Throne of Magical Arcana

“Mathematical conundrums that even you can’t fix?” Natasha was immediately full of interest after hearing Lucien’s words. She picked up the paper before Lucien in the spirit that the ignorant are fearless. Turning the pages quickly, she found the ten conundrums listed at the end of it.

“The four-color theorem… Lucien Conjecture… barber paradox” Natasha read the questions softly, before she was caught in a long silence.

Amused, Lucien looked at her. “How about it? Any thoughts?”

Natasha was suddenly woken up, as if she had been in a nightmare. She scratched her chin habitually and said, “Tricky questions. Yes, they are very tricky questions that require the efforts of all the arcanists in the Congress. Right, Lucien, what do you think of the current situation?”

“I remember you asking me the question not a long time ago.” With a smile, Lucien tapped the table softly.

Raising her head, Natasha said solemnly, “Don’t you always say that things are permanently changing, that stillness is relative and motion and changes are absolute? It’s been many days since I last asked you, during which time many events, such as the explosion in the fission reaction and the transformation of godhood, have occurred. Of course our opinion on the situation must be updated!”

“It has occurred to me that you are getting more and more colloquial.” Lucien teased her.

Natasha pressed her left chest with her right hand and bowed in the manner of a gentleman. Smiling, she said, “I have to thank you for your guidance, professor. Your extraordinary understanding in so many aspects have opened a new gate for me. Hahaha.”

As she approached the end, she seemed to recall a hilarious joke and laughed so hard that she could barely stand straight.

Lucien’s lips twitched, somewhat regretting that he had told too many meaningful jokes to Natasha. “…In fact, the current situation is both clear and complicated. Ever since Viken spread the way to become demigod, we have entered the age of rivalry: top legends hope to become demigods, common legends try to reach the peak, and the non-legends attempt to advance into legends.”

“The rivalry is not just between individuals but also among races, forces and organizations. If you are slightly behind, you may get killed. Even if you survive it, you will still be weakened, and you have to work a hundred times harder to catch up. Also, Viken’s way requires faith, which means cruel competition. Everybody can be a friend, and everybody can be a foe.”

Natasha’s smile was gone after hearing Lucien’s interpretation. “I never thought that Thanos and Viken’s way is normal. It is too problematic and cruel. Perhaps, this will be an age of fierce competitions, but I will not surrender because of that. I’ll find my own path.”

“Me, too.” Lucien did not talk much.

Natasha patted Lucien’s shoulder. “It’s relatively easy for me to make progress from level one of legendary, but it’s difficult for you to reach the peak. Whatever you really think, and whether or not you will walk on Viken’s path, many people will consider you their competitor.”

Lucien understood what Natasha was trying to say. He nodded solemnly. “For both myself and you, I will not stop pressing forward. No obstacles can stop my advancement!”

After seeing the mysteries of immortality, Lucien had a guess about the differences and similarities of the two worlds, but it still required the confirmation of more phenomena. Therefore, he dared not make advancements by proposing the quantum field theory and the standard particle model. After all, his head might explode if there were any disagreement!

“Dozens of level-three legends, and a dozen of top legends. Your ‘opponents’ are not weak at all.” That being said, Natasha’s eyes were glittering with confidence in Lucien.

As they looked at each other, the atmosphere gradually became warm. Lucien pulled Natasha and was ready to kiss her, when Natasha suddenly said, “Right, what about the pollution caused by the fission reactor? How are you going to deal with it?”

Lucien looked at her, amused. “You are truly an expert of ruining atmospheres…”

Natasha chuckled proudly. “I’m caring about the grave pollution problem as a qualified ruler!”

“So, it was on purpose…” Lucien rubbed his temples and said with a vague smile. “I proposed that it be cleaned with a lesser Eternal Blaze, but my teacher rejected it. So, he’s the one taking care of it now.”

……

BOOM!

Inside the Atom Institution, Heidi, who was dedicated to the production of vacuum tubes with magic circles and alchemical items, almost fell under the earthquake. Thankfully, she stabilized her body in time by casting instant spells.

“What’s going on? Why is the City in the Sky shaking again?” Caught unprepared, Iristine and Nodanielle could only clutch the metal tubes on the wall.

The new semester was still more than half a month away. Iristine took the opportunity to visit Allyn with Nodanielle and make friends with the distinguished sorcerers through Heidi.

Looking at Chelly and the assistants like Lowi and Alfalia who fell due to untimely reaction, Heidi shook her head helplessly. “How do I know? This is the City in the Sky. There shouldn’t be any earthquakes. The wind in the sky cannot pass the half-activated defense at all.”

