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"It should be about time, right?" Harof glanced at the magic clock in the cockpit. There were less than fifteen minutes left until noon.
Lin En nodded and looked at the halfling girl who was in charge of driving the airship. "Okay, Lydia, let's stop here!"
"The Overlook has arrived at the designated location. The total sailing time is exactly forty-eight hours. We will begin landing now!" Lydia saluted Lin En in a ship's etiquette, and then trotted all the way to turn off the alchemical steam engine that drove the propeller, and then emptied the auxiliary airbags to lower the altitude.
Due to being too excited about her first long-distance mission, the half-orc girl had two dark circles under her eyes, but she was very excited and did not look tired at all.
Without even waiting for the airship to stop and land, Harof flew down impatiently and landed on the sea very steadily with the help of the slow-fall technique.
The wind and waves on the sea were very strong, and the surging waves leaped high and rolled towards Harov.
But the next moment, a strong wave of magical power surged from Harof's body, and time seemed to stop suddenly. The sweeping waves were instantly frozen into an ice sculpture.
Then this force quickly extended to the wide sea surface. Wherever it passed, the surging waves were all frozen into thick ice. In a blink of an eye, the entire sea surface had become a huge floating ice island.
Only at this moment did the airship slowly fall from the sky.
When the people got off the gondola, they saw the peculiar sight of the sea surface being frozen in an instant. It was like a beautiful ice painting. The surging sea water and the leaping waves were turned into sculptures and preserved.
However, Harof obviously had no time to appreciate any art. With a wave of his right hand, he used magic to carve out a wide and straight piece of ice surface, and then erected a giant icicle that was a hundred meters high in the center of the ice surface.
"How much longer?" Harrov shouted.
"One minute, the last minute! There are still fifty-three seconds left!" Lydia shouted loudly while holding the magic clock.
At this moment, whether on the floating island or in Greenrail, everyone looked up at the sun, feeling that this minute was so long.
With ten seconds left, Lynn took out the thin rope and handed the other end to Harov, ready to measure the length of the icicle's shadow.
The transparent icicles sparkled with a strange glow under the sunlight.
As the editor of Magic Daily, Roll, who was lucky enough to get the qualification to ride the airship, was standing on the ice with a crazy look on his face. His right hand holding the feather pen shook rapidly on the paper, and he drew the wide floating ice island, the towering icicles, the landing airship, and Lin En and Harof using ropes to measure the length of the shadow on the parchment...
Chapter 153 opens the door to a new world!
Harof and Lynn pulled the string straight, with one end pressed under the icicle and the other overlapping the shadow.
When the magic clock reached twelve o'clock, Harof used his hand as a knife and cut the remaining rope very accurately!
"Ruler, bring the ruler quickly!" Harov shouted excitedly. He was in such a hurry to come down that he even forgot to bring the most important ruler.
With his quick eyes and hands, Alok immediately ran back to the airship and handed the ruler to Harof within ten seconds.
The legendary wizard took the ruler solemnly and began to measure in sections as if he was on a pilgrimage.
"Lord Harof, how long is the shadow?" Several accompanying wizards asked with great anticipation.
Harov did not answer immediately, but measured several times before speaking carefully. "It is 10.51 centimeters, or meters!"
Those who got the data immediately took out paper and pen to calculate it. Although the great wizards who were qualified to watch the experiment in person on the airship had not systematically studied Olympiad mathematics, they were still clear about the basic geometric calculation methods.
However, this value is not a positive integer. When it comes to decimals, the amount of calculation required for squaring and then taking the square root increases exponentially. It took more than five minutes for everyone to use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate that the length of the hypotenuse is approximately 100.55 meters.
After more than two months of Olympiad training, Lydia and Alok were obviously faster than them. They had already started to calculate the angle of the vertex. Substituting it into the triangle formula, sine equals the opposite side divided by the hypotenuse...
"I calculated it, the vertex angle is six degrees!" Lydia, who was the first to calculate it, waved her arms vigorously and shouted loudly.
Harof, who did not have paper and pen, got the answer at the same time just by mental arithmetic - Lydia was not wrong, the vertex angle of the triangle and the corresponding angle between the center of the earth were exactly six degrees!
The rest is easy. A circle has 360 degrees. The angle at the center of the earth is equivalent to dividing the entire circle into 60 equal parts. Each part is 720 kilometers, so the total length is...
