The Magic Science Laboratory was as lively as ever today.
Apprentices personally selected by Prince Colin gathered here right after class, filling the air with youthful enthusiasm and energy.
Of course.
There was no shortage of whispered complaints here.
After all, geniuses are few and far between; most people are rely doing what is within the capacity of mortal wisdom.
"By Saint Sis, this is too hard!" Jamie, the carpenter's son, sighed as he looked at a paper covered with arcs and straight lines, "'Constructing a regular heptadecagon'... It looks so simple, why can't I do it?"
He wasn't the only one troubled by difficult problems.
Beside him, Lam, the clockmaker's daughter, also looked troubled, resting her chin in her hand and mumbling to herself.
"... How can a walker cross seven bridges without repeating or missing any, finally returning to the starting point?"
Jamie, who was asuring on paper with a ruler, was stunned for a mont and instinctively asked.
"Is this so kind of brain teaser?"
"No, this is a thought-provoking question posed by Prince Colin," Lam shook her head, "He asked to study it in my spare ti and suggested trying to associate it with geotric problems."
"Hmm... I'll think about it, seems kind of interesting." Jamie scratched his head, muttering as he buried himself back into his draft paper.
Lam stretched lazily, leaning back in her chair.
"Keep it up... By the way, does your problem with the regular heptadecagon have any constraints on the tools? Only a ruler, or both?"
Jamie shook his head.
"You can use a compass and a ruler, but it must be a ruler without markings, and you can't make marks on it."
Lam: "A ruler without markings? What a peculiar problem..."
They whispered to each other.
Although they hadn't made progress on their respective problems, they had developed so ideas for solving them.
Not far away, Ophelia was also pondering her own problem, which was even more abstract—
[As the numbers increase, does the proportion of pri numbers among natural numbers decrease? If so, please provide proof.]
By Saint Sis, it was the first ti she'd heard of such an odd question!
And is studying this really useful?!
The Holy City Royal Art Academy she previously attended did cover the concept of pri numbers, but they were more appreciated as "harmonious" and "sacred" symbols. So priests believed they contained codes left by Saint Sis for humanity.
However, in any case, it wouldn't affect a Transcendent's casting, nor would it suddenly make a weak mage strong.
As she was troubled by this seemingly useless problem, a familiar figure suddenly entered the corner of her vision.
It was none other than Ilana!
The usually calm and serene young woman was nervously clutching a notebook, an unusual blush on her cheeks.
She bit her lip lightly, took several deep breaths, and finally stepped towards Prince Colin.
Wait—
What's going on here?!
Ophelia's mind was on high alert.
That expression might be unfamiliar to bookworms from the Academic State, but as soone from the Holy City, she recognized it all too well!
After all, she encountered such bold individuals every now and then...
Thinking about what Ilana was about to do, Ophelia felt her heart constrict slightly, her mind full of mathematical symbols that quickly dissipated like clouds of smoke, leaving no trace behind.
Could it be... She's going to do it here?! In front of everyone, declare... her feelings?!
This seemingly absurd thought exploded like a bolt of lightning in Ophelia's mind, and then a complex mix of panic, jealousy, and curiosity instantly gripped her heart, making her usually calm and composed deanor fall apart.
She almost instinctively stood up, holding her "Advanced Mathematics" book like a sacred text, pretending to pass by casually in the aisle, but actually edging closer to that desk, ears pricked.
It wasn't out of concern—
She believed Prince Colin wasn't soone to agree to strange requests lightly.
She was just curious, as a lady from the Holy City, to see what the girl from Pierce Province planned to do with the Prince!
However, the first words Ilana spoke left the alard Ophelia stunned.
"Master..."
That delicate voice carried a barely perceptible tremble, yet her clear eyes burned with unprecedented fiery determination.
"Do you rember the 'Paths Optimization Equation' I ntioned to you earlier?"
"I might have... actually found it!"
Paths Optimization Equation?
Ophelia was left dumbfounded, and the panic in her heart was instantly extinguished by the complex and mysterious mathematical concept.
However, soon, a feeling of curiosity welled up inside her.
She was, of course, aware of the Paths Optimization Equation; it seed to be an unfinished topic left by the lab's forr owner, Mr. Jas Walli.
But—
Could a re Black Iron Level apprentice solve a problem that even a legitimate master had wracked their brain over?
That couldn't be...
Ophelia swallowed, hiding behind her "Advanced Mathematics" textbook as inconspicuously as possible, her eyes glued to the scene, filled with curiosity.
Ilana hadn't noticed her presence; her every thought was completely imrsed in the great discovery she was about to present.
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