Chapter 236: The Proposal System

The mage tower finally regained its former tranquility.

The clamor and fervor that had persisted for nearly half a month completely vanished as the massive laboratory was “packaged up” and moved by Klein.

In the dining room, Adèle happily stuffed a piece of jam-slathered pancake into her mouth, her face beaming with joy.

“I can finally get a full night’s sleep. Lia, you have no idea; for the past few days, I was dreaming about a crowd of mages arguing under the tower. Even the decibels in my dreams were over the limit.”

Lia stirred the hot cocoa in her cup, glancing at the empty square outside the window, though her expression did not seem particularly relaxed.

“It is peaceful now, but the real trouble has only just begun.”

“Huh? Hasn’t the trouble already flown away?” Adèle asked, puzzled.

“Do you think that if you hide a machine that lays golden eggs, everyone will just pretend it doesn’t exist?” Lia put down her cup.

“They will only try even harder to get the first ticket to dig for those golden eggs.”

As Lia predicted, the center of the storm had shifted from the mage tower to the royal palace and the newly established “Institute of High-Energy Particles.”

On the morning of the third day, Archmage Horace appeared in the mage tower’s drawing room via a teleportation array, looking thoroughly exhausted.

Accompanying him was Duke Roland, the King’s uncle, who oversaw the kingdom’s military and armaments.

“Miss Lia, Master Klein.” Horace rubbed his temples, skipping all pleasantries.

“We have encountered some difficulties and need your input.”

Duke Roland was a gaunt, imposing middle-aged man; he had not even removed his armor, clearly having rushed directly from a military council meeting.

He got straight to the point. “That machine—the creation the King calls the particle accelerator—is the future of the kingdom.”

“The military hopes to be prioritized in using it for the research and development of new materials.”

He took a warped metal plate from his spatial ring, which was covered in marks of magical scorching.

“This is our best mana-steel alloy at present, yet it cannot hold out for three minutes under a sustained attack from a Seventh-Circle Evocation spell.”

“If we can create substances that surpass mithril and adamantine, our knight orders will be invincible.”

Klein sat on the sofa, listening quietly without interjecting.

Horace sighed and took over. “I can understand the Duke’s feelings. However, Master Laplace and his colleagues believe the accelerator’s most vital task at present is exploring those newly discovered unknown particles to perfect our theoretical framework.”

“This concerns the very foundation of all physics and might even inaugurate a new era of magic.”

Lia thought to herself that this was the classic conflict between basic research and applied research.

“It’s more than just that.” Horace pulled a thick stack of parchment from his files and placed them on the table.

“These are some of the experimental applications the Institute received in just one day yesterday. You can take a look.”

Lia picked up the one on top.

[Applicant: Fifth-Circle Mage, Bach.]

[Experimental Goal: To find final evidence for the existence of ether particles.]

[Experimental Plan: Collide two particle beams and measure the resulting ‘Ether Wind’…]

Lia put it down expressionlessly and picked up the next one.

[Applicant: Third-Circle Mage, Martin.]

[Experimental Goal: To verify the possibility of ‘Universal Transmutation’.]

[Experimental Plan: Accelerate lead atoms to the extreme, strike a gold target, and observe if a Philosopher’s Stone is produced…]

‘How is it these two again?’

“There are even people who want to use it to verify if deities are composed of ‘Holy Light particles’.”

Horace’s voice was full of helplessness. “Among these applications, there might be sparks of genius, but most are simply flighty fantasies.”

“We currently have only one machine, and its daily running time and energy consumption are limited. To whom should the time be given? What is the standard?”

Duke Roland frowned. “Naturally, priority should be given to the needs of the royal family and the military! Those impractical ideas should all be rejected.”

“Duke, scientific progress often stems from ‘impractical’ ideas,” Horace immediately countered.

“Four hundred years ago, who would have believed that the sun was the center and the earth was turning? We cannot use today’s perspective to stifle tomorrow’s possibilities.”

“But the kingdom’s security is the most urgent matter at hand!”

“The exploration of truth is a mage’s highest calling!”

Seeing the two were about to start an argument in the drawing room, Lia spoke up.

“The solution is actually quite simple.”

Everyone’s gaze converged on her.

“Whether one wants to manufacture new materials, search for new particles, or verify some bizarre theory, essentially, they are all conducting an experiment,” Lia stood up and walked to a blank magical whiteboard.

“Since it is an experiment, one cannot rely solely on a burst of passion and idle dreams. We must establish a set of standardized procedures.”

She picked up a mana pen and wrote several large words on the whiteboard: [Research Proposal System].

“We can establish a system where any individual or group wishing to use the particle accelerator must submit a detailed ‘Research Proposal’.”

Lia continued to explain. “This proposal must contain the following sections: First, what is your research topic and core hypothesis? What do you want to prove, or what do you want to overturn?”

