Chapter 88: The First Stone and the Coming Storm

Lia read the journal, which featured ‘On the Fundamental Laws of Electrostatic Interaction,’ three times consecutively.

A smile never left her lips.

Charles Coulomb.

Ultimately, it was a man named Coulomb who fired the first shot in the quantification of electricity in this world.

The sensation was utterly wondrous.

“How wonderful.”

Lia stretched, a series of faint clicks resounding from her spine, as a surge of renewed vigor coursed through her entire being.

Since someone had laid the first cornerstone for this path, it became her responsibility to personally extend it forward, all the way to the resplendent sanctuary of electromagnetism.

She would open the gates of electromagnetism for this world!

Lia approached the table, spreading a pristine sheet of parchment upon its surface.

The tip of her quill pen dipped lightly into the inkwell, drinking deeply of the ink.

She began to conceive the entry point for her treatise.

To directly present the conclusion that ‘current can generate a magnetic field’ would be far too abrupt.

It required a logical, traceable discovery, perhaps even one tinged with serendipity.

A flawless script began to subtly form in the depths of her cunning eyes.

Lia lifted her pen, and an elegant title materialized on the parchment.

‘On the Magnetic Effects of Electric Current and Preliminary Conjectures on Its Applications.’

“Having thoroughly perused Master Charles Coulomb’s exceptional treatise on electrostatic interaction, I found myself profoundly inspired.

In a bid to deepen my comprehension of the laws governing the forces between charges, I endeavored to replicate his torsion balance experiment…”

In the opening paragraphs, Lia deftly positioned herself as a humble and diligent follower and student of Coulomb’s theory.

She continued, explaining that to provide a more stable charge to the small sphere on the torsion balance, she had designed a small alchemical device, designed to produce a continuous yet faint electric current, a setup entirely consistent with the logical conduct of a rigorous experimenter.

Then, the unexpected made its appearance.

“During the experiment, I unexpectedly observed that at the instant the current was connected, a small magnetic needle, placed in a corner of the experimental bench for directional calibration, underwent a barely perceptible deflection.”

“Initially, I attributed this to a chance phenomenon, caused perhaps by magical disturbances or the vibrations of the experimental bench.”

“However, after numerous repetitions of the experiment and the elimination of all external interferences, I was compelled to acknowledge a startling truth that lay before me: whenever a current passed through the wire, the magnetic needles surrounding it would deflect.

Furthermore, a change in the current’s direction would elicit a corresponding change in the deflection of the magnetic needle.

When the current vanished, the magnetic needle would return to its original state, as if nothing had ever transpired.”

Lia’s quill glided smoothly across the parchment, vividly depicting a meticulously crafted process of discovery.

She even sketched a diagram illustrating the relative positions of the wire, battery, and magnetic needle, clearly indicating both the direction of the current and the deflection of the magnetic needle’s North pole.

At this juncture, her pen stroke shifted, and the dagger was revealed!

This discovery, beyond all dispute, proved one thing.

“Electricity can generate magnetism.”

These two forces, long considered fundamentally distinct and belonging to the separate domains of lightning and magnetism, possessed, at their core, a profound connection yet unknown to us!

“They are capable of interconversion!”

Having penned these words, Lia paused, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Oersted’s experiment, that monumental discovery in the annals of physics, had thus been grafted by her onto the scientific framework of this world in a nearly flawless manner.

It was a breakthrough that pierced the veil of misconception, the first magnificent bridge connecting the isolated islands of electricity and magnetism!

Lia set down her pen, gently exhaling, and gazed at the magnificent bridge connecting electricity and magnetism on the parchment, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

She understood the profound significance of this treatise more clearly than anyone else.

If the periodic table of elements and the laws of motion had delineated *what* existed and *how* it behaved in this world, then this paper would, for the first time, unveil to the world *what could be achieved*.

The first fulcrum for an entirely new era, driven by electricity and magnetism, lay quietly upon this very parchment.

She took the unfinished paper and left the room.

Inside the study, Klein leaned by the window, holding the very issue of ‘On Arcanum’ that featured Coulomb’s Law.

The lingering glow of the setting sun streamed through the window, bathing him in a soft golden hue that significantly mellowed his usually stern features.

“Klein!” Lia called softly.

Klein turned, his gaze shifting from the journal to the parchment in Lia’s hand, a flicker of surprise in his blue eyes.

“Finished?”

“Yes.” Lia handed him the paper. “Tell me, do I make a convincing loyal follower of Master Coulomb?”

