After completing his paper "On Quantum Mechanics," Lucian didn't submit it right away. Instead, he carefully studied its various applications on his own and analyzed the new legendary arcane spell that had formed within his soul — having received feedback from the real world, both his soul and his cognitive world had become considerably more stable, stable enough for him to construct a fourth legendary spell model.
After a month of analysis, Lucian had roughly grasped the eerie, unfathomable nature of this legendary spell. It was an auxiliary-type spell that could reflect certain properties of the microscopic world onto the macroscopic one. No matter how formidable, wondrous, or mysterious an enemy's defenses might be, there would inevitably be uncertain aspects — there was always a probability that attacks and weakening spells empowered by this auxiliary would penetrate straight through.
In other words, at that moment, in the current world, determinism would collapse with a thunderous crash. No matter how many life-saving spells you had prepared, no matter how many protective talismans or phylacteries you had crafted — your survival might have been thoroughly determined by those preparations, yet after being affected by this spell, there was still a chance of complete annihilation.
Of course, for Lucian, the stronger the opponent, the lower the probability. Against someone of his own tier, there was roughly a twenty percent chance of shattering determinism. Against someone at the peak of legend like Chairman Douglas, it dropped to less than one percent. As for an existence like the Silver Moon Aitena, the odds were probably somewhere above one in ten thousand.
"No wonder it gave me such an eerie feeling — this legendary spell is truly a killing machine." After completing the analysis, Lucian rubbed his chin and sighed. "But what's the underlying principle? Why can it reflect certain properties of the microscopic world onto the macroscopic one? It bypasses interference — but how?"
Faintly, Lucian seemed to grasp something — something intimately connected to the soul and the very essence of arcane magic, and something that felt almost like a perfect inverse of his left hand's ability to nullify magic and Divine Arts.
But this flash of inspiration was fleeting. Lucian shook his head and turned his attention to the names Natasha had suggested for this legendary spell, deciding on "Evans's Hand of Uncertainty." The name was somewhat verbose, but that hardly mattered — this spell wasn't the type cast through incantation. Rather, when casting other spells, it could be actively overlaid according to the caster's intent, with no additional preparation required.
Of course, this meant the casting time of any legendary spell would increase by a full second, and the mana cost would grow exponentially. Without potions, Lucian could previously cast thirty or forty legendary spells in a single battle. But if those spells were enhanced with the Hand of Uncertainty's effect, he would be drained after just seven or eight.
After completing the analysis, Lucian decided that for the next month and a half, he would devote a significant portion of his efforts to constructing the spell. He then gathered his papers and headed to the Allingham Magic Tower, intending to submit the paper to his master.
Over the past month and a half, the members of the Supreme Council had been studying the wave properties of electrons and the corresponding wave function. Progress had been limited due to gaps in the mathematical framework and the yet-to-be-proposed concept of spin, resulting in a period of relative calm. However, powerhouses in mathematics like Douglas, Hathaway, and Brook had gradually developed ideas and begun improving certain mathematical tools. Meanwhile, the other Archanists, beyond their own research, had devoted themselves almost entirely to designing Magic Circles for electron diffraction and interference experiments — but unfortunately, with little progress to show for it.
During this period, Hathaway, Helen, and Klaus had all come to visit Lucian. They were equally curious about his research into crystals, and Lucian politely explained that when he had tried to deepen his work in this area, he had been hampered by gaps in mathematical tools and prerequisite knowledge.
After hearing Lucian's words, though Hathaway and Helen said nothing, it was clear they intended to study the mathematics of this field.
Perhaps they would be remembered in the annals of magical history once again for their tremendous contributions to mathematics. Perhaps they would construct the complete system of "Magic Crystallography." Lucian was quite optimistic about this, because their mathematical aptitude was actually superior to his own — Hathaway in particular was unquestionably among the top three of all the mathematical "powerhouses" in the entire Council.
During this time, Lucian and Natasha's life continued as before. The pressure from Church powerhouses and Ktonia seemed to fade with the passage of time, allowing Lucian to live quite contentedly. Beyond his arcanist and arcane research, there was music, love, warm and tranquil companionship, all sorts of amusing situations arising from their differing personalities, the delightful torment he inflicted on students like Annick and Hetty, and the malicious little pleasures he had deliberately incorporated into the preparations for the Magic Academy, Brufley School, and Liberal Arts School.
…………
Without teleporting directly to his office, Lucian wore his black top hat with both hands tucked into his coat pockets and strolled toward the Allingham Magic Tower. Not for any particular reason — he simply wanted to see the red banner hanging outside the tower, while simultaneously thinking about what he needed to busy himself with in March: "Aside from constructing the Hand of Uncertainty, I also need to start forging my dedicated legendary artifact. Over these past six months or so, I've ruined quite a few items before gaining any real confidence."
Though he was an authority in the field of alchemy, Lucian had always been a theorist. His actual experience forging magical items was quite limited — potion brewing came far more naturally to him. And since dedicated legendary artifacts couldn't be entrusted to others, Lucian had poured most of the arcane points earned from New Alchemy and General Relativity into purchasing materials, building up his proficiency and confidence through one alchemical experiment after another.
Over the past six months, Lucian had ruined item after item, wasted material after material. Even though every successful piece had been converted into arcane points, those points had trickled away until almost nothing remained. But he had roughly gained the confidence to forge a legendary artifact.
"Proficiency really does require burning money to improve..." Lucian recalled the games he used to play and quipped to himself. By now, he had arrived in front of the Allingham Magic Tower, where he saw a tacky, vulgar red banner hanging above the main entrance — a garish counterpoint to the tower's dreamlike, textured façade.
"Designated Examination Venue for the Unified Advanced Magic School Entrance Exam."
The moment he saw it, Lucian couldn't help but break into a wide grin. It was so familiar, so dear!
Below the banner, a crowd of magi had gathered, eagerly reading the introductory board placed at the entrance: