Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Inside the Land of Truth…
Douglas, who usually wore a tailcoat, put on a black long robe, which made him look solemn and intimidating.
The black magic robe was the classic style of the ancient Magic Empire. It was deep and dark without emitting the slightest light. However, under the darkness, countless magic patterns were vaguely showing up, adding to the mysterious vibe of Douglas.
At this moment, Douglas did not look like an old gentleman but more like his title, the Emperor of Arcana!
His hands in his back, he stood before the magic circle that was made of countless silver lines and transparent gems. There was no telling what was behind his profound eyes.
That was exactly what Lucien saw after he got out of the “elevator”. He smiled and said, “It seems that I have seen not the president of the Congress of Magic but the consul of the ancient Magic Empire.”
Douglas coughed and turned his head. He smiled. “When I was little, I envied the sorcerers in such a style, and I worshiped the Light of Stars, who was the consul of the Sylvanas Magic Empire back then. So, I’d been mimicking them since I became an official sorcerer until the Magic Empire fell and I had to struggle to survive in the darkness. In order to attract less attention, I began to follow the fashion of clothes and changed to gentleman attire. Later, it became a habit, and I was too lazy to change anymore.”
His reminiscences were full of mixed feelings, indicating that his mind was not as peaceful as it seemed. At this critical moment where the sun might be found, it was difficult for him to keep calm despite his thousand years of experience. After all, it was the goal that he had pursued half of his life and the dream of all the sorcerers of the school of astrology ever since it was established!
“The garment of the previous sorcerers was indeed mysterious and solemn, but it was also too gloomy, depressing, and frightening,” replied Lucien casually. After all, he preferred a double-breasted suit, tailcoat, and similar clothes. “Why are my teacher and Mr. Bergner not here?”
Fernando and Bergner were one of Douglas’ few remaining friends. Why did they not come to witness such an important moment?
Douglas chuckled. “The urgent need to stabilize the reactor has agitated Fernando. He and Hathaway are busy running the experiments on neutrons, hoping that they can find out its mysteries as soon as possible. Also, he does not have high hope in my search for the sun this time. Therefore, he has decided to cool my expectant mind with his inaction in case I am too disappointed later.”
“That’s right. When there is no expectation, there won’t be any hope,” said Lucien humorously. Then, he nodded his head. “My teacher always thought that the reason why planets cannot be found is related to the weirdness deep inside the Boundless Ocean and that it is impossible to find any planet until we can answer why we cannot finish a ’round-the-world flight’. It is not something that can be explained by ‘gravity lens’.”
After Lucien repeated Fernando’s opinions, Douglas looked at him with his sharp eyes. “You think so, too?”
If Lucien did not agree with those opinions, he wouldn’t have wasted his time repeating them.
“I share similar opinions with my teacher, but…” Lucien admitted honestly.
“But how can you understand the source of the problem if you don’t have a try?” Douglas was not infuriated at all but expressed his attitude along Lucien’s tone.
Lucien nodded his head. “That’s what I believe, too. Sometimes. we have to finish an experiment even if we know that it has been wrongly designed, because the experience of failure is even more precious under special circumstances. It can help us find the correct path.”
Douglas nodded his head with a smile. “Your arcana ideas and attitude will help you grow all the time.”
Then, he mentioned the Prophet. “Bergner has been at a loss after the uncertainty principle was proposed. Supposedly, there was a good chance that he could become a level-three legend with the general theory of relativity, but he has halted again exactly like Donald and the rest of them. His cognitive world probably would’ve collapsed if it were verified by conclusive experiments or phenomena.”
“But the probabilistic explanation and the uncertainty principle are given more and more attention in the microscopic experiments in the past few years,” Lucien stressed.
Douglas said with a sigh, “Yes.”
He did not say anything more, because he also found Lucien’s probabilistic explanation and uncertainty principle unacceptable. Of course, his nonacceptance did not mean that he ignored the experiment results. He merely disagreed with Lucien about regarding it as the fundamental properties of the microscopic particles, just like Fernando did. He believed that certain hidden factors or variables that hadn’t been discovered yet resulted in the probabilistic feature and the uncertainties. If those factors and variables were taken into consideration, the result would still fit determinism.
“Therefore, Mr. Bergner does not want to see me?” Lucien said humorously.
Douglas shook his head. “Not exactly. The real reason is that he is busy building the cosmic observatory. Alright, let’s go.”
