The Holme Royal Magic Tower was located in the Nobility District, and it didn't take Lucian long to reach its entrance. He removed the transmutation mask, restoring his original appearance, passed through the security check, and stepped inside.
Night was deepening, but inside the Magic Tower it was more bustling than during any of Lucian's previous visits. Since the new queen came from the City of Sacred Hymns, and no one yet knew whether her attitude toward mages would change, the prudent course was safety. Mages scattered throughout Lentas had either brought their families directly to Allingur, or taken shelter inside the Holme Royal Magic Tower together with their relatives.
It was just after dinner. In the main hall, mages gathered in small groups — some strolling, others chatting — and the occasional sound of children laughing and playing could be heard, along with the sight of women wearing wide-brimmed hats with translucent veils.
Rebecca was discussing the hottest new alchemy system with several mages from the Elemental Will faction when she suddenly spotted a young man in a black top hat walking through the entrance. Her gaze locked on him instantly, and her voice shot up in a mixture of alarm and astonishment: "Good evening, Mr. Evans."
In the hall, every sound vanished. Silence fell as pairs of eyes turned toward Lucian, and one after another, voices murmured: "Good evening, Mr. Evans."
Their manner was utterly deferential — as though they were not facing a mage who hadn't yet turned twenty-five, but rather greeting one of those legendary figures.
Lucian keenly sensed the change in attitude among both the Elemental Will and the Holme branch mages. In the past, low- and mid-tier mages had looked at him with respect and aspiration; now it was reverence and adoration, the way one would face a Legendary mage, a Grand Archanist. Was this the effect of the New Alchemy?
He looked at the light-brown-haired woman who had spoken first and nodded: "It's been a while, Rebecca."
Her "mistake" had led Lucian to attend that Elemental and Alchemy Annual Conference, where his paper on the periodic table had received immediate validation from Lavendie — so Lucian had a strong impression of her. Moreover, she was on excellent terms with Lazar, and he often heard her name mentioned in conversation. Perhaps before long she would become Lazar's wife.
"You — you still remember me, Mr. Evans?" Rebecca blurted, half-astonished and half-delighted.
Lucian smiled and tapped his temple: "I've always had an excellent memory. Besides, Lazar mentions you quite often."
"I wonder when he'll be able to come back," Rebecca said with a hint of worry.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lucian smiled and took his leave, heading toward the upper floors of the Magic Tower.
Watching his retreating figure disappear into the lift, the other mages crowded around Rebecca, all talking at once:
"Rebecca, you're on such good terms with Mr. Evans?"
"I have so many questions and thoughts about the New Alchemy — could you pass them along to Mr. Evans for me?"
"Could you ask Mr. Evans whether the Atomic Research Institute still needs mages?"
Listening to their words, a sudden sense of the passage of time washed over Rebecca — the bittersweet awareness of how much had changed. The first time she had heard the name Lucian Evans was while listening to the *Fate Symphony*, and she had worshiped the great composer from afar. Later, she had learned from Lazar of a genius Archanist whose very first paper had earned extraordinary praise and invitations from two journals. But in only seven or eight years, that quiet, reserved young man had set record after record, claimed honor after honor, and was now on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of the arcane world — standing alongside those Grand Archanists to "enjoy the view from the top."
Yet she felt no jealousy toward him. When faced with a "monster" like Lucian, a terrifying Archanist who had proposed one revolutionary theory after another, when the gap between them was simply too vast to bridge, jealousy had no foothold — only a deep sense of inadequacy and admiration.
And moreover, the "New Alchemy" system was unlike Lucian's previous achievements, which had always gained their recognition through controversy and debate, overturning the worldview of many and enduring countless slanders. From the moment of its birth, the New Alchemy had been seen as a spark of wisdom illuminating a new world, driving the vast majority of mages into a frenzy of excitement.
They all understood that the "New Alchemy" was fundamentally different from the old "Alchemy." It was primarily a model of the atom's interior — a system built upon that model which profoundly described elemental changes. "Alchemy" was merely an appendix and a theoretical clarification; the true content it revealed was the mystery of the microscopic world.
For mages who had been laboring in the dark depths of the microscopic realm, this held extraordinary guiding significance. It unified scattered discoveries into a coherent whole. From now on, exploration in this field would bid farewell to its blind days, as though stars had finally begun to shine in the darkness.
Of course, they also knew that the "New Alchemy" still had many unresolved problems and possibly numerous errors — but there was no doubt it had opened the door toward the realm of creation and illuminated the path forward in the microscopic world. Sooner or later, Lucian would become a Grand Archanist because of it!
"Perhaps one day, we'll be able to freely alter matter," one mage exclaimed with genuine delight.
Another mage gazed toward the lift, filled with admiration and reverence: "When that day comes, Mr. Evans's name will surely become one of the most brilliant names in the entire history of arcane magic."
…………