Chapter 375: A School of Talents
The storm caused by Virtual Realm No. 440 is still continuing to ferment.
Not only the professors who possessed virtual resources and authority were shocked by Colin's "Virtual Realm Interference Theory", but also the mentors and teaching assistants who had no chance to come into contact with the mysteries of the virtual realm were shocked by the subversive theory.
Just like that, the aftermath of the storm spread from the top of the Great Sage's Tower downwards layer by layer, and soon swept across the entire school!
The sensation this caused was no less than "the reaction of the Solipsians after hearing the whispers of the ancient gods."
If Prince Colin was previously just a "prominent figure" full of controversy and gossip, then at this moment he undoubtedly has added the title of "scholar" or even "pioneer".
Moreover, this title was not claimed by him himself, but was given to him by the magicians of Xuebang!
Apart from those insignificant false reputations, another impact was that the magicians of the Great Sage's Tower finally began to pay attention to his doctrines.
And the word "science", which once made countless people feel unfamiliar or even confused, has become the hottest topic in Xuebang overnight...
At the entrance of the "Magic Science" laboratory, the not-so-spacious corridor was almost packed with apprentices who came here to admire its reputation.
"...Please, Mr. Jamie! Take another copy! I have written my application three times! Please at least show it to His Highness Colin for me!" A senior apprentice was handing the application form in his hand to the helpless Jamie, almost begging.
Before the dull young man could take it, a strong magician squeezed in and spoke eagerly.
"Take a look at mine too! Look at my resume. Professor Colin's arguments on 'mechanics' coincide with my previous research on power-enhancing magic arrays! I swear, I will definitely become his most reliable assistant!"
Jamie opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
He simply couldn't figure out how this "coincidence" was reflected. It couldn't be called a coincidence just because the names were similar, right?
These are two completely different things, right?!
On the other side, Ram was surrounded by several female apprentices. "Resumes" filled with formulas and mechanical drawings were handed to her like snowflakes, making her overwhelmed.
"Senior Ram, look at mine! Three generations of my family have been alchemists, and I have been interested in the decomposition and combination of substances since I was a child! Mentor Colin's 'chemistry' theory is tailor-made for me, and I will definitely satisfy him!"
"I, I'm not a senior, I'm just a preparatory student. I've only been here for more than two months..." Ram's cheeks turned red like apples. She was shy and was not good at dealing with such situations.
The girl who seemed to be a senior student widened her eyes, took back her resume, and looked her up and down with a suspicious look.
"Then how did you get in?"
Ram stammered and was unable to speak. The aggressive look was so strong that it made her, who was already shy, shrink even further.
"Everyone, please go back first!" Jamie stood up at this time. He used all his strength to shout to the crowded crowd, "The laboratory has no plans to recruit new apprentices for the time being! Teacher Colin has no time to read resumes... If there is a plan to expand enrollment, His Highness will issue an announcement!"
After a pause, he shouted again.
"If you really want to enter His Highness's laboratory, you might as well go to His Highness's classroom first to experience it and see if you can accept his teachings... In addition, we were actually recruited in His Highness Colin's class. I really recommend that you do this!"
Based on his understanding of the prince, it seemed that the prince preferred to discover talents personally rather than waiting for resumes to be delivered to him.
After hearing these words, some of the apprentices gathered at the door of the laboratory finally dispersed.
Although it won't be long before a new group of people come around and repeat what just happened.
These fanatical magicians not only come from the School of Source Law, some of them are apprentices who came from other magic towers in the northern wilderness.
Not all of them came here from afar out of their yearning for "science". Many of them just wanted to squeeze into the laboratory to gain qualifications because His Highness Colin had a promising virtual resource in his hands, and maybe even get their names on the paper.
Watching those disappointed figures leave, Ram couldn't help but whisper to Jamie beside him, "I feel like our place is even busier than the registration area for the annual Sage Trial."
Jamie nodded in agreement, a look of emotion written all over his face.
"yes……"
Registration for the Sage Trial begins shortly after the apprentice recruitment, and is mainly aimed at graduates who are about to leave the various mage towers.
