Throne of Magical Arcana

Seeing that the few grand arcanists and legendary sorcerers had been gathered here, Douglas asked concernedly, “Did Benedict III do anything in the past few days? I think he must have a good reason to expose his secret and lock me inside my demiplane. Did he tamper with our conversation to deceive people or allure someone of the Highest Council?”

Lucien secretly raised his thumb after hearing the president’s questions. Even though he had been caged inside his demiplane, he was still able to infer most of the things.

Of all the legendary sorcerers on the spot, Fernando had the most seniority and least concerns. He said loudly, “Douglas, however confused you are about the nature and source of gravity and the initial cause, you can’t lose your confidence and explain everything with a supreme being, can you? It doesn’t matter even if you have ten thousand whys, but it will be horrible if you can’t come up with a single question but get satisfied with explaining everything with gods. The speech that the Church quoted almost deprived all the arcanists in the Congress of their confidence.”

Douglas slightly frowned. “Benedict III hid the latter part of our conversation to disrupt your minds?”

“I admit that there are times when I am confused, lost and can’t see the way ahead, but when I return to reality and find that there are so many problems waiting for me to resolve, I’m full of momentum again. Also, a supreme being does not equal to the God of Truth. It may be a synonym to the truth of the world. The space is so vast and boundless, and our world is nothing at all compared to it. How can I worship a god that fights for believers and resources in such an insignificant place?”

Fernando smiled. “That’s the Douglas I know. I told them that you wouldn’t demean yourself by worshiping the God of Truth.”

Hellen quietly patted her cheeks and heaved a sigh of relief. Brook, Hathaway and Oliver looked more or less relaxed and delighted, too.

In the rising period of an organization, many contradictions would be covered by the thriving appearance.

Not wasting any time, Douglas asked straightforwardly, “The whole Congress was affected? Was it through the Sky Radio Station. I’ll clarify it first and announce Benedict III’s vileness to everyone.”

He wondered if a delay of one and a half days had made the lie unfalsifiable.

“There’s no need to rush. The influence has been cleared. Why don’t you tell us what exactly happened?” Fernando was eager to know the details.

Douglas looked at everybody in confusion. “Cleared? Didn’t you say that almost all the arcanists in the Congress lost confidence, Fernando?”

That was a rather severe situation.

Because of his relationship with his teacher, Brook had been listening quietly without saying anything. Hathaway never talked whenever she could avoid talking. Hellen felt too guilty to talk. Oliver, finally, picked up the topic. “Mr. President, they lost confidence because the arcanists saw that even you, the founder of the gravity theory, were baffled by the nature and source of gravity and looked for philosophical and theological answers. They had suspicions about the road they were on, but after somebody explained the nature of gravity, everybody was refreshed. Naturally, their panic was gone.”

“That’s good.” Douglas didn’t realize what he heard first. Then, he turned his head and said, “Wait, Oliver, what did you say? Somebody explained the nature of gravity?”

He looked at the Land of Truth and asked tentatively, “I was locked inside the demiplane for a day and a half, wasn’t I? Did the time flow at a different speed in the outside world, and decades have actually passed?”

There had been absolutely no sign of an explanation on the nature of gravity, so the news was so shocking to him that he suspected it was because of different time speeds. Otherwise, how could a theory have popped up after only one and a half days?

“You were locked away for one and a half days. However, Lucien had worked on it for years. He proposed a theoretical explanation on the nature of gravity. The deductions based on his theory match the observed redundant precession of the Morning Star at the perihelion and the adjustment to synchronize the time in the high sky and on the ground of the artificial planets.

After a brief daze, Douglas asked in a hurry, “Where’s the paper? Let me take a look!”

At this moment, he forgot everything he planned to do.

Hellen gave the copy of the paper and Lucien’s book list to Douglas. “Here you are, Mr. President.”

Taking over the paper, Douglas browsed through it. His calmness was gradually gone, replaced by devotion. Shadows surfaced around him, constructing the ancillary computation circles.

He scratched his head now and then, making his neat hair messy.

Understanding his earnestness about the question, Fernando did not interrupt him despite his usual impatience.

After a long time, Douglas pulled his bow-tie, half confused and half enchanted. “I get basically what it says. The nature of gravity is the curved space-time caused by gravity. I saw the geometry on ‘Nature’ before, too. But is the deduction legitimate?”

As one of the greatest mathematicians, Douglas had already grasped the many new methods including tensor analysis after only browsing through ‘Nature’. However, it was impossible for him to understand the general theory of relativity for the time being.

Fernando answered, “At least, Bergner and I did not find any flaw in the mathematical deduction, except that the methods that Lucien adopted in certain parts are rather clumsy and inconcise.”

