The alchemical beings under the Archanist Review Committee were primarily responsible for several tasks: first, classifying received papers by keyword and dispatching them to committee members across different fields; second, transmitting the final review results to the Mage Management Department; third, calculating the weighted average of the two committee members' individual evaluations to produce a final descriptive assessment along with the ultimate Archanist Points and Archanist Credit rewards; and fourth, when the two committee members' evaluations showed a significant divergence, forwarding the paper to a third reviewer.
If either of the first two reviewers objected to the third's assessment, all review committee members in that field and the paper's author would be summoned to a small meeting. Under the supervision of a special consultant of the Archanist Review Committee — a member of the Supreme Council — the author would be given the floor to present their case, followed by discussion and a final ruling. As a uniquely special organization, the Archanist Review Committee was rather loosely structured: there was no president or vice president. On the entire fifteenth floor, aside from the committee members and their servants, only a handful of mid-rank mages handling administrative matters were present.
"This one already has three reviewers…" The alchemical being wavered, seemingly realizing that some minor flaw in its paper-dispatch process had caused it to send a single paper to three committee members simultaneously. And the conclusions they had reached were diametrically opposed — as far apart as the abyss and Heavenly Mountain.
In the end, it set aside its own small oversight and arrived at the logical course of action: "I will relay the three review results separately to Committee Member Nesisca, Committee Member Milina, Committee Member Evans, and Levski, and invite them to attend tomorrow morning's small meeting at nine o'clock. Ah, I should also send invitations to the remaining committee members in the mathematical field and to Lord Storm Dominator."
As the Grand Archanist who had been overseeing Arlingdale in recent years, the foremost candidate for special consultant was naturally Fernando. If he was occupied with arcane research or the creation of Arcane Magic, he would decline immediately, allowing the alchemical being enough time to invite another Grand Archanist or Legendary Mage.
……
At the Mage Management Department, Eric scratched at his already sparse hair in confusion. He vaguely remembered something like this happening before, but since he'd only heard about it secondhand from a colleague, the details escaped him. "What exactly is going on? How could this happen?"
Levski had braved the early morning chill to take a magic-powered steam train from a nearby town, and his face had already gone an ashen shade of green. Now it was filled with an indescribable desolation. "Perhaps… perhaps the committee members threw my paper into the trash."
This had happened to him before. Back when he couldn't pass the review, he'd tried submitting his paper as discussion content to journals like Arcane Inquiry, hoping more people would see it and offer some affirmation. The submitted paper vanished without a trace — not even a rejection letter. It was only after considerable inquiry that he learned the reviewing Archanist had read one-third of the paper before tossing it in the bin, concluding it was a prank submission from some bored, malicious Archanist.
"That…" Eric didn't dare say it outright. Even though the Lucian he knew was steady, restrained, and elegant in his work, the young man had also achieved accomplishments rare in the history of the Magic Council. At his age, with his achievements, his strength, and his status, a touch of arrogance hardly seemed unusual.
Suddenly, the iron cage lit up once more with a milky-white glow, making Levski's eyelid twitch slightly. The Mage Management Department fell silent again.
"Could it be that the alchemical being missed your copy earlier?" Eric consoled his old friend.
"Mm." Levski nodded vigorously, unable to form any more words.
The glow faded. Eric leaned forward to look and broke into a smile that was half doubt, half recognition. "It's the evaluation result for your paper."
Levski exhaled, but just as he was about to relax, tension seized him again. He reached out several times, only to pull his hand back each time. With a slight tremor in his voice, he said, "Eric, read the evaluation to me. One item at a time."
Eric was equally curious about what the assessment would say, so he didn't refuse. He rather hoped Lucian's evaluation would be sharp and unsparing — no gentle cushioning — to finally crush Levski's stubborn persistence on this path and steer him back toward a normal life, back to being the promising Archanist in astrology and mathematics that both the Council and the Tower had once pinned their hopes on. A man whose talent was respectable if not extraordinary, but who had earned his achievements and recognition through diligence and perseverance.
He picked up the documents bearing the evaluation results. Two pages in total. Eric steadied himself and began reading aloud to Levski:
"'Eight-rank Archanist, seventh-circle mage. Evaluation by Committee Member Nesisca, authority in the fields of astrology, force fields, and mathematics: "If Levski's ideal is to produce a paper that no one can understand or accept, then his ideal has been realized. Even though the entire paper is riddled with absurd errors — I quote my earlier assessment — I invite Levski to lift his head and look out the window, to see the warm sunlight, to see the blue sky. This is the real world, not the geometry of his imagination. Therefore, my conclusion remains unchanged: this is a paper of absolutely no value.""
Hearing this evaluation — not unexpected, yet even more cutting than anticipated — Levski's head sank a little lower. His hands clenched into tight fists, and his body trembled with a shudder he could not suppress.
Eric cast him a look of sympathy mixed with quiet satisfaction, then continued:
"'Seven-rank Archanist, seventh-circle mage. Evaluation by Committee Member Milina, authority in the fields of astrology, electromagnetism, and mathematics: "This paper is filled with bizarre, incomprehensible deductive propositions that completely contradict our established empirical understanding — like the prank of a rank beginner. Please stop using such papers to harass and pester the Archanist Review Committee members. Without question, this is a paper in which not a single qualified element can be found. No — its formatting is very, very proper. But that alone cannot help it pass review. I do not believe a new geometric system that is fundamentally different from Tower Geometry can exist.""
Levski's head bowed even lower. Whether he was trying to hide the anger, despair, and agony written across his face, or was so ashamed he wished the ground would swallow him, it was hard to tell. But from his fists — still clenched with unyielding resolve — one might find the answer.
In that moment, Levski felt as though he had plummeted from a cliff. He strained to take flight, reaching for anything to grasp, yet he had no strength, no chance. He could only watch, helpless, as he sank toward the lightless abyss of despair.
The sound of Eric turning the pages reached Levski's ears. He seized upon that last lifeline. The faint trembling in his body became unmistakably visible, and a flush of tension crept across his ears and cheeks.
One second passed. No voice. Ten seconds passed. No voice. A full minute. Still nothing. Levski was on the verge of breaking under the agonizing wait when he finally could not hold back and raised his head — only to find Eric standing as still as a stone statue, staring blankly at the documents in his hands.
"Eric?" Levski's voice trembled visibly.