Although they had just entered the academy and were not eligible to participate, they still saw the huge crowds of people from afar.
It was like a huge army crossing a single-plank bridge...
…
The popularity of the "Magic Science" laboratory was just the beginning, and its influence soon spread from the laboratory to His Highness Colin's "Science" class.
The classroom, which had seemed a little deserted before because "Teacher Colin never hesitated to give credits", was once again filled with crowded people, and now it was so exaggerated that it was difficult to find a seat.
The spacious classroom was so crowded that there was almost no room to stand.
Hundreds of students arrived an hour early for every class just to grab a front seat. As the empty seats in the corridors were filled, the windowsills of the classrooms soon fell into the students' enthusiasm, and they almost stood outside the windows.
Unlike before, these students who came here for the course were no longer coming for those “free” credits, and many of them didn’t even sign up for the course at all.
Almost everyone comes here with a pure desire for knowledge and curiosity.
Among those who attended the class, there were not only teaching assistants, but also some tutors and even professors...
Barrett sat in the crowd, looking at Colin, the instructor on the podium, who was explaining the "lever principle" in a simple and easy-to-understand way, with half admiration and half regret on his face.
He admired His Highness Colin for being able to achieve such amazing results in such a short period of time, but he also regretted why the opportunities always slipped away from him even though they were right in front of him.
Obviously I was here first...
Looking at the magic apprentices who were listening with fascination and frantically recording in their notebooks, Barrett suddenly felt a sense of urgency in his heart.
He finally stopped daydreaming and calmed down to listen to the class seriously.
"...Give me a long enough crowbar and a stable fulcrum, and I can even pry the entire Great Sage Tower with just my bare hands!" Luo Yan's voice was clear and magnetic, echoing in the ears of every listener. "I know this may sound incredible, but I believe that as long as you have listened to my previous few classes, you will understand why I say this."
Pressing his somewhat sore brows, Skain took a deep breath, put down his quill, and raised his hand. After getting permission, he pushed his chair away, stood up, and asked curiously.
"But sir, what a crowbar can do can also be done with magic, and wouldn't it be easier for us to use the power of magic than to find a crowbar that's long enough?"
He didn't understand why this prince kept emphasizing the power of mortals, when it was obvious that this prince himself was a transcendent.
From the beginning of this course to now, His Highness has never once taught any theory about magic, and the only spells he has demonstrated were all of the Black Iron level.
Thinking of Professor Ariste's urging, Sgain became a little anxious. He hoped that His Highness could quickly enter the field he was good at so that he could stand out.
Otherwise, as more and more students appear in the class, it will be even more difficult for him to attract the attention of His Highness with his magical talent.
Looking at this studious and inquisitive young man, Luo Yan smiled faintly and answered his confusion in a casual tone.
"That's right. I never deny that magic is a powerful tool. In fact, I am an expert in it myself."
Why then——
Just as Skain was about to ask, His Highness Colin, who was standing on the podium, continued.
"...But! Magic is a powerful tool, which does not mean that mortal wisdom is useless. The two things are not only not in conflict, but can also complement each other! For example, if I have a ball of fire in my hand and I want it to burn more vigorously, the correct way is not only to increase the output of magic power, but also to inject a little 'wind' power into it."
Luo Yan waved his hand, and a flame shot out from his fingertips. Then he blew gently, and the flame burned even more vigorously after a moment of trance.
Skain's eyes widened.
It was not because he did not understand the principle that bellows could make the fire burn more vigorously, but because he suddenly remembered His Highness Colin's explanation of the concept of "combustion" in the previous class. The knowledge that was dormant in his mind was suddenly awakened by the swaying flames!
Almost every apprentice can make a fireball, but no one has ever thought deeply about the principle of "combustion".
In an instant, he felt as if something had suddenly dawned on him.
Not just him.
Several professors sitting in the back row of the classroom also showed thoughtful expressions, as if they had some associations and thought of something related to their own research.
Any further thoughts?
I see.
Professor Hector, hiding in the shadows in the back row with his hood pulled down low, nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly had a new understanding of His Highness Colin's thesis.
