Thesis and Cat

At night, Rainer sat in his room, dipped his quill in ink, and wrote the title of his thesis on the parchment spread before him.

<Properties and Compound Analysis of the Two New Elements "Oxyless" and "Hydra" Obtained through the Electrolysis of Water, Along with Several Conjectures Regarding Combustion Theory>.

He had originally considered giving it a more restrained title, but ultimately decided to use the standard format. Since he was going to present these conclusions anyway, he might as well draw attention from the very title.

Rainer then began writing the abstract in the customary format.

"Water was tested using electrolysis, yielding two gases with unique properties. One gas supported combustion and reacted with various combustible substances to form compounds; it was named 'Oxyless.' The other gas was itself highly flammable and produced water when burned in reaction with 'Oxyless'; this gaseous element was named 'Hydra.' The various properties and relative elemental masses of the two gaseous elements were measured."

After briefly finishing the abstract, all Rainer had left to do was transfer Charlotte's neatly organized experimental notes into the thesis step by step.

The candlelight flickered. Before he realized it, the once somewhat noisy Crescent Academy had gradually fallen silent. Primrose Month—March—was drawing to a close, and as summer approached, the nights had begun to grow stuffy. Breezes drifted through the open window, making the edges of the parchment tremble slightly.

Rainer wrote furiously, the words he had long prepared in his mind pouring forth like a waterfall, leaving mark after mark upon the parchment.

As he wrote, Rainer's Heart Lake was also quietly changing.

A ripple appeared upon the once tranquil lake, followed by a violent storm. Amid that storm, a flash of lightning vanished in an instant, striking the very center of the lake!

Under the might of the lightning, the surging water churned violently. Excessive energy conducted through the water, even causing some stable structure to collapse.

Within the water, two gases quietly formed.

One of them ignited fierce flames amid the lightning. The electric arc was like a giant dragon in the humid air, and in the next moment, blazing fire rose up and encircled the entire lake. Its orange-yellow radiance illuminated the dark storm, like the light of life.

The other gas rose rapidly, containing an even more terrifying power that had yet to be discovered. It was quiet and light, yet ready to erupt at the slightest touch. Between the flashes of thunder, it formed the entire canopy of the sky.

At last, the storm that had washed over the world gradually subsided. The clouds dispersed and the rain cleared, and a rainbow appeared above the lake.

Around the lake, the unquenchable flames transformed into a cluster of sacred fire, burning quietly. In the sky, a sun rose and shone upon the land.

Although the lake contained little more water than before, he could clearly sense that the purity of that water had risen by an entire level. This was because Rainer's understanding of water had advanced another step.

The tranquil lake water, the burning sacred fire, the vast earth, and the ceaseless gusts of wind—four elements took tangible form within Rainer's Heart Lake. This signified that his previously chaotic magic power was gradually stabilizing. At this moment, Rainer needed only to inscribe a first-circle spell model within his Heart Lake to become an official mage.

After writing the final acknowledgments, Rainer set down his pen. Everything within his Heart Lake had no direct effect on his body; he simply felt refreshed and clear-headed, without the slightest hint of sleepiness despite the late hour.

After organizing his thesis, he planned to send it out in a few days, hoping that this time it would receive a higher evaluation.

When he stood up, Rainer discovered that, at some point, a tabby cat had appeared in his room.

The cat had probably slipped in through the window. It had casually devoured Rainer's late-night snack—half a roast chicken—then sprawled lazily across his pillow, sleeping soundly.

"You really are a naughty little thing."

Rainer did not pursue the matter. He reached out and gently stroked the cat's head, then imitated what he had seen before and scratched the back of its neck.

"Meow—"

The cat woke from the disturbance, opened its mouth and cried out, glanced at Rainer, then closed its eyes again, completely unconcerned with the room's original owner.

As Rainer continued petting it, the cat soon began to purr, its tail swishing back and forth as though it greatly enjoyed itself.

After enjoying this for a while, the cat seemed to realize something. It got up, stretched lazily on the bed, then nimbly jumped down onto the floor and leapt onto the windowsill, vanishing in a flash.

"I can't help feeling like that cat is the real master of this place."

Rainer muttered to himself. After tidying up the plates the cat had disturbed, he lay down on the bed.

He picked up the newspaper on his bedside table. It was the Daily Priest, carrying the third installment of The Solitary Gourmet.

According to Oriana's feedback, the serial had become quite popular. It had even brought Baron Good, the character's real-life inspiration, quite a few young female admirers. This sort of middle-aged gentleman, full of refinement and zest for life, had struck directly at the hearts of many young ladies.

Its original author, Charles, had also attracted the attention of several publishing houses, which invited him to publish The Solitary Gourmet as a collected volume through them.

As for the Daily Priest, it had gradually reclaimed its former standing thanks to this serial. After people had endured those newspapers filled with nothing but sensational headlines designed to grab attention, they quickly realized that if they wanted comprehensive news, they still had to read the Daily Priest. The newspaper's market share began to rise rapidly.

The copy in Rainer's hands not only carried the third installment of The Solitary Gourmet, but also contained a news item in the corner of the front page.

"Recently, New Moon Cola has launched a brand-new promotion. On the cola to be sold on the first day of next month, customers may exchange the labels on the bottles with merchants for exquisite cards. The cards feature portraits of renowned ancient mages. According to this reporter's investigation, there are a great many such cards. If a person collects them all, New Moon Cola's manufacturer will present the collector with a mysterious card."

That was right. The Great Mage cards made by Rainer and Charlotte were about to officially launch. Over the past two weeks, they had printed cards of twenty mages for the first batch and adjusted the appearance rates of the cards. As for the mysterious card mentioned in the news, neither Rainer nor Charlotte had thought of one yet. In any case, no one would possibly be able to collect them all anytime soon.

"I hope this strategy works."

Rainer was not completely confident either. The cola produced by Pilam Alchemy Workshop over the past week had clearly begun using Antoine's alchemical array. Relying on its powerful retail network, it had gradually begun selling around Priest as well, allowing more people to learn of cola as a beverage.

However, on the other side, Rainer had already asked Antoine to gather enough evidence to accuse Pilam of theft. He was waiting for the right moment to set off this ticking time bomb in one stroke.