Chapter 547: The Beginning of Electricity
The vast majority of wizards had an Academic Badge. But for a Mage who relied entirely on a Spellbook to cast spells and had to pre-store spells in advance, the Academic Badge was exceptionally precious.
If it weren’t for having no friends in this top-tier city, Thales would have found someone to drink heartily with. But even so, it didn’t stop him from buying a jug of barley wine, sitting on an unnamed small hill outside Academic City, and singing loudly facing the setting sun.
Very few Mages ascended to the Celestial Realm. Even if occasionally Mages came here, they would eventually leave due to the disparity. Those who could stay were extremely few.
Mages were noble spellcasters in the Human World. An Official Mage enjoyed a revered social status on any habitable planet. But in the Academic City of the Celestial Realm, academics were everything to status.
The biggest disadvantage of Mages was that they were rigid, lacking the flexibility and academic literacy of wizards. If Warren hadn’t laid the foundation for Thales, even if he wanted to take the academic path, he would probably have had to stumble for a few years before figuring out the academic avenues in Academic City.
“The phenomenon of electricity is really, really interesting, and there are many areas worthy of in-depth research. But how to store electricity is a problem. All current methods are direct magical power generation. Sustainability is actually limited. Even if magic stones are used for secondary conversion, there will be massive consumption…”
A few days later, the latest issue of Wisdom of Spells was published. Thales looked at this academic tabloid with surging emotions. He touched it gently and joyfully, as if caressing a lover’s cheek.
Although it was just one Academic Point, it was an Academic Point! It was the glory of wizards. As a Mage, he actually got it. He was simply so happy he could explode.
The chief editor, Level 3 Scholar His Excellency Leyden, even mentioned his replication experiment “Charge-storing Device—Starting from Replicating Resistance and Voltage Experiments” after his own article.
While conducting replication experiments, Leyden accidentally dropped a charged nail into a glass bottle. He originally thought the electricity on the nail would dissipate quickly, so he picked it up without any precautions, only to unexpectedly get shocked.
He was stunned for a moment, then enthusiastically repeated that accident, experimenting continuously. Finally, he confirmed that placing a charged object into a glass bottle would prevent the electricity from leaking.
Using this principle, Leyden made a device capable of storing electricity, the Leyden Jar, and proposed a concept: capacitance. This kind of charge-storing device was called a capacitor.
At the same time, he also explained the reason for frictional electrification: electric fluid “flowed” from one object to another. This electric fluid could be called electric charge. Electric charge is like water; when water flows, it’s called a water current, and when electric charge flows, it’s called an electric current.
He experimented with magic-generated electricity, lightning during thunderstorms, and static electricity. Ultimately, all of these could be stored in the glass bottle, proving that these types of electricity were the same and could all be explained by electric charge.
Leyden also recorded a minor phenomenon: a steel needle kept in the charge-storing glass bottle for a long time would exhibit magnetization.
Thales nodded continuously. After finishing a day’s work, he stayed up almost all night repeating Leyden’s experiment, confirming that the glass bottle could store electricity and was a capacitor.
“Electric charge, current, capacitance, voltage, resistance. I feel the context of electricity is becoming clearer and clearer. Without a doubt, electric force is definitely a force naturally existing in nature, and it can also act over long distances.”
Lying in his shabby room, Thales felt as if there was a starry universe revolving in his mind. In such a beautiful world, electric force was a brilliant and terrifyingly beautiful scene within it. Electricity was wonderful, but electricity was also powerful and could easily take a life.
“Since both electric force and gravity can act over long distances, can we assume that electric force possesses a formula similar to universal gravitation? Or can His Holiness Ace’s magical mechanics govern the entire universe, including electric force?”
In a daze, Thales fell asleep. As a Mage, he indeed lacked good conditions, but he was unwilling to constantly engage in low-quality repetitive work. As long as he had some magic stones in his hand, he would stop working and instead buy a large number of monographs and past journals to study.