He took a deep breath and extended his right hand, pressing the transparent gate that was fully embedded with magic gems.
Silver lines glittered and emanated the most splendid brilliance. Enormous energy flooded in from every corner of the magic tower and the Land of Truth.
The blue and sunny sky out of the window suddenly turned so dark that not a single star could be seen. After the enormous energy surged into the portal, it was like rivers combining into an ocean. There was not the slightest ripple.
After a long time, the magic gems on the portal in different colors glowed dazzlingly at the same time, and the hollow at the center of the portal was also covered in unpredictable light in which countless magic runes were flowing.
Bright “stones” flew out of Douglas’ magic pouch. Some were gold, some blue, and some were pure red. They hovered around Douglas’ head like artificial planets circling the world.
Covered by those stones, Douglas nodded at Lucien and stepped into the twisted brilliance first.
Lucien had been observing the function of the magic circle and learning the space-time knowledge in it. That was the personal understanding that came from countless firsthand experiences. It was far better than what Lucien had exchanged from the Advanced Arcana Library.
Douglas had invited him to look for the sun together partly to offer him guidance on super-remote space jump. It was a rather short journey when Lucien was teleported to space last time.
After Douglas’ figure turned transparent in the light, Lucien did not delay. The Robe of Grand Arcanists was shielded by colorful elements as he followed Douglas into the portal.
Time and space were changing, and the whole world was swirling in the profound darkness. Even though Lucien was already a level-three legendary sorcerer, he still had the illusion that his body and his soul were being separated. He was like a flickering candle in a wind that might die out at any moment. If it were any archmage, they probably would’ve been completely “lost” in the super-remote space jump for all eternity.
Suddenly, Lucien’s soul trembled, and his physical body was condensed again. He saw the clear, changing light before his eyes.
As the light disappeared layer by layer, Lucien sensed that he was in the middle of the space, and countless cosmic rays of curses were coming at all. Therefore, he summoned his spiritual power and let out the intricate and inaudible spell.
“Space Staff!”
Ripples of light rose and gathered into a dreamy staff of light, which constructed many different spaces around Lucien.
After he resisted the dangerous rays, Lucien finally had the time to unfold his field of spiritual power to observe the surroundings.
There was not a gigantic fireball that was so scorching that everything would be burnt by it. Instead of the insufferable heat, this place was still nothing but coldness and the endless darkness. From the darkness, transparent and clear spots of light were embedded in it quietly.
Before Lucien, Douglas’ back was against him. The bright “stones” above his head hovered around him, covering him with different legendary spells.
In the soundless space, Douglas did not attempt to communicate with Lucien via the telepathic bond. He just floated on the spot quietly and looked at the spot where the “sun” should be at as rigidly as a statue.
He was a tall man. Although he was far from brawny, he was certainly not slim. However, looking at his straight back, Lucien somehow felt an unusual gloom and pity. Even though he had foreseen such a result, he still did not feel too well.
Suddenly, the telepathic bond came over, and Lucien did not stop it.
“It seems that I’ve failed again…” Douglas sounded peaceful and calm, albeit with a bitter smile.
Lucien was about to comfort him when Douglas went on and said, “It seems that there are still many more factors that I failed to take into consideration. The mysteries of the universe are truly fascinating. Alright, let’s go back. I hope that we can find their traces next time.”
The bitterness was gone, and the only things left were his confusion and his genuine hope for the future. He was not frustrated, and he did not lose his momentum at all.
“Alright.” Lucien couldn’t help but smile. Then, he looked thoughtfully at the place where the sun should’ve appeared. There, it was dark and cold, as if a hideous and ferocious beast was lurking.
It was perhaps time for him to pay a visit to the end of the Boundless Ocean or the Moonlight Ocean in the Dark Mountain Range…
…
Inside the Third Generic School…
After leaving his dormitory, Ali went to the gate of the school despite the coldness of the early spring. His heart felt rather heavy. Today would be the day for the release of the monthly examination result. Would his efforts be properly rewarded?
His heart that was both full of hope and worries made it impossible for him to calm down or consider any other questions. He had merely come to the gate of the school to ask if there was his letter out of his habit.
“Ali, your letter.” Shaw had already recognized the lad who had been coming to check for his letter once every day.
“What?” Ali immediately forgot his worries, and his heart was filled by ecstasy.
