CHAPTER 112: CHAPTER 110: JOIN THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION!

Watching Madlan bend the bronze rod inward, Qianqian’s eyebrows also began to furrow towards the center.

Madlan, how did you suddenly gain mana?

The amount and intensity of this mana are almost on par with Qianqian, an experienced witch’s familiar.

Taking the bronze rod from Madlan’s hand, Qianqian bent it a couple of times to confirm there was no issue with the bronze.

Turning around, he called over the Child Soldiers, handed them the bronze rod, and asked them to test a few villagers who had recovered from illness.

"Madlan, can you try casting a spell?" Qianqian said to Madlan, "Try to feel the mana within you."

With eyes tightly shut, Madlan’s face seemed constipated. After a long while, he reluctantly opened his eyes: "I can’t feel anything."

Qianqian immediately cast a suspicious glance at Horn, as the symptoms were identical to Horn’s: possessing mana but no spells.

Under normal circumstances, being unable to use spells makes it difficult to determine whether Madlan is a witch’s familiar originating from Jeanne, Jia Li, or Horn.

Because it’s possible, many witch’s familiars initially have very weak mana and can’t feel its existence or use spells.

But the bronze proves that Madlan’s mana is not only present but also nearly matches Qianqian’s.

If Horn’s witch spells are actually due to an abundance of mana, then his familiars should have plenty of mana too.

Doesn’t this add up?

Thinking this way, Qianqian suddenly felt that the symptoms in the camp closely resembled witch illnesses.

Cough, rash, fever, but the main difference is the low intensity.

Most have low-grade fever, and some only have nasal congestion and cough. They are not only able to walk but also run and jump.

Their witch illness leaves no sequelae; if anything, their sensory organs become more sensitive, very much like Horn.

By eliminating all possibilities, the only answer remains.

Kid, you’re just a Demon Man, Horn!

Could his previous witch illness have actually been a severe cold, mistaken for a witch illness?

It’s the only reason that can explain these magical phenomena.

Before Qianqian could shake off the confusion, he heard the sound of the door curtain being lifted.

"Qianqian brother." Grampwen rushed into the tent with the bronze rod, excitedly shouting, "I went to test it; nine out of ten villagers who recovered from illness now have mana."

"Can they feel the mana?"

"No, none can feel it."

The stone was hammered; Qianqian immediately felt they already knew the truth of the matter.

Though unsure why, Horn is indeed a male witch or rather a Demon Man.

This implies a minor witch illness for Horn, with minimal mortality, and the only two severe cases were brought back by allicin.

Does that mean Horn can mass-produce witch familiars?

Unfortunately, Horn’s familiars also have mana but no spells; their mana isn’t enough to use Ferdinand’s Great Bow.

Even small bows seem unlikely due to the high cost. There’s a reason wizards don’t mass-equip bronze bows.

Not everyone has Horn’s level of mana and intensity.

These familiars might have to become alchemists.

Regardless, this carries enormous value, especially since a main source of income for the White Mountain Hermitage comes from selling alchemical products.

Horn must be taken to Black Snake Bay. Qianqian premonitions that if they can confirm his identity as a Demon Man, it would greatly benefit the Secret Faction and current magical development.

"Your Eminence, I have something to discuss with you later." Rapidly approaching Horn, Qianqian decided to confess truthfully.

"Hmm?" Horn seemed somewhat absent-minded at this moment.

When he saw Madlan bend the bronze rod, it felt like grasping a crucial insight.

At this moment, he didn’t notice Qianqian’s gaze and simply focused on the bronze rod in his hand.

He sensed something stuck in his mind yet couldn’t figure out what it was.

Settling his mind, Horn began reviewing his thoughts.

Actually, Horn had his own view on bronze, this alchemical product.

He believed Qianqian’s "bronze deformation due to mana" was very crude, even incorrect.

From the perspective of conservation of energy, it’s not that bronze deformation absorbs mana; rather, mana alters the material strength of the bronze.

At the moment of contact with mana, before external force can cause deformation, some mana is already absorbed.

The function of mana is to alter the Young’s modulus of the bronze or, more broadly, its stiffness, making it smaller and causing the material to soften.

Upon contact and deformation, because the stiffness decreases, it’s easier to deform than originally, requiring mana to maintain this additional deformation.

The kinetic energy converted into elastic potential energy from deformation is supposedly smaller than in non-magic situations.

Because Horn’s exerted force remained the same.

Yet at the moment of release, when the mana maintaining the reduced stiffness leaves, the Young’s modulus immediately returns to normal.

At this point, the elastic potential energy should also increase.

Normally, energy can’t spontaneously create, so where does this part of the energy come from?

The only explanation is that it converted mana into this part of the elastic potential energy.

Of course, this does not mean all kinetic energy comes from mana conversion; its inherent elasticity is also important.

Obviously, bronze is actually a unidirectional converter of mana to elastic potential energy.

From this perspective, it gets interesting.

Because there’s another phenomenon: when bronze returns to its original state at rest, surplus mana transforms into a spell and releases.

If Horn’s mana fails to drive spells, then will bronze convert all remaining mana to kinetic energy?

At least from Horn’s initial test with the bronze rod, it really seems so.

The more Horn thought, the more he felt an idea was imminent.

In the vast Pope’s Palace, silence reigned as everyone watched Horn.

Although they didn’t know why Horn was pondering or what about, they refrained from disturbing him and were content to watch and wait.

After all, with so many mana-possessing people suddenly appearing, they needed Horn to provide a diagnosis and reassure the populace.

"Toot toot toot——"

A long and piercing whistle sounded, gradually approaching. Anyone with ears knew it was Jia Li.

The moment Jia Li entered the tent, it was like Horn was struck by lightning, and the imminent thought became clear.

"Bang!"

A loud table-thumping sound broke the eerie calm in the tent, startling everyone, including Jia Li.

Horn stood up with rare excitement: "I understand now, this is so interesting, this is so fascinating."

"Your Eminence, what is this...?"

"Duvalon, go bring Jeanne; I need her help to make something, and Rekado too, call him over."

Qianqian furrowed his brow: "What are you planning to do?"

Pacing the tent, Horn smiled mysteriously: "I’ll tell you after it succeeds."