My physics masters couldn't possibly be grand mages.

Chapter 20: Pigeons

"Phew~"

The fire in the fireplace suddenly flickered.

Several silver plates flew out of the fireplace and landed precisely on the dining table.

Then, to Tesla's slightly widened eyes, a lot of food appeared on the plate.

Roasted lamb chops, roasted potatoes, and some thick soup.

The mutton fat was still sizzling. The slightly charred, golden-brown crust was sprinkled with cumin and chili, and glistened with oil under the light.

Xia's eyes lit up immediately. He sat down at the table, reached out and pinched the bone, and pulled it open with a crisp crack. The crust split open, and the tender white meat inside trembled and steamed, with juices flowing down the broken bone.

"Have you had dinner?" Einstein asked, taking a set of cutlery from the kitchen and placing it on the table. "Sit down and have some dinner with me, and we can chat."

Tesla did not answer; he simply placed the pigeon coop to one side and stood by the window looking out.

"Is this the Tower of Truth you were talking about?"

He gazed at the clouds in the distance, which were almost level with the ground. "Where are we? On the plateau?"

"It must be on the top of some mountain," Xia said. "And there's absolutely no feeling of high altitude here; the oxygen is plentiful."

"It really does resemble a magical realm," Tesla nodded.

He sat down at the table, looking at the food that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Your 'magic'," Tesla said, "is it conserved?"

"...You're already thinking about this question as soon as you arrive?" Einstein teased.

"What else? Should we ask where the restroom is first?"

Char raised his hand, and a book appeared on the table—it was "The Method of Meditation."

"This is the first step into the world of magic. You can go and take a look. If there's anything you don't know, you can ask Mr. Einstein. He carved twenty-four runes in one night."

Tesla took the book "The Method of Meditation" and flipped through it casually.

A dozen minutes later, his finger stopped on a spiral rune on a certain page, looked at it for a few seconds, then closed the book and put it on the table.

"No need," he said.

Xia was stunned for a moment. "What?"

"No need to ask him." Tesla glanced at Einstein. "I can figure these things out myself."

Tesla sat down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

"There's a dedicated meditation room there," Xia said, pointing to a room.

But all he received in response was silence.

Char took a deep breath.

He recalled that the first time he meditated, it took him more than half an hour just to get into the state of meditation. It's true what they say, it's infuriating to compare yourself to others.

But he could only console himself with the thought that "old people need to sleep more."

The room was quiet for a few minutes.

"How many do you think he can carve?" Einstein suddenly asked in a low voice.

"A dozen or so?"

Considering that Tesla was a genius with a similar level of fame to Einstein, this was already a conservative estimate.

But Einstein shook his head. "No, no more than five."

Xia was taken aback.

"It has nothing to do with IQ," Einstein said. "Our fields of study and directions are completely different. I am a theoretical physicist, using mathematics to reveal the laws governing the universe at the most fundamental level."

Tesla, on the other hand, was an inventor and engineer who put existing physical principles into practice, creating machines that changed the world.

He paused, took a sip of his thick soup, and said, "The Truth Runes themselves are a kind of 'tool' based on the fundamental rules of the universe. He can use this tool very well, but understanding it... will take some time..."

And most importantly, his mental strength couldn't support him carving twenty-four runes at once.

"Won't you get some mental energy after successfully inscribing the rune?" Xia asked.

Einstein shook his head. "That was just a secondary enhancement that came with the soul enhancement. It couldn't keep up later on. The reason I was able to succeed was because I actually only had one rune that I truly inscribed."

They remained silent, giving Tesla as much quiet time as possible.

About two hours later, several points of light appeared around Tesla, gradually forming runes that Char was familiar with.

Char counted them.

Four.

He glanced at Einstein instinctively. The old man held his water glass, his expression calm, as if he were watching something he had expected.

Perhaps because he had witnessed Einstein's miracle of inscribing twenty-four runes in one night, he was not as shocked as he was when he saw these four at once.

But in reality, being able to successfully depict one in the first meditation is already a genius achievement.

Four, and this is the first time I've meditated. I doubt even the few beings currently standing at the pinnacle of the Tower of Truth have achieved this.

Tesla quickly ended his meditation, his eyes filled with exhaustion as he looked at Char again. Before he could say anything, he collapsed onto the sofa and fell into a deep sleep...

Char seemed unsurprised by this; he silently picked up the blanket next to the sofa and covered himself with it.

The sofa is very comfortable, and it's warm next to the fireplace. Sometimes when Char is too tired to go upstairs after studying, he'll just sleep here.

Silent all night.

Char was awakened by a very faint bird call.

He put on his coat and went downstairs. The fire in the fireplace had gone out, leaving only a few dark red embers in the ashes. There was no one in the living room; the sounds came from the yard.

Push open the door.

Tesla sat on the stone steps of the porch. He had changed into clean clothes—not the wrinkled suit from yesterday, but a dark gray coarse cloth coat with the cuffs rolled up twice, revealing his thin wrists.

The pigeon coop was placed beside him, the door open.

Three pigeons perched on the stone steps, tilting their heads to look at him. A fourth stood on his knee, pecking at the breadcrumbs in his palm.

Char sat down beside him. The stone steps were a little cool, but the morning light had already crept to their feet.

"What time is it?" Tesla asked.

Char glanced at his watch: "6:23."

"Is the time the same on both sides?"

"I specifically chose this place when I went," Xia said, "because I was worried you might need to adjust to the time difference."

Tesla didn't reply. He sprinkled the last crumbs of bread on the stone steps, and the pigeons hopped down to snatch them, their wings flapping and kicking up a little dust.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Xia asked.

Tesla glanced down at his hands. He slowly clenched his fist, then relaxed it.

"...After the rune enhancement, my body recovered from fatigue very quickly," he said, his tone carrying an indescribable emotion.

"But here—" He tapped his temple with his index finger, "I wake up earlier than my body. I opened my eyes around four o'clock."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about your 'magic,'" Tesla said. "It's not like electricity, nor like heat. It's like..."

He paused, as if searching for the right word.

"Like something that hasn't been defined yet," Xia finished for him.

Tesla glanced at him but said nothing. He reached out and scooped up the boldest pigeon, placing it on his lap. The pigeon cooed twice and closed its eyes.

"What is it thinking?" Tesla suddenly asked.

"What?"

"The pigeon," Tesla said, "does it know it's in another world?"

Char stared at the small, grayish-white bird curled up in a ball, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"It doesn't need to know," he said. "It just needs to know there's bread here and no one will kick it out. That's enough."

Tesla looked down at the pigeon on his knee. The pigeon's eyelids were thin, and he could see its eyeballs moving slightly beneath them.

"...You're right," he said softly, his tone no longer sharp. "That's enough."

A morning breeze blew in from the valley, carrying the scent of grass and dew. In the distance, the sound of bells rang out, soft and gentle, as if drifting from a great distance.

Char stood up and dusted off his pants.

"Coffee?" he asked.

Tesla didn't look up. "...Add two candies."

Char turned and walked into the house. As he reached the door, he heard Tesla say something behind him.

"Einstein..."

Char stopped.

"Did he really carve twenty-four runes in one night?"

"right."

There was a two-second silence.

"Your directions are different," Char said. "Just like the machines you created, he couldn't create them."

Then he pushed open the door and went inside.

On the stone steps, Tesla gently lifted the pigeon from his lap and put it back in its cage.