Chapter 353

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Many nodded approvingly, and the Grandmaster looked at me.

"Mr. Knight. Can you provide any scientific research for consideration by the Commission?"

"Certainly, Chairperson," I nodded.

Taking my wand from the holster on my forearm, I began to transfigure two parchments out of thin air. Then, not without Rowena's help, creating on them in parallel systematic, orderly notes on my experiments with transfiguring myself into an alloy of living and non-living based on knowledge of the properties of materials, but not indicating that I transfigured myself - just an object, a person, a wizard. The second scroll was filled with general calculations on the transfiguration of space, something like an Architect.

The scrolls became longer and longer, the notes stretched further and further, periodically replaced by calculations and diagrams. As soon as the creation of the scrolls came to an end, I used magic to divide them into many equal-sized pages and filed them like a notebook, levitating them on the table in front of the Commission. Did I surprise these wizards with something like this? Not at all. I even somehow felt better from the fact that I am for once among wizards who do not fall into a state of shock at the sight of something more than a couple of glowing rays of spells.

The members of the Commission quickly ran their eyes over the text, flipped through the notes, whispered among themselves, after which the same old debater spoke:

"There is indeed material, and after a cursory reading, I think everyone will agree that we can proceed directly to the certification. However, the material requires, in my opinion, a more detailed study."

"Vote. Who is in favor of conducting the certification with the subsequent study of the materials provided?"

The vote, oddly enough, was all in favor.

"Unanimously. Maximilian Knight. Let's get down to the theoretical part. You can sit down."

The problem is, there's nothing to sit on, but we're at the transfiguration certification, aren't we? I waved my wand in front of me and twisted a simple loop to make it easier to control the flow of magic, created a simple and comfortable chair and table out of thin air, and sat down at it, which caused a slight smile on the faces of some of the commission members.

"Let's get started," the Grandmaster indicated.

...Questions, questions, questions. For several hours they tried to get my soul out of me through some rather unusual questions in the field of transfiguration. It is good that due to the provided works, I managed to avoid banal and simple topics, and no one checked my basic knowledge at all. However, there were plenty of other topics, ranging from the nuances of transfiguration from non-living to living and the like, to the dependence of arithmetic formulas on the volume, density, and structural diversity of the source material, and their impact on the cost of magical energy and the dependence of these costs on the accuracy of arithmetic or schematic representation of the final transformation product. The topic of space transfiguration, its features, and differences with the transfiguration of the matter was also touched upon. But in addition to the banal complexity of the questions and topics raised, there was also one moment that prompted me to one interesting idea — energy transfiguration.

As I answered the questions, I had to think about these very answers, process the available information, sometimes looking at it from a completely different angle. This is what gave me the idea of energy transfiguration. The idea appeared at the moment when I had to compare some general rules and formulas for the transfiguration of space and the transfiguration of matter — if you complicate them as much as possible, making them as detailed as possible, not without the help of Rowena, of course, then similar mathematical structures and justifications begin to be traced. On top of this came the theory that all things are energy. Then from the depths of consciousness, like a jack-in-the-box, jumped out string theory, which I remember, to my great regret, very, very badly.

All this gave rise to a chain of completely abstract theories and thoughts in my head that transfiguration is something much deeper than the transformation of one into another. However, all this mess has not yet been able to take shape into something meaningful. Not yet.

After the theoretical part, I ran through practice, being asked to transfigure everything into everything. The amount of this transfiguration was really impressive - a dozen cubic meters of stone as starter material, and the time to create and activate a spell was given almost in line with my capabilities. Of course, if it was necessary, I would immediately strengthen myself with hemomancy or add a little of this energy to compensate for the lack of magic, but I didn't have to do this. As a final chord in my practice certification, I was asked to perform a series of transfigurations based on the materials I had provided. Well, I turned myself into that funny, in my opinion, panther made of an alloy of organic and inorganic, all the insides and "appearances" of which were covered with runes for various magical manipulations. I also reproduced the transfiguration of the shadow through space, creating objects from the shadow. Not much at all, within a quarter of a cubic meter in volume - it is too difficult in the form of a spell, though not very costly in terms of magic. This is not an absorbed Architect who has become an ability. Such a transfiguration pleased one part of the Commission and slightly upset the other, but it is understandable — the guild may be one, but people are people. Not everyone will be pleased with the success of another master's apprentice.