As a poor Official Mage, Thales was short of money even to buy old books, but he had his ways.
South of Academic City, the garbage dump. A peculiar smell was drifting about. Thales cast the Level 0 Spell “Filter Nose” on himself and felt much better. He found an old lady in the garbage dump who specialized in collecting discarded magic paper and bought a large pile of monographs on magical mechanics by weight at a very cheap price. Taking them back to his rented single room, he began studying them hungrily.
The records regarding Ace’s research on magical mechanics also made Thales’s heart surge. As an Official Mage, he also knew that the World Controller, Firelinker Ace, and other wizards came from another world.
But if it weren’t for them bringing change, where would he have had the opportunity to become a Mage? To put it more bluntly, the Mage profession was a derivative of the Demigod Level Noble Phantasm, the Magic Net. Without Ace, there would be no Magic Net; without the Magic Net, there would be no Mages.
“Magical mechanics is indeed the research result of Lord Ace. It is so concise, so beautiful. The Three Laws of Motion are so wonderful, and the formula for universal gravitation is heaven-bestowed wisdom.
“Although Lord Ace said magical mechanics is only a relative truth and has its scope of application, we haven’t surpassed its scope yet. Perhaps electric force is the same.”
After studying monographs related to magical mechanics, Thales saw another interesting paper, The Warren-Sulu Torsion Balance Experiment, an ingenious experiment for measuring gravity.
“Gravity often manifests as a weak force. What we need to measure is pure weak force. Specifically, with the help of Sulu, I designed a simple device called a torsion balance.
“The torsion balance consists of a metal suspension wire, a plane mirror, an inverted T-shaped frame, and two copper balls of equal weight.
“The experimental process is as follows…”
Thales quietly finished reading Warren’s experiment and couldn’t help touching the Bead of Wisdom in his pocket, which was the gift from Sulu.
“I didn’t expect Lord Sulu, who looks like he lacks academic temperament, to actually be able to complete such a great experiment together with Teacher and calculate the gravitational constant of a planet. Of course, Lord Ace is even more amazing. Without the formula for universal gravitation, even if Teacher’s torsion balance was more miraculous, it would be useless.”
After reading a large number of monographs, Thales rubbed his temples, lay on the poor-quality mattress, closed his eyes, mentally replayed Warren’s torsion balance experiment, and groggily fell asleep.
About a month later, Thales had completely sorted out all the knowledge related to modern mechanics. He was quick-witted and could be said to be a genius to some extent. Merely through self-study, he had become extremely proficient in using corresponding concepts, theories, and formulas.
In the shabby room, Thales was sorting out and comparing the differences between electric force and gravity. Out of worship for Ace, he tried to find the similarities or compatibility between the two.
“Actually, there are many similarities. I should first organize all recent research on electric force.”
The research on electric force belonged to a niche in the current magic world. Wisdom of Spells was its base camp, and the research was relatively superficial. But recently, many powerful concept definitions had also emerged.
Thales simply wrote a review paper, Review of Electric Force Concepts. In this article, he summarized the various experiments by himself, Allen, and Leyden, and summarized a series of concepts.
Electric charge, current, capacitance, voltage, resistance, and changed the vitreous electricity and amber electricity proposed by Allen to positive charge and negative charge.
Just during the sorting process, Thales suddenly discovered that as long as an object carried an electric charge, whether positive or negative, it would exert an attractive force on ordinary objects. Although over a long time, attraction would make the other object carry the same charge, leading to mutual repulsion.
But this property seemed to allow for an experiment!
This was very similar to a magnetic needle. Thales remembered a short paper from some time ago about how to make a compass more accurate. The magnetic needle would be inaccurate due to friction; if suspended by a silk thread, the friction between the magnetic needle and the dial would be greatly reduced, making it more accurate.
