Chapter 601: Where It Comes From
Bayen’s speech made Daru even more firm in his conviction. He increasingly felt that magic was the brightest future.
Meanwhile, in District One of the Ring of Academia, the majestic Central High Tower stood tall. Nearly ten thousand meters high, it was the tallest building in all of District One. Other thousand-meter-tall Wizard Towers stood apart from it; every Wizard Tower represented a Mythical Wizard.
Today, as the overall strength of wizards rose, the Magic Council had undergone several reforms. Ultimately, it was determined that only Mythical Wizards and Immortal Legendary Wizards could become formal members of the Supreme Council and have the qualification to build a Wizard Tower in District One.
Legendary Wizards could only serve as alternate members of the Supreme Council and had no right to establish magnificent Wizard Towers here.
The leader of all wizards, His Excellency Ace the Firelinker, who stood at the apex of the wizard pyramid, did not have a specific Wizard Tower. He resided at the very top of the Central High Tower for the vast majority of the time, or went to His Dream Realm sub-plane.
Dressed neatly and decently, Bayen headed to the top floor along with a group of Mythical Wizards. The Supreme Council had a total of thirty-five formal members, meaning there were thirty-two Mythical Wizards. Among these Mythical Wizards, there were people Bayen was familiar with, and also many wizards he didn’t know very well.
The new wizards shared a common characteristic: they were all born after the popularization of the Magic Net. Their magical aptitude seemed to be better. Under the excellent cultivation system, although there were only a little over thirty Mythical Wizards, more than eleven thousand Legendary Wizards had already been born among the wizards.
During this period of over a hundred years, the direction of the wizards’ efforts was entirely focused on piling up combat power. There had been no massive revolution in theory because few wizards could reach the upper limit of strength under the existing theory.
The theoretical height of Special Relativity was already sufficient to guide wizards to research and cultivate all the way from apprentices to the height of Immortal Legends. More wizards focused their energy on the application aspect.
In other words, theoretical research was no longer very popular. Various magics involving application were the direction of effort for the majority of wizards. To use an Earth analogy, most smart wizards chose to become engineers rather than scientists.
Even among scientists, most were researching applied science.
The impact of such an orientation was massive.
“Silence! Silence!
“The 84th Plenary Session of the Supreme Council now begins. There are three topics for today: the progress report of the Artificial Sub-plane Project Team, the establishment of the Artificial True God Project, and recommending participants for the Dimensional Ascension Journey a month from now.”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Bayen struck the Altai wooden gavel in his hand heavily three times, radiating a daunting majesty. The thirty-four formal members of the Supreme Council present, including Bayen, wore solemn expressions.
Ace was not here. He hadn’t managed the operations of the Supreme Council for nearly a century. The development of floating cities, the leapfrog progress of magical industry, and the capture and placement of Level 5 existences on experimental tables—all these matters had nothing to do with Him.
In the Starry Sky Hall, the Mythical Wizard Thales stood up. He and his wife, the Mythical Wizard Blania, jointly oversaw the Artificial Sub-plane Project this time.
He walked slowly onto the stage, looked around at the wizards, and said clearly: “The Artificial Sub-plane Project was launched thirty years ago. This is an extremely important project in our wizards’ Centenary Plan.
“Our goal is to establish a complete sub-plane structure entirely based on nuclear magic providing energy, and relying on the Magic Net for auxiliary energy supply.
“This research significantly overlaps with the Artificial True God Project. It can be said that at this critical juncture of the project, the launch of the Artificial True God Project is also very necessary.
“Here, I must first thank seven Mythical Wizards. It is your diligent hunting and capturing of Elven Outer Gods, and even breaching sub-planes, that allowed us to obtain precious experimental materials, providing a solid foundation for the massive progress of the experiment.”
After speaking, he bowed deeply. The seven Mythical Wizards mentioned by Thales also stood up to express their gratitude.
Thales continued: “This is the fourth time reporting our progress to everyone. We have already completed the outer shell of the sub-plane project. Here we utilized some technology from the internal structure of the World-Swallowing Worm. Besides this, Lord Ace also gave us great help: ten controllable nuclear fusion energy cores provided a powerful engine for our dream.
“Now, everyone please look at my holographic diagram…”
Thales snapped his fingers, and a three-dimensional holographic design of the artificial sub-plane emerged.
“The colored part here is reality; the other blue areas are currently being constructed and tackled. We have focused on solving the artificial crystal wall technology. The crystal wall of a sub-plane is distinctly different from that of a demi-plane. We compared the sub-plane crystal wall fragments of nearly thirty different deities, reverse-translated the profound mysteries contained within them, and after filtering out information related to rule domains, constructed a pure artificial crystal wall.
