September 1st, *Arcane* was published as scheduled.
Lazar, Rock, Jerome, and other mages who had entered the "Atomic Research Institute" already possessed ample arcane points. They no longer needed to borrow from schools or basic arcane libraries like ordinary low-level archanists to save expenses, and could each purchase their own copy to read and use as reference material for future research.
"I can't imagine such a hypothesis, but if it's true, then the formula seems to take on complete arcane significance." In the small meeting room of the "Atomic Research Institute," while waiting for Lucian to arrive, Lazar voiced his astonishment aloud. However, due to insufficient knowledge of the arcane research on thermal radiation overall, combined with the repeated emphasis from the Great Archanists and the review committee, he wasn't overly shaken. It was only a hypothesis, after all—surely other reasonable explanations could be found in the future.
Only archanists who had personally derived the formula, and whose explanations from every angle had been systematically refuted one by one, would find themselves unable to resist believing the hypothesis upon seeing Lucian's analysis. And yet this contradicted the very foundation of the arcane world, contradicted Lord Brooke's theory—giving rise to an intense conflict.
Rock, however, stood up in excitement and paced back and forth: "Only Lucian could come up with such an unimaginable hypothesis. Wonderful! I love this kind of subversion! Oh, I'm going to give him a hug when I see him—he's the one I aspire to and learn from! How can arcane research be like a stagnant pool with no movement? It must be full of storms to be truly beautiful!"
It seemed he only regretted that this hypothesis, which contradicted the current arcane system, hadn't been his own.
Jerome's expression turned rather sour, but he quickly regained his composure: "For now it's just a hypothesis. We don't need to think too much about it—just use the formula. Once the lords and gentlemen have made their judgment, we can discuss whether energy is continuous or not."
"As expected of the steady Jerome." Lazar joked, not taking the hypothesis too seriously either—or perhaps deliberately not doing so.
Meanwhile, magic apprentices like Katrina, Annick, and Hattie sat quietly to the side, listening without understanding. This area of knowledge was still far too distant for them.
At that moment, Lucian walked in carrying a thick stack of papers and copies of *Arcane*, smiling as he surveyed the meeting room: "Let's begin discussing the experimental results from the past week."
…………
Within the city of Alinja, inside magic towers, beneath tree canopies, and inside carriages, countless archanists were perusing *Arcane*—which represented the cutting edge of magic and arcane research—each one stunned by Lucian's audacious hypothesis.
But before long, murmurs of "this is just a hypothesis" rose here and there with little variation, faintly revealing a trace of fear and dread.
"We just need to use the formula and constants to modify the corresponding magic…"
"Cathode rays—what are these?"
…………
Luntat, the Holm Royal Magic Tower, Elemental Will Headquarters.
The tall, earnest K was reading *Arcane* carefully, his hands trembling slightly. His arcane badge already bore three silver stars, with silver dots surrounding them that seemed nearly endless—he was clearly not far from becoming a fourth-level archanist.
The refinement and citation of atomic valence theory and ionization theory had brought him substantial returns.
"Evans truly is a genius unbound by any constraints." From the doorway came a heavy sigh. Larry, the round-faced, bearded man, walked in holding a copy of *Arcane*, the arcane badge on his chest also having risen to five silver stars. "If it were me, I might never have come up with such a hypothesis. I can't imagine completely throwing aside the foundations of the arcane system."
K's voice was low: "Even though it's just a hypothesis, it's still terrifying. I can't imagine what would happen if it proved true—what kind of storm the Parliament would stir up, and how much pressure Lucian would have to bear…"
"Don't overthink it. Let's continue with our own research." Larry understood the terror hidden behind this hypothesis; even the most open-minded mid-level archanist would need a long time to slowly accept it. "Oh, and given my contributions to atomic valence and ionization theory, the gentlemen have decided to award me the Holm Crown. The ring will be named 'Ionization.' K, as my assistant, you contributed greatly to my research. I'm sorry I wasn't able to secure you a share of the credit."
Because the atomic valence and ionization research, unlike Isabella's work which had produced decisive results, had advanced bit by bit, Larry hadn't initially realized its value. In many papers he hadn't acknowledged K, and the experiments he completed didn't include K's name. On the contrary, as his student, K's papers had always dutifully placed Larry's name first. So when they encountered Maurice, that stingy president, he flatly rejected the possibility of shared credit.
Having awarded the Holm Crown three times in succession, the Elemental Will's treasury was hemorrhaging gold, causing Maurice great heartache.
K had no objection to this—it was standard practice in the Magic Parliament. Isabella and Rachel's cases had been exceptions. He scratched his head and broke into an honest grin: "It's fine, Professor. What I'm most puzzled by right now is why the ions of matter carry positive and negative charges respectively? What kind of law is really hidden behind it?"
"You've started asking 'why,' just like your namesake." Larry stroked his yellowish-brown beard and quipped. "That will be our next research focus. Also, let's measure those cathode rays that Evans recently discovered."
…………
The North—a crystalline palace of ice and snow.
It seemed to exist in another world entirely, completely unaffected by the raging blizzards, and was faintly connected to several strange, blurred worlds.
In the palace's study, Helen Paris—beautiful as an ice spirit—with a copy of *Arcane* at her side, was reading a letter: "…I believe Lucian Evans's contributions in the field of thermal radiation are sufficient to earn him the Ice and Snow Medal. His hypothesis of treating energy in discrete quanta, while not yet proven, does in fact put forward a valid explanation. Moreover, his formula and constants are so remarkably correct, they have a significant effect on improving magic in this field…"
"Of course, I must admit—I prefer the term 'energy quantum,' or 'quantum'…"