"So, you're saying that legendary wizard, Isaac, was hit on the head by an apple and discovered the existence of gravity?" Harof inquired with great curiosity.
"Yes, it is said that Lord Isaac was just an apprentice wizard at the time. After a scholarly discussion about the movement of the stars, he began to suspect that there was an invisible force pulling the planets around the sun. It wasn't until he stood under an apple tree and was hit by a falling apple that he had an epiphany..." Lynn explained with a hint of frustration.
For some reason, during their return on the airship, Harof had become quite interested in the legendary wizards created by the Society of Mystical Arts. So, Lynn had to modify some famous stories to keep Harof satisfied.
However, Harof was clearly unaware of this, as he was completely engrossed in the stories Lynn was sharing.
What surprised him the most was that these legendary wizards from the Society of Mystical Arts had developed many magical theories when they were still apprentices or full-fledged wizards, or even non-magical ordinary people. They had discovered hidden truths within seemingly ordinary phenomena using esoteric knowledge, astounding intuition, and extraordinary imagination.
For example, Isaac discovered the phenomenon of gravity because of a falling apple, and Kepler deduced that the planet beneath his feet was a sphere based on lunar eclipses.
Perhaps this was what genius truly meant.
Harof couldn't help but think that he had only discovered the existence of gravity after becoming a grand wizard, thanks to the increase in magical power and computational ability when casting spells. Compared to the experiences of these legendary wizards, he couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed.
However, Harof also noticed something very important, and that was esoteric knowledge. Whether it was the Three Laws of the Orbit mentioned by Lynn or the law of Universal Gravitation, or even calculating planetary data, they could all be intuitively represented in the form of esoteric knowledge.
This simplified many complex explanations, as long as there were formulas to calculate.
Harof called this the "esoteric knowledge mindset".
Undoubtedly, this was something lacking in the world of wizards and perhaps the reason why the Society of Mystical Arts had made such rapid progress in magical research.
With this in mind, Harof asked Lynn to compile some basic esoteric knowledge, as he intended to propose to the council that esoteric knowledge become a mainstream subject for all magical schools to study.
Lynn gladly agreed as he had long wanted to standardize the various arcane symbols used in the world of wizards. Every school seemed to have different symbols for the same formula, and it often left him bewildered when studying magical books.
"Since we've already calculated the data for the planet beneath our feet, can you tell me what the gravitational constant is now?" Harof eagerly inquired.
The pendulum experiment and planetary data calculations that Lynn had previously conducted were undoubtedly leading up to this crucial discovery.
"Harof, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a few more days to determine the gravitational constant. We're still missing something very important, and then we can visually 'see' the effects of gravity and space distortion." Lynn explained confidently.
"Oh?" Harof's interest was immediately piqued.
Gravity was an invisible, intangible force, and he could only liken it to ripples in water to understand the changes in space. But Lynn claimed they had a way to "see" the effects of gravity, and that was something he couldn't help but be curious about.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Harof quickly asked.
"I'm looking for some materials for experiments," Lynn described the appearance and properties of quartz and feldspar.
His method for calculating the gravitational constant was none other than the famous Cavendish torsion balance experiment. To replicate this experiment, they needed light and several mirrors for reflecting the light. After all, the effects of gravity were extremely weak, and only by using light to project and amplify the subtle disturbances could the changes be perfectly presented.
Quartz and feldspar were the two raw materials for making glass.
Of course, melting sand directly at high temperatures was also an option, but sand contained unavoidable impurities in addition to silica, which would affect the quality of the final product.
In addition, limestone and soda ash were needed as flux agents, and these two substances were relatively easy to obtain. Limestone was abundant near the Iyeta Harbor, and soda ash could be synthesized.
***
The council's actions were faster than Lynn had expected. On the second day of his return to Greenville City, Harof sent people to transport several tons of quartz sand and feldspar using dozens of camel-like creatures. The materials were piled high in front of their temporary residence, attracting a crowd of onlookers.
"Lynn, if the quantity is not enough, I can have more brought in tomorrow," Carol said with great respect.
Like both Harof's disciples, Carol didn't dare to underestimate this young male wizard who had gained recognition in the wizarding world. He didn't harbor any jealousy because of Harof's appreciation for Lynn, as the fate of Theresa served as a warning.
"It's enough, absolutely enough." Lynn looked at the two small mountains of quartz sand and feldspar and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. With so many raw materials, he could start a glass factory. After declining their offer to help, Lynn had Lydia, Darren, and the other halflings take a portion of the materials back to their room.
The process of making glass was not too complicated; it only required high-temperature melting. The melting point of quartz sand was 1750 degrees, but with the addition of soda ash and limestone, its melting point was significantly reduced, and Lynn had no problem creating this level of high temperature with magic.
Under the curious gazes of Lydia and the others, the granular quartz sand gradually melted under the influence of flame magic, turning into a bright red liquid that flowed continuously in the palms of their hands. They then poured it into a circular mold they had prepared earlier.
Once the glass had completely solidified, Lynn applied tin foil to one side and finally poured in some mercury.
Mercury was a liquid metal that could dissolve tin, making it adhere tightly to the glass plate. After it had fully solidified, a flawless mirror that could clearly reflect images was presented to everyone.