Klein accepted the parchment and scanned it with a swift, discerning gaze.

When he read the description of the ‘magnetic needle deflecting the instant the current was connected’ and the final conclusion, ‘Electricity can generate magnetism,’ even he found his breath momentarily caught.

He looked up, his gaze fixed deeply upon Lia, his deep-set eyes surging with astonishment, admiration, and a flicker of an emotion he himself hadn’t yet recognized: pride.

“This is precisely the bridge his mentor had so desperately sought but never found. A truly… remarkable paper.” After a long moment, he finally uttered these words.

“He will return the paper to Lia. Once published, the entire Lightning School and Magnetic Field School will be utterly captivated by your work.”

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from downstairs, and Adèle’s voice, tinged with urgency, cried, “Lia! Master! Have you seen today’s ‘Royal Capital Express’? Something serious has happened!”

Adèle slapped a flyer onto the table.

“Master Coulomb, who published the electrostatic paper, has been challenged!”

Lia picked up the flyer, her gaze falling upon the most prominent headline.

“Lightning School Factional Divide Deepens! Conservative Archmages Challenge Rising Scholar Coulomb: A Debate for Honor and Truth to Commence in Three Days!”

“Conservative faction?” Lia raised an eyebrow.

“They are those old fogeys whose minds are still stuck on the notion that lightning is the wrath of the heavens!” Adèle fumed.

“They believe that Coulomb’s paper, with its cold numbers and formulas used to measure the sacred power of lightning, is nothing short of blasphemy against the elements!”

“They roar that electricity is pure energy, a mighty force of nature, so how can it be calculated with damned distances and magnitudes, like a mere pebble rolling along the roadside!”

Adèle mimicked the cadences of those old mages with uncanny accuracy.

“They have challenged Coulomb to a Debate of Truth, to be held in three days at Assessment Hall Number Three of the Council.”

“Assessment Hall Number Three is the standard venue most frequently used by the Mage Association for resolving academic disputes.”

“Master Coulomb… he’ll win, right?” Adèle asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

“Of course.”

Lia’s reply held not a trace of hesitation.

She pointed to Coulomb’s paper on the table.

“Because in his hands, he holds tangible, verifiable experimental evidence that can be replicated by anyone.”

Lia’s tone was calm, yet imbued with an undeniable power.

“His opponents, conversely, possess nothing but some ephemeral, subjective perceptions and a jumble of illogical adjectives.”

“Sacred, majestic, pure…”

Lia let out a soft chuckle.

“Such words may sound grand, but in the face of truth, they are utterly worthless.”

“True power never relies on flowery rhetoric to validate itself.”

Adèle stared blankly at Lia, her gaze fixed on those clear eyes that seemed to penetrate the very essence of all things.

To her astonishment, much of her panic and worry miraculously dissipated.

“You’re right, Lia.”

“Just like a diamond forged from coal dust, it requires no words; its very existence is the most resounding declaration.”

The entire kingdom buzzed with discussion over the impending debate.

In taverns across the streets and alleys, young mages lauded Coulomb’s theories, believing he had forged an entirely new path for the study of lightning magic.

Meanwhile, in some older magic shops, older mages shook their heads and sighed, feeling that the youth of today were increasingly losing their reverence for the power of nature.

Within the Lightning School itself, chaos reigned.

The reformists who supported Coulomb and the conservatives who clung to traditional spiritualism erupted into fierce arguments almost daily at the school’s headquarters.

Small spells, crackling with electric sparks, flew wildly through the corridors, reportedly causing collateral damage to several valuable magical potted plants.

***

The clamor of the outside world failed to disturb the tranquility within the mage tower.

Lia then turned her attention to the conclusion.

There, she once again laid a tempting hook.

A bold conjecture.

If a continuous current could produce a stable magnetic field, then what if wires were wound into coils?

Would that not greatly enhance this magnetic effect?

What if…?

She offered no answer, merely casting the question out like a pebble dropped into a placid lake.

She knew this single pebble would undoubtedly unleash a thousand ripples.

Having written the final word, Lia meticulously reviewed the entire paper.

She rolled the parchment, carefully tying it with a fine thread.

Outside the window, the setting sun slowly dipped below the distant horizon, painting the sky in a spectacular array of orange and crimson.

Tomorrow was Coulomb’s Debate of Truth.

Lia clutched the freshly completed paper in her hand, a document capable of once again shaking the entire magical world, and a cunning smile played on her lips.

Let this highly anticipated debate serve as a magnificent and grand opening ceremony for her new theory.