Mathematics Has Its Own Tianlin Moment

The next morning.

The long-silent docks of Mondel Town were once again filled with the sound of ship horns.

On his way to school, Wayne stopped and glanced back towards the docks.

"A ship actually docked today... Li Mo, what do you think happened? Has the [dye leak] problem been resolved?"

Wayne emphasized the word, making his meaning clear.

The reason I didn't say it directly was that Helen was also there, and she had promised the envoy that the matter of the Corona shouldn't be known to more people.

Li Mo said, "Who knows? Let's go, we'll be late if we don't hurry."

"All right..."

Wayne thought so too; these were things they couldn't control anyway, so he changed the subject:

"Hey, so what happened yesterday? Did that third wheel in Li Mo's house really do a backflip?"

Helen's eyes lit up, and she nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"Wayne, let me tell you, Li Mo was incredibly good last night!"

"How is it impressive?"

Let me explain in detail!

If Helen talks about topics that interest her, she can transform from a socially awkward little girl into a chatterbox, as if she wants to pour out all the things she's held back in the first half of her life.

"Yesterday, Li Mo took us to the workshop. First, he banged and banged as he made a glass dome! Then he blew out the kerosene lamps in the room, then Sister Anna turned the handle with a thud, and then Xiao Xi stood next to the switch and pressed it with a whoosh! Finally, the glass dome lit up! The whole workshop was instantly illuminated as bright as day!"

Li Mo smiled.

He noticed that whenever Helen spoke earnestly about something, she would habitually add various onomatopoeic words to her sentences.

It was the same when I went to Mr. Green's house to help her solve the paranormal incident in her bedroom.

It sounds kind of cute.

Wayne, oblivious to the romantic sentiment, said:

"Helen, how does adding so many sound words help your expression?"

Helen: "!!!"

She immediately lowered her head awkwardly, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes. "I'm so sorry... I just thought it was a more apt way to put it..."

Anna said gently, "Don't listen to Wayne. I think it's cute. Look at your Li Mo, he's smiling too, and he thinks it's cute too."

Helen glanced at Li Mo.

Li Mo quickly looked away.

--Meow, how did our conversation suddenly turn into a fight?

He couldn't explain why, but all he wanted to do was quickly change the subject.

"Hey Wayne, wait a couple of days until the workshop makes another batch, then I'll send you one to take home and play with."

Speaking of which, after turning on the light bulb yesterday, a few of us chatted for quite a while about the uses of electric lights.

After their conversation, Estelle left, seemingly lost in thought.

Helen, who should have gone home by now, stood at the living room door and hesitated for a long time.

Finally, he made up an excuse that "I looked at the bright light for too long, and now I feel dizzy when walking at night, and I also have a few questions I want to ask Li Mo," and decided to stay home and sleep.

So last night, the three of them slept together again.

As is customary, Anna slept in the middle.

But after blowing out the kerosene lamp, I felt that the atmosphere this time was a little different from last time.

Helen had just experienced a fright last time, and she fell asleep quickly after curling up in bed.

Last night was unusually quiet; no one spoke.

Li Mo pulled himself out of his thoughts and sighed softly.

He felt that he should speak less about these matters in the future.

As a professional scholar, Kuku's most important task right now is to conduct scientific research.

As for things you're not good at, don't overthink them; just let things take their course...

Mondel Academy, Class One.

Li Mo lowered his head and did his calculations.

Mr. Hall, the homeroom teacher, walked in with a teacher who looked extremely gentlemanly.

Putting aside his teaching ability, he is undeniably handsome.

His vest was neat and tidy, and he wore a gold-rimmed monocle in a flashy manner; his hair was also slicked back and shiny.

The students all looked him over; he was a new face.

Mr. Hall said:

"Class, I have an announcement to make. Since Mr. Harrison left school the day before yesterday, our math teacher position is vacant. This morning, the passenger ship that docked brought a renowned math teacher from Oak Harbor — Mr. Solano."

Oak Harbor is a coastal town located 30 nautical miles from Mondel Town.

Because it is close to the main shipping route, its population and business scale are much larger than those of Mondel Town.

Mr. Hall continued:

"Mr. Solano was originally invited to our school's math salon, but unfortunately Mr. Harrison left. The principal sincerely invited Mr. Solano to stay and take over as our class's math teacher. Let's give him a round of applause!"

A thunderous applause erupted.

Mr. Hall smiled and gave up the podium.

Mr. Solano walked to the center of the podium and slowly introduced himself:

"Hello everyone, my name is Barton Solano. Before coming to Mondel, I taught at Oak Harbor High School for six years and was also a standing director of the Coast County Mathematics Research Society."

As he spoke, Zhong Deng's tone became more smug:

"To be honest, a college in a remote place like Mondel Town was not originally on my list of teaching locations. After all, my academic circle is mainly in Oak Harbor, and most of my correspondence involves discussing cutting-edge topics with scholars in major cities. It was only out of consideration for an old friend that I reluctantly agreed to stay and mentor you for a while."

The students looked at each other in bewilderment.

Some people might think: I'm not worthy to be your student, so should I leave?

Wayne turned to Li Mo and whispered, "This new teacher's got quite the airs..."

Li Mo remained silent, focusing solely on calculating the attenuation curve of the Red Moon's harmonics.

Mr. Solano pulled out a teacup from somewhere, took a slow, arrogant sip, and left everyone waiting.

After finishing his drink, he continued to show off:

"Actually, three years ago, I did some specialized research at the Royal Academy of Sciences."

Everyone was surprised when they heard this.

"Royal Academy of Sciences?"

"My goodness, Professor Solano actually worked at the Royal Academy of Sciences?"

"No wonder they looked down on our Mondel Town, turns out they're some big shot from the capital..."

Everyone quickly forgave his arrogance.

If someone with real ability is just showing off, then it's not showing off.

Estelle glanced at Mr. Solano on the podium.

Hmm, not familiar with them.

That's normal, though.

Of the many people at the Royal Academy of Sciences, only a few of the most outstanding professors were qualified to see her.

Mr. Solano said leisurely:

"Alright, enough chit-chat. My teaching style is probably a bit different from what you've encountered before."

He wrote a problem on the blackboard and said:

"True mathematics cannot be taught by teachers; you must think for yourselves and figure it out on your own. Only when you fully understand it will this problem truly belong to you. Now, let's begin."

With the Royal Academy of Sciences's reputation as their backing, none of the students dared to question it, and they all began to perform calculations.

Solving this problem using traditional algebraic methods would require repeated transpositions and completing the square, which is rather tedious.

A boy raised his hand.

His collar was slightly open, revealing the words "[Mo]" written inside.

Clearly, he was also a member of Perry Underground Society.

What's the problem?

"Professor Solano, can we use the new method that Li Mo taught in the salon to solve the second half of this problem?"

"Anything is fine. It's math; as long as you can figure it out, there are no restrictions on the method you use."

Having received permission, the boy grew bolder and asked, "Then, teacher, should we perform a preliminary iteration on this extreme value?"

Mr. Solano calmly asked, "Why do you ask that? Should we stir the chicken broth first? Hmm... I don't think so. Stirring it will make the broth too rich."

The boy looked at the teacher, bewildered, and asked, "Huh?"