If the "Interference Theory of Virtual Realm No. 440" is understood as a spell, then the "science" that His Highness taught in class is probably the source of its power.
The former is like an ever-changing "skill", while the latter is the "Tao" that remains essentially the same despite all the changes!
Hector suddenly felt a little regretful after realizing this.
He shouldn't have been prejudiced and treated the prince's theories as a joke. It would have been better if he had come to listen to this so-called science class earlier!
Luo Yan, who was standing on the podium, did not notice what Professor Hector felt, nor did he care about it.
As an actor with professional ethics, his responsibility is to play his role well, rather than paying attention to the expression of a particular audience member.
"…If I can move a mountain with magic, then I, who understand the structure and mechanics of the mountain, can do the same thing with less magic power."
"Of course we should learn magic. This is the talent Saint Sith has bestowed upon us, and it is also the destiny bestowed upon us. However, we should also realize that power comes in many forms, and magic should not be the only answer to everything in the world."
“There is no single truth in our universe. Any discussion about ‘the only truth’ is not science, but religion… Of course, this is just my personal opinion.”
There was applause in the classroom.
Even Professor Hector, who was sitting in the back row, couldn't help but clap his hands, although he quickly put them down.
He came to attend the class secretly and it was inconvenient for Colin to notice his presence.
Skain nodded as if he understood, and sat back down.
Although His Royal Highness Colin still has not given a clear definition of science to this day, he seems to vaguely understand what it is.
For example, Professor Ariste's theory is not science.
But religion.
The gentleman would discuss with him why the sky is green, but would not discuss with him whether the sky is green, when it is green, and which light shines longer and wider.
But His Royal Highness Colin is different.
He would tell his students that you should have your own thoughts, including thoughts about what science is. You should be a knowledge explorer, rather than being blindfolded and bound by dogma in the name of knowledge, using all your life's talents to prove that white snow is not snow and that the tower is not tall, playing sophistry.
The seeds planted in his heart began to sprout.
And it's not just him!
The flames of hope gradually ignited in the eyes of hundreds of magicians sitting in the lecture hall, like lit torches.
The bell for the end of get out of class rang at this time.
Luo Yan glanced at the time and said with a smile.
"Let's get back to the topic we were discussing. I need you to think about how to use scientific principles to improve the magic you are familiar with."
"You don't need to create new magic, just use the spells you are most familiar with! Things that originally required bronze-level spells can be done with less magic, or even magic of a lower level!"
"This question is worth one credit! Students who haven't signed up for my class can also share your thoughts. Just hand in the assignment to my teaching assistant."
Looking at the crowded classroom, Luo Yan continued in a teasing tone.
"Also, for those students who didn't come to class, please tell them that you don't have to attend every one of my classes, but don't miss out on the free credits... After all, many of you came here for this, am I right?"
A good-natured laugh spread through the classroom.
In this friendly atmosphere, Luo Yan announced the end of the get out of class, and then signaled the teaching assistant who was waiting on the side that it was time to go home, even though the latter's work had just begun.
He was busy next...
After class, students poured out of the classroom like a tide. They talked excitedly and brought the sound of their conversation to the public library of the Great Sage Tower.
Looking at the rows of empty bookshelves, the elderly librarian had a completely puzzled expression on his face, his eyes widened and he muttered to himself.
"This is really weird! The book "A Study on Arithmetic Theory and Magical Circle Design in the Early First Era" in Row B, Section 7, has dust on it that is older than I am, and it has been borrowed out completely! When did these brats become interested in archaeology?!"
Standing next to the administrator, the young assistant whispered, "It's probably Professor Colin's science class, sir. I heard it started because of a paper, and now all the boys and girls in the Great Sage Tower are studying his 'science'..."
The Great Sage's Tower has a rich collection of books, which include not only magic works, but also some books that have little to do with magic and record unpopular knowledge.
Normally, not many people are interested in this knowledge. Only some magicians engaged in archaeological research occasionally borrow it to take a look, so there are not many in stock in the library.
Faced with the sudden explosive growth in borrowing demand, the collection was instantly overwhelmed by the crowds of people.
