Exploring Technology in a Wizard World-Chapter 259 - 258 OConnors Razor
Chapter 259: Chapter 258 O’Connor’s Razor
Chapter 259 -258 O’Connor’s Razor
In the following days, Richard spent his time engulfed in tranquil research.
After many days had passed, it was one afternoon.
Inside the library of the White Stone Tower Academy.
Richard sat in front of a long table. On its surface, dozens of books were stacked in several piles, each over half a meter high, forming a wall-like barrier in front of him.
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Behind this wall of books, Richard rapidly skimmed through the content, pondering after he finished reading. He had just determined that the book titled “The Ultimate Magic Rune Secrets—Holy Wizard Oaks” had virtually no practical value. The recorded knowledge was unreliable, and the established system was full of contradictions—likely the whimsical creation of some obscure wizard.
“Phew—”
Richard let out a breath and tossed the book onto a pile beside him, then picked up a new one to peruse.
At that moment, a faint scent of tulips drifted over, and a girl dressed in pink, holding a book, sat down nearby. She tilted her head, adjusted her bangs, and prepared to read, her peripheral vision catching sight of the impressive “book wall” in front of Richard, sparking her curiosity. She turned to look at him.
Her eyes twinkled as the girl in pink spoke up, “Hey, that…”
“Hmm?” Richard turned to look at the girl.
“That…” The girl pointed at the stacked books and cautiously asked, “Have you read all these books?”
“Almost,” Richard replied.
“You’re that skilled?” the girl blinked in amazement, “But… why do you read so many books?”
Before Richard could speak, the girl extended her hand in a friendly gesture, “By the way, I’m Jessica, pleased to meet you.”
“Richard,” he replied calmly, his hand remaining unextended.
The girl’s hand hovered mid-air for a while before awkwardly retreating, but her expression didn’t show much concern; she merely assumed Richard was somewhat introverted. She spoke again, “Are you interested in telling me why you read so many books? They seem to be related to magic runes. Could it be… you have taken Professor Adolf’s magic rune course? I’m a student of Professor Adolf, I… ”
Jessica chattered away like a songbird, but Richard responded with just three words.
“Not interested,” Richard said calmly.
“Eh…”
Jessica’s words came to an abrupt halt, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Richard, her eyes wide in apparent confusion.
“What… did you say?” she asked.
“I said, I’m not interested in answering your questions. Do you need anything else? If not, I need to get back to my reading,” Richard answered.
“Eh…” Jessica, taken aback, stared round-eyed at Richard and suddenly realized that he was not introverted at all; he was simply a peculiar person.
“Hmph.” Jessica huffed, picked up her book, and turned to leave.
Richard watched her leave, gently shaking his head, not particularly concerned.
He was well aware that if he were slightly proactive, he could easily strike up a conversation with her, and with a bit of effort, perhaps even engage in some pleasant activities. But then again, he was not interested in doing so.
He knew full well that at this moment, all over both the White Stone Tower Academy and White Stone City, many interesting events must be unfolding.
Perhaps in some corner, a boy and a girl were sharing a kiss.
Perhaps inside a dark storeroom, a group of burly students were bullying a weaker one.
Perhaps on some secluded piece of ground, a student who had just advanced to a third-level apprentice was beating up a former adversary.
These were all normal experiences for students at the academy, part of college life, yet he had no interest in participating in any of it. From the very beginning, he had tried to stay detached, observing from the sidelines, obtaining what he wanted from the academy and pursuing his research.
Thus, the life of commuting between the laboratory and the academy had been going on for a long time.
If possible, he intended to maintain this way of life, avoiding any unnecessary contact with anyone if there was no special need.
“Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.”
This was the principle of “Ockham’s Razor,” also known as “O’Connor’s Razor,” proposed by the 14th-century English logician and friar of the Saint Francis Order, William.
He planned to adhere to this philosophy in his current phase.
Only by doing so could he minimize external interference and concentrate on his own affairs.
These thoughts flashed through Richard’s mind. He exhaled softly, turned his head back, and refocused his gaze on the opened page before him, browsing through it.
…
After a while,
Richard had finished reading a book titled “Divine Language – Magic Rune” and was digesting its content when suddenly he looked up sharply, surveying his surroundings.
This was because, at that moment, Richard distinctly felt the ancient ring on his finger grow slightly warm.
The change in temperature was minimal, easy to overlook if he had not been vigilant since a similar incident had happened before.
And now…
Richard quickly stood up and scanned around him. But just like the first time, everything appeared normal, everyone was reading or walking around as usual with no signs of anything unusual.
So…
The temperature change in the ancient ring was very weak, leading Richard to guess that the triggering object might be far away. He stood up and randomly chose a direction to walk in.
After walking about a dozen meters with no reaction from the ancient ring, Richard realized he had chosen the wrong direction, immediately returned, and took the opposite path.
After another dozen meters, the ancient ring indeed began to heat up, becoming hotter and hotter until it felt burning.
Richard looked ahead; it was the exit of the library. Many people were holding books and heading to the service desk, preparing to check them out.
Then…
Moving quickly now, Richard walked toward the service desk while feeling the scorching heat of the ring. He continued until he was near the desk, then retraced his steps until he stopped in front of a short girl holding a stack of books, his eyes landing on the book in her arms.
The short girl was startled and looked up at Richard warily, asking, “What…what are you doing?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I would like to see your book,” Richard said.
“Why?” asked the short girl.
“Can’t I?” Richard responded. “Is there something in the book you borrowed that you don’t want others to know about?”
“Huh?” The short girl’s eyes widened, her cheeks slowly reddening as she confronted Richard. “Nonsense! I don’t have anything!”
“Then let me have a look,” Richard said.
“If you must, go ahead. I’m not scared!” The short girl showed Richard the book on top, a very ordinary volume on Shape Energy Magic he had scanned through before, titled “Secrets of Flames and Frost,” which though full of fancy terms, held little value.
“Not this one, the next one.”
“What’s wrong with the next one?” The short girl presented the second book – “Norske Acid Analysis” – similarly, a commonplace book on Shape Energy Magic.
“There’s another one,” Richard said.
“Do you really want to see it?” the short girl asked.
“Is there a problem?” Richard asked.
“No, it’s just… alright, here it is.” The short girl hesitated for a moment before showing the last book – “My Autobiography – Moratos.”
The instant this book was displayed, Richard felt the ancient ring on his finger suddenly turn several degrees hotter.
So… was it this very book that caused the change in the ancient ring?
While Richard thought to himself, he looked at the short girl, “Can you give me this book? I am very interested.”
“Huh?” The girl’s cheeks suddenly flushed like ripe red apples. She looked at Richard with her large, round eyes, displaying a mix of embarrassment and confusion. “Are you truly interested?”
“How…”
“Here, take it.” The short girl thrust the book into Richard’s arms and took off running, like a spooked rabbit.
Richard’s eyes couldn’t help but flicker.
