Chapter 744: How to Develop an Alchemy Symbol II

Professor Giggs held up his right index finger.

Ezra watched as the professor began circulating his Cognis.

His Cognis slowly flowed from his upper arm towards his forearm.

It continued through his wrist and hand before gathering at the raised index finger.

A faint glow appeared around the fingertip.

Then, his Cognis began to flow out.

It didn’t emerge as a single mass of energy.

Instead, it separated into several thin strands, each moving through the air before gradually connecting with the others.

The strands crossed one another, forming a pattern.

As more Cognis flowed from Professor Giggs’s finger, the pattern became clearer.

The separate threads gradually joined into a single structure, until an Earth Alchemy Symbol took shape in front of him.

The glowing symbol remained suspended in the air.

"This Symbol possesses the true meaning behind the Philosophy of Earth."

Professor Giggs said calmly, looking at the glowing Earth Symbol.

Ezra’s eyes locked onto it.

He examined its structure, following the arrangement of the Cognis threads that formed its shape.

"A key meaning."

Professor Giggs said as he brought his index finger towards his thumb.

Instantly...

A Flame Symbol appeared.

An Ice Symbol followed.

And a Light Symbol formed around his other three fingers.

The three symbols emerged from the Cognis flowing through his fingers.

Each took shape separately, floating around his hand.

Professor Giggs held them there for a moment, allowing Ezra to observe them.

"We, the Scholars and Alchemists behind the creation of Alchemy Symbols, followed one of two methods."

Giggs let the Alchemy Symbols flow into the air like bubbles.

The symbols drifted away from his fingers, floating at different positions in front of him.

"Like I told you earlier..."

He leaned back against the joint-chair, stroking his beard.

"The First method is where we Alchemists and top-ranking Scholars had to brainstorm together. We would break down the particular concept we wanted to create an Alchemy Symbol for. And one point you need to understand about this process is that we were all brainstorming to reach one key meaning..."

He paused.

"The main philosophy that embodies all the other philosophies surrounding that concept."

Giggs explained.

He continued stroking his beard as he looked at Ezra.

The first method required the combined knowledge of several people.

They had to examine the concept they wanted to represent, break it down, and consider the different philosophical meanings connected to it.

It wasn’t enough to identify a few ideas that suited the concept.

They needed to understand what held those ideas together.

The different philosophies had to be examined until they could reach one central meaning that represented the concept as a whole.

That was what the scholars were searching for during their discussions.

"Then, after finding it, we go through the most crucial part of the creation."

He looked at Ezra, who had only been listening without asking any questions.

"The Enlightenment of the Symbols which would carry that true philosophy."

Giggs leaned forward, letting go of his beard.

His expression became a little more serious as he explained the next part.

Finding the central philosophy was only one stage of the process.

The scholars still had to reach the Enlightenment required to create a Symbol capable of carrying that meaning.

Without it, identifying the philosophy alone wouldn’t complete the creation.

"The second method would involve a single person, which is harder. Because finding the true meaning behind a concept can take someone years to discover, not to mention a student who has examinations to prepare for."

He said calmly.

Professor Giggs gave a slight shake of his head.

"Plus, you already know how difficult gaining Enlightenment is..."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"It’s the same method involved in creating a new Path in Alchemy. It reminds me of when a gathering of all the top Scholars and Scholar Alchemists in the Scholar Tower came together to try and decipher the true meanings behind the Sun and Force Symbols."

He stood up, placing both hands on the joint-table.

His palms rested against the surface as he recalled the gathering.

The studying of those Symbols had required the involvement of top Scholars.

Even with so many knowledgeable people working together, reaching the true meaning behind a concept was no simple matter.

They couldn’t even achieve any good result.

"There should have been another one we tried to study, but I’m not sure what that was."

He looked unsure, but didn’t dwell on it for long.

"I guess I’m getting old."

He said jokingly.

"Hahahaha."

He laughed at his own joke.

Ezra kept looking at him quietly.

The professor’s explanation had given him something to work with.

A sense of understanding was already taking shape in his mind.

So, if I must achieve creating the Learning Formula, I will have to first break down all the philosophies behind its purpose and find the key meaning that stays at the center of the web connecting those related philosophies.

Ezra thought to himself.

He began imagining a web-like structure, with the philosophies behind the Learning Formula arranged along its different connections.

The idea was to break down the purpose of the formula into its individual principles, examine the philosophy behind each one, and eventually find the meaning that connected them all.

His mental image gradually took shape.

The principal philosophies came to his mind, each occupying a different point along the web.

Acquisition of Knowledge.

Retention of Knowledge.

Recognition and Association.

Adaptation.

Self-Modification.

Application of Knowledge.

"Six principles in total."

Ezra muttered quietly to himself.

He went through the six principles again.

Each one represented a different requirement of the Learning Formula.

They weren’t simply six functions placed together without purpose.

Every principle contributed to the overall ability he wanted the Brain Alchemy System to possess.

Professor Giggs Ryan looked at him with an impressed expression.

The young Gun Alchemist had not interrupted his explanation with unnecessary questions.

He had listened from beginning to end, and now seemed to be considering how to apply what he had learned.

"I will leave you to it."

He said calmly.

Professor Giggs then left Ezra, who remained standing and focused on breaking down the Learning Formula.

First, I have to break down each of the six principles.

Ezra brought out the first formula, arranging the meaning behind Acquisition of Knowledge.

The first principle concerned the creation’s ability to receive information.

It needed to be capable of acquiring information through observation, sensors, or other input mechanisms.

He examined the meaning again.

The creation has to receive information from something outside itself. Without that ability, there will be nothing for it to learn in the first place.

I guess the philosophy behind this will be...

Learning begins when an entity can acquire information from its surroundings.

He noted this in his mind before moving to the next principle.

Retention of Knowledge.

A creation must be capable of preserving what it has learned and retrieving it when necessary.

Ezra considered the relationship between this principle and the Spatial Formula.

This should be where the Spatial Formula’s information storage capabilities would contribute a great deal to the design of the Brain Alchemy System.

However, storing information and learning from it are two different matters.

The creation needs to preserve what it acquired, but it also has to be able to retrieve that information when necessary.

Then the philosophy behind its meaning will be...

Information must be retained before it can become useful knowledge.

Ezra moved on.

Recognition and Association.

He considered what the principle required.

Acquiring information and retaining it wouldn’t be enough if the creation couldn’t recognize relationships between the things it had learned.

The philosophy was:

Learning requires the ability to recognize relationships between acquired information.

He continued to the next principle.

Adaptation.

Knowledge should influence future behaviour.

Ezra examined the meaning before moving on.

Self-Modification.

Learning should be capable of changing the learner itself.

And...

Application of Knowledge.

Knowledge becomes meaningful when it can be used to solve unfamiliar problems.

Ezra progressed through the breakdown calmly.

He had now established the philosophical meaning behind all six principles.

The first concerned receiving information.

The second concerned preserving and retrieving it.

The third dealt with recognizing relationships between acquired information, while the fourth concerned how that knowledge should influence future behaviour.

The fifth went further, allowing learning to change the learner itself.

And the sixth concerned the use of knowledge when facing unfamiliar problems.

They were different aspects of the same purpose.

But what connected them?

Then what would be the central meaning behind all of this?

The Key.

He asked himself, thinking deeply about everything he had considered.

The six principles were already there.

Their individual meanings had also become clear.

What remained was finding the central philosophy that could embody all of them.

He returned to the web-like structure in his mind.

The connections between the principles led back towards the same purpose, but he still needed to identify the exact meaning at its center.

Wait...

Ezra paused his thoughts.

His eyes opened.

"Sleeping while standing."

A familiar voice spoke lightly.

"Don’t tell me you caught the Sleeping Ice Beauty Syndrome."

The voice said casually.

Ezra narrowed his eyes at Vera, who was sitting where Professor Giggs had been seated before his consciousness slipped into his thoughts.

She looked at him with her usual composed expression.

"Oh, he’s finally done."

Cyrus sat up straight, looking at Ezra curiously.

He stretched his arms as if he had been sitting in the same place for a while now.

"I have been looking for you all this time, and here you were, sleeping while standing."

He said with a serious expression.

"Master, I didn’t expect this."

Lucy said, looking at her Master with a worried expression.

She looked at her Master as though she wasn’t quite sure what to make of his situation.

"I can teach you some of my best standing positions if you want."

Diane said with a pleased smile.

"Good for you, Diane. You’ve found a comrade."

Vera said, clapping her hands together without making a sound.

"You guys are joking, right?"

Ezra said dryly.

Silence fell in the classroom for a brief moment.

Then...

"Puff... Puff... Hahahahaha!"

Cyrus started laughing loudly.

He couldn’t hold it in any longer.

"You’ve been standing there for a long time now. It’s already been two hours since closing time."

He said, still laughing.

Ezra looked at him.

"I know. I just didn’t expect to get caught in a deep-thinking moment like that."

He replied plainly.

He then cracked his neck and stretched his arms.

His body had remained in the same standing position for a long time.

He moved his neck first, then loosened his arms, allowing them to return to a more comfortable position.

Lucy had covered her face, trying not to laugh because of the way Lady Diane had spoken earlier.

"Ahh."

Ezra sighed lightly.

"We should be heading home now."

Vera said calmly.

She stood up and walked towards Ezra.

As she reached him, she looked at him for a while before passing him.

Ezra watched her move past him.

He did have the thought of asking why she was even here until this time.

Knowing Diane...

It should be because of Vera.

Then Hermione can’t leave her lady.

Cyrus is definitely because he loves riding in the Royal Phantom Rolls.

Lucy is because of him.

While Vera...

It should be because of riding in the Royal Phantom Rolls or something else.

Maybe worry?

Who could tell?

Ezra thought plainly in his mind as he followed the others to leave the class.