Chapter 47: The Architect of Truth

“The cornerstone of this Temple of Truth, the one who reshaped the rules of the entire world…”

“Is that apprentice named Lia.”

Laplace’s voice was not loud.

Yet, it struck fiercely at the heart of every Archmage in the council hall, like an invisible, colossal hammer.

Absolute silence.

It was a profound stillness that swallowed even the sound of breathing.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, the air solidifying like deep-sea ice, pressing down so heavily that no one could breathe.

An apprentice?

This single word unleashed a mental tsunami in the minds of all the High-Ring mages, a storm a hundred times more violent than the paper itself!

They had just barely managed to stabilize their precarious mental frameworks, using every bit of their lifelong learning, after being struck by a theory capable of overturning their entire worldview.

Now, the origin of that very theory delivered an even more fatal blow.

A young girl who wasn’t even a formal mage?

She had first established the rules for all motion on the ground.

And now, with a cold formula, she had brought the entire starry sky under her dominion?

“Master Laplace… you…”

An Eight-Ring Earth-element Archmage, known for his composure, spoke with a voice dry and raspy, as if ground by a whetstone; he could barely trust his own ears.

“Are you certain this isn’t a jest?”

“Do my expressions suggest I am joking?”

Laplace’s face held an unprecedented solemnity.

Beside him, Alistair, sweeping a complicated gaze over everyone, as if having narrowly escaped a disaster, added in a hoarse voice.

“I, too, have read this paper.”

“I can swear by my Eight-Ring insignia that every word Master Laplace uttered is true.”

Alistair’s oath, like a final, heavy hammer, utterly shattered the last vestiges of hope in everyone’s hearts.

In the hall, suppressed gasps finally rose, as if threatening to draw all the air from the council hall into a vacuum.

“A monster… a true monster!”

“Single-handedly rebuilding the foundations of physics for the entire world… My heavens, what kind of era are we witnessing?”

“An apprentice… how has she survived until now?”

The old mage from the Conjuration school suddenly posed a cold and pragmatic question, his eyes sharp.

“Such earth-shattering talent, once exposed, would inevitably attract endless covetousness and murderous intent! Her safety…”

This question sent a chill through everyone present.

They knew all too well the dark underbelly of this world.

For a mere ore vein, for a rare material, rivers of blood could flow between noble families and mage clans.

How much more so for a living truth capable of ushering in a new era?

Laplace’s face revealed a hint of approval.

“An excellent question.”

“This is also the highest level of classified information within the Theoretical Review Council. I can only tell you that her safety is directly overseen by the kingdom’s most paramount powers.”

His voice suddenly turned cold.

“Anyone who attempts to touch her, and the forces behind them, will face… an absolute purge.”

“Just like the Vincent family in the south a few days ago.”

These words, though casually uttered, caused the pupils of many well-informed individuals in the room to constrict sharply.

So that was it!

With this bloody guarantee, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, which was swiftly followed by an even more fervent zeal.

They no longer dwelled on the author’s identity, but instead poured their entire souls into the parchment before them.

***

An entire day passed.

These Archmages, who once dominated their respective fields, now resembled a group of apprentices encountering magic for the very first time.

They immersed themselves in tireless study, calculation, and debate.

Some marveled at the ingenuity of the concept of “Energy Conservation,” proclaiming it an oracle-like new direction for elemental conversion and alchemy.

Others attempted to deduce more efficient and robust methods for constructing force shields from the “Three Laws of Motion.”

Still others sat for several hours, staring blankly at the cold gravitational formula, muttering, ‘So this is it, this is how the world truly functions, I, this old mage, have finally understood!’ Their eyes filled with the obsession and frenzy of one who has just comprehended a profound truth.

As the lingering twilight painted the council hall crimson, everyone finally set down their parchments.

Their faces bore extreme fatigue, but in each pair of eyes, an unprecedented fire burned.

The Eight-Ring Archmage of the Conjuration school stood up and performed a solemn mage’s bow towards Laplace and Alistair at the head table.

“This manuscript is the most monumental achievement since the dawn of magic.”

***

A few days later, at the Royal Academy of Magic.

Klein walked along the stone path bordered by verdant trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting dappled specks of light upon his black mage’s robe.

He was headed to the academy’s grand lecture hall.

As the youngest Eight-Ring Archmage in the entire kingdom, he had a fixed quota of public lectures each semester.

However, this semester, he had first been preoccupied with research, and then his rhythm was completely disrupted by Lia’s paper, leaving him without a single lecture taught.

If he didn’t go soon, the financial office’s payroll report might feature some less-than-favorable entries.

Just as he rounded a corner, he spotted that familiar small figure.

