I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 319 (Patreon)

Chapter 319: It Seems the Speed of Light Isn't That Fast After All

As dusk settled in the city of Greeneral the next day, thousands of wizards and civilians congregated outside the streets, observing Glenn and others as they covered every wall of the streets with smooth mirrors...

"Only fifty mirrors left! Put them precisely as per the blueprint, not a fraction off on the angles!" Glenn commanded loudly, orchestrating Nancy and others to place the mirrors in their designated spots and adjust their angles precisely as he had calculated.

Thanks to the steady hands and high precision of the wizards, if they said fifteen degrees, it was exactly that, not a fraction more. Linking the reflections of hundreds of mirrors wasn’t an easy feat.

Just determining the various angles of refraction took a whole day with the seven wizards working together!

Glenn felt a bit relieved because borrowing the mirrors went smoothly. When many curious wizards learned they were for a light speed measurement experiment, they generously contributed their purchased round mirrors. They even got the council's approval to use the streets and squares of Greeneral for the experiment after sunset when the shops closed.

It took over an hour for Glenn and the team to position the final fifty mirrors. By the time they finished, the sun had set, enveloping the whole city in darkness.

At Glenn's request, there were no candlelights in any house. Everyone relied on the faint moonlight to see their surroundings.

"Glenn, spill the beans now, will you? Why did you borrow so many mirrors? Planning to measure the speed of light with this?" a wizard familiar with Glenn couldn't contain his curiosity, prompting the others to eagerly await Glenn's response.

Facing the expectant gazes, Glenn seemed a bit nervous but launched into an explanation nonetheless. "My plan is to use the principle of light reflection from mirrors to increase the distance light travels, thereby measuring the speed of light..."

He had placed numerous mirrors across Greeneral. They would create a beam of light from the entrance of DC district, reflecting through the mirrors to XC district, then to the southern district, forming a loop...

"A total of a thousand reflections over a hundred kilometers!" Glenn said proudly.

He meticulously calculated each mirror placement. They only needed to stand in place and watch as the light circled within Greeneral. The final stop would be the tower above their heads!

"I've placed a white cloth at the top of the tower. Once we see a conspicuous spot of light there, it means the light has completed the circuit, traveled a hundred kilometers, and by measuring the time taken, we can calculate the speed of light..." Glenn explained.

"What a novel idea! To think it could be done like this..." Raphael exclaimed, admiring Glenn's creativity. Using just a few streets to simulate a hundred kilometers for their experiment.

The other wizards became interested; Glenn's plan seemed feasible. After all, even light elements would take a second or two for such a distance, right?

"Lord Lynn, do you think this can measure the speed of light?" Elok couldn't resist asking. He knew the Headmaster had been preparing similar experiments lately, crucial for the Silver Moon Medal.

"It's possible, yet impossible..." Lynn smiled mysteriously, not revealing the answer.

Glenn was indeed imaginative, coming up with such a method. However, he lacked some considerations...

Seeing Lynn's ambiguous response, the wizards present couldn't help but roll their eyes. It seemed even the esteemed magical star wasn’t sure of the outcome, resorting to such explanations just to save face.

But it made sense—if the other party knew beforehand, they'd probably have already measured the speed of light. After all, this experiment wasn't complex. With enough mirrors, anyone could replicate it easily.

Glenn paid no heed to the murmurs. Double-checking the blueprints in his hand one last time, he took a deep breath and focused.

As time ticked away, when it struck midnight and was about three seconds in, Glenn raised his hand. A blazing fireball appeared in the air, illuminating the entire street.

But this was just the beginning. Glenn, along with five other wizards, worked their magic. With surging magical energy, layers of reflections formed around the fireball, creating a closed spherical structure, leaving only a one-centimeter diameter hole...

All the light emitted by the fireball converged and shot through the tiny hole, targeting the first round mirror.

Glenn timed it perfectly. At that moment, when all eyes were fixed, dazzling beams of light appeared within the street, continuously reflecting off the mirrors, extending all the way to the horizon.

Nancy, facing away from Glenn, kept her gaze fixed on the top of the tower, not daring to blink, holding a magical clock. The moment she saw the light spot, she had to stop it. The final time taken would be the duration for light to travel a hundred kilometers.

One second... Three seconds... Five seconds... Ten seconds...

Nancy strained her eyes; the white cloth atop the tower remained empty, devoid of any light spot.

"It seems the speed of light isn't that fast after all... It's been over ten seconds, why hasn't it arrived yet?" Elok grumbled.

"Even if it's fast, for a hundred kilometers, it should take at least half a minute, right?" Pearce chuckled.

However, Raphael and others furrowed their brows, a thought creeping into their minds—could something have gone wrong with the experiment?

Thinking so, several grand wizards took flight, intending to survey the entire city from the skies, searching for the source of the problem.

Down below, Glenn also sensed something amiss. The intensity of the light, as it passed through multiple reflections, was diminishing far more rapidly than he had expected...

About ten seconds later, Raphael and others returned from the sky, wearing somewhat resigned expressions.

"Master Raphael, what's the situation? Has the light not arrived yet?" one of Glenn's friends hurriedly inquired, curious.

This is as close as I can get while adhering to your specified names and themes! If you need more of this, just let me know!

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