Mercenary Wars

Chapter 235 Club
"According to the mainstream theory of 'elemental motion,' motion is divided into dimensions and directions. Dimensions include circularity and linearity, and directions include divergence and cohesion." Vice Dean Roger's voice echoed in the classroom, and he waved his wand from time to time, producing blackboard writing or reminding students to pay attention.

"Circular dispersion is 'fire'—flames always spread in all directions; circular condensation is 'water'—water droplets are round. Water and fire have the same dimensions but opposite directions, therefore they are extremely repulsive."

“Direct divergence is ‘wind’—the wind blows you in all directions; direct cohesion is ‘earth’—the earth always guides you downwards. And based on the same principle, wind and earth have the same dimensions but opposite directions, and therefore are extremely repulsive.”

After Roger's explanation, the students were all buzzing with discussion. The classroom instantly became lively; some whispered among themselves, some shook their heads in confusion, and others frowned in thought.

Obviously, most people have never heard of or cannot accept this theory.

"Is there still such a thing?"

“I’ve heard of it before, but I’ve never been able to understand it…”

"That can't be right. Water, fire, earth, and wind are all concrete things, while motion is an abstract thing. How can the two be the same thing?"

Roger stepped down from the podium and walked towards the group of students: "I want to remind you that water, fire, earth, and wind are objective natural phenomena, while the 'theory of elemental matter' and the 'theory of elemental motion' are theories conceived by mortals. Mortals are not the creators, and nature has no obligation to cater to the conceived ideas of mortals. Therefore, it is normal that the theories of mortals and natural phenomena do not completely match. In fact, both have many flaws."

"Some students have already mentioned the flaws in the theory of elemental motion, but have you ever considered that the flaws in the theory of elemental matter might be even more serious?" His gaze seemed to sweep across each person's face, his tone revealing a questioning tone.

The air gradually quieted down.

The theory of elements and matter has taken root in people's minds, and it is regarded as a classic by both churches and various colleges.

People have been exposed to this theory all the time, and now they are suddenly asked to reflect on it and point out its errors. They can't answer it for a while, and everyone is filled with questions.

After a brief silence, Roger asked again, "Then let me ask you, can mortals create elements?"

"No." Everyone answered in unison.

The creation and destruction of elements are the prerogative of the gods, which mortals cannot transgress. This is a basic theological viewpoint, and it also aligns quite well with people's intuition.

"But what is this?" A flame suddenly shot out of Roger's hand and burned brighter and brighter, turning into a large fireball in the blink of an eye. The firelight illuminated his calm face. "There was no fire just now, but now there is fire and more and more of it. Isn't this a kind of creation?"

He dispersed the flames and continued, "Furthermore, you should know that some earth magic can make objects heavier. If we consider earth element as a substance, how do we explain this? Did we create earth element?"

He paused slightly, letting the question linger in the air, and the trainees pondered for a while.

After a while, Roger returned to the podium, first drawing a striking circle of light on the ground with his wand, and then chanting a spell.

“I’ve set up a ‘ring of heaviness’ within this aperture, which makes objects within its range heavier,” he added. “And as we all know, the heavier the object, the faster it falls…”

As he spoke, he took out a feather, lightly placed it near the heavy ring, and let it fall.

The feathers drifted down slowly, gradually approaching the heavy ring.

The trainees watched intently.

One second later, the feather entered the range of the heavy ring.

"Whoosh." The originally light feather suddenly accelerated and fell to the ground like a pebble in the blink of an eye.

“Look!” Roger exclaimed, spreading his arms wide with admiration, “We created movement!”

With a simple demonstration, the previously unfamiliar concept of "elemental motion" immediately became more relatable to the students.

The trainees were all deeply moved.

Gao Jiano was no exception. He looked at the feathers within the halo, his brow furrowing slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

He still had some other questions lingering in his mind.

Does a heavier object fall faster?
This... doesn't seem right, does it?

Based on what he learned in his previous life, this is not a correct conclusion.

But the demonstration just now seems to confirm this statement.

Objects inside the heavy ring are heavier than those outside, and they do indeed fall faster—much faster.

Gaucano sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

At this moment, a voice asked, "Teacher, if elements are in motion, then what is matter?"

Roger: "That's another big problem. The radical view is that there is no matter in the world, only space and motion, and matter is just the combination of the two, like the wrinkles on clothes."

“A less radical view holds that there exists a more fundamental substance in the world that is indivisible, partless, and elusive. Arranging it in a specific way forms what we call elements… This view acknowledges both the materiality and the dynamism of elements, and to some extent, it is a form of reconciliation,” he said slowly.

"Boom-"

The clock struck 10:00, signaling the end of the class.

"This lesson is over." Vice Dean Roger waved his wand, and the words on the blackboard disappeared. "I'll give you a homework question: What are the shortcomings of the elemental matter theory and the elemental motion theory, in addition to those I've already mentioned?"

"Think carefully, don't let theory become a constraint, but rather a ladder to exploration." After saying this, he chanted a spell and teleported away from the classroom.

The students continued their classes.

The courses at Ax Magic Academy are quite numerous, with approximately two classes per day, each lasting about two hours.

Today, in addition to "Introduction to Magic and Elements," we also have "Arcane Theory." Tomorrow's courses are "Spell Analysis" and "God and Soul Studies," as well as "Wind and Fire Magic," "Water and Earth Magic," "Alchemy," and "History and Ethics of Magic."

These courses received varying evaluations from the participants.

Arcane theory and spell analysis are not simple just from their names, and they are indeed so.

Introduction to Magic and Elements, God and Soul Studies, and History and Ethics of Magic are considered easy courses with little hard content. Responsible professors or those under pressure to meet exams will tell stories seriously, while less responsible professors or those with little pressure to meet exams will just tell stories haphazardly. As a result, some people skipped class the second time.

The teachers didn't care. After all, most people at Ax Magic Academy believed that truancy was primarily the teachers' fault.

Either the teachers are not competent, the curriculum is flawed, or the criteria for selecting students are incorrect.

For students who are completely unmotivated, apart from the academic advisors nagging them, the academy takes no coercive measures and is almost completely laissez-faire.

It could even be said that the first principle of the educational philosophy of Ax Academy of Magic—or almost all magic academies—is "selecting suitable people" rather than "cultivating suitable people," and they will not force unsuitable people to change.

Five days of classes followed by two days of rest.

Students who lived far away remained at the academy, spending weekends in their dormitories or traveling in small groups to Ax City and the surrounding area. Gaugano and Darius, living in the mage quarters, naturally went straight home.

Darlis made a best friend. Sophia, a seventeen-year-old girl with the sacred name of the earth element.

Being the same age, or at least what Daris thought, coupled with the natural affinity between those named by the Earth and Water elements, and her excellent access to information, she quickly became Daris's good friend.

Sophia is probably Dariss's third friend after she became a ghost—the first two being Gaucano and Gugu. She is also Dariss's only female friend.

So over the weekend, Daryls invited her to watch Little Cuckoo, introduce her friends to each other, and also show off her owl. For the Avis School, whose symbol is the owl, owning a magical beast owl is indeed an enviable pet.

Daryls prepared a sumptuous dinner for Sofia, including lamb chops, roast chicken, vegetable soup, bread, and several delicate snacks.

During the meal, Gao Jiano, Dalis, and Sofia talked about the club.

"The club is recruiting new members next week. Are there any clubs you'd like to join?" Sophia asked. She was a talkative, tall girl.

Darliss shook her head: "I want to join a club related to runes, but there's only one 'Rune Medical Team,' and their main activity is treating the disabled in the poorhouse. It sounds so boring. The Clock Club seems nice, but they sometimes hold events on the Mystic Stairs, which sounds a bit scary."

Sophia: "Shall we go to the Magic Gourmet Club together?"

"The Magical Gourmet Club?" Darlis's eyes widened.

Sophia nodded: "A young club whose goal is to improve cooking with magic. With your excellent cooking skills, they will definitely welcome you."

She took another sip of soup and exclaimed, "Dallis, you're the best soup maker I've ever met! Who taught you how to make it?"

“Hmm…I practiced it myself,” Darius said, then asked, “What activities does the Magical Gourmet Club have?”

“Various food-related competitions, such as the Magic Cooking Competition, the Gourmet Competition, and the Wild Ingredient Gathering Competition.” Sophia said, gently stirring the soup in her bowl with a spoon, her eyes filled with longing.

As a girl who hadn't eaten for decades, Darliss was indeed very interested in the Magical Gourmet Club and asked many more questions.

The two talked about this for quite a while.

Then Sofia changed the subject: "And you, Gaucano, would you like to go to the Magic Gourmet Club?"

“No,” Gao Jiano said. “I’m considering joining the Elemental Emergency Team and the Exploration Club.”

The Elemental Emergency Response Team is a club dedicated to handling sudden elemental disasters or accidents both inside and outside the college, such as floods, fires, earthquakes, and of course, the "small fires" that Professor Francis mentioned.

This is a very suitable club for practicing magic, and due to its obvious and universal public welfare nature, it has received a lot of support and honors from the academy, church and city hall, making it one of the most influential clubs at Ax Magic Academy.

The reason why Gaogano wanted to join the Elemental Emergency Team was, of course, the oracle of the Goddess of Harvest.

The oracle instructed him to resolve a drought for the plants.

He had no clue about this yet, but joining the Elemental Emergency Response Team might give him some useful information.

As for the Exploration Club, as the name suggests, it is a club that is passionate about exploration. It has close ties and cooperation with the Adventurers' Guild of Ax City and often teams up to go to the Tide Lands.

Gaogano will definitely be going to the Tide Lands often. Joining the Exploration Club will not only give him more information, but he can also find teammates from the club if needed.

Sofia: "Why don't you consider joining the Tracking Club? I've heard that the Tracking Club's activities are similar to the Mystery Club's, but even more exciting."

"Even more exciting?"

Sophia subconsciously lowered her voice: "A senior told me that, on the surface, the Tracing Society's activities are to follow ancient legends and assist the city's security guards in finding missing items and people, but in reality, their activities also include studying the occult and... necromancy."

"Necromantic magic!" This surprised Gaucano and Daris.

“It’s just a rumor, I’m not sure either,” Sofia said quickly, clearly realizing that this could be considered a serious accusation. “Maybe it’s just a rumor, please don’t spread it around.”

Then she asked, "Do you know where the name 'Tracing Society' comes from?"

Daryls: "How did you get here?"

Sofia explained: "The White Agate Opera once had a niche opera called Bones, which tells the story of solving a case using magic. The plot was very exciting. The protagonist was a young sorcerer who could use various spells to obtain key information from relics to solve the case... Later, because it was accused of 'promoting black magic,' the church ordered it to stop performing and also punished the lead actor by making him do community service for a period of time."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Because the magic involved in 'Bones' is so rigorous and intricate, it teaches more than some teachers' classes, so many students are its loyal audience. So after the opera was ordered to stop performing, in order to commemorate it, someone established the Bones Club in the academy."

Gao Jiano and Dalis couldn't help but exchange a glance, both seeing a subtle understanding in each other's eyes.

Darius: "Sophia, do you want to join the Tracking Society?"

Sophia hesitated, "I want to go, but I'm a little worried. Mysticism is fine; as long as it's done under the guise of 'natural history,' the nature of the matter won't be too serious, and the academy will actively protect us. But necromancy—if it's proven, someone will definitely be expelled and transferred to the Inquisition."

Gaucano: "How many people are in the Tracking Society?"

“There seem to be dozens of people,” Sofia added. “I heard they are quite selective in their selection process.”

(End of this chapter)