eighty degrees, charcoal would undergo a remarkable transformation, becoming extremely absorbent of air. It was a powerful tool for creating vacuums, and once combined with existing magic circles, it would be of immense help to Lucian's future research. Since the institute was named the "Atomic Research Institute," studying changes in matter was naturally its purpose. Jerome had no objections and nodded to accept the task.
"Roch, you'll take the other half of the apprentices to study gas discharge under different air pressure conditions. Larry and K are close to perfecting the theory of ionization, having proven that solution conductivity is due to dissolved substances splitting into positively and negatively charged 'ions.' So what causes gas discharge?" "Ion" was Larry and K's coinage. Seeing that Roch also agreed without question, Lucian turned back to Lazar: "You'll coordinate from the middle—whichever side needs extra hands, you help them. If neither needs help, you can work on your own experiments."
"Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on them," Lazar said with a chuckle. "Lucian, just how much is packed inside that head of yours? You stumble on any random result and immediately connect it to something else. No wonder they call you a born Archanist's mind." It was actually the other way around—he'd first thought of the other thing, then grabbed some convenient result to mask it. Lucian silently mocked himself.
After settling the "Atomic Research Institute's" affairs, Lucian stepped out of the laboratory.
"Evans?" "Mr. Evans?" At a corridor corner, Lucian ran into Isabella and Rachel, who had come here to conduct research. After exchanging greetings, Isabella seemed to have been holding back for a long time and seized the opportunity to ask: "Evans, what exactly is the deal with that formula? After reading the papers by the five Grand Archanists, I found that from no angle can I make sense of what the formula represents. Do we really need to make some premise assumption that overturns our entire understanding?" Every diligent Archanist who could read the *Arcane* journal had been plunged into similar bewilderment during this period—some had even been driven to distraction. After all, as long as one had even a shred of curiosity and ambition, facing a question that seven Grand Archanists were all discussing, one couldn't help but think about it.
"In fact, I've recently found a direction and am in the midst of grueling work," Lucian said, gradually revealing what Fernando and Douglas had agreed upon regarding his progress.
"Oh? What direction?" Isabella and Rachel both asked in surprise. They hadn't even remotely considered the possibility that Lucian might have made progress—their earlier question had simply been a release of pent-up emotions upon finally encountering the man himself. The moment the words left their mouths, both women quickly realized their lapse and apologized profusely, making clear they hadn't meant to pry into the details of Lucian's research.
Lucian smiled without the slightest offense: "My grueling work is nearly finished, and my teacher already knows the specifics, so revealing the direction isn't a problem."
"Then can you tell us?" Rachel asked with a warm smile, noticing that her teacher was bursting with curiosity but too embarrassed to ask directly. She felt Lucian's attitude was perfectly natural—if her own teacher were a Grand Archanist who already knew her experimental progress, there would be no worry about someone stealing her results.
"Starting from the angle of molecular motion in my classmate Kloy's newly established framework—introducing probability and related concepts into the formula's analysis." Lucian had essentially thrown the door wide open.
Isabella nodded thoughtfully: "Kloy's new theory has gone from its initial proposal to recent refinement over more than a decade. At first it was rife with controversy and subjected him to considerable torment, until he received the Ice and Snow Medal for its explanation of the Second Law, after which opposition diminished considerably. Unfortunately, most Archanists still don't favor it. So even when it comes to explaining your formula, Evans, very few would think to approach it from this angle." She felt an urge to try analyzing the formula using this approach based on what Lucian had revealed—not to rush out a publication, but out of pure Archanist dedication and curiosity toward the problem. Rachel at her side felt the same way.
At the same time, Lucian's calm, relaxed, and unhurried demeanor convinced them that he had very likely already completed the formula's explanation and was merely waiting to submit his paper.
Fernando's study. Because of the arrangements for the research institute, by the time Lucian arrived, Kloy, Tampo, Ashkana, and Lehi Carter were already gathered—only the crystal dragon Aferis was nowhere to be seen.
"Tampo, why hasn't little Crystal shown up yet?" Ashkana liked to call Aferis by a nickname.
Tampo pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up: "Haven't seen it in nearly a month. It probably sold itself off again because of its greed..." His tone wasn't entirely certain. Still, no one was worried about Aferis's safety—as long as it didn't stray more than five hundred kilometers from Arling, it would be fine. Anyone unaware of its true nature certainly couldn't defeat it and were more likely to be tormented by it, while anyone who knew its origins either wouldn't dare bully it or simply wasn't that bored.
"Never mind it. It's perfectly safe," Fernando said tersely. "Let's begin the discussion. Kloy, you start."
Kloy snapped out of his reverie, glancing first at Fernando, then at Lucian: "Last month I explored an underground magma cavern..." After describing his discoveries, he once again studied Fernando and Lucian: "After this month's issue of *Arcane* was published, I became interested in the Evans formula that you and the other Grand Archanists, Professor, were discussing. After attempting explanations from other angles and failing, I tried applying my molecular motion theory. This time it seems I found the right direction, but the work is extremely arduous. It may still take another week or two to resolve. Let me describe my current research—I hope it might give you some inspiration, Evans." Although he had received the Ice and Snow Medal and served on the Archanist Review Committee, his temperament was somewhat delicate and timid—more poet than mage. Even though he was studying the *Arcane* journal openly and legitimately, he worried that Lucian might suspect him of trying to steal his results and damage their cordial classmate relationship. So he instinctively tried to ingratiate himself with Lucian.
"That you thought of this approach shows you're not entirely stupid. However, Lucian has already completed the formula's explanation from this angle. Let him describe it," Fernando said, praising his student in his characteristic fashion—or rather, not praising him at all.
Kloy, Tampo, Carter, and the others all looked at Lucian in considerable surprise. He had already solved it? If Lucian had found the correct approach before *Arcane* was published, the journal would certainly have delayed its release to await the completion of his research. So he must have found the approach and finished the grueling work in just the few short days since publication. Truly terrifying.
"Thank you, Kloy—your theory gave me inspiration..." Lucian gave a general overview of his work, but when describing the formula's premise assumptions, he deliberately omitted that one crucial condition. Kloy, Ashkana, and the others were still absorbed in understanding and memorizing the material, planning to analyze it in detail later, so none of them noticed the omission for the time being.
Afterward, Tampo and the others shared their own research, and Fernando concluded by recounting the progress of several of his major projects, using issues that arose to instruct his students.
"Evans, I think I see another Ice and Snow Medal recipient in the making," Lehi Carter said half-jokingly to Lucian as they discussed things while walking toward the door after the meeting.
At that moment, the study door was flung open and a shrunken Aferis came bouncing in, then exclaimed in its childlike voice: "You've finished the discussion?"
"Little Crystal, where have you been? We finished several minutes ago," Ashkana asked, amused.
Aferis raised both paws to cover its eyes, peeking at Fernando through the gaps: "I overslept..."
"Aferis, what research have you been doing this month?" Tampo asked, seemingly understanding the truth but suppressing his laughter.
Aferis adopted a dignified tone: "I've been researching the nature of dreams."
"So you slept for almost a month? Ha ha." Tampo laughed without restraint. Sure enough, a dragon that loved its sleep. Lucian laughed along.
Night was cool and still, everything quiet and peaceful. Kloy sat in his study, organizing what Lucian had described during the day, carefully reading through it and periodically jotting down his thoughts. Ashkana, Tampo, and the others were doing much the same, though they still had plenty of magic analyses, arcane research, and other tasks to complete, so they could only set aside a small portion of their time for this. After all, the problem already had an answer—there was no need to rush.
Isabella and Rachel each sat under the bright glow of magic candles, beginning to investigate the principles behind the formula based on what Lucian had revealed.
Lucian sat quietly behind his desk. After a long while, he picked up his pen and wrote the title of his paper: *Energy Distribution in the Blackbody Spectrum*.