"Unknowingly, we've strayed quite far from the topic," Charlie's comment drew a friendly laugh from the opposing side and the judges. After the Law Master's comments, they no longer dared to treat Charlie as an ordinary apprentice.
"Now, returning to the topic of this debate, Charlie's standard algorithm isn't particularly profound; it's simply a way to use data to quantify the magical world.
Why do apprentices of the same level and with the same magic, with an elemental affinity physique, exhibit stronger magical powers? What is the effect of each point of affinity on spell damage? How much magical affinity is needed to trigger a magical critical hit? How much is needed to activate spell upgrades? What are the rules governing these calculations? Similarly, what effect does elemental resistance have on resisting magic? What are the data patterns behind these?
At what level is the physical quality of a formal knight? What is their strength? What is their speed? How significant is the gap compared to ordinary people? Before two knights engage in battle, can we use data to calculate their respective chances of victory?
In the magical world, everything relates to data; combined, it forms an incredibly complex and vast system.
This is a colossal project that requires a tremendous investment of manpower, resources, and finances from various aspects, and it will take a significant amount of time to perfect this endeavor.
However, as long as we complete data collection and organization, then, as the previous editor of the magical newspaper said, a deity is merely a number; the difference is that this number is simply larger.
Thus, my view is that everything has its inherent patterns, each of which can be described with data. Using Charlie's standards to unify the evaluation of magical levels, talents, bloodlines, equipment, potions, and so forth, is entirely feasible."
As soon as Charlie finished speaking, the audience erupted into applause, even several Law Masters watching from the sidelines joined in, which was rare and remarkable.
Although this argument strayed from the topic, Charlie introduced a more profound concept, making it especially persuasive when returning to the main issue within that broader context. Many audience members were captivated by Charlie's performance, and the applause came from the heart.
When Charlie returned to his seat, Master Na'er gave a universal gesture, thumbs up.
The ten masters on the opposing side were either silent, lost in thought, or whispering to each other. Their earlier arrogance had significantly diminished.
The host, Crowley, was the first to snap back to reality, preparing to announce the start of the opposing side's argument when Aisha spoke up again.
"Charlie, you've raised no less than 22 questions in your argument. You made quite an impact, but I wonder if you've thought about these questions thoroughly, or if you just threw them out there without caring whether they make sense?" She aimed to put Charlie in a tight spot, using her position as a judge to continually challenge him.
Alfred furrowed his brows slightly, considering that he was also interested in Aisha's questions, and he didn't stop her from bending the rules this time. The others didn't intervene either.
Ms. Angelina maintained a detached attitude from the beginning, watching as the two young people countered each other.
Impressive persistence indeed!
Charlie sneered inwardly and asked, "Which questions are you referring to?"
"Let's do this! I'll randomly pick one of the questions you raised. If you can provide an answer or valuable commentary, I will believe what you say," Aisha challenged.
"Go ahead and ask."
"Let's keep it simple: how can one draw a standard six-point star formation without a mold? Pay attention to my request—a standard six-point star formation! The six-point star formation is foundational knowledge that any apprentice encounters when studying magic runes. When we learned it, our instructors would have us practice repeatedly with molds until we developed a sense for it, enabling us to draw a relatively standard pattern by hand. I'm curious what new insights you can offer."
Picking this question made Charlie think, Little girl, you're digging your own grave!
Of course, he also guessed her true motivation for choosing this topic—it was the most straightforward: either you can do it or you can't, unlike the frequency issues with magic formations that could lead to nebulous explanations.
Maintaining his composure, Charlie replied, "This question doesn't seem to pertain to the content of this debate. What's the point of dwelling on it?"
Aisha smiled slightly, sensing she had found a soft spot in Charlie's argument and growing more aggressive, she pressed on, "Of course, it's significant. If you can articulate a rationale for this, it would demonstrate that these questions aren't just made up and that you've discovered something and have your own thoughts, rather than merely trying to conjure up some unprovable theory to attract attention."
"What if I don't want to answer?"
Aisha smirked, "Then it would imply you're guilty! You're just putting on a show! Trying to draw attention!!"
"Today, you, as a judge, have already broken the rules multiple times. I'm extremely displeased, so I don't want to engage with you or reply. However, since you've repeatedly jumped in front of me to provoke, I can't stand it anymore.
How about we make a wager? If I can explain your question, you will, in front of everyone, loudly say, 'Brother Charlie, I admire you so much! I was wrong to keep targeting you! I'll shut up and be a quiet judge!'…"
"Pfft!"
Angelina couldn't help but laugh out loud. At that moment, the frost melted away, and spring returned to the earth, leaving everyone a bit startled.
