Chapter 89: The First Stone and the Unforeseen Force

The air in Debate Hall Number Three hung heavy, an oppressive weight that suffocated like the abyssal depths of the ocean.

Lia and Klein settled into a secluded corner of the spectator stands.

Naturally, Klein took the outer seat, his body subtly allowing Lia to cast her gaze across the entire hall.

Two distinct factions occupied opposing sides of the auditorium, resembling armies poised for battle.

On one side stood the younger mages, their eyes alight with the revolutionary fire of an era about to be overturned, clutching journals containing Coulomb’s treatises as if they were the sole keys to a new world.

Opposite them sat the elder mages, their expressions grave and solemn, radiating an aura of self-contained authority that repelled any encroaching new ideas.

The protagonist of the debate, Charles Coulomb, already stood poised on one side of the elevated platform.

He appeared to be in his forties, with a lean face and astonishingly bright eyes, his simple mage’s robe faded to a soft white from countless washings.

He presented a stark contrast to his opponent, Grand Mage Markko, who was adorned in an opulent robe, his chest heavy with medals, embodying the very essence of the entrenched old guard.

“I repeat!” the Grand Mage’s voice boomed through the amplifying crystal, echoing with fury throughout the hall.

“Thunder is the will of the heavens, the roar of the storm! How dare you claim it can be measured with a cold scale, when it is sacred, pure, and immeasurable! This is the greatest blasphemy against the elements!”

Coulomb, however, showed no trace of anger.

He calmly walked to the center of the podium, standing before the amplifying crystal, and his voice rang out, clear and steady.

“Esteemed Master Markko,” he began, “I have never sought to measure the will of the heavens.”

He offered a slight bow, his courtesy impeccable.

“I am merely measuring the repulsive force between two charged spheres. All my experimental procedures and data are meticulously recorded in this manuscript.”

“Anyone, possessing a torsion balance, can replicate my experiment and achieve precisely the same results.”

He did not engage in lofty rhetoric or attempt to refute his opponent’s ethereal philosophical arguments.

Instead, he simply opened his hands, laying undeniable facts before everyone present.

“Your data… your formula…”

Master Markko fixated on the calculations Coulomb had displayed.

He desperately sought a flaw, only to find all his theories regarding sacredness and purity rendered utterly pale, powerless, and even laughable in the face of the simple fact that when distance doubled, the force decreased to one-fourth.

He could find no angle for rebuttal, nor could he accept a fact that could be measured by insignificant humans.

A faint pop, barely audible, echoed distinctly within the silent debate hall.

Master Markko’s body stiffened abruptly, his eyes wide, the anger and indignation on his face congealing into an eternal, horrified realization.

A trickle of blood slowly seeped from his nostril.

Lia forced herself not to avert her gaze, silently repeating Klein’s words in her mind: ‘They die from their own arrogance and obstinacy.’

She had to grow accustomed to, even indifferent to, such scenes, for the path she intended to tread would undoubtedly be piled high with corpses.

The medical team swiftly rushed onto the stage, confirmed his state for a moment, then silently carried him away.

***

Just as the host was about to announce the results, an ancient yet forceful voice resonated from the seats of the old guard.

“Please wait.”

An elder, with a full head of silver hair and clad in a simple linen mage’s robe, slowly rose to his feet and ascended the platform.

“It’s Master Elian! The Seven-Ring Grand Mage of the Lightning School!”

“He’s actually stepping in himself!”

A wave of irrepressible gasps rippled through the crowd.

Elian’s standing within the Lightning School was akin to Balthazar’s in the Elemental School—a living monument, a revered figure admired by countless individuals.

Elian walked onto the stage, first offering a slight nod in the direction where Markko had been carried away, a silent gesture of mourning, before turning his attention to Coulomb.

His gaze held no hostility; instead, it carried a mixture of appreciation and sorrow.

“Your torsion experiment is a stroke of genius.

And your data, I have personally verified it; it is impeccable.”

With his very first words, he acknowledged the correctness of the experiment, leaving all the young mages who had been bracing for a furious outburst utterly stunned.

“However,” Elian’s tone shifted, his voice deepening, “do you truly comprehend what it is you have measured?”

He offered Coulomb no opportunity to reply, continuing on his own accord, firmly seizing control of the discourse.

“What you have measured is repulsion. In our ancient theories, this is known as ‘aetheric pressure.’ When two objects are overly infused with the essence of thunder, the aether between them becomes congested, thereby generating repulsion.

Your formula is merely an elegant and fitting mathematical description of this aetheric pressure phenomenon.

“It is ingenious, I must concede, but I must also state that it is not the fundamental truth.”

