The last Friday of April, Year 827 — the thirty-first floor of the Arling Magic Tower was packed shoulder to shoulder and uncharacteristically noisy.
"This is probably the place with the highest concentration of certified mages anywhere,"
Since "Atomic Controller" Lucian Evans was holding an open class on the microscopic realm this morning, the vast majority of mages had been thrown into a frenzy, scrambling for any opportunity to attend. The higher-ups at the Holt Magic Academy had been forced to institute a restriction: teachers and students of the academy could choose whether or not to attend the lecture, while mages from outside — low-rank, mid-rank, or high-rank — would be granted admission strictly on a first-come, first-served basis according to registration order.
Heidi giggled. "It's been so long since I got to watch the professor standing at the podium — how could I miss this chance?"
Under her influence, most of the Archanists at the Atomic Research Institute held adjunct positions at Holt Magic Academy, and they were now returning the "treatment" they'd received from their teacher back into society.
"That's right. I really miss the carefree days of studying at the magic school," Leiliya echoed as she followed Heidi into the main lecture hall.
The tower spirit, Prosper, had temporarily activated a spatial folding magic circle, making the enormous hall spacious enough to seat several thousand.
Annick couldn't concentrate in this kind of environment, so he offered a justification for Heidi's whim. "Opportunities like this really are rare. Normally the professor would never review the material from scratch or give a systematic, comprehensive lecture. This helps us identify gaps in our understanding. Look — Mr.
He'd originally wanted to name every single mage he recognized, but quickly realized this was far too troublesome — more troublesome than studying the microscopic realm itself.
"Exactly, exactly! That's the core point Annick just made that I couldn't put into words," Heidi said without a shred of shame, borrowing his reasoning verbatim, before leading everyone to their seats.
Katrina let out a soft breath. "I wonder what the professor will cover today?"
The microscopic realm had developed to the point where even she and Leiliya were starting to feel dizzy trying to keep up. It felt like they'd have to work desperately hard just to follow along. If not for the solid foundation Lucian had laid — letting them handle mathematical applications and conceptual understanding with relative ease — they probably couldn't have kept pace with the top Archanists in the microscopic field.
"This is an open class for all teachers and students. His Excellency Evans certainly won't go too deep. It should be an accessible, comprehensive analysis designed for everyone to understand," said Ophelia. She had spent nearly four years at the Atomic Research Institute, and both her Arcane rank and magical power had surged forward dramatically. But even so, she still found the microscopic realm largely bewildering, and desperately needed a holistic overview like this to help her grasp the bigger picture.
Sprint, meanwhile, asked expectantly, "Do you think the professor might propose a new theory? Something to explain why microscopic particles exhibit uncertainty?"
"Probably not. That's the greatest mystery of the microscopic realm — it might represent the true nature of the world," Annick said, shaking his head. "According to the professor's consistent view, probability and uncertainty are intrinsic properties of microscopic particles, not an unavoidable disturbance caused by measurement. So if someone truly discovered why microscopic particles possess these essential properties, it would mean they'd genuinely understood the microscopic realm."
Heidi pouted. "The professor's explanations are practically at war to the death with determinism. No wonder Isabella, Ms. Samantha, and the other astrologer Archanists are here to audit an open class."
Amid the buzzing murmur of conversation, Tomp — Vice Principal of the Holt Magic Academy and a member of the Administrative Committee — walked in and pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Quiet."
With the help of an amplification magic circle, the crowded lecture hall fell instantly silent.
"Now, I shall hand the time over to His Excellency Lucian Evans, who will tell us about the mysteries of the microscopic world." Tomp knew that at a time like this, empty pleasantries would earn him nothing but a volley of magical attacks, so he kept his words brief.
Then Lucian, wearing a black double-breasted long coat and a matching bow tie, walked in through the side door and casually removed his top hat, placing it on the lectern.
"Everyone's time is precious, so let's get straight to the point. Research into the microscopic realm begins with the wave-particle war of light — only then can we properly understand the peculiarities of other microscopic particles," Lucian said in his usual calm tone, beginning with the classical wave experiments of light and slowly progressing to the confirmation of its particle nature.
This was content that mages were all too familiar with — and content they had already mastered thoroughly. So no one struggled to follow, and they quickly fell into the rhythm of Lucian's lecture.