Arlenga itself hovered in midair, and the tower used as an observatory soared even higher into the sky, its deep black surface rippling with brilliant flashes of light that cast the entrance in a flickering glow.
Upon hearing Levsky's words, Lucian pressed his lips together in a smile, then said with a half-joking tone: "Particle theory can't explain the vast majority of experimental results, and wave theory can't find any solid foundation for its own existence — they both have enormous problems. Why not make them a married couple and combine them? That way everything would be settled, and we wouldn't need to go through this tedious wave-particle war!"
"How is that even possible? Evans, you're quite the comedian." Levsky chuckled. Though he excelled more in mathematics, he was a genuine Archanist with a solid understanding of both wave theory and particle theory, and he felt Lucian was simply joking around.
Behind Lucian,
Lucian raised his walking stick: "In any case, without other decisive experimental results, waves and particles, now in their third large-scale 'clash,' won't reach a verdict anytime soon. Let's focus on our own research."
He wasn't the least bit worried that his joke might spark inspiration in Levsky,
As for whether they might develop a light-quantum hypothesis of their own, one only needed to look at the past few months: not a single paper attempting to analyze his blackbody radiation formula and energy quantum hypothesis had appeared. Nearly every Archanist regarded it as taboo, banishing it from their minds and deliberately forgetting it. Under those circumstances, how could anyone possibly gain inspiration or direction from it?
As for Anik and his other devoted students, while their reverence for Lucian ran deep and they could accept the energy quantum hypothesis in full, their meditation environment had not yet truly taken shape and their understanding remained shallow. Moreover, their knowledge was still insufficient for venturing into the field of thermal radiation, so they had no opportunity to use or study quantum theory at all. They were in a stage of knowing and believing its content without truly grasping it, making it naturally impossible to apply it in forming hypotheses about light.
"That makes a great deal of sense." Levsky nodded earnestly. Rather than the wave-particle debate, he preferred studying the two new geometric systems and the theoretical implications of Chairman
He spotted the publicly known president of the tower, a member of the Supreme Council and Ninth-rank Archmage — "the Astrologer" Anonis — walking in through the entrance.
Anonis wore a grey pointed hat and stood tall and imposing, like the most powerfully built warrior. His face was smooth, without a single beard, and his features appeared remarkably young. Yet those deep, weathered black eyes gave the impression that he had endured the passage of time, his body and spirit aged beyond measure.
"Your Excellency Anonis." Lucian, Levsky, and the others bowed respectfully.
Anonis was a man of few words. He inclined his head slightly and addressed the two with a solemn expression: "Please, come inside. Tonight, you are the guests of honor at the banquet."
Inside the great hall, "starlight" blazed brilliantly. Guests thronged, and the clinking of glasses filled the air.
Upon stepping into the hall, Lucian quickly spotted a number of familiar Archanists — Lavendie, Florenza, Nesika,
Signaling to Levsky, Lucian picked up a glass of "Starshine" from a tray held by a servant and headed toward the group from Elemental Will.
"Well, well — the rare genius of our Elemental Will has arrived. A genius who claimed the highest honors in three different fields before even reaching the High level," Florenza drawled with a lazy smile, her words laced with a hint of teasing toward Lucian, implying that he'd been so busy with his studies and the Atomic Research Institute's affairs that he hadn't set foot in Elemental Will's headquarters or even a branch in ages.
Lucian smiled and raised his glass: "I really have been far too busy lately — helping my professors set up the Arlenga Telephone and Telegraph Company."
"You seem rather interested in money-making ventures. The arcane crystal lamps haven't even been widely promoted yet, and you're already onto this,"
Lavendie, however, furrowed his brows: "Lucian, enhancing one's arcane strength and exploring the unknown world certainly requires vast resources as support, but that isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is dedicated study and research. Don't get so caught up in making money that you forget your original purpose." He didn't want to see Lucian go down the wrong path, so he offered the reminder. After all, he had always been blunt and never feared offending anyone.
Hearing this, Florenza laughed sweetly: "Lucian hasn't forgotten his research — didn't he just establish an entirely new geometric system? Isn't this banquet exactly the award ceremony for his Arcane Scepter Award?"
"The initial setup work is done. From now on, I'll be directing my energy toward improving my arcane strength." What Lucian meant was the creation of his unique meditation method, but to Lavendie and the others, it sounded like he was beginning to prepare for his push toward the High level. They all nodded in approval.
Lavendie's dark grey eyes regarded Lucian intently as he continued along Florenza's thread: "Previously, mathematics was the weak link in your Archanist capabilities, but it appears you've now patched that gap. Very good — you possess the qualities of success. However, I wouldn't advise you to continue researching in the new geometry field. For the moment, it doesn't yield any tangible Archanist or arcane significance. You should devote more effort to complex function problems, building a solid foundation for calculating complex spiritual force fields after you reach the High level."
"You are the young generation in the Parliament with the greatest hope of becoming a Legendary Mage. Don't waste your time."
This was both an expression of expectation and a piece of earnest counsel. He knew that Lucian's cognitive world had already begun to materialize in its early stages, and given his age and Archanist level, advancing to the High level wouldn't be particularly difficult. What mattered was laying the most solid possible foundation for the eventual push into the Legendary realm.