The next morning, after a night of meditation, Lynn got up and, following a quick wash, headed out. He coincidentally bumped into Professor Philip, an Elemental Studies expert, who was also leaving his residence.
"Professor Lynn, did you have a good rest last night?" Philip greeted me with a smile.
"Quite well, the conditions here are much more comfortable than within the Sekas Empire," Lynn replied, his face carrying a hint of a smile. From today onward, he wouldn't have to worry about the threat of the Church constantly.
"That's for sure. I heard that even the commoners there live in houses made of thatch and stone bricks, is that true?" Philip asked with great curiosity.
For Philip, who hailed from the land of wizards, his knowledge of the Sekas Empire came solely from rumors. Every Moonrise, he liked to visit the tavern by the docks and listen to the sailors share tales of the outside world.
"As far as the commoners are concerned, that's accurate, but the nobles and priests there live very luxurious lives as well," Lynn explained, knowing Philip was interested. He briefly talked about the structure of the Empire and the Church based on the memories of his original self, Carl.
"Since you've crossed paths with the Archbishop, do you know how these people use divine magic? Do they also need to study elemental magic, shaping, or alchemy?" Philip inquired again.
"I don't think so," Lynn shook his head. Based on the priest selection process in the Nordland territory, clergy only needed to have faith and be able to fight. This had always been a question he couldn't quite grasp – was there a way to obtain power other than seeking the truth?
Philip didn't delve too deep into this issue. After satisfying his curiosity, he began introducing Lynn to the various areas of Iyeta's Magic Academy.
Iyeta's Magic Academy covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters. The iconic Screaming Tower stood in the center of the academy, while behind it were the residences of the students and professors. The magical library and combat training grounds were located on the right side of the academy, with the remaining space dedicated to teaching areas for each of the four major disciplines: Elemental Studies, Morphology, Alchemy, and Potion-making.
Apart from these, some elite academies in the Wizard City also offered special courses like Prophecy and Force Fields.
"There used to be Soul Studies as well, but it's been abandoned. That place will also be where you teach in the future," Philip pointed to an independent building next to the Screaming Tower.
The Soul Studies area seemed somewhat ominous, covered in thick, gray walls and overrun with moss, likely due to years of neglect.
"I'll have a few fairies come clean this place up later. It should be usable by the afternoon... those soul wizards are always acting a bit strange. I say it's a good thing that the Council got rid of them," Philip commented, somewhat gleefully. He then proceeded to outline the schedule of Lynn's classes.
As a professor, Lynn had the freedom to arrange his own teaching hours, but it was best to keep them consistent and not clash with the schedules of other professors. Otherwise, the apprentices would have to choose between classes.
However, as soon as Philip finished explaining the timetable for the existing four courses, Lynn realized that everything Philip had said earlier was basically meaningless. Nearly every day was filled with various courses, and his new course would undoubtedly have to compete for time with the other disciplines.
"Elemental Studies is the most popular subject in Iyeta's Magic Academy. It usually runs from ten to twelve in the morning and from seven to nine in the evening," Philip kindly reminded, making it clear that those times were not up for grabs, and there wouldn't be many students attending Lynn's new class.
Lynn nodded without expressing his opinion, and Philip asked again, "Have you already thought of a name for the new discipline?"
"How about... Arcane Mathematics?" Lynn pondered.
Since accepting the position as a professor, Lynn had been contemplating what he should teach. It was clear that regular magic was not an option.
So far, he had mastered less than ten types of magic, and maybe even fewer than some of the students. Teaching them would likely be laughable unless he was willing to reveal the method for creating white phosphorus, but that was one of his rare hidden cards. Lynn had no intention of spreading that knowledge, so he had to resort to the subjects from his previous life.
Subjects like language, geography, and biology were influenced by the world and weren't suitable for teaching.
Chemistry was a viable choice, but it conflicted with the field of Elemental Studies. He didn't want to challenge Philip right after arriving.
That would be unfair, and there might be some novel elements in this new world that he was unaware of, so it was better not to teach it haphazardly.
Physics? He could scribble down a formula casually, but the other person would need to understand those mathematical symbols.
The only sensible choice was mathematics! In this world, circles were still circles, squares were still squares, and the basic rules of arithmetic were undoubtedly universal. Mathematics was the foundation of all science and technology, the most critical tool for humans to understand and transform the world.
It could be said that the majority of scientific theories could be expressed using mathematical formulas. This subject always remained at the forefront of the era. Many cutting-edge research results were deduced entirely through mathematics!
Magical theories were probably no exception.
For instance, the Herlram formula he used to learn Magic Missile and Kora's research in fluid mechanics both involved a significant amount of mathematical calculations. It was clear that wizards had been studying mathematics for a long time, but it had not yet developed into a distinct discipline.
The reason was simple: wizards couldn't directly gain power from mathematics; they could only benefit indirectly by applying it to a certain type of magic.
This led to all mathematical formulas being taught in conjunction with various disciplines, and sometimes, even the methods and symbols couldn't be standardized.
After Lynn briefly described the meaning of Arcane Mathematics, Philip's expression became somewhat strange. He had thought Lynn would focus on teaching the intriguing theories from the Society of Mystical Arts, but he was surprised to find out it would be basic mathematical operations.
Would students really be interested in learning this stuff? Philip opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated. He had a feeling that if Lynn only taught these simple concepts, he might not attract a single apprentice.
However, each professor had the freedom to choose what they taught, and Philip couldn't offer any advice. He decided that when it came time for the lesson, he would gently introduce the new course to the students to avoid the awkward situation of Lynn teaching to an empty room.
TL/n -
arcane => understood by few; mysterious or secret.
origin => mid 16th century: