Did the villainous professor survive today?

"Teacher, what is this?"

Enya stared blankly at the formula in front of her.

"This is the cornerstone of the theory of the common origin of magic."

As Krenk explained, he took a pointer and tapped the blackboard.

"It reveals that mass and energy are equivalent, that is, the mass and energy of matter can be transformed into each other."

Can energy and mass be interconverted?

Enya furrowed her beautiful brows tightly.

Although Kroenke's explanation was somewhat abstract, she still managed to roughly follow his train of thought thanks to her excellent comprehension skills:

"Can I understand it like eating a meal, digesting the rice, and then having the energy to work?"

"You can think of it that way, but this transformation would be purer," Kroenke said.

"Material is frozen energy."

"But, teacher, I still don't quite understand." Enya shook her head.

"I feel that this formula cannot explain some phenomena clearly."

Could you elaborate on your confusion?

"For example, the Rock Wall spell creates a wall made of rock, but after the spell ends, the rock wall will crumble and vanish into nothingness."

After giving the examples, Enya raised her own questions.

"So, teacher, when using the Rock Wall spell, the weight of these rocks was real, and they all disappeared after the spell ended. So where did the things I touched go? Did they return to the archmage's body, or did they just disappear without a trace? If they disappeared into thin air, why wasn't any energy released?"

Kroenke did not provide a direct answer, but instead asked a question:

"In *The Principles of Magic*, what is the definition of a spell?"

Enya answered fluently: "The essence of magic is the manifestation of magical power. Once the magical power is exhausted, the spell will stop immediately."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly understood, as if struck by a divine revelation.

"So, those objects I actually touched were all manifestations of energy? It's just that spells have time limits, which doesn't actually contradict this formula?"

"That's right."

Krenk nodded, thinking to himself that if it really was pure mass converted into energy, then finding a large rock by the roadside might be enough to blast the entire Saint Auster into the sky.

Enya stared at the formula on the blackboard:

"Then, teacher, if that's the case, why can't we create an object?"

"What about thinking about it from a magical perspective?" Krenk asked.

Enya was slightly taken aback, then realized what was happening:

"Creating matter is equivalent to continuously using magic to keep that object existing."

"Yes, because creating a substance means that it will exist forever."

As he spoke, Klenk added another function to the blackboard.

E = mc² * P(t)

"If we add this time function, it makes sense why those things disappear after the magic is used. Assuming the mass remains constant, the more energy used, the longer the object or spell exists. It is precisely because the time is so long that it is difficult for us to create matter out of nothing."

Enya stared blankly at the mass-energy equivalence formula on the blackboard in front of her.

If your teacher used to teach you 1+1=2, you might not know why, but it was correct, so you just used it.

Now, I need to prove that 1+1=2.

The difference between the two is that one is superficial, while the other delves into the core and understands it fundamentally.

Even someone with excellent grades would sometimes seem to freeze up when faced with this kind of knowledge.

She always felt that this formula contained countless mysteries, yet it was also the simplest of truths.

It took her quite a while to finally process what was inside:

"So, teacher, is the purpose of our experiment to prove that this formula is correct?"

"That's right. As long as there is enough experimental data to support it, you can publish a paper. Take it seriously. I'll take you to the project presentation meeting with me."

Kroenke nodded.

Enya nodded in agreement:

"Professor Krenk is amazing, he knows such knowledge..."

"No, I just knew this knowledge before you. Now that you know it too, you're amazing now."

Kroenke casually reached out and patted Enya's head to encourage her.

Then, Kroenke noticed...

Enya suddenly froze in place.

She stood there blankly, staring at Krenk, without saying a word.

A strange feeling began to sprout in her heart.

It's hard to explain or articulate.

"Enya?"

Krenk asked.

"No! It's nothing!"

Enya suddenly shuddered and quickly changed the subject.

"I...I...I just..."

As she spoke, Enya forcefully covered her face with both hands.

"Excuse me, Professor Krenk, I'll be right back..."

With that, Enya quickly left the laboratory.

You have increased Enya's favorability towards you.

[Points +500!]

[Current points: 1250!]

After leaving the laboratory, Enya rushed to the washroom, cupped her hands in water, and vigorously rinsed her burning face.

"No, no, no! This isn't Professor Krenk, it's not him! It's not him!"

Enya shook her head vigorously.

"It's Mr. V! It's Mr. V! Mr. V!"

Enya braced herself against the washbasin, staring intently at the mirror in front of her, as if trying to hypnotize herself.

"Enya, don't get too caught up in it. It's all fake, all an act! It's all for the mission!"

Sharp nails dug into the flesh, and excruciating pain shot through the palm of the hand.

"Enya, don't get too carried away..."

"Don't be too..."

"don't want……"

"don't want…"

As she spoke, Enya's originally resolute tone softened considerably.

She weakly punched the sink, two clear tear tracks sliding down her face.

She turned around, her back to the mirror, and leaned against the sink.

She clutched her chest, remembering how Mr. Klenk had stood up for her in front of everyone yesterday:

"If, if it really were Professor Krenk, how wonderful that would be..."

Enya closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, she opened her eyes, picked up a dry towel from the side, and wiped her face.

She wiped herself repeatedly in front of the mirror, making sure all the tear stains were clean, before leaving the bathroom.

From now on, she must remember Krenk's true identity and do her duty to assist him.

She returned to the lab:

"I'm sorry, Professor Klenk, for taking up your time."

"It's okay."

Kroenke patted Enya on the shoulder.

"Let's continue."

"it is good."

……

The Sea of ​​Dreams.

Deeper and more hidden than the abyss, stands an ancient castle.

A knelt on one knee before the gate of the ancient castle, bowing his head respectfully.

He has been kneeling here for two days, during which time he has remained motionless, like a stone statue guarding the door.

Suddenly, the door opened.

Without thinking, A got up and went inside. Following the dimly lit corridor, he arrived at a room at the end.

Before he could knock, the sturdy wooden door opened by itself.

The room was designed as a study, with a bright candle burning on the desk, and a window at the far end of the room.

A woman's back is to the window, quietly gazing out the window.

"Lord Mengxiang!"

A knelt on one knee, displaying an unprecedented level of respect.

"The sword that once belonged to the lighthouse has been taken away."

Mengxiang didn't turn around, but asked, "Oh? It was taken? When did that happen?"

"Just the day before yesterday!"

"Do you know who took it?"

"I don't know!" A lowered his head, his tone sincere. "Please punish me, Lord Mengxiang!"

"It doesn't matter. It's been sealed for so many years, and it's quite unexpected that it's only been taken away now. By the way, have you noticed anything unusual?"

"...Yes! On the very day I discovered the sword had disappeared, I encountered 'V' at the high walls of the abyss!"

"V?"

Mengxiang repeated it in a questioning tone.

Why is he here?

"He told me that Krenk Ludwig and a sixth-tier elf from the academy had made an agreement to go to the Sea of ​​Dreams, but then they encountered a landslide and ended up in the abyss."

"Is that so?"

Mengxiang lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought:

"Okay, I understand."

"Lord Mengxiang, what should we do next?"

"'A', it's been a while, hasn't it?" Mengxiang raised her head again and looked into the distance.

"Yes."

"Okay, 'A', please bring me the entire letter sequence."

Mengxiang tapped on the edge of the windowsill.

"It's time for the meeting."