Chapter 1537 Energy and Matter <TOC> Chapter 1539 Naming Practice
Translator: SumTLMan
Everyone initially assumed that Angel’s hesitation in answering was merely an excuse. They speculated he probably couldn’t answer at all and was simply stalling for time, given that the question period was only five minutes long.
To their surprise, what Angel was contemplating was not “whether he could answer,” but that he could “only answer one more question.”
In other words, he intended to address Darren’s query within the next three minutes.
How could that be possible?
Most people thought Angel was jesting, and even Darren wore an expression that seemed to say, “Are you kidding me?” Unfazed, Angel shrugged, promptly extending his finger to point at thin air. A whiteboard for instructional use materialized before everyone’s eyes.
Angel cast a sidelong glance at Darren, stating, “I will demonstrate at top speed and only once. I hope you can grasp it.”
No sooner had he spoken than twisted black lines began to appear on the whiteboard. These lines danced like arcane runes, shifting, wriggling, and accumulating until they eventually formed rows of characters.
No one in attendance was a layman; they instantly recognized that the whiteboard was an illusionary construct. The text that appeared was also formed by the art of illusion. This allowed Angel to go beyond the limitations of physical dexterity; his thoughts transformed into characters in the blink of an eye through the medium of the illusory script.
The characters flickered at an extreme speed, almost instantaneously filling the first whiteboard.
As the first board floated upward, a second one appeared. The characters continued their frenetic dance, spilling onto the second board at a pace too quick for the human eye to follow.
Then a third board appeared… and a fourth…
Initially, most people could discern that Angel seemed to be outlining a logical process, enumerating specific quantities.
Angel’s thought process leaps so swiftly that a substantial portion of it requires a deep reservoir of knowledge and practical experience to grasp quickly. Without such intellectual resources, merely observing would necessitate careful reflection to comprehend the sudden transitions between preceding and subsequent points.
By the time the third whiteboard appeared, all the apprentice wizards present could hardly keep up, doing their utmost to understand each individual character.
When the eighth whiteboard appeared, even some formal wizards who were not particularly adept at alchemy could no longer keep pace with Angel’s agile mind.
By the time the seventeenth whiteboard was displayed, only a sparse handful of alchemists could still follow Angel’s train of thought. Darren and Van Nathan were among them.
At this point, both of them couldn’t afford to ponder anything else as all their attention was riveted on these successive columns of arguments. The moment their concentration wavered, they’d find themselves left far behind by the speed of Angel’s thinking.
Even now, they were beginning to sense that they were falling behind Angel’s mental gymnastics. His thought patterns were not only agile but also highly versatile, covering a vast array of topics that couldn’t be easily condensed into a singular line of argument.
Angel was like a wild horse that had thrown off its reins, galloping away into the distance. Others could either try desperately to chase him, only to see him pull farther and farther ahead, eventually losing him; or stumble and fall midway, lying on the ground in lament; or simply run on foot from the start, destined to lose sight of even his retreating figure.
By the time the thirtieth whiteboard appeared, even Darren couldn’t keep up anymore. Despite straining to understand, he found many aspects puzzling. Yet, based on his experience with the previous whiteboards, he had come to the humbling realization that the incomprehensible points were not due to any fault of Angel’s but rather a deficiency in his own knowledge and waning powers of association.
At a loss over an enduring question, Darren couldn’t help but lift his gaze to look at Angel.
Angel paid him no mind and continued to manipulate the illusion as he wrote.
While Darren was already breaking into a profuse sweat, Angel remained as composed as if nothing had happened.
Watching Angel’s confident demeanor, Darren was already beginning to regret ever bringing up this question.
Based on what he had figured out himself, Darren already knew that Angel’s scope of expertise was far broader, deeper, and more refined than his own. To pose such a question was nothing short of self-humiliation!
Darren’s face alternated between shades of pale and flushed, but he still clung to a glimmer of hope, however faint: perhaps it wasn’t that he couldn’t keep up with Angel, but that Angel had made some mistakes along the way?
As Darren pondered this, he glanced back at Van Nathan.
Van Nathan was the most exceptional alchemist at Achillea Comprehensive College, aside from the members of the Research Institute. Whenever he taught a class, seats were so coveted that they had to be fought over.
If Van Nathan, like himself, was stuck on a particular issue, then perhaps Angel had made an error in his calculations?
However, when Darren looked over, he found Van Nathan still engrossed in the new whiteboard. From the subtle twitch of his eyelids, it was evident that Van Nathan’s train of thought was still solidly trailing behind Angel’s.
That is to say, the bottleneck Darren encountered was indeed due to his own inadequate foundation…
This realization left Darren with a stifling feeling in his chest.
Adding to Darren’s sense of suffocation were the murmurs he heard from behind him, people whispering about what Angel was actually proving.
These were people who had fallen by the wayside, unable to keep up with the intellectual pace, and naturally clueless about what Angel was demonstrating.
However, what infuriated Darren the most was when one of the wizards whispered, “Don’t bother Van Nathan; ask Darren instead. It seems like he has paused; probably he hasn’t kept up with Master Angel’s train of thought.”
Darren felt his eyes redden with rage, but he couldn’t let his irritation show in the face of this wizard’s query.
