The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 374 Thesis on Shaking the Mage Tower!

Inside Professor Hector Raine's laboratory, the atmosphere was as rigorous and quiet as ever, with teaching assistants and apprentices dressed in mage robes busy at their respective workstations.

Professor Hector was the same.

Although he hasn't been very busy with work lately, today he suddenly decided to personally grade his students' papers to see if there were any talents under his command worth discovering... just like His Highness Colin.

Unfortunately, he had only just opened one of the papers when he was struck by its outdated viewpoints and unimaginative arguments, which made him frown.

He casually wrote a failing grade on the paper, shook his head, and tossed the rest of the paper to the seemingly idle teaching assistant.

Just then, his assistant quickly stepped forward and respectfully placed the latest issue of the Wise Man's Gazette on his desk.

"Professor, your newspaper."

The Sage's Gazette is one of the most authoritative official publications within the Academy. In addition to publishing the Academy's daily affairs and important news, it also functions as an academic journal, so almost every laboratory and mage tower subscribes to it.

Regardless of whether they belong to the Source Law School or the Tower of Great Sages.

Professor Hector was no exception. The first thing he did every day when he arrived at his office or laboratory was to check the Wise Man's newspaper to see what new discoveries his colleagues had made. However, he was a little surprised that today's newspaper was delivered close to noon.

If it had been sent earlier, he wouldn't have had to read those eye-polluting papers.

"Why is it so late today?"

Seeing Professor Hector flipping through the newspaper, the assistant standing in front of the desk smiled sheepishly and said...

"It's said that the newspaper delivery golem arrived a little later than usual because they reprinted a paper that had just been approved."

Hector paused slightly, his index finger holding the newspaper twitching, and a hint of surprise arched his eyebrows.

"Reprint?"

While other mage tower publications often have reprints, this is extremely rare in the Sage's Gazette published by the Great Sage's Tower.

After all, the Tower of Great Sages has the most magicians, and the dozens of pages in the Sage's Gazette are simply not enough to go around. Many research results are already lined up for a long time, and only truly outstanding academic achievements or scholars with absolute authority can receive this honor.

“Yes,” the assistant nodded hastily, looking at Professor Hector, whose face was full of surprise, and continued, “And it is said that this paper was published by the Collin Tower… The three professors in charge of reviewing the paper all agreed that this research result deserved an adjustment in their scheduling. One reason is that the research involves the virtual realm, and the other reason is that they believe it may be helpful to some of the research in the Mage Tower.”

Colin?!
Hector's surprise deepened.

When the No. 440 virtual passage was restored and Prince Colin hurriedly left his office, he simply assumed the prince had gotten lucky. It turns out the prince not only got lucky, but actually made some progress in his research.

"...It's actually His Highness Colin's thesis. I'll have to take a good look at it."

Hector chuckled dryly as he hurriedly flipped through the newspaper and quickly found the paper that seemed to have shocked the reviewers of The Wise Man's Journal.

Soon, a striking headline caught his eye.

"On a New Model of Virtual Realm Interference: From the 'Absorption' to the 'Guidance' of Source Power—Virtual Realm Observation Report No. 440"

A completely new model?

Ha, quite the boast!

Hector grinned, his gaze quickly moving past the title and signature, continuing down the text.

What he saw shocked him so much that he froze in his seat as if struck by lightning, his mouth agape in astonishment.

Especially when he saw the revolutionary arguments and the detailed and undeniable observational data, he jumped up from his desk in surprise.

"Is this okay?!"

Using Source Power to drive the evolution of civilization, thereby accelerating the accumulation of Source Power behind the Virtual Realm?!
What a joke! !

What is the theoretical basis?
He had thought that Prince Colin would share his experience on "reopening the virtual realm portal," but he never expected that the prince would throw out such an astonishing and outrageous theory!

Even more incredible is—

The reviewers were actually convinced!?

The busy teaching assistants were startled by Professor Hector's commotion and turned to look at him inquiringly.

The air in the laboratory seemed to have stopped.

Hector quickly realized his lapse in composure, then coughed loudly, shooing away the gazes fixed on him like flies, and sat back down with an air of authority.