“Structurally, we referenced some structures of the World-Swallowing Worm and the Dragon race to make the sub-plane more flexible. This is not just a sub-plane; it is even more a mobile war fortress. According to my predictions, this artificial sub-plane should ultimately be able to serve as an important combat unit for wandering invasions in the Astral Plane.
“For this reason, we have focused our energy on combat efficacy. The rule layer of the sub-plane is the most difficult part to design, and also the current bottleneck. This requires the research of True Gods…”
Thales finally finished speaking, and the Mythical Lich Witte took the stage. He maintained the image of a youth; except for his slightly pale skin, he looked no different from a normal person.
As a veteran Mythical Wizard, Witte’s strength was extremely powerful. Like the other Mythical Wizards present, he had long possessed the strength to charge for Immortal Legend, but they had all coincidentally chosen to wait.
Because Ace had provided them with a plan: the Dimensional Ascension Journey Plan. Every five years, all Mythical Wizards and a portion of outstanding Legendary Wizards could go to Ace’s sub-plane and pass through the Ascension Door.
Using a Level 4 or even Level 3 body to experience the four-dimensional space-time that only Level 5 could experience gave them greater certainty. However, the path of wizards was ultimately different from that of deities; they wanted to research the mysteries of the fourth dimension more, so as to advance more securely.
Witte’s voice was very clear and ringing, not sounding like a Lich at all.
“Research on True Gods, or rather, Level 5 existences, is imperative. Actually, Level 5 existences include not only True Gods but also Immortal Legendary Wizards. But our Immortal Legendary Wizards are too few—only three—and they aren’t very willing to cooperate with research. So we can only research True Gods.”
As soon as he took the stage, Witte poked fun at the several Immortal Legends. The wizards present couldn’t help laughing. Subsequently, Witte clapped his hands twice and said in a low voice: “Stop laughing. Their Excellencies Betty and Bayen have already projected radiation at me with their eyes. Everyone, quickly forget what I just said, haha.
“Getting down to business, the research of True Gods is very important. We have already captured Outer Gods, demons, and devils—various True Gods or existences akin to True Gods—sixty-three in total, each sealed in a specific location.
“Today, I am applying to the Supreme Council for the authority to use Level 5 living sealed subjects, mainly to research the composition of the True God’s Heart—which is akin to a mental imagery world—as well as the divine soul and divine body.
“I have already discussed with the two Mythical Knights, Arno and Ancestar, to try and draw out the Holy Light of Virtue and the Dark Radiance of Sin. Additionally, I hope to add four-dimensional research, and apply to research the Fruit of Immortality.”
Bayen walked onto the stage, knocked twice with his gavel, and said loudly: “Does anyone have anything to say regarding Witte’s proposal?”
Betty was the first to stand up, saying clearly: “His Excellency Witte’s proposal is very good. However, I do not approve of conducting four-dimensional research. Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but there are too many variables in four-dimensional space-time, and we haven’t yet summarized many patterns. Taking captives into the fourth dimension has an extremely high possibility of going out of control. Therefore, I object.”
The other wizards also whispered among themselves. Bayen tapped his gavel, asking the members of the Supreme Council to add to the proposal. Logan also stood up and said in a steady voice: “I believe the Fruit of Immortality is very important. Since we only have this one living Fruit of Immortality, it should be established as a separate research project.”
Witte raised an eyebrow. Logan’s words were intended to split the project.
The Supreme Council suspended the meeting for discussion. About half an hour later, they passed a revised resolution.
“I will now announce the revised resolution. Witte will be in charge of the True God Research Project and has the authority to mobilize the sixty-three sealed living subjects. Taking living subjects to the fourth dimension for research is temporarily prohibited. The focus of the research will be on the True God’s Heart.
“Logan will be in charge of the Fruit of Immortality Research Project and has the authority to go to four-dimensional space-time.”
Witte looked displeased, but this was a collective resolution, and he had no choice but to comply.
Bayen waited for everyone to take their seats, tapped his gavel, and continued: “Next is the routine item: proceeding to the Ascension Door. All members of the Supreme Council will participate. Does anyone need to request a leave of absence?”
There wasn’t the slightest movement. For Mythical Wizards, this was an extremely rare opportunity. Lord Ace only opened the Magic Sanctuary once every three years; no one wanted to give it up.
Even the two Immortal Legends, under the current Godfall Storm, could not go to four-dimensional space-time on their own, and thus valued this opportunity very much.