The venue erupted with laughter, a new and entertaining way to tell someone to shut up. Just the mention of that wager had turned Aisha's face bright red, her chest heaving, fury burning fiercely inside her.
Qianxue laughed heartily, "Hahaha! That's how it should be! So what if she's a princess?! Does that mean she can bully people at will? I've always thought Aisha was quite arrogant, and finally, someone has put her in her place today!"
Qingtong also found it amusing.
Colin slapped his thigh in approval, saying, "Nice, that feels refreshing!"
David sighed repeatedly, "The boss is simply my idol! Forget about the princess; I'm already in awe of him."
Amidst this situation, Aisha sensed something was off, but she was already on the tiger's back and couldn't back down.
Through gritted teeth, Aisha asked, "And what if you lose?"
Charlie remained nonchalant, "Whatever unreasonable request you make, I will fulfill it! I promise!"
"I'll fulfill it! Hahaha! How sharp!"
"Do you think I can satisfy you?"
"Brother, you don't need to satisfy me; I don't need anything from you!"
Another crude provocation ignited the atmosphere further, and the students were in stitches, joking and laughing, while Charlie would probably have been riddled with holes had looks been lethal.
Some were already using magical mirror techniques to record the miraculous scene before them. Today was destined to be remembered in the annals of the Arcane Ring, as a publicly held large-scale debate saw the first and second debaters trading barbs, a situation so dramatic and entertaining that none of the elders present intervened.
"Alright!" Aisha responded firmly.
"Alright! You better open your eyes wide and watch!"
As he spoke, Charlie pulled out a sketching magic pen, grasping it effortlessly. The frost element responded like dough, obediently condensing in his hands. In the blink of an eye, the magic pen connected with a long ice spike, forming a shape akin to a human figure.
Angelina furrowed her brows, showing a keen interest in what was happening.
A simple humanoid tool appeared before everyone. It looked bizarre and somewhat awkward.
Seemingly very simple, it had a loud name on Earth: "Compass." Before modern tools appeared, it was the "artifact" in the hands of mathematicians, and using a compass to find the vertices of a regular hexagon was an easy feat.
Charlie spread out a sheet of sketch paper. Using the ice spike as the center, he drew a circle. Then, on the circumference, he randomly selected a point and drew two arc lines connecting two points on the circumference. He continued this process until he found six vertices, connecting them with straight lines.
In just a few breaths, a six-point star formation was completed, and it was undoubtedly standard.
The teachers on the raised platform showed curiosity. Though a six-point star formation wasn't a difficult problem, in the absence of a mold, the masters might only be able to draw something resembling it based on intuition. Today, they witnessed Charlie effortlessly creating a standard pattern using a simple tool, which intrigued them.
Charlie raised his head, his gaze naturally falling on Aisha as he smiled, "Isn't the fair and just judge supposed to fulfill her promise now?"
Under the focus of everyone's gaze, Aisha's face flushed instantly, turning red from her cheeks down to her neck. That phrase was simply impossible for her to utter! How could she possibly be the kind of shallow, ignorant girl prone to fangirling?!
It was utterly humiliating!
What to do? Aisha's mind was a chaotic mess, with only one thought firm in her mind: She would rather die than say that line; otherwise, her dignity would be trampled in the dirt, and she would never forgive herself.
Seeing her distress, Charlie smiled calmly and said, "Don't want to say it? No problem, I can wait. Take your time to collect your emotions."
Hearing the first part, she thought Charlie might generously cancel the wager. However, the second part was a knockout blow!
How could there be such a shameless, petty man?!
Aisha shouted in her heart, before activating her teleportation — the built-in teleportation function of her badge. It was the lifeline she suddenly thought of.
Alfred's expression darkened, as he growled, "What nonsense! Bet but don't accept defeat! How disgraceful!"
With a swift motion, he suppressed the badge that had just been activated, creating a strong arcane wave that caused Aisha to disappear in a whirl of Arcane energy, allowing her to retain some measure of dignity.
Alfred turned to Charlie and said, "I apologize; Aisha is too immature. I'll let her have some time alone."
"It's alright, I'm also hot-tempered and didn't want to get caught in a never-ending quarrel with her."
"Right! It won't happen again. I'll take over as the judge!" Saying this, Alfred gestured to the host and took a seat at the judges' table.
Crowley wanted to rub his tense facial muscles; he genuinely wanted to laugh, but seeing it was his boss, he couldn't bring himself to do so. He spoke a few pleasantries to redirect everyone's attention back to the debate.
Meanwhile, in a room within the Magic Tower, Aisha was tugging at her hair, letting out three anguished screams.
"Ah! Ah!! Ah!!!"
"Charlie, I won't let this go!!"