Chapter 395 The Whisper of Chaos
The rolling yellow sand washed away the standing brass gate, while the hot wind from hell also blew quietly on the icy snowfield.
Since Ilana's "Colin-Ottavia Equation" was proposed, a craze for using mathematical tools to analyze everything instantly swept the entire "Magic Science Laboratory".
Although "Sage" has not given authoritative certification of Ilana's results for the time being, this does not hinder the dissemination and sharing of knowledge.
Young apprentices are no longer just satisfied with experience and intuition, but have begun to try to use rigorous formulas to calculate the energy loss of the magic circle, and use geometry to optimize the structure of the alchemy device.
Although most of the attempts seemed immature and ridiculous due to insufficient theoretical foundation, this unprecedented academic enthusiasm made the entire laboratory full of vitality.
The next morning, Luo Yan summoned several of his core apprentices to the center of the laboratory. He held a magic crystal with a soft halo in his hand and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Professor Hector said he didn't believe a group of magic apprentices could solve this problem, so I made a bet with him... I believe you can do it."
Jamie, Ram and others were confused.
"Predicting cracks?" Jamie scratched his head and asked in confusion, "This... how is this possible? The cracks are different every time it cools, right?"
Ram also echoed in a low voice: "It sounds like divination, not science..."
Ophia did not speak, she was already biting her quill and thinking.
Just when everyone was at a loss what to do, Ilana suddenly raised her hand.
"Teacher, I'm willing to give it a try!"
"Oh? It seems you have an idea." Luo Yan said with a smile.
Ilana nodded with bright eyes and said in a clear and affirmative voice.
"Since everything follows the "principle of minimum action", and the generation of cracks is a form of energy release, I think it will definitely expand along a certain path of "minimum energy consumption"! I can use...that equation to find this perfect "optimal crack path"!"
Although the "Colin-Ottavia equation" was her own proposal, now she has become the person who is most embarrassed to mention this equation.
Some things are not shameful when communicated in private, but become another matter in public.
She now finally realizes her haste.
Although she doesn't regret anything.
Luo Yan smiled and nodded.
"Very good, Ilana, go ahead and do it!"
After a pause, he continued.
"Of course, others can also think along this line of thinking... Although I recommend you to open your mind a little more and not stick to the existing framework, maybe we will make new discoveries."
With the instructor's approval, Ilana immediately threw herself into the calculations.
She spread out the manuscript paper, her quill flying on it, and lines of beautiful and complex formulas flowed from the tip of the pen, completely immersed in her own world.
In fact, after her great success, she also suffered a lot of pressure.
The editorial board of "The Sage" is not optimistic about the research results of mentor James Walli at all, let alone the theoretical results made on this basis.
Even if this result comes from the Magical Science Laboratory, which has been in the spotlight recently, even if the paper is signed by Prince Colin.
Ilana did not want to live up to the expectations of tutor Colin. She urgently needed a practical application case to prove the value of the "Colin-Ottavia Equation" to the entire academic world, so she subconsciously tried to use her new "hammer" to knock all the "nails".
Jamie, Ram and others looked at the meticulous Ilana in awe. In her, they seemed to have seen the birth of the next miracle.
"How long do you think it will take her to figure it out?"
"I don't know...maybe a week?" Ram said in an uncertain tone.
“A week?! I’ll give it a maximum of three days!” Jamie said triumphantly, “Just wait and see, this little thing won’t bother her at all.”
Three days passed quickly.
As expected, those who raised the flag too early were slapped in the face.
Luo Yan has been busy with the Virtual Realm Asset Restructuring Committee for the past three days, but he has not put too much energy into the laboratory.
When he remembered this matter, it was already the fifth day.
Obviously, things are not going well for Ilana.
Her desk was filled with discarded manuscript papers, each piece of paper filled with dense calculations and crossed out with irritable ink marks.
No matter how her equation is deduced, she cannot arrive at a unique and stable solution. The result always swings between several possibilities, and even falls into a logical paradox.
She began to become anxious, and her fair cheeks looked a little pale from long-term thinking.
She firmly believed that there was something wrong with her calculations, not the equation itself, so she repeated the same calculation over and over again, completely getting into trouble.
"Are you okay?" Ophia, who was standing at the desk and came to ask questions, glanced at Ilana with some concern.
Although she regarded Ilana as her rival, she still liked this helpful friend from the bottom of her heart.
"I... I'm fine, I just can't figure it out." Ilana smiled helplessly and returned the paper she had written to Ophia, "Thank you for your concern, I will get better, just give me some time."
Ophia nodded, glanced down at the paper with the answer in her hand, and let out a long sigh after a while.
Sure enough, people are different...
