Review Comments

"You mean that Rainer Ian Gray approached Antoine?"

In an office of utmost luxury in Prester City, dozens of miles from Crescent Academy, a man with slicked-back hair set down his pipe. His sharp gaze fixed on Sanderson, making the frail man shudder.

"Yes, Lord Pilam. It seems they reached an agreement. I've had people watching Old Street these past two days, and Antoine does appear to be producing something."

Sanderson did not dare meet his employer's eyes. He answered timidly, then asked in a low voice, "Wouldn't the Ian Gray Family be difficult to deal with?"

"Don't speak out of turn."

Pilam merely glanced at Sanderson, and the man fell silent in terror, not daring to move.

"Keep investigating what they're making. It would be best if you could bring back a sample."

"Yes, my lord."

Sanderson nodded repeatedly, not daring to disobey.

"You may leave."

Pilam waved a hand. Sanderson immediately slipped away, scarcely daring to breathe.

After the office door closed, Pilam blew out a ring of smoke and looked at the opened letter on his desk.

The sender was Hylair Ian Gray, the second son of the Ian Gray Family.

The letter roughly explained the Ian Gray Family's current circumstances. Only then did Pilam understand what had happened to that commercial empire, and why the wastrel Rainer Ian Gray had taken charge of Crescent Academy.

Pilam had once received Hylair's patronage and obtained his first sum of capital, which had allowed him to gain his current wealth and status. He therefore held Hylair in great respect.

Hylair had learned that his disappointing younger brother had arrived at Crescent Academy and hoped Pilam could teach this young nobleman, inexperienced in the ways of the world, a little about its true nature.

While lamenting that the Ian Gray Family could be so heartless even toward its own kin, Pilam also found himself with a legitimate reason to deal with Antoine.

"Forgive me, Young Master Rainer. It seems I'll have to cause you some trouble."

Muttering to himself, Pilam looked again at a picture frame on his desk.

Inside was originally a photograph of three people, but one person's head had been blacked out, giving it a rather chilling appearance.

"As for you, Antoine, it's time you paid the price."

Pilam clenched his fist. The crack of his knuckles echoed through the office as tiny arcs of electricity flashed through the air.

At the Tower of Rainbow, thousands of miles away, review committee member Green hesitated again and again as he watched the clock on the wall slowly tick onward.

There was only half an hour left before the deadline for paper reviews. He had to finish and submit his comments on the paper in his hands before then, or it would count as negligence. Not only would his points be deducted, but he would also have to undergo the troublesome qualification review.

Yet Green had been mulling over this review for three days.

Countless times, he had wanted to put pen to paper, only to abandon the thought. After repeating this cycle over and over, he had dragged it out until now.

"Forget it. If something really goes wrong, I'll leave it to the higher-ranking reviewers."

At the very last moment, Green gritted his teeth and began writing his review on the parchment.

"By modifying a common experiment, this paper successfully produced an entirely new gas with special properties. Based on this, it also raises several questions regarding the process of Fire Element combustion reactions..."

Green first summarized Rainer's paper according to his own understanding, then commented on the experiment itself. Since the experiment described in the paper was extremely detailed and had already accounted for nearly every relevant consideration, he did not spend too much ink on this section.

Next came the comments.

Green thought for a moment, swallowed, dipped his quill in ink, and continued writing.

"Based on the above, I believe this paper possesses considerable originality and rigor. It is the first to quantitatively measure substances before and after an experiment, and its research approach is highly worthy of reference. At the same time, the experimental design is rigorous and its extensions thorough, essentially demonstrating the various properties of this new gas..."

At this point, Green paused. The discussion concerning combustion reactions was the most important part. He took a deep breath and continued writing.

"The several questions concerning combustion reactions raised in the experiment are all highly worthy of discussion. It is regrettable that they were not explored further, which is a shortcoming of the paper. However, the spirit of questioning and inquiry displayed within deserves recognition, and the issues involved are sufficient to draw the attention of all Alchemists."

After writing a paragraph of commentary he could scarcely believe himself, Green sighed and finally added the review score.

"The paper is approved. I recommend an award of one hundred academic points."

In another office at the Tower of Rainbow, Garon had long since finished his review and was now checking it over.

"The experimental method designed in this paper is original and enlightening. The paper's format is orderly and its logic clear. However, due to the author's lack of familiarity with the most cutting-edge theories, it is limited by its era, resulting in obvious errors in its conclusions. Its contents are for reference only. The paper is approved. I recommend an award of ten academic points."

Setting down the review, Garon took a sip of coffee.

Under normal circumstances, a paper with incorrect conclusions should not have been approved. But considering that Teacher Fleming's paper had yet to be published, it was quite remarkable to have written such a paper in this environment. Garon therefore decided to approve it and offer its author a little encouragement.

Besides, he truly loved the paper's neat format. He even had the thought of using that format for his own papers in the future.

He rang a small bell and placed the paper and review into the transmission array on his desk. A mass of green flame ignited and swiftly consumed the parchment.

Two floors above Garon's office, review committee member Angre had also just completed his comments. This paper was simply too impactful, so he immediately sent a letter to an old friend who ran an academic journal, while he himself remained full of excitement.

With the submission deadline close at hand, he looked once more at the review he had written.

"This paper's experimental method is original. It is the first to use quantitative analysis to monitor the entire experimental process, offering an intuitive demonstration of changes in the mass of objects before and after the experiment. At the same time, the gas produced in the experiment possesses extremely special properties and broad prospects for application. Finally, the experiment raises reasonable doubts regarding traditional Fire Element combustion reactions. Limited by my own knowledge, I cannot answer these questions, but I believe these doubts will lead the field of Alchemy in an entirely new direction of development. Therefore, the paper is approved. I recommend an award of two hundred academic points."

Two hundred academic points was already a very high reward. In the field of Alchemy, only those who discovered new elements could usually barely reach that figure, and even then it depended on the practical value of the new element.

But Angre believed this paper was truly worth it. Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded and placed the paper into the transmission array.