Uncomprehending

Now he doesn't even need to check the names on the list to know they're in big trouble.

Even if this mage is associated with the Felistin Family, it's fine; they can avoid problems as long as they follow the newspaper's advice.

However, she was a direct descendant of the Felistin Family, and her surname was Felistin.

If, at this sensitive time, a Felistin were to receive the Golden Hourglass Award, other mages might be surprised, while the Felistin Family would be puzzled.

The members of their committee are usually held accountable by their superiors later on, and it's surprising that they made this mistake at such a time.

"Let's upgrade this Paper to the Silver Hourglass level..."

A solution popped into his head, but he quickly rejected it; if such a move got out, it would be like handing a knife to the enemy.

A Paper with Three-Layer Gold Standard should rightfully receive the highest-level Golden Hourglass Award; if this paper doesn't even get that, then all the other Paper become a joke.

Newspapers immediately began reporting on the matter, accusing the committee of disregarding academic fairness, and saying that if that were the case, the committee would be finished.

The situation was far too complicated. After his initial shock, Rost immediately raised his hand and summoned their chief, Gregory.

Gregory first noticed the Three-Layer Gold Standard, then read out the title of the Paper.

"The Existence of Aether: An Argument Using Digital Methods."

He raised an eyebrow. Just seeing the word "Aether" and the Three-Layer Gold Standard told him that this Paper was definitely of high quality.

"This kind of Paper would be good for our Golden Hourglass Award this year, but it's a bit late, and the publicity might not be up to par."

Gregory was ultimately the head of the committee, and the effectiveness of the Hourglass Cup was also part of his responsibility.

If this results in a high-impact Paper that sparks widespread discussion, it would be very beneficial for him.

He assumed Rost had called him because he had found this important Paper, but Rost added quietly.

"The name on the second page."

When Gregory saw those two names, his pupils contracted sharply, his expression a mixture of joy, disappointment, and perhaps anger.

His lips curled up, but no sound came out.

Rost's call had initially drawn the attention of the committee's mages, but after noticing Gregory's stunned expression, they gradually felt uneasy.

Finally, Gregory made a move. He gently placed the Paper on the table, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and his face contorted with an expression that kept twisting.

"Rost, what do you think we should do?"

Gregory's voice was very soft, but the committee fell silent at some point, their hearts pounding as they listened to it.

Rost also looked worried and didn't respond to Gregory's words, but his eyes lit up when he saw the first name on the Paper.

"The name Felistin is listed second, while the first name doesn't seem to belong to the Felistin Family."

"Are any people on the list? This Lai doesn't have a last name."

A chorus of turning pages filled the air; a monk had already compiled a list of the monks' relatives on the list, and after some searching, they received a positive answer.

"That name does not exist."

"A monk said excitedly."

Fran has only recently become involved with Felistin, so at least for now, there's no reason for her name to appear here, but that's only temporary.

But for the current committee, this is undoubtedly an excellent starting point; at least they can take action on this matter.

"Does anyone know this mage, Lai?"

No one responded, so Gregory could only say this.

"Alright, now mobilize your channels and hurry to find this Mage Lai, and remember what I told you to say."

"Explain the current policy regarding Felistin to this Mage Lai, and tell her that we can allow her to remove the last part of her name."

Although this violates academic ethics, who knows what contributions these two individuals made to this Paper?

As long as they insist that the person behind Felistin was merely an assistant, doing some rough statistical work, then there will only be a little controversy at most.

It's better than actually dragging Felistin into the Golden Hourglass Award and igniting a fire that's destined to burn them.

"Then if she wants any compensation, just tell me, and I'll try my best to meet her needs..."

Gregory bit his lip, feeling that this wasn't safe enough, and continued.

"Remember to tell her that making this decision is a good thing for her, and she doesn't want extra attention..."

After watching the group of mages get busy, Gregory was about to report the matter to his superiors.

This needs to be communicated to those above, who can exert pressure that Gregory couldn't, which is very helpful in resolving the situation.

But Rost called him again, and thankfully this time the situation didn't cause his heart to nearly stop.

"This is another manuscript, but their author names are exactly the same."