The answer that I couldn't think of was solved by Ilana simply by dividing three times, five, and two...even though the latter was struggling with a more difficult problem.
Luo Yan observed all this calmly.
When he saw another piece of manuscript paper being crumpled into a ball, he knew what he had to do, so he stood up and walked to Ilana's table, looked at the pair of eyes that were dimmed due to confusion, and said in a gentle tone.
"It seems you are in trouble."
"No, mentor, I didn't..." Ilana raised her head, a rare trace of panic appeared on her cold face, like a child who was worried about the trophy in her hand being taken back.
Of course her little thoughts could not escape Luo Yan's eyes, he smiled lightly and said jokingly.
"Your eyes can't deceive me, I guess you didn't go to bed until about two o'clock last night."
Ilana's cheeks were slightly red, her lips moved, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
She actually fell asleep at four o'clock last night, but in order not to worry His Highness Colin, she felt there was no need to say such things.
"I can't give you academic advice on a topic that I don't know the answer to. I can only suggest that you... don't have too much idol baggage."
Idol baggage?
Luo Yan probably guessed what she wanted to say. After thinking for a moment, he just continued in a casual tone.
“Idol baggage is not something that only celebrities have, it also exists with ordinary people, and... it is no less than that of famous people. We often forget what we want because of other people’s expectations of us. You don’t have to pay too much attention to the editor of "The Sage" Are you satisfied with your theory? I prefer that you can study what you like freely, and I think this is also your original expectation."
After a pause, he looked at the eyes that gradually changed from confusion to sobriety, and continued.
"In addition, your equation is a great achievement. It is like a key that opens a grand door, but it does not mean that it can open all doors. This idea is actually a kind of "path dependence."
"Path dependence...?" Ilana murmured and repeated this unfamiliar word, her eyes filled with confusion, but with a hint of clarity, as if she had found something.
"That's right."
Luo Yan did not point out her misunderstanding directly, but picked up a piece of crumpled manuscript paper and unfolded the waste paper and smoothed it out.
"Once you fall into the dilemma of path dependence, your knowledge and experience are no longer tools to help you solve problems, but become shackles that trap you... Since the original key cannot open the door in front of you, why not try to find a new key?"
"For example, you have been looking for the only "optimal path" for crack generation. But what if... the generation of a crack is not a single result? For another example, every time it appears, it is a "probability" randomly selected from countless possibilities... I think this possibility also exists."
This is probably the only clue Luo Yan can provide her. After all, he only roughly knows that some things are "chaotic systems" and there is no unique outcome.
Luo Yan thought it would take her some time to digest this huge amount of information, but she didn't expect that her words would become the key inserted into the keyhole.
The word "probability" is like a bolt of lightning that cuts through the long night, instantly splitting the shackles of thinking in Ilana's mind and opening the door to a new world for her.
The confusion and anxiety on her face were swept away, replaced by a kind of ecstasy from the bottom of her heart.
"I understand! I have been trying to find a unique "optimal" crack path before, but as you said, this process is likely to be random at every step! I don't need to predict "which one it will be", I just need We need to construct a brand new mathematical model to describe "which one it may be" and "how likely it is to appear"! "
Looking at His Highness Colin who looked surprised, she took a deep breath and continued in an excited tone.
“The path generation is not fixed, but the probability can be calculated using functions!”
She gave up her obsession with finding the only solution and began to use statistics, induction and probability thinking to touch the unknown realm of randomness.
After saying that, she no longer hesitated, immediately grabbed the quill, and devoted herself to the study of the topic at hand from another perspective.
Looking at Ilana who quickly emerged from the depression and entered the state of mind, Luo Yan was surprised and could not help but nod with relief in his heart.
This guy is really a genius!
Just one click and you’re done!
· From the perspective of a "experienced person", he can certainly hear that the theory that Ilana is excitedly expounding at this moment is the prototype of the axioms of "probability theory".
Although her understanding is still vague, she has already touched the boundaries of this great branch of mathematics with her own understanding.
·Science is an idea, and the "path optimization equation" is just a tool developed based on scientific ideas.
If it is regarded as the only solution, even science will inevitably become a religion.
This is like a swordsman who has become the best swordsman in the world by constantly honing his swordsmanship. He inevitably regards the sword in his hand as the truth and forgets that the legends he has achieved with his sword are the essence of his power.
A scholar who becomes strong by exploring the virtual realm will inevitably regard the use of external forces as the only way to break the involution, but ignores that the living beings around him are the source of their strength.
This is actually path dependence.
Also called "inner demon".
This thing is not only for the top strong people, but ordinary people will also encounter it, but the stronger the strength, the harder it is to get out of one's own stubbornness.
