Chapter 395 Whisper of Chaos
The rolling yellow sand washed away the unshakable Brass Pass, and the hot wind from hell blew quietly across the cold snowfield.
Ever since Ilana proposed the "Colin-Ottavia Equation", a craze for using mathematical tools to analyze everything has instantly swept the entire "Magic Science Laboratory".
Although The Sage has not yet given authoritative certification to Ilana's achievements, this does not hinder the dissemination and sharing of knowledge.
The young apprentices were no longer satisfied with experience and intuition alone, but began to try to use rigorous formulas to calculate the energy loss of magic circles and use geometry to optimize the structure of alchemical devices.
Although most of the attempts seemed immature and ridiculous due to insufficient theoretical basis, this unprecedented academic enthusiasm filled the entire laboratory with vitality.
The next morning, Luo Yan gathered several of his core apprentices in the center of the laboratory. He held a magic crystal emitting a soft halo in his hand and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Today, we have a new research topic."
"After this high-purity magic crystal is overloaded with source power and then cooled, there's a certain chance that microscopic cracks will form within it, affecting the stability of its energy conduction. Our task is to find and predict the distribution pattern of these cracks."
"Professor Hector said he didn't believe a group of magic apprentices could solve this problem, so I made a bet with him... I believe you can do it."
Jamie, Ram and others were confused.
"Predicted cracks?" Jamie scratched his head, confused. "How...how is this possible? The cracks produced are different every time it cools, right?"
Ram also murmured in agreement: "It sounds like divination, not science..."
Ophelia didn't say anything. She was already biting the quill and thinking.
Just when everyone was at a loss, Ilana suddenly raised her hand.
"Teacher, I'm willing to try!"
"Oh? It seems you have an idea." Luo Yan said with a smile.
Ilana nodded with bright eyes and spoke in a clear and affirmative voice.
"Since everything follows the 'principle of least action,' and the formation of cracks is a form of energy release, I believe it will expand along a path that minimizes energy consumption! I can use... that equation to find this perfect 'optimal crack path!'"
Although the "Colin-Ottavia equation" was her own proposal, she is now the person who is most embarrassed to mention this equation.
Some things don't seem shameful when discussed privately, but become a different matter when discussed in public.
She now finally realized her carelessness.
Although she didn't regret anything.
Luo Yan smiled and nodded.
"Very good, Ilana, go for it!"
After a pause, he continued.
"Of course, others can also think along these lines... Although I recommend you open your minds a little and not be bound by existing frameworks. Perhaps we'll make new discoveries."
After receiving the instructor's affirmation, Ilana immediately immersed herself in the calculations.
She spread out the manuscript paper, and her feather pen flew across it. Lines of beautiful and complex formulas flowed out from the tip of the pen, and she was completely immersed in her own world.
In fact, after her huge success, she also bore a lot of pressure.
The editorial department of "The Sage" was not optimistic about the research results of Professor James Wally, let alone the theoretical results based on them.
Even if this achievement came from the Magic Science Laboratory that has been in the limelight recently, and even if Prince Colin was signed on the paper.
Ilana didn't want to disappoint her mentor Colin. She urgently needed a practical application case to prove the value of the "Colin-Ottavia Equation" to the entire school, so she subconsciously tried to use her new "hammer" to knock open all the "nails".
Jamie, Ram and others looked at the meticulous Ilana in awe. They seemed to have seen the birth of the next miracle in her.
"How long do you think it will take her to figure it out?"
"I don't know... maybe a week?" Ram said uncertainly.
"A week?! I think three days at most!" Jamie said proudly. "Just wait and see, this little thing won't faze her at all."
Three days passed quickly.
As expected, those who set the flag too early were slapped in the face.
During these three days, Luo Yan was busy with the affairs of the Virtual Realm Asset Restructuring Committee and did not put too much energy into the laboratory.
By the time he remembered this, it was already the fifth day.
Clearly, things weren't going well for Ilana.
Her desk was piled high with discarded manuscript papers, each of which was covered with dense calculations and crossed out with impatient ink.
No matter how she deduced her equation, she could not come up with a unique and stable solution. The result always fluctuated between several possibilities and even fell into a logical paradox.
She began to become anxious, and her fair cheeks looked a little pale due to long and hard thinking.
She firmly believed that the problem lay in her calculations, not in the equation itself, so she repeated the same calculations over and over again, completely stuck in a dead end.
"Are you okay?" Ophelia, who came to ask questions and stood by the desk, looked at Ilana with some concern.
Although she regarded Ilana as her rival, she still liked this helpful friend from the bottom of her heart.
"I'm... fine, I just can't figure it out." Ilana smiled helplessly and returned the manuscript to Ophelia. "Thank you for your concern. I will be fine. Give me some time."
Ophelia nodded, looked down at the manuscript paper with the answer written on it, and after a while she let out a long sigh.
It turns out that people are different...
The answer that I couldn't figure out no matter how hard I tried was solved easily by Ilana...even though the latter was struggling with an even more difficult problem.
Luo Yan observed all this calmly.
When he saw another piece of manuscript paper crumpled into a ball, he knew he had to do something, so he stood up and walked to Ilana's desk, looking into her eyes that seemed a little dim with confusion, and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Looks like you're in trouble."
"No, mentor, I didn't..." Ilana raised her head, and a rare trace of panic appeared on her cold face, as if she was a child who was worried that the trophy in her hand would be taken away.
Of course, Luo Yan saw what she was thinking. He smiled faintly and said jokingly.
"Your eyes can't deceive me. I guess you didn't go to bed until around two o'clock last night."
Ilana's cheeks turned slightly red, her lips moved, and she lowered her head a little embarrassedly.
She actually didn't fall asleep until four o'clock last night, but in order not to worry His Highness Colin, she felt that there was no need to tell him about this.
"For a topic I don't know the answer to, I can't give you academic advice. I can only advise you... not to be too obsessed with being an idol."
"…idol burden?"
Ilana looked at him with confused eyes, not understanding why he said that. She was not very famous, and no more than ten people in this wizard tower knew her.
Luo Yan probably guessed what she wanted to say. After thinking for a moment, he continued speaking in a chatty tone.
"Being an idol isn't just something celebrities have. Ordinary people have it too, and... just as much as those with a good reputation. We often forget what we want because of what others expect of us. You don't have to worry too much about whether the editorial department of the Sage Newspaper is satisfied with your theory. I hope you can freely research what you like, and I think this is also your original expectation."
After a pause, he looked at the eyes that gradually changed from confusion to clarity, and continued.
"Also, your equation is a remarkable achievement. It's like a key that opens one magnificent door, but that doesn't mean it can open all doors. This kind of thinking is actually a form of 'path dependence'."
"Path dependence..." Ilana murmured this unfamiliar word, her eyes full of confusion, but also a hint of clarity, as if she had found something.
"That's right."
Luo Yan did not directly point out her misunderstanding, but picked up a crumpled piece of manuscript paper and smoothed out the waste paper ball.
“Once you fall into the trap of path dependence, your knowledge and experience are no longer tools to help you solve problems, but instead become shackles that trap you…Since the original key can’t open the door in front of you, why not try to find a new key?”
"For example, you're always searching for the single 'optimal path' for crack formation. But what if... the formation of cracks isn't a single outcome? Or, for example, each occurrence is a 'probability' randomly chosen among countless possibilities... I believe this possibility also exists."
This was probably the only clue Luo Yan could provide her. After all, he only roughly knew that some things were "chaotic systems" and there was no single result.
Luo Yan originally thought that she would need some time to digest this huge amount of information, but he didn't expect that his words would just become the key inserted into the keyhole.
The word "probability" was like a flash of lightning that cut through the long night, instantly splitting the shackles of thought in Ilana's mind and opening the door to a new world for her.
The confusion and anxiety on her face disappeared, replaced by a kind of ecstasy that came from the heart.
“…Probability!”
She muttered to herself, then suddenly raised her head, and the sharp light in her clear eyes rekindled, even brighter than ever before.
"I understand! I've been trying to find a single 'optimal' crack path, but as you said, every step in this process is likely random! I don't need to predict 'which path it will be', I just need to build a new mathematical model to describe 'which path it might be' and 'how likely it is to appear'!"
Looking at His Highness Colin's surprised face, she took a deep breath and continued in an excited tone.
"The path generated is not fixed, but the probability can be calculated using a function!"
She gave up her obsession with finding the only solution and began to try to use statistical, inductive and probabilistic thinking to touch the unknown area of randomness.
After saying this, she no longer hesitated, immediately grabbed the quill, and devoted herself to studying the topic at hand from a different perspective.
Looking at Ilana who quickly came out of her depression and got into the right state, Luo Yan was surprised and nodded with relief in his heart.
This guy is indeed a genius!
I understand it immediately!
As a "veteran", he could certainly tell that the theory Ilana was excitedly expounding at this moment was the prototype of the axiom of "probability theory".
Although her understanding was still vague, she had already touched the boundaries of this great branch of mathematics with her own insight.
Science is a kind of thought, and the "path optimization equation" is just a tool developed based on scientific thought.
If it is regarded as the only answer, even science will inevitably become a religion.
This is like a swordsman who becomes the best swordsman in the world by constantly honing his swordsmanship. He inevitably regards the sword in his hand as the truth, and forgets that the legends he has created with the sword are the essence of his power.
A scholar who becomes a strong man by exploring the virtual world will inevitably regard relying on external forces as the only way to break the internal circulation, but ignores that the countless people around him are the source of their strength.
