Chapter 96: The Dawn of Quantitative Magic

The lingering aftermath of the storm was slowly subsiding with the passage of time. The sky above the capital remained painted a strange, eerie orange by the ‘Wrath of the Sun’.

Communication crystals were still nothing more than expensive, useless stones.

However, the panic and chaos that had swept through the entire high-tier mage community were gradually quelled by the powerful intervention of the Magic Association.

Young mages who had clamored for vengeance against Lia Farrien vanished without a trace after being ‘invited’ for several rounds of tea by the Royal Guard.

All rhetoric attempting to incite hatred and opposition was suppressed immediately.

Yet, within the academies of both the Lightning and Magnetic schools, many seats remained empty forever, a silent testament to the recent turmoil.

Nevertheless, amidst the ruins, new shoots always stubbornly pushed through the soil.

After enduring the agonizing collapse of their beliefs, some of the surviving mages chose to retreat into a daze, living out their days in confusion.

But many more began to quietly accept this entirely new world.

They no longer prayed to formless spiritualities or deities; instead, they picked up pen and paper, meticulously replicating experiments time and again, feeling the unwavering deflection of a small magnetic needle as current flowed through a wire.

Truth, in an irrefutable manner, was etched into their reconstructed spiritual worlds.

The Magic Association’s Council had been waiting, biding their time for an opportune moment.

When they observed mages from the Lightning and Magnetic schools beginning to set aside their prejudices, arguing heatedly over experimental details rather than drawing swords for the glory of their respective schools, they knew the time was right.

On this day, Magical Principles once again released a special issue.

Adorning its cover was a concise yet powerful title—’On the Quantitative Laws of Steady Current Magnetic Fields’. The author: Michael Faraday.

This paper, which had been kept under wraps for nearly half a month, was finally unveiled to the public.

If Lia Farrien’s paper had declared that ‘electricity can generate magnetism,’ then Michael Faraday’s paper, with its precise language, revealed to everyone exactly how much magnetism electricity could produce.

This elegant formula descended upon all the mages who had been perplexed by the phenomena, like a key unlocking the gates of quantitative research.

Upon its publication, the paper immediately triggered a new wave of upheaval within the kingdom’s mage community—a veritable frenzy.

This time, however, it was not a tide of panic and death, but an unadulterated thirst and zeal for knowledge.

“To think of using the Earth’s magnetic field as a baseline! My heavens, that idea is simply genius!”

“This constant K… I measured it three times using my own method, and the results were almost identical! A law! This is a law of the universe!”

“No, how did you calculate the current strength? How many sets of alchemical batteries did you use? We must first standardize the definition of this ‘ ’!”

The Magic Association’s library, alchemical workshops, and even the common rooms of various academies transformed into battlegrounds for heated debates.

Countless mages, forsaking sleep and meals, immersed themselves in verifying and exploring this formula.

The most striking transformation occurred within the Lightning and Magnetic schools. In the past, mages from these two factions would either exchange sarcastic remarks or greet each other directly with spells.

Now, however, within the Royal Academy’s public alchemical workshop, Grey, a senior tutor from the Magnetic school—once diametrically opposed to the Lightning school—was locked in a furious argument with a second-year apprentice from the Lightning school, their faces flushed with passion.

“Incorrect! Your calibrated unit is simply inaccurate! Look at Mr. Faraday’s paper; he emphasizes an infinitely long wire.

With this short segment of copper wire, the error from edge effects is at least two orders of magnitude!” Grey exclaimed, pointing at the apprentice’s apparatus, his beard bristling and eyes wide.

“B-but Master,” the young apprentice retorted, his face crimson, refusing to yield.

“We cannot possibly achieve infinite length! This is merely an ideal model! I believe we should introduce a correction factor to quantify these edge effects!”

Around the two, the observing mages, far from trying to mediate, instead nodded in agreement and joined the heated debate concerning ideals versus reality.

Such sparks, purely ignited for the pursuit of knowledge, were unimaginable between the two factions in the past.

They began to realize that electricity and magnetism were never two isolated worlds; they were inseparable, different facets of the same magnificent existence.

Amidst this fervent atmosphere of cooperation, new findings emerged at an unprecedented pace.

To precisely replicate Michael Faraday’s experiments, establishing unified measurement standards became a consensus among all.

Soon, a paper jointly authored by over a dozen mages from both factions burst forth onto the scene—’Preliminary Specifications on the Definition of Current Intensity and Its Measurement Methods’.

