The free fall experiment had quickly come to an end. Once Herlram dispelled the vacuum field, the group of professors finally recovered from their previous astonishment.
"It seems Kora was right; some of the theories from the wizarding realm are indeed outdated compared to the outside world," Herlram sighed.
Apart from astrophysics and kinetic formulas, Lynn's research notes contained several unverified theories, proven with symbols he couldn't comprehend. These theories were fundamentally different from the existing methods in the wizarding realm.
Theodore, Kevin, and the others wore uncomfortable expressions upon hearing this, but they didn't argue.
"The population of the wizarding realm is still too small," Philip sighed.
Despite hundreds of years of development, the sanctuary established by a small group of fugitive wizards had grown into the present-day magical haven. However, even with this growth, the wizarding realm only had a population of around six hundred thousand, with roughly seven thousand official wizards and even fewer grand wizards. Legendary wizards numbered only seven.
Outside the wizarding realm, the Sekas Empire had a population of twenty million. Even with the Church's constant pursuit and persecution, the number of official wizards was undoubtedly several times higher there. They could have discovered some theories before the wizarding realm.
"Mr. Lynn, thank you for taking the risk of bringing this precious research manuscript to the wizarding realm," Herlram paused for a moment and then continued, "I have an unusual request. I would like to hire you as a professor at the Iyeta's Magic Academy and establish a separate discipline to teach some of the new knowledge about 'The Society of Mystical Arts.'"
From the unintelligible symbols in the manuscript, it was clear that the knowledge of 'The Society of Mystical Arts' was systematic and required specialized study to understand the meaning of these symbols.
If Lynn agreed, when he published these theories in the future, the Magic Academy would also gain a significant reputation.
Faced with Herlram's olive branch, Lynn's mind raced as he considered the pros and cons.
Joining the Magic Academy had many benefits. Firstly, all of his identity issues could be easily resolved, and he would gain a powerful ally. Secondly, he could access the Academy's magical books using his professor's status, which would help fill the gaps in his magical knowledge.
On the downside, the Magic Academy wasn't the top institution with legendary wizards. Their resilience in the face of pressure was uncertain. If he proposed more revolutionary theories in the future, Herlram might not be able to protect him.
After careful consideration, Lynn nodded in agreement.
Since his arrival at the harbor and his interactions with the grand wizard, Herlram had shown himself to be an open-minded and accommodating individual. He tolerated a group of halflings conducting flight experiments in the square and didn't rush to question Lynn's theories. He appeared to be a suitable collaborator.
Reliability was always a top priority, and running into someone like a certain famous inventor who liked to claim the achievements of others would be a disaster.
Once Lynn accepted the position as a professor, the atmosphere in the room immediately eased. Even Kevin, who had been the most opposed, no longer opposed the idea. After all, if these theories could be verified, the entire Magic Academy would benefit from it.
As for the explosion in the harbor town and the destruction of vital transportation routes, no one mentioned it anymore. Even if they wanted to assign blame, they didn't know who should be held responsible.
Blame Lynn? That was absurd! He risked capture by the Church as a close friend of Kora's, and he worked tirelessly to bring back the newfound knowledge of 'The Society of Mystical Arts' along with Kora's apprentice. It wouldn't be fair to place the blame on him.
No, instead, the entire Magic Academy owed him a favor.
Jenny and Laut, one an apprentice wizard who knew nothing and the other, Laut who had been working in the Nordland region for decades without making significant contributions – it wasn't easy to hold them accountable for the loss of an important transportation route in the wizarding realm.
Given these circumstances, they could only reluctantly accept the fact that the wizarding realm had lost a vital trade route.
"By the way, Master Herlram, when we clashed with Archbishop Anluke in the harbor town, one of Kora's apprentices suffered a magical backlash. I'm not sure if there's a possibility of healing her..." Lynn suddenly thought of this and mentioned it.
"Then let's go have a look!" Herlram stood up, and a few other professors who were equally interested followed him out of the meeting room.
Ten minutes later, Lynn and the others returned to the docks. The sailors from the Ship Gang were still detained here. After Laut reassured the sailors, they all entered the lower deck of the warship.
A massive ice coffin appeared in front of them, and within it lay a girl of around thirteen or fourteen. She lay silently, her complexion as pale as paper, her eyes tightly shut, making it hard to determine whether she was in a coma or had already passed away.
"Is her body being kept at the minimum functioning level through freezing?" Kevin, the professor of Morphology, nodded, thinking there might still be a chance to save her.
However, after melting the ice and conducting a thorough examination, Kevin became uncertain. "There don't seem to be any major physical injuries. It appears she's been severely traumatized mentally. Can you tell me what magic she was using when the backlash occurred?"
"It was the [Soul Weil]" Lynn explained.
"She's a soul mage?" Philip's eyebrows immediately furrowed, and he asked abruptly.
"What's wrong with that?" Lynn asked, puzzled.
"It's not that there's anything wrong, but there are no active soul mages left in Iyeta Harbor now." Philip sighed and went on to explain.
Three years ago, a catastrophic event occurred in the wizarding realm. The Soul Mage School founded by the grand wizard Merk had, during a particular soul magic experiment, led to the death of thousands in an entire village.
This event outraged the entire Wizard Council. After dispatching three grand wizards to directly obliterate the school, they suddenly banned the various schools from privately researching soul magic.
As for those soul mages recorded in the register, they had to join the newly established Soul Mage Academy in the Wizard's City to undergo appropriate supervision if they wished to continue studying magic.
"There are rumours that those dark mages discovered a forbidden soul magic, but only the legendary wizards might know the specifics," Philip said helplessly.
As a result, after Kora's departure, the Magic Academy didn't recruit another Soul Magic professor because it was no longer necessary.
Upon hearing this, Lynn was also somewhat shocked. What kind of forbidden magic could make the Wizard Council impose such strict restrictions on an entire school of magic?