The Department of Magical Administration.
Eric looked at Lucian across the desk, a trace of helpless amusement surfacing on his stiff, formal face. "Evans, are you here to submit another paper?"
His last paper had been barely a month ago, and it had already sparked discussion among five Grand Archanists, stirring up considerable waves within the Continental Magic Parliament. Now he was submitting yet another? The pace was frankly terrifying.
After all, setting aside filler papers that only served to scrape one or two merit points, the vast majority of Archanists couldn't maintain a rhythm of one high-quality paper per month. Many avenues of Arcane and magical research operated on cycles measured in years. And every paper Lucian had completed had, to varying degrees, caused a sensation — he was absolutely not the sort of Archanist who valued quantity over quality.
"Yes, Mr. Eric. It builds on the previous paper. I've completed the 'Arcane Significance' interpretation of the formula." Lucian slid the paper across to Eric, then folded his hands together with a bland smile.
Eric's eyes widened in surprise. "Evans, you've completed the interpretation of the formula? That formula which the five Grand Archanists, approaching from every conceivable angle, couldn't properly dissect?"
"Yes." Lucian's answer was succinct.
Eric opened his mouth several times before finally managing to speak. "Lately, discussions about your formula have been ubiquitous at Parliament headquarters. Whenever a few Archanists meet, the conversation gravitates toward it. Letters from my mage friends in other cities are filled with it too. But not a single Archanist has found a direction."
"Everyone is stuck in confusion — why does this formula fit the blackbody radiation data so perfectly, yet seem to lack actual Arcane significance? Are we overlooking something? Are there hidden laws waiting to be discovered? Perhaps, as the Grand Archanists theorize, one must abandon conventional thinking and make a radical, paradigm-shifting assumption before a path can be found. Who would have thought that you, Evans, accomplished the dissection of the formula in just a month, quietly and without fanfare? Truly one of the most outstanding geniuses among the current generation of Archanists."
After reading the latest issue of Arcane, Eric had also attempted to explore the formula's deeper meaning, but without success. Having formed a rough impression, he had turned his attention back to his own magical analysis and Arcane research, bringing it up only as a hot topic when he happened to encounter other Archanists.
This was, in fact, the attitude of the vast majority of Archanists on the matter.
"In truth, some Archanists have found a direction — my classmate Chloe, for instance. I simply beat him to the interpretation." Lucian offered this correction with a smile.
That's because the circles of Archanists we know are different, Eric replied silently to himself. Then, unable to fully conceal the curiosity that crept across his stern, formal face, he asked: "Evans, did you, as the Grand Archanists theorized, make an assumption that overturns conventional wisdom?"
"Of course — a rather revolutionary assumption. But it remains limited to the hypothesis stage. There is no experimental or magical verification yet." Lucian was careful to emphasize this point.
Eric did not press further. Inquiring into the specific content of another's paper before the review concluded was a taboo of the Continental Magic Parliament. Though Lucian had the Storm Lord backing him and wouldn't mind or worry about such matters personally, it was still a matter of basic courtesy.
"A revolutionary assumption? An unverified hypothesis?" Eric mentally repeated the words several times, committing them to memory. He then placed Lucian's paper into the small transport cage and rang the bell.
……
In the study of the magic tower.
The magic candle in front of Chloe had burned down to nothing. The clear light of early morning streamed through the window, dispelling the room's darkness.
Chloe, however, was entirely unaffected. Like a stone statue, he sat gazing at the papers on his desk, his brow deeply furrowed. Why, following Evans's explanation, did the formula still refuse to resolve? It felt as though something crucial was missing.
The uncertainty offered no relief, so Chloe revisited the content of his exchange with Lucian and began re-deriving the formula from scratch.
……
The fifteenth floor of the "Allinger" magic tower — the paper hall of the Archanist Review Committee.
A succession of pleasant, tinkling chimes rang out, and a complex Magic Circle flared to life with a milky-white glow.
Once the light subsided, documents materialized at the center of the circle. Arms of magical energy abruptly extended from the sides, picking them up one by one.
A metallic voice intoned in a cold, mechanical cadence:
"Necromancy? Forward to Lady Tinadiemos, Mr. Hagard."
……
"Elemental? Forward to Mr. Ofri, Lady Rocklini."
……
"Thermodynamics?"
Upon assigning this particular paper, the mechanical voice paused noticeably. Then it read aloud the title:
"'Energy Distribution in the Blackbody Spectrum'?"
After another pause of several seconds, the metallic voice continued:
"Forward to Mr. Chloe, Lady Sonia."
The paper was then replicated into three copies: one retained on file, the other two deposited into their respective Magic Circles, where they were once more swallowed by the milky-white glow.
……
In the study.
With Lucian's explanations serving as his reference, Chloe's derivation progressed rapidly. Within a few hours, the true face of the formula gradually revealed itself before his eyes.
"For the formula to hold, one assumption must be made." On Chloe's gaunt face, an expression of barely suppressed terror emerged. Beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on his forehead. "This — this violates the Equipartition Theorem!"