Luo Yan's eyes returned to Ilana, full of relief and expectation.
"I'm glad you can think of this. What a true scholar needs is not a key, but an eternally young heart. Just go ahead and do it, Ilana. Don't worry about whether I will be disappointed. The process of your exploration itself is enough for me to appreciate."
At this moment, he is not only cultivating a "chosen one" who can harvest faith for him, but also a true inheritor of the "scientific" school!
Even if one day he leaves here, the fire he lit with his own hands will continue to shine and heat in this cold snowfield.
Ilana's face seemed to be on fire. She did not raise her head, but just said "hmm" and tried to put the disturbed thoughts back on the manuscript paper in her hand.
It’s better now.
The "probability" that just had some ideas turned into "appreciation" and random thoughts when written on paper.
Luo Yan was sincerely pleased with Ilana's intelligence, and this scene turned into unfathomable awe for His Royal Highness in the eyes of other apprentices in the laboratory.
In their view, Ilana was already an unreachable genius, and with just a few gentle words of advice from His Highness Colin, she was able to overcome the seemingly insurmountable difficulty.
This is simply amazing!
Ram gently touched Jamie next to him with his elbow and teased in a low voice.
"How about it, didn't you swear that Ilana can do it in three days? This is already the fifth day, and in the end His Highness Colin has to take action."
"I don't know..." Jamie scratched his head in embarrassment, "Maybe it was because he was not in good condition the past few days."
Ram looked at him and shook his head, sighing softly.
"You, you are almost treating Miss Ilana as an omnipotent god. In fact, she is just a human being like us. She will also encounter problems that cannot be solved, and she will also need help... It is better not to put too much pressure and expectations on her."
Jamie muttered dissatisfied.
"Don't you also regard His Highness Colin as a god?"
Lam coughed embarrassedly.
"That's different..."
Let alone His Highness Colin, any mentor is no different from a god to these apprentices...
On the other side of the laboratory, Ophia looked at His Highness Colin with a pleased smile on his face with some jealousy, and pouted unhappily.
She buried her head deeply and muttered something in a low voice that only she could hear.
"The partiality..."
At this moment, a devilish thought suddenly emerged quietly in Ophelia's heart that was aggrieved by jealousy.
Speaking of which, a certain noble lady from the Kingdom of Rhodes seems to be planning to harm Ilana in the maze trial.
Why not turn a blind eye? Although Miss Rustina's method was not aboveboard, she might be able to make His Highness Colin...
As soon as this idea came to her mind, she was suddenly awakened by the evil thoughts in her heart.
Her fair cheeks flushed instantly, as if she had done something shameful and shameful. She quickly crumpled this dirty thought into a ball and threw it into the garbage pile of her consciousness.
She felt ashamed that she had such vicious thoughts and silently repented in her heart.
Honest Saint Sis, Orphea Castellion, how can you associate with the devil? That's your best friend in Xuebang!
At the moment when she firmly believed, a seductive whisper sounded in her mind without any warning.
But...does she consider you a friend? In order to win the favor of His Highness, she will not miss every opportunity to compete with you. If this continues, you will definitely lose. 』
That’s enough! ” Ophia’s face turned pale, she gritted her teeth hard and yelled in her heart, “The Castellon family does not have such scum that is gossiping! Get out of my head! 』
…And she didn’t delve into those things just for His Highness Colin! I know that she really loves the research she is engaged in! 』
It seems that she found that she could not shake her will. The voice actually "rolled off" and disappeared from her mind in an instant.
Ophelia didn't know what happened, she just felt her heart suddenly relaxed, as if an invisible burden had been lifted.
What happened just now?
She glanced around blankly, then shook her head vigorously, throwing away the irritability of the moment, and refocused her attention on the problem about prime numbers.
Not far away, Luo Yan, who had just returned to his desk, stopped, with a thoughtful expression on his face, and his eyes swept across the laboratory.
Yuyou quietly appeared beside him and whispered.
"Lord Demon King..."
"The aura of chaos."
"Hmm... but it's different from what we have encountered before. It's not Novel, it should be something else."
Luo Yan’s eyebrows were raised slightly, and the corner of his mouth turned up into a playful smile.
… It's a bit interesting.
Corrosion has come to me.
…
At the same time, in a remote corner of Artisan Street, a girl wearing a blue robe quietly slipped into a dimly lit shop.
The sign of the shop has long faded, and a strange smell composed of dried herbs and unknown preservatives permeates the door.
· The shelves are filled with all kinds of disturbing items - eyeballs squirming in bottles, whimpering skulls, and scrolls made of the fur of unknown creatures.
