Throne of Magical Arcana

Sprint did not quite agree with Annick’s theory. “Our teacher must’ve been devoted to the improvement of his magic level and is trying to advance into the ninth circle. After he reaches the ninth circle, the Congress will have plenty of weird rituals that can help him become a legendary sorcerer.”

Improving two major levels consecutively through rituals had a failure rate of more than eighty percent. Therefore, Sprint believed that the best solution for his teacher to become a legend was to advance into the ninth circle on his own first. As for whether or not the further advancement after the ninth circle would succeed, Sprint had absolutely no doubt about that. With a legendary that perfected matched his cognitive world, the legendary magic models that were engraved inside his cognitive world, and the experience and assistance of so many legendary sorcerers, there was no way that their teacher could fail.

“Yes, you’re probably right.” Annick did not insist on his opinion. “Our teacher did not come by the Atom Institution often. He must’ve been focused on improving himself.”

That was the reason why they were less burdened in the past months. Other than continuing the study on the theory of relatively, they only had the mission of analyzing the mechanism of the ancillary computation arrays. It had been a while since new exams and tests came. They almost missed it.

About the review of papers, since Lucien had become a member of the Highest Council, his job in the Arcana Review Board was automatically canceled, and they no longer needed to review the papers.

Sprint took over the journals Annick bought and browsed through the table of contents. Suddenly, he saw a paper with a particularly long title: ‘The Complicated Splitting of Spectral Lines in Weak Magnetic Field and Its Contradiction to the New Alchemy’, by Brook.

In the past year, they had been trying to mend the new alchemy. Although most of their ideas had been disapproved by Hathaway, Raventi, Joaquin and the other grand arcanists, the argument still made them achieve a lot.

In such a way, they perfectly integrated the knowledge that Lucien taught, the exercises he gave, the experiments he assigned to them, and the brilliant ideas in his head. They really became young people with the potential to be senior-rank arcanists, instead of vases that were backed by their teacher.

Therefore, Sprint became rather solemn after he saw the title. He turned to the corresponding page on Magic and read it carefully.

“How… How… How can there be such splitting? The quantization model of the new alchemy does not seem to apply to it…” After a long time, Sprint spoke to himself rather gloomily.

Thankfully, everybody knew that the new alchemy was not perfect enough. The sorcerers who built their cognitive world based on it were mainly focused on the simple structure of protons, neutrons and electrons and did not involve the specific energy level. That was why his cognitive world did not shake.

Annick, hearing his murmur, also took over Magic solemnly. In the meantime, Sprint gasped hard and went to the laboratory to confirm the paper. As his teacher said, even the grand arcanists were not to be entirely believed when it came to arcana!

Annick was covered in cold sweat as he read on. His slim space was even more pale, as he realized that his current knowledge could not explain the phenomenon at all.

Did something really happen to the new alchemy?

Holding the journal tightly, Annick also went into the laboratory.

When it was almost dawn, the two of them walked out their laboratories exhaustedly and both saw each other’s bitterness.

“The framework of the new alchemy is definitely correct.” Sprint stressed it. Protons, neutrons, electrons, and the fundamental force that had been named as strong nuclear force by their master had all been proved!

Annick nodded. “However, the energy level and orbits of the quantized electrons seem to be in serious trouble. Perhaps, we should abandon the flawed concept and think from a different perspective.”

After half a year of repetitive argument and research, they had learnt that they had to let go of certain things when it was necessary.

That was perhaps the young men’s advantage. It was obviously impossible for an arcanist who had been devoted to a theory for decades to suddenly drop their persistence and specialty.

“Let’s try to resolve the problem through energy level and orbits without adding more hypotheses. If we can’t, we’ll try different approaches.” Sprint said solemnly. “We’ll ask our teacher after the holiday. He definitely has unusual ideas.”

They had sensed their significant growth every month in the exploration and argument about the new alchemy, but they also discovered that the gap between them and their teacher was getting greater. Their teacher could answer their every question from a reasonable perspective.

“Alright.” Forgetting to sleep, Annick went to the library with a copy of ‘Magic’.

The same thing happened in Katrina and Heidi’s house, as well as the magic towers of Hathaway, Morris, Raventi, Gaston and other upper-level arcanists.

In Thunder Hell, however, Fernando was obviously agitated, which made Thompson, Chloe and other students who came to wish him happy new year prudent.

“Master, happy new year.” Thompson was already level seven and had hope to enter the ninth circle.

Glaring at them, Fernando roared, “I’m not happy at all! I don’t understand Brook’s anomalous splitting phenomenon!”

Brook discussed with him after he discovered the phenomenon and wrote the paper later.

