Nighttime, Bronx apartment, New York.
"Brains, come on! Brains, come on! Brains from all directions—!!"
In the living room, Damian sat on the sofa, gesturing wildly and muttering to himself like a man possessed—or at least like a man who'd just realized he had a midterm on metaphysics in forty-eight hours.
But after a few minutes of manic pacing and theatrical despair, he slumped back onto the couch, his expression shifting to one of resigned dread. His eyes landed on the thick textbook in front of him: Introduction to Magic. The look he gave it could only be described as "If I fail this class, I swear I'll drop out and open a boba shop in Sumeru."
He flipped it open.
Part One
Chapter 1: Introduction, Definition of Elemental Force, Historical Evolution (From Ancient Worship to the Lisa Model)
…Wow. Is Lisa really that amazing?
Chapter 2: Properties and Characteristics of the Seven Elements; Ontological Controversies (Matter or Information?); Environmental Enrichment and Biocompatibility of Elemental Fields
This one was definitely written by Sucrose.
Chapter 3: Perception and Guidance of Elemental Force; Resonance Model of Human Spiritual Force and Elemental Force; Feasibility of Media-Free Guidance (Case Studies: "Demon Gods" and "Immortals")
Ah, this had Abedo's fingerprints all over it.
Damian sighed and pulled out the Teyvat Children's Dictionary Diluc had gifted him last Solstice. It wasn't elegant, but it got the job done. Slowly, painstakingly, he translated the dense academic prose.
Chapter 10: Ethics of Magical Engineering and Analysis of Major Historical Accidents—Taking the "Alice Paradigm" as a Warning…?!
His eyes snapped wide open.
Fully awake now, he flipped straight to Chapter 10 and began reading with rapt attention.
"This chapter aims to explore the extreme importance of ethical review, risk assessment, and controllability in magical engineering by analyzing a series of infamous 'events' triggered by the legendary witch Alice.
While her work is undeniably creative, her methodologies must never be imitated—not by beginners, and certainly not by the vast majority of experienced scholars…"
Damian's lips twitched.
"To dedicate an entire chapter to cautionary tales about you," he muttered, "you really do live up to your reputation, Ms. Alice."
He kept reading.
Case 10.2.1: [The Wind Dragon Ruins Renovation Incident]
Initial Objective: Transform Stormterror's Lair (Old Mondstadt) into "an ideal aerial garden more suitable for witches' tea parties."
Actual Operation: Large-scale wind elemental field intervention to reconstruct ancient architecture.
Consequences: Catastrophic destabilization of the Ruins' internal elemental field, spatial distortion, and near-total structural collapse—ironically rendering it more ruined than before.
Status: Designated a Class A Danger Zone by the Knights of Favonius. Entry strictly prohibited.
Teaching Focus: Ethical implications of large-scale alteration to historical sites; unpredictability of wind fields interacting with ancient barriers.
He already knew this story—or rather, this disaster—but he still couldn't help marveling at Alice's uncanny ability to turn "aesthetic enhancement" into "regional apocalypse."
Case 10.2.2: [Inazuma Mikage Furnace Core Rectification Incident]
Initial Objective: Resolve chronic energy leakage in the Mikage Furnace Core.
Actual Operation: Deployment of an "unknown, more efficient" intervention method.
Consequences: Temporary containment achieved, but local engineers (notably Xavier) deemed the solution "a prescription worse than the disease," citing incomprehensible mechanisms and heightened long-term maintenance risks.
Teaching Focus: Importance of technique inheritability, standardization, and assessing local technical capacity before foreign intervention.
Damian paused, a flicker of memory crossing his face.
"I wanted to buy osmanthus wine and share it beneath the cherry blossoms… but those carefree days are long gone."
He shook his head, murmuring to himself before pressing on.
The chapter was absurdly long—dozens of pages cataloging Alice's greatest hits (or, more accurately, her greatest collateral damages). Just when he thought it would never end, he finally reached something resembling a success story.
Case 10.2.11: [The Incident of the Rock King Emperor Accompanying the Tour]
(A Model of Collaborative Risk Management)
Background: Researcher Iris (a.k.a. Alice) visited Liyue for geological and cultural study. Anticipating high-risk behavior—terrain alteration, stress-testing ancient ruins, etc.—the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs opted not for prohibition, but for strategic hospitality.
Operation: The Geo Archon himself accompanied her throughout the trip, offering scholarly discourse, guided tours, and gentle redirection whenever she reached for her spellbook.
Results:
1. Zero-risk conversion: Rex Lapis contained Alice's "research impulses" through intellectual engagement, confining all hazardous ideas to theoretical discussion.
2. Knowledge gain: Alice produced an accurate, non-destructive entry for the Teyvat Traveler's Guide: Liyue Chapter.
3. Paradigm shift: This became the gold standard for managing ultra-high-energy researchers—"The highest level of supervision is indistinguishable from the highest level of respect."
Key Teaching Point: When dealing with actors of extreme power, preemptive pairing with an equal-energy collaborator is the safest, most cost-effective risk mitigation strategy.
And never underestimate the power of a well-timed cup of tea and a 3,000-year-old history lesson.
Damian leaned back, rubbing his temples. "So… this whole chapter is just Ms. Alice's greatest fails reel."
He closed the book with a soft thump, deciding that laughing too hard before bed would ruin his sleep schedule. Maybe he'd check the news instead.
He reached for the remote and turned on the TV.
The screen flickered to life, landing on a local New York news broadcast.
A solemn-faced anchorwoman spoke:
"At 9:25 p.m. tonight, Wally Airlines Flight 180—en route from New York to Alaska—exploded shortly after takeoff. All passengers and crew are presumed dead."
Damian bolted upright, nearly dropping the remote.
The feed cut to live footage from LaGuardia Airport: flashing police lights, distraught families, chaos under the Queens night sky.
"According to latest reports," the anchor continued, "seven passengers requested to disembark at the last minute and are now the sole survivors of the tragedy."
"Authorities confirm the individuals are currently under investigation due to their potential connection to the crash."
The camera panned to a grainy security still: six teenagers and a female teacher being escorted by police.
Damian's breat
h caught.
Even through the blur, he recognized them instantly.
Those are… MidTown High freshmen.
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