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Chapter 665: The Explanation

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

When we wanted to see wave properties in an electron using double-slit experiment, we would see the more distinct wave features – interferometric fringes, while when we wanted to see particle properties by adding the devices for recording, only pure particle properties would be left...

Was that the truth of the world? Electrons would show us what we want, and thus our observation changed the world?

Their heads were in such a mess that their entire understanding of the world and even of themselves had become beyond their recognition! They thought that the world would only be strange when magic spells were cast. However, they had now realized that the microscopic domain was even stranger and creepier than magic!

Larry felt very shocked, but also thrilled. He started thinking of the arcana principle behind this experiment. Was this how the principle of complementarity was applied to wave-particle duality? Wave properties and particle properties could not show up at the same time – When one appeared, the other would disappear. Was this how it worked?

He kept telling himself that he should avoid connecting the microscopic domain to the macro at this point, or his cognitive world would be totally messed up, and lots of things in this world would appear totally contradictory to him.

Meanwhile, Annick, Sprint, Dieppe, Timothy and many other arcanists were also telling themselves that there must be other reasons affecting this during the transition from the microscopic domain to the macro, other reasons that collapsed wave function and made particle properties fixed. They had to warn themselves this all the time or their cognition would be shaken by the experiment at any time!

This was the only way that they could try to accept the experiment results shown by Lucien Evans.

This perhaps was the most incredible and unimaginably queer domain in the history of arcana and magic!

Although the low and middle-rank arcanists were still starters in the microscopic domain and they never tried to use the knowledge to build their own cognitive world, the experiment results had still greatly impacted their outlook on the world, on life, and on their values. This was their first time tasting the pain that an arcanist had to face when his or her cognitive world had to shift.

Lucien was indeed the Destroyer of Three Outlooks. Many arcanists, honestly speaking, disliked Lucien Evans.

When the initial shock gradually calmed down, many good arcanists including Larry, Dieppe, Annick, and Sprint started to feel the thrill. The experiment had made them have a deeper understanding of wave-particle duality and the principle of complementarity, and now their hearts were full of the drive to explore further.

“I’ve got a question.”

At this time, Oliver asked. The look on his face was a bit distorted, but the dark air surrounding him had disappeared. A moment earlier, his cognitive world was almost shaken, but fortunately, he handled it trying his best.

Lucien slightly nodded, “Go ahead, please.”

Larry and Dieppe turned to look at Mr. Oliver with curiosity.

Oliver slightly took a breath and then asked, “You said that ‘observation changes result’...Then how do you define ‘observation’? This has to do with the transition from microscopic domain to the macro.”

“It refers to all the means that we take to study electrons.” answered Lucien calmly. He slightly looked down, so no one could tell the emotions in his eyes.

Oliver had totally calmed down. Some light smile appeared on his face and he said in the poetic tone, “So we are the ones that matter. Then I’ve got a thought experiment here. All of us know the decay of the nucleus, right?”

The arcanists present all nodded. Studying the decay of elements was one of the several major branches in the microscopic domain, and the Lord of Storm and the Lord of Elements had just won the Evans Prize in Arcana with their research on it. This also represented a new direction for using alternative energy, a new legendary lethal spell with massive power. Therefore, all of them knew it!

Oliver continued, “So if we assume that a nucleus has a chance of fifty percent to decay, and then we design such an experiment device...”

Oliver then described a fine and exquisite device. In this device, when a nucleus decayed and emitted neutrons, a series reactions would be activated and finally break a glass bottle containing a fatal curse.

“...So if we put a poor cat in the device, logically speaking, we can say that there is a chance of fifty percent that the cat will be killed,” said Oliver.

When Oliver was describing the device, Sprint’s and Annick’s face turned pale. They had a feeling of what was coming.

Dieppe, Larry, Jurisian and other arcanists good at the microscopic domain also looked very apprehensive. They knew what Oliver was trying to do!

– He was using this device to connect the microscopic world and the macro!

This was the part of the problem that they had been running away from all the time!

Under the gaze of the many arcanists present, Oliver’s volume slightly increased, “If we close the device and do not observe it, according to Lucien’s theory, the atomic nucleus would be in the quantum superposition state and thus in the quantum superposition of both decaying and not decaying, and this amazing state would only collapse to settle when we peek at it.”

“But my question is,” said Oliver, “what about that poor cat? If the nucleus decays, it will be killed; if it doesn’t, it will stay alive; then during the superposition state, can we say that the cat will be both alive and dead in the inclosed device?”

“Is that possible?”

“Or are you saying that our observation of the cat will also lead to the collapse of wave function and thus settle down the result?” Oliver asked aloud.

Many arcanist’s hearts missed a beat. Their faces had turned completely pale. Both alive and not alive? Both dead and not dead? There was no such magic spell that could lead to this state. The fine experiment design had sent the creepy strangeness of the microscopic domain to the macro-world!

They could ignore this problem no more. They had to face such a huge conflict and give thoughts to this transition.

Sprint wished that he could just take the cat by the throat!

