"What exactly happened?"
Faced with Salazar's determination to get to the bottom of the matter, Rowena sighed before asking, "Salazar, have you ever heard of a chain reaction?"
Rhys: "…"
"Rowena, you definitely used a Time-Turner behind our backs," Rhys said with absolute certainty.
What the hell? How long had she been out here? How did she already know about chain reactions? If Rowena hadn't used a Time-Turner, Rhys would march straight to Dumbledore and apply to have his House changed to Gryffindor.
Rowena blinked.
"Time is everything. I was merely saving time."
Rhys sighed again.
"Go ahead and wait for death, then... Just remember our agreement!"
Using a Time-Turner to read books—how very Ravenclaw. Fortunately, if it was only for reading, that was still acceptable.
After complaining about Rowena's behavior, Rhys admitted that he too had heard of chain reactions.
Beside them, Helga slowly drew a question mark in the air with magic.
"A chain reaction is when the result of one reaction becomes the condition for the next, forming a continuous chain of reactions." Seeing that Helga appeared to be paddling a lifeboat through the ocean of knowledge, Rhys tried another explanation. "To put it simply, it's an avalanche. The kind that can't be stopped."
That made Helga understand.
And then she realized just how serious the problem was.
"That's exactly it. The competition grounds I created have completely gone out of control. The alchemical life forms inside have evolved beyond my ability to control them," Rowena finally admitted.
Under the effects of the chain reaction, the evolution of the alchemical life forms had far exceeded Rowena's expectations. Not only could they reproduce according to her original design, but their strength had also increased to such an extent that she could no longer erase them from the outside world.
"The situation is very bad. That piece of land has become 'alive.' The World Core has even developed a faint instinct and will of its own. As a result, I've lost control over it, and the life forms born within it have become far stronger than I anticipated. They even possess Domains, or rather, the entire land itself has become a Domain."
After hearing Rowena's explanation, Rhys felt an overwhelming urge to swear.
Rowena, you really are a fucking genius!
Rhys understood better than anyone the significance of Rowena's experiment.
In this experiment, Rowena had played the role of a creator god.
And she had actually succeeded.
She had created a complete microcosmic world. The only problem was that she had ultimately lost control of it.
The fact that her life alchemy had reached such a level left Rhys utterly astonished.
It also indirectly proved just how boring the dungeon had been, for Rowena to have eventually created such a staggering experiment.
"I also made use of some of the raw materials I collected in the dungeon..." Rowena even offered an explanation for why her experiment had been so successful.
"I really ought to thank you," Rhys said with a sincerity so genuine that it sounded sarcastic. "Thank you for telling me the truth."
If Rowena had continued hiding this from him, he would have suffered dearly once he entered the competition grounds. He might even have paid a terrible price.
"Of course, of course." Rowena, who now needed Salazar's help, no longer carried her usual arrogance. She appeared much more obedient.
There was no helping it.
At this point, she could only hope that Salazar would help clean up her mess. Otherwise, if that little world continued developing, who knew what it might become?
"So what exactly do you need me to do?" Rhys was not fooled by Rowena's obedient appearance. Having been friends for a lifetime, he knew her nature all too well.
Apologize sincerely, then do it again next time. That was Rowena's style.
Before Rowena could answer, Rhys began muttering to himself.
"You're not expecting me to destroy the world, are you?" Rhys rubbed his hands together.
If that was the case, then perhaps those experiments he had sealed away for so long could finally...?
Rowena glanced at Salazar, whose mood had suddenly become much more animated, and immediately understood what he was thinking.
"Yes, exactly. Please, Salazar, I need you to destroy that artificially created world from within," Rowena said, following Salazar's train of thought.
Beside her, Helga frowned slightly. Something felt off, though she decided to observe a little longer.
"In essence, it's just like a clash of Domains. You need to seize as much of that world's authority as possible. The more authority you take, the weaker the World Core becomes. Once it has weakened sufficiently, I'll be able to forcibly reboot it from the outside."
By "reboot," Rowena meant annihilating all the alchemical life forms within the alchemical world and resetting the world's core, starting everything over from scratch.
She had done exactly that countless times in the dungeon.
Until she finally overdid it.
"Seize authority?" Rhys frowned.
"Something similar to a Domain. Some of the alchemical life forms within the world have acquired portions of the world's authority and can manifest Domains, much like the members of the Mystic Order who fused with divine remains. By killing them, you'll recover that authority.
"There are four types of authority. Originally, there was only the authority of wind. But later, the world underwent a mutation, and after I added just a tiny bit of material, the authorities of earth, fire, and water were incorporated as well. These four elements form the World Core, which then distributes fragments of authority to the alchemical life forms. Your mission, Salazar, is to reclaim those authorities and weaken the World Core."
Rowena elaborated further.
Rhys felt he understood.
Rowena sighed.
"My intentions were good. I wanted to use this tournament as an opportunity for the children to learn about magical flow and experience the mysteries of Domains. Things simply ended up a little beyond my control."
'A little?' Rhys complained inwardly.
Still, after hearing Rowena's explanation, he felt that he really ought to help her clean up this mess.
The loss of control over the alchemical world was secondary.
The truly important thing was that this would give him an opportunity to study certain things that he ordinarily couldn't.
"Very well. I'll do it. I'll head back and make some preparations first. You've told me everything, haven't you?"
Rowena nodded repeatedly.
"Good."
Rhys left Helga's office.
Watching his departing figure, Helga quietly shook her head.
She could tell that Salazar intended to do more than simply solve Rowena's problem.
But what could she do?
It wasn't as if she could stop him.
After all, they still needed him to do the work!
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI