Chapter 194: The Young Researcher [1]

By the time Ilya returned to Holy Trinity Academy, his engagement had become the least troublesome item on his schedule.

That was probably a good thing.

His meeting with Liselotte had gone surprisingly well, and although the political consequences remained unresolved, there was little he could accomplish by worrying about them every waking hour.

Anastasiya would undoubtedly continue investigating the matter, while Liselotte seemed perfectly content with their arrangement.

Ilya, meanwhile, had something else to occupy his attention.

Research.

More specifically, the mountain of unfinished work waiting for him at Professor Antoine Chastellain’s workshop.

He had joined SkyRune Lab expecting to explore the fascinating world of magical engineering, perhaps discover something useful, and occasionally enjoy the satisfaction of understanding a subject that had previously made absolutely no sense to him.

Unfortunately, the first thing he discovered was that researchers spent an extraordinary amount of time reading.

An unreasonable amount, actually.

His classmates could complain about having to study several textbooks before an examination, but the students working under Antoine appeared capable of reading the same collection of papers for an entire afternoon before concluding that none of them contained anything useful.

Even worse, they seemed to enjoy it.

Ilya was beginning to understand why the workshop attracted so few volunteers.

Nevertheless, he had no intention of withdrawing.

The more he studied Rune Tech, the more he realized how much of modern civilization depended on principles that contemporary wizards barely understood.

Ancient machines could accomplish things that even accomplished researchers struggled to reproduce. Some operated using spell constructions far more sophisticated than anything taught at the academy, while others relied on arrangements of mana that seemed almost contradictory to conventional theory.

Naturally, most of the surviving technology had been studied extensively.

Unfortunately, studying something and understanding how to reproduce it were entirely different matters.

That was where SkyRune came in.

When Ilya arrived at the workshop that afternoon, several students were already gathered around one of the larger tables.

At its center sat a rectangular metal apparatus surrounded by measuring instruments and several carefully arranged mana crystals.

Professor Antoine was examining a sheet of calculations while an older student explained the results of their latest experiment.

"Three attempts, Professor. The first lasted seventeen seconds, the second twenty-one, and the third failed almost immediately."

"And the output?"

"Within acceptable limits until the final cycle. After that, the readings become unstable."

Antoine examined the figures before returning the paper.

"Then we have improved its efficiency without addressing the underlying problem. Good. At least we’re failing more economically."

A few students laughed.

Ilya approached the table and greeted the professor, who acknowledged him before directing his attention toward the apparatus.

"You’re familiar with mana conversion arrays, Belozersky?"

"Only the basic principles, sir."

"Then today you’ll learn why the basic principles are so much more pleasant than the practical applications."

The apparatus was an experimental mana regulator.

Its purpose was straightforward enough. Many Rune Tech devices required a steady supply of mana to function properly, but the output of ordinary mana crystals fluctuated as their stored energy diminished.

Modern regulators compensated for these fluctuations through additional formations, although doing so consumed energy and increased the complexity of the device.

SkyRune’s researchers were attempting to construct a more efficient alternative based on a fragmentary ancient design.

If successful, the regulator could maintain a stable output while consuming substantially less energy.

Such a device would have applications throughout the Empire, from communication equipment to industrial machinery.

Unfortunately, their prototype had an unfortunate tendency to become unstable after prolonged operation.

It hadn’t exploded yet.

Ilya considered that an encouraging achievement.

"Watch the readings," Antoine instructed.

One of the older students activated the formation.

A faint blue light spread across the apparatus as mana began circulating through its internal channels. The measuring instruments responded almost immediately, recording the energy passing through each section.

For the first several seconds, everything appeared normal.

The output remained stable despite the gradual reduction in energy supplied by the crystals.

Then the readings began fluctuating.

One indicator rose while another fell, and the previously steady circulation became increasingly irregular.

The student supervising the experiment shut down the formation before the fluctuations exceeded the permitted threshold.

"Twenty-four seconds," someone announced.

Antoine recorded the result.

Another failed attempt.

However, Ilya had noticed something.

The instability began near the junction connecting the regulator’s central circuit to its output formation. Every time the mana passed through that section, a small portion appeared to accumulate instead of continuing along the intended path.

At first, the difference was negligible.

After several cycles, however, the accumulated mana began interfering with the next flow.

Ilya recognized the general problem.

His group had encountered something similar while researching closed-loop mana circulation for their own spell construction.

Their circumstances were different, but the underlying principle was familiar.

"Professor, may I ask something?"

Antoine looked toward him.

"Go ahead."

"Why does the excess mana remain inside the junction? Wouldn’t it be easier to give it somewhere else to go?"

One of the older students immediately explained that the existing design already included a discharge channel.

Unfortunately, activating it too frequently defeated the purpose of building an efficient regulator. Every time the device discharged excess mana, it wasted energy that could otherwise contribute to its operation.

Ilya understood the objection.

He studied the measurements again.

