Chapter 396

Rolling yellow sand washed over the Brass Pass that stood tall and unyielding, while the hot wind from hell also blew quietly on the cold snowfield.

Since Ilana's "Kelin-Ottavia Equation" was proposed, a craze for analyzing all things with mathematical tools instantly swept through the entire "Magic Science Laboratory".

Although the "Sage Newspaper" did not give authoritative certification to Ilana's achievements for the time being, this did not hinder the dissemination and sharing of knowledge.

Young apprentices were no longer satisfied with just experience and intuition, but began to try to use rigorous formulas to calculate the energy loss of magic arrays and use geometry to optimize the structure of alchemy devices.

Although most attempts seemed immature and ridiculous due to insufficient theoretical foundations, this unprecedented academic enthusiasm made the entire laboratory full of vitality.

The next morning, Luo Yan summoned his core apprentices to the center of the laboratory. He held a magic crystal radiating a gentle halo in his hand and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Today, we have a new research topic."

"After this kind of high-purity magic crystal is subjected to source power overload infusion and then cooled, there is a certain probability that microscopic cracks will be generated inside, 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 after hearing this.

"Predict cracks?" Jamie scratched his head and asked in confusion, "This... how is this possible? The cracks generated each time it cools are different, right?"

Ram also echoed in a low voice: "It sounds like divination, not science..."

Orphia did not speak; she was already biting her quill and thinking.

Just when everyone was at their wit's end, Ilana suddenly raised her hand.

"Tutor, I am willing to try!"

"Oh? It seems you have an idea." Luo Yan said with a smile.

Ilana nodded with bright eyes and said in a clear and firm voice.

"Since all things follow the 'Principle of Least Action', and the generation of cracks is a form of energy release, I think it must expand along a certain path of 'minimum energy consumption'! I can use... that equation to find this perfect 'optimal crack path'!"

Although the "Kelin-Ottavia Equation" was her own proposal, now she had instead become the person most embarrassed to mention this equation.

Some things don't feel shameful when communicated in private, but in public, it becomes another matter.

She finally realized her rashness now.

Although she didn't regret anything.

Luo Yan nodded with a smile.

"Very good, Ilana, go ahead and do it!"

After a pause, he continued.

"Of course, others can also think along this line of thought... although I recommend that you open up your thinking a bit more, don't be constrained by the existing framework, maybe we will have new discoveries."

Having received the tutor's affirmation, Ilana immediately threw herself into the calculation.

She spread out the draft paper, the quill dancing on it, lines of beautiful and complex formulas flowing from the tip of the pen, completely immersed in her own world.

In fact, after her huge success, she also bore no small amount of pressure.

The editorial department of the "Sage Newspaper" did not think highly of Tutor James Wali's research results at all, let alone the theoretical results made on this basis.

Even if this achievement came from the recently popular Magic Science Laboratory, even if the paper had Prince Kelin's signature on it.

Ilana did not want to fail Tutor Kelin's expectations; she urgently needed a practical application case to prove the value of the "Kelin-Ottavia Equation" to the entire Academy, so she subconsciously tried to use her new "hammer" to knock open all the "nails".

Jamie, Ram, and others looked at the meticulous Ilana with awe; in her, they seemed to have already seen the birth of the next miracle.

"Guess how long it will take her to figure it out?"

"Don't know... maybe a week?" Ram said in an uncertain tone.

"A week?! I think at most three days!" Jamie said triumphantly, "Just wait and see, this little thing can't stump her at all."

Three days passed quickly.

As expected, those who set up flags too early were all slapped in the face.

For these three days, Luo Yan was busy with the Void Realm Asset Restructuring Committee, so he didn't put too much energy into the laboratory side.

And when he remembered this matter, it was already the fifth day.

Obviously, Ilana's progress was not smooth.

Her desk was piled with discarded draft paper, each one filled with dense calculations, only to be crossed out by irritable ink marks.

No matter how she deduced her equation, she couldn't get a unique and stable solution, the result always swaying between several possibilities, or even falling into a logical paradox.

She began to become irritable, her fair cheeks appearing a bit pale due to long hours of deep thought.

She firmly believed that it was her calculation that went wrong, not that the equation itself had a problem, so she repeated the same calculation over and over again, completely drilling into a dead end.

"Are you okay?" Standing by the desk, Orphia, who came to ask a question, looked at Ilana with some concern.

Although she regarded Ilana as her opponent, from the bottom of her heart, she still liked this helpful friend very much.

"I... am okay, just a bit unable to figure it out." Ilana smiled helplessly, returning the written draft paper to Orphia, "Thank you for your concern, I will be fine, just give me some more time."

Orphia nodded, lowered her head to look at the draft paper with the answer in her hand, and after a long while, let out a leisurely sigh.

Sure enough, people are different...

