Chapter 489: General Theory of Combustion
Olli finished reading all the papers. After repeating the experiments for verification, a look of confusion and contemplation appeared in her eyes. Logan had also discovered a unique gas, which he called Inflammable Air.
She unrolled a piece of parchment and recorded her thoughts.
“First, it can be positively proven that air is composed of at least three different types of gases: one that supports respiration and combustion, one that cannot support respiration or combustion, and one that is itself flammable.
“Second, the Phlogiston Theory holds that combustible substances contain phlogiston. However, all quantitative experiments reveal that Caloric (Heat Substance) has no weight. When phosphorus burns in the air, there is no perceptible change in weight [of the total system, or rather, the solid gains weight].
“Finally, phlogiston has never been proven to exist, but perhaps there is another explanation for combustion.”
It was as if a beam of brilliance had struck Olli. She felt as though she had been walking through a maze constructed of phlogiston, about to find the exit, only to crash headfirst into a wall.
Like a madwoman, she dug out all the research papers on phlogiston from recent years, reading them one by one and taking notes incessantly until the sky gradually brightened.
In “Fantasia,” some wizards immersed in the Competition gradually came to their senses. They read Betty’s new paper, On Air and Fire, and their eyes gradually brightened.
Even Bruce and the others, far away in the desolate Syracur, clapped their hands in praise.
Bruce spat as he spoke excitedly: “This issue of Magic is a great issue. We wizards have discovered three different types of air: Foul Air, Fire Air, and Inflammable Air!
“Inflammable Air is the combustible substance in the air, while Fire Air is the necessity for combustion; it is the correct air.
“Only with Fire Air can life exist. We humans need Fire Air to live. Other animals cannot survive without Fire Air, and even plants will die without it.
“Do you know what this means?”
Luther shook his head vigorously; he knew too little about the theoretical knowledge in this area.
Allen and Eva looked thoughtful. Bruce didn’t keep them in suspense and said loudly: “Phlogiston is the foundation of life. All living things are essentially in a state of combustion!
“We are like charcoal being slowly roasted. Except for not turning black, we are very much like it. The combustion reaction is the cornerstone of our lives; we are a ball of living flame.”
Allen raised a doubt: “I think respiration and combustion do have things in common, but directly considering us as a ball of living fire… I think that is oversimplifying a complex problem.”
Eva also said: “Biological organisms are definitely complex structures. It is impossible to explain everything entirely with fire. However, creating spells based on this is a valid train of thought. To kill the opponent, one only needs to extinguish their fire; to heal the opponent, one needs to fill them with fire.”
Luther’s head swelled from listening. He shook his head, turned around, and left to inspect the pioneering situation of the people.
More and more Element School wizards began to cheer. No matter how one looked at it, this discovery was a great one that could only appear based on the Phlogiston Theory.
At this moment, Olli was still flipping through piles and piles of scrolls. Her eyes became brighter and brighter, and her whole body was shrouded in a thin layer of brilliance, seeming to be blessed by some power.
No additional experiments were needed. All the secrets lay within this pile of research papers on the Phlogiston Theory. Olli’s beautiful amber eyes shone.
She spread out a roll of yellowed magic parchment, picked up a quill, and wrote down General Theory of Combustion.
Olli first summarized the past literature and put forward several important points:
“The vast majority of our research uses quantitative methods. Therefore, we need to acknowledge or assume a law: the Law of Conservation of Mass.
“I attempt to state it thus: ‘Since artificial or natural operations cannot create anything out of nothing, in every operation, the total amount of matter existing before and after the operation is equal. The quality and quantity of its elements remain unchanged; only exchange and transformation occur. This should be regarded as an axiom. All the arts of elemental experiments are based on such a principle: We must assume that the elements of the object being tested are exactly equal to the elements of its decomposition products.’
“Based on Her Excellency Betty’s On Air and Fire and the research of Bayen and others, I believe it might be more appropriate to call Fire Air ‘Vital Air.’ Furthermore, we have discovered the following obvious facts:
“First, during combustion, Caloric (Fire Substance) or light is always released.
“Second, objects can only burn in Vital Air (Fire Air).
“Third, during combustion, there is ‘destruction or decomposition of Vital Air.’ The increase in the weight of the burning object is exactly equal to the weight of the air ‘destroyed and decomposed.’
“Fourth, the burned object turns into acid due to the addition of the substance that increased its weight.
“Fifth, Vital Air (Fire Air) is a compound of Caloric (or light) and a Base. The burning object takes away this Base during combustion because the burning object attracts this Base much more strongly than it attracts Caloric, thus releasing the Caloric combined with the Base, which manifests as flame, heat, and light.
“I believe that although Phlogiston explains many phenomena well, Phlogiston itself cannot be proven. Even if we exclude Phlogiston, we can still explain combustion.
“It is not ‘Metal – Phlogiston = Calx,’ but ‘Metal + Vital Air = Calx.’
“The so-called adding Phlogiston is removing Vital Air, and removing Phlogiston is adding Vital Air. I abbreviate Vital Air as ‘Vital Gas.’ All combustion is a Vital-ization Reaction.”
Rich brilliance surrounded Olli, seeming to celebrate humanity’s step forward in understanding the world. Such a strong aura of the Great Source awakened Ace, who was studying the structure of the Astral Compass, from his immersed state.
He looked at the scattered fragments, put away the Level 4 Astrolabe Core, and then teleported outside Olli’s residence with a flash.
“A new theory?”
Demigod Thoth’s clone had unknowingly appeared in the crowd, speaking softly with interest.
The wizards looked solemn. Such a strong aura of the Great Source was slightly weaker than when the Phlogiston Theory was proposed, but it was almost comparable.
“What could it be?”
Bayen had arrived, stroking his short beard and whispering.
After some time, intense light and heat suddenly erupted, then vanished. Betty and others arrived one after another. Many wizards in the dream world, hearing that a new theory might be born, also came to watch.
Arno walked out of the villa first, guarding the door with a vigilant expression.
Ace’s eyes bloomed with white light. His soul communicated with the wizard’s subconscious sea, instantly sensing Olli’s state. It was warm, hot, and gentle.
That was light, that was heat, that was combustion. This was a subversive theory. Level 2 Runes were circling, seemingly playing a magnificent movement.
Olli’s Combustion Theory assumed the Law of Conservation of Mass and, based on this, proposed the Vital-ization Theory—that any combustion is essentially a reaction with Vital Air.
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