"Then what if the excess mana isn’t discharged?"

Antoine appeared interested.

"Explain."

Ilya pointed toward the diagram.

"The problem begins because the incoming flow and the residual mana interfere with each other. But the residual mana doesn’t necessarily need to leave the device. It only needs to stop interfering with the next cycle."

That was the important distinction.

Their existing regulator attempted to maintain a perfectly consistent flow through the central junction. Whenever excess mana accumulated, the apparatus either discharged it or attempted to force it back into circulation.

Both solutions introduced additional disturbances.

Ilya wondered whether the design could temporarily redirect that excess into a separate section before allowing it to rejoin the circuit.

A simple auxiliary channel might accomplish the first part.

The difficulty would be controlling its return.

Fortunately, he had spent the past several months dealing with an ability that frequently required manipulating forces without allowing them to interfere with one another.

Niflheim’s Blizzard.

Whenever he used its wind currents to accelerate, the direction and timing of the force mattered as much as its strength. A poorly timed current could disrupt his movement even when it was pushing him in the direction he intended to travel.

Mana circulation presented a somewhat similar problem.

Perhaps the regulator didn’t need to maintain the same conditions everywhere at once.

It only needed to maintain a stable output.

"Instead of forcing the excess mana back immediately, we could delay its return until the pressure inside the main circuit decreases," Ilya suggested. "That way, the auxiliary channel becomes a temporary reservoir."

The older student considered his explanation.

"That would require another control formation."

"Probably. But a small control formation might consume less mana than constantly discharging the excess."

Antoine had been listening without interrupting.

He eventually asked Ilya to sketch his proposal.

Fortunately, Ilya had no intention of pretending he could redesign an experimental apparatus after examining it for five minutes.

He understood the broad principle, but the details involved several subjects he had only recently begun studying.

The older students quickly identified problems with his initial diagram, including a possible delay that might cause the auxiliary channel to release its stored mana at precisely the wrong moment.

That would probably destroy the regulator.

An unfortunate outcome for everyone involved.

Nevertheless, the proposal wasn’t dismissed.

Instead, the students began adjusting the construction, calculating how much mana the auxiliary channel could safely store and determining whether an existing control formation could regulate its release.

Ilya contributed where he could, although much of the technical work remained beyond his current knowledge.

By the time they completed the revised design, almost two hours had passed.

The modified prototype was considerably uglier than the original.

Additional components had been attached to one side, and several temporary inscriptions connected the auxiliary channel to the central circuit.

Antoine inspected their work before authorizing another experiment.

"Begin at reduced output. If the secondary channel exceeds its limit, shut everything down immediately."

The apparatus activated.

Five seconds passed.

Then ten.

The readings remained stable.

At fifteen seconds, a small amount of mana began accumulating inside the auxiliary channel.

Ilya watched the indicator carefully.

The stored energy increased for several moments before gradually returning to the main circuit.

No sudden fluctuation followed.

Twenty seconds passed.

Then thirty.

The older students exchanged excited looks as the regulator continued operating beyond its previous limit.

Forty seconds.

Fifty.

By the time the apparatus reached one minute, someone finally laughed.

"Professor, it’s working!"

"Keep monitoring it," Antoine instructed, although he appeared rather pleased himself.

The regulator continued functioning for another twenty seconds before the auxiliary channel began approaching its maximum capacity.

The researchers shut it down safely.

For several moments, nobody spoke.

Then the workshop erupted into excited discussion.

Their prototype had operated for more than three times its previous duration, and the amount of mana consumed during the experiment had remained within acceptable limits.

The revised construction was far from complete, but they had finally produced a measurable improvement.

Ilya felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction.

He had spent years training to become a swordsman, and for much of that time, progress had meant becoming faster, stronger or more technically proficient.

Research offered a different kind of achievement.

A problem that had frustrated an entire group for days had suddenly become a little easier to understand.

He rather liked that feeling.

"Well done, everyone," Antoine announced. "Document the results before anyone starts celebrating. And Belozersky, come here for a moment."

Ilya approached the professor.

Antoine handed him the revised diagram.

"Your suggestion gave us a useful direction. The others deserve credit for making it practical, but identifying the underlying problem was important."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Don’t thank me yet. I want you to prepare a proper analysis of why the modification improved the regulator’s performance."

Ilya looked at the diagram.

"How long?"

"Three days."

"...I see."

"And include the limitations. I have no interest in reading twenty pages explaining why something works if you neglect to explain when it stops working."

That sounded reasonable.

Unfortunately, reasonable assignments still required writing.

Nevertheless, Ilya accepted the task without complaint.

Antoine returned to the others, leaving him with the diagram and a rather substantial amount of work.

Apparently, making a useful contribution to scientific research came with an unexpected consequence.

More scientific research.

Ilya was beginning to suspect that Professor Antoine had found the perfect method of rewarding his students.

The better they performed, the more work they received.