Chapter 245: The Architect of Rules

The Tuesday morning of the new week was completely set ablaze by “The Truth.”

Newsboys waved newspapers with ink still wet, shouting at the top of their lungs as they wove through the streets and alleys: “Extra! Extra! His Majesty the King has issued a decree to formulate the kingdom’s first ‘Magical Vehicle Management Law’!”

“The era-defining Professor Lia Farrien will personally preside over the drafting of the bill!”

The news was like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly kicking up a thousand waves throughout the royal capital.

Whether it was a merchant on his way or a mage in a tavern discussing Orville’s aircraft, everyone stopped what they were doing and scrambled to buy a copy of the paper.

***

At the mage tower, Lia was taking small bites of a butter cookie freshly made by Klein, while Klein leisurely leafed through a heavy tome on ancient runes.

Adèle held a copy of “The Truth” high in her hand, the excitement on her face nearly overflowing.

“Lia! Mentor Klein! Incredible news!”

Klein lifted his gaze from his book and looked at her calmly: “If the ‘incredible news’ refers to you knocking over the potion rack downstairs, then it does indeed sound quite big.”

“Oh, it’s not that!” Adèle ran to the dining table with zero regard for decorum, slammed the newspaper onto the table with a loud smack, and pointed at the massive headline on the front page.

“Look! His Majesty the King has truly appointed you as the Chief Legislator! The King’s attendant is already at the door!”

Lia picked up the paper, her gaze falling on the title “Lady Lia Farrien, Chief Legislator,” and her beautiful brow furrowed slightly.

“I refuse,” she said, putting the paper back on the table, her tone flat.

“Huh?” Adèle’s smile froze on her face. “Why? This is supreme glory! The paper says you are the most suitable person in this era!”

“I am a scholar,” Lia said, taking a sip of milk.

“My job is to explore the unknown, not to handle congestion. There are still hundreds of experiments waiting for their turn in the particle accelerator; I don’t have time to regulate when an automatic carriage should turn left.”

Klein closed his book, a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth: “But the reason those automatic carriages are causing congestion is precisely because of your AC motors. In a sense, this is a responsibility you must bear.”

Lia looked at him, her eyes filled with helplessness.

At that moment, the King’s attendant entered respectfully, presenting a scroll sealed with royal wax with both hands.

“Professor Lia, Master Klein, an urgent summons from the Royal Palace.”

Klein took the scroll, and with a sweep of his mental power, the seal broke silently. He glanced at the contents and then handed it to Lia: “It seems His Majesty is not inclined to accept your refusal.”

***

The Royal Palace, Council Chamber.

The atmosphere was solemn and majestic. King Augustus sat in the primary seat, a thick stack of documents laid out before him.

Duke Roland, the Minister of War, and President Samuel of the Magic Association sat on either side, their expressions grave.

When Lia and Klein walked into the hall, everyone’s gaze converged on them.

“Professor Lia, Master Klein, thank you for coming.” King Augustus gestured for them to be seated.

“Your Majesty, if you are here regarding what was in the newspaper,” Lia got straight to the point, “I’m afraid my expertise does not lie in that area.”

“I know, Professor.” King Augustus was not offended. He picked up a document in front of him. “But perhaps you should look at this first.”

He handed the document to Lia.

“That is a sales and accident report regarding the ‘Pioneer I’ automatic carriage.”

“As of yesterday, there are over three hundred ‘Pioneers’ in the capital, and in the past week, a total of seventeen collisions have occurred. Although they were all minor scrapes, the number is steadily rising.”

King Augustus’s voice was steady and powerful:

“More importantly, during the morning and evening peaks, the main roads of the capital have seen congestion stretching as long as half a kilometer. Horse carriages, automatic carriages, and pedestrians are mixed together—it is inefficient and extremely dangerous.”

Duke Roland added: “Your Majesty, the military has encountered the same problem. The efficiency of transporting supplies has actually dropped by ten percent because of these iron boxes.”

President Samuel let out a sigh: “The mages are complaining too. Several mages skilled in spatial spells no longer dare to perform short-distance teleports at low altitudes for fear of slamming into a silent automatic carriage.”

Lia flipped through the report in silence. The report used detailed data and charts to clearly demonstrate the chaos that inevitably occurs when a new entity integrates into an old system.

“So, you believe a law is needed now,” Lia summarized.

