"Alright, everyone, quiet down."
Theresa, with a displeased expression, glared at the chaotic crowd and scolded them. She collected their envelopes and papers, disregarding the coins and pouches discreetly handed to her by the wizards.
Then, she turned her attention to Lynn, who also held an envelope.
"Miss Theresa, I am Lynn from the Society of Mystical Arts. I have something very important to discuss with Lord Harof," Lynn said with a respectful bow. After a brief pause, he continued, "I've made significant progress in gravitational research and have brought three laws regarding celestial motion and a formula in arcane science that could assist Lord Harof."
Theresa's eyebrows furrowed at Lynn's words. While the others had submitted their research, Lynn seemed to be pushing for a direct meeting with their esteemed teacher. This was rather audacious. As for his claim of three significant laws, Theresa scoffed internally.
What were these laws? Laws were the eternal and unchanging magical principles that governed the world. Wizards who established magical laws would be remembered in history and, in some cases, become founders of renowned schools or important doctrines.
To claim that he had developed three laws concerning celestial motion and wanted to assist the legendary wizard Harof was simply preposterous.
Theresa had seen many bold claims from wizards seeking to impress her before, but Lynn's seemed the most exaggerated. Her impatience showed on her face as she brusquely said, "Lord Harof is currently engrossed in a vital research project. He doesn't have the time to meet you right now. If your theory is indeed useful, he might consider granting you an audience."
"The celestial motion theory that Lord Harof previously verified is based on my research. I believe he would be willing to meet me," Lynn persisted, not willing to give up.
He was starting to wonder if Theresa hadn't recognized him.
Theresa saw through Lynn's thoughts and sneered, saying, "Of course, I know who you are. You're Lynn, the one who shamelessly claimed that wizardry in the Wizards' Land was already outdated, right?"
"But let me tell you, the free-fall law you proposed is something Lord Harof knew about a long time ago. He hasn't published the research findings yet, but he was planning to include it in his upcoming gravity theory. You've just preempted it."
What annoyed Theresa more was that Lynn, a wizard from the Sekas Empire, had taunted and questioned the research on magic in the Wizards' Land. It was like an ignorant rat mocking a sky-dwelling dragon. How could she maintain a pleasant demeanor?
"You heard it earlier; everyone here believes their research can help our teacher. Should I allow everyone in?" Theresa said sternly.
Almost every day, people gathered at the mansion's gate to submit their research materials in the hope of gaining the legendary wizard's appreciation. If she granted access to one, the rest would follow, and there would be no end to it.
Most of these formal wizard research proposals had no real value; they were full of errors or stale ideas that would only waste their teacher's precious time.
With that, Theresa took the pile of papers and envelopes and walked away, closing the mansion's gate behind her.
Having been turned away, Lynn couldn't help but show a hint of frustration on his face. He had assumed that with the publicity from the Magic Daily, he would have some recognition in the Wizards' Land. It seemed that his reputation had brought negative attention instead.
"Sir, do you know how long it usually takes for Lord Harof to review these letters?" Lynn asked the wizard beside him.
"That's hard to say. It might be a few hours, or it could be a few days. It all depends on when Lord Harof feels interested," the wizard replied, shaking his head. He couldn't help but feel a bit of schadenfreude since Lynn, who had been in the limelight for the past two weeks, now found himself rejected just like the rest.
Lynn shook his head, realizing he might have been too hasty in aiming for a meeting with the legendary wizard. After all, Lord Harof was at the pinnacle of the Wizards' Land and not someone he could easily meet.
Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Theresa cautiously opened the door to the laboratory, making sure not to make a sound that could disturb Harof, who was lost in thought.
In the center of the laboratory, a massive platform held several small magical orbs, orbiting around a central, larger magical orb. This setup was used to simulate the gravitational influence of celestial bodies.
The vast cosmic scene was condensed to a small scale, and Theresa couldn't help but marvel at the genius of the legendary wizard.
At that moment, Harof stood beneath the platform, holding the data he had just calculated, and shouted in frustration, "It's impossible. This can't be how it works. The orbit of the celestial bodies should be a perfect circle, with the center right in the middle."
The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. In his mind, gravitational forces resembled ripples on a pond, forming a perfect circular shape. Some aspects of field magic supported this idea.
However, the star chart data provided by the divination scholars didn't match his model. Something was amiss. Perhaps there was an interference factor he hadn't considered, or maybe the data itself was flawed.
Theresa, sitting on the floor, carefully picked up the torn pieces of paper, piecing them back together. In her eyes, each research endeavor of her teacher was a profound exploration of the world and magical laws. Even if they contained errors, the insights within were invaluable.