“Curved space-time… mass… energy-momentum tensor… the curvature of space-time is transmitted as waves…” Douglas mumbled the content in the paper, caught in the state of ten thousand whys again.

Lucien, Hellen and the rest of them kept absolutely quiet and did not interrupt the president. It was not until a long time later that Douglas was finally back to himself. Taking a deep breath, he walked to Lucien and patted his shoulder, “I dare not say immediately that your theory is correct, but you have undoubtedly proposed a paradigm-shifting idea. The greatest achievement of the Congress of Magic in the past ten years is your participation. I regret that I did not insist on my idea and let Fernando become your teacher.”

“My everything is based on your foundation, Mr. President.” Lucien replied with a smile.

Douglas shook his head. “Oliver, I or somebody else could’ve come up with the special theory of relativity some time later, but the general theory of relativity is definitely a treasure that depends on an individual’s giftedness. Without you, it probably would have taken hundreds of years before the theory was proposed and perfected.”

“Personally I thank you very much. I seem to have found my path to advance into demigod. After I confirm the thoroughness of the deduction and obtain part of the solutions, I may be able to touch the gate of demigods. As for how many years it will take for me to pass the gate, that’s a different matter.”

“So, Douglas, after you confirm the paper, come and help Lucien with the ritual of ‘Origin of Magic’.” Fernando interjected. He had already invited Brook, Hathaway, Oliver and Hathaway, who were on the spot.

Douglas had never been more surprised in the past thousand years than today. Shocked, he looked at Fernando and Lucien, “Are you suggesting that Lucien has already entered the ninth circle?”

“What do you think? The truth of the world gives copious feedback to such great achievements.” While Fernando was reluctant to compliment his student himself, he was rather happy when other people did so.

Douglas shook his head with a smile. “Lucien, if your advancement succeeds, you will be the youngest legendary sorcerer in the history of magic. Let’s begin the ritual in a moment. Even if the paper proves wrong later, I’ll cover the additional cost of the ritual to express my thanks for Lucien.”

“What happened with Francois and Benedict III?” Fernando asked.

Douglas briefly introduced it and said with confusion in the end. “Francois was a sorcerer from the ancient Magic Empire. He loathed the Saint Truth and thought what the Church did regarded as blasphemy now and then. That’s why I never suspected that he surrendered to the Church. Also, there was no holy light when he died.”

“Something is wrong. Francois was the oldest member of the Affair Committee. He had high clearances and abundant allowances. He only never made a breakthrough because his cognitive world couldn’t half-solidify and he didn’t dare to take risks. Such an archmage couldn’t have been bribed.” Oliver, as a member of the Highest Council who managed the Affair Committee, frowned and said.

“I found it strange, too. If Francois was unwilling, Benedict III couldn’t have projected himself into Francois’ soul over such a long distance. Also, Benedict III’s spell to block the demiplane in the end is in the style of the ancient Magic Empire…” Douglas said something else that was weird.

Including Lucien, everybody discussed for a moment and paused when they failed to find an answer.

Since it was not night and radio time yet, Douglas proposed that the ritual of Origin of Magic and the ritual of legendary advancement be started now. Fernando and Hellen agreed with him. Brook, Oliver and Hathaway were worried that it might be too hasty, but they did not strongly object.

…

After half a day of preparation, in the hall on the opposite of the conference room of the Highest Council on the thirty-fifth floor of the Allyn magic tower…

The moment he entered the room, Lucien felt that he had come to the boundless space. The darkness was overwhelming and ceaseless, and the brilliance of the stars raised his deepest reverence.

When he looked more clearly, Lucien felt that the trajectories of the stars were too complicated for him to capture. It was actually a direct projection of the sky of fate!

“Lucien, find your Host Star of Destiny and stand below it.” Douglas’ voice came from the depths of the starry sky.

Lucien closed his eyes, and the projection of the Host Star of Destiny appeared inside his soul. Through the subtle interaction, he stepped forward and stepped below it after several minutes.

The star was dazzling but surrounded by the deepest darkness. Other people might not notice it, but Lucien could clearly sense the terrifying, all-absorbing air of destruction.

After he stopped, the six grand arcanists moved the circle for the ritual of Origin of Magic, each standing in one corner of the biggest hexagram.

“Are you ready?” Douglas asked gently.

Four top legendary and two level-three legendary grand arcanists – Looking at the astonishingly luxurious team, Lucien nodded his head slightly. Holding back his emotions and closing his eyes, he said peacefully:

“I am ready.”

From today on, his fate would enter a new track.

From today on, he would no longer be a target that anybody could plot against.

From today on, his life would be a real legend.

Do you hear fate knocking on the door? Go and take it by the throat!