Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Superconductivity? Lucien almost blurted out.
Before, when he asked Jerome, Annick, Katrina and Layria to run experiments on the changes of nature of different materials in low temperatures, Layria was mainly meant to create a vacuum with coal. He did not expect that they would discover superconductivity at all, because helium was not found yet, and there was no way to approach absolute zero. Later, he was so busy with other things that he forgot about their task.
After Jerome advanced into middle-rank and got his Holm Crown Ring, he filed an application to Lucien and changed the focus of his studies to X rays. So, his previous projects were given to Katrina and Layria.
However, Lucien merely regarded it as a potential supplement, and he asked the two girls to focus on the new alchemy, namely the particles in the elemental field. He did not expect that he would embrace a pleasant surprise today.
Holding in his emotions, Lucien asked in surprise, “The electrical resistance is gone?”
superconductivity, what a beautiful noun. Lucien couldn’t help but think of the mag-lev technology, the large particle collider, the hope to strengthen his electromagnetic gun, and magnetics-restrained controllable fusion.
“If controllable fusion is achieved, the power source of Allyn will be better improved. Similar sky cities will no longer be restrained by energy. The legendary sorcerers will have one more standard item, which is a city that floats in the blue sky. Well, should I call it ‘Sun Well’ or ‘Eternal Furnace’, or maybe ‘Evans Energy Core’?”
Lucien was woken up from his fantasy by Layria’s delighted voice. “Yes, it is not gradually gone, but suddenly disappears when the temperature is lowered to a certain place!”
“What materials did you use? What was the temperature?” Lucien began to ask more carefully. Annick, Heidi, Sprint, Jerome and other people also came close. The two girls had been obviously overjoyed since a few days ago, but they didn’t tell anything to their partners, so the other students were already filled with curiosity.
Calming down, Katrina said, “Master, since the helium you discovered lowered the minimally possible temperature, we were interested in the experiment again and tried many materials in our spare time. Half a month ago, when we studied the mercury in low temperatures, we discovered that its electrical resistance was suddenly gone when the temperature was lowered to 4.2 degrees from absolute zero. Later, we tried other metals such as lead and reached the same result, except that the temperatures were different.”
“Yes, I never knew that electrical resistance could disappear!” Layria could not believe her discovery even to this moment.
Lucien listened carefully and asked them to repeat their experiment. He was gradually freed from his previous ecstasy, too. The superconductivity right now was still based on materials in an extremely low temperature, which meant that it was highly impractical. Despite the assistance of magic, it would be difficult to be applied in reality.
For example, if Lucien were to increase the power of his electromagnetic gun magic with the ultra-powerful magnetic field caused by superconductivity, he would not only have to combine the similar structures into it but also melt the parts in Snow Goddess’ Whip where a low temperature could be created. As a result, the magic would be terribly difficult to achieve. Lucien estimated that it was at least legendary level. By the same logic, in order to achieve controllable fusion, he needed to be improved to Silver Moon Alterna’s level.
Also, the relevant files in his spirit library had not been unlocked yet, so there was still a long way to go in the research of superconductivity. After the substantiation of his cognitive world, Lucien was already able to read the files on the special theory of relativity in the spirit library, part of them on the general theory of relativity, and part on the quantum theory, but the more advanced and detailed files were still locked.
Lucien nodded in approval at the girls’ demonstration. “Do you know the value of your research? It means that you will win a Silver Moon Medal. The sorcerers of the electromagnetics faction will crazily love you.”
Jerome and others gasped, not expecting that Katrina and Layria could win a Silver Moon Medal.
Sprint, Heidi and Annick, on the other hand, were rather frustrated. They believed that Mr. Jerome deserved a Holm Crown prize, which was a reward for his devotion and persistence. When the man became a sorcerer, they hadn’t even known what magic was yet, so there was nothing to be jealous about. However, now that some of their classmates were going to win the highest honor in electromagnetics, they felt rather complicated.
Katrina and Layria blushed and couldn’t say anything in their excitement. It was not until a long time later that Katrina said, “Master, we knew that the research was very valuable, but we did not expect we would be awarded for it. Right, this is our paper. Could you see if there’s anything wrong? If not, would you please sign your name?”
It was a project of the Atom Institution. Lucien couldn’t break the rules. He browsed through the paper, checked the data, and signed his name, before he gave it back to the girls and said, “You should also sign your names. As second-circle sorcerers, you are qualified to share the honor.”
Lucien smiled at Katrina and Layria whose hands were shaking. “You are waiting for me to come back before you publish it?”
“Of course. This is your research. You are undoubtedly the lead author. Also, being praised by you is more exciting for us than being given a Silver Moon Medal.” Said Layria delightedly.