“No,” King Augustus shook his head, his gaze sharp. “What we need is not a simple law, but a brand-new set of rules, a grand blueprint capable of guiding the development of transportation for decades or even centuries to come.”

“No one has a more pioneering mind than you,” he said.

King Augustus stood up from his seat, walked to Lia, and spoke with solemnity.

“This is not a request, Professor Lia. This is the Kingdom’s need for you. I shall order the establishment of the ‘Kingdom Traffic Planning Department,’ with you serving as the Chief Advisor, taking full responsibility for this matter.”

A silence fell over the hall.

Lia looked at King Augustus’s determined gaze, then looked at the slightly smiling Klein beside him, and finally gave a slight nod.

“I accept. But I have conditions.”

A flash of joy appeared in King Augustus’s eyes.

“Please, speak.”

“First, I will not personally draft those tedious clauses. I will only be responsible for providing the core theoretical framework and principles.”

“Agreed.”

“Second, I need a team.” Lia’s thoughts began to clear.

“I need Master Hoffman; he is the person who understands automatic carriages best. I need Master Orville; his aircraft represents the future of the sky. And I need Alistair; his understanding of network layout is second to none.”

King Augustus agreed without a moment’s hesitation:

“Absolutely no problem. I will also assign one of the kingdom’s finest legal officers to you—Baron Baden. He will be responsible for translating your theories into rigorous legal clauses.”

***

Three days later, the newly established “Kingdom Traffic Planning Department” held its first meeting in a conference room at the Royal Academy of Sciences.

Master Hoffman looked worried, fearing the new law would stifle his burgeoning career.

Master Orville was excitedly drawing his conceptual “air routes” on scratch paper. Alistair was thinking about how to network the traffic signal system.

Meanwhile, Baron Baden was buried under three large crates of ancient legal codes he had brought along, trying to find precedents to draw upon.

The conference room was noisy as everyone argued from their own perspectives without end.

Lia listened quietly for ten minutes, then walked to the massive blackboard in the center of the room.

She picked up a piece of chalk and, amidst the background noise, wrote down the first title:

The Fundamental Laws of Moving Objects

Everyone stopped their arguing and looked at her in confusion.

“Gentlemen,” Lia spoke, her voice not loud but reaching everyone clearly, “what we are discussing today is not law; it is physics.”

Ignoring the bewildered expressions on their faces, she continued to write on the blackboard.

“First: The Principle of Vehicle Classification.”

“We should not categorize vehicles based on their size or price, but based on the danger they pose. The core of this is kinetic energy.”

“All magical vehicles must have their maximum kinetic energy calculated based on their maximum design mass and maximum velocity.

We will use this as the standard to classify them into different grades. High-grade vehicles will face stricter driving permits and road restrictions.”

Master Hoffman’s eyes lit up. This standard was very fair and objective.

“Second: Standardization of Traffic Signals.”

Lia drew three circles side by side and colored them red, yellow, and green.

“Red represents the long-wavelength band of light waves; it has strong penetration and is the most conspicuous even in foggy weather. It is defined as ‘Stop.’

Green is located in the middle of the spectrum where the human eye is most sensitive; it is defined as ‘Go.’ Yellow, acting as a transition between the two, is defined as ‘Warning’.”

“All intersections must be equipped with standardized three-color signal lights, with Mister Alistair responsible for designing a unified control hub.”

Alistair nodded excitedly; this was even grander than the telegraph network he had envisioned.

“Third: Driver Qualification Certification.”

“All drivers must pass two assessments. A theoretical exam to test their understanding of traffic laws, and a practical exam to test their vehicle control ability and emergency response time. Only by passing both can they obtain a ‘Magical Driver’s License’.”

“Fourth: Determination of Accident Liability.”

Lia looked at the dumbfounded Baron Baden.

“My Lord Baron, from this day forward, the primary basis for determining accident liability will no longer be witness testimony.”

She wrote another formula on the blackboard: “The Conservation of Momentum. By surveying the positions of vehicles after a collision, brake marks, and the extent of damage, we can precisely back-calculate the vehicles’ speeds and trajectories before the impact.

Mathematics shall deliver the most impartial verdict.”

The entire conference room was deathly silent.

Hoffman, Orville, Alistair, and Baron Baden stared blankly at those few concise formulas and principles on the blackboard.

“My work is finished.” Lia put down the chalk and clapped the chalk dust off her hands. “I leave the remaining details to you. Baron Baden, please ensure the final legal clauses do not misinterpret these physical principles.”

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