The wizard who wrote this paper was named Bruce. He was heard to be a powerful wizard as well, but his academic rank was relatively low, only Level 2. This wizard proposed a law called the Law of Elastic Torsion, which stated that the angle of rotation is proportional to the torsion force.
Thales’s mind flashed like lightning. The paper on the Warren-Sulu torsion balance experiment echoed constantly in his mind. Although the conditions were poor and he had very few magic stones left, Thales’s enthusiasm remained fiery.
He went to the garbage dump south of the city and scrounged a lot of usable materials. Based on the torsion balance experiment and the Law of Elastic Torsion, he redesigned a torsion balance.
In the extremely shabby room, Thales worked hard to seal the indoor environment and designed such a torsion balance. The top was a torsion dial. A long silk thread passed through a vacuum glass tube. Below it were two balance balls connected by a metal rod. The suspension wire was tied to the middle of the metal rod. Outside were a charged small ball and an electricity-supplying small ball. Except for the charged small ball, everything else was inside the inverted T-shaped vacuum glass tube.
The inspiration for this design came from the gravitational torsion balance, with ingenious adjustments made for the electric force torsion balance.
Through multiple experiments, Thales first confirmed the correctness of the Law of Elastic Torsion, and experimentally calculated the formula for the torsional moment of the suspension wire: torsional moment, material constant of the suspension wire, angle of twist, and the length and diameter of the suspension wire.
When measuring the length and diameter of the suspension wire, Thales used calculus knowledge, finally obtained accurate values, and then began the electric force torsion balance experiment.
This experiment was somewhat similar to Warren’s torsion balance experiment, and the final result also made Thales exceptionally excited. With trembling hands, he wrote down that formula and attached a written explanation.
…
The Celestial Realm suddenly shook violently. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled. The Magic Net was whirring. At the world rules layer, a massive amount of Source Power from the Dream Core naturally overflowed and rushed towards the Celestial Realm.
Outside the world, Ace, who was performing vivisection on the tail structure of the World-Devouring Bug, suddenly stopped.
And he heard the mechanical voice of the Dream Core: “World Controller, an anomaly has appeared in the Celestial Realm. The World Great Source instinctively feeds back, seeming to want to send down a blessing. Do you wish to block it?”
Ace’s eyes flickered with white light. He activated his privilege as the World Controller, instantly understanding everything, and said with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth: “Why block it? Not only shouldn’t we block it, but we should also bestow blessings with great fanfare for the whole world to celebrate! Our magic research, our research on electric force, has achieved historic progress. This heralds a brand new era.”
Ace was in a joyous mood. As a scientific researcher in his previous life, he knew all the knowledge of electromagnetism. But even so, he didn’t pull the shoots to help them grow. He quietly created an ideal academic environment for wizards. Ultimately, this flower was made to bloom by a Mage.
Although not a wizard, Mages were also spellcaster seeds planted by Ace personally. It could be said they were born from the Magic Net system. For a Mage to make it bloom further proved Ace’s correctness.
“If all achievements are researched by me, or rather copied by me, then what is the point of me creating such a Wizard World? I establish the Wizard Civilization not to be a porter myself, constantly porting the wisdom of my past life, but expecting this seedling of the Wizard Civilization to grow vigorously and become a truly great researcher civilization!”
No one heard Ace’s low murmur. But the violent fluctuations of the world, under Ace’s authorization, were carried out with even greater fanfare. Almost all Legends discovered it. They successively flew out from the giant bug’s body and came to Ace’s side.
Bayen asked: “Lord Ace, what happened? The Wizard World Cluster seems to be showing violent reactions, especially the Celestial Realm, making people somewhat uneasy.”
Ace laughed loudly: “You guys, have you forgotten what kind of event triggers feedback from the Great Source? Even a world as powerful as the Kaya World would have such feedback from its Great Source, let alone our Level 2 World.”