Lia was sitting on the edge of a fountain, dangling her short legs.

In her hands, she held a golden-yellow roasted corn cob, gnawing at it in small bites, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster preparing for winter.

She seemed to be watching a group of low-tier apprentices practicing water magic; their unsteady water arrows flew wildly and without aim, prompting her to let out an occasional soft chuckle.

Klein walked up behind her, remaining silent.

He reached out and, lifting her by the scruff of her neck, much like one would a kitten, picked her straight up.

“Hmm?”

Lia, still chewing on corn, was caught off guard as her feet left the ground, leaving her completely bewildered.

Turning to see it was Klein, she laboriously swallowed the food in her mouth, mumbling indistinctly, “Where are we going?”

“To class.”

Klein’s answer was succinct and to the point; he carried her towards the grand lecture hall.

Lia struggled twice, found it futile, and resigned herself to being dangled by him, seizing the opportunity to take two more bites of corn.

Inside the magnificent tiered lecture hall, every seat was occupied.

A dense crowd filled the space, mostly magic apprentices full of aspirations for the future, and some newly promoted One- and Two-Ring low-tier mages.

In an unobtrusive corner at the very back of the classroom, two young individuals sat.

The edges of their mage robes were embroidered with five silver magical sigils.

Five-Ring Mages!

They, too, had come to audit this public lecture intended for newcomers.

Klein carried Lia through a side door into the classroom, and unnoticed, walked to the back row, placing her in an empty seat.

“Sit properly, and don’t make a sound.”

Lia pouted slightly, hugging her half-eaten corn, and obediently sat down.

Klein stepped onto the podium.

The entire classroom instantly fell silent.

Without any superfluous opening remarks, with a subtle flick of his spiritual energy, several concise magical formulas appeared on a large black crystal board.

These were the core contents of Lia’s paper, “A Preliminary Discussion on the Laws of Object Motion”—specifically, the five formulas for uniformly accelerated linear motion.

“Today, we speak of motion.”

Klein’s voice, clear and steady, resonated through the grand lecture hall.

He began with the most fundamental concepts of “displacement” and “time,” analyzing the definition of each physical quantity with both depth and clarity, then substituting them into the formulas and explaining them with practical examples.

“…Therefore, when you cast a basic Wind Blade spell, under ideal conditions, without considering air resistance or magical decay, its flight trajectory can be accurately predicted and calculated using this set of formulas.”

The students were utterly captivated.

Under Klein’s explanation, these cold formulas seemed to possess life, resonating wonderfully with every spell they cast daily.

Meanwhile, Lia, seated in the last row, had already let her mind drift far away.

These concepts were as simple as breathing to her.

Less than five minutes into the lecture, she couldn’t help but zone out, first counting the number of magical lamps on the ceiling, then studying the material of a hair clip worn by a female apprentice in the front row.

The hour-long class quickly passed.

Klein finished explaining the application of the last formula and scanned the room.

“If there are any points you don’t understand, you may ask questions.”

The classroom fell silent for a moment; most apprentices and low-tier mages were still processing the immense amount of information.

At this point, one of the Five-Ring Mages in the back row respectfully stood up.

“Lord Klein, I have a question.”

His voice carried a hint of uncertainty.

“This theory is built upon the action of an absolutely uniform ‘force.’ However, in reality, whether it’s our own magical output or external environmental interference, fluctuations exist. These fluctuations cause ‘acceleration’ itself to become a variable.”

“In such a scenario, would the practicality of these formulas be greatly diminished? And how should we describe this more complex motion?”

Upon hearing this question, most people present were utterly confused.

However, a hint of approval flashed in the eyes of the other Five-Ring Mage in the back row, as well as in Klein’s eyes on the podium.

This question had already touched upon the very edge of calculus.

Klein was about to answer when his gaze, by chance, fell upon the small figure in the last row, who was staring blankly at her fingers.

A faint curve played at the corner of his lips.

He waved a hand towards the questioning Five-Ring Mage, signaling him to sit.

“Your question is excellent.”

“It touches upon a more profound layer—how to use static formulas to describe a dynamically changing world.”

Klein’s voice resonated through the quiet classroom.

“Just a month ago, I could not have provided an answer to this question.”

“But now, the times have changed.”

His gaze slowly swept across the entire audience, finally settling precisely on the last row.

It settled on the little girl with a bewildered expression.

The eyes of everyone in the classroom involuntarily followed his gaze, converging there.

Klein’s voice, like the tolling of a temple bell, clearly struck everyone’s eardrums.

“Because the mathematical tools to describe all of this have already been created.”

“And its creator…”

“Is right here.”

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