“Second, your theoretical basis. It cannot be an idle dream; it must be based on existing, recognized physical theories. Even if you are raising a challenge, you must have logic and data to support it.”

“Third, a detailed experimental plan. What kind of particles do you need, how long will the collision last, and what equipment will be used for observation? All of these require precise calculations.”

“Fourth, the expected experimental results. If your hypothesis is correct, what phenomena will you observe? If it is wrong, what will they be? How will you judge if your experiment is a success or a failure?”

As Lia listed each point, Horace’s eyes grew brighter.

Duke Roland, though only half-understanding, also felt that this explanation sounded very reasonable—far better than arguing.

“All submitted proposals will undergo anonymous peer review by the ‘High-Energy Particle Research Committee’.”

Lia looked at Horace. “The committee will score the proposals based on their scientific value, feasibility, and innovation. Those with higher scores will be prioritized for experimental time.”

She paused and added another point, this time looking at Duke Roland.

“Of course, the committee can reserve a portion of fixed experimental time based on the kingdom’s strategic needs, such as for the R&D of new materials.”

“However, this portion of time also requires the submission of strict proposals for internal competition. Whoever’s plan is more likely to succeed gets the time.”

Finally, Lia wrote a new term on the whiteboard: “Machine Time.”

“Every hour the accelerator runs is precious ‘Machine Time’. What we need to do is allocate the limited ‘Machine Time’ to the research most likely to yield results.”

The entire drawing room fell into silence.

Archmage Horace looked at the plan on the whiteboard and fell into deep thought.

This system could solve the current difficulties quite well!

It established a fair, efficient screening mechanism with ability and talent as the sole standards, excluding connections, status, and idle fantasies.

“Excellent! This is simply a stroke of genius!” Horace praised sincerely.

“Miss Lia, you are not only an outstanding physicist but also a brilliant administrator!”

Duke Roland also slowly nodded.

Although he didn’t understand those complex theories, he understood “competition” and “efficiency.”

Investing the royal family’s resources into the plan most likely to succeed aligned perfectly with his principles.

Furthermore, this system gave the military a fair way to obtain experimental opportunities, rather than getting bogged down in endless arguments with theoretical mages.

“I agree with this plan in principle,” Duke Roland said in a deep voice.

“I will report to His Majesty; I believe His Majesty will support this system that can maximize the kingdom’s interests.”

***

The system was quickly implemented.

The “High-Energy Particle Research Committee” was officially expanded, absorbing top experts from the Royal Academy of Sciences, the military’s alchemy department, and major mage towers.

Archmage Horace served as the chairman, and he recommended Archmage Laplace to serve as the vice-chairman.

The announcement regarding the “Research Proposal Format and Requirements” took up an entire page in “The Truth.”

As soon as the news broke, the entire academic community of the kingdom was shaken.

The mages who had previously crowded the Institute’s entrance, hoping to secure an opportunity through seniority or eloquence, were dumbfounded.

Now, laid out before them were application forms that needed to be filled with rigorous mathematics and logic.

“What? We even have to calculate the required energy and particle flux? How do you even calculate that?”

“Theoretical basis… does de Broglie’s matter waves count?”

“How am I supposed to write a mathematical model for my ‘Love Particle’ hypothesis?”

Complaints rose here and there, but truly capable scholars saw hope in this.

It meant they no longer had to waste time with those boastful talkers; their talent now had a stage where it could be measured fairly.

In just three days, the committee received over two hundred proposals.

Inside a specially designated meeting room in the heavily guarded High-Energy Particle Institute, Archmage Horace looked at the mountain of parchment and let out a sigh of both satisfaction and relief.

“The workload is even greater than I imagined,” he said to Lia and Klein beside him.

The two of them were attending the first review meeting as special advisors.

Lia casually picked up a proposal, scanned it quickly, and then tossed it into the box marked “Rejected.”

“Using a particle collider to heat bathwater to test the conservation of energy… This idea is very creative. I suggest throwing the person himself into a volcano for testing.”

She picked up another one.

“Bombarding one’s own head with high-energy particles in an attempt to open the ‘God’s Perspective’… Rejected. Attach a reservation slip for the Cognitive Impairment Department at St. Mungo’s Hospital.”

Klein also picked up one, and after glancing at the title—On the Conception of Creating a Permanent Spatial Gate Using Particle Collisions—he placed it into the “Rejected” box.

“Incorrect theoretical foundation; the energy estimate is off by at least fifteen orders of magnitude,” he evaluated calmly.

Horace watched their efficient “waste sorting” work and shook his head with a wry smile.

By evening, after dealing with the day’s “trash,” Lia and Klein returned to the mage tower via teleportation array.

“I feel like we’ve invented a new kind of paperwork,” Lia stretched and slumped onto the sofa.

“In the future, will the mages’ history books say that Lia Farrien became world-famous for inventing the ‘Proposal Application Form’?”

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