546 Theater of Destruction (1/2)

Looking at the infuriated Heidi, Lucien smiled. ”What's to be angry about? So many arcanists of the elemental school share my opinion. Why do I need to waste my time on a worthless paper? Such a hypothesis which uses the result as the premise, until it is proved by experiments, can only be used for mathematical and methodological reference. Did any arcanist write a rebuttal?”

Annick browsed through the journals and shook his head. ”None of the five grand arcanists published any papers. Mr. President and the Lord of Storm, on the other hand, discussed the transformation formulas' application in the Douglas system under different frames of reference.”

”Mr. President published a paper?” Since he did not review it, it was the first time Lucien heard about it. He took over Annick's 'Arcana' and began to read.

Douglas had obviously noticed Oliver's paper last month but was not as upset as the senior-rank arcanists, because it only offered a theoretical explanation and the corresponding transformation formulas. No experiment results or phenomena could prove the theory and explain the light-speed experiment. Instead, Douglas was more interested in the transformation formulas, as the transformation formulas in the past were rather inept after the Brook electromagnetic system was established.

Reading Douglas' paper, Lucien nodded his head. This was the best he could expect. After Mr. President studied the major part of the paper, with his understanding of the electromagnetic system, he would soon recognize something and gain certain preliminary insights. Only in such a case would he not be faced with the special theory of relativity without any psychological or knowledge preparation.

As Lucien read the paper in silence, Heidi murmured, ”I know that you are unwilling to demean yourself by discussing such speculative papers, but the arcanists who support the wave theory think otherwise. They believe that you have been hit by the paper and realized your bigotry in the past, and that's why you quietly backed off and did not argue. This is a sign that the wave theory is making a comeback.”

By 'comeback', she meant the problem whether or not 'Ether', the medium through which waves were transmitted in the vacuum, existed.

The few students were rather excited about the wave theory advocates' slanders against their teacher. It seemed more insufferable than themselves being humiliated.

”What's their opinion on the photoelectric effect and the Brook scattering experiment?” Lucien was holding 'Arcana' and 'Magic' in his hands. Obviously, the arcanists that they knew and were in touch with couldn't have published any papers in the two journals.

After he blew up a tremendous amount of heads with the light quantum hypothesis and won the Silver Moon Medal, the arcanists who persisted in the wave theory clinging to the classic experiments stayed far away from Lucien in fear. As a result, he could only learn their progress through journals.

Sprint snorted, ”They attempted to construct more complicated wave models to explain the photoelectric effect and the scattering experiment, but that's only for discussion and of no actual value. They almost didn't pass the review.”

”Then what are you angry about? Besides, can the particle theory explain the classic experiment images?” Lucien smiled, rather amazed by the wave theory supporters' efforts. However, their efforts were destined to be in vain due to the lack of theoretical guidance.

Heidi found her teacher's casualness very perplexing. ”But they are vilifying you, aren't they?”

”They'll be slapping my face only when they present detailed experiment results.” Lucien focused his attention on the two journals. He realized that after he proposed the light quantum hypothesis and Mr. Brook proved it, the supporters of the particle theory were soaring in number. Many arcanists had changed their opinion and believed that light could be a very strange particle.

However, since the classic experiments still could not be explained with particles, the supporters of the traditional wave theory, after the intense shock at the beginning, got back on their feet again. On 'Arcana' and 'Magic' of this issue, Joaquin, Pesor, Tina-Timos and other senior-rank arcanists all expressed their acknowledgment of Oliver's paper, but they prudently maintained that experiments should be devised according to the theory in order to prove it, and that they should not trust it too much until then. That was a good lesson that they had learnt after Lucien's consecutive revolutionary papers.

Based on the experience from Earth, Lucien knew that the War between Wave and Particle would be long and involve the mysteries about the nature of this world. Therefore, he did not find it strange at all.

Her teacher's attitude calmed Heidi down. She asked curiously, ”What's your paper this month, master? I saw you working on it before.”

”An essay on tensor analysis. It has been published in 'Nature'. You should read it sometime.” Lucien replied, without bothering to raise his head.

Annick, Katrina and other students all looked awful. It had been three years since 'Nature' was established, and it was gradually known as 'the most abstruse journal in history'. Even the advanced arcanists who were adept at mathematics and logic were often too overwhelmed to understand what the papers on it were talking about. The series of papers that their teacher and Mr. Levski worked on in regard to Evans Geometry, in particular, were the best tools to help them go to sleep at night.

Noticing the silence, Lucien raised his head and looked at him with a vague smile, ”Only with a good knowledge in mathematics and logic will your future studies on arcana and magic be easier. Do you need to be fortified in that aspect?”

”Haha. Master, I just recalled that I still had an unfinished experiment. I'll be on my way. Take your time reading your paper. I'll go find Alfalia.” Smiling, Heidi spoke as she backed to the door.

Alfalia had been assigned to her as her assistant.

With Heidi as their example, the excuses such as arcana experiments and magic analysis and construction surged out of the mouths of the students. After only ten seconds, Annick was the only person left in the office.

Lucien looked at Annick, finding it weird, ”Do you not have any unfinished experiment? Or do you really want me to give you more lectures on mathematics and logic?”

Annick scratched his head and said in a low voice, ”Master, my plan was to read the journals…”

Lucien lowered his eyes, only to discover that Annick's journals were in his hands.