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Join the ServerThe fervor outside the mage tower intensified over the next few days.
What began as mere queues of mages had now spontaneously formed into distinct “schools of thought.”
Some drew complex alchemical arrays on the ground, attempting to deduce particle collision trajectories from a macroscopic perspective.
Others organized open-air debates, with topics ranging from “the possibility of ether’s existence” to “whether deities are composed of fundamental particles.”
The sounds of arguments, debates, and occasional minor explosions from failed experiments converged into a tumultuous torrent, incessantly battering the mage tower’s silence enchantment day and night.
In the dining hall, Adèle listlessly poked at her fried egg, dark circles heavy under her eyes.
“Lia, last night, three mages got into a fight below the tower arguing about the spin direction of a new particle.”
“The city guards couldn’t even break them up. In the end, Mentor Klein had to intervene and freeze all three of them into ice sculptures to finally end it.”
Lia took a sip of milk, her expression unchanged.
“Next time something like that happens, just hang them from the tip of the tower. Consider it a bit of postmodern decorative flair for our mage tower.”
Adèle sighed.
“The most terrifying thing isn’t even that. Yesterday afternoon, Marcus sent over a business proposal.
He suggested we collaborate with the Hoof of the Galloping Steed Guild to set up dining, accommodation, and entertainment areas around the mage tower, jointly developing a ‘Pilgrimage to Truth’ tourism project.
Estimated annual revenue: over 500,000 gold coins.”
“Pfft—”
The milk Lia had just taken a sip of spurted out.
She wiped her mouth and looked at Adèle in disbelief. “He even thought of a name? Why doesn’t he just build a temple here and enshrine statues of me and Klein?”
“I was being sarcastic, sarcastic!” Lia exclaimed in frustration.
“This is a laboratory! It’s a mage tower! Not a tourist attraction!”
She walked to the window, looking at the dense crowd below, feeling overwhelmed.
The mages’ fervent desire for knowledge was gratifying, but this chaotic enthusiasm had severely disrupted their normal lives.
“We have to find a solution,” Lia turned to look at Klein.
“If this continues, before we can even discover anything new, I’ll go crazy myself.”
Klein stood up and walked to her side, following her gaze out the window.
He spoke softly. “The solution is simple.”
“What solution?” Lia asked.
“Take away the source of their noise.”
Lia was taken aback for a moment, then slowly understood Klein’s meaning.
“You mean… move the accelerator?”
She immediately shook her head. “Impossible. That machine is too massive and delicate. Any slight vibration could damage its core components.”
“Dismantle and reassemble it? Master Grey would weep himself to death.”
“Who said anything about dismantling it?” Klein countered.
Lia’s eyes widened slowly as a bold idea formed in her mind.
“You wouldn’t possibly be thinking of…”
Klein didn’t answer, merely raising his hand and snapping his fingers.
The next second, the ground beneath the feet of hundreds of mages outside the tower violently shuddered.
“What was that? An earthquake?”
“No! Look! The mage tower!”
The crowd let out a collective gasp.
They saw that the massive laboratory area, occupying an entire floor and covering several hundred square meters at the base of Klein’s mage tower, along with its foundation, was completely encased in a layer of transparent silver light.
The light film flowed, and space began to distort.
Under the horrified gaze of thousands, that enormous section of land, as if cut from a cake, along with the dormant particle accelerator within, slowly and steadily detached from the main structure of the mage tower and floated upwards.
The fractured edge of the mage tower was smooth as a mirror; new rock and runes automatically grew, swiftly filling the void, as if a ground-floor laboratory had never been there.
“Spatial… spatial displacement!” A knowledgeable Seventh-Circle mage exclaimed in disbelief.
“This is Ninth-Circle level spatial magic! He… he packed up the entire laboratory!”
The enormous silver sphere of light hovered in mid-air, blocking the sunlight and casting vast shadows.
Within the sphere, the outline of the particle accelerator was clearly visible, yet there was no sound of impact.
