Chapter 241: A Threshold of Reason

The study inside the tower was remarkably quiet.

The afternoon sun filtered through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting bright spots of light onto the carpet.

Adèle had gone to the Alchemists’ Association today, so the air was missing a bit of her chirping energy.

Lia sat at the desk, a stack of parchment spread out before her.

She had gone through several quills already, and the cap of her ink bottle had been opened and closed repeatedly, yet she hadn’t written a single word.

Klein sat on a nearby sofa, holding a heavy tome on the evolution of ancient runes, his posture relaxed.

The only sound in the room was the occasional soft rustle of him turning a page.

“Sigh.” Lia finally couldn’t help but let out a soft groan.

Klein’s gaze shifted from his book to her. “Encountered a difficult problem?”

“I’m wondering where to start.” Lia tapped her forehead with the stem of her quill.

“Explaining a microscopic world composed purely of mathematics and logic to a group of mages who still think they can perceive the world through spiritual intuition and believe everything has a soul… this is much harder than deriving the formulas themselves.”

“Start from the beginning.” Klein’s answer was succinct.

Lia shot him a look. “Thank you for your invaluable and constructive suggestion.”

She sat up straight again and took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision.

She lifted her pen and, at the top of the first sheet of dragon-skin parchment, wrote a clear title.

An Introduction to the Microscopic World.

She didn’t expect this book to turn everyone into theoretical physicists.

Its purpose was singular: to act as a filter, a threshold.

It was meant to let those still thinking of catching “soul particles” or “refining Philosopher’s Stones” know exactly how wrong they were before they even submitted an application.

The first thing Lia had to do was redefine the word “particle.”

She chose to start from the most basic concept: “observables.”

She wrote that a particle is not a tiny building block of matter as alchemists imagined, nor is it a runic substrate that can be enchanted at will.

It is an independent unit carrying specific “attributes,” such as mass and charge, which are inherent to it and cannot be changed by any known magical means.

After finishing a paragraph, she paused and handed it to Klein.

Klein took it and read it carefully.

He pointed to one sentence: “You say here that the attributes of a particle are ‘intrinsic.’ A mage might ask, ‘If I can add a “frost” attribute to a fireball, why can’t I add a “positive charge” attribute to an electron?'”

“Because a fireball is a macroscopic collection of energy; you can change its form of energy expression. But an electron is not,” Lia explained.

“Its charge is the very definition of what makes it an electron. If you change it, it is no longer an electron. It’s like you can’t demand a circle be square.”

Klein nodded, signaling his understanding.

Lia took back the paper and added a note on the side, using more common language to elaborate on the difference between “definition” and “phenomenon.”

She felt less like she was writing a book and more like she was composing the grammar for an entirely new language.

Next was the core of the book—the conservation of energy and the conservation of momentum.

This was the key to filtering out ninety-nine percent of the whimsical proposals.

To explain these two laws to mages, using pure mathematical formulas clearly wouldn’t work.

Lia thought for a long time before designing a thought experiment.

“Imagine a completely sealed room made of the kingdom’s strongest ‘mana-steel alloy’,” she wrote on the paper.

“This room is isolated from the outside; no energy or matter can penetrate it. Now, we place ten identical iron balls driven by magic inside and let them fly and collide at will.”

“No matter how these iron balls collide—whether they are smashed to pieces or merged into one—the total energy and total momentum contained by all matter inside the room remains a constant value. It will not increase out of thin air, nor will it vanish into nothingness.”

“The particle accelerator is, in essence, such a ‘room’.”

“The energy we inject is fixed; therefore, the energy produced after the collision must also equal the energy we injected.”

“Any proposal claiming that one unit of energy can create a new substance that requires two units of energy to form is a violation of the fundamental laws.”

After finishing this section, Lia let out a long breath.

She believed that any mage with normal intelligence could understand this example.

It directly negated all “something from nothing” alchemical fantasies at their source.

“Explosive news! Lia! Master Klein!”