"Forty-three thousand two hundred kilometers!" Harov's voice was trembling. He calculated it several times in his mind, fearing that he might make a mistake. After confirming that it was correct, he spoke in a dream. "Forty-three thousand two hundred kilometers! This is the circumference of the planet under our feet!"
Lin En was naturally the one who calculated the fastest. After obtaining the data on the shadow length, the intelligent computer directly presented the answer in his mind.
It seems that this alien planet is slightly larger than the Earth in my previous life.
If he remembered correctly, the circumference of the earth should be 40,750 kilometers, and the two data were very close.
The rest of the wizards also quickly figured out the value, and each of them was so excited that they could hardly contain themselves. Once they knew the circumference, it was only a matter of time to calculate the diameter, radius, and area.
Luo Er on the side did not participate in the counting, but created a new painting again, titled [People measuring the circumference of the planet under the interweaving of scorching sun and cold ice]!
The ink-stained quill moved quickly across the parchment.
Harof measuring the rope with a ruler, Lynn gazing at the sky as if estimating the angle of the earth's center, Lydia jumping high, and the wizards thinking hard in the back, all come to life on the paper. Against the backdrop of the scorching sun and the floating island, they are extremely impactful and form a strange yet harmonious picture.
After exhausting all his inspiration, Luo Er looked at the two paintings in his hands and felt that he had no regrets in his life!
Because he knew very well that these two paintings would be remembered forever by the world along with this historic moment!
However, after calming down, Luo Er did not forget another important matter, otherwise some people would not be able to wait any longer.
Thinking of this, Luo Er looked at Harov and asked, "Lord Harov, do you want to send this message to Greenriel now?"
Harov, who was calculating the surface area of the planet, had no time to pay attention and just nodded casually. "Since it has been confirmed, send it!"
……
At the same time, in the city of Greenriel, more than a dozen alchemists were guarding in front of the communication alchemy formation, anxiously waiting for the message from the other side.
But now it is already twelve thirty-seven, and there is still no news, which makes Raphael and others start to doubt whether this operation has failed.
Could it be that Lin En’s assumption was actually wrong, and this continent is not a sphere?
"Look, there's movement!" A sharp-eyed alchemist was the first to notice the light coming from the formation, and everyone rushed over immediately.
Since the distance was more than 700 kilometers, the number of magic stones required to transmit information was also a terrifying number, so Roll only transmitted the two most important data: shadow length and vertex angle.
"The shadow length is 10.51 meters, and the vertex angle is 6 degrees..." Raphael looked at the data composed of magic power that kept jumping in the alchemy circle, and shouted excitedly.
With the help of amplifying magic, the news quickly spread throughout Greenriel City, and a strange scene appeared in the entire wizard city. Countless wizards who were eagerly waiting took out parchment and quills and began to calculate at the same time, and even many well-educated civilians joined in.
If one only has the shadow length, one must be proficient in trigonometric functions to calculate the data, which is enough to stump most wizards.
But once you know the data of the vertex angle, it becomes the most basic multiplication and division, and even some ordinary people can calculate it!
"The circumference of the planet is 43,200 kilometers, the diameter is approximately 10,751 kilometers, and the surface area is 594 million square kilometers?" On the crowded streets of Greenrail City, Alex looked at the data he had just calculated and muttered to himself.
He is not a wizard, or rather, due to his limited talent, he does not even have the opportunity to enter a magic school as a wizard apprentice, but he has a strong interest in mathematics.
Before, Alex thought that numeracy was only useful in daily transactions, and at best he could become a tax collector. However, the last issue of [Magic Daily] opened the door to a new world for him!
The wizard named Lin En from beyond the mist actually planned to calculate the circumference of the planet beneath their feet, and he didn't need any magic, just a few simple mathematical formulas!
At first, Alex didn't believe it would be so easy, but when these numbers were actually written on paper, there was no doubt in his heart anymore. The shock he felt was hard to calm down, as if the world was under his pen!
Chapter 154: The Great Idea of Traveling Around the World
"I figured it out! I figured it out! The radius of the planet is 7,200 kilometers!"
"Nonsense, it should be 6,875 kilometers!"