Chloe, who had the air of a poet, asked carefully, “What is it about, master?”

As an authority in thermodynamics, he was not as good as such an unreasonable man as Lucien, but he was already level eight and in the eighth circle. However, he hadn’t read Brook’s paper on the new issue of ‘Magic’ yet.

“Don’t you mention the goddamn paper! I would rather that it be that I’m a poet, a playwright or a playboy, so that I wouldn’t need to consider the goddamn paper!” Fernando expressed his fury, and all of his students narrowed their eyes and turned their heads around, like boats that caught a terrible tornado on the ocean.

Thompson hurried to change the subject. “Master, why is Lucien not here?”

“He came with Alferris earlier. They already left.” Fernando was more or less composed now.

Chloe asked curiously, “What’s his opinion on the paper?”

Hardly had he asked the question when he sensed Thompson’s scorching eyes. He immediately realized that he asked the last thing he should’ve asked.

Fernando’s face was twisted again. “He also admitted that something was greatly wrong with the new alchemy. He believed that new quantum numbers had to be introduced to explain it. His original system couldn’t do anything about it. I would rather he never proposed the new alchemy!”

Roars attacked him like a storm. Chloe couldn’t have regretted it more.

…

In Raventi’s magic tower…

After Dieppe left his teacher’s library, he remembered nothing but the unusual splitting of spectral lines and how his teacher was running calculations with his eyebrows furrowed.

“My teacher is almost ready to advance into legendary. He shouldn’t be distracted by anything else right now.” Thought Dieppe worriedly. As the best of Raventi’s students, he was already level six and in the seventh circle. Although he was not as young as Lucien, Felipe or Larry, he was obviously still in his prime years compared to other sorcerers.

In the end, Raventi chose Hathaway’s class of ‘Lord of Elements’, which had been partly modified based on the achievements in protons, neutrons, electrons and the strong nuclear force. After all, the new alchemy, on which ‘Atom Controller’ was founded, was far from mature. Nobody was willing to take the risk except for Lucien who was utterly unreasonable.

Dieppe shook his head as he thought. The discussion on the new alchemy was a temptation that no sorcerers who were devoted to elements, alchemy and matter could overcome. He probably couldn’t have resisted it, either, if it were himself.

After he was back to his room, Dieppe was still thinking the unusual phenomenon about the energy level and orbits of electrons and how it could not be extrapolated to more complicated atoms. He couldn’t fall asleep after a long time.

Upset, he stood and paced, recalling the discussions in the past half year.

“…Imposed quantization… Imposed electron orbits… Imposed energy levels… Unobservable orbits and energy levels… There are many unresolved problems. We have to find a new way out!”

Hathaway’s greatest suspicion about the new alchemy echoed in Dieppe’s heart. He calmed himself down and asked himself to abandon the complicated ideas and start from the simplest question. “If we do not impose anything, we should start from the natural, built-in qualities of electrons. What qualities of electrons have been confirmed? Mass… charge quantity…”

“Mass…” Dieppe suddenly recalled the theory of relativity, which was also quite heated recently. It was said that Mr. President had almost understood the general theory of relativity and was about to give a comment. However, what ‘mass’ reminded him of was actually the mass-energy formula that seemed to have contained the deepest mysteries of this world!

“If there is mass, there will be intrinsic energy; if there is energy… and electronic transition radiates or absorbs photons… I think they can be connected… Quantization of angular momentum…”

After ruling out a long of wrong thoughts, Dieppe gradually calmed down, and his eyes were opened. He sat behind the desk and wrote on a piece of ordinary paper with his quill. The night was dark and cold outside.

As his ideas flourished, lines of words appeared on the paper. Dieppe’s face was gradually frozen, as if he found it hard to believe his deduction. That was a perfectly reasonable and logical deduction, but how could he have possibly achieved such a terrifying and preposterous result?

For the first time in his life, he had the urge of tearing his own paper apart. The dark night outside was like a monster that was about the engulf him, making him feel chilly.

“The premises are not wrong, and the deduction is not wrong, either. I might as well carry on…” The urge in his heart made Dieppe grit his teeth and continued writing. He paused now and then to consider and correct his mistakes.

When it was about midnight, his ideas were completely clear, and he finished the paper without any stop.

But after it was done, he did not feel the slightest light. There was nothing but shock and even tears on his face.

How could electrons be waves?

How could electrons, which had so many undeniable features of particles such as mass, momentum and particle traces, be waves?

A huge snow began to fall outside of his window, enshrouding Dieppe in unprecedented coldness. Would anybody else agree with the conclusion that he found hard to believe himself?