They creatively proposed defining current intensity by the force of interaction between two infinitely long, parallel straight conductors.

In a vacuum, two infinitely long, parallel, circular cross-section conductors, placed one meter apart, carrying a steady current.

When the interactive force per meter length between the two conductors reached a specific value, the magnitude of the current at that point was deemed one standard unit.

To honor the legendary ancient mage, the first to master lightning and electricity, they named this unit of current ‘Ampere’. From then on, current measurement had a unified benchmark.

The academic atmosphere across the entire capital was thoroughly ignited.

Papers sprang up like mushrooms after rain, ranging from ‘On the Distribution Laws of Coil Magnetic Fields’ to ‘Research on the Differences in Magical Conductivity of Various Metal Wires’; each spark of thought propelled the two disciplines forward.

The Magic Association shrewdly seized this opportunity. A week later, Master Horace himself appeared at the Royal Auditorium, delivering a momentous speech to all registered mages in the capital.

“We are witnessing the dawn of an era where a hundred flowers bloom!” Horace declared from the elevated platform, his voice resonant and full of vigor.

“But sparks of thought need to be recorded, and the ladder of truth needs to be built! Disorganized notes and self-indulgent conjectures will only mire our exploration in the mud!”

He paused, as a colossal magical projection illuminated behind him, clearly displaying the paper format of Lia Farrien’s ‘Preliminary Exploration of the Laws of Motion of Objects’.

“A clear abstract, a rigorous introduction, detailed experimental procedures, irrefutable data, and logically self-contained conclusions!”

Horace gestured at the projection, his voice filled with admiration. “From today onwards, the Magic Association will adopt this as a template,

formally implementing a standardized format for academic papers! All mages wishing to publish their findings in Magical Principles and other association journals must adhere to this format!”

A ripple of astonishment spread through the audience, followed by a burst of fervent applause. Many mages had long been tormented by papers filled with flowery prose but devoid of substance.

Lia Farrien’s paper format was like a refreshing stream, making the exchange of knowledge unprecedentedly efficient.

“Furthermore!” Horace raised a hand, gesturing for silence. “To encourage the inheritance and innovation of knowledge, we will also introduce a ‘citation’ mechanism!”

“From now on, any publicly published paper, once cited by later researchers, will bring monetary rewards to the original author! The more times it is cited, the more substantial the reward!”

Truth would no longer be a glory admired in solitude! It would become tangible, an unstoppable source of wealth and status!

If implementing the paper format had standardized the path, then the advent of the citation mechanism was akin to paving that path with gold.

The entire auditorium erupted in a frenzy!

This meant that even a mage with modest personal strength, as long as they could propose a valuable theory or a widely cited formula, could acquire a continuous stream of wealth and resources, potentially becoming richer than many high-tier mages who toiled in solitary cultivation!

***

Within the mage tower.

Lia Farrien gazed quietly through the crystal window, observing the distant clamor emanating from the direction of the auditorium.

Adèle had just excitedly rushed in, recounting Horace’s speech word for word, her cheeks flushed with exhilaration.

“Lia! Did you hear that! Your paper format! It’s become the benchmark for everyone!

And citations! Oh, just with your periodic table and electro-magnetic effect papers alone, you won’t have to do anything else from now on; simply by being cited, you’ll become one of the wealthiest mages in the entire kingdom!”

Lia Farrien merely smiled, offering no words in response.

Once Adèle had left, contentedly, tranquility once again settled over the study.

Klein, at some unknown moment, had appeared behind her, his gaze also fixed on the view outside the window.

“They are quite fervent.” His voice betrayed no emotion.

“A new era always requires a certain fervor to begin,” Lia Farrien gently replied.

Klein’s gaze withdrew from the commotion outside the window and settled upon Lia Farrien.

Her small figure was bathed in the lingering glow of the setting sun, the profile of her face soft and focused, as if all the external fervor had nothing to do with her, and yet as if she had single-handedly orchestrated it all.

“Current, flowing charges, generate a magnetic field. Michael Faraday quantified it with a formula.”

Lia Farrien listened quietly, awaiting Klein’s next words.

Just as she expected, Klein’s eyes deepened, and he slowly posed a question.

“Since moving electricity can generate magnetism, then…” His voice trailed off, and the entire world seemed to hold its breath, awaiting his next word.

“Can moving magnetism also generate electricity?”

Lia Farrien’s heart gave a sudden leap.

She lifted her head, meeting Klein’s eyes.