The answer she couldn't figure out even after racking her brains was solved by Ilana in a few strokes... even though the latter was having a headache over a more difficult problem.

Luo Yan observed all this calmly.

When he saw another draft paper being crumpled into a ball, he knew he had to do something, so he got up and walked to Ilana's desk, looking at those eyes that appeared a bit dim due to confusion, and spoke in a gentle tone.

"It seems you have encountered trouble."

"No, Tutor, I didn't..." Ilana raised her head, a rare flash of panic appearing on that cold face, as if she were a child worried about having her trophy taken away.

Her little thoughts naturally couldn't escape Luo Yan's eyes; he smiled faintly and teased.

"Your eyes can't deceive me, I guess you probably went to sleep at two o'clock last night."

Ilana's cheeks were slightly red, her lips moved, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.

Last night she actually fell asleep at four o'clock, but in order not to let Prince Kelin worry, she felt there was no need to say such things.

"For a topic that even I don't know the answer to, I can't give you academic advice, I can only suggest... don't have too heavy an idol burden."

"... Idol burden?"

Ilana looked at him with confused eyes, not understanding why he said that; she was not very famous, and there were no more than ten people who knew her in this mage tower.

Luo Yan probably guessed what she wanted to say, and after pondering for a moment, just continued to say in a chatting tone.

"An idol burden is not something only famous people have, ordinary people also have it, and... no less than those with fame. We often forget what we want because of others' expectations of us. You don't need to care too much about whether the editorial department of the 'Sage Newspaper' is satisfied with your theory; I hope more that you can freely study what you like, and I think this is also your initial expectation."

After a pause, he looked at that gaze that gradually changed from confusion to clarity, and continued.

"In addition, your equation is a remarkable achievement, it is like a key, opening a magnificent door, but this does not mean it can open all doors. This kind of thinking is actually a kind of 'path dependence'."

"'Path dependence'...?" Ilana murmured and repeated this unfamiliar vocabulary, her eyes filled with confusion, but also with 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 draft paper that had been crumpled into a ball, and unfolded and smoothed 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 cannot open the door in front of you, why not try to find a new key?"

"For example, you have been looking for the unique 'optimal path' for crack generation. But if... the generation of cracks is not a single result in the first place? For another example, every time it appears, it is a 'probability' randomly chosen from countless possibilities... I think this possibility also exists."

This is 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 unique result.

Luo Yan originally thought she would need a period of time to digest this huge amount of information, but he didn't expect that his words just happened to be the key inserted into the keyhole.

The word "probability" was like a flash of lightning cutting through the long night, instantly splitting the shackles of thought in Ilana's mind, and pushing open the door to a new world for her.

The confusion and irritability on her face were swept away, replaced by a heartfelt ecstasy.

"... Probability!"

She muttered to herself, then suddenly raised her head, the sharp light reigniting in those clear eyes, even brighter than ever before.

"I understand! Before, I was trying to find a unique 'optimal' crack path, but as you said, this process is very likely to be random at every step! I don't need to predict 'which one it will be', I just need to build a brand new mathematical model to describe 'which one it might be', and 'how high the possibility of appearance is'!"

Looking at the surprised Prince Kelin, she took a deep breath and continued in an excited tone.

"The generation of the path is not fixed, but the probability can be calculated by functions!"

She abandoned the obsession of looking for a unique solution and began to try to use the thinking of statistics, induction, and probability to touch that unknown field belonging to randomness.

After speaking, she no longer hesitated, immediately grabbed the quill, and threw herself into the research of the topic in front of her with another perspective.

Looking at Ilana, who quickly walked out of depression and entered the state, Luo Yan, in addition to being surprised, couldn't help but nod in relief in his heart.

This guy is indeed a genius!

She understood it with one hint!

Standing from the standpoint of a "person who has been there", he could naturally hear that the theory Ilana was excitedly expounding at this moment was exactly the prototype of the axioms of "probability theory".

Although her understanding was still very vague, she had already touched the boundary of this great branch of mathematics by virtue of her own comprehension.

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 a unique solution, even science will inevitably become a kind of religion.

This is like a swordsman who became the world's number one by constantly honing his swordsmanship, inevitably regarding the sword in his hand as truth, and forgetting that the legends he achieved with the sword were the essence of his power.

And a scholar who became a powerhouse by exploring the Void Realm will inevitably regard relying on external power as the only way to break the involution, while ignoring that the common people around them are the root of their power.

These are actually all path dependence.

Or rather, "inner demons".

This thing is not something only top-level powerhouses have, ordinary people will also encounter it, it's just that the stronger the power, the harder it is to walk out of one's own stubbornness.

Luo Yan's gaze returned to Ilana, filled with relief and expectation.

"I am very happy that you can think of this point, what a true scholar needs is not a key, but a heart that is forever young. Go ahead and do it, Ilana, don't worry about whether I will be disappointed, the process of your exploration itself is enough for me to appreciate."

At this moment, what he was cultivating was not just a "Chosen One" who could harvest faith for him, but the true successor of the "Science" school!

Even if one day he left here, this spark ignited by his own hands would continue to shine and heat up on this cold snowfield.

Ilana's face was like it was on fire, she didn't raise her head, just said "Mm", trying to put the thoughts that were stirred up back onto the draft paper in her hand.

That's great now.

The "probability" that just had a little clue, written on paper, all turned into "appreciation" and wild thoughts.

Luo Yan felt sincere relief at Ilana's cleverness, and this scene, falling into the eyes of other apprentices in the laboratory, turned into awe of the Prince's unfathomability.

In their view, Ilana was already an unreachable genius, and Prince Kelin, with just a few light and breezy pointers, let her cross that seemingly insurmountable difficulty.

This is simply too magical!

? C〇

Ram gently touched Jamie beside him with his elbow and teased in a low voice.

"How about it, didn't you swear that Ilana could handle it in three days? It's already the fifth day, and in the end, it still had to be Prince Kelin who took action."

"How would I know..." Jamie scratched his head in embarrassment, "Maybe she wasn't in a good state the past few days."

Ram looked at him, shook his head, and sighed softly.

"You, you're treating Miss Ilana as an omnipotent god. Actually, she is just a person like us, she will also encounter problems she can't solve, and she will also need help... it's better not to give her too much pressure and expectation."

Jamie muttered in dissatisfaction.

"Don't you also treat Prince Kelin as a god."

Ram coughed in embarrassment.

"That's different..."

Not to mention Prince Kelin, any tutor, to these apprentices, is no different from a god...

And on the other side of the laboratory, Orphia looked at Prince Kelin, who had a relieved smile on his face, with jealousy, and pouted unhappily.

She buried her head deeply and muttered in a voice only she could hear.

"Partiality..."

Just at this moment, a demonic thought suddenly emerged in Orphia's heart, which was aggrieved due to jealousy.

Speaking of which, a certain noble lady from the Rode Kingdom seems to be planning to do something detrimental to Ilana during the labyrinth trial.

⊙￠O

Why not turn a blind eye? Although Miss Lastina's methods are not aboveboard, who knows, maybe it could let Prince Kelin...

As soon as this thought arose in her mind, she was suddenly awakened by the evil thought in her heart.

Her fair cheeks instantly flushed red, as if she had done something shameful, and she hurriedly crumpled this dirty thought into a ball and threw it fiercely into the trash heap of her consciousness.

She felt ashamed for having such a vicious thought and silently repented in her heart.

Saint Xisi above, Orphia Castillion, how could you be in league with the devil? That is your best friend in the Academy!

Just at the moment she firmed her belief, a whisper full of temptation sounded in her mind without warning.

'But... does she treat you as a friend? In order to win the favor of that Prince, she doesn't let go of every opportunity to compete with you. If this continues, you will lose for sure.'

'Enough!' Orphia's small face turned pale, she bit her teeth hard, and scolded sternly in her heart, 'The Castillion family has no such scum who sows discord! Get out of my head!'

'... And, she didn't study those things for Prince Kelin! I know, she truly loves the research she is engaged in!'

Seeming to find that it couldn't shake her will, that voice actually really "rolled away", instantly disappearing without a trace from her mind.

Orphia didn't know what happened, only feeling a sudden relief in her heart, as if she had unloaded an invisible burden.

"Strange..."

What just happened?

She looked around blankly, then shook her head hard, threw the irritability of that moment behind her, and refocused her attention on the problem about prime numbers.

Not far away, Luo Yan, who had just returned to his desk, stopped his steps, with a thoughtful expression on his face, his gaze sweeping across the laboratory.

Hearing You You appeared silently beside him and said in a low voice.

"Demon King..."

"The breath of Chaos."

"Mm... but it's not quite the same as what we encountered before, it's not Norville, it should be something else."

Luo Yan's eyebrows raised slightly, a playful smile hooking at the corner of his mouth.

"... A bit interesting."

Corroding all the way to me.

At the same time, in a remote corner of Craftsman Street, a girl wearing a blue mage robe was quietly sneaking into a dimly lit shop.

The shop's sign had long since faded, and a strange smell mixed with dried herbs and unknown antiseptic agents permeated the door.

The shelves were filled with all kinds of unsettling items—eyeballs squirming in bottles, skulls whimpering in low voices, and scrolls made from the fur of unknown creatures.

The shopkeeper was an elderly female mage slightly polluted by necromancy; it is said that she was also once a teaching assistant at the Academy, but was expelled for indulging in forbidden research, finally opening this small shop in the shadow of the mage tower.

This street gathered people expelled by the mage masters, but the kind mage masters did not kill them all.

After all, what if they could be used one day?

The person who came was exactly Lastina. She heard about this shop specializing in selling gray-area magic props from a senior student.

The shopkeeper seemed to have guessed her intention long ago, a sinister smile appearing on her wrinkled face: "Welcome, cute little one. All Souls' Day is here again, right? Tell me, what kind of 'surprise' do you want to give your competitor?"

"How do you know I want to use it on a competitor?" Lastina looked at her vigilantly, quietly tightening the magic wand hidden under her robe.

"Does this need to be asked?" The old witch let out a cackle, "Every time it gets to this time, the guests who come to me are for this. Alright, stop beating around the bush, or... you actually don't have any good ideas, and need me to help you think?"

Lastina took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and nodded.

"There is an annoying guy, I need to give her a little color to see, but I don't want to make it too ugly, most importantly, I can't let others suspect that I did it."

She wanted to teach Ilana a lesson, but she didn't want to get the dirty blood of commoners on her body.

The smile on the old witch's face grew thicker.

"Then you can only rely on 'accidents' in the labyrinth."

"That's right." Lastina nodded, saying in a cold voice, "Is there any spell that can attract acid slimes? It's best if it can be disguised as a trap... The trial tutor this time is Moke, ordinary tricks can't fool him."

After hearing this, the old witch let out a dry and harsh laugh, as if she had heard some earth-shattering joke.

"Attract slimes? Little girl, your trick is too elementary."

She sized up Lastina with turbid eyes and mocked mercilessly, "That Tutor Moke of yours is rigid, but he's not a fool. As long as he takes one look at the victim, and then looks at the clumsy performance of you and your friend, he can guess the process with his toes. Why, can't you and the guy you want to harm just happen to 'meet by chance' in the labyrinth? Or say you don't know each other at all?"

A look of panic instantly appeared on Lastina's face, she really hadn't thought about this possibility.

She opened her mouth, just about to defend herself, but was interrupted.

"Generally speaking—"

The old witch interrupted her slowly, her voice lowered a bit, like a poisonous snake spitting letters in her ear.

"I would recommend my guests to broaden their perspective. An attack aimed at only one person has too obvious a motive. If there are more than three victims, turning it into an indiscriminate 'accident', it will be very difficult to lock onto the identity of the perpetrator through the relationship of interests. In this way, it is safer for you and for me."

Hearing this, Lastina subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her voice asking a bit dryly: "Then... what should I do?"

On the old witch's wrinkled face, a mysterious and satisfied smile finally appeared. She turned around and took out a small box wrapped in rune black cloth from the deepest shadow of the shelf.

"Hehe, that depends on whether you have the guts. I recently just received a special product. The usage is very simple..."

"You just need to open it, and then hide far away."

After hearing the terrifying efficacy of that "box", Lastina hesitated for a long time, and finally gritted her teeth and paid the full price of thirty gold coins.

This was almost all of her living expenses for a month.

She only hoped that this money was well spent.

The shop door closed with a 'creak', isolating the thin sunlight on the snowfield.

The sinister smile on the old witch's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a kind of deep exhaustion and helplessness.

She turned around and sighed leisurely toward the deepest shadow in the corner.

"... I don't understand, why does a noble big shot like you want to use a student? She is still just a child..."

Her thoughts couldn't help but return to the past.

Once, she was also an ordinary teaching assistant in the Academy, but because her tutor indulged in forbidden research, after the matter was exposed, she was used as a scapegoat and banished outside this mage tower.

She knew better than anyone what a miserable end the pawns used by big shots would have.

Giving someone a trip in the labyrinth trial is at most falling down and learning a lesson. And the acid slimes in the labyrinth are at most just ruining clothes, and won't really eat people.

So selling some harmless prank props, she actually didn't have much guilt, anyway there were plenty of people darker than her here.

But the "box" she sold today was completely different.

That is probably a trouble that even Tutor Moke cannot handle, and even the poor child herself will be involved in it.

However, she couldn't afford to offend this big shot hiding in the shadows, and didn't dare to show her lack of cooperation too obviously.

The only thing she could do was try to scare away the ignorant and clever little girl with her most sinister smile and most vicious tone.

But unfortunately, she failed.

That person standing in the shadows never showed his face from beginning to end, just saying in a slow and emotionless tone.

"You don't need to know, this is for your own good."

After a pause, he said again.

"In addition, you haven't been home for a long time, right? Why not go back to your hometown for a few days, and come back when the winter recruitment comes next year?"

At the moment of hearing this sentence, the old witch's body trembled uncontrollably, deep fear appearing in her eyes.

She understood, this was not a suggestion.

It was an order.

She lowered her head humbly.

"Yes..."

That person nodded with satisfaction, his breath disappearing into the shadows in the corner of the room, as if he had never been here...