The air in the laboratory began to flow again, but the turmoil in his heart was far from subsiding.

Picking up the paper again, Hector suppressed his restless emotions and began to read it carefully.

Theoretical basis...

It seems there are some.

He was too excited just now and accidentally missed it.

Moreover, in addition to discussing the virtual environment interference method, the paper also put forward a point that caught his eye.

That is, when the mental frequencies of a group of conscious individuals reach similar or even identical levels, the resulting mental force field can cause the source energy floating in the virtual realm to spontaneously gather.

This theory is a further explanation of the idea that "the act of prayer can accumulate source energy near the virtual realm passage," while the term "psychic field" seems to be a creation of Colin himself.

Hector was also hearing about the concept of "field" for the first time, a concept that seemed to originate from the discussion of force in the "scientific" school founded by Colin.

In his paper, His Highness used the concept of "force" to explain this phenomenon, essentially stating that a force field is a special mechanical medium responsible for transmitting the interaction between objects.

The mental field is something similar, transmitting the interaction between mental forces!
To be honest, this description is extremely abstract, especially for those who are completely unfamiliar with the theories of the "scientific" school of thought.

Hector read the discourse almost word by word three times before he could vaguely understand what Prince Colin was saying.

It was during this process that he became increasingly alarmed and full of admiration as he looked at the exhibits!

From "bestowing a bountiful harvest" to "civilizational leap" and then to "reshaping faith," this paper demonstrates not just a simple exploration of virtual realms, but a terrifying ability to macroscopically control civilization, akin to "creation"!
He had always thought that the young prince was just fooling around, but he never expected that behind the seemingly reckless behavior, the other party had such a profound plan and insight!
This is incredible!
"I never imagined... that Prince Colin's research on the Void Realm would reach such a level." Hector put down his newspaper, leaned back in his chair, and muttered to himself, "I... underestimated him."

He should have expected this.

To write such an essay during the apprenticeship assessment, he was definitely no ordinary person. It's just that what happened later made him temporarily forget about that perfect score.

Undoubtedly, this paper will open a brand new door for the exploration of virtual realms, which has been stagnant for hundreds of years in the academic community!

His research will not only provide insights into the virtual realm, but will also greatly inspire the Source Law School's theory of "Source Power"!
If this prince can find some useful treasures in the virtual realm he "modified"... then the "magical science" he created will probably really become a prominent field of study!

Thinking of this, Hector felt half relieved and happy, and half uncontrollably tense and anxious.

On one hand, he was the one who discovered this talent and recommended him to the Council of Sages, and Prince Colin's achievements proved his Hector's discerning eye. On the other hand, given the prince's knowledge, the 440th Void Realm would probably be exhausted very soon, leaving no room for him to get a share.

"...I was careless." Hector sighed inwardly with mixed feelings, and put the newspaper he had been reading again and again back on the table.

Just as he was struggling with his inner turmoil, the laboratory door was suddenly pushed open, and there walked in his old acquaintance—Professor Hobo, who was also a member of the Source Law School, with a delighted expression.

"Haha! Hector! You old codger, you've kept this a secret for a long time! You've quietly unearthed such an extraordinary talent for the council!"

Professor Hobo arrived before he did, his voice preceding him. He strode to Hector's table and exclaimed with delight.

"Did you receive the latest issue of the Sage's Gazette? I just finished reading his published paper, and it was absolutely enlightening! Let me preface this by saying that I have to apologize to you before, because I was complaining to you that you were senile to recommend him to the council as the researcher of the 440th Void Realm! Now it seems that I was the one who was senile; there is no one more suitable than His Highness as the mentor for researching the 440th Void Realm!"

This heartfelt compliment made Hector blush.

Especially when he thought about how he had recently expressed his disapproval of Colin in private, and even suggested a "profit-sharing partnership," he felt so ashamed that his back felt like it was being pricked with needles.

However, out of pride, he couldn't admit that he had actually misjudged the situation, so he could only cough twice to appear calm.

"Ahem! Keep a low profile, keep a low profile... To be honest, I realized a long time ago that this prince is no ordinary person..."

"He's more than just an extraordinary person!"

Professor Hobbes excitedly placed his hands on the wooden table, his spittle practically sticking to Professor Hector's glasses, completely oblivious to the latter's stiff expression, and continued to praise him incessantly.

"That prince's thinking is simply boundless! Especially his groundbreaking progress in the 440th virtual realm, I heard it even alarmed the Council of Sages! Saint Sith, Hector, for the sake of our long-standing acquaintance, could you introduce me to that young scholar? I have a lot to discuss with him about that paper! Please help me!"

"That's easy to say, very easy to say..."

Faced with his old friend's eager gaze, Hector absentmindedly gave him a perfunctory reply while secretly pondering to himself.

The old man did give him a heads-up.

perhaps--

It's time for me to apologize to Prince Colin.

……

At the same time, in Aristotle Thorne's private meditation room, the air was as still as solidified amber.

At this very moment, the high-ranking professor was sitting cross-legged in front of a dark green crystal with his eyes closed, eagerly absorbing the pure source energy through breathing exercises.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks broke the silence.

“Professor, it’s me…” came the urgent voice of one of his tutors from outside the door.

Professor Alistair slowly opened his eyes, a hint of displeasure flashing in his deep gaze.

He doesn't like to be disturbed while meditating.

However, considering that his servant might have important news to report, he ended his meditation and calmly said, "Come in."

The instructor, who had been waiting outside the meditation room, pushed open the door and entered, holding a newly published copy of the "Wise Man's Gazette" in his hand, with an incredulous expression on his face.

"Professor, look at this! It's Prince Colin... He published a paper on the 440th Virtual Realm!"

"Oh?" Alistair's tone carried a hint of nonchalant arrogance. "What groundbreaking insights could that attention-seeking fellow possibly have?"

The tutor didn't dare to reply, but silently handed over the newspaper.

Arist extended his withered hand and casually accepted the Wise Man's Journal, his gaze falling on the paper whose first author was "Colin".

However, just a few seconds later, his composed expression froze completely.

He was so surprised, especially when he saw the observational data cited in the discussion section, that he almost dropped his jaw.

He realized almost immediately that he had made a foolish mistake—he had seriously misjudged Colin's true skill level!

This guy is not some show-off fool at all; all his previous actions were just him "playing dumb to fool others"!
Alistair's face was terribly gloomy.

Especially when he thought about how he had deliberately pushed things along at the council meeting to help this guy get that undeveloped Void Realm No. 440, he was filled with remorse!
This is just great!

Throwing a meat pie at a dog is like throwing it away—it's gone forever!

There's no doubt that the Prince will devour the 440th Void Realm completely. Neither I nor Professor Hector should even think about taking over!
Forcibly suppressing the surging anger and regret in his chest, his wrinkled face regained its unfathomable calm.

After a moment's thought, he handed the newspaper back to his subordinate and calmly gave instructions in a detached tone.

“Now that His Highness Colin has provided us with a completely new approach, we cannot fall behind. You should go back immediately and try to replicate the experimental strategy mentioned in this paper in the ‘Virtual Realm No. 178’ that you are in charge of.”

The tutor quickly took the paper and said respectfully.

"Yes, Professor."

Alistair waved his hand.

"Go down."

Watching the magician bow and take his leave, Arist slowly closed his eyes, trying to enter meditation again, but he was extremely agitated and couldn't calm down at all.

He had no grudge against Colin, but the thought that he had misjudged him ignited a nameless anger within him.

The flame appeared out of nowhere.

Just as he was feeling agitated, the shimmering crystal also moved slightly.

Alistair took a deep breath, pointed his index finger forward, and the stone sparrow perched on the window suddenly spread its wings and circled down towards the bottom of the tower.

A short while later, there was another knock on the door outside the meditation room. Along with it came Skyein's respectful voice.

"Professor, are you looking for me?"

"It is," Alistair said with a cold face.

"Come in."

Upon hearing that cold tone, Skye's heart skipped a beat, but he still steeled himself and walked into Professor Alistair's meditation room.

as predicted.

The moment he stepped into the meditation room, he immediately felt an immense pressure descend upon him, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

“Sgein”.

Alistair turned around, his cold eyes like those of a venomous snake, licking the apprentice's entire body with a dangerous gaze.

Do you know why I called you over?

Sgain immediately knelt down, bowing his head in fear.

"Please forgive my ignorance..."

Whether he knew or not, at this point he could only answer that he didn't know.

Otherwise, things will be even worse.

Alistair chuckled coldly and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"The information you provided was seriously inadequate, and even misleading. This directly led to a major misjudgment of Roxie Collin's strength, for which I lost a valuable Void Realm resource."

Faced with this unexpected challenge, Sgaine couldn't help but smile wryly.

Fortunately, Professor Arist was probably just blinded by anger and wouldn't kill him over such a small matter.

"It's the student's fault! Professor, please punish them!"

Skey humbly lowered his head, sincerely admitted his mistake, and then whispered a reminder in a respectful and earnest tone.

“However, Professor, please forgive me for speaking up for myself. I am merely an apprentice, and the information I can obtain is extremely limited. Moreover... you yourself told me that there was no need to report to you about that prince’s ‘minor matter’.”

Arist's expression stiffened slightly as he recalled the incident and realized that his anger was somewhat unreasonable.

Just as his anger had subsided, he figured it was time to move on from the matter, since continuing to make things difficult for an apprentice wouldn't help.

He pondered for a moment, then turned away with a gloomy face, muttering to himself.

"...It seems I'll have to make contact with Prince Colin myself."

He judged that the storm caused by that paper would soon reach the ears of the "Sage Council".

That is the true highest level of Xuebang.

Perhaps I should establish a relationship with him that goes beyond "friendly" before he climbs to a higher position.

Although they had a minor disagreement, it was far from being an enemy, and there was no need for me to stand on the opposite side.

Just as Alistair was thinking this, a whisper from the depths of his being kept repeating the same phrase in his mind—

Why tolerate that guy?

'Can you really accept this? An outsider, effortlessly climbing to the same position as you, and even potentially... replacing you.'

To shut up!

Alistair's expression twisted for a moment, and he roared inwardly, which scared away the murmuring voice.

Skeeter lowered his head tremblingly, not daring to look at the professor's expression, and respectfully asked, "Professor, do you need me to create some opportunities for you?"

Alistair waved his hand dismissively.

"No need. You can continue to act as my eyes and ears next to him."

As he spoke, his eyes sharpened, and he continued to command in a cold and unquestionable tone.

"...But I want you to remember that from now on, you must report to me everything concerning Prince Colin, no matter how small or big it is! Even if he eats an extra piece of bread or drinks an extra cup of water in the cafeteria, I need to know!"

Sgein felt a chill run down his spine.

He understood that the professor, who had been hiding behind the scenes, was finally going to step in himself.

But the problem is...

Has His Highness never eaten in the cafeteria either?
Feeling the irresistible pressure, Skye ultimately didn't dare to contradict the professor who was in a fit of anger, and could only grit his teeth and give a reply.

"Yes... Professor."

Alistair waved his hand in annoyance.

"get out."

Sgein hurriedly withdrew.

When the door to the meditation room closed, his back was soaked with cold sweat, as if he had just crawled out of a cage containing a wild beast.

For some reason, he felt that Professor Aristotle seemed more terrifying than ever before, his menacing eyes seeming to want to devour him.

What terrified him even more was that there seemed to be more than one pair of eyes staring at him in the darkness, while he had no idea where the other pair was hiding...

……

Within days of the paper's publication, the remarkable academic achievement of "Virtual Realm No. 440" was like a storm, not only shocking a group of professors who studied virtual realms, but also completely reversing Professor Colin's reputation on Xuebang.

In the corridor outside the classroom, magic apprentices walking in groups whispered excitedly.

"I knew it! That prince must have been fully prepared before he did that!"

"As expected of a prince from the empire, his courage is truly remarkable!"

"But I heard he came from the continent of Gana..."

"It doesn't matter! That place is definitely imperial territory too!"

"By the way, have you guys seen the paper's conclusion? Guiding the evolution of civilization to promote the accumulation of source power! That's simply a stroke of genius!"

“I told you long ago that he was no ordinary person, but you wouldn’t believe me…”

The reversal of public opinion wasn't limited to the renowned Prince; it also affected the previously unknown Kurs.

He, who had previously publicly mocked the prince in the library, became a clown in the eyes of the other mages overnight.

There was nothing we could do; his voice was just too loud back then.

And of all things, it happened in a quiet library, and of all things, this kid was making a scathing critique of his own unapproachable prince…

However, he wasn't a very famous guy, and after a few laughs, everyone forgot about the clown.

However, Kurs couldn't get over this hurdle.

He began to become sensitive and suspicious, always feeling that all the whispers around him were mocking his ignorance and shallowness, even though no one actually remembered who he was.

In this constant internal strife, he endured daily torment and regretted his momentary slip of the tongue.

In particular, he discovered that his beloved girl wasn't just sulking; she was completely ignoring him!

The continuous setbacks completely threw him into disarray. For a moment, he felt as if a million ants were crawling all over his heart, making him feel incredibly itchy and restless!

We can't wait any longer—

Finally, Kurs couldn't hold back any longer and decided to strike first before the demon could attack his goddess!
Just a few days ago, he planned to wait until that prince had gotten tired of playing around in the academy, until his goddess was heartbroken, before making his move...

Kurs mustered all his courage and bought a bunch of red roses, which were extremely rare in the northern wasteland, from a merchant on Artisan Street. Just as Instructor Colin announced the end of get out of class, he blocked Ilana, who was about to leave the classroom, and loudly proclaimed in front of everyone.

"Ilana, please forgive me!"

As expected, a chorus of exclamations arose from the surrounding area. Many young men and women blushed, then whispered among themselves and looked over with interest.

what's the situation?
Have a story?
The academic elites of Xuebang are not without any sense of fun; on the contrary, living in the icy wilderness, they are far more repressed than the young people of the Holy City Royal Academy of Arts.

This dull and boring life really needs a little gossip to spice things up, after all, people always crave what they lack most.

Kurs felt a surge of pride, thinking he was incredibly clever. Everyone around was watching, and Ilana must be incredibly shy right now.

He only needs to show his shamelessness, and then press his advantage—

However, when he looked up, he saw a face that surprised him. That cold face was devoid of any human emotion, as icy as the howling snow outside the mage tower.

Although this girl doesn't usually show much emotion, she's never seemed this cold before.

Ilana remained silent amidst the whispers of the crowd, turning away without a word and leaving through another door in the classroom.

Unlike the gossipy apprentices, she had no interest in knowing what happened next.

Clutching the expensive bouquet of roses, Couls stood frozen in place, feeling as if all his dignity had been crushed, and his heart was filled with despair.

The people around him looked at each other, seemingly realizing that it was all just wishful thinking on his part, and then walked away awkwardly.

Soon, only Kurs remained in the classroom.

He couldn't even remember how he left the classroom; he felt like a ghost wandering on a snowy plain.

Just then, he overheard some passing apprentices talking, and the subject of their discussion was none other than Ilana, who had just left.

"Was that Ilana who just passed by? I heard my senior mention her; apparently, she's now Prince Colin's most capable assistant!"

"Ah, I'm so envious..."

"Don't be envious. That girl is really talented. I heard she's the only apprentice in His Highness Colin's lab who has mastered his mentor's true teachings! It's that calculus thing..."

"Unbelievable... How did she learn that? I couldn't understand a word of it..."

The whispers were like a poisonous thorn, piercing Kurs's heart.

His jealousy had completely overwhelmed him, and he couldn't help but interject with a sour remark at the classmates who were gossiping.

"What's so great about her... Do you think Prince Colin gave that thing to her because he admired her abilities?"

The corridor was quiet for a brief moment.

The apprentices looked at the senior who had suddenly interrupted in surprise, wondering what was wrong with him and why he had such a jealous expression on his face.

"……what are you saying?"

A young apprentice looked at him with a puzzled expression, while another apprentice standing next to him spoke more bluntly.

"Isn't 'calculus' something His Highness Colin publicly taught in his science class? We all know that."

Kuls was completely dumbfounded.

Publicly...said it?

But he was clearly in that class, so why do I have absolutely no recollection of it?!

When was this lecture given?!

The magic apprentices exchanged glances, then ignored the strange fellow and hurried away.

(End of this chapter)