547 - 554

Chapter 547: Ungullible Douglas

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"This paper is based on relativity and the constant speed of light. For that, I stipulate that…"

After he skimmed through the paper, Douglas's smile was replaced by graveness. He raised his head to look at Oliver, only to discover in surprise that the pile of papers before him, including the poem, the play and the papers,had been obliterated into dust and dispersed into the air.

Failing to take over the front page of the paper in Douglas' hand, Oliver destroyed all the items on the desk in his anxiety when he tried to clean up the traces!

He was now full of regret. Due to the turmoil in his love life recently, he hadn't been himself. After he took out the paper and studied it, he forgot to put it back before he started the creation of his long poem. Later, he simply forgot everything and did nothing when he directed Douglas into his library.

I should've enhanced myself with 'Mechanical Mind' when the tower guard informed me! His facial muscles cramping, Oliver couldn't have regretted it more.

Douglas looked at Oliver, puzzled. "Why did you destroy it and stop me from reading it? Is there a problem that Lucien inferred equations based on two premises?"

The front page of the paper mainly included two postulates and their respective descriptions.

Oliver looked at the bookshelf and, with a self-mocking smile, spoke convincingly, "They were just the ideas that Lucien and I discussed, nothing more than speculations and fantasies. They are full of flaws and errors, so I would rather nobody else reads them. You know that I am a perfectionist. In both the creation of plays, poetry and paintings and the studies of arcana and magic, I would rather destroy the works if I'm not satisfied than present them to anybody."

Such words would've been ridiculously funny if they were said by somebody else. However, when they were said by a grand arcanist who was brimming with the vibe of a great artist, together with his long beard and his sad face, they sounded particularly true.

Douglas seemed more or less convinced. He smiled. "Speculations and fantasies are not bad, either. They can give me inspirations. Let me guess what you discussed. Huh, the constant speed of light… The popular paper that explained the light speed experiment recently… Did Lucien infer your transformation formulas based on the two premises?"

Oliver held his head. Could you please not be so smart, Mr. President? "No, not exactly…"

Douglas did not seem to hear him at all. He took out a pile of paper from his storage bag and picked up the quill, starting his deduction based on the two premises on Lucien's paper.

"No…" Oliver stepped forward, trying to stop it, but when he saw Douglas writing busily, he suddenly fell silent. Now that Mr. President had the idea, he could deduce it after he returned even though Oliver stopped him right now. Therefore, he might as well supervise him and see if he could offer any guidance in case of a tragedy.

If things are beyond control… Thinking about that, Oliver activated the highest clearances of the magic tower, so that he could jump out of 'Theater of Destruction' at the critical moment.

He could be heavily wounded at most if the demiplane was destroyed. He could always map and produce another one.

Oliver finally showed some responsibility at such a moment and did not inform Fernando and Lucien to come, in case they were affected, too.

Based on the two premises, and since he already had a goal, Douglas soon deduced a series of formulas, but the more he inferred, the slower he became.

Hum… The Theater of Destruction outside of the magic tower whimpered, and the exploding stars seemed to be collapsing under the attraction of a certain force. Although it was shabby and imperfect, it released the air of destruction that was even more horrifying than the doomsday just now.

Oliver was soaked in cold sweat. It was indeed as expected of an expert at the peak of legendary. He was able to cause the change of stars in a demiplane that was not under his control. Would anything really happen?

After enhancing himself with spells, Oliver ruled out all his feelings and stared at Douglas, his black eyes as frozen as ice.

The floating dust became sluggish, and time seemed to have stopped fleeting. The space in the library was vaguely constricted. Veins bulged on Douglas' hand that was grabbing the quill. His skin turned lackluster, as if he had grown old by decades in just one moment.

Finishing the last stroke, Douglas read the paper silently and gloomily.

"Mr. President?" Oliver called him.

Douglas, as still as a statue, did not reply. When Oliver was about to call again, he raised his head with a bitter smile. "Although I had realized that my motion theories were problematic after Brook established the electromagnetic system, I still feel that my past thousand years of life have been denied watching them get overruled and disrupted ruthlessly."

"No, they are just helpful supplements for your theoretical system." As a famous artist/playboy, Oliver told lies without the slightest awkwardness. "Are you alright?"

He heaved a long sigh of relief. Mr. President's head seemed still intact, and his cognitive world was not frozen."

"There's no need to console me. I know very well what I have inferred. Lucien… Lucien is more dangerous than Brook…" Douglas shook his head with a bitter smile. "What a burden it must've been for Fernando to be his teacher. I feel lucky that I didn't compete for him at the beginning… Thankfully, the paper is still only a hypothetical deduction that is not proved by any experiments or phenomena yet."

"Also, it does not agree with the time error on the artificial planets. According to the deduction, time should be slower, but time is in fact faster…"

Self-obsessed, Douglas asked himself, "What is space and time? Why do they change according to matter? Why are they the functions of speed…"

Oliver was more or less surprised. It seemed that Douglas did not notice the paper that Lucien's students published. That's great! That's great! He would be less shocked later if he spent his time in the world of whys for a while.

Weighing his tones, Oliver expressed his opinion, "In the past, we believe that time and space are absolute, independent, mathematic, but we may have to view it from a different perspective now. If we can figure out the mysteries of time and space, I believe that we won't be too far away from the truth of the world."

He was alluring Douglas, a curious sorcerer, with the bright prospects in the future, hoping that Mr. President would think that it was one step closer to the truth, not that his own system had been disrupted, when he discovered the relativistic, so that his head would not blow up.

Douglas was back to himself from the shock. In an unpredictable voice, he said, "I've accepted a few disruptive theories in a row in only a hundred years. If I hadn't recalled the concepts of relative truth and absolute truth that Lucien mentioned, my cognitive world might've been frozen like Brook. While this paper hasn't been proved it, I did realize some problems during high-speed battles."

Oliver rubbed his forehead, thanking Lucien for finally doing a good deed. He said solemnly, "Lucien said that your motion system is not wrong."

"Huh? Not wrong? Douglas looked at Oliver in confusion.

Oliver nodded carefully, "He said that your motion system is a relative truth, and an approximation of the theory in the low speed. Your path is not wrong; it's just that you haven't walked far enough yet."

As a playwright, it was more than easy for him to make up quotes, but Lucien did use the term 'low-speed approximation'. As for the rest, they were just 'descriptors'!

Douglas nodded slowly and accepted the theory. Then he frowned. "Judging from your tone, has it been preliminarily proved by experiments?"

Oliver's face was immediately frozen. His response could easily betray him when he dealt with a man like Mr. President.

"Not yet. It's just that Lucien is very confident. You know, his previous success filled him with confidence." Oliver kept lying and pushing the problem to Lucien, describing him as an egotist.

Douglas stood up. "Alright… My head is a bit messy. I need to go back now. Perhaps, this paper will be the starting point of my future research…"

Instead of waiting for Oliver to reply, he left the magic tower and sighed, "How could Lucien have done that? He wouldn't have discussed the paper with you without experiments."

Half overjoyed and half grieved, he felt that his heart was torn apart.

After returning the Land of Truth, Douglas asked the tower guard to bring him Lucien's papers in the recent issues.

"Tensor analysis… Why isn't there any?" Douglas knew that what he was doing was dangerous, but his shaking cognitive world made him unable to control himself. He seemed to be reaching the exit of the labyrinth that had trapped him for years. Whether it was a good ending or a bad one, it would be an answer after all. How could he stop?

Not finding anything after a long search, Douglas picked up the issue of Arcana where Oliver published his transformation formulas and perused it. He believed that Lucien must've made preparations before submitting such a revolutionary paper.

Based on his understanding about Lucien and Fernando, Douglas reached the end and suddenly saw two familiar names. "Annick… Sprint… Aren't they Lucien's students?"

Focusing his attention, Douglas began to read the paper carefully. Gradually, he furrowed his brow, and the rug in the magic tower displayed a formula he inferred earlier under the attraction of his spiritual power.

"If we start from the formula where mass increases with speed, there may be an explanation." Douglas calculated nonstop as if something was chasing after him. Obtaining the data in the end, he knew how to change the electrical field now.

He entered the laboratory without running simulations in his cognitive world. Activating the newly-added cyclotron, he adjusted the electric field.

A moment later, the beautiful scenery outside of the magic tower was suddenly enshrouded in darkness. Both space and time seemed to be in chaos.

Douglas left the cyclotron and walked to the window, heaving a deep sigh: "What is time? What is space? What is life?"

The light was restored in the Land of Truth, which seemed undamaged, but Douglas' eyes were still filled with bewilderment. His philosophical opinions in the past hundred years had embraced a drastic change.

"Thankfully, I still have the gravity theory… But what's the source of gravity? Based on what is it generated? How did gravity appear at the very beginning?"

"Does absolute truth mean…"

...

Lucien did not have the time to submit his heuristic paper yet, when he suddenly received Fernando's message: "Come over now. That stupid idiot Oliver screwed up again!"

Huh? Lucien was stunned and even vaguely heard his teacher roaring at Oliver.

What happened?

Chapter 548: Notorious

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Don't act as if this is all because of the failure of your love life! It's because your love life is sh*t that we are caught in such a disaster!"

"Sh*t! Your view about love is pure sh*t! If you truly love Florencia, you wouldn't have hurt her again and again! You are as filthy and ugly as sh*t!"

By then Lucien reached Fernando's library on the thirty-third floor of the tower, he could still hear his teacher's astounding roars. Oliver, on the other hand, kept his body on one side and dared not face the Lord of Storm at all, as miserable as a small boat in a huge storm.

"Master, what happened?" Lucien tried divination while he was on the lift, only to no avail.

It was then that Fernando held back his flying saliva. "This ass*ole whose head has been filled up with libidos and s*it forgot to hide your paper after he read it! He led Douglas into his library just like that!"

His head humming, Lucien asked in shock and concern, "Is Mr. President alright?"

"He's fine. Douglas' head did not explode, and his cognitive world was not frozen." Oliver was wearing a bitter smile, his facial muscles vaguely twitching.

Lucien's heart fell back to where it was. "That's good. It fixed the problem that we had been worried about. I wonder if Mr. President could find a path to advance into a demigod.

Fernando glared at Oliver. "Why didn't you finish? Douglas only read the postulates of your paper and inferred the rest of the contents on his own. He hasn't discovered the relativistic effect yet. If he happens upon it when he reads the journals and runs experiments, Oliver, you will be the most glorious saint of the Church!"

"I don't think anything will happen. Mr. President left in a steady mood. Also, he had armed his head with Lucien's philosophical notions about absolute truth and relative truth. I believe that, even if he reads the papers and does the experiments, he will accept them after the initial shock." Oliver was rather optimistic about it. Or rather, there was nothing he could do except be optimistic right now.

Fernando contained his fury. "Oliver, one day you will die from your messy love life! Let's go to the Land of Truth first, which I hope still exists…"

The demiplanes of the seven grand arcanists and the ten legendary arcanists were all connected to the Allyn magic tower. Therefore, Fernando opened the gate of the space.

Seeing that the Land of Truth was as beautiful as before, and the lake was rippling in glimmers under the gentle breeze, Fernando felt much less apprehensive. He glared at Oliver and said, "You are quite lucky."

Led by the puppet, the three of them passed the long corridor and reached Douglas' library, only to discover that he was staring at the window.

"Douglas, I'm told that you read Lucien's paper. What's your opinion?" Fernando grabbed Lucien for this visit exactly as an excuse.

Douglas was still wearing a black tailcoat, but the bow-tie had been loosened as if he tried to make it easier for him to breathe. He turned around and looked at the three of them gravely. "In fact, you may be late. I have already done the experiments with the cyclotron."

"Your cognitive world is broken and solidified?" Fernando could deal with such a result.

Since Douglas was still standing, the worst consequence couldn't have been too terrible.

Douglas shook his head, his weary face filled with confusion. "Thankfully, I was more or less mentally prepared. I ran into similar problems in the past, and I thought of Lucien's ideas about absolute truth and relative truth. Finally, I constructed the framework of the cognitive world from a higher level and included my previous knowledge in it. Although it was shaken and damaged, my cognitive world is not broken and solidified yet."

Lucien clicked his tongue in shock. It was indeed as expected of an extraordinary person who built the Congress of Magic from scratch. Few of his peers, juniors and students, after the development of arcana, the theoretical disruptions and the assassinations of the Church, were still alive. He could be called legendary in every aspect. If it were Lucien, he might not have such an open mind to accept it. Chances were that his cognitive world would've already been broken and solidified.

"It seems that you can advance further." Fernando and Oliver's previous concerns were finally gone.

Douglas shook his head in a bitter smile. "Not yet. I was lucky this time because the greatest shock from Lucien's paper was not the disruption of the motion system but the new understanding of time and space."

"During the previous studies and battles, I already had similar ideas about motion, except that I was too bound by my obsolete knowledge to overthrow my own thoughts. However, the understanding of time and space that was beyond imagination truly disrupted my knowledge. The world that was rather clear to me was suddenly blurred. Thankfully, I could tell that your exploration in time and space was still preliminary and flawed. That's why I could manage to bear it."

Lucien smiled, "It's indeed not easy to accept or understand a relativistic time and space. I hope that Mr. President can explore the mysteries of time and space together with me in the future."

"Wait until this paper is digested." Douglas smiled gently, his clear eyes more or less rippled. "What is time, and what is space? Those questions are bothering me."

"You will probably advance into a demigod after you digest Lucien's paper." Fernando intentionally changed the subject in case he was mired in the world of whys.

Douglas hinted for them to sit and smiled, "It's barely possible. The change in motion system can slightly improve my strength, but it is only because casting spells will be easier. In order to advance into a demigod, I have to fully understand the changes of time and space, or to grasp gravity on a much deeper level. It's like Brook had to truly recognize electromagnetic waves and grasp the electromagnetic power in order to reshape his cognitive world. Only things connected to the origin can help a person ascend into a demigod."

He had spent long enough at the peak of legendary, and he had profound wisdom. Even though he hadn't found a right path of advancement, he had indeed found something.

After that, he did not continue the topic but smiled at Lucien. "I inferred Oliver's transformation formulas, but why did I fail to get the mass-energy equation in your paper?"

Lucien knew that they had come too soon. Otherwise, with Mr. President's wisdom and arcana expertise, he could've figured it out very soon. So, Lucien asked the puppet to bring paper and pen and inferred on the spot.

"Mass, energy… No wonder your atomic fusion could be so powerful." Douglas observed the formula with his eyes glittering. "Although many key models haven't been explained yet, I believe it will take much shorter time for me to construct 'Eternal Blaze'."

He had been trying to construct it with his spiritual power.

As he spoke, he began throwing out questions again. "Why can energy and mass be turned into each other? What is the nature of matter…"

Fernando sniffed, "Douglas, now that you've accepted Lucien's paper, let's discuss the things about Sard and be prepared that he circumvents his promise in other ways. Lucien has offered a plan."

Douglas calmed down and smiled, "I like plans. Nobody is smart and powerful enough to calculate everything. The key is to gather information and simulate all possible scenarios in advance. That's exactly a sorcerers' strong suit."

The four of them discussed for a long time. When he saw Lucien, Fernando and Oliver off, Douglas smiled, "I look forward to the day you start studying gravity, Lucien."

"I hope that I can have your guidance when the day comes, Mr. President." Replied Lucien modestly.

Looking at their back while they left, Douglas suddenly sighed, "I'm confused about gravity myself. Where does it come from? How is it generated…"

...

One day in April, 824, inside the Allyn branch of the Moonsong League.

Two senior-rank sorcerers of electromagnetics happened upon each other and therefore discussed the latest trend of arcana studies.

"Annhora, is there still no rebuttal paper from Lucien Evans regarding the Oliver transformation?" One senior-rank sorcerer asked Annhora, who was a member of the Arcana Review Board.

Annhora was wearing a white wig and looked more like a noble than a sorcerer. He replied with a bitter smile, "No. In the past eight months, except for the few papers on the new alchemy and the cyclotron, all his results are about tensor analysis and Evans Geometry. He wrote ten papers independently and worked with Levski on another six. Together with the contributions of Levski, Neeshka, Milina and Samantha, a new mathematical system is taking shape."

"But I don't understand the mathematics at all." An old middle-rank arcanist was quite upset. "Also, what we are most concerned about is his opinion on the Oliver transformation…"

Another seventh-circle sorcerer sighed. "Exactly. We know that the Oliver transformation is only mathematically applicable for now, and that it cannot prove the existence of 'Ether', but it can explain the light speed experiment with the Ether theory. It is by far the most perfect hypothesis, and we are all willing to support it. But… But why is Lucien Evans not publishing any paper in that regard? I'll always be ill at ease before I learn his opinion."

Annhora nodded solemnly, "Every time I recall the gore he caused and the disruptive theories he proposed, I find it impossible to trust Mr. Oliver's paper until he offers his opinion. I'm always looking forward to something with worry. It's like I can't be reassured in a thunderstorm until the raindrops do fall."

"I always told other people that Lucien Evans dares not discuss the problem because he recognized his mistake, but I cannot sleep tight at night without his opinion. Sometimes I even have nightmares." The old middle-rank arcanist said in agitation.

The nightmare where brains and blood litter the ground still freaked him out.

Annhora was about to reply, when his pocket suddenly beeped. He immediately took out a fine-looking box and pressed a button on it. "Hello? Mr. Oliver? I'm on my way!"

It's a mobile communication item that the Allyn Telephone and Telegram Company recently developed. It had a lower requirement and would not conflict with other magic items.

Seeing off his partners, Annhora reached Oliver's office on the thirty-fourth floor of the Allyn magic tower, only to discover that a familiar arcanist was already seated there, and Mr. Oliver hadn't come out from his inner library yet.

"Mariana, why has Mr. Oliver summoned us?" Annhora asked the middle-aged lady who had shiny black hair.

Mariana, holding a broad-edged hat in his hands, were equally puzzled. "I have no idea."

At this moment, Oliver walked out with two papers in his hands. "Mariana, Annhora, no formalities are needed. I asked you to come here because there's papers for you to review. It should be acceptable for the members of electromagnetics to review it. Take a look at it first. If everything is alright, I'll give it to the Sorcerer Administrative Department and ask the alchemical life in the Arcana Review Board to assign it to you."

Mariana and Annhora, both having a premonition, asked simultaneously, "Whose paper is it?"

Oliver rubbed his fingers. "Lucien Evans."

Boom. Annhora felt that a thunder rumbled in his head. He asked with a pale face, "Mr. Oliver, can I refuse it?"

While talking, he secretly observed Mariana's head, only to discover that Mariana was also observing him, with her eyes also focused on his head.

Chapter 549: Remark

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Oliver was rather amused by their reactions. He smiled, "Rest assured. Your head should still be intact after you read it, which is both my estimation and the prophecy of astrology."

Mariana was still unrelieved. "Mr. Oliver, you know that Mr. Evans' papers can be quite disruptive and… destructive. Also, you have summoned us in advance for the review. In my heart, I feel that a terrible devil has been projected into my cognitive world, and that my head will explode after one moment of carelessness. Could you tell me why you made such an estimation and why you chose us?"

Coughing to hold back his laughter, Oliver had an even deeper understanding about Lucien's image in the eyes of most arcanists. His name obviously sounded more distressing than the Lord of Hell and the Will of Abyss, particularly when his name was associated with a paper. Such an irregular review procedure was exactly like Brook before.

"I chose you for the review because, based on your papers in journals such as 'Magic' and "Electromagnetism' in the past three months, you already had a rough idea and started researching it. Therefore, your cognitive world will certainly not be broken." Oliver spoke of the real reason.

Of course, he did examine their fates with astrology in advance.

"We had a rough idea?" Annhora recalled in suspicion and soon remembered something. "Do you mean the studies on your transformation formulas and the deeper understanding about the relationship between time and space?"

Oliver nodded softly. "That's right. I believe you will earn a lot after reading this paper."

Not entirely convinced, and taking over the paper with shivering hands, Annhora and Mariana both saw the title of the paper: On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies and Mass-energy Equation.

Huh. The title does not look very disruptive, does it?

Therefore, the two of them began to read carefully, with quills and blank paper next to them for them to calculate with.

As he read on, Annhora's left hand, not occupied by the quill, scratched his hair subconsciously and turned his white wig wryly. He seemed both interested and overwhelmed by the research, and his head was swooning.

Mariana, on the other hand, bit her lip as she often did when she was still a little girl. She mumbled, "Time? Space? How can they be like this?"

His fingers crossed, Oliver looked at them peacefully on the surface, but his eyes were rather solemn because of their reaction. After eight months of preparation, there shouldn't be another incident of massive brain explosions, right?

Also, the view on time and space in the theory of relativity was not perfect yet. They should be able to see the problems. Their worldview might be messed up, but their cognition wouldn't collapse for now.

After a long time, Annhora suddenly raised his head and said both frantically and confusedly, "I find it hard to believe that time is the speed's function, but it is such a charming thought. Also… Also, there are a lot of problems."

"As Lucien said himself, this is just a preliminary, inconclusive paper that hasn't introduced many things beyond the inertial frame of reference. There are also many unanswered problems. However, I think that the view on time and space is very interesting." Said Oliver with a smile. For a man of liberal arts, such a view of time and space better fitted his appetite.

"This paper completely renews our understanding of time and space. Had it not been for the consideration in the past months, perhaps my cognitive world would've been broken and solidified because the chaos. Well, Mr. Oliver, Mr. Evans must've proposed the paper several months ago, right? The discussion since then was meant to psychologically and intellectually prepare us?" Annhora suddenly realized what happened.

Oliver nodded. "Yes, it was written before my transformation formulas were published. This paper made groundbreaking contributions to the macroscopic and high-speed studies. Perhaps that was part of the reason why some planets are still undiscovered. I believe you can see its worth as well as its imperfect parts."

"Yes. I believe that most of the senior-rank arcanists in the school of electromagnetics and the school of Light-darkness can accept the paper, however reluctantly. It is based on the classic electromagnetic theory and extrapolates it by sweeping the obsolete ideas in it." Annhora said in approval.

Mariana, next to him, murmured to herself in bewilderment, "But what about Ether?"

Annhora frowned. It was not until then that he discovered that, based on the paper, Ether was no longer of any use. It had quietly withdrawn from the stage of history. The foundation of the wave theory probably needed rectifying.

Hearing Mariana's words, Oliver said with a bitter smile, "Ether, waves and particles, we've been arguing about them for nobody knows how many years, but it is more and more difficult to understand them as time goes on."

"It's like two groups of knights in a battle. Both parties are fighting vehemently, but neither of them can crush the enemy and secure the final triumph." Mariana was back to herself. "Mr. Oliver, this paper needs to be proved by experiment phenomena and results in order to be aptly assessed."

Oliver took out another paper and unfolded it before them. "This is Lucien's paper on how to improve the cyclotron, where the relativistic effect has been observed. Also, I have certain problems regarding artificial planets here that involve the changes of time and space.

Oliver only dared to present the paper after seeing that the previous paper was still acceptable.

After reading the paper, Annhora knocked his head hard, "If I had focused more attention on the discussion of this problem in that issue of 'Arcana', it probably wouldn't have taken so long, and I could've inferred Mr. Evans' paper in a couple of months."

"It means that Mr. Evans' ideas and direction are right, although the paper is not perfect yet." Mariana also offered her input and then praised the mass-energy formula.

After the new alchemy was proposed, they began addressing Lucien as Mr. Evans instead of Member Evans, but its meaning was entirely different.

When he returned to his office in the Arcana Review Board, Annhora soon received the paper assigned by the alchemical life. Without further reading, he simply wrote his comment with the quill:

"This is a sublimation on Mr. President's motion system. It fixes the limitations that the motion system was only accurate in low speed and extrapolates the concept of motion to a macroscopic and high-speed scale. It has also preliminary resolved many problems in the melting of electric and magnetic theories, giving us the hope of establishing a unified theory in arcana.

"Also, based on Mr. Evans' proposition that we should infer from as few hypotheses as possible, we discover, to our surprise, that our understanding about time and space seems to have reached a marvelous and chaotic intersection. It is entirely different from the time and space we knew in the past. Not only does the paper disrupt the structure of time and space in our cognitive world, but it also disrupts our concepts in daily life that are founded on absolute time and space. It makes me more bewildered than ever, and I'm even starting to question the value of my life."

"It's hard to believe that time slows down, and space constricts, as speed increases. It is in violation of our intuitive perception and our imagination based on that, but the formulas presented by the paper seem convincing enough and closer to the origin of the world. Also, Mr. Evans has already noticed the theoretical effect of increased mass caused by accelerated speed during an experiment with the cyclotron. At this moment, a hallowed gate in my heart seems to have collapsed, but from the ashes rises a brand-new one."

"Although the system of relativity that Mr. Evans established is not perfect, and the problem that it is only limited to the inertial frame of reference but not universally applicable remains unresolved, the value of this paper is unquestionable. The mass-energy formula that mark the relationship between mass and energy, in particular, are full of mathematical and magical beauty. It is concise, powerful, and contains unimaginably profound mysteries, just like the poetic Brook formulas. Whoever is not shocked and attracted by them does not have any talents in arcana!"

"Mass and energy, time and space, they are the wonders of this world. Perhaps, we can obtain extremely powerful strength from it. In light of that, here is my assessment on Mr. Evans' paper: This paper, after perfected, will change the paradigm and give us a wiser understanding about time and space, mass and energy. Also, it is doubtless that a relativistic system will be founded on this paper. Therefore, I suggest a reward of 3,000 arcana credits and 80,000 arcana points."

Because there were still a lot of insidious problems, and a system was not established yet, Annhora did not offer a remark and reward as impressive as what was given for the new alchemy before, and nor did the Congress grant Lucien the title of grand arcanist. However, Mariana, who had made a similar remark, felt suffocated, because it meant that Lucien Evans seemed to be growing into a real grand arcanist based on either the new alchemy or the special theory of relativity!

...

On the thirty-third floor of Allyn magic tower…

"It took them eight months before they understood the prelude of the theory of relativity. Those guys are dumber than I thought!" Fernando's estimation at the beginning was half a year at most.

Lucien, on his opposite, smiled and said, "It is not an easy conversation to break one's own conceptions. However, after such a long time of preparation, probably none of the senior-rank arcanists will have brain explosions."

If another massive brain explosions took place, Lucien would feel that he had picked up an innate magic of clearing everybody on the street wherever he went.

"With the credit reward, your arcana level should be able to improve to level eight, right?" Asked Fernando casually, who did not really care about it.

The higher the level is, the more difficult object enchantment would be. The effects of arcana and magic badges could not be further improved.

Lucien nodded. "The feedback from the new alchemy over the past eight months is truly terrifying. The paper, the innovations on the materials, and the lowered difficulty to craft magic items all brought me abundant revenues. Plus the credit reward, I may be able to upgrade into level eight in another two to three months."

In particular, the discovery of the splitting of spectral lines under strong magnetic field and the theoretical explanation on the new alchemy brought him the Jurisian Silver Moon Medal in the electromagnetic field. It also made Lucien's cognitive world more stable and accelerated his studies on eighth-circle and seventh-circle magics. Up until so far, he had learnt nine of them in each category.

"'Arcana' will be issued tomorrow. If there are no major events, we can focus on the preparation for July." Fernando looked at the window and said solemnly. The upcoming battle would decide the Congress of Magic's fate in the near future.

Chapter 550: Sorrow and Joy

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

On the first day of the Month of Flowers, inside the Allyn branch of the Moonsong League…

Jurisian, in the attire of a battle sorcerer, with a six-star arcana badge, a five-circle magic badge and a badge of crescent moon on his chest, slowly walked into the hall.

"Good morning, Mr. Jurisian." The few middle-rank arcanists who just got down from the stars greeted Jurisian respectfully the moment they saw him.

Since the Influence Factor was introduced, it was not rare for the arcana level to surpass the magic level, but the senior-rank arcanists were still rare. An insurmountable barrier that many people couldn't cross in their lifetime seemed to lie between level five and level six. With his discovery of the splitting of spectral lines under strong magnetic field and his theoretical explanation four months ago, Jurisian proved the prophecy in the new alchemy and finally earned six silver stars. Had it not been for the fact that his cognitive world was still not substantiated yet, he would've advanced into the sixth circle and become a senior rank.

Jurisian had always been amiable when he was not on a mission. He replied in a smile, "Good morning, are you waiting for today's 'Arcana', too?"

"Yes. Debates have remained unabated about Mr. Oliver's transformation formulas recently. We can't wait to see the latest explanation and application. Perhaps somebody has already proved it with experiments." Bobby, the middle-rank arcanist in the lead, was a tall, muscular man, with narrow and long eyes.

Jurisian chuckled, "Me too, but I'm more worried that I might see Evans' paper on that someday."

Upon hearing that, the fairly large number of arcanists in the hall suddenly fell silent. The name had been haunting them like a nightmare. They could never trust Mr. Oliver's paper as well as the papers of other arcanists too deeply until he offered his opinion on the transformation formulas. Waiting and being scared seemed to have become their habit.

After more than ten seconds, Bobby was back to himself, he was about to reply to Jurisian, when a few receptionists carried the journals including 'Arcana' and 'Magic' out and placed them on the counter. So, he dropped the subject and said, "Mr. Jurisian, the papers are here. After you."

Seeing that Bobby was right before the counter, Jurisian shook his head and said jokingly, "Let's respect the queue. You can check if there is Evans' paper first so that the rest of us can be prepared."

He intended to refuse Bobby's generosity subtly and humorously, but after he spoke, all the arcanists who were squeezing forward to purchase the journals stopped.

Their eyes were focused on Bobby, as if they agreed with Jurisian's proposition that he should check if there was Lucien Evans' paper first, and what it was about if there indeed was.

Bobby did not think much at the beginning, but when so many people gazed at him, he immediately recalled the magnificent accomplishments of the Headcrusher. His forehead immediately beaded with sweat, but the arcanists behind him gave him so much pressure that he still picked up a copy of 'Arcana' after a long hesitation.

Realizing that his joke seemed to have been misinterpreted under the special circumstances, Jurisian stepped forward and planned to stop Bobby so that he could 'examine' it himself.

Suddenly, Bobby blurted out, "There is Mr. Evans' paper!"

His voice was uncontrollably high, and it was obviously shaking. The whispers in the hall were entirely gone. The place seemed to have been frozen in time.

"What paper?" Asked Jurisian subconsciously.

Bobby breathed in relief. "It's about the electrodynamics of moving bodies and the mass-energy equation. It sounds like research on the motion theories in electromagnetics and doesn't appear to be disruptive."

After he was reassured, he simply read the paper that was put on the first page of the journal on the counter in his curiosity. The other arcanists, cleverly, did not interrupt him but focused their eyes on his head. Jurisian, on the other hand, was deep in thought because of the ambiguous title.

After a while, Bobby's facial muscles began to twist, and his sweat was dripping from his cheeks. Then, he raised his left hand and pressed his head, as if he were in agony. His eyes were chaotic and confused.

The hall was caught in a weird silence again. Murmuring something, Bobby turned around, only to discover that all the arcanists around him including Jurisian, regardless of their rank, had retreated to at least ten meters away from him. He was surrounded by emptiness, as if a devil had just taken a bite here.

"What are you doing?" Asked Bobby, puzzled.

All the arcanists eyed him weirdly. Jurisian coughed and said, "We saw that you were in pain and therefore gave you a peaceful environment for you to recover. What is this paper about?"

"Oh? You were afraid that my cognition would collapse and my brain would explode?" Bobby realized what happened and smiled, "How is it possible? Mr. Evans' paper infers Mr. Oliver's transformation formulas based on two hypotheses. There's nothing disruptive."

Upon hearing that, Jurisian and the rest of them took another three steps back. "What? It's an explanation about the Oliver transformation?"

"Then why were you pressing your head so painfully?"

Bobby looked at his feet rather in embarrassment. "I could understand the formulas in it, but the descriptions about time, space, mass and energy were too bewildering for me. I couldn't think them through and just knocked my head to see if I could get any inspiration."

Hu. Everybody's breath of relief almost gathered into a wind. So, the guy was only thinking hard because he could not understand it. Their worry was for naught.

Knowing that it was Evans' explanation that they had 'long expected', the middle-rank arcanists of the Moonsong League were finally calmed down, but none of them dared to read it carefully.

After a while, thinking that nothing happened to Bobby, Jurisian summoned his courage and read Lucien's paper by the counter.

As time went by, Jurisian became more and more grave. His muscles were tightened, and he was gritting his teeth. His shiny forehead was brimming with cold sweat, his eyes were filled with confusion and shock, and he kept murmuring space and time, mass and energy to himself.

Also, what was most weird that uncanny changes seemed to be happening around him, as if the rays of light were brighter.

Bobby immediately understood their previous fear after seeing Jurisian's status. He hurried to rush into the crowd, while the other arcanists clenched their fists and stared at Jurisian's head in fear.

After a long time, Jurisian suddenly 'screamed', and the uptight arcanists immediately backed off in a flurry, and the hall was in a mess.

After they retreated further and were braced for a headless body, they discovered, however, that Jurisian was standing joyfully, utterly refreshed.

"Mr. Jurisian, are you alright?" Bobby emboldened himself to ask.

Jurisian laughed in wild joy. "While the paper is not exactly perfect, it is a major shock for me and has settled certain problems that bothered me. Therefore, my cognitive world half substantiated just now!"

With his spiritual power that was more than sufficient and his control over magic, it meant that he would become a sixth-circle sorcerer soon.

"Really? Congratulations on you becoming a senior-rank sorcerer in advance. But why did you scream, Mr. Jurisian? We thought that your brain was going to explode…" Said Bobby frankly.

Jurisian replied in a chuckle, "I was ecstatic, so I wanted you to share my joy."

Witnessing that Jurisian broke the greatest obstacle to the senior rank, the middle-rank arcanists in the hall had no time to condemn his mischief but all surged to the counter to buy 'Arcana', hoping that a similar 'miracle' could happen to themselves, too.

After a long time, only a few of the dozens of middle-rank arcanists were deep in thought, as if they were both enlightened and confused. The rest of them were just like Bobby. They could understand the deductions, but they couldn't grasp their specific meaning. They were all at a loss.

However, they all realized that the paper seemed to have overthrown President Douglas' motion system. Their cognitive world that was founded on that was shaken as a result. Thankfully, Lucien arduously explained that the previous motion system was a low-speed approximation of the new theory in the latter half of his paper with abundant examples, which stabilized their cognitive world again. It was not a disruption but a sublimation!

Even so, the fact that their knowledge was incomplete and unsolid still made them more bewildered than ever.

Right then, a hawk-nosed man walked in, with the badges of a seventh-circle arcanist and a seventh-circle sorcerer on his chest.

Noticing the queer behavior of his fellow arcanists, he broached a few questions.

After hearing their reply, he frowned and picked up a copy of 'Arcana' to read the article. As he read on, he observed in disgust, "Absurd! How can time and space be like this! This is in utter violation of observation and imagination! Has Lucien Evans' head been muddled because of his impractical mathematic studies?"

"Also, there are still many loopholes in it!"

While talking, he went upstairs with the journal, planning to lambaste it.

"Mr. Alvaro, it's mine…" The middle-rank arcanist whose journal was taken away eventually gave up trying, because he knew that Mr. Alvaro was a seasoned arcanist who had unimaginable persistence in the three laws of the Force Field, the motion system and the absolute time and space.

...

Inside the royal magic tower of Holm…

Looking at his teacher mumbling the words such as 'mass', 'energy', 'time' and 'space' before him, K suddenly felt indescribable fear and focused his eyes on the 'Arcana' in his hands.

Suddenly, Larry breathed heavily and clenched his fists hard. He announced with his eyes glittering, "If perfected, it is going to be a paper that changes the era!"

"Master?" K asked carefully. He was already a level-four arcanist and a fourth-circle sorcerer.

There was no telling the look on Larry's face, which was covered in his furry, yellow beard, but he spoke in apparent joy, "My cognitive world has half substantiated."

...

On the thirteenth floor of the Allyn magic tower…

Lucien sat in the office of the Affair Committee, waiting for Thompson to confirm that none of the sorcerers had cognitive world meltdowns.

"None so far." Thompson walked in. "That's because you haven't presented the improvements on the experiments with the cyclotron yet. Also, after more than eight months of discussions, most arcanists should be mentally and intellectually prepared."

"However, a few senior-rank senior-ranks of the school of force field did have intense reactions."

Lucien said helplessly, "I hope that only their cognitive world was broken and solidified. Or maybe, they can indeed find the mistakes in the paper and propose new opinions."

Thompson was not bothered but consoled him, "Something good also happened. Today, at least six fifth-circle sorcerers' cognitive world half substantiated because of your paper. Four of them are from the school of electromagnetics and the school of Light-darkness, including Jurisian you know. Two are elemental sorcerers, one of them being Larry. At least in the short run, the good influence of your paper outweighs the bad influence."

"As far as I know, such scenes only happened when 'Mathematical Principles of Magical Philosophy' and the Brook formulas were proposed. Of course, their influences were even greater. Some people's cognitive worlds even substantiated on the spot."

Chapter 551: Tide of Time

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After returning to the Atom Institution, Lucien was warmly welcomed by Heidi and other students.

"Master, how spectacular of you! You included the Oliver transformation into your system and completely abolished 'Ether'!" Said Katrina in excitement. Her teacher had been silent for eight months because he was preparing for such a groundbreaking paper!

Heidi complained, "Master, why didn't you say anything? In the past eight months, we were frequently mocked by the sorcerers of the sorcerer of electromagnetism and the school of Light-darkness."

Because their teacher was the one who proposed it, and the theory stressed that Douglas' motion system was its low-speed approximation, Layria and the other students accepted it without much resistance. Of course, about the new view on time and space, they were still at a loss due to their insufficient arcana knowledge, but they were not too overwhelmed.

Outside of them, Lazar and Rogerio smiled at Lucien, their hands in their pockets, and Jerome was holding a copy of 'Arcana' in his hands, as if he were waiting to ask questions. Alfalia, Lowi and the other assistants were further away. They were also excited because they indirectly witnessed a paper that could send someone to the throne of grand arcanist as well as a shocking part of history.

There was also the envy for Heidi, Annick and other students in them. As Mr. Evans' students, those people could celebrate it around him happily, while they could only stand far away.

"How could I bring out such a paper all of a sudden? Did you not see the months of preparation?" Lucien intentionally pointed it out, so that his students and friends could think more instead of jumping to any conclusions when they encountered other papers in the future.

Sprint had contracted Annick's head-scratching habit at some point. The arrogance on his face was gone, and only the most sincere admiration was left. "Master, I don't understand much of your paper, but the formula where mass grows with speed seems able to explain the inconsistency between the theoretical performance and the actual performance of the cyclotron, right? Just now, Annick and I adjusted the frequency of the electric field after calculation, and we did obtain particles of higher energy than before! Was your paper inspired by the problem?"

Heidi, Alfalia and everybody else pricked their ears, because 'Allyn Impression' had offered a high reward for the stories behind the special theory of relativity. However, they were also aware that they must be approved by Lucien before they told anybody else about the matter.

"As a matter of fact, after grasping the classic electromagnetic theories, I had been trying to melt Mr. President motion system into it, but a lot of problems occurred. In the end, the light speed experiment gave me an inspiration. After certain intermediate phases that were similar to the Oliver transformation, I inferred those formulas naturally with as few hypotheses as possible. The relativistic effect that you discovered provided a powerful proof for my theory." Lucien spoke of the excuse that he thought of a long time ago.

Annick was enlightened. "At that time, you already speculated mass changes in your explanation. Heidi said that it was impossible!"

The freckles on Heidi's face had mostly gone. Blushing, she glared at Annick in anger and embarrassment. "How could I have known that? That's a field only the senior-rank arcanists understand!"

"However, as my students, you should know what will happen next." Said Lucien with a smile.

However, the elegant and reassuring smile, in Heidi's eyes, was as terrifying as the look of the most brutal devil. Their master was obviously hinting that they needed to understand and grasp the special theory of relativity, which meant classes and classes, exercises and exercises!

Looking at the students who seemed to have just been hit by hail, Lucien smiled, "The sooner you grasp the basic transformations and the view on time and space, the easier it will be for you to shape your cognitive world from a higher level without being affected by obsolete theories. However, I need to specify in advance that the theory about time and space is still incomplete. You need to bear in mind that other theories may be introduced in the future to modify the current theory."

The students, whom he had been grooming since childhood, were most suitable for new theories because they hadn't understood the old arcana theories well enough. In another couple of years, it would take more time to transform them. They might even be shackled by the obsolete opinions and could not make any creative achievement.

Nodding her head, Heidi calmed down and asked curiously, "Master, are you going to submit the relativistic effect that Annick discovered next time? Many sorcerers in the school of electromagnetics and the school of Light-darkness that I know complain that it is only a hypothetical theory when they cannot fully understand your paper. Hehe, their tongues won't be tough again after they see the evidence!"

Sprint secretly thought to himself that it remained to be seen whether or not they still had a tongue at all.

Lucien did not reply to her but spoke to everyone, "There are still imperfect parts in the paper. You can join the discussion on it later. Let's work together to improve it."

...

At the beginning of the Month of Passion, on the fifteenth floor of the Allyn magic tower…

Inside an office of the Arcana Review Board, the few members of the Hand of Paleness gathered.

As an authority on cell memories, Felipe was admitted by the Board without a question after he became a level-seven arcanist. His hands in the pockets of his black cloak, he asked the members of the school of necromancy including Pesor and Tina-Timos while leaning against the wall, "I wonder how Evans will respond to the article 'On the Mistakes and Paradoxes in the Theory of Relativity'."

"Alvaro submitted the paper only two days ago. It was very insightful. I don't think Lucien Evans had any time to come up with a reply. We probably have to wait until next month." After the shock of light quantum and Brook's experiments, Pesor had been confused about both the wave theory of light and the particle theory, so he did not show much reaction to Lucien's paper. If 'Ether' was gone, so be it. As for the disruption of the motion system, Lucien had made it clear that it was sublimation and a more comprehensive, unlimited explanation, so he also accepted it without much resistance. After all, for a sorcerer of the school of necromancy, that was not important.

Tina-Timos, on the other hand, frowned. "I heard that Lucien Evans submitted a paper yesterday, but it probably hasn't been included in the arcana library yet. Although I'm in favor of Alvaro's opinion, I can only stay neutral until I see Lucien's response."

She witnessed the 'brainstorm' last year in person.

"He is now a real authority. In the fields he is good at, other people will never feel secure until he replies." Felipe looked at the badge on his chest. Seven black circles and seven silver stars did not seem far away from Lucien's allegedly eight silver stars and eight black circles, but for other arcanists, Lucien could already compare to the few grand arcanists and was as notorious as the Lord of Hell. This was not about his level.

Also, he was very close to becoming a grand arcanist. If he perfected or proved either of the two theories, he would immediately be given the ultimate title in arcana and construct his own legendary class.

While they were talking, the latest issue of 'Arcana' was sent in. Felipe stood straight and grabbed one copy. Turning to the table of contents, he saw that the first article was not 'On the Mistakes and Paradoxes in the Theory of Relativity', or the grand arcanists and legendary sorcerers' discussion about the special theory of relativity, but 'An Analysis and Improvement on the Inconsistency of the Actual and Theoretical Performance of the Cyclotron and a Discussion on the Relativistic Effect', authored by one Lucien Evans X.

Reading the paper and frowning, Tina-Timos heaved a long sigh. "I don't think that Alvaro can wait for Lucien's official reply in the next month."

Pesor put on a bitter smile, and Felipe clenched his fists hard in his pockets, feeling that their gap was now even greater.

He was not close to the Demigod-lich who was his teacher, but he wouldn't mind avenging his teacher if there was a chance. However, the reality was simply too cruel.

...

In the Allyn branch of the Moonsong League, the tower guard took emergency measures after sensing the anomaly in the laboratory.

As a member of the Punishment Department of the Congress, Jurisian arrived at the spot as soon as possible. He saw the headless body in front of the cyclotron, as well as the red-and-white 'flowers' that stained the wall, the experiment table and the floor.

"Mr. Alvaro…" Jurisian guessed the identity of the corpse without looking at his badge. He should be the only senior-rank sorcerer whose cognitive world collapsed.

The arcanists who followed him all fell silent.

Right then, Jurisian suddenly had the feeling that space was rippling before him. Then, everything was back to normal, and a laboratory nearby was opened.

Antunes, an eighth-circle arcanist who had lingered for years, walked out with a smile and was slightly stunned by the situation here.

Jurisian understood something. He covered his forehead with his right hand and said, "Congratulates on the substantiation of Mr. Antunes's cognitive world. You are about to become an archmage."

Antunes nodded and brushed his grey hair. Having complicated feelings, he said, "Bury Alvaro…"

The tide of time was unstoppable. He could only sigh that Alvaro had been eliminated and feel lucky that he followed the trend.

...

At the beginning of the Month of Fire, every arcanist was waiting for the latest issue of 'Arcana', which purportedly included Mr. Evans' replies to certain questions about the special theory of relativity.

Louise, with her white wolf, got the seventh issue of Arcana of year 824 and saw the title that was more peculiar than she thought: Answers to Certain Questions and the '3+1′ Dimensional Narration on the Special Theory of Relativity and the Oliver Transformation'.

The paper answered many questions from last month systematically and comprehensively. Admitting that the issues regarding the non-inertial frames of reference hadn't been resolved, it had fixed other parts that were believed to be mistakes and paradoxes. The changing frames of reference and the unintuitive narrations were too dizzying.

"This almost marks the real establishment of the special theory of relativity. When the inertial frame of reference is extrapolated into the universal reference system, Mr. Evans will be acknowledged as a grand arcanist." A level-five arcanist, who could manage to understand the paper, said next to Louise.

His partner nodded in agreement, "However, I think many arcanists who cannot understand the explanations will continue to raise similar doubts. Well, what's the point of the '3+1' dimensional narration on the special theory of relativity that Mr. Evans wrote in the end? Just another math model from a different perspective?"

"The three-dimensional axises plus an axis of time agree with our general perception, but of course, the mathematical transformations are rather complicated. Perhaps, Mr. Evans wanted more people to understand him…" The level-five arcanist was also puzzled.

Louise tried to read the paper. She thought to herself, "Mr. Evans certainly wouldn't do any meaningless things."

...

Inside the Atom Institution, Lucien was reading 'Arcana', when Thompson 'called' him.

"Lucien, Juliana and Minsk, whom you proposed that we should monitor closely, suddenly went missing." Said Thompson in a low voice.

Lucien was rather surprised. The time of action was about to come. What was the incident about?

Chapter 552: Prelude

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"How did they go missing?" Lucien calmed himself down and asked.

Thompson browsed through the reports in his hands for final confirmation, and the noise of paper being turned entered Lucien's ears. "They were monitored by a senior-rank battle sorcerer and two middle-rank sorcerers. It was discovered that they entered a small church on the west side of Rentato but never left."

"The senior-rank sorcerer thought that it was just a regular case of Sard's marginalization on the radical clerics and night watchers and did not think too much. Today, when he saw neither Juliana or Minsk, he was puzzled and entered the church as a mouse, but nobody was inside."

This place was the Kingdom of Holm, where sorcerers were multiple times more than clerics. That was why Thompson was extravagant enough to deploy a senior-rank sorcerer for surveillance.

"Did they notice the followers and use the church to escape?" Lucien thought of another possibility.

Thompson knocked the table softly. "That's possible, but the odds can't be high, because the same surveillance had been conducted in the past several months, during which time they showed no sign that they detected any anomaly. Also, they were acting the same as usual yesterday as they did before.

"What about the clerics and night watchers that have been marginalized by Sard?" Lucien expanded the range.

Thompson chuckled and said gravely, "If they also went missing, I would've reported it to the Highest Council because it would suggest that something was wrong with Sard and our plan had to be changed. However, only the two of them are confirmed to be missing."

Lucien brushed his eyebrow. "There are twelve days to go until our operation. Let's try to find them without raising Sard's attention."

Thompson did not object to Lucien's advice or reminder. Everybody in the Congress of Magic was guessing when he would become a grand arcanist and enter the Highest Council. Also, his permission was already above the Affair Committee and on par with that of the ninth-circle archmages such as Raventi.

"The extremists are rather steady despite their anger. Sard, as 'the great prophet', is truly good at enchanting people." Thompson briefly described it. As a member of the Affair Committee, the Lord of Storm's student and a senior-rank sorcerer whose faith had been tested, he knew about the cooperation but was unaware of the specific plans.

Lucien played with his quill, not sure what secrets were lying deeper in the matter, but in any case, Minsk and Juliana were the night watchers who hated him most, both for 'public justice' and personal grudge. They could resort to any methods. Therefore, he asked Thompson to increase the protection for Joel's family.

After the communication, Lucien looked at Arcana before him but failed to concentrate his attention after a long time because of anxiety. The upcoming operation was too much pressure for anyone who was aware of the matter. Even though he was good at keeping calm, he still feel highly concerned now that he was faced with unknown dangers and changes. Of course, more important, he was not alone now, and he needed to consider more. He had his love, his teacher, his students, his friends and his family. There would be dire consequences if the plan failed.

"I need to remind my teacher and inform him of that plan." Lucien knew that Thompson would report it to Fernando but still decided to go to the Thunder Hell in person.

He was about to leave his office, when Chelly knocked on the door and entered. She asked uneasily and gloomily, "Master, do you have a minute?"

"What is it?" Lucien asked back peacefully.

Chelly shyly sat on the chair in front of Lucien's desk and crossed her hands. "Master, I have a boyfriend named Jacques. You should know him, right? You signed a magic contract with him before."

"I do. Is he here to claim the drug to activate his blood power?" Lucien nodded his head.

Chelly said with a smile of embarrassment. "He was very talented and could've turned into a knight on his own, but after signing the magic contract, he found it impossible to significantly increase his willpower. His efforts did not pay off after years of work. So, he plans to use the contract as a last resort."

"If he uses the contract, there will be no turning back or hope for him." Having found the love of his life, Lucien was rather sympathetic with Chelly and her boyfriend.

Blushing, Chelly said, "That's why I want to ask for your help, master. I've saved a lot of arcana points in the past few years. My father also gave me abundant Thales and materials. Plus the wealth that Jacques earned through mercenary missions, they should be enough to buy the 'Origin of Blood' of a senior-rank vampire, but I do not have permission to do so."

"That's easy. Also, we signed a magic contract before. I'll buy it for you when I come back later." Said Lucien gently.

Chelly took a long breath in relief. She had been too gentle and proud to ask for it, although it had been on her mind for a while. Now that she got a satisfactory reply after she finally summoned her courage to ask, she was naturally excited. "Thank you very much, master."

Lucien smiled. "Is he going to complete the ceremony himself after he buys the Origin of Blood. Speaking of which, Jacques is not bad at all. He earned his money through mercenary missions instead of only counting on you."

"The ceremony is not complicated. I don't want to add to your trouble, master. I'll go to the Task Zone to issue a task and invite a sorcerer of the school of necromancy to host it." When mentioning Jacques, she put on a happy and warm smile without her knowing it. "He used to be a flamboyant knight, but he is much more reliable now.'

When she studied under Lucien, she had been hanging around with the most distinguished gentlemen, so she had a new understanding about the old Jacques. Thankfully, he had changed a lot, and that was why their relationship continued.

Lucien did not say anything yet, when Chelly began to praise and complain about Jacques. "The last mercenary mission he took was rather dangerous. It's the investigation on a cult. He did not activate his blood power and almost died inside."

"A cult?" Lucien was rather sensitive about the word.

Chelly nodded. "Although it's a cult, it's deeply connected to the Church. It's an organization founded by certain radical, bottom-class clerics in private. They seem to worship the angel king and have deviated from the doctrine that they could only follow the Lord."

After living several years of magic life, her faith was almost gone, but she still habitually said 'Lord'.

Lucien frowned again. "The angel king…" What does Sard want? Is he thinking to cross the Storm Strait and unite the faith of the Church later?

Hearing Chelly tell the full story, Lucien thought for a moment and said, "As the Church and the Congress gradually get the colonies in the new alternate dimensions under control, Holm will definitely be more and more dangerous. You should remind your father to be prepared in case of a total war."

"Yes, my father has been preparing for that since the family reached the agreement with the Congress." Chelly did not overthink.

After seeing Chelly off, Lucien reached the thirty-third floor of the Allyn magic tower, planning to go to the Thunder Hell through the fixed transmission magic circle, only to discover that his teacher was in the library.

"You're here." Fernando seemed to have foreseen Lucien's arrival.

Lucien nodded. "I learnt about certain anomalies from Thompson."

"He told it to me, too, but there aren't other discoveries yet." A map of Rentato was placed before Fernando. "This map marks the marginalized extremists, the areas that different nobles are in, and the few parts of the divine power circle in Rentato."

It was the confidential map obtained from Hathaway.

Lucien walked to his teacher and observed the map. He discovered that the extremists had indeed been marginalized by Sard. From the west side, the closer it was to the Radiance Church on the southeast and the Nekso Palace on the northeast, the fewer radical clerics and night watchers there were. In the district where the Radiance Church was at, there was even none of them. Even Stone's Knights of Grail had been relocated to the abbey on the northwest. It seemed that they were all set for the Congress of Magic to attack.

"Something doesn't feel right." Lucien looked at the map and said, but he couldn't tell exactly what was wrong. Even astrology could not give him an answer.

Fernando frowned. "This is distressingly smooth. Lucien, Hull-Chulia will take care of the parishes on the north coastline, Erica will control the Duchy of Calais, Vicente will go to the Kingdom of Colette, and Brook will finish the Brianne parish, which hasn't been attracted by Sard, in person with Holt's cooperation."

Hull-Chulia was the 'Monarch of Fate', the other legendary sorcerer in Cabin of Palmeira. He had a deep control over the north. Erica was the Master of Transformation and the historian in the Family of Sorcerers, which was headquartered in the Duchy of Calais and deeply associated with the local noble. Therefore, she was the most appropriate attacker. By the same logic, it was not hard to notice the closeness of the Duchy of Calais and the Hand of Paleness by the fact that the Immortal Throne prize was co-awarded by them.

The Moonsong League was headquartered in the Brianne kingdom. There shouldn't be a problem if Brook acted in person with the cooperation of Chelsea Holt, the Moon Scholar.

"We have to banish the clerics and control the parishes as soon as possible, so that the nobles in the few countries cannot vacillate anymore, or the situation will escalate because of their legendary knights and the Grand Cardinals." Said Lucien in a low voice.

Fernando nodded his head. "Speed is what matters most in our plan. Hathaway and I will take care of the Holm parish, Douglas will supervise the battle from Allyn, and the other grand arcanists and legendary sorcerers, as backups, will be ready to join different battlefields at any moment."

"By then, you will not stay in Allyn. I will drop you somewhere near the Nekso Palace. That's the place of balance for the multiple powers of the divine barrier, and it is very easy to be opened. If the situation turns very horrible, you will bring Natasha away taking advantage of the chaos. While Allyn is safe, it will be the enemy's primary target should anything go wrong. You are our Secret, and Nekso Palace has the Sword of Truth. It's not easy for you to be tracked if you act alone. You can hide in the depths of the ocean. When you become a legendary sorcerer, you will be the fire that reignite the Congress."

"This is the scroll of 'Night Travel' that I asked for from Stanis… He has connections in the Dark Congress and got it from a vampire prince. It can help you break the space anchors and barriers."

Listening to his master's plan about the worst scenario, Lucien suddenly felt that the air around him was depressing.