Coulomb’s brow furrowed.

He perceived his opponent subtly twisting concepts, reinterpreting his physical experiment to fit it back into the long-patched framework of aether theory.

Elian’s gaze sharpened. He took a step forward, and his voice suddenly boomed.

“Your theory describes two *stationary* point charges! It is a phenomenon you have forcibly solidified, one that exists solely within the confines of a laboratory!”

“But what is the essence of thunder? It is flow! It is an unceasing river of energy! It is a dynamic process that rends the sky and shatters all in its path!”

“Our aether theory can explain the power of thunder as a pure elemental torrent; it can explain why lightning flows, and why a continuous electric arc generates immense heat! But you, Master Coulomb!”

“How does your theory of stationary spheres explain *flowing* current?”

“Within your theoretical framework, what exactly is electric current? More critically, does this so-called flow, beyond generating heat, produce other phenomena that your static theory is utterly incapable of predicting?”

Elian’s voice reverberated throughout the entire debate hall, each word striking a chord in the hearts of all present.

He had not denied Coulomb’s experiment.

He had merely highlighted the limitations of Coulomb’s theory, then cornered Coulomb with an unknown problem that existing theories could not fully address.

Coulomb’s face paled slightly, but he quickly composed himself, a thoughtful gleam flickering in his bright eyes.

After a moment of silence, he slowly began to speak, his voice somewhat strained, yet still retaining a scholar’s rigor.

“Master Elian, you have indeed posed a crucial question. My theory is, undeniably, built upon a static perspective.

Just as we first study stationary objects to comprehend the laws of motion, I believe that examining the interactions of static charges is the indispensable first step towards understanding flowing charges—that is, electric current.”

He paused, meeting Elian’s gaze with an unyielding frankness.

“As for what unique phenomena electric current might produce, that is precisely the subject I intend to investigate next.”

“The edifice of science requires foundational stones to be built, brick by brick. I have only just laid the first, and have not yet had the opportunity to explore upwards, to a question not yet rigorously verified by experiment.”

He acknowledged the current limitations of his theory, a difficult but honest admission.

Such an answer, on a debate stage, amounted to a partial defeat.

Light rekindled in the eyes of the old guard mages, while the young supporters of Coulomb showed troubled expressions, their fists clenched tightly.

“This… this is an exceedingly profound question.”

Seeing this, the host immediately stepped forward to mediate.

“The pursuit of truth is not a matter for a single day. I propose that this debate be adjourned for three days, granting both esteemed masters ample time to organize their thoughts.”

He turned to the audience, inquiring as per custom:

“To the esteemed masters present, what are your insights on this matter?”

Several high-ranking mages rose, offering a few diplomatic remarks such as, ‘Both sides’ arguments are thought-provoking,’ and ‘We eagerly anticipate the brilliant debate three days hence.’

Just as everyone believed the day’s debate would conclude, a clear, crisp voice rang out.

“Esteemed Host,”

Lia rose from her seat.

The gaze of the entire debate hall instantly converged upon her petite figure.

“It’s her!”

“Lia Farrien!”

“What is she going to say?”

Klein’s body tensed slightly, but upon seeing the confident expression on Lia’s face, he slowly relaxed, though the concern in his eyes deepened.

Lia ignored the surrounding whispers, her gaze fixed directly on Master Elian on the stage. Her voice, though not loud, carried clearly throughout the hall.

“Perhaps, I can answer the question Master Elian has posed.”

She raised the parchment scroll in her hand, already prepared and bound with a thin string.

“While replicating Master Coulomb’s magnificent experiment, an unexpected discovery revealed to me a novel and utterly unforeseen phenomenon generated by the flow of electric current.”

A sudden gleam erupted in the depths of Elian’s cloudy eyes, as he stared intently at the scroll in Lia’s hand.

Coulomb also turned abruptly, his face etched with shock, bewilderment, and a hint of secret anticipation.

Lia met everyone’s gaze, speaking each word with clear, resounding conviction.

“This phenomenon intimately links the power of thunder with another force in our world—one entirely distinct, yet utterly ubiquitous.”

She paused, her gaze shifting from Elian, sweeping across the hall, before finally returning to his face, which was now filled with uncertainty and doubt.

“Master Elian, you asked what else flowing charges might bring, besides heat?”

A mysterious smile played on Lia’s lips, her voice clear and resolute, as if proclaiming a brand new law of the world.

“My experiments prove…”

“When thunder is confined and courses through a conductor, it is not merely a torrent of energy. It awakens a dormant power in the void. A force both familiar and alien to us.”

In the instant she paused, the entire hall fell silent, every person holding their breath.

“It will generate—Magnetism!”