Then, she suddenly realized something. “The shake we experienced last time was caused by the explosion in the fission reaction according to our teacher. Is it another accident? That’s not right. The other reactor was shut off after the previous accident.”

Having not experienced the horror of the fission reaction, she talked about the meltdown of the reactor as if it were nothing more than an accidental damage of a certain magic circle in her laboratory.

“The fission reactor… I hope that no major pollutants are caused…” Iristine said in a low voice worriedly.

At the core of the City in the Sky…

Looking at the chamber where the pollution had been basically cleared, and the wall and the floor which were even more melted and damaged, Fernando nodded in satisfaction. “Eternal Blaze is most effective after all…”

He refused Lucien’s suggestion and looked for other ways to clear the curses and pollutions, but they would’ve all taken at least a month. Better ways were not invented yet. Therefore, too impetuous and too busy studying why the reactor went out of control, he went on a rampage and released an Eternal Blaze whose power was reduced in the spacious room, which prompted the highest defense of Allyn to be activated again.

After the boom, the whole world was clean…

……

A month later, in the district of workers where dwarfs gathered in Rentato…

Augustus, leading Harold, Myrna and the central people of his clan, kneeled before the silver ‘nuclear bomb’, holding their weekly ritual of prayer.

Although Ham, the emissary of ‘God of Craftsmen’, went missing mysteriously, and what Augustus and Harold worried did not happen, such things might happen again now that they had already happened. The fat and defenseless prey would only catch incessant predators. Therefore, with the severe sense of crisis, they fortified their people’s faith in the real God of Steam through various rituals and activities to be better united, in case they were dazzled by other people’s divine powers and attracted to them.

They were not worried about the other fake gods, but the God of Craftsmen, who was also a dwarf, would definitely crush their seemingly tough foundation easily. After all, for the dwarfs from the Night Highland, it would not be a change of faith when they discovered ‘the incarnation of the God of Steam on earth’! Such bragging was barely resistible without the oracle from the Lord!

“You dominate everything. You master the boundary between life and death. You’re the King of the kings, the God above the gods.”

Augustus covered his eyes with his right hand and kneeled deeply. Eclipsed by his solemn voice were his anxious and expectant thoughts, “Great God of Steam, please grant your devout believers divine powers, so that we can defend your honor, practice your doctrines, and construct Atlantis on earth.”

No matter how the Congress of Magic revealed the ‘real appearance’ of the God of Truth and the other fake gods to the intelligent creatures convincingly, as long as divine powers still existed, the foundation of faith would be unshakable. Countless believers would still believe in the existence of the true god!

In a religion without divine powers, the bond among each other was so weak that it would crumble under the first wind! After they left the Night Highland and reached Rentato, too many dwarfs had been fascinated by the marvelous world, corrupted by entertainment and violence, and addicted to the Holmish Church and the Congress of Magic.

“My Lord, we are not impious, but even the deepest faith has to be maintained by power…”

Augustus prayed earnestly and hopefully in his heart again.

The ritual reached the end. Exactly like every time before, the God of Steam did not reveal any miracle.

Harold was more or less disappointed, but what happened to the Night Highland made him dare not to complain.

Augustus was equally frustrated, but when he was about to rise, his head suddenly hummed, and he felt that colors faded around him, leaving only the ivory brilliance and the silver ‘nuclear bomb’ before him!

Then, he felt the most overwhelming power rising from the nuclear bomb and connecting to his soul.

His soul somehow trembled, as if he were faced with a high and mighty being, like the boundary starry night he looked up to every day!

“What I grant you are the mysteries of steam and the essence of machinery. After you grasp them, they will be as intimidating as divine powers…”

Augustus felt that his soul was floating and melting into the ivory light nearby, turning into a sacred and pure cluster of light!

“…I grant you divine powers for you to survive in the ‘dusk of gods’ to happen soon, and for you to learn what steam really represents and what Atlantis really means through comparison…”

“…Whoever leaks the secrets of the divine power will lose the power and be punished!”

The hollow and profound sound echoed next to Augustus’ ears, filling his heart with delight.

Harold, Myrna and the other dwarfs looked ahead, confused and shocked. The silver sacred item released gentle and holy brilliance.

The pure and holy brilliance enshrouded the senior elder on the ground, making him hallowed and rise nonstop!

Suddenly, Augustus stood up, and the ivory light around him rippled out layer after layer, which made Harold, Myrna and the other dwarfs feel lighthearted, vigorous and peaceful!

Is… Is this divine power?

Shedding tears, Augustus raised his right hand and covered his eyes, before he shouted:

“You are one, and everyone!”

Harold, Myrna and the rest of them kneeled on the ground again and prayed in overjoy and astonishment:

“We shall defend your doctrines, so that the holy name of steam will reach the pinnacle again!”