When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1054 The Clockwork Revolution of the Holy Machine Court (Part 1)
In early April, sunlight streamed through the crystal glass of the conference room in the side hall of the Mechanical Palace, casting dazzling spots of light on the long walnut table.

After Saint Union established its own glass workshop, the first batch of flat glass orders came from the Machinery Palace.

The classrooms and research institutes of St. Regis University and Dragon Alchemy University have also been fitted with flat glass.

Even some of the ordinary secondary schools in Longsand County, the wealthiest county in the United Kingdom, have gradually replaced their windows with flat, transparent glass.

Not to mention the various glasswares in the research institute's laboratories.

It's no wonder that Kalik was breathing out in response to stress; his laboratory only contained brass instruments, a few thermometers, a balance, and a hand-cranked calculator.

Even under these conditions, he still wrote a groundbreaking paper on etherology, observing and summarizing a large number of etheric phenomena and patterns.

Why should Kerpen and Leonardo be allowed to take more than their fair share?
So what if you're senior?
Glass beakers, the right to use the differential engine, spring pumps, star-cast gears... why does Kalik have to wait in line? Kerpen and his ilk can use them as they please?

"Leonardo is here too? I thought he'd be hiding behind His Majesty the whole time." Kalik stared intently at Leonardo, who was dressed in simple canvas overalls, and gritted his teeth. "Still putting on a show! Still putting on a show!"

Following closely behind his mentor, Lorton stepped into the conference room, still carrying his crossbody bag, but now with a dark ring around his eyes.

In the conference room, eight high-backed chairs were arranged along the table, where scholars attending the paper review meeting sat.

Kalik glared at him, while Mela smiled at him gently and kindly, as if she hadn't written the "throw it out" comment on the paper.

The others were either flipping through copies of papers or tapping their fingers on the table, a thick tension filling the air.

Lorton stood at the end of the long table, his tall and thin figure appearing somewhat frail in the light and shadow.

His coarse cloth jacket had frayed cuffs, and the manuscript he was clutching was soaked with sweat.

Leonardo sat to his side and slightly behind, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the watch chain.

It was a gift from Horn three years ago, and now the watch cover was clicking as he pressed it.

In fact, even today, the number of scholars reviewing a paper would not exceed five.

However, because Kalik and others had released the news in advance, many scholars applied to participate specifically to support the theory of etheric unity.

As a result, there were eight reviewers present for the paper, and nine of them were there with Sylvie.

This doesn't even include Horn.

The room was quiet as they waited until Horn smiled and pushed the pouting Sylph into the conference room.

Everyone immediately stood up, put on smiles, and bowed.

Horn naturally nodded in greeting to each person, and after pushing Sylph to the seat of honor, he took out a small stool and sat down himself.

Seeing that no one spoke, he even waved his hand with a smile: "Just pretend I don't exist. I'm just here to listen in today."

However, to the scholars, this statement was just nonsense. Did they not know whether you were there to listen in or not?

Do you really think I can ignore your opinion?

The only problem is that His Majesty still has some sense of shame, and he even has a saintess backing him up.

As long as the struggle doesn't escalate into a full-blown conflict, and the scope remains confined to academic circles, everything will be fine.

Unless Horn's shamelessness surpasses his academic knowledge, he will surely be able to oust this fake scholar who is trying to gain power through politics.

“Lotonwood,” Shirley spoke first, her voice as cold as ice, “begin to explain your theory.”

Lorton took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing, and began to explain according to the content of the paper.

As the pages of the paper were turned, the only sound in the room was Lorton's voice.

There were no difficulties or questions until the end.

The scholars present naturally had a lot to say, but with Horn sitting to the side, they couldn't say anything.

It wasn't until Shirley spoke with a stern face: "Mr. Lorton, I'd like to ask you, you studied logic, didn't you?"

Lorton nodded.

Sylph continued, "Then do you realize that you've violated the simplest law of excluded middle?"

"I know, but even so, its conclusion is absolutely correct."

"Absurd!" Seeing that Horn remained silent, Kalik perked up and slammed his hand on the table. "Then tell me, how can ether be both matter and spirit?"

"Uh... everyone, please look here..."

"It's all theoretical derivation, right?" Mela pushed up her glasses and added slowly, "Mr. Lorton, reason requires empirical evidence. You say that the etheric field simultaneously possesses both material and spiritual attributes, but who can see it with the naked eye?"

Lorton's face turned bright red: "Force is invisible to the naked eye, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"Hehehe..." Another scholar present sneered, "Then let me ask you..."

"If that's the case, why in reality..."

"Singularity is an axiom, not an assumption..."

These scholars, seemingly without prior agreement, either attacked the very foundation of Lorton's theory as wrong, or proclaimed that such a model does not exist in reality.

It wasn't that they had actually made a pact; it's just that Lorton's theory had been refined and was logically quite rigorous.

One can only attack the theoretical basis or question the real-world model.

Having been attacked so much, Lorton was now in a state of slight despair, even though it was based on his own theories.

Fortunately, Leonardo finally spoke up: "But if this is the theory, we can explain the problem of ether clock transmission loss."

Because we are always trying to build a channel for ether transmission, but what if it can't form a stable channel, and instead forms an ether field?

“If only I could fly, I could go straight up to the sun and see it!” Kalik retorted mercilessly.

“Lord Kalik, you’ve gone a bit too far.” Leonardo wasn’t one to be trifled with either.

Kalik glared at Leonardo: "Dean Leonardo, you submitted your paper without going through the review committee, and now you're testifying for him. How much do you want to promote him?"

"Are you accusing me of academic misconduct?" Leonardo raised his eyebrows.

"Whether it is or not, I can't say for sure, but everyone knows the answer in their hearts."

"Do you have evidence?"

"Do you have evidence for your bipolar theory?"

“Well, let me chime in, it’s part of my job,” Horn, who had been listening the whole time, suddenly said. “If Mr. Kalik has any doubts, he can submit them to the Cheka or the Tribunal to help me meet my quota, hahaha.”

Kalik's momentum immediately weakened by a bit, but he still stubbornly insisted: "Your Majesty, academic discussions should be decided by scholars."

Horn tapped his knee with his fingertips, his voice flat: "It would be best if nothing unrelated to the paper appeared."

I was just listening in; you can continue.

As if encouraged, Lorton suddenly raised his voice: "What if the foundation is wrong? Back then, everyone thought 'The Story of Saint Lan' was a genuine book, but now it's still a fake."

"Huh?" Kalik jumped to his feet, his black robe sweeping over a chair. "You dare compare the theory of ether to 'The Life and Deeds of Saint Rane'?!"

“I’m just saying that reason shouldn’t be afraid of questioning.” Lorton’s voice trembled, but it was unusually firm. “But if we exclude other possibilities, bipolarity is the only possibility.”

The conference room fell into dead silence, with only the sound of wind swirling petals against the glass outside the window.

Mela glanced at the copy of the paper on Horn's lap and suddenly said, "Perhaps we could conduct a public experiment? We'll give you another six months."

“It won’t take six months,” Leonard coughed. “The experiment I’m currently conducting might just prove his theory.”

Kalik was about to retort when he saw Horn nod slightly.

His words caught in his throat, finally turning into a cold snort.

Leonardo stood up and glanced at everyone: "The experimental site is under the Ether Spire of the Mechanical Palace. We can start preparing now."

"It won't take you too long," Lorton said, straightening his back.

“Fine! Then I’ll see for myself.” Kalik retorted, “If the experiment fails, I demand that Lorton’s postgraduate degree be revoked!”

Lorton straightened his back: "If it succeeds, all I need is for the reviewers to acknowledge the paper's value."

Horn stood up and walked slowly to Sylvie's side: "Shall we go take a look?"

Sylph didn't speak, but just stared at Horn's face: "You came prepared."

"Haven't you always pursued the truth? You're not afraid of the truth, are you?" Horn whispered in Sylph's ear.

The skin beneath the downy hair on Shilov's earlobes flushed slightly: "I don't need you to push me, I can do it myself."

(End of this chapter)