This time, the manuscript wasn't as terrifying. It only showed that it was handled by two mages, and one of them gave a bronze badge and the other a silver badge.

Rost knew that although the latter could be considered, the entire committee, up to this point, would certainly not consider the latter for the sake of Felistin; this Paper would probably only be rated as Bronze Hourglass.

"Just follow the normal procedure."

"But why are there only two mage labels on it?"

Rost pointed out the crux of the matter: if a mage considers the Paper worthless, then it should be labeled with a gray tag.

This Paper does not have the label of a third mage; according to procedure, it should be reviewed by at least three mages.

Gregory scratched his head and looked at the title of the Paper.

A fundamental law in alchemical experiments: the law of conservation of energy

The title is very grand. If it were in another context, such as seeing this title in a curated selection, he would probably find a copy to read.

But Gregory was in a very bad mood, and after confirming that the Paper wouldn't cause him any more trouble, he said directly:

"Take this Paper directly to the blind reviewers and ask them if it's their mistake. Tell them to find a solution and that the Paper is currently rated at the Bronze Hourglass level."

Gregory didn't think too much about how to handle this problem, because it was clearly not a matter for their committee.

The ' Aether Palace ' of the Alchemy School, the office of Roderick, Iris's mentor.

"Roderick, what have you been up to lately?"

A deep, resonant voice alerted Roderick. After a moment's thought, he remembered who had made the voice.

A kind old man dressed in the standard robes of Alchemy School entered, carrying a white sheet of paper in his hand. From his aged face, Roderick could tell that the man was indeed very old.

Even he, whose Mental Power began to decline in fifty or sixty years, might not have this face even if he lived for another three hundred years.

The life-extending drugs developed by the Alliance are very powerful, but they are completely lagging behind in terms of anti-aging.

However, it would be difficult for a Fourth Order Mage uses longevity potions extensively to achieve such an aged appearance, and even if they could, it would be unlikely that they would still be able to move with such incredible speed.

"I truly hope I can live to see myself grow up to look like you, Oinrich, the ' Sage of Time '."

He added the title of "Legendary" to the old man before him, who was indeed Legendary still existing in the world from the Alchemy School.

Fifty years ago, this old man stepped down Chief of the Alchemy School and has not interfered in the School's internal affairs since.

"Then you will likely suffer unbearable pain, Roderick. Existing life-extending drugs cannot be taken painlessly."

Roderick smiled and continued.

"Hopefully, if I happen to possess the legendary, one-in-a-million longevity constitution, these medicines won't cause any rejection."

"By the way, Oinrich, what are you holding in your hand?"

Roderick saw that Oinrich was holding a cover that looked like a Paper being reviewed by the Alchemy School, and the stamp on it seemed to be from some kind of competition.

He didn't know the specifics; it seemed like this competition only appeared around the time he advanced to the Fourth Order.

"This is a rather interesting Paper; I obtained it from my student."

"I simply took on the task of reviewing it... but that's not important anymore."

"After carefully examining its contents, I decided to award it the highest-level medal."

"I'm still holding it because it presents a theory that I believe is riddled with flaws, but I haven't found any concrete examples to refute it."

"Therefore, I haven't given my review comments yet. I plan to add my rebuttal arguments and comments when this Paper is published."

Roderick found it somewhat amusing, knowing that Oinrich was simply in a playful mood, and as Legendary, he had the right to do so, so he casually asked a question.

What kind of competition is this?

"The Sandglass Cup Youth Competition... supposedly only mages under forty can participate, but when I submitted my Paper, those requirements didn't apply..."

The two chatted for a long time before Oinrich left his office. For this Legendary, he had simply come to chat with an old friend he knew.

Roderick soon received news that the top prize in a major competition might be won by someone from the Felistin Family, which made him frown immediately.

With six days left until the competition results are announced, they still haven't found the mage named Lai, as if he weren't even on the Floating City.

Roderick recognized the name and instantly realized it likely referred to the same person. Knowing time was of the essence, he didn't bother to find out the name of the large-scale competition before hastily seeking out Iris.

"Little Iris, what are you doing? Didn't I warn you?"

He was met with a blank stare from Iris.