Chapter 553: Everything Goes Well

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Taking over the scroll of 'Night Travel', Lucien intended to keep his smile, only to discover that his face was too rigid to do so. "Master, it can't be that bad. Even if Sard breaks his promise and the pope arrives and performs God's Arrival, he can only kill one legendary expert at the peak of legendary at most. Since they also need to resist the North Church and the Dark Congress, it's already not bad if they can deploy twenty legendary experts, and we have just as many experts in the Congress."

"If the situation escalates, you would have to take the five saint cardinals including Sard and the seven legendary knights in Holm, Colette, Brianne and Colette into account, too. That means almost thirty legendary experts in total. Together with the pope who's a demigod, I estimate that few legendary sorcerers can survive a head-on clash with them." Fernando would rather be prepared for the worst.

Then, he looked at Lucien with a smile in his red eyes. "Don't underestimate the pope. He is still one of the demigods even without God's Arrival. Except for the experts like Douglas, Dracula and Brook, who have been at the peak of legendary for many years, the other legendary sorcerers might not be able to take one hit from him."

As he spoke, Fernando, who had always been either shameless or grave and agitated, sighed with mixed feelings, "Also, God's Arrival is too terrifying. After it locks onto the expert at the peak of legendary, they will be killed instantly, no matter if they are by themselves or gathered together. In order to improve 'Eternal Blaze' to a similar level, Douglas will have to advance into a demigod. That's why the Congress decided to cooperate with Sard despite the risks before the pope's God's Arrival is recovered."

"Otherwise, who's going to block God's Arrival in ten years? I don't think me, Hathaway, Douglas or Brook has the honorable personality to sacrifice oneself for everybody else, but if we join our hands, we will all be killed. On the other hand, for the seven legendary knights, whether or not the pope has God's Arrival has a strong influence on their final decision."

"Once they are totally inclined to us, it will be the pope's turn to weigh the pros and cons. After all, the most available forces of the South Church will only be equal to ours by then, and it will no longer have the overwhelming advantage. The pope has to consider the possibility of a brutal victory where he is exhausted after using God's Arrival and half of the saint cardinals and sacred knights are killed. That would be in the best interests of the Dark Congress and the North Church."

Lucien nodded and understood that Congress' strategy was to create a favorable situation so that the seven legendary knights would be turned to their side. Then, even though the pope's God's Arrival was recovered, he would have to face the scenario where a third party would take advantage of the lose-lose war.

"Natasha and I have settled on some things. Together with Sard's stimulation, we should be confident in making the nobles completely inclined to us, and the nobles' tendency will definitely influence the legendary knights' decision. Master, how about this…" Lucien proposed a suggestion, which had been prepared in advance, too.

Fernando nodded solemnly, "Whatever its final result is, it will do as long as it increases our leverage. Of the seven legendary knights, five have been more or less inclined to us. Until the situation is clear, they probably wouldn't refuse to communicate with us even if they decide to sit on the fence first. I'll talk to them."

Then, the two of them inferred Sard's actions and plans for different purposes as well as the corresponding countermeasures.

"If that's Sard's purpose, I'll let you know as soon as possible. Let's hope that your countermeasure proves useful. Also, since you are near the Nekso Palace, you should try to help Natasha with the control of the divine power circles in the whole city. That's a critical step to prevent accidents. Morris and other sorcerers of the royal family of Holm will work with you." The Lord of Storm told him. Deploying Lucien to the place was not just because it was easier for him to escape, but also because of his special relationship with Natasha, who could cooperate with him without concerns.

While the overall defense of Rentato was not as good as the Radiance Church and the Nekso Palace, it was still better than that of Aalto. After it was activated, the controller would gain a major advantage. The facilities that controlled the defense, on the other hand, were separated into two relatively independent parts, one in the Radiance Church and the other in the Nekso Palace. The former would be taken over by the Congress after Sard left the Radiance Church, and the latter depended on Natasha.

Without saying anything else, Lucien nodded solemnly and then asked in curiosity. "Master, why didn't we seek the cooperation of other forces?"

"Such a plan must be kept highly confidential. If we asked for the cooperation of the North Church or the Dark Congress, the intelligence might've been leaked, and the Church might've noticed it. Also, they wouldn't have many choices. They would either wait to take advantage of us after we fail, or attack the territory of the Church when the defenders are summoned elsewhere. It's impossible that they would join the battlefield recklessly. What we are seizing is exactly the gap. We are going to threaten the Church to back off from a total war." Fernando explained, "As for the other allies, those who are willing to come will come after noticing the changes, and those who are unwilling to will not come even if we asked them in advance."

Even within the Congress of Magic, only the members of the Highest Council and the few sorcerers with high permission such as Lucien were aware of the details. Most of the arcanists and apprentices had no idea that something great was going to take place soon at all. Natasha, on the other side, told nobody of the matter but merely directed the nobles to further misunderstand the Church and look forward to a new balance.

...

At noon on the fourteenth of the Month of Fire…

On the thirty-fifth floor of the Allyn magic tower, voices echoed nonstop:

"It's confirmed that Benedict II is preaching in the Holy City and is never away."

"It's confirmed that Saints Melmax, Anasta and Maria are around the pope and are never away."

"It's confirmed that Auden, leader of the ascetics, is preaching in the new alternate dimension and is never away."

"It's confirmed that Varantine, leader of the ascetics, entered a confessional in the Holy City and is never away."

"It's confirmed that Vaharall, the Adjudicator, is at the headquarters of the inquisition and is never away."

"It's confirmed that Beliel, God's Glory, is at the North Fortress and is never away."

…

The intelligence confirmations came in one piece after another, allowing the Highest Council and the sorcerers in the operation such as Lucien to get the situation under control.

"Unable to confirm the whereabouts of Saint Anthony, a giant of the inquisition and a night watcher, and Brentis, the Original Fire who ranks top among the night watchers."

"Unable to confirm…"

The intelligence was not just about the South Church but also about the North Church as well as the experts of the Dark Mountain Range. The spies that the Congress of Magic sent out all those years had finally proved their value.

After analyzing the intelligence and confirming the situation, Douglas stood up from his seat and walked to the front of the conference room of the Highest Council, before he announced gravely and solemnly: "The operation now begins. Pay attention to your safety!"

"Arcana Above!" Lucien and the rest of them placed their right hand on their forehead.

...

At Cocus, the capital of the Duchy of Calais…

Erica, the 'Master of Transformation' who had linen-colored short hair, walked out of her black magic tower that looked like an observatory, with the intense vibe of history around her. She was one of the few sorcerers in the Highest Council with ancient heritage. Sometimes, she called herself a historian.

Calculating the time, she walked to the Grand Church of Cocus with a few archmages and senior-rank sorcerers. At this moment, two dragon scale horses galloped by, and the riders shouted intentionally, "His Excellency Yourcenar demands an emergency meeting of nobles."

Yourcenar was 'Song of Dusk', a legendary knight of the Duchy of Calais.

Erica understood that it was part of the plan. Yourcenar wouldn't do anything until the situation was completely clear.

After only several minutes, Erica and her partners, who seemed rather slow, had already reached the gate of the Grand Church of Cocus which was on the other side of the city. A middle-aged cleric in a white soft hat was staring at her peacefully.

"Torrens, are you ready for delivery?" Erica asked Torrens, the Grand Cardinal of the Calais parish, known as 'Angel of Wisdom'.

Torrens replied in a smile, "The red robes have been sent by me to inspect the counties. There are only some bishops and reverends inside. Also, the divine power circle has been shut down."

Erica did not enter recklessly but hinted for an archmage next to her, asking him to summon two senior-rank devils to control the pivots of the divine power circle and the transmission magic circle.

When nothing went wrong, the few archmages and sorcerers all went in and controlled different areas, and Erica stayed in the square, confronting Torrens in silence while waiting for the progress in Rentato.

...

At Salyvaor, capital of the Kingdom of Brianne…

Brook, the half-old gentleman who was wearing a white wig and a double-breasted suit with a short black staff in his right hand, walked onto the stairs outside of the Grand Church of Brewston together with Chelsea Holt, a short, silver-haired lady. They walked into it without any tricks.

He was confident enough to kill 'Beaver', the 'Astral Light', inside even though all the divine power circles were activated.

When he was about to walk into the Church, he looked back at the palace where the king of Brianne was at and said in a low voice, "I hope that Bedrenka and Basor do not make any injudicious decision."

Bedrenka, 'Hammer of the Void' and Basor, 'Knight of Disasters', were the legendary knights of the Kingdom of Brianne.

"They would only make a decision when the situation is clear." Holt, the Moon Scholar who had lived here for a long time, replied with a smile.

Brook nodded and ambled into the church without further ado. He sat on a seat on the third row before the cross and contemplated like the most pious believer while waiting for the moment to come. The red robe preaching on the podium had no idea that a terrible monster who ranked eighth on the Cleansing List was right before him.

...

Hull-Chulia in the north coastline and Vicente in Colette experienced more or less the same as Erica did. They took over the grand churches and controlled the teleportation points easily. The legendary knights in the few regions all demanded an emergency meeting of nobles like Yourcenar did.

In Rentato, outside of the Radiance Church…

Fernando, who temporarily had the help of 'Absolute Defense' Ataman, a legendary sorcerer, waited for the arrival of Sard with more than ten archmages and senior-rank sorcerers.

They did not wait long when Sard, who appeared to be an ordinary old man, left the Radiance Church easily just like he promised.

Chapter 554: God's Guard

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The white robe of a regular cleric on his body, and his slightly dirty eyes, made Sard look no different from any old man who was basking in the sun on the streets in Rentato, although the atmosphere around him was indeed profound and gloomy.

He looked around at the empty square of the church and chuckled, "I was worrying that you did not dare to come, Lord of Storm."

With the vibe of a storm, Fernando snorted, "Why would I not dare come? Would the Church wait and watch while we grow all the while doing nothing? I bet that no waiting is needed at all. The moment the pope's God's Arrival is recovered next year, he will launch a total war against us. Therefore, we might as well take the initiative in the battle."

Because of the rapid development in the past hundred years and the achievements that disrupted the Cannon and the Doctrines now and then, the Congress of Magic had become a major target that the Church struck and suppressed. It was impossible for the Congress to grow in secret while taking advantage of the confrontation of the South Church and the North Church.

When one force was developed to a certain level, it was inevitable to have a war with the previous dominator in order to get room, for further development.

The Congress of Magic had been provoking the Church over the past ten years exactly because they intended to fight a controllable local war when the enemy was not prepared.

When the pope was distracted by the North Church and the Dark Congress and not ready for a general mobilization or a negotiation, the Highest Council was confident to control the loss of legendary sorcerers. Then, they would be certain to win the seven legendary knights over. However, the pope had been rationally suppressing the radical tide within the Church while he made preparations one step after another.

In such a case, the Congress of Magic was under tremendous pressure. Had it not been for the consequences from the incident of the scarlet moon, it was possible that the Congress of Magic would've been beleaguered by the Church. That was why Douglas risked tricking the pope's God's Arrival with the artificial planet experiment. It improved the situation and bought more time for their preparation. Even without Sard's attempt of cooperation, the Congress would have tried to raise a war this year or at the beginning of next year.

As for Sard's claim that the pope estimated that the Congress would only be uncontrollable after sixty years and therefore a total war would burst out in ten to twenty years, Fernando and the other members of the Highest Council did not believe it at all. The pope and the Grand Cardinals were not blind. They couldn't have neglected the rapid expansion of arcana theories in the past few years and stuck to their previous estimation. Also, more important, the pope had already announced a total war because of the new alchemy before the new alternate dimension was discovered, except that the war was later delayed by the search for the demigod.

Therefore, Douglas and other grand arcanists had reason to believe that, now that the situation in the new alternate dimension was gradually stabilized, the pope would focus on removing the Congress of Magic after his God's Arrival was recovered. Perhaps at this moment next year, they would be embracing a total war where the Church was fully prepared. With that in mind, they might as well ferment changes and create a more favorable situation to avoid the dreadful scenario where one legendary expert had to be sacrificed to waste God's Arrival as cannon fodder. None of the experts at the peak of legendary were willing to die. It would raise an internal division of the Congress.

Sard's cooperation provided an opportunity. It was also fit for the Congress' idea to activate the plan this year or at the beginning of next year.

Therefore, the Congress' most detailed plan regarding the operation was about the sudden arrival of the pope with a dozen Grand Cardinals.

Sard smiled. "As expected of the young and vigorous Congress of Magic. The Church has been decayed after a thousand years and can only be revived with fire and blood. Go in now. The barrier of divine power has been shut down. Even the neutral clerics have been sent to Richard by me. Few members are left inside, including Vera Amelton, who will supervise the battle on behalf of me."

He demanded that the other parts of the Radiance Church except for the transmission magic circle be kept intact for his future usage.

His petty and desirable attitude seemed indicative of his sincerity in the cooperation.

Without the barrier of divine power, Fernando's spiritual field enshrouded the Radiance Church without any trouble. However, he was prudent enough to ask Donald, the chairman of the Will of Elements, and Thompson, his student to walk in and control the barrier of divine power as well as the massive transmission magic circle first.

The archmages and senior-rank sorcerers soon got the Radiance Church under control. The clerics who watched their actions felt rather complicated.

Although they were more inclined to the Congress of Magic, and they had the idea of change like the North Church under Sard's enchantment, they still felt at a loss as they watched the Radiance Church, the symbol of the Saint Truth's control on this side of the Storm Strait, fall into the control of the sorcerers. Their eyes were reddening.

Was it the end of an era?

The massive transmission magic circles were too solid to be destroyed by the archmages. So, Fernando walked towards the Radiance Church in his red magic robe.

At this moment, Sard smiled. "I'll leave Rentato to relieve your concerns. After you completely control this land, I will come back and be crowned as the Radiance Archbishop."

Fernando looked at him with his stormy eyes. Without saying anything, he walked by him, followed by 'Absolute Defense' Ataman.

Sard chuckled and walked out of the church square in a seemingly slow but actually fast way.

'Allyn' had flown to the sky of Rentato at some point. All the rails were retreated, turning it into a battle fortress.

Supervising on the thirty-fifth floor of the pivotal magic tower, Douglas said, "Atlant, keep an eye on Sard."

The Eye of Curse nodded and opened his closed eyes, in which a bizarrely intoxicating world seemed to be hidden.

The east of the city was the district of nobles. Both the Nekso Palace and the Radiance Church were here. It had a beautiful landscape and a low population.

Before Sard was out, a rider rushed on the broad, unpopulated street quickly on a dragon scale horse. The sun was too fierce at noon, and he barely met anybody before he reached Duke James' villa.

"Her Majesty demands an emergency meeting of nobles?" Asked James in confusion. Also, the time requirement was so strict that only the nobles in Rentato could participate. Those in other places did not have the time to come back at all.

After confirming the authenticity of the command, Duke James left for the Nekso Palace full of questions.

In a remote corner at the northwest of the Nekso Palace, Lucien waited for orders behind a sycamore, hoping that nothing would go wrong.

"Lucien, don't be nervous." Morris flew over with the sorcerers of the royal family of Holm and greeted Lucien on the ground, before they flew in another direction of the Nekso Palace as defenders.

"Mr. Morris, my name is Don't Be Nervous." Watching them going away, Lucien replied with his cold humor. When he looked at the spacious villas of nobles next to the street, he couldn't help but recall Joel's family, who had been sent to defend a manor at the suburb under Natasha's arrangement in case they were affected by the warfare.

Juliana and Minsk's missing still made Lucien ill at ease.

"I hope that Plan E wouldn't be adopted… It will be best if Plan C is not used, either…" Lucien secretly prayed.

Outside of the Rentato abbey on the west of the city, Hathaway, in a dark red magic robe, stood in the shadow of a tree in silence, waiting for Fernando to destroy the massive transmission magic circles. Then, she would attack and eliminate the entirety of the Knights of the Grail as well as part of the radical clerics in the abbey.

As for Divine Knight Stone, who was only a level-one legendary expert, she was neither careless about him nor too bothered.

...

On the thirty-fifth floor in the Allyn magic tower, the intelligence from various places were sent back.

"Erica has controlled the Grand Church of Cocus."

"Vicente has controlled the Grand Church of Blanes."

"Hull-Chulia controlled the Church of North Light."

"Brook and Holt are waiting for the order to attack."

"Confirmed. The pope is still preaching…"

"Confirmed. The few saints are still around him…"

Douglas stood in the front peacefully, not too anxious. Having founded the Congress of Magic and developed it under the extremely unfavorable circumstances, he had seen far too many dangers. No matter how terrible the situation was this time, could it have been worse than when the Congress of Magic was just established?

At that time, some sorcerers were purged by the Church every day, and the organization might collapse any moment!

Suddenly, Atlant said in a gloomy voice, "Sard disappeared…"

Under the watch of the Eye of Curse, Sard vanished into thin air after he left the district of nobles!

Looking at Oliver and the rest of them, Douglas said peacefully, "Inform Brook and Hull-Chulia to attack. Send the few Grand Cardinals to Mountain Paradise or seal and banish them before the legendary knights notice anything wrong. Also, tell Brook that he will return as a reinforcement the moment the battle is over."

"Hathaway will swap with Davey."

"We will help Fernando together!"

As the orders were sent, Hathaway disappeared and arrived at the Allyn magic tower. Davey, the 'Innovator', took over her mission to stop Stone.

Inside the Radiance Church, the massive transmission magic circles were covered in the holy light.

Standing far away in the atrium, Fernando was about to destroy it with 'Thunderstorm'.

At this moment, Vera Amelton, who had been supervising the battle from another direction, suddenly put on a smile of sincere delight. Holy light burst out from her body, and her facial muscles twisted and wriggled, turning her into a handsome man that was more beautiful than girls.

The man had long gold air and a sacred face. White wings were unfolded on his back quickly. One pair, two pairs, three pairs… four pairs… eighteen pairs in total!

He kneeled on the ground devoutly, and spots of light were glimmering among his wings. Behind him, the projection of a seven-floored Mountain Paradise was vaguely appearing, with singing holy spirits and angels, six seraphs and the infinite brilliance on the highest floor.

However, this project was much more blurred than the projection of God's Arrival. Also, on the highest floor, the gigantic angel who held the Cannon next to the feet of the God of Truth was gone!

"Whoever prays in your name shall not be harmed."

The man began to pray in a low voice. His body was rapidly obscured, contaminating everything around him with the ripples that did not seem to belong to this world. The ripples quickly spread out and enshrouded the massive transmission magic circles.

Fernando's red pupils slightly constricted: "Mecantron, the Angel King!"

Instead of attacking the massive transmission magic circles in a hurry, he sent a signal calmly:

"Plan C."