Within the imperial palace of the Sacred Helz Empire.
Rudolf II had also, through his intelligence channels, obtained the *Fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics and New Alchemy* — a paper the Magic Parliament had made no particular effort to keep secret.
Ever since his "encounter" in the Solar King's underground palace, he had been monitoring the Magic Parliament's research activities, deriving considerable benefit. He naturally would not let this paper slip by — it expounded upon the most profound laws governing the microscopic realm, and even though it remained merely an interpretation, it was of no consequence: as a knight-type caster he no longer possessed a World of Cognition and feared neither collapse nor annihilation. The trade-off, of course, was that the Magic Parliament's breakthroughs could not directly advance his own power — he could only draw analogies to illuminate the path ahead.
"Absurd! The essence of the world is a dice roll? Determinism is invalid — all initial conditions cannot produce a single, inevitable outcome? Many processes are irreversible?" No matter how incomplete his memories, Rudolf II held an ironclad conviction in determinism; it was the crystallization of his own past experience and wisdom, and he could not help but mutter a curse under his breath.
Yet as he read deeper into the paper, his expression grew increasingly complex. Suddenly, his body distorted and diffused outward, seeming to be everywhere at once.
The spreading clouds collapsed. Rudolf II returned to normal, murmuring to himself with an expression caught between elation and bewilderment: "Quantum superposition?"
Back when he had been Thanos, he had found a way to shift into this state through studying the mysteries of ancient devils and gods — but he had only ever been able to apply it, never understanding what state he was actually in or what theoretical principles underpinned it. That was precisely why the path was fraught with so many dangers, and success had required no small measure of luck.
"Lucian Evans… inspiration drawn from the Immortal Corridor, connecting the secrets of godlike beings to the mysteries of the microscopic world?" Rudolf II speculated inwardly. This paper was exactly what he needed most urgently, yet he lacked other solid evidence to corroborate it, and no follow-up research had emerged, leaving him momentarily anxious. "Could Lucian Evans be concealing additional material on quantum superposition — after all, this touches upon the secrets of godlike beings?"
By now, the edifice of determinism in his mind had dimmed considerably. His own condition spoke volumes: "So determinism is the essence of the macroscopic world. Translating oneself into quantum superposition is equivalent to entering the microscopic domain, thereby shedding determinism — and thus becoming a godlike being capable of returning from the River of Fate?"
He interpreted Lucian's paper through the lens of his own experience, then let out a soft sigh. "More experiments and phenomena are needed to confirm all this. I cannot accept it blindly — otherwise, if I revise my path accordingly only to find the theory flawed, the consequences would be dire."
……
Inside the "Atomic Universe," Lucian sat gazing blankly at the vast starfield beyond his window. On the desk lay a thick stack of manuscript pages covered with phrases and symbols: "Power of the Mind? Power of Faith? Convergence of Special Electromagnetic Waves?"
These were vague ideas he had pieced together through his research on false gods.
Pinocchio's voice suddenly rang out: "Master, Lord Douglas and Lord Fernando are here to call."
Lucian snapped back to awareness, hastily gathered and hid the manuscript pages on his desk, and went out to greet them.
Fernando was still wearing his vivid crimson magic robe. The moment they met, he asked in his characteristically robust voice: "The quantum superposition state you described — you drew the inspiration from the Immortal Corridor and that state of being?"
After calming down, they had evidently made the connection on their own.
In those three papers, Lucian had not only described probability clouds but had also introduced the even more transcendent concept of quantum superposition, using it to explain certain experimental phenomena along the way.
"I did draw inspiration from that direction," Lucian admitted with an air of candor.
Douglas, led by Lucian toward the small sitting room, remarked: "But that is a state akin to godlike beings. How could a microscopic particle like an electron possess it? Simple analogy and association are inappropriate here."
His tone remained as firm and grave as ever. The secrets of godlike beings and of immortality had made him more cautious, but they could not so easily uproot the convictions of a lifetime — convictions that had solidified into philosophical bedrock through decades of understanding the world.
"When I was processing large volumes of experimental data and contemplating the interpretation of the wave function, I found that introducing this state resolved the problem elegantly, so I introduced it. It is a bold hypothesis; what follows is careful verification through rigorous experimentation," Lucian said mildly.
Fernando gave a slight nod. "I reviewed my own experimental records. The probability interpretation may be a valid direction, but probability and uncertainty should not be intrinsic properties of the electron — there must be external causes. Something must inevitably be responsible for the electron's indeterminacy and its probability-cloud state, and for the disappearance of the quantum state during the transition from the microscopic to the macroscopic world. If we can identify those causes, they will help us shift states — ascending to godlike being more cleanly and without the hidden flaws and dangers that plagued Thanos and Vicken."
From an empiricist's standpoint, the probability interpretation was clearly the best theory currently available. But reasoning from classical causality, Fernando judged that where probability clouds and indeterminacy emerged as outcomes, there had to be corresponding causes.
"At present, at the very least, there is no indication whatsoever that we can only describe these as intrinsic properties of the electron," Lucian replied with refined composure but unwavering insistence. "Or rather, in the current body of research, no experimental results support any external cause. Do not multiply entities without necessity."
Fernando glared at him, stunned by his stubbornness. "You're supposed to formulate a bold, more encompassing and expansive hypothesis, then verify it carefully — have you forgotten even that? Otherwise, how do you explain the difference between the microscopic and macroscopic worlds? How do you describe this transition? How do you account for the collapse of the wave function?"
"And I also have thoughts on uncertainty. I've designed a thought experiment to disprove it," Douglas spoke up quietly from the side, where he had been listening to their debate. He produced paper and pen and sketched a reference diagram to illustrate his point — a method that, by a roundabout route, determined the electron's position while simultaneously calculating its momentum.
Fernando had clearly encountered this experiment before. He fixed Lucian with a gaze both focused and immensely imposing, waiting for his answer.