Storm Approaches

At the High Council headquarters, within the Tower of Rainbow, Garon, whose office was separate from Green's, also received Rainer's paper.

Garon was powerfully built and had been given the nickname "Brown Bear." Contrary to that nickname, however, he was meticulous and never overlooked a single detail. He was a serious mage.

He was also at the fourth-circle level and, like Green, served as a paper review committee member.

Garon lived by a highly regular schedule. After getting up early, he exercised, then meditated, handled his morning work, rested briefly after lunch, and continued with his afternoon work. He went to bed and woke up at fixed times every day, like a precision machine.

He was accustomed to reviewing papers in the afternoon. At the moment, several papers lay in his hands. He picked up the first one in order and began reading.

"Because the heating temperature was not strictly controlled at the level required by the experiment, the experimental product produced two possible outcomes. This was an error caused by human factors, which affected the subsequent conclusion. At the same time, the premise of the hypothesis contained major oversights. It is recommended that you organize the logic before conducting the experiment again. Review denied."

"The author failed to properly distinguish the definition of sulfide-like compounds, resulting in major flaws throughout the experiment. The experimental process was also not rigorous, and the purpose of several procedures was not clearly stated. It is recommended that you conduct more trials before writing the paper. Review denied."

"The experiment adopted a unique perspective, followed proper procedures, and had clear logic. The resulting product displayed obvious mutagenic properties and was worthy of discussion. However, the research into the altered product was not sufficiently in-depth, which was the paper's shortcoming. Overall, this is a paper worthy of encouragement. Review approved. Recommend a reward of four points."

Garon was reviewing the same papers as Green, but he was clearly far more patient. Even when faced with an awful paper, he carefully wrote down suggestions for improvement.

By the time he had finished three papers, it was already close to evening. Garon stood, went to the tea room at the end of the corridor, and had an alchemical creature brew him a cup of coffee. Only then did he return to his office at an unhurried pace, ready to review the last paper of the day.

"Hm?"

The title of the paper alone piqued Garon's curiosity. It clearly presented the concept of a new substance while also containing reflections on Combustion Theory.

The unusual surname of the author, Rainer Ian Gray, also struck Garon as strange.

He opened the paper, and the first thing he saw was the table of contents. Garon found its neat, uniform layout pleasing to the eye. Setting aside the content, he felt that this paper format ought to be vigorously promoted throughout the Council.

Yet as he read further, sweat began to bead on Garon's forehead.

"How is this possible?"

Reading this paper was like reading some kind of forbidden tome. Every word within it seemed to spread through Garon's mind like a curse. If it had not been a copy, he truly would have thought the author had hidden some sort of curse spell in the paper.

After finishing the paper, Garon said nothing. Instead, he silently went to his laboratory and repeated the experimental procedure described in it. The results were exactly as written in the paper.

Throughout the entire process, Garon remained extremely serious. Only after confirming the final conclusion did he let out a long breath.

It was already well past his usual dinner time, but Garon's mind was not on the fact that his routine had been broken.

After some thought, Garon picked up the paper again. His hand felt weak, and it took him two attempts before he finally managed to hold those few dozen pages steady.

The paper, once so light, now felt incomparably heavy.

No matter what this paper represented, Garon had already glimpsed the storm that would follow. Whether that storm would destroy the towers the magical world had built over so many years, or bring about an entirely new world, Garon did not yet know.

He returned to his office, looked over the paper once more, then picked up his pen and wrote on a blank sheet of parchment.

"Dear Teacher Fleming,"

While Rainer's paper was sending ripples through the Tower of Rainbow, the High Council's headquarters, Rainer himself remained utterly unaware. He was merely staring at the bill handed over by the restaurant owner with an ugly expression.

Claire had initially been embarrassed and reserved when she entered the restaurant, but once Rainer said he was treating and that she could order whatever she wanted, it was as though some switch had been flipped. Claire revealed an astonishing side of herself.

"You said I could order whatever I wanted."

After confirming that, the young teacher ordered enough food for five people, drawing the attention of most of the diners in the restaurant.

A few older drinking companions quickly recognized Claire. They nodded repeatedly while saying, "As expected of Claire. Her appetite is as big as ever."

That gave Rainer a very bad feeling.

Only once all the food had been placed on the table did Rainer realize the seriousness of the problem.

Could this girl be some kind of competitive eater?

Rainer could not help imagining a scene: Claire smiling at a table piled high with food as she said to everyone, "Ta-da! I'm Claire, and today's challenge is one hundred grilled steaks!"

Claire's performance after the food arrived did not disappoint Rainer's expectations either. The well-proportioned young woman finished food for five people in the same amount of time it took Rainer to eat one serving. And judging by her expression, she could have eaten another five servings. She simply did not order more out of concern for appearances.

That meal cost Rainer a full twelve silver coins. That was enough to eat at the school cafeteria for more than half a month.

The restaurant owner, on the other hand, was delighted. He kept praising Claire and told her to come by often in the future. Claire instinctively nodded in agreement, but after seeing Rainer's expression, she made a few excuses instead.

After leaving the restaurant, Rainer and Claire returned to the Antoine Alchemy Workshop and signed the contract with Antoine. At the latest, the first batch of industrially produced Cola would leave the factory in two days. Such efficiency made Rainer look upon this world's development with newfound respect.

By the time the two took a carriage back to the school, it was already dusk. The students had finished their last class and were heading to the cafeteria in groups of two and three. The setting sun cast its light over the somewhat dilapidated square, lending it a hint of classical charm instead.

The moment Rainer stepped through the school gates, the alchemical stone statue serving as the guard delivered a letter to him.

The front bore the words "To Mr. Rainer Ian Gray," while the signature read "Monthly Alchemist Griffin > Journal Editorial Committee." It also bore a distinctive emblem: a balance scale, with a book on one end and a gemstone on the other.

"Monthly Alchemist Griffin?"

Rainer had never seen this journal before. Generally speaking, journals with such unserious names were basically third-rate publications with mediocre influence.

"Could it be promotional mail?"

Claire guessed. From time to time, journals like this sent letters to major academies asking the schools to subscribe to their publications.

"Let's take a look first."

Following what he remembered, Rainer released a trace of magic power, confirmed the emblem's authenticity, and only then slowly opened the envelope.

Letter of Invitation for Contributions.

That was the title of the letter.