"Science... hehe..."
The administrator sneered and muttered in dissatisfaction, "I think it's just some mortal's tricks. I don't know why the prince of the empire is interested in that thing."
True power is always bound to the soul.
No matter how much that prince argues, a commoner's musket can never defeat a noble's magic wand. This has been the case for the past thousand years!
"Maybe... the Holy City behind that highness has some plan?" the young assistant said in an uncertain tone.
I heard that Hell recently came up with a thing called the Magic Crystal Cannon, which only requires a few goblins to operate and has caused a lot of trouble for the Empire's frontline troops.
The Empire has always been dissatisfied with the slow progress of Xuebang's research on magic crystal cannons, and it is not known whether the arrival of this prince is related to this matter.
The administrator curled his lips, he didn't expect it to be so far away.
"Whatever he's planning, just wait and see. This evil trend won't last long!"
However, he didn't know that this "evil spirit" brought by His Highness Colin not only showed no signs of weakening over time, but instead quietly took root in every corner of the Great Sage's Tower in a subtle way.
In a corner of the public training ground of the Great Sage's Tower, two magic apprentices with bronze-level strength were pondering in front of a dummy target.
They were all students of His Highness Colin, and were currently studying the homework assigned by His Highness - "How to use the least amount of magic to accomplish the greatest task."
Since they were best at fireball, they naturally chose "increasing the power of fireball" as the topic to solve the homework.
Besides, His Highness Colin had given him some ideas on how to increase the power of the fireball in science class, so this topic shouldn't be too difficult.
However, this is how it should be.
But when they really came to the experimental site to verify it excitedly, they found that things were not as simple as they had imagined.
"No, still no..."
After a failed attempt, Bane dispersed the fire element condensed in his hands and complained with a look of annoyance.
"The wind element has limited effect on the combustion of the fire element. Once it exceeds a critical point, the power of the fireball will not only not increase, but will also weaken due to its unstable form... What went wrong? Why can His Highness Colin do this?"
"Could it be because his mental power is stronger than ours? So he can better integrate the wind element and the fire element together?" Hader also looked distressed, scratching his head and analyzing, "If this is the case, I'm afraid we will never be able to replicate His Highness's experiment."
The two of them obviously listened to the science class carefully, but it was clear that they had not yet fully achieved "knowing the facts and the reasons behind them."
Of course, this is also related to the fact that the knowledge their tutors impart in class is still very superficial, and many things are just starting points.
Considering that the students could not accept it, Luo Yan did not talk about the periodic table and oxygen for the time being. He just mentioned in general that flames need air to burn and people need air to breathe. Therefore, miners in the Cana continent usually carry a candle with them when they go down the mines, and judge whether they are safe by the light of the candle.
After some discussion, the two fell silent at the same time. The only sound on the training ground was the whistling sound of other apprentices practicing wind blade techniques in the distance.
Hader unconsciously stared at the magic flame lamp used to illuminate the edge of the training ground. Looking at the dancing flame, his thoughts unconsciously returned to His Highness Colin's classroom.
At this moment, he suddenly thought of something and his eyes widened, as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind.
"Wait... Bane, we... we seem to have been wrong! No! We should say we have gotten ourselves into a dead end!"
Bane looked at him in confusion.
"What's the meaning?"
Hader's breathing began to quicken, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"We have been thinking about how to use fire to 'burn' the enemy to death... But do you remember? Teacher Colin said in class that the burning of fire requires the consumption of something we cannot see... It's called, 'air'? Not only does fire need that thing, we also need it to breathe!"
Upon hearing this, Bane reacted almost immediately and opened his eyes wide in surprise.
"You mean... we don't have to attack the enemy directly, but instead use fire to attack the air around the enemy?!"
"That's right! That's what I mean!" Had clenched his fists excitedly, lowered his voice, and spoke quickly, "We can improve the spell a little bit, appropriately lower the temperature of the flame, and instead make the burning range wider! Just like fireworks, with a bang, burn all the air in the training ground! Guess what will happen to us and the other apprentices in the training ground?"