The shop owner is an old female mage who is slightly contaminated by undead magic. It is said that she was once an assistant teacher in the school, but was expelled because she was addicted to forbidden research, and finally opened this small shop in the shadow of the mage tower.
This street was crowded with people who had been expelled by the mage, but the kind mage did not kill them all.
What if it comes in handy someday?
The person who came was none other than Rastina. She only found out about this shop that specializes in selling gray area magic items from a senior student.
The shop owner seemed to have guessed her purpose, and a sinister smile appeared on his wrinkled face: "Welcome, cute little guy. All Souls' Day is here again, right? Tell me, what kind of 'surprise' do you want to give your competitors?"
“How do you know I’m going to use it on my competitors?” Rustina looked at her alertly and quietly squeezed the wand hidden under her robe.
"Do you still need to ask?" The old witch let out a burst of giggles, "Every time at this time, the guests who come to my place are all for this. Okay, let's not beat around the bush, or... you actually don't have any good ideas, and you need me to help you think about it?"
Lastina took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and nodded.
"There is a nasty guy, I need to give her some color, but I don't want to make it too ugly, and most importantly, I can't let others suspect that I did it."
She wanted to teach Ilana a lesson, but she didn't want to be splashed with the dirty blood of a pariah.
The smile on the old witch's face became even wider.
"Then we can only rely on the "accidents" in the maze."
"That's right." Rastina nodded and said in a cold voice, "Is there a spell that can attract acid slimes? It's best to disguise it. In the form of a trap... The trial instructor this time is Merck, and ordinary tricks cannot fool him." After hearing this, the old witch let out a dry and harsh laugh, as if she had heard some big joke.
"Attracting slimes? Little girl, your trick is too childish."
She looked at Rastina with cloudy eyes and laughed mercilessly, "Although your Merck instructor is rigid, he is not a fool. As long as he takes a look at the victim and looks at the poor performance of you and your friend, he can guess what happened with his toes. "Yes. What, could it be that you and your important guy met by chance in the maze? Or do you think you don't know each other at all?" A panicked expression appeared on Rustina's face. She had never thought of this possibility.
She opened her mouth and was about to defend herself, but was interrupted.
“I would recommend my guests to relax the pattern a bit. The motive of an attack that only targets one person is too obvious. If there are more than three victims and it becomes an indiscriminate ‘accident’, it will be difficult to identify the perpetrator through the relationship of interest. In this way, it will be safer for you and me.”
Hearing this, Rustina swallowed subconsciously, and asked in a dry voice: "Then... what should I do?"
The old witch's wrinkled face finally showed a mysterious and satisfied smile. She turned around and took out a small box wrapped in runic black cloth from the deepest shadow of the shelf.
"Haha, it depends on whether you have the courage. I just received a special product recently. The usage is very simple..."
… …
After hearing about the terrifying effects of that "box", Rastina hesitated for a long time, and finally gritted her teeth and paid the full price of thirty gold coins.
This is almost her entire monthly living expenses.
She just hopes that the money is well spent.
The door of the shop closed with a creak, cutting off the thin sunlight on the snowy field.
The evil smile on the old witch's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a deep tiredness and helplessness.
She turned around, faced the deepest shadow in the corner, and sighed faintly.
… …I don’t understand why a noble man like you would take advantage of a student?
Once, she was also an ordinary teaching assistant in the academy, but because her mentor was addicted to forbidden research, after the incident was exposed, she was treated as a scapegoat and banished outside the mage tower.
She knows better than anyone else how tragic the end of a chess piece used by big shots will be.
Humbling the competitors in the maze trial will only result in a fall and a lesson at best. The acid slime in the maze will only damage the clothes at best and will not actually eat people.
So she doesn't actually feel guilty about selling some harmless prank props. Anyway, there are plenty of people here who are darker than her.
But the "box" she sold today was completely different.
That is probably a trouble that even Merck’s mentor cannot handle, and even the poor child himself will be involved in it.
· However, she could not afford to offend this adult who was hiding in the shadows, and she did not dare to show her non-cooperation too obviously.
The only thing she could do was to try to scare away the ignorant and smart little girl with her most sinister smile and most vicious tone.
But unfortunately, she failed.
The man standing in the shadow did not show his face from beginning to end, but spoke in a slow and emotionless tone.
"You don't need to know, this is for your own good."
After a pause, he said again.
"Besides, you haven't been home for a long time, haven't you? Why not go back to your hometown in the next few days and come back during the recruitment next winter?"
The moment she heard this, the old witch's body trembled uncontrollably, and deep fear appeared in her eyes.
She understood that this was not a suggestion.
but a command.
She bowed her head humbly.
The man nodded with satisfaction, and his breath disappeared into the shadows in the corner of the room, as if he had never been here...
(End of this chapter)