For one, Angel was still writing, and disrupting someone else’s thought process would likely make him the laughingstock of all. Secondly, the person asking the question was not someone he could afford to offend: not only was this wizard more capable, but he was also a disciple of Master Cicero of “Moon Silver Master,” exceptionally gifted but slightly less experienced in the art of alchemy.
Suppressing his emotions and coloring his face crimson, Darren still quietly answered his question, “He is writing down an alchemy formula.”
An Alchemical Formula capable of incorporating magical blood energy as associative data for verification.
After three minutes, Angel came to a halt.
Before him floated a total of 37 whiteboards in all directions. The first 36 were densely inscribed, while the last displayed an intricately complex formula that seemed dizzying at a glance.
Darren stared intently at the concluding formula. He was unsure of its correctness, but at that moment, he felt as if the symbols on it were like a haughty sage, condescendingly looking down on him, scoffing and displaying disdain for his understanding.
Angel allowed the 37 whiteboards to linger for another twenty seconds, as someone was still following his train of thought.
It was Van Nathan.
Twenty seconds later, Van Nathan had read through all the whiteboards. His initial expression was one of elation, followed by deep contemplation, and finally, a look of longing for more.
Everyone understood that Van Nathan was likely——the only person in the room, who had grasped the complete proofing process of this alchemical formula.
Indeed, Van Nathan had understood. Although there were some aspects he had to judge based on experience alone without digging deeper, he was certain that Angel’s proof, albeit frequently diverging in its reasoning, was flawless.
For Van Nathan, it was as if he had witnessed how a barren wasteland in the realm of alchemy, once a blank space in his understanding, had been transformed from scratch into a towering skyscraper.
The joy of being a witness to such a revelation was ineffable.
He could only gaze at Angel with fervent emotion, for it was Angel who had cultivated this once-desolate terrain!
By the time he was done, it was evident that Angel was not a man of empty boasts. He stood not only at the pinnacle of enchantment but was also vastly knowledgeable in the domain of alchemy. For this reason, he was able to draw from a wide range of sources, employing various methods, to ultimately present an alchemy formula that had never been seen before!
Even if Van Nathan understood that the alchemy formula’s actual application wasn’t as monumental as one might imagine, the speed at which Angel listed it spoke volumes about his profound mastery.
Darren knew the moment he saw Van Nathan’s excited expression and the subtle reverence towards Angel… that the alchemy formula Angel had demonstrated was indisputably accurate.
A person as proud as Van Nathan was willing to bow his head, and that spoke louder than words.
With a silent sigh, Darren finally bowed his head in concession.
Upon catching Van Nathan’s gaze, Angel showed little emotion. He casually erased the previous thirty-six whiteboards, leaving only the last one displaying the alchemy formula.
Turning to Darren, he said, “The answer is this. Do you understand?”
Angel’s tone was even, devoid of any mockery. Yet, Darren felt exceedingly uncomfortable. He nodded swiftly, hoping to gloss over the moment. The last thing he wanted was for Angel to continue focusing on him; he had lost enough face for one day.
However, just as Darren was silently praying for such an outcome, Angel did not divert his attention and said, “You understand? That’s good because you’ll need to use this formula.”
Darren failed to grasp Angel’s intentions.
Angel continued, “Since you posed this question, monopolizing others’ opportunity to inquire, then you must also pay a corresponding price.”
The crowd let out a collective “Huh,” and Darren looked up at Angel in astonishment, unable to fathom what he was thinking.
“See this part of the alchemy formula?” Angel pointed to a segment on the whiteboard, “This is an embedded formula. By calculating the Zvicina variable value for the magical blood energy of different magical bloodstones, and plugging it into this formula, we can then use the entire alchemy formula to find the corresponding changes in magical bloodstone energy.”
“You can borrow this formula to create a list of the energy variations of commonly used magical bloodstones. You can then share it with the other wizards in class as compensation for taking up their question time today.” After a brief pause, Angel added, “Consider it homework I’ve assigned you.”
Upon hearing this, Darren felt his head spin in confusion.
Magical bloodstones are special ores formed by any blood contaminated with magical essence — even the blood of wizards can become magical bloodstones!
How many kinds of magical creatures are there in the world? Even if you discount those that can’t form magical bloodstones, the list is still endless!
While Angel didn’t say “all” magical bloodstones, even just the “commonly used” ones represent a staggering number!
How much time would he need to apply this alchemical formula to generate a list of energy variations for commonly used magical bloodstones?
Darren wanted to refuse, but the situation left him no choice. As the class instructor, Angel had the authority to assign any task. Even setting aside classroom rules, merely listening to Angel explain the formula came with the tacit understanding of a quid pro quo. He had to give something in return.
It was just a time-consuming list. Gritting his teeth, Darren acquiesced.
Angel: “Good, I look forward to seeing your list.”
Though Angel appeared indifferent, everyone knew that this was clearly his way of giving Darren a hard time.
As for Darren, he could now feel the gazes of others on him, tinged with palpable mockery.
He probably had become the butt of the joke.
But what could he do? The bitterness and frustration Darren felt were his own doing and had to be swallowed in silence…
Chapter 1537 Energy and Matter <TOC> Chapter 1539 Naming Practice