I Pioneered Scientific Magic

Chapter 471: The Long-Awaited Saintess and the Strange Occurrences in the City of Fire Oil

in the evening, within the wizard academy of the city of fire oil, philip was eloquently discussing the seventh element on the periodic table—nitrogen—to the apprentices and official wizards below.

as the most abundant element in the atmosphere and one of the first elements that apprentices come into contact with, nitrogen had not received much attention from wizards in the past.

after all, it's difficult for nitrogen to react magically with other common elements, and many schools of thought considered it to be a useless element.

however, this was clearly just a lack of deep research on nitrogen by some people.

for instance, in master lynn's "research and analysis on plant photosynthesis," it was mentioned that nitrogen is one of the essential nutrients for plant growth.

rumor has it that the cardinals of the church possess a special divine technique called "rain of nature," which can significantly increase food production. the principle most likely involves using nitrogen as a fertilizer, with effects far surpassing those of magical growth spells developed by some elemental schools by over sixty percent!

this sufficiently demonstrates that the church's understanding and application of nitrogen have far exceeded theirs, and now is the time for them to catch up vigorously!

"but professor philip, didn't master lynn develop a way to make bread with magic? why do we still need to develop magic that increases crop yields?" a curious apprentice asked.

"magic bread is indeed real, but we can't always eat bread, can we? it's good to change our diet..." philip replied with a smile.

the magic that increases yields using nitrogen is not only effective for wheat but theoretically applies to any plant, including some magical potion ingredients.

moreover, the characteristic of nitrogen not easily reacting with other elements can also be reversed, using it as a protective, filler element. for example, the magical lamps that illuminate the night sky throughout the city of fire oil contain a large amount of nitrogen gas.

as philip continued his lecture, the melodious sound of the magic bell quietly rang.

"alright, that's it for today's chemistry class. the properties and application methods of nitrogen are a very worthwhile topic to study. next week, everyone needs to submit a paper explaining their understanding of this element... whoever can develop a new spell from this will be rewarded with a hundred credits," professor philip said with lingering enthusiasm.

the wizards below were very excited.

credits were a new system within the wizard academy, based on class performance, paper excellence, and magical assessments, which were crucial for their future job arrangements after leaving the academy.

if one could earn more than a thousand credits within a school year, they could get a recommendation from the professors, enter the magic research institute after graduation, and even gain the appreciation of the grand wizards, becoming a core member of the council.

the fastest way to earn credits was naturally to develop new magic or propose innovative magical theories.

for example, the most dazzling magical genius in the wizard academy, ryan, earned over six hundred credits in just over two months with three papers on celestial mechanics!

rumors say these three papers directly shocked several council members, and joining the magic research institute was almost a certainty!

naturally, this made many wizards envious, as members of the magic research institute focus on the most cutting-edge magical theories, a paradise for all academic wizards!

professor philip, who taught elemental studies, once mentioned that the elemental periodic table distributed by the academy was actually incomplete, listing only over fifty elements, while the real periodic table had twice as many!

apart from metals and nonmetals, there was a new type of element named by master lynn, known only to council members and elemental wizards within the magic research institute.

the students chatted and left the classroom, with the universally acknowledged magical genius ryan receiving a lot of attention, clearly destined to be the next star of magic!

"have you got any ideas for the paper on nitrogen elements, ryan?" a tall and thin male wizard asked with a headache.

this element wasn't very suitable for casting spells, and focusing on plant growth enhancement from philip's lecture would make standing out nearly impossible.

after all, others had already attempted this, possessing relatively complete magical theories, making it hard to exceed this framework in just a week.

no wizard wanted their hard research to fade into obscurity!

if anyone had the capability to forge a new path, it would naturally be the magical genius ryan!

facing everyone's expectant gaze, ryan smiled. "sort of, i've already got some ideas about a spell involving nitrogen elements."

ryan confidently shared his idea, having read a paper on the use of vacuum technology that mentioned one of its properties was preserving food or tools for a long time.

for example, a purple fruit could remain unspoiled in a vacuum for months!

but maintaining a vacuum required a lot of magic power, and only a grand wizard could achieve it. ryan believed nitrogen could be used as a substitute for vacuum's effect.

though not as effective, it could significantly reduce consumption, easily achievable by any official wizard!

"that's a very good idea!" cynthia nodded with a smile.

though just a simple compliment, it filled ryan with excitement, his mind buzzing as he spoke impulsively, "once i've finished this paper, you could submit it, surely earning the professor's admiration..."

he immediately regretted his words, realizing this was his hard-earned idea.

fortunately, the next moment, he heard the girl softly say, "no, that's your idea after all."

ryan's heart settled, then he regretfully thought why he had assumed cynthia was someone who would steal others' achievements.

after rejecting the offer, cynthia casually mentioned, "i heard your paper caught a grand wizard's attention. he's a core member of the council and plans to take you as a disciple, is that right?"

"it's just luck. if it weren't for your reminder that sparked my inspiration, i probably wouldn't have completed the three papers on celestial mechanics so smoothly," ryan modestly said, trying to foster a closer relationship.

"if you want to thank me, there's an opportunity right now," cynthia said softly, her voice pleasant and slightly lazy but irresistibly tempting.

"what opportunity?" ryan eagerly responded, "if you're facing any trouble, i'm more than willing to help!"

"i need a grand wizard's assistance for a research project. could you introduce me to one?" cynthia casually said.

"of course, no problem!" ryan agreed without hesitation, knowing the master greatly admired him and wouldn't refuse this small request.

ryan also harbored a little wish to join the master's school with cynthia, increasing their interactions.

"thank you, ryan," cynthia softly smiled, then changed the subject. "unfortunately, i have some matters to attend to right now. let's save the thanks for next time."

ryan, buoyed by thoughts of how the thanks would be expressed, left the house like a gentleman without lingering.

the door closed automatically, and cynthia continued to focus on the cube on the experimental table, carving alchemical runes with a chisel.

the room was very quiet, except for the sound of the swinging pendulum.

she had forgotten the last time she was so serious about researching and crafting alchemical creations in the lab...

it must have been a very long time ago.

a hint of nostalgia appeared on cynthia's face, but the next moment, as if sensing something, she suddenly turned to look out the window, whispering softly.

"such a powerful energy fluctuation!"

it seemed the wizard council had developed some novel weapon.

as cynthia thought this, she waved her chisel, carving the final rune...

the cube in her hand immediately levitated, its carved alchemical runes alive, continuously rotating and pulsating.

it seems her skills hadn't rusted, cynthia nodded in satisfaction.

it was time to make a move...