They felt that they just got a good slap in the face for agreeing with Lucien.

Oliver asked again, and his target was Lucien Evans who remained silent in the front, “What state is this cat in?”

Oliver wasn’t averse to the idea of quantum superposition state, since he had seen what happened in Pathway of Immortality and what happened to Lucien Evans. However, what was the premise of this state? What was the boundary? Was it only for microscopic particles? Or could this extend all the way to molecules, cells, and even creatures and intelligent lives? Only by figuring out this boundary could they find the reason behind the disappearance of quantum superposition state and thus a solid theoretical foundation could be set up for ascending to the demigod level!

Therefore, he was not very happy with Lucien’s general conclusion. If a human being’s observation can cause the collapse, then what about observing other intelligent creatures? What about a cat? A molecule?

Everyone was waiting for Lucien’s answer.

Lucien still looked down, but he answered, “Yes, the cat is in the quantum superposition state, between life and death.”

“What?!” Some arcanists burst out.

Then what about human beings? What if a human was in that device?

The rest of the grand arcanists remained silent, listening to their conversation.

Oliver asked in a low voice, “Then what if a human being was in there? Is that the same?”

“No. At this time, the wave function would collapse, and the result would have settled,” said Lucien fast, “either alive or dead, There’s no overlapping.”

Oliver took a step forward, “Then what is the difference between a human being and a cat? Why can the former make the function collapse, but the latter can’t?”

Lucien slightly twitched the corner of his mouth but still answered, “Because of the involvement of consciousness. Only a conscious observer with intelligence can collapse the wave function.”

All of the arcanists were deeply shocked. They had never expected such a response. Following Lucien’s theory, many terrible and unimaginable facts might be emerging!

Fernando had been remaining silent for a long time, but he had reached his limit. He yelled in the classroom, “So you are saying that before a conscious observer showed up, the entire world, universe was in the state of wave function, in the substance-less state of electron cloud? After a very long time, the first observer was born, and at that moment, the universe and world collapsed and became what we see right now?”

The billions of years of chaos and uncertainty of the universe was all waiting for a loving glimpse?

That was beyond ridiculous! That was a joke from a lunatic!

“Why not? We don’t know what the world was like before the first observer was born.” Lucien avoided looking into Fernando’s eyes.

Douglas also said seriously, “So you’re saying that the first observer was the first supreme observer? Is that what you mean?”

Not only Brook and Oliver, even Hellen and Hathaway who were more open-minded to Lucien’s explanation were shaking their heads in disapproval.

Lucien suddenly looked up at all the arcanists, “Have you ever thought of why there is supreme power? Why is there magic?”

“If we start from the existence of consciousness, from the effect of the observer, we might be able to find the explanation.” said Lucien.

Lucien’s voice lingered in the big classroom, and his question hit all the arcanist’s minds. Yes, what was the nature of magic? That was the question that the Congress of Magic had been pursuing since its establishment? That was the problem for sure to be asked after human beings seeing all kinds of extraordinary phenomena! The problem would only be ignored if human beings stopped thinking and decided to waste their lives like animals!

The arcanists were getting more and more confused on their way approaching the truth of the world. The relationship between the world and magic was just like the uncertainty principle put forward by Lucien which was so hard to capture. It seemed that the truth of the world never left a space for magic!

Was consciousness the explanation? Was it the effect of the observer?

Annick stared at his teacher in the front. His heart was struggling. His teacher was always so elegant and well-mannered, authoritative and determined that people could not help following him. He was the master in the microscopic domain and the macro star sky!

In Annick’s heart, Mr. Lucien Evans was as magnificent as a mountain peak that he had to look upon for his entire life.

But why would his teacher make such an explanation for such a transition? Why would he say that the collapse of the wave function decided the world today?

Was he wrong? Was the past experience and his imagination wrong?

Was Mr. Lucien Evans wrong?

Annick turned around and saw that his friends were all looking very confused. Sprint looked a bit pissed, as his teeth were slightly grinding against each other.

In the weird silence, Lucien said in his low voice again, “The first observer was not necessarily an extraordinary existence. Maybe it’s just like us.”

“We don’t have to care about the supreme observer, the god which tossed the dice. We don’t have to.”

“Let’s recall the experiment. My observation led to the change in nature of the electrons, and yours also can!”

“There’s this so-called god which tossed the dice, but it is not existing somewhere outside. Instead, it is in our mind. We are all our own supreme gods!”

The grand arcanists looked at Lucien in astonishment, just like the other arcanists. No one said anything.

After a while, suddenly, someone directly stood up from his seat.

“Annick?” Lucien looked at his student.

“Sir...” Annick’s throat was a bit dry, but in the end he still said in great determination.

“I don’t think your explanation is correct.”

This time, he did not shy away. His eyes were looking into Lucien’s eyes.

“Sir, I agree with Annick.” At this time, Sprint also stood up and said aloud to Lucien, which surprised many arcanists present, including his friends, Heidi, Katrina, and Layria.

His fists clenched tight.