Chapter Summaries

Harov burst into the symposium after reading Lynn’s letter and urged the council to award him a Corona Medal for his formula describing universal gravitation. He questioned Lynn about the formula, then learned that Lynn did not know the value of the gravitational constant, leaving the gathered wizards bewildered.

• Harov rushed into the symposium searching for Lynn, while the Prophecy School wizards followed and Raphael tried to stop him.
• Harov told Raphael to nominate Lynn for a Corona Medal, surprising the wizards who had expected him to defend the Prophecy School.
• Harov asked Lynn to explain the formula in his letter, and Lynn described how gravity depended on the objects’ masses and their distance.
• Harov explained that he had spent years studying gravity and asked Lynn for the gravitational constant’s value.
• Lynn admitted he did not know the constant’s value, leaving Harov and the other wizards confused.

Lynn defended the Universal Gravitation Formula by explaining that his apprentices could calculate celestial masses and distances using basic arcana. He showed the wizards how to estimate the planet’s circumference using sunlight, a tall pillar, and its shadow, leaving Harov impressed by the method.

• Yoland challenged Lynn’s gravitation formula, pointing out that Lynn was not a Great Wizard and could not use Force Field Magic.
• Lynn said he had derived the formula from Kepler’s three laws of celestial motion, but Prophecy School wizards questioned how anyone could measure celestial masses and distances.
• Lynn claimed his apprentices could calculate the data and explained that the planet beneath their feet could serve as a reference object.
• Joanne suggested measuring a circle’s circumference by dividing it into equal segments, prompting Lynn to apply the idea to the planet.
• Lynn identified Corona Tower’s shadowless noon in mid-July as the zero mark and proposed using a distant pillar’s length and shadow to calculate the planet’s central angle.
• Harov praised Lynn’s method, while Raphael and the others realized that the planet’s circumference could be calculated this way.

Lynn explained how the wizards could calculate their planet’s circumference by measuring shadows, and the seminar planned an experiment using a distant pillar. The wizards settled on building a floating ice island rather than venturing to the Secas Empire, while Yoland realized the Prophecy School had been decisively beaten.

• Lynn told Elock and the other Wizard Apprentices that knowing the planet’s circumference would let them calculate its radius, surface area, and volume.
• Harov asked where to place the pillar, and Lynn said it should stand on flat ground at least five hundred kilometers from Greenriel and be as tall as possible.
• August suggested using the Sky Dome Tower in the Holy City, prompting Philip to warn that the Holy See would capture and burn the wizards.
• Harov rejected a march on the Holy City and proposed making a floating ice island at sea, where they could erect a pillar and measure its shadow.
• The wizards debated how to measure the distance from the Corona Tower, and Lydia suggested using an airship to travel in a straight line at a steady speed.
• Lynn asked Yoland whether he had any questions, and Yoland realized the Prophecy School had lost the argument.

Lynn explained to the Prophecy School that geocentric and heliocentric models could both be valid depending on the reference frame, then answered Harov’s question about elliptical orbits by arguing that perfect circles did not exist. Harov left impressed by Lynn’s knowledge and increasingly curious about the Secret Magic Society.

• Yoland lamented that the Prophecy School’s century of work had been wasted, but Lynn reassured him that its Star Chart remained accurate in a different reference frame.
• Lynn used the carriage analogy to explain that geocentric and heliocentric models could both be correct, though heliocentrism better described practical orbital motion.
• The symposium ended with the wizards focused on measuring the planet, while Philip celebrated Lynn’s success and his nomination for the Corona Medal.
• Lynn told curious wizards that they needed the planet’s radius and the gravitational constant before calculating its mass.
• Harov asked why Lynn believed stellar orbits were elliptical, and Lynn argued that perfect circles did not exist because pi was irrational and its digits showed no pattern.
• Harov examined the digits of pi Lynn conjured and became more interested in the Secret Magic Society.

Lynn explained Kepler’s laws to Harov and gave him a ring to contact the Secret Magic Society. Harov left to prepare for the midnight gathering, while Lynn checked that the Magic Domain’s new quantum encryption was secure.