Following Hader's train of thought, Bane swallowed and his voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"People who stay inside will die of suffocation..."
That's definitely not a pretty way to die.
But it is definitely efficient!
Had nodded excitedly, indicating that he thought so too.
“Right!”
Their eyes met, and they saw a mixture of excitement and fear in each other's eyes!
Although they were extremely eager to verify their conjecture immediately, the training ground was too large. It was impossible for them to complete a spell of that scale with their magic power, and the other magic apprentices would definitely not cooperate with them.
However, having said that, they still have the conditions to verify their conjecture on a smaller spatial scale.
For example, burning all the air in a five-meter-deep well would be more than enough with bronze-level fire magic. They only needed to cast two fireball spells together and then let the first fireball explode at a specific time.
The second fireball would do less damage, but would quickly fill the narrow space and use up all the air within it.
And if there happens to be a steel-level monster that is not good at jumping in this well, then this monster will undoubtedly be killed by them!
Based on this inference, they immediately made a further assumption - if it was in a specific scene such as a maze, with the improved explosive bomb with a second explosion, there would be a chance to use the suffocation effect to kill monsters with strength higher than their own with extremely low consumption!
And it can also avoid damaging the materials on the monster!
Although their assumptions were full of unreliable inferences and did not take the caster's own safety into consideration, it was just a homework assignment after all, and they did not need to write every conclusion impeccably like writing a thesis.
His Highness Colin has always been tolerant of students' homework. Basically, as long as they finish it, they will pass, not to mention that they have written it seriously.
Bain and Hard completed this whimsical assignment with great enthusiasm and solemnly handed it over to His Royal Highness Colin's assistant.
At this moment, the two of them had no idea how incredible the homework they had just handed in was in the eyes of the players in another world.
This group of NPCs actually developed the "thermobaric bomb"!
Although this thing has little killing effect on the skeleton soldiers, all players can't help but feel a sense of urgency.
Urban Slave: "Damn it, this bastard planner is going to increase the intensity for us."
Emotionally stable: "6666!"
Gou Shi: "Can I give these two guys zero points? Such talents must be suppressed. (Funny)"
I'm not afraid of ghosts anymore after I die: "What a fool! Are talents meant to be suppressed? Isn't it better to let the devil corrupt them? (Funny)"
“…”
In the study room of the staff dormitory, the fire in the fireplace was burning brightly. A lazy young dragon was sleeping soundly under the desk, purring comfortably in his throat.
Just as players were arguing over whether to give this brainwave a full score or a zero, a certain demon king who was not doing his job also noticed this unusual homework.
When he read the homework from beginning to end, an expression of surprise appeared on his face.
“What a talent.”
Although the assignments of these two brothers were written very roughly, lacked theoretical basis, and were overly idealistic, the imagination alone was worth more than 90 points.
After all, they didn't stand on the shoulders of giants, at most they were just inspired by themselves. It's not easy to think of so many things by analogy.
Without any hesitation, Luo Yan put the homework into the drawer, planning to hand it to his teaching assistant later and ask him to help bring the two people into his laboratory.
"Hehehe... Lord Demon King, congratulations on discovering another treasure! Oh no, two!" Youyou, who was floating aside, let out a secret laugh.
But not long after, it probably saw the posts from the players and started to worry again.
"But Lord Demon, they are apprentices of the school after all. Aren't you worried that they will use the knowledge you taught them to turn against you?"
Luo Yan smiled faintly.
This was the least of his worries.
"The biggest threat to Hell has never been the Empire, and the biggest threat to the Empire has never been Hell. Let's open our minds a little bit. When the light of enlightenment shines on this snowy plain, the first people to start worrying will never be ourselves."
Looking at Youyou who was still confused, Luo Yan spoke concisely.
"If you really can't understand, just think of us as using someone else's chickens to hatch our own eggs."
This sentence probably triggered some key words. Tafu, who was lying under the desk, suddenly trembled. Her tightly closed mouth moved and she muttered like in her sleep.
“No, I can’t…”
“I really can’t get down anymore.”
Luo Yan: “……?”
(End of this chapter)
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