Magic and science

"Your talent would mark you as a genius even among the Endless Planes. A genius among geniuses."

Ove had said that from the start, and now he was more convinced than ever. "Even if it is merely exceptional, it is still among the finest talents I have ever known."

His original plan had been to spend a week or two here, teaching Lin Ke and the others how to "learn" and "research," then leave them to build up their knowledge on their own until they finally became [Scholars].

Yet... he had only been teaching for a few minutes, and this future viscount of Azan had already become a [Scholar].

Andrew's Leg, please stop making a fool of an old man who has been unable to advance for so long...

Ove lamented inwardly, but wore a smile.

He thought this "smiling" expression was quite good, because he had applied a permanent spell to his face to produce a "kind and friendly smile."

He had no idea that Lin Ke and the others found it rather unsettling.

"Teacher, the difference between a genius and a teacher is that a genius was not originally a genius, but then met a genius of a teacher, and so became a genius." Lin Ke respectfully bowed his head.

Flattery was something anyone who had worked within the establishment would inevitably encounter and learn.

"Hmm... let us continue the lesson."

Lin Ke's praise sent currents crackling wildly over Ove's body. Inwardly, he marveled, This boy Lin Ke is much more polite than that stupid brute Garros! Listen to him! Now that is how a person ought to speak!

He waved his staff, and a cluster of crackling purple motes appeared before scattering with a whoosh.

"This is our Nasengge Continent. Our continent sits on a sphere, and everywhere else is ocean. Of course, there is another continent as well."

The motes formed a sphere in the air, with two large raised areas representing the two continents.

Ove looked through the bookshelves at the three of them.

John's eyes widened, though he managed not to make a sound. Nix, however, could not suppress a small gasp.

Only Lin Ke's expression remained unchanged.

Ove considered this for a moment, then asked, "Lin Ke, do you know why this is?"

Why?

Why was it spherical? Because of universal gravitation!

Without external forces acting upon them, all objects tended to gather toward the center under the influence of universal gravitation.

But what was the true nature of universal gravitation? Never mind him-even Newton had not known.

Of course, Lin Ke did not say that. "Teacher, I do not know why, but I have observed that the Nasengge Continent we live on is round."

This time, John and Nix turned their gazes toward Lin Ke, their faces full of questions.

Even Ove grew curious. "Can you tell me why?"

Lin Ke said, "When I look into the distance, a person's feet always disappear below the horizon first, followed by their body, and finally their head. If Nathang were flat, then unless trees blocked my view, I should be able to see them the whole time."

This was a very simple way to demonstrate that a planet was round, though it was only a hypothetical observation and not particularly practical.

John and Nix could not help nodding slowly as they listened. Some things became easier to understand once someone explained them.

Ove, too, was somewhat surprised. "Correct. But we are surrounded by mountains and woods here. It is impressive that you managed to observe that."

He now felt that Lin Ke was truly outstanding, so much so that he wanted to take the boy as his disciple.

But then Ove thought that young Master Lin Ke was so intelligent that he probably only called him teacher out of respect.

Surely a child with such a thoughtful mind would want a teacher who was a Heavenly-Tier Legend of level twenty-one or higher, and a learned, powerful one at that.

He was only level nineteen, not even level twenty, let alone someone who had broken through to the heavenly tier. What a pity!

"Never mind, never mind. I will simply teach him everything I can."

After that, Ove settled into his role as merely an [Enlightenment Teacher] and began explaining some basic facts about Nathang.

For example, Nathang was actually a sphere, and outside it, smaller spheres such as the sun and moon revolved around it.

Beyond those were the stars, which were projections of the Heavenly-Tier Gods' Faith Kingdoms and the Heavenly-Tier Legends' Personal Planes.

Farther out lay the planar crystal-wall system. Breaking through it would take one into the Star Realm.

Within the Star Realm, endless planes drifted and bobbed.

Some were nothing more than a continent, some were spheres like Nathang, and others were entirely ocean or empty void.

Ever since the Professional system had come into being, pioneering [Scholars] of the heavenly tier had broken through the crystal-wall system to explore the boundless Star Realm.

Later, a genius had invented the Space-Time Teleportation Array, allowing beings below the heavenly tier to travel to other planes through it.

And so the wars across endless planes had begun.

Nathang's resources were too limited, and countless powerful individuals and great families sought opportunities to break through in the Endless Planes. After all, the Endless Planes held all manner of resources, cultures, cultivation methods, and more.

That included Lin Ke's father, who had reportedly paid a great price to purchase a Space-Time Anchor for this expedition and was probably conquering that plane at this very moment.

The fundamental laws of the world dictated that once Nathang anchored a plane with a Space-Time Anchor, that plane would become a Subsidiary Plane of Nathang.

In other words, Nathang was the Prime Plane!

So this world was even vaster than I had imagined...

Lin Ke's eyes were filled with shock as well.

He had always assumed this was an ordinary planet, one with a star and a moon.

He had never expected the sun and moon to be mere decorations, while the shining stars were only Faith Kingdoms and Personal Planes attached to the crystal-wall system.

By the end of the morning's lessons, Lin Ke felt he had gained a great deal.

As expected of someone on the verge of becoming a Legend, Ove's learning, experience, abilities, and more far surpassed those of Steward Billy and the others.

Lin Ke had benefited immensely.

"Remember, the foundation of our world is matter. Only those Idealists, who are as stupid as fishmen, would believe the world exists because of them."

Ove ended with that remark, leaving Lin Ke with a clear impression of his teacher's philosophical leanings.

In the afternoon, they moved on to research.

Although Lin Ke had successfully become a [Scholar], he had little experience researching this world. All his accumulated Professional traits and insights had come from his previous life.

"Today, I will guide you through a very simple research exercise concerning the use of force."

Outside the woods, Ove turned his hand over, and several round wheels appeared.

No way. A pulley system? Lin Ke sank into thought.

He wanted to learn magic, yet Ove was teaching them about pulley systems?

Seeming to think Lin Ke and the others were looking down on these little wheels, Ove remained unbothered. He turned his hand over and put them away again, saying, "Let me show you my first skill, Force Multiplication."

As he spoke, Ove walked over to a tree. Purple light shone from his body, and Lin Ke sensed waves of professional energy surging.

Then Ove flicked a finger, sending a marble-sized ball of electricity shooting outward.

Crack! Crack! Crack!...

An unknown number of trees snapped at the waist in an instant. Within Lin Ke's field of vision alone, more than a dozen thick trees toppled.

John and Nix were dumbstruck, but Lin Ke looked thoughtful.

"I inscribed the method of Force Multiplication into my first skill slot. With just a movement of my finger, I can inflict damage with hundreds or thousands of times the force."

Ove offered that simple explanation.

It really was a pulley system, with some mechanics involved as well... Lin Ke thought, then asked, "Teacher, does changing the angle change how much the force is multiplied? And do the size and material of those wheels affect the multiplication as well?"

This...

Ove, who had just shown off his abilities, fell silent.

Was this child really the offspring of that brute Garros and that silly little girl Furon?

P.S. How about some monthly votes and recommendation votes? You can say a man cannot perform, but you cannot say he has nothing to work with!