This is actually all path dependence.
Or perhaps it is the "demon in the heart".
This thing is not only possessed by top-level strong people, ordinary people will also encounter it. However, the stronger the power, the more difficult it is to get rid of one's own stubbornness.
Luo Yan's gaze returned to Ilana, filled with relief and anticipation.
"I'm glad you thought of this. A true scholar doesn't need a key, but a heart that's forever young. Just go for it, Ilana. Don't worry about whether I'll be disappointed. The process of your exploration itself is enough for me to admire."
At this moment, what he cultivated was not only a "chosen one" who could harvest faith for him, but also a true inheritor of the "scientific" school!
Even if he leaves here one day, the fire that he ignited with his own hands will continue to glow and emit heat on this cold snowy field.
Ilana's face looked like it was on fire. She didn't look up, but just said "hmm" and tried to put her confused thoughts back on the manuscript in her hand.
Now that's better.
The "probability" of having a little idea just now turned into "appreciation" and random thoughts when written on paper.
Luo Yan was sincerely pleased with Ilana's intelligence, and this scene turned into unfathomable awe for His Royal Highness the Prince in the eyes of other apprentices in the laboratory.
In their eyes, Ilana was already an unattainable genius, but His Highness Colin only needed a few casual words of advice to help her overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
This is simply amazing!
Ram nudged Jamie next to him with his elbow and teased in a low voice.
"Well, didn't you swear that Ilana could handle it in three days? It's already the fifth day, and in the end, His Highness Colin had to take action."
"How would I know..." Jamie scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "Maybe I wasn't in good shape the past few days."
Ram looked at him, shook his head and sighed softly.
"You're almost treating Miss Ilana like an omnipotent god. She's just a human like the rest of us. She also has problems she can't solve and needs help... It's best not to put too much pressure on her and put too much expectation on her."
Jamie muttered in dissatisfaction.
"Don't you also regard His Highness Colin as a god?"
Ram coughed sheepishly.
"That's different..."
Not to mention His Highness Colin, any instructor would be no different from a god to these apprentices...
On the other side of the laboratory, Ophelia looked at His Highness Colin with a relieved smile on his face with a bit of jealousy, and pouted unhappily.
She lowered her head and muttered something in a voice that only she could hear.
"A biased ghost..."
At this moment, a devilish thought suddenly emerged in Ophelia's heart, which was filled with jealousy and aggrievedness.
Speaking of which, a certain noble lady from the Kingdom of Rhodes seems to be planning to harm Ilana in the labyrinth trial.
Why not just turn a blind eye? Miss Lastina's methods may not be fair, but who knows, it might make His Highness Colin...
As soon as this thought came into her mind, she was suddenly awakened by the evil thoughts in her heart.
Her fair cheeks flushed red instantly, as if she had done something shameful and wrong. She quickly crumpled up this dirty thought and threw it into the garbage dump of her consciousness.
She felt ashamed of herself for having such a vicious thought and silently repented in her heart.
Saint Sith, Ophelia Castellón, how could you associate with the devil? That's your best friend in Xuebang!
Just as she was firm in her belief, a seductive whisper suddenly sounded in her mind without any warning.
"But... does she consider you a friend? To win the favor of that prince, she won't miss any opportunity to compete with you. If you continue like this, you will definitely lose."
"Enough!" Ophelia's face turned pale. She gritted her teeth and shouted in her heart, "There is no such scum who spreads rumors in the Castellón family! Get out of my head!"
"...And, she's not studying those things just for His Highness Colin! I know she truly loves what she's doing!"
As if realizing that it couldn't shake her will, the voice actually said "get out" and disappeared from her mind in an instant.
Ophelia didn't know what happened, but she felt her heart suddenly relieved, as if an invisible burden had been lifted.
“Strange…”
What just happened?
She looked around blankly, then shook her head vigorously, putting aside the momentary irritation and returning her attention to the question about prime numbers.
Not far away, Luo Yan, who had just returned to his desk, stopped, with a thoughtful expression on his face, and his eyes swept across the laboratory.
Youyou appeared beside him silently and whispered.
"Lord Demon King..."
"The breath of chaos?"
"Hmm...but it's different from what we've encountered before. It's not Novel, it must be something else."
Luo Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, and a playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“…Interesting.”
The corrosion has reached me.
…
At the same time, in a secluded corner of Artisan Street, a girl in a blue robe quietly slipped into a dimly lit shop.
The shop sign had long faded, and a strange smell mixed with dried herbs and unknown preservatives filled the air inside.
The shelves are filled with all sorts of unsettling objects—eyeballs wriggling in bottles, whimpering skulls, and scrolls made from the fur of unknown creatures.
The owner of the shop is an elderly female wizard who is slightly contaminated by the magic of the undead. It is said that she was once an assistant teacher at Xuebang, but was expelled for being obsessed with forbidden research. She eventually opened this small shop under the shadow of the wizard tower.