Seeing that no wizard requested a leave, Bayen nodded slightly; he was just going through the motions.
“Next, please have each Mythical Wizard recommend two Legendary Wizards, and each Immortal Legendary Wizard recommend three Legendary Wizards, to go to the Magic Sanctuary together.”
As the very top of the wizard pyramid, every formal member of the Supreme Council was a big shot in their own right, with corresponding networks and resources under their command. And the most important resource among them was the qualification to recommend for dimensional ascension granted by Ace.
They had long since decided on their candidates. Bayen unrolled a magic parchment scroll, and everyone successively wrote down their recommended names on it.
A month later, over a hundred Immortal Legendary Wizards, Mythical Wizards, and Legendary Wizards gathered at the ring-shaped Magic Array Square at the top of the Central High Tower.
They respectfully bowed together towards the statue of Ace, stood in their distributed positions on the magic array, and silently chanted the magical language prayer.
“Respected Leader of Magic, Lord of the Magic Net and Dreams, Great Firelinker, His Excellency Ace, we sincerely call upon You, we genuinely praise You. Please open the door to the galactic universe and guide us into the Magic Sanctuary.”
Light flickered, and dream-like colors swirled. The Dream Star on the horizon suddenly burst with brilliant light, and the magic array echoed it. The wizards gradually disappeared.
“Stand firmly! We are about to pass through the Time Maze constructed by the Tenth Ring Legendary Spell, Space-Time Mythal. The magic array will pass through the three-dimensional channel of the Space-Time Mythal; please, everyone, be absolutely sure not to leave the range of the magic array!”
Standing not far from Ace’s statue, Bayen shouted loudly. His expression was incomparably solemn, and the faces of all the wizards were also taut. This was a terrifying magic capable of instantly trapping hundreds of True Gods.
In the Ring of Academia, District One, inside the Central High Tower, in Ace’s study.
A figure mistily appeared. It was exactly Ace. He smiled and shook His head: “This group of guys went for dimensional ascension again. I really don’t know what they’re thinking. Clearly, at least twenty Mythical Wizards could advance to Immortal Legend, and three hundred Legendary Wizards could advance to Mythical, yet they just suppress their advancement, continuously consolidating their foundations and deepening their cognition.
“What’s even more exasperating is that this group of guys is obsessed with applied research. A hundred years have passed, and no one has attempted to explore the further possibilities of relativity.
“It seems I can’t wait anymore. I have to do it myself.”
He unrolled a magic parchment scroll, adjusted His spirit and energy, and began to write a new article.
“What is an inertial frame of reference? A frame of reference at rest or in uniform motion is an inertial frame of reference. Then how to judge rest or uniform motion? The answer is acceleration.
“Then how to judge acceleration? It’s also very simple: maintaining rest or uniform motion is deemed as having no acceleration.
“This is like a circular loop, and it is also the biggest problem of Special Relativity. The two are mutually cause and effect, a dead loop, and the result is neither cause nor effect.
“If the inertial frame is just an ideal state that cannot be judged in reality, then the first principle of Special Relativity is just correct nonsense.
“Therefore, we should have a new law that should be valid for all frames of reference, regardless of whether they are inertial or non-inertial.”
Ace stretched. Meanwhile, the wizards had already entered the galactic universe. Looking at these millions of brilliant stars, they immediately felt a desolate sense of the vastness of heaven, earth, and the primeval universe.
Guided by the magic array, a channel appeared around them, plunging straight into the Magic Sanctuary deep within the galactic center.
Inside the Central High Tower, Ace continued writing: “We can do such a thought experiment. Suppose there is a group of ordinary people in a sealed elevator. The elevator’s cables suddenly all break, and the elevator will undergo free-fall motion. How do the people in the elevator feel?
“First, they will feel uncomfortable due to weightlessness. That’s because humans are accustomed to living under the gravity of the earth core. We won’t consider this point for now.
“Second, the people in the elevator will know nothing about the outside world, because there is no reference.
“In other words, they don’t know if they are in a state of free-fall or floating, like walking in outer space without gravity.
“Suppose this elevator is placed in outer space, and a certain force pulls the elevator. The people in the elevator will only feel the thrust of the floor; that is, they won’t know whether the external force comes from the thrust of a certain object or the gravitational pull of a celestial body.”
Within the galactic universe, the magic array turned into a solid floor. The wizards felt a burst of thrust and charged toward the depths of the galactic center along the channel, staggering and swaying.
Blania held tightly onto Thales and asked in a low voice: “Darling, where do you think this thrust comes from?”
Thales frowned and slowly said: “I cannot judge.”
(Chapter finished)
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