• Lynn explained why planetary orbits deviated from perfect circles and described how to find an ellipse’s foci.
• Elock demonstrated drawing an ellipse with sticks and string, and Lynn used it to explain the ellipse and derive Kepler’s three laws for Harov.
• Harov praised Lynn’s explanation and learned that Theresa had turned Lynn away from the manor the night before.
• Lynn gave Harov a ring bearing the All-Knowing Eye as a signal transmitter for the Secret Magic Society’s midnight gathering.
• Harov accepted the ring and left to prepare for the meeting, while Lynn asked 071 whether the Magic Domain was secure.
• 071 told Lynn that quantum encryption had replaced the earlier transmission methods and was theoretically uncrackable.

Theresa learned that Lynn had impressed the wizards with his pendulum experiment and might receive the Corona Medal, while Harov recognized that her prejudice had nearly cost him a chance to advance the Theory of Gravity. Harov dismissed Theresa as his disciple, leaving her with only the annotated paper that had once earned his favor.

• Theresa arrived after Lynn's seminar and heard from Cas that Lynn had bested the Prophecy School and might receive the Corona Medal.
• Theresa returned to the manor and tried to defend herself by claiming Lynn had taken honors that should have gone to Harov.
• Harov told Theresa that the Corona Medal mattered less than knowledge and reminded her that he had accepted her because of her research paper.
• Harov confronted Theresa for wasting a year on banquets instead of research and declared that Corol would take over her work.
• Theresa collapsed as Harov dismissed her, then turned toward the annotated paper that was all she could take with her.

Harov activated the ring of the [Secret Magic Society] while Aurora watched, and experienced a vivid vision of a planetary system that revealed the truth of rotation and revolution. The sight left him fascinated by the central star and its seemingly endless energy.

• Harov confronted Aurora after she secretly followed him, and she explained that the Prophecy School's Star Chart remained valid from its own frame of reference.
• Aurora warned Harov that the disappearance of the main star and the Brown Star's prominence foretold chaos and urged him to watch the Doomsday Cult.
• Harov and Aurora argued over who should receive the ring that could contact the [Secret Magic Society], and Harov activated it at midnight.
• Harov found himself in a vast void and watched enormous planets orbit a brilliant reddish-brown star.
• Harov recognized the vision as a true, dynamic Star Chart and wondered how the central star could produce so much energy.

Lynn welcomed Harov to the Secret Magic Society’s miniature universe and presented his theory that the universe began with a Big Bang. Harov struggled to follow the discussion and ended by urgently asking Aurora what galactic redshift meant.

• Harov watched a projected supernova and learned from Lynn that the scene recreated a star reaching the end of its life.
• Lynn introduced the miniature universe as Beyond Space-Time and began the proceedings by describing his Big Bang theory.
• Harov listened to Lynn explain the universe’s expansion but could not understand many of the scientific terms.
• White Dove asked Lynn whether galactic redshift was evidence for the theory, and Lynn confirmed that it was one piece of evidence.
• The gathering turned to Harov for his opinion, and he grabbed Aurora’s sleeve to ask what galactic redshift meant.

Harov tried to bluff his way through a discussion of galactic redshift and the universe’s origins in the Magic Domain, then redirected the conversation to magical power structures and spatial magic. As the supernova’s light faded, Lynn and White Dove avoided responding to Harov’s unfamiliar topic.

• Harov asked Aurora what galactic redshift meant, but she could only offer a guess about the changing positions of distant stars.
• Harov told the four figures in the Magic Domain that distant galaxies were moving away and endorsed the Big Bang theory, while Lynn explained cosmic expansion and microwave radiation as supporting evidence.
• Harov connected the theory to the supernova he had witnessed, then listened as the others questioned where the universe’s original singularity had come from.
• Harov avoided exposing his lack of knowledge by changing the subject from the universe’s origins to how magical power structures affected spatial magic.
• Harov explained his research while Lynn and White Dove stayed quiet, and the supernova’s fading light gave way to darkness.

After leaving the Magic Domain, Harov told Aurora about the [Secret Magic Society]’s startling knowledge of the universe and the supernova he had witnessed. He concluded that their Legendary Wizards might have advanced by a fundamentally different method, leaving Aurora shaken and their own understanding of the Legendary realm in question.

• Lynn ended the gathering with a staged supernova and spatial tremors, and Harov and Lynn exited the Magic Domain.
• Harov returned to his body in a cold sweat and told Aurora that the Land of Wizards’ magical theories might be outdated.
• Harov described the [Secret Magic Society]’s theories about the universe and the supernova he had witnessed, then connected it to a star that had brightened and vanished decades earlier.
• Harov told Aurora that the Society’s Legendary Wizards felt like stars and suggested they had advanced by a different method.
• Aurora objected that the path had already been cleared, but Harov argued that Legendary Wizards and Great Wizards had no fundamental difference in their magic and might simply have surpassed a limit.

Harov considered how the Secret Magic Society’s Legendary Wizards had advanced beyond the paths available in the Land of Wizards, while Aurora challenged him to ask them directly. Meanwhile, Lynn reflected on how he had deceived Harov, then rewarded White Dove with the first volume of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

• Harov recalled that research into new elements and the microscopic elemental realm had stalled, and that Legendary Wizard Altoc had gone insane after encountering element ghosts.
• Aurora urged Harov to ask the Secret Magic Society about its advancement methods, but Harov worried that blunt questions would make him seem ignorant and planned to probe Lynn instead.
• After Harov left, Lynn privately asked 071 why it had put a miniature nuclear fusion reactor in every projection and learned the reactors reduced computational load.
• Lynn saw White Dove trembling after Harov’s soul projection frightened her, praised her performance, and gave her the promised first volume of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

Lynn and Harov led an expedition to measure the planet’s circumference by comparing the noon shadow of a towering pillar at a distant sea location with the measurement in Greenriel. As the appointed moment arrived, they prepared to measure the pillar’s shadow, while people across Greenriel waited for the experiment’s result.

• Kevin and Orlando arrived in Greenriel with Daren and a group of halflings, where they saw Raphael’s enormous pendulum replica swinging in a vacuum domain.
• Lynn, Harov, Lydia, and the crew aboard the Lookout reached their designated sea location after exactly forty-eight hours of travel.
• Harov froze the surrounding sea into a vast floating ice island, leveled an area, and raised a hundred-meter ice pillar.
• As noon approached, Lydia counted down the final seconds while Lynn handed one end of a rope to Harov to measure the pillar’s shadow.
• Rol sketched the scene as Lynn and Harov began measuring the shadow on the ice.

Harov, Lynn, and the wizards measured the planet’s circumference using the shadow of an ice pillar, confirming Lynn’s mathematical method. Their results reached Greenriel City, where wizards and commoners calculated the planet’s dimensions and Yali saw new possibilities in mathematics.

• Harov and Lynn measured the ice pillar’s shadow, and Harov and Lydia calculated a six-degree apex angle.
• Harov used the angle to calculate the planet’s circumference as 43,200 kilometers, while Rol painted the experiment and sent its key measurements to Greenriel.
• Raphael and the alchemists received the shadow length and apex angle through the communication Alchemy Formation.
• Wizards and commoners across Greenriel calculated the planet’s circumference, diameter, and surface area.
• Yali calculated the planet’s dimensions and realized mathematics could reveal far more than he had imagined.

Greenriel’s people debated the planet’s enormous measurements, and Yali proposed a daring trip around the world by airship. Two days later, Lydia returned to a hero’s welcome, while her role as Lynn’s apprentice inspired commoners to wonder if they could join the Iyetar School too.

• People across Greenriel argued over the calculated size of the planet, and Yali dreamed of seeing the world for himself.
• Yali proposed sailing around the planet and then suggested using an airship, prompting wizards to debate how they might navigate and defend themselves.
• Raphael reflected that Lynn had brought new life to Greenriel by drawing commoners into magical discussions.
• Two days later, Lydia and the others returned by airship to a huge crowd, and Daren praised Lydia as a halfling hero and skilled airship maker.
• Yali asked whether commoners could become Lynn’s apprentices, and Daren said they could if they were very smart.
• Lynn spoke with Harov about the history of Newton and an apple.

Lynn explained fabricated stories about legendary wizards to Harov, who became convinced that arcanum should be taught throughout the Land of Wizards. Lynn then gathered materials to make mirrors for an experiment to measure the gravitational constant, and successfully produced a Glass Mirror.

• Harov listened to Lynn's stories about Isaac and other legendary wizards and recognized the importance of arcanum thinking.
• Harov asked Lynn to compile foundational arcanum knowledge into a book, and Lynn agreed to standardize the Land of Wizards' calculation symbols.
• Lynn told Harov that he needed Quartz Stone and feldspar to build an experiment that would reveal gravity's effects and help calculate the gravitational constant.
• Corol delivered tons of quartz sand and feldspar to Lynn in Greenriel City, where Lynn began making glass with magic.
• Lynn coated a shaped glass plate with Tin Foil and Mercury, producing a smooth Glass Mirror in front of Lydia and the others.

Lynn showed Lydia and the halflings how to make clear glass mirrors from sand and planned to entrust them with producing the profitable new product. At the Magic Symposium, August proposed estimating the planet’s weight by weighing samples, while Corol hinted that Lynn’s method involved darkness.

• Lynn revealed a glass mirror to Lydia, Daren, and the other halflings, who admired its clarity.
• Lynn explained that glass was made by melting sand rich in silicon dioxide, and he planned to divide production among trusted workers while keeping some techniques secret.
• Daren realized the mirrors could sell for twenty Magic Gold Coins despite costing only a few silver coins to make.
• Two days later, August proposed estimating the planet’s weight by weighing samples of different regions and calculated roughly thirty quintillion tons.
• Corol said he did not know Lynn’s method for weighing the planet, but guessed it had something to do with darkness as curtains were drawn around the wizards.

Lynn addressed the wizards’ questions about the planet’s measurements and explained how mass and gravity determine weight. He then shocked the symposium by claiming that gravitation might not exist at all.

• Lynn gave the planet’s radius and volume and explained the formulas used to calculate them.
• Lynn asked what gravity was and explained that an object’s weight varied with gravitational acceleration.
• Lynn defined mass as an inherent property of matter that remained constant regardless of its surroundings.
• Lynn declared that gravitation might not exist, prompting over a thousand wizards to rise in disbelief.

Lynn explained that gravity resulted from spacetime curving around matter, then used spheres on stretched fabric to demonstrate falling objects and stellar orbits. His explanation impressed the wizards, and he clarified that planets remained in orbit because their speed balanced gravity in the absence of air resistance.

• Raphael challenged Lynn's claim that gravity did not truly exist, pointing to Lynn's earlier theories about free fall and stellar orbits.
• Lynn said that mass curved spacetime and demonstrated the effect with a heavy sphere sinking the stretched fabric and a smaller sphere rolling toward it.
• Lynn gave a second small sphere an initial push, showing how it revolved around the heavy sphere along the curved surface.
• Lynn summarized that matter told spacetime how to curve and spacetime told matter how to move, prompting a Great Wizard to say Lynn deserved a Corona Medal nomination.
• Raphael asked why planets did not fall into the sun, and Lynn explained that their speed persisted in a vacuum and balanced gravity.

Lynn demonstrated that even ordinary objects exert gravity by using a torsion balance and reflected sunlight to reveal the tiny movement caused by iron balls. The wizards accepted the experiment as evidence of universal gravitation, while Harov admired Lynn’s ingenious method of magnifying the effect.

• Lynn explained that all objects exert gravity, though the force is too weak to notice directly.
• Lynn introduced a torsion balance that used large iron balls to pull on small spheres and magnify the resulting twist.
• The wizards watched the apparatus but could not see its movement until Lynn reflected sunlight from a mirror onto a ruler.
• Lydia spotted the light moving, and Lynn moved a large iron ball to the opposite side, causing the light to change direction.
• The wizards accepted the movement as evidence of gravity, while Harov recognized how Lynn had magnified the effect with the balance and reflected light.

Lynn and the wizards used the gravitational constant and gravitational acceleration to calculate their planet’s mass, demonstrating the power of arcane mathematics. After the seminar boosted the Iyetar School’s reputation, Harov told Lynn his Corona Medal nomination had passed and suggested magic power could also affect space-time.

• Lynn had the Great Wizards create a Vacuum Domain and confirmed the gravitational constant was 6.67×10^-11L^2/kg^2.
• Harov and the other wizards used the gravitational substitution formula to calculate the planet’s mass, while one wizard made a unit error and fainted after discovering it.
• Harov announced the verified result of 7.08×10^24kg, and Corol and the others compared it with August’s estimate.
• Prophecy School wizards began estimating other planets’ masses, while the Witches admired Lynn’s mass-produced Glass Mirrors.
• Harov told Lynn that his Corona Medal nomination had passed review and said magic power, as well as mass, could affect space-time.