This street was filled with people who had been driven out by the Master Wizard, but the merciful Master Wizard did not kill them all.
After all, what if it might come in handy someday?
The visitor was Lastina. She had learned about this shop specializing in gray area magic items from a senior student.
As if he had already guessed her intention, the shop owner smiled grimly on his wrinkled face. "Welcome, my dear little one. All Souls' Day is coming up again, isn't it? Tell me, what kind of 'surprise' would you like to give your competitors?"
"How do you know I'm going to use it on my competitors?" Lastina looked at her warily, quietly tightening the wand hidden under her robe.
"Is that even a question?" The old witch chuckled. "Every time I come here at this time, the guests are here for this very reason. Okay, stop beating around the bush, or... you don't really have any good ideas, and you need me to help you think of one?"
Lastina took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and nodded.
"There's this nasty person I need to teach her a lesson, but I don't want to make it too ugly. Most importantly, I can't let anyone suspect I did it."
She wanted to teach Ilana a lesson, but she didn't want to be splashed with the dirty blood of the untouchables.
The smile on the old witch's face grew even wider.
"Then we can only rely on the 'accidents' in the maze."
"That's right." Lastina nodded and said indifferently, "Is there a spell that can attract acid slimes? It would be best if it could be disguised as a trap... The instructor of this trial is Merck, and ordinary tricks won't fool him."
After hearing this, the old witch let out a dry and shrill laugh, as if she had heard some huge joke.
"Attracting slime? Little girl, your trick is too childish."
She sized up Lastina with cloudy eyes and sneered mercilessly, "Your mentor, Merck, may be rigid, but he's no fool. He only needed to take one look at the victim and then watch you and your friend's clumsy performance to guess what happened. So, could it be that you and your target just happened to 'run into each other' in the maze? Or do you not know each other at all?"
A panic expression instantly appeared on Lastina's face. She had never thought of this possibility.
She opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted.
"Generally speaking—"
The old witch interrupted her slowly, her voice lowered a few degrees, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue in her ear.
"I would recommend my clients to be more open-minded. An attack targeting just one person makes the motive too obvious. If there are three or more victims, it becomes an indiscriminate 'accident,' making it difficult to pinpoint the perpetrator through the lens of perceived interests. This way, it's safer for both you and me."
Hearing this, Lastina swallowed subconsciously and asked in a dry voice, "Then...what should I do?"
A mysterious yet satisfied smile finally appeared on the old witch's wrinkled face. She turned around and took out a small box wrapped in rune-marked black cloth from the deepest shadow of the shelf.
"Haha, that depends on whether you have the courage. I recently received a special item. It's very simple to use..."
"You just open it and stay away from it."
…
After hearing about the terrifying effects of the "box", Lastina hesitated for a long time, but finally gritted her teeth and paid the full amount of thirty gold coins.
This is almost her entire living expenses for a month.
She just hopes it's money well spent.
The door of the shop creaked shut, blocking out the sparse sunlight on the snowy field.
The sinister smile on the old witch's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a deep sense of fatigue and helplessness.
She turned around and sighed softly towards the darkest shadow in the corner.
"...I don't understand. Why would a distinguished figure like you take advantage of a student? She's just a child..."
Her thoughts couldn't help but go back to the past.
Once upon a time, she was also an ordinary teaching assistant in the academy. However, because her tutor was addicted to taboo research, after the matter was exposed, she was made a scapegoat and exiled outside the Mage Tower.
She knew better than anyone what a tragic end would be for being a pawn used by powerful people.
Tripping a competitor in a maze trial would at most cause them to fall and learn a lesson. The acid slimes in the maze would at most damage their clothes, but wouldn't actually eat them.
So she didn't feel any guilt about selling some harmless prank props, because there were so many people here who were darker than her anyway.
But the "box" she sold today was completely different.
That would probably be a trouble that even Professor Merck could not handle, and even the poor child himself would be involved in it.
However, she couldn't afford to offend this adult hiding in the shadows, and she didn't dare show her non-cooperation too obviously.
The only thing she could do was to try to scare away the ignorant and self-righteous little girl with her most sinister smile and the most vicious tone.
But unfortunately, she failed.
The man standing in the shadows never showed his face from beginning to end, but spoke in a slow and emotionless tone.
"You don't need to know, this is for your own good."
After a pause, he continued.
"Also, you haven't been home for quite some time, right? Why not go back home in the next few days and come back for next winter recruitment?"
The moment she heard these words, the old witch's body trembled uncontrollably, and deep fear appeared in her eyes.
She understood that this was not advice.
But an order.
She bowed her head humbly.
"yes……"
The man nodded with satisfaction, and disappeared into the shadows in the corner of the room, as if he had never been there...
(End of this chapter)
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