Not the slightest tremor.
The crowd outside the mage tower fell into a dead silence.
Everyone stared upwards, dumbfounded, at this miraculous sight.
Scholars who were arguing fiercely just moments before were now speechless.
Mages who had been fighting with each other moments ago had forgotten their animosity.
The machine they had wanted to use had grown wings and flown away.
The sphere of light paused in mid-air for a moment, then transformed into a silver streak of light, speeding towards the outskirts of the capital, vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
It took a full minute for the crowd to recover from the immense shock.
“It… it’s gone?”
“Our hope! Our future! It flew away!”
“Quick, chase after it! Maybe we can still find it!”
The crowd erupted into chaos.
***
Meanwhile, in the royal palace, King Augustus was smiling broadly as he reviewed a financial assessment report for the “Pilgrimage to Truth” tourism project.
Just then, a captain of the Royal Guard rushed in, his expression panicked.
“Your Majesty! Disaster! Master Klein’s mage tower… a section of it has flown away!”
The smile on King Augustus’s face froze.
***
Simultaneously, thirty kilometers east of the capital, in a vast, secluded mountain valley.
Space rippled, and the enormous silver sphere of light appeared out of nowhere before slowly descending.
As the light dissipated, the massive laboratory, along with its foundation, settled firmly into the ground, perfectly integrated with its surroundings.
Lia and Klein appeared before the laboratory entrance.
Lia walked around the intact laboratory, then went inside to check the status of the accelerator.
Once she confirmed there were no issues, she let out a long sigh of relief.
“Ninth-Circle Archmages are truly convenient; you don’t even need to pack your own house when moving.”
She exclaimed sincerely.
Klein looked at the quiet, serene environment around them and nodded in satisfaction.
“It’s very quiet here.”
“Quiet, yes, but what about security? And energy supply? The mage tower’s core mana source didn’t come with us.”
Lia raised new concerns.
The moment she finished speaking, Klein’s communication crystal lit up.
It was King Augustus.
The King’s slightly anxious voice came through the crystal: “Master Klein, I just heard that… what exactly is going on?”
“Your Majesty, as you can see, I have provided the particle accelerator with a more suitable research environment,” Klein explained in a calm tone.
“The previous environment was too noisy and not conducive to academic research.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication crystal; King Augustus clearly understood the chaotic scene outside the mage tower.
“I understand,” the King’s voice quickly regained its composure.
“Where is the new location? The royal family will immediately take over security and logistical support.”
Klein provided the coordinates.
Less than two hours later, the sounds of orderly marching feet and hooves could be heard from outside the valley.
An entire squadron of the King’s elite Royal Gryphon Knights descended from the sky, sealing all entrances and exits to the valley.
Immediately following them were three thousand heavily armored city guards. They established several defensive lines around the valley perimeter and began constructing permanent watchtowers and fortresses.
The Royal Alchemical Workshop’s engineering team also arrived, bringing dozens of large “mana battery packs” as temporary power sources.
They also began laying a dedicated mana pipeline directly connecting the site to the capital.
The once desolate valley transformed into a heavily guarded military fortress within half a day.
At the entrance of the valley, a checkpoint constructed from massive stones and steel rose into existence.
Above the checkpoint, a brand-new plaque was hung, bearing the words in gilded letters:
“Heinrich Kingdom Institute of High-Energy Particles”
Below it, in smaller print: “No unauthorized entry. Consequences for violation will be borne by the offender.”
As dusk settled, Adèle, Master Grey, Archmage Horace, and others also arrived via teleportation array.
Looking at the orderly scene with sentries stationed everywhere, and then recalling the chaos resembling a marketplace outside the mage tower just a few days prior, Adèle let out a long sigh of relief.
“Finally… finally I can get a good night’s sleep.”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, The Strongest Tactical Maid Absolutely Refuses to Serve! is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : The Strongest Tactical Maid Absolutely Refuses to Serve!
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