……
Because the calculated number was so large, similar discussions soon spread to every corner of Greenrill. After repeated arguments and debates, the data on the circumference, diameter, and radius of the planet soon appeared on paper.
The surface area of the planet is a terrifying number that is beyond everyone's expectations: 594 million square kilometers!
Many people did not realize until this moment that the planet beneath their feet was so vast!
Ali's mind even had a thought that the world is so big and he wants to go see it.
According to the circumference data just calculated, driving the best alchemy ship in the Wizarding Land, under the most ideal circumstances, it only takes three months to circle the circumference!
However, when he put forward this idea, he was laughed at by everyone.
The vastness and danger of the ocean were beyond the imagination of someone like Alex who had no sailing experience.
Even the most experienced sailors could die on their way to sea for fishing if they encountered strong winds and waves, not to mention those ferocious sea beasts.
"What if we use an airship?" Alex was not defeated by everyone's ridicule. Instead, he came up with a new idea. Since crossing the sea is very dangerous, maybe they could start from the air.
After hearing Alex's words, the people with mocking and joking expressions on their faces suddenly fell silent, because they suddenly felt that although Alex's proposal was crazy, it was undeniably feasible.
Flying around the entire planet is definitely an extremely magnificent feat, worthy of being recorded in the history of magic!
"Maybe we can fly in the opposite direction. Doesn't the Magic Daily say that the continent beneath our feet is constantly rotating from west to east? Then as long as we start from the east and fly west, wouldn't we be able to come back in a day?" The tall and thin wizard said proudly, but he didn't notice that the people around him were looking at him as if he were a fool.
If it were that easy, they would have run from the east side of Greenridge to the west side of Greenridge the moment they jumped!
An alchemist pondered for a while, shook his head, and said coldly, "I think it's impossible to accomplish such a magnificent feat even with an airship. If you can't determine the direction to go, it won't be long before you get lost in the sea, and you might even be attacked by a dragon, feathered serpent, or bird demon."
However, this time, many people came out to support Alex's grand idea. For example, they suggested that a few magic crystal cannons could be installed on the airship to resist the invasion of flying monsters, or that the direction and position could be determined by the guidance of the stars...
While everyone was discussing the matter, Alex himself was deflated because he suddenly thought that how could a commoner like himself get an alchemical airship of his own.
In the city square not far away, Raphael looked at the wizards who were arguing fiercely over the correctness of the data, and even fighting because of conflicting theories, and said with great emotion.
"Greenriel, it's been a long time since it's been this lively!"
Ever since Lin En came to this ancient wizard city, it seemed as if he had injected new vitality into the city, refreshing their understanding of the world every day and even allowing some civilians to participate in academic discussions.
This was the first time he had seen wizards and civilians discussing a magical theory together!
……
The noise in Greenriel City lasted for a long time, until two days later, when the returning airship appeared above the city, and the atmosphere reached its peak.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets and squares, waiting for the airship to land with great excitement.
As the airship slowly descended in altitude, everyone was looking forward to it. Some children even climbed onto the roof mischievously to get a better view.
Lydia, the first one to get off the airship, waved happily when she saw the dense crowds of people coming to greet them in the city square.
Darren and other halflings also shouted excitedly.
"Lydia, I knew you could do it!" "Lydia, you are the pride of the Halflings! Our hero!"
Soon, the voices came from all corners of the square. Although halflings were a minority in the entire wizarding land, there were still several thousand of them together. They squeezed to the front with their physical advantages and shouted Lydia's name in unison.
"A halfling who can't do magic? How did she get on the airship?" Several wizards from Greenriel, who had rushed over from the small town on the west side of the wizarding land, frowned when they saw Lydia getting off the airship.
Why do we have to bring along an ignorant halfling who can't learn magic at such a sacred moment as measuring the circumference of the planet?
Upon hearing this, Darren and the others immediately became unhappy and said indignantly, "What do you know? Lydia is now Master Lin's apprentice. All the core components of this airship were made by Lydia herself. No one knows how to fly an airship better than her!"
Several wizards were a little bit unbelievable. In the history of Wizarding Land, no school had ever accepted halflings as apprentices. After all, it was an indisputable fact that halflings had no magical talent. Some wizards of plastic arts even contemptuously called halflings a group rejected by magic.
This also leads to the Halflings being unwelcome in some cities in the Wizarding Land.