Lucien chuckled in a good mood. “Submit it in the Sorcerer Administrative Department later. However, you must not go easy on your following research, and you should try to find materials with superconductivity in normal temperature. Right, you need to work on particles, too. Don’t stray from the path you choose.”
“Understood!” The girls replied with their heads held high, apparently overjoyed.
Suddenly, Katrina thought of something else and asked, “Master, when we discovered superconductivity, a very incomplete model appeared in our cognitive world. It was even more incomplete than the feedback you described. It’s absolutely impossible to complete the model. Why is that?”
“Of course it is incomplete. Have you figured out the nature of superconductivity and understood why it only appeared at a low temperature?” Lucien patted their shoulder with a smile, “If you cannot complete it for now, you can improve other electromagnetic magics based on it to improve their power or lower their difficulty.”
Layria hurried to ask, “Master, can we ask you questions about improving magics? We don’t have any experience in that.”
Although they learnt the basics in school, they had been working in the Atom Institution since graduation and never needed to improve any magic. Therefore, they asked for their teacher’s help subconsciously.
“I’m your teacher. You are free to ask me any questions.” Lucien nodded. He was rather curious about their incomplete model, too, and hoped to improve the power of his electromagnetic gun with it.
Receiving an affirmative reply from their teacher, Katrina and Layria went to the Sorcerer Administrative Department joyfully. Lucien, on the other hand, looked back at Annick, Sprint, Heidi and Chelly. Sensing their complicated feelings, he asked with a smile, “Very envious and jealous?”
As if stung in the back, Sprint suddenly stood straight and raised his head, “Not at all! I will definitely earn the highest honors of different fields just like you, master.”
“Well, I’m indeed a bit jealous. I’m going to teach them a lesson tonight. They kept it from me for such a long time!” Heidi admitted it rather frankly.
She tried to cover her real feelings with a joke, but her smile was still rather awkward.
Annick scratched his head. “Sort of. However, I’m quite satisfied with my research about particles. According to Mr. Lazar, Mr. Jerome and Mr. Rock, it’s a world full of treasures, and whether or not I find anything depends on my efforts. I believe that I will achieve something in the future.”
He was only slightly more talkative in front of Lucien and his fellows in the Atom Institution.
“I envy them, but my studies on that are still shallow. It’s perfectly normal that Katrina is ahead of me.” Chelly, who came one year later, was rather cool about it, but she appeared to be bothered by other problems.
Lucien saw it but did not ask. He simply said, “I have just returned from an alternate dimension. Who can tell me the latest studies on arcana and magics in the past two months?”
Jerome replied, “After your New Alchemy was published, all the sorcerers in the Congress of Magic went mad! It touched the field of the Creator! Therefore, regardless of their faction, as long as they knew part of elemental magics, they were all working on your ‘new alchemy’ and the particles, even including the arcanists who had distinguished achievements in their fields.”
“On the other hand, the war between the particle theory and the wave theory has entered a predicament. The former cannot explain light quantum, and the latter cannot explain the classic double-slit experiment. Hehe. The sorcerers of the two factions are both conducting relevant explorations, hoping to defeat the enemy.”
Heidi shook her head at the stubborn supporters of the wave theory. However, it was true that the confirmation of light quantum hypothesis could not completely invalidate the wave theory, because many phenomena were still inexplicable. Those sorcerers, living through their panic, picked up classic experiments as their weapons again.
The supporters of the particle theory, on the other hand, had made a gratifying comeback and was on par with the supporters of the wave theory now.
Annick added, “According to the journals in the past two months, many arcanists were trying to explain President Douglas’ experiment from the perspective of the wave theory.”
Lucien nodded at that. He planned to write a paper that copied the Lorentz transformation 1 to explain President Douglas’ experience, so that his teacher could be mentally prepared for the special theory of relativity that he was going to submit to his teacher later.
“Alright, I basically get it now. There is no need for you to envy Katrina and Layria. They deserve the honor because they persisted in the experiments on the materials in the super-low temperatures. You, on the other hand, are faced with a boundless world of particles where infinite mysteries lie. What you can get is solely up to yourselves.”
“Is there anything you want to ask me? If not, I’m going to Rentato.”
Annick and Sprint raised their hands when other people shook their heads. “Master, I have one question.”
“What is it?” Lucien raised his eyebrow.
Annick and Sprint looked at each other and asked boldly, “Our question is the same. Master, theoretically speaking, your cyclotron should improve the energy of particles infinitely as long as the space is large enough, but why were the cycles of the particles changing and breaking away from the acceleration field of the cyclotron in the end? Should the cycles only be concerned with electric charge, mass and intensity of the magnetic field? None of the factors changed, and the particles were only sped up!”
Lucien frowned. He could not tell them that it was the relativistic effect, right? The faster an object is, the greater its mass would be…
