Chapter Fifteen: The Three Laws of Thaumaturgy

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"Students, please turn to page 9 of your textbook, 'Introduction to Thaumaturgy (Part I) — EVE Particles and the Definition of Thaumaturges.'"

The screen behind Laungen flickered in sync with his speech, and the AI sprites of the students pulsed along with it.

"Today, we will discuss the foundations of thaumaturgy, starting with the Three Laws of Thaumaturgy. Please commit these three laws to memory." As he spoke, Laungen scrolled the screen behind him.

[The Three Laws of Thaumaturgy]
· Like produces like.
· The part influences the whole.
· Observation alters reality.

"Thaumaturgy, or magic, must have its own source of energy supply, just as a lightbulb requires electricity or the human body requires ATP. The primary energy source for thaumaturgy is EVE, or 'Elan-Vital Energy,' also known as life-force energy."

"EVE is emitted by living existences. It is also frequently radiated from anomalous objects. EVE radiation is not an absolute marker that something or someone possesses anomalous properties, but it is often the case. Existences with higher levels of intelligence emit higher and denser levels of EVE: the stronger the observer effect, the stronger the EVE level. Humans exceed ordinary animals, and ordinary animals exceed ordinary plants."

"According to the third law, a thaumaturge can observe the [Ocean of Ether] and use their own EVE particles to obtain the power to distort the mundane world."

"Students, remember: thaumaturgy is the alteration of concepts through the medium of the [Ocean of Ether]."

As he spoke, Laungen raised both hands. A raging flame suddenly ignited in his left hand, while a floating icicle appeared in his right.

"Creating ice and fire out of thin air—for a thaumaturge, these two forms consume an equivalent amount of EVE particles. The thaumaturgical products in my hands are applications derived from the second and third laws; they are the result of temporarily distorting the laws of the world, and therefore cannot be treated as 'matter' in the conventional sense."

"According to the laws of the material realm, creating ice out of nothing is far more absurd than creating fire."

"In your future studies within the Secular Studies group—specifically in mathematics and natural sciences—you will learn basic physics and thermodynamics. These are the iron laws of the material world and do not involve the realm of thaumaturgy."

"Do not ever try to challenge the professors of the Secular Studies group with your thaumaturgical knowledge. Look at this senior on the screen, frozen into an ice sculpture. They are essentially students who, much like those searching for reality in a virtual world, are... well, in need of remedial study." Laungen quickly corrected himself.

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For the remainder of the time, Laungen explained fascinating thaumaturgical experiments to the students in a clear and accessible manner.

"Alright, that concludes today's lecture. Since it is the beginning of the semester and most of you have not yet linked to a lineage, I will not be assigning any homework." Laungen concluded the class with a smile.

After dismissing the class, a hexagram formation composed of multiple triangles appeared beneath Laungen’s feet, and he vanished along with it.

After Laungen left, the students continued to ruminate on the content of his lecture, especially those who were new to thaumaturgy. Camille was particularly excited; she had been taking notes throughout the lecture, though it was unclear where she had even pulled the notebook from.

After the lecture ended, Xia Xiu stood up, ready to leave. He checked his schedule and found that there was only one class this morning.

Perfect. He could use the remaining time to wander around Three Portlands and see if he could purchase some biological DNA templates suitable for [Flesh-Sculpting].

Xia Xiu knew that there was a coffee shop in the East District of Three Portlands that could install a unique branch-lineage application device, which sold many very stimulating items. However, this application device contained an [Anti-Muggle Memetic] virus—a cognitive-affecting memetic virus capable of shielding memories—so one would need to be injected with a dose of [Anti-Muggle Memetic Antibody] beforehand.

"Xiu, Xiu, why are you running so fast?"

Just as Xia Xiu stepped out of the teaching area, he heard a familiar voice calling out from behind. He turned around and saw Camille sprinting toward him, clutching her notebook.

Camille still maintained her gloomy hairstyle that obscured her entire face and wore her unusually dowdy glasses. The only difference was that she had changed into her robes, though even such loose robes could not conceal her prominent features.

"Slow down," Xia Xiu said, smiling gently at Camille as he always did.

"Huff..." Camille stopped in front of Xia Xiu and stood there panting for a moment.

"Did you need something?"

"Ah, yes... no, um. Well, did you want to borrow my notes? I saw that you weren't taking any during the lecture, and it felt like you were just staring off into space." Camille stammered for a long time before finally finding a suitable excuse.

*What am I saying!?*

After speaking, Camille immediately regretted it. This was practically telling him that she had been watching him during class.

Xia Xiu glanced strangely at Camille, who was once again steaming on her own. He raised his hand, summoned Jarvis, switched the [Personal Visualization Interface] to shared mode, and pulled up a record: [Lecture Replay — {1589.2.10}].

"The Think Tank has lecture replays. Every previous class is recorded. You can pull them from the Think Tank whenever you need them. Oh, and it also supports variable-speed playback."

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"It has that feature too!?" Camille’s jaw dropped in surprise.

Forgive her; she had been a Muggle until recently and had never used such advanced thaumaturgical technology from the lineage.

"Well, um, I... I have things to do, so... I’ll stop bothering you now." Camille walked away, steam rising from her head once more.

*How embarrassing.*

Xia Xiu watched Camille stumbling back, feeling confused by her behavior.

He didn't get it.

————

The street layout of Three Portlands follows a polar coordinate network, with straight "spoke" streets radiating from the city center, intersecting at irregular intervals with concentric ring zones. There are numerous narrow alleys between buildings, formed by the city's surface expansion.

As Three Portlands is primarily a pedestrian city, these streets were not designed for motor vehicles and are largely impassable for them. Furthermore, the City Council has banned private cars and heavy motor vehicles throughout the city, with very few exceptions. Personal transportation is provided by several taxi companies using motorized tricycles capable of navigating the narrow streets.

The Southeast District has a robust and affordable public transportation system. Deer Academy is a 10-minute walk from the Thaumaturgical Light Rail station, and there are several tram stops on or near campus.

Most residents of Three Portlands commute by bicycle or thaumaturgical scooter.

Students can register their bicycles, thaumaturgical scooters, flying carpets, brooms, skateboards, riding beasts, and other personal vehicles with the Community Safety Department. If they are stolen or misplaced, Community Safety Officers can track any registered vehicle anywhere in Three Portlands.

[Ding—]

[Next stop: Prometheus Plaza. Passengers needing to disembark, please do so in a timely manner.]

A suspended light rail train pulled into the station at Prometheus Plaza.