The door to the study was suddenly thrown open, and Adèle rushed in like a gust of wind, holding up a fancy box stamped with the logo of the Royal Alchemical Workshop.

She paused when she saw the mountain of manuscripts and Lia’s serious expression. “Lia, what are you doing? Researching a new forbidden curse? This diagram looks so complex.”

“An introductory handbook,” Lia replied casually, rubbing her aching wrist.

“An introductory handbook can make people lose their hair?” Adèle placed the box on the table and curiously picked up a sheet of manuscript.

She frowned deeply after just one glance.

“Muon? What is this? A new type of mushroom? Decay path… is that the process of a mushroom rotting?” She looked at Lia in total confusion.

Lia replied expressionlessly, “You can understand it that way.”

“Alright.” Adèle wisely gave up her inquiry and opened the box like she was showing off a treasure.

“Forget the mushrooms, look at this! The Marcus Joint Workshop’s latest ‘Mana Warm Air Unit’! I had to pull strings through my father to get an early copy. They say if you turn it on, even the coldest room in winter will be as warm as spring!”

Klein glanced at the simply constructed device and pointed out calmly,

“Its core heating unit uses Master Fiona’s ‘Eternal Light Bulb’ technology. The fan part is a simplified version of the AC induction motor designed by Lia and me. In essence, it is just a heated electric fan.”

Adèle’s excitement immediately halved. “Details aren’t important! What matters is that it’s practical!”

“Oh, right, I just came from the commercial street; everyone is talking about Master Cecil! You know, that Fourth-Circle mage who discovered a brand-new particle with only fifteen minutes of machine time!”

“Now all the young mages treat her as an idol. Everyone says she’s grabbed a ticket to the truth. Every book related to particles in the Royal Library has been borrowed!”

As Adèle spoke, she saw Lia’s manuscripts again. “This Introductory Handbook of yours—if you put it up for sale now, you’d definitely make a fortune!”

“I don’t lack money,” Lia said flatly.

It took her three full days to finally complete this thin handbook.

Besides the core definition of particles and the two great conservation laws, she added four chapters specifically introducing the currently known fundamental particles.

She even included the muon discovered by Cecil, calling it an “unstable cousin.”

The final chapter of the book was titled: How to Write an Effective Experimental Proposal.

In it, Lia unceremoniously listed several typical examples of errors, such as “I think,” “I feel,” “Ancient prophecy,” and “It was told to me.”

She clearly pointed out that any proposal must contain three elements: a clear theoretical basis, a feasible experimental design, and quantifiable expected results.

She put down her pen, organized the dozens of pages of manuscript, and handed them to Klein, who had been quietly accompanying her.

Klein took them and read through them carefully from start to finish.

He read with great focus, not missing even a single punctuation mark.

After a long time, he finally put down the manuscript and looked at Lia, his blue eyes filled with approval.

“It is well-written,” he evaluated. “The logic is clear, and the examples are appropriate. A Fifth-Circle mage who has completed the academy’s basic education should be able to understand it.”

With Klein’s affirmation, the weight on Lia’s heart finally lifted.

“I will have the Magic Association publish it.” Klein picked up the manuscript, designating it as the mandatory reference book for the High-Energy Particle Institute. “Every proposal must pass the scrutiny based on this book.”

“Will they actually read it?” Lia was still a bit uncertain.

“They will.” Klein was very certain. “The thirst for truth is a powerful motivator. The thirst for fame is an even more powerful one. To obtain that ticket called ‘Machine Time,’ they will memorize every single word in this book.”

He stood up and sealed the manuscript with magic, preparing to send it to the Magic Association.

“Now,” he turned back to look at the exhausted Lia, “Professor Farrien has worked for too long and needs to rest.”

He walked to Lia’s side and naturally took her hand, leading her out of the study.

“That ‘Mana Warm Air Unit’ Adèle bought—perhaps we should test its effect in your bedroom first,” Klein’s voice echoed in the quiet hallway.

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