Ron: "?"
What the heck?
One experiment solved two problems at once?
"So… does this mean element conversion is also confirmed?" Ron raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not so hastily," Illya shook her head. "We need multiple trials to confirm this isn't a coincidence, but a reproducible phenomenon."
"Besides that, we need to test other elements as well—to prove this isn't something that only occurs between Water and Earth."
Ron waved his hand with a headache. At this rate, it would probably take Illya at least half a month to finish all the experiments.
At that moment, Edith popped up and made a suggestion:
"Your Highness Ron, have we considered recruiting more people for the experimental zone?"
"With such a large space, it's a waste for just a few of us to use it."
"With our current scale, we could easily accommodate fifty or sixty mages without feeling crowded. It would actually make better use of the equipment."
"And it would reduce the burden on Illya and Harper, allowing them to focus on key experiments."
"The simpler, repetitive tests could be handled by others."
"Wouldn't that be better?"
Rubbing his chin, Ron nodded.
It did make sense to start recruiting.
After all, the most prestigious magic academy on the continent—the Chaos Magic Academy—was right nearby.
If he didn't poach some talent, wouldn't that be a waste?
Though… he might end up angering Principal Vosbites enough to come knocking.
Still, Chaos Magic Academy always upheld the freedom of mages and wouldn't interfere with their choices.
So technically, this was a fair game.
"When you have time, go take a walk around the academy," Ron said to Edith. "If you find anyone dissatisfied with their treatment, try contacting them."
At that moment, Ron suddenly remembered the laboratory he had invested in at the Royal Capital Magic Academy.
Although it was nominally under the academy, the researchers themselves weren't bound to it.
He could have Dunlop compile a list of those willing to work in the City of Chaos and recruit them.
Poaching from both the Chaos Magic Academy and the Royal Capital Magic Academy—
Thinking about it was already exciting.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Ron shifted the topic back:
"Send the results of this experiment to Harper—especially the part about mana reverting into elements. It should give him some inspiration."
Harper had been researching the reversal of mana into elements.
In the magic world, it was widely accepted that mana couldn't safely revert into elements.
Every attempt ended in explosions.
Back then, there were no advanced facilities like Element Isolation Chambers.
So experiments like Ron's simply weren't possible.
And by the time such equipment existed, the theory had already become accepted truth.
New generations of mages were taught this from the start and rarely questioned it.
Only someone like Harper—whose thinking had been shaken by lab explosions—or Ron, an outsider, would challenge it.
Compared to Harper, who was still constrained by established theories, Ron had a freer mindset.
Even though the two worlds operated under different fundamental rules, many principles still overlapped.
This allowed Ron to provide fresh perspectives, helping Illya and Harper make breakthroughs.
"How is this possible!?"
After hearing from Edith, Harper rushed over from the reaction area.
Sweat dripped from his green forehead as he compared the data from both chambers.
Like Illya before him, he fell into stunned silence.
For someone trained in traditional magic theory, this was hard to accept.
Even though previous events—like lab explosions and Element Potato conversions—had already shaken their beliefs, they still leaned toward established theory.
Deep down, their experiments had partly aimed to disprove Ron's ideas.
After all, to most mages, the structure of magical theory was already complete and flawless.
But now—
It seemed the very foundation might be flawed.
"Experiments!" Harper suddenly shouted. "We need more experiments!"
"This single result isn't enough!"
"We must identify conversion patterns for all elements!"
"In this case, the conversion between Water and Earth happened through composite magic."
"But what about Light and Dark?"
"In Element Potatoes, they can also convert into other elements, right?"
"But they don't have composite magic—so how does that work?"
Harper immediately identified a flaw in the current experiment.
After all, Ron's original goal had only been to prove that mana reverted into elements.
The element conversion discovery was just a bonus.
"But the fact that mana converts back into elements should still hold, right?" Ron said.
"Otherwise, if mana simply disappears after casting—"
"Where did the extra elements in the chamber come from?"
"Don't tell me they came from the Elemental Plane?"
"And just happened to perfectly match the needed Water and Earth ratio?"
Ron's rapid-fire questions left Harper speechless.
"Well… it's not impossible… maybe the Elemental Plane works like that…" Harper muttered weakly.
But even he knew that sounded unconvincing.
The data was just too precise to be a coincidence.
Still, the priority now was to repeat the experiments and verify whether the results were consistent—or just a fluke.
That part would have to be left to Illya and the others.
After discussing a bit longer, Ron returned to the lab—
and resumed sketching his crude design drafts.