For the first time, soaring thousands of meters into the sky on an airship, feeling the brisk wind and witnessing the pure white clouds pass by, Tike and Rol couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement, though they managed to maintain a calm facade.
Even though they had spent several days in Iyeta Harbor, they had the opportunity to take the airship at any time for a mere ten silver coins. The only issue was their reluctance to mingle with the common folk.
As the pilot, Lydia occasionally steered the airship into the clouds, allowing everyone to experience the peculiar sensation of being enveloped by cloud masses.
Rol extended his hand to touch the oncoming cloud masses. "This is truly a remarkable alchemical creation. It can make ordinary people who can't use magic feel like great wizards, freely flying in the sky."
Tike thought about the utility of airships for transportation, which meant cutting travel times by more than half. If this technology became widespread, it would make traveling in the land of the wizards incredibly convenient.
"I assume these airships are quite expensive," Tike inquired.
Lynn nodded seriously. "They are a bit on the pricier side. While the overall cost of airships isn't high, cheaper materials can be used in their construction. However, the design concept is quite valuable."
Lynn then asked about the past academic symposiums (conferences) and how they were conducted.
Tike reminisced about the grand gatherings of thousands of wizards from various schools, discussing novel theories and presenting their latest magical research.
One of the most memorable events was the heated debate two decades ago about the nature of fire. Several top schools put forward dozens of ideas, leading to heated arguments among hundreds of official wizards, even resulting in physical altercations.
For instance, there was the popular theory of fire elementalism, where proponents believed that fire was composed of countless tiny, lively, and imperceptible microelements that existed in flammable substances and elements. When heated, they would separate, and a large concentration of free fire elements would form visible flames.
Their evidence came from the fact that when elements burned, they didn't completely disappear but transformed into other elements, which must have been caused by the separation of fire elements.
However, this theory had its fair share of loopholes and didn't gain universal approval among wizards.
Opposing them were the fire magic school, the flame elementalism school, and even some wizards who believed that fire was merely a state and a manifestation of intense elemental movement, with no actual fire elements in existence.
"And then?" Lynn asked with great curiosity.
"In the end, the founders of the major theories agreed to showcase their most potent fire magic spells," Tike continued. "The ultimate victor was the great wizard Adra, who created a new spell called 'Fire Elemental Storm' with temperatures exceeding several thousand degrees. He almost defeated another great wizard with this spell, securing victory in the debate. That's why the popular theory today is Fire Elementalism."
Tike reminisced, longing for the excitement of those debates, not knowing when they might witness such a spectacle again.
Of course, even though fire elementalism won the debate, the wizards who opposed it didn't give up. They continued to study new fire magic, hoping to make a comeback. However, to this day, they haven't surpassed the magical power of fire elementalism.
Does that make sense? Lynn thought while listening to Tike's story.
On reflection, it seemed quite normal. In the land of the wizards, knowledge equated to power, and whoever had the most potent magic had the most profound research. In situations where there was no clear right or wrong, magic was the only way to resolve disputes. After all, might made right.
If you believe your theory is correct, why not create more powerful magic and prove your point? This was the unique debating style of the wizarding world.
"Oh, I heard that the wizards from the divination schools are preparing to counter your theory at the symposium. They seem to have found some flaws, so you should be careful," Tike suddenly remembered and warned.
A person's extensive knowledge doesn't necessarily mean they excel in debates.
Although winning with sophistry was impossible, it could be quite embarrassing in a debate.
"Are they planning to 'debate' using magic as well?" Lynn asked inquisitively.
"They probably won't," Tike replied, not entirely sure. While conflicts arose at previous symposiums due to disagreements, they usually didn't escalate into physical confrontations.
"What about the legendary wizards? Will they be attending the symposium this time?" Lynn asked.
"I don't know," Tike shook his head. In fact, legendary wizards rarely participated in academic symposiums unless they were interested in or considered the topic highly important. Generally, an exceptional official wizard from the school would present the latest theories.
Since Lynn was attending the symposium for the first time, Tike took great care to explain various details to him.
Lynn noted them all and then inquired about the legendary wizards' information.
However, these councillors, who held a lofty status, were quite enigmatic, and Tike had limited information about them. The one with the most discussion was the legendary wizard Harof.
This person also came from outside the land of the wizards, and it was rumored that he only started studying magic in his thirties. Nevertheless, his talent was remarkable, and despite missing the prime age for learning magic, he reached the status of a legendary wizard.
What set him apart from other legendary wizards was the fact that Harof had very few apprentices, only a handful. According to him, he only needed a few people to assist him, as he didn't have the time or patience to teach students.
"Is this the Harof who proposed the possibility of gravity being widespread in any object?" Lynn asked in amazement.
"That's correct," Tike nodded. "After your theory on planetary bodies was published, Harof was the first to fly into the sky to confirm whether continents could be spherical."
Gravity issues, huh? Lynn contemplated for a moment. He had already prepared an invitation letter for the Society of Mystical Arts, and he had been debating whether to give it to Raphael or Ogest since the Iyeta school didn't have a prominent grand wizard. That was a potential liability.
Now, considering it, this legendary wizard Harof might be a better choice.