Chapter 91: The Reckoning of Beliefs

The entire world seemed to be pinned in place by this small, black pointer.

Thud.

Another dull thud echoed as a conservative mage slid stiffly from their chair, their body convulsing twice on the ground before falling utterly silent. This sound was like a lit fuse.

Suppressed groans, sharp gasps of pain, and the wails of mages whose spiritual power had spiraled out of control rose and fell in every corner of the debate hall.

Several mages from the medical team rushed towards a fallen elder, their hands glowing with a healing light. However, the moment the light touched the elder, it abruptly scattered, as if devoured by an unseen vortex.

The lead medical mage’s face paled. They cursed under their breath, then abandoned the spell, shouting towards the entrance, “Stretchers! Bring more stretchers! Their magic is completely out of control!”

This scene, rather than an academic debate, resembled a silent massacre.

On the high platform, Master Elian’s body swayed violently. The apprentice behind him quickly stepped forward, gripping him tightly.

“No…”

He pushed the apprentice away, a dry, hoarse sound escaping his throat, like an ancient machine grinding to life with immense difficulty.

“Impossible… There must be a trick.”

He stumbled forward, almost kneeling, and rushed to the experimental setup, his cloudy eyes fixed intently on the crude apparatus, as if he could ignite it, burn through it, and reduce it to ashes with his gaze alone.

He extended his trembling hands, brushing them over the cold brass wires.

He then picked up the salt-soaked cloth, bringing it to his nose, only to find a briny, acrid smell filling his nostrils.

He also examined the copper and zinc plates connected in series, confirming they were nothing more than the most ordinary alchemical battery, utterly incapable of concealing any profound magnetic field spell.

Finally, his gaze settled on the magnetic needle.

“Bring a new one!” he roared, expending his last reserves of strength.

A staff member immediately presented a brand-new, spare magnetic needle.

Elian personally replaced it, then meticulously checked every connection of the wires himself.

He took a deep breath, like a condemned man about to walk to the gallows, and personally picked up the wire connector.

His gaze swept over the audience below.

It swept over his colleagues, groaning in agony as their beliefs shattered.

It swept over the mages whose eyes flickered with confusion and fanaticism.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire hall, Elian’s hand slowly brought the connector into contact with both ends of the wire.

The current surged once more.

Without the slightest hesitation, the brand-new magnetic needle abruptly deflected, mirroring the exact posture of the previous one, settling firmly to the west.

A mournful cry, devoid of clear meaning, escaped his throat.

He stared intently at the pointer aimed west, the last spark of light in his eyes rapidly dimming and extinguishing.

As if all his bones had been removed, his entire body toppled backward, stiff and lifeless.

“Master!”

“Master Elian!”

Exclamations erupted from all sides, and the entire debate hall plunged into unprecedented chaos.

This debate, a gamble on honor and truth, concluded abruptly amidst disarray and panic, in a manner no one could have foreseen.

***

News of the event spread hundreds of times faster than the swiftest griffon messenger in the royal capital.

In less than half a day, the phrase “electricity generates magnetism” transformed into a terrifying storm that swept through the entire circle of high-ranking mages in the royal capital.

The strongholds of the Lightning School and the Magnetic Field School simultaneously descended into veritable hellscapes.

Upon hearing this conclusion, countless mages’ initial reaction was one of absurdity, but the moment they witnessed the experiment replicated with their own eyes, their mental worlds utterly collapsed.

At best, their magic became chaotic; at worst, they suffered cerebral hemorrhages on the spot, transforming into cold corpses.

Within a single day, the registered high-ranking mages of both schools plummeted by thirty percent.

The alarm bells of the Magic Association rang incessantly, and the highest-level emergency protocols were instantly activated.

Teams of Association guards clad in silver armor sealed off the strongholds of the two schools; rather than maintaining order, their actions were more akin to rescuing survivors.

Concurrently, the Association swiftly suppressed the spread of the news, ensuring not a single word of the paper’s contents reached cities beyond the royal capital.

The entire royal capital was gripped by a pervasive sense of dread and suspicion. And the name of Lia Farrien, the instigator of all this, was etched with a mark more profound and awe-inspiring than even the periodic table of elements.

Inside the Mage Tower.

Klein had already issued orders to seal off all connections between the Mage Tower and the outside world.

Adèle was restless, glancing out the window repeatedly, constantly feeling as though the patrolling guards would burst in at any moment and seize Lia as some wicked witch.

“Master, do we truly not need to do anything? I hear… many people have already died outside.”

Klein sat on the sofa, methodically polishing his staff, without raising his head.

“Do what? Go apologize to each of those obstinate fools?”

His voice was icily sharp, yet as he spoke, his deep blue eyes subtly flickered toward Lia, ensuring she remained unshaken by his words.

Lia, meanwhile, was curled up on the other sofa, cradling a cup of hot cocoa and sipping it in small mouthfuls. She truly hadn’t anticipated the commotion would escalate to such an extent.

Just then, a rapid ripple of energy pulsed through the Mage Tower’s defensive array.

Klein paused in his polishing, his eyelids lifting, his gaze darkening slightly.

But the very next second, a boisterous voice pierced through the magical barrier, echoing throughout the living room.

“Klein! Open the door! Open it quickly! I’ve brought the Royal Guard to see you all!”

It was Horace!

Klein’s brow knotted into a deep furrow. With a resigned wave of his hand, the Mage Tower’s grand doors swung open.

Horace burst in first, followed by a squad of formidable royal guards and a lady whose demeanor seemed utterly out of place in such a chaotic setting.

“Hahaha! Little Lia! You truly are… truly…”

Horace rushed to Lia, so overcome with excitement that he stumbled over his words, unable to find a suitable adjective to describe her.

“You’ve done something earth-shattering again!”

Behind him, the lady in the elegant gown slowly approached, her gentle gaze sweeping past the boisterous Horace to settle on Lia.

Her features were delicate and soft, her beautiful red hair styled into a meticulously elegant chignon, and a gentle, graceful smile played on her lips.

“Horace, you’re startling the young lady.”

Her voice was like a warm spring breeze, soft yet carrying an undeniable authority.

Horace realized his impropriety, cleared his throat twice, and somewhat awkwardly took a seat to the side.

The lady approached Lia, bending her knees slightly in a noblewoman’s curtsy.

“Miss Lia Farrien, it is an honor to formally meet you. I am Eleonora von Eisenberg.”

Lia quickly rose from the sofa, returning the bow with a slight awkwardness.

‘Eisenberg? The same surname as Horace?’ She instinctively glanced at Horace, then back at the elegant noblewoman before her, a conjecture forming in her mind.

Eleonora seemed to read her thoughts, the smile on her lips deepening.

“Yes, I am this old fellow’s wife.” She extended a hand, gently linking it with Horace’s arm, her tone holding a hint of affectionate chiding.

Horace immediately straightened his back, his face beaming with pride.

Klein rose from the sofa and gave Eleonora a slight nod. “Master Eleonora, it’s been a long time.”

Eleonora returned the bow, her gaze sweeping between Klein and Lia, a curious gleam dancing in her gentle eyes.

“Speaking of which,” Eleonora’s gaze returned to Lia, “we have, in fact… met before.”

Lia blinked in surprise.

“The last time was during your ‘Truth Debate’ on the periodicity of elements,” Eleonora said softly. “Horace and I were both in the audience then.”

Lia remembered instantly. Horace had indeed been present at that debate.

“That paper…” Eleonora’s eyes shone with genuine gratitude and admiration. “It illuminated a path that had perplexed me for nearly fifty years. For that, I must express my sincerest thanks to you, Miss Lia.”

As she spoke, she performed another solemn curtsy to Lia.

Now, it was Lia’s turn to be utterly bewildered. She looked to Klein for help, only to find him standing idly by, with no intention of coming to her rescue.

“Master Eleonora, you are far too kind, I…”

“No, not at all,” Eleonora interrupted. She took Lia’s hand, gently guiding her back to the sofa, and then seated herself beside her. “The value of knowledge is beyond question.”

Eleonora looked at Lia, her gaze intensely serious.

“In the past, my understanding told me that different elements represented entirely distinct domains, each adhering to its own unique laws, like isolated islands disconnected from one another.”

“But your periodic table of elements illuminated a path that had perplexed me for nearly fifty years.”

Eleonora’s eyes shone with genuine gratitude and admiration.

“I had attempted to create a nine-ring spell, striving to combine the pyrophoric properties of phosphorus with the bone-eating toxicity of arsenic.

Yet, I failed repeatedly; my magic always collapsed during the final shaping phase. I had always believed my spiritual power was simply insufficient.”

She paused, a hint of excitement entering her voice.

“It wasn’t until I saw your periodic table, observed how elements within the same group shared such similar properties yet exhibited subtle, gradual changes, that I finally understood.

What I lacked wasn’t spiritual power, but a fundamental comprehension of elemental essence!

Following the patterns of your periodic table, I adjusted the magical energy ratios of the two elements in my spell model… and just last week, the spell succeeded.

Miss Lia, it is you who have shown me the possibility of reaching the Ninth Ring.”