"What's happening?" Aurora inquired.
Aurora had been observing Harof's unusual behavior for a while now. Ever since he put on that ring, he had been acting strangely. She almost thought he might be under some kind of spiritual attack.
"No time to explain, tell me, what is cosmic redshift?" Harof urgently asked, his words coming out rapidly. The others are still waiting!
Aurora shook her head, unsure. "I'm sorry, I've never heard of that term before."
"Is there any clue at all? It could be some peculiar astronomical phenomenon…" Harof asked again, a bit frustrated. After all, they were legendary wizards with immense knowledge of astronomy, and this question seemed to stump them.
Aurora hesitated for a moment and said, "When I use magic to observe distant stars, I've noticed that their relative positions seem to be changing. Maybe cosmic redshift refers to this phenomenon?"
Harof was equally unsure, but there was clearly no time to hesitate.
He had to go with what he had.
Harof bit his lip and quickly delved into the Magic Web, with four legendary wizards watching him closely. He looked steady on the outside but was actually feeling quite frantic.
"In fact, I've noticed something as well. It seems that distant stars are gradually... um... moving away from us under the influence of some force... In any case, the Big Bang Theory... does have its merits!" Harof carefully chose his words, and seeing that none of the four legendary wizards refuted him, he finally felt a bit relieved.
Thank goodness... He had managed to bluff his way through.
"Indeed, I believe the phenomenon of cosmic redshift is likely evidence of the continuous expansion of the cosmos. If we can calculate the rate of this expansion and then work backwards, we can roughly estimate the age of the universe. Besides, microwave radiation can also serve as evidence for this theory..." Lynn explained enthusiastically.
Harof suddenly had an epiphany. If space was constantly expanding, all they needed was to determine the rate of expansion, and they could deduce the universe's origin.
Having witnessed a supernova explosion just moments ago, Harof quickly analogized the mysteries of the universe's expansion. The star had suddenly exploded after collapsing hundreds of times, ejecting matter at an unimaginable speed. Perhaps the same phenomenon occurred with the so-called gravitational singularity.
With this newfound understanding, Harof was excited and absorbed as much as he could about this theory, even in parts he didn't fully grasp. He intended to delve deeper into it later.
Just as he thought he had grasped the flawless nature of this theoretical concept and had glimpsed the ultimate secrets of the universe, the other three wizards in the magical real/Magic Web began to counter his theory.
If all matter was born from the Big Bang, including time and space itself, where did the singularity of the explosion come from? And how did it generate so much matter and energy...
These questions were terrifying upon deeper reflection, and Harof couldn't fathom what a world without time and space would look like. It was beyond his mental capacity to understand.
The stringent academic approach and the terrifying knowledge reservoir of the Society of Mystical Arts left Harof feeling inferior.
For a moment, he felt as if he had returned to the days when he was just beginning to learn magic, and everything was new and unknown. But he had to maintain his image as a legendary wizard.
This awkward feeling made Harof uncomfortable as if he were sitting on pins and needles. He had to cast aside his plans to discuss the gravitational formula with the Society's upper echelons, as keeping a low profile was crucial to avoid revealing his true abilities.
Nevertheless, the Magic Web was a place for scholarly discussions, and everyone had to contribute.
After the other three wizards presented two alternative theories for the origin of the universe—Dimensional Theory and Steady-State Theory—it was finally Harof's turn.
With four pairs of eyes watching him, Harof felt a heavy pressure.
"Cough, my view on the origin of the universe is similar to that of Lord Albert. I won't go into detail here. Instead, I'll talk about the influence of magical structures on space..."
Harof awkwardly shifted the conversation towards his area of expertise to avoid any corrections and public embarrassment.
Even so, he couldn't help but worry that his theory might seem too elementary.
However, Harof soon realized that even the legendary wizard known as Albert Einstein was seriously listening to his words, even though he was discussing magical structures' influence on spatial magic. It seemed that these Society of Mystical Arts wizards hadn't yet figured out the optimal magical structure for spatial magic.
Maybe they already knew these theories, but, due to his newcomer status and his first participation in such a high-end academic gathering, they decided not to debunk him to save face.
Just like the annual academic seminars held in the land of wizards. Even if the magic theories presented on stage were shallow, the established wizards still listened carefully and pointed out any mistakes.
The academic atmosphere in the Society of Mystical Arts was clearly superior to that of the land of wizards.
Harof sighed internally, briefly summarizing his years of research and then turned his gaze to the pensive "legendary wizards," awaiting their valuable input.
At this moment, Lynn was feeling somewhat perplexed. If it were purely scientific theories, he could talk about them for days without any problems. But when it came to the relationship between magic and science, he didn't dare to speak casually for fear of making mistakes and ruining his carefully crafted image.
Initially, Lynn thought Harof would ask about the gravitational constant, and he had already prepared how to bluff his way through it. But to his surprise, the topic had shifted, and Harof had started discussing the influence of magical structures on spatial magic, a subject Lynn was unfamiliar with.
On the other hand, Dove shrank back when she saw Harof's gaze sweep over him and barely dared to breathe.
Fortunately, at this moment, the brilliant light produced by the supernova explosion, which accelerated hundreds of times in time, was rapidly fading, and everything within sight was once again swallowed by endless darkness.