In an instant, the wizards were invigorated, both expectant and slightly afraid. Betty thought of her own experiences a few times; cold sweat, which a Legendary Wizard clearly shouldn’t have, broke out.
She asked in a low voice: “Could it be a major theoretical breakthrough? In what aspect?”
Ace smiled, ignoring her, and said to Warren: “Your student has done a great thing. Let’s all go celebrate for him together.”
After saying that, he waved his big hand. Everyone was swept up by a subspace, not struggling, and instantly disappeared, appearing in the Celestial Realm, Academic City.
…
Thales didn’t know what had happened yet. He continued writing:
“The interaction force between two stationary point charges in a vacuum is directly proportional to the product of their charge quantities, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The direction of the force is along the line connecting them. Like charges repel, and opposite charges attract.”
Having written this sentence, he let out a long breath. Source Power lingered around him. It was about to surge in but was controlled by the Magic Net, stagnating nearby. Unaware of all this, Thales said excitedly:
“Such a similar formula and expression. This isn’t just wearing the same outfit; this is simply having the same face! The calculation formula for the interaction force of stationary point charges is exactly the same in form as universal gravitation. That means electrostatic force also has action at a distance. The system of magical mechanics remains valid here!”
Just then, Thales’s door was suddenly opened by the Level 2 Spell “Empowered Knock.” Thales looked vigilantly, only to see Teacher Warren walk in. Before he had time to speak, Warren grabbed his hand and walked out quickly.
Hundreds and thousands of wizards had already gathered here. All the big shots one could name were beside his shabby dwelling. Having thoroughly read mechanics monographs and seen Ace’s holographic images, Thales naturally recognized who the person hovering in mid-air in the center of the crowd was.
Black magic robe, tall magic hat, slender figure, slender hands, wearing a Seven-Ring Magic Badge on his chest, looking at him with an amiable smile. He couldn’t be wrong.
This composed demeanor, powerful aura, the seven unfathomable and powerful wizards behind him, plus his own Teacher Warren. The smart Thales instantly understood: his discovery was very important!
He did feel it was very important when he researched the formula himself, but he only felt it was important. Now it seemed it might be even more important. He took a deep breath. Wasn’t this exactly what he wanted?
As a Mage, becoming a Mage with a Scholar rank, researching magic together with wizards, and seeking an audience with his idol and the god of Mages, the Creator of the Magic Net, His Holiness the Firelinker Ace.
Thales straightened his somewhat shabby Mage robe, methodically and respectfully bowed and saluted, shouting loudly:
“Level 1 Mage Thales seeks an audience with my God, His Holiness Ace. You are the Ruler of Dreams, the Creator of the Magic Net, the Fire Spreader of Magic, the Guide of Wizards, the Patron of Mages.
“Your will is my mission. I am your loyal believer, a user of the Magic Net. I pay my respects to you!”
The spectating wizards began to discuss in low voices. Many people were shocked that Thales was actually a Mage and had made such a huge discovery.
Ace laughed heartily and said: “No need to be so constrained. We are all fellow travelers on the road of magic research. I just walked ahead of you, swimming in the ocean of truth. I occasionally picked up a few beautiful pearls, but don’t know how vast the ocean really is.
“You have also picked up a beautiful pearl. Congratulations, Mage Thales.”
Thales tried hard to stay calm, but his excitedly trembling hands betrayed him. He was extremely excited inside because he knew that the door to the world he wanted to reach was finally open.
Sulu took the opportunity to shout loudly from below: “This Mage is Warren’s disciple, and also a beneficiary of Lord Ace’s Magic Net. It is precisely Lord Ace’s great creation that made His Excellency Thales who he is today. It is also His Excellency Warren faithfully following Lord Ace’s will, educating and guiding Mages without prejudice, that led to today’s harvest. Let us applaud together to welcome a Mage with the power of thought to join us, and also cheer for Lord Ace’s great guidance!”
His instigating ability was indeed not bad. The wizards all nodded in agreement, and the applause grew louder and louder.
After all, Sulu’s flattery was very clever. He simultaneously praised Ace, Warren, and Thales, and incidentally flattered all wizards. After all, wizards were all people with the power of thought.
Sulu glanced somewhat smugly at Bayen. Ever since more than twenty years ago at the foot of Mount Larr, when Bayen preemptively shouted: “People with thought are the measure of all things! Respected Firelinker , you are our ideological mentor!”
He had been brooding over it. Finally flattering well this time, he felt really smooth all over.
Ace also nodded slightly. This kid Sulu had backstabbed his companion when they first met back then, which always remained a concern. But Ace didn’t deliberately suppress him. Because he had the confidence of a powerhouse; as long as he was strong enough, people like Sulu would instead be even more loyal.
Bayen curled his lips disdainfully. No matter how well you play flattery, you are not a Legend. No need to mind.
More wizards were guessing what kind of theory Thales had exactly discovered. One must know that such intense feedback from the Great Source must be an unprecedented breakthrough in a domain.
There were also some wizards secretly rejoicing. They were dreamwalkers here, not descending with true bodies. Listening to new theories, even if their heads exploded, it shouldn’t be a big problem.
Ace didn’t let Thales announce his discovery regarding electrostatic force first, but said loudly: “The World Great Source has given you intense feedback. Relying on this Source Power, it is enough for you to advance to a Level 2 Mage, and a top-tier Level 2 at that. I used the Magic Net to block this Source Power. Do you know why?”
Thales was puzzled in his heart and said respectfully: “Great Holiness the Firelinker, I am truly dull. I do not know.”
Ace said: “This Source Power can give you a choice. You can choose to advance to a Level 2 Mage, or you can choose to let me use the World Controller privilege and use this Source Power to reshape you into a person with magical aptitude. But your strength will degenerate, and you can only become a Senior Wizard Apprentice.”
Thales didn’t hesitate and replied respectfully: “I hope to obtain magical aptitude and become a Senior Wizard Apprentice. A Mage’s power can never detach from the Magic Net; only wizards possess more infinite possibilities.”
The other wizards also nodded approvingly. Everyone actually spontaneously applauded Thales’s choice.
Ace nodded, gathered the Source Power in his hands, simultaneously mobilized the creation privilege of the World Controller, and directly injected that mass of Source Power into Thales’s body.
Thales felt his whole body jolt. Dense Source Power overflowed, wrapping him entirely, turning into a person-sized cocoon.
Ace then looked around and said to the other wizards: “This discovery is an important breakthrough in the domain of electricity. We can call it Electromagnetism. Gravity exists in the world, and similarly, electric force also exists. As for what exactly the discovery is, we leave this right to Thales. This is his honor.”
The wizards waited quietly. Allen, Bruce, and the chief editor of Wisdom of Spells, Leyden, also looked expectant. They all dabbled in electrical research, had a certain understanding of the recent rising star Thales, and their respective researches also intersected.
What could it be?
Just as they were thinking, a hole slowly broke open in the cocoon. Thales walked out naked. With a swirl of Ace’s mana, the cocoon turned into a pure white magic robe, draping over Thales. Thales felt his power greatly weakened, and his mysterious connection with the Magic Net was no longer intimate.
Closing his eyes to sense, a certain strange sensation seemed to appear at the glabella of his soul. He pursued it with his mind and found it was actually an alternate dimension space, situated between illusion and reality. Inside, there was the phantom of a flickering rune structure; besides that, it was completely empty.
After sensing for a while, Thales remembered that everyone else was waiting for him. He hurriedly opened his eyes, only to find everyone staring at him.
Ace smiled and said to Thales: “This is your time. Tell the wizards of the Academic City in the Celestial Realm about your great discovery. This is your moment of glory!”
A high platform emerged under Thales’s feet, stopping when he was a head taller than everyone else.
Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com