Chapter 101: The Enigma of the Faceless Ring
Chapter 101: The Enigma of the Faceless Ring
"How is this even possible?" Raphael instinctively wanted to retort. While he couldn't deny the accuracy of what Jisun had said, the question of whether the continent beneath their feet was flat or spherical remained unsettled.
Relying solely on the sails of the sea was too hasty of a judgment!
Raphael was not the only one with such thoughts. Compared to the readily verifiable experiments of freefall, the concept of a spherical planet was the most incredulous one.
No one could create a colossal spherical body that appeared as flat as the ground, and it was even more difficult to fathom such an existence.
Furthermore, nobody could comprehend why the seawater adhered to the surface of a sphere instead of merely falling off.
However, the skepticism of the people did not last long, as the legendary mage who had roamed the skies for days, nearly getting lost, finally returned with shocking news.
Indeed, the land beneath their feet might actually be round! This earth-shattering revelation swept through the entire land of mages. Whether they believed it or not, everyone remembered the unfamiliar name that came from beyond the Mage's Land, Lynn!
"Professor Lynn!"
The next morning, after finishing a session of magical studies, Lynn was contemplating which creature's essence to use as the basis for his advancement when his thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
"Your Excellency Rol, is there something you need?" Lynn inquired, looking puzzled at Rol, who stood behind him.
"This is today's Magical Daily. You probably haven't had a chance to read it yet," Rol said, offering a newspaper to Lynn with a sly smile.
Upon seeing the enlarged headlines, Lynn's mouth involuntarily twitched.
["Disrupting the Foundations of Magic—The Law of Freefall"] and ["Outrage from the Society of Mystical Arts: Magic Theories in the Land of Mages Are Already Outdated"]...
"Are you intentionally causing trouble for me, Your Excellency Rol?" Lynn could already imagine the storm that would be stirred up in the Land of Mages.
"How is that possible? I'm just a regular contributor. I don't decide what content to publish," Rol shrugged and teased, "Besides, I'm merely repeating what you've said."
Lynn rolled his eyes. He hadn't said anything about disrupting the foundations of magic or any such nonsense.
"Don't worry; a member of the Council has ascended to the skies to confirm. It is indeed possible that the land beneath our feet is a sphere," Rol said, deeply moved, though he still found it somewhat unbelievable.
Confirmed from the skies? How high did they have to go?
Lynn's face was filled with astonishment. While the planet might be round, its size was immense. To get a visible curvature, it would take an altitude of about 100 kilometers from the surface, a height approaching the ozone layer of the Earth in his previous life.
However, perhaps this planet beneath their feet wasn't as massive as his previous world's Earth. Alternatively, legendary mages might have extraordinary vision, but at the very least, an altitude of ten kilometers or more would be necessary to observe the curvature with the naked eye. This height was already near the altitude of the Earth's ozone layer.
This development, however, saved him a lot of trouble. Now, with a legendary mage's endorsement and verified facts for both of his theories, he could avoid many complications.
"I think the Council's invitation should arrive in a few days," Rol said.
"Invitation?" Lynn was momentarily puzzled and asked, "What invitation?"
"Of course, it's the academic conference. The Land of Mages holds it every year, and representatives from various schools attend," Rol explained. "And as for your Skyship, Lord Tiek has already submitted the patent application for you."
"In that case, I'll have to thank him properly when we meet next," Lynn said with a smile.
At night, Lynn once again entered the estate as Radrak. The crucibles on the experimental table were still bubbling, and everything was exactly as he had left it. It seemed that no one had entered during this time.
After checking the progress of the potion brewing, Lynn took out the "Book of Magical Creatures" to read.
Being a third-circle wizard who had lived for a long time, Radrak's collection of books was extensive. Many of the books contained knowledge that couldn't be found in the academy's library.
For example, in this "Book of Magical Creatures," there were details about the spiritual essence content and intensity in the brains of more than ten common magical creatures. Generally, the more powerful the creature, the more noticeable the increase in mental power after advancing to a full-fledged wizard.
The only concern Lynn had was that Radrak's estate only had the spiritual essences of Fire Lions, Stone Lizards, and Gryphons. These three magical creatures were of moderate strength, and Lynn wasn't entirely sure of a successful promotion.
After all, the original Carl's magical talent was only average, and if he hadn't come from another world with a fused soul to strengthen his mental power, it would have been impossible to reach the limit of magic energy growth in just two months.
As he contemplated, a slight magical fluctuation suddenly jumped within the sealed chamber.
Lynn became alert instinctively and looked at the source of the magical fluctuation. Under the shattered floor tiles, something was faintly glowing.
[Mage's Hand]
Lynn raised his hand and cast the spell. The shattered floor tiles were quickly lifted, revealing a delicately shaped ring suspended beneath. It was brought in front of him.
The Faceless Ring?
Lynn immediately recognized the item, but it wasn't the same one he had received initially. This one was Radrak's artifact.
He had thought this item would have been burned to ashes by white phosphorus fire. However, it had survived without any signs of damage under temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees, continuously emitting a faint glow.
According to the description on the original envelope, this was supposed to be a signal for a gathering.
Calculating the time, it was indeed the day of the Faceless gathering.
Lynn's expression couldn't help but change. As Radrak had already perished, many things could not be confirmed in person. He could only speculate that Radrak obtained the airship blueprints using soul-searching magic on Relf's mind.
However, the notes didn't mention any use for the airship.
So, it was highly likely that Radrak didn't need it for himself but acquired it for someone else.
After a brief hesitation, Lynn quickly made a decision. Perhaps he could attend this gathering as Radrak and find out more about the Faceless.
To that end, he cautiously input a trace of magic.
It was a strange sensation, as if his vision was instantly split into two halves. One half was the scene in the sealed chamber before him, and the other half was a dark, empty space...
Unlock exclusive early access to more than 100 chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.