Chapter 232: The Ticket to a New World

Lia’s final words echoed within the grand auditorium, and everyone remained immersed in that metaphor about the “ticket.”

Heisenberg’s hands were trembling as he tightly clutched the notebook recording all his derivations, his eyes slightly reddened.

Those abstract symbols that had caused him so many sleepless nights had actually become so vivid under Professor Lia’s explanation.

Master Albin sat dazed in his seat, his mouth open, yet he couldn’t make a sound.

The objections he had prepared now seemed utterly pale and powerless.

Master Lorentz took a deep breath, scribbling furiously in his notebook.

His eyes no longer held doubt, but profound reflection.

“Our thanks to Professor Lia for her brilliant explanation,” Master Horace stood up, his voice steady yet imbued with authority.

“Today’s public lecture concludes here. If anyone has questions, you may study them on your own or submit an application for academic exchange to the Royal Academy of Sciences.”

President Samuel also stood up, looking at the mages below the stage.

“I hope you all understand that the truth never changes simply because we do not comprehend it. It is simply there, waiting for us to read it using the correct language.”

The crowd began to slowly disperse, but everyone bore a thoughtful expression on their faces.

Heisenberg walked to the podium and looked at Lia; his lips moved several times, but in the end, he only managed one sentence: “Thank you, Professor.”

Lia smiled. “There is no need to thank me, Mister Heisenberg. The one who truly opened that door was you; I merely helped you find the key.”

Heisenberg gave a deep bow and turned to leave.

***

Once Lia and Klein were the only ones left in the auditorium, Klein stepped forward and handed her a cup of warm water.

“You’ve been speaking for so long; have some water.”

Lia took the cup and sipped slowly.

Her throat was indeed a bit dry.

Klein looked at her, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. “Your performance today was nothing short of perfect.”

Lia put down the cup and raised an eyebrow. ” I thought you would say it was ‘not bad’.”

“That is a standard for evaluating apprentices,” Klein said indifferently. “I am never stingy with praise for you.”

Lia was stunned for a moment, then gave a light cough to change the subject.

“Let’s go, it’s time to head back to the mage tower. I remember you saying the last batch of rune arrays for the particle accelerator should be completed today.”

Klein nodded and raised his hand to manifest a teleportation array.

Blue light lit up beneath their feet, and in the next second, they appeared at the top level of the mage tower.

Through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, they could see a panoramic view of the capital.

As the sun set, the entire city was gilded with a layer of gold.

Lia walked to the window, gazing at the distant scenery. “How many of the mages who attended today’s lecture do you think will truly understand matrix mechanics?”

“No more than ten,” Klein walked to her side, his tone calm.

“But that is enough. The spread of truth never requires everyone to understand; it only requires those who can understand to continue passing it on.”

Lia turned her head to look at him. “You certainly have an open mind about it.”

“I’ve seen it too many times,” Klein said. “Every time a new theory appears, there will be those who doubt, those who resist, and those who are fanatical. But in the end, truth always triumphs over prejudice.”

Lia laughed. “You say that as if you’re very old.”

“Twenty-eight is indeed not young in the magical world,” Klein made a rare joke.

Lia rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. You’re already an Eighth-Circle Archmage at this age. How many people in the capital can achieve that?”

“You,” Klein looked at her. “A nineteen-year-old Seventh-Circle mage. You won’t find a second one in the entire history of the continent.”

Lia felt a bit uncomfortable under his direct gaze, so she turned around and walked toward the interior of the tower.

“Stop being glib and let’s go check the progress of the accelerator.”

Klein followed behind her, smiling.

***

The two arrived at the bottom floor of the mage tower, which had been transformed into a massive laboratory.

Master Grey was leading several assistants in debugging the rune arrays.

Seeing Lia and Klein enter, he immediately came forward to greet them.

“Master Klein, Professor Lia, the final batch of rune arrays has been completed.”

Excitement was irrepressible in Master Grey’s tone.

“According to your design, this accelerator can accelerate particles to thirty percent of the speed of light.”

Lia walked to the accelerator, carefully inspecting every rune node.

It was a circular device with a diameter of twenty meters, the entire ring densely engraved with precise runes.

“What about the energy supply system?” Lia asked.

“It has already been connected to the tower’s core mana source,” Master Grey replied.

“Theoretically, it can run continuously for three hours.”

Lia nodded. “Very good. We will conduct the first test tomorrow.”

Master Grey rubbed his hands together excitedly. “I’ll go prepare right away.”

Once Master Grey left with his assistants, Lia sat down by the accelerator, staring at this labor of love with eyes full of anticipation.

Klein sat down beside her. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about what will happen if the test is successful,” Lia said.

“The emergence of the particle accelerator means we can use higher energy to explore the essence of matter. Perhaps we will be able to see many phenomena never seen before.”

“Do you already have an expected result?” Klein asked.

“I have some conjectures,” Lia didn’t go into detail. “But they still need experimental verification.”

Klein didn’t press further; he knew Lia’s habit. She wouldn’t voice her speculations until the results were in.

The two sat quietly like that, neither of them speaking.

After a long while, Lia suddenly spoke. “Klein.”

“Hmm?”

“What do you think would happen if one day we unraveled all the secrets of this world?”

Klein was silent for a moment. “Then we would look for new secrets. The universe is so vast; there will always be things we do not know.”

Lia smiled. “True enough.”

She stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes. “Let’s go. Today has been exhausting enough; it’s time to rest.”

Klein also stood up, and they walked out of the laboratory side-by-side.

***

Upon returning to the living quarters of the tower, Adèle had already prepared dinner.

“Lia, your public lecture today is the talk of the entire capital!” Adèle said while setting the table.

“Even the ladies at the vegetable market are talking about matrix multiplication.”

Lia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “It would be a miracle if they actually understood it.”

“Who says? I heard one lady say it’s just like doing accounts! She said she’s known how to do that for ages,” Adèle laughed.

Lia was stunned for a moment, then laughed. “In a sense, she’s right.”

Dinner was sumptuous, including the desserts Lia liked.

Klein served Lia a bowl of soup. “Drink more. Your voice must be hoarse after lecturing all afternoon.”

Lia took the bowl and sipped it slowly.

As the warm soup slid down her throat, she felt much more comfortable.

“What are your plans for the accelerator test tomorrow?” Klein asked.

“We’ll start with a low-energy test to ensure all systems are running normally,” Lia said.

“If everything goes smoothly, we can try high-energy bombardment the day after.”

Klein nodded. “What do you need me to do?”

“Help me watch the energy output. Don’t let it overload,” Lia said. “If this thing blows up, the entire tower will suffer.”

Klein gave a light laugh. “Rest assured, I won’t let it blow up.”

Dinner ended in a relaxed atmosphere.

Lia returned to her room, took a hot bath, and lay in bed.

Moonlight from outside streamed in through the curtains.

She stared at the ceiling, the structural diagrams of the accelerator constantly appearing in her mind.

Tomorrow, she would witness history.

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