High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2696: Chapter 917: The Principle of Mysterious Aggregation

In a normal universe, entropy increases.

Entropy is a measure used to describe the degree of chaos in a system—such as a universe. In isolated, closed systems, entropy does not decrease but tends to increase. This is a universal natural trend.

For instance, a room that is tidied cleanly, if no one cleans or organizes it, will soon become cluttered: the settled dust, dirty clothes thrown on the bed, half-eaten snacks, flipped books, hair strands on the ground, etc. This phenomenon can be described with the term ’entropy (degree of chaos)’ increase. To reduce entropy, extra energy (like human labor) is needed to reorganize and clean the room.

In other words, natural processes and the evolution of the universe usually lead to more disorder and chaos.

Understanding entropy increase can help understand entropy reduction.

Magic in the universe is entropy-reducing.

Alongside the continuous convergence of magic power—namely, the continuous strengthening of personal power, and the constant diffusion of personal will—the degree of chaos in the entire universe system is constantly decreasing, and the degree of order is increasing. Even in purgatory, there is order, and chaotic order still constitutes a kind of order which means entropy reduction.

An obvious fact is that all the two-dimensional worlds in Su Shijun’s two-dimensional evolution laboratory operate on the logic of some will, or more plainly put, they operate based on the thoughts of some big figure.

Using an inadequate example to illustrate, magic power is in ’unrestricted market competition,’ naturally evolving into oligarchs and monopolies, where ’oligarchs’ possessing powerful magic power engage in mutual games and compromises, which construct the basic rules of world operation.

This basic rule represents a reduction in the degree of chaos within the system, and an increase in the degree of order.

That is entropy reduction.

In other words, the continuous and spontaneous aggregation of magic power (onto some individual) is a process of entropy reduction. This process contradicts the usual logic of universe operation, and this is why many magic theories describe cultivation as ’going against the heavens.’

Entropy reduction is the underlying logic of the magic universe.

Therefore, it can describe many magical phenomena in the universe, such as the mysterious convergence principle in classical magic theory: similar mysterious concepts will spontaneously, proactively, and continuously converge—like trouble always gathering around trouble-makers, the son of fortune constantly encountering adventures wherever he goes, the rope always breaking at its weakest point, misfortune only finding those with hard lives.

The more knowledgeable one becomes, the more knowledge rushes toward them; those who know nothing find knowledge always distancing from them.

At the end of each cycle of magic tides, magic power continuously aggregates onto one person (or several people), lifting them out of concepts, leaving behind a world without magic, an entropy-increasing world. The beginning of each cycle of magic tides originates from high-dimensional concepts falling into the low-dimensional world (low-dimensional creatures analyzing high-dimensional concepts, transforming them from unknown to readable), releasing enormous new magic power, and restarting the entire world’s entropy reduction cycle.

From a certain perspective, the forbidden curse actually belongs to the concept known as ’mysterious convergence.’

Zheng Qing is no longer the naive newcomer of his first day at university.

Concepts like ’entropy reduction’ and ’mysterious convergence’ have been briefly touched upon in classes like Dimensionism Overview, Convergence Principle, and Abusmo Conjecture; therefore, when Xiao Xiao mentioned these concepts, he effortlessly comprehended the implied meaning.

”You mean I don’t need to do anything, and those ravens will come looking for me?”

Zheng Qing looked up at the avenue he was about to exit, seemingly anticipating a raven perching on the tree branch at the crossroads, waiting for him: ”Then I just sit and wait to die? Let a bunch of fully armed ravens rush into the dormitory, bind me to some illegal laboratory, and cut me into pieces?”

”Ravens won’t act inside the school, let alone break into the student dormitory... And you’re not like Zhang Ji Xin; you’re not suited for taking the initiative.”

Xiao Xiao first dispelled someone’s pessimistic attitude and then sharply pointed out someone’s personality flaw: ”You can’t even figure out those witches, constantly passively accepting the gifts they offer. Why do you have the courage to trouble those ravens? Waiting for the opponent to make the first move doesn’t necessarily mean sitting and waiting to die, it could also mean being ready before acting, planning and taking action, waiting at the stump for a rabbit to come!”

Zheng Qing did not care about ’being ready before acting’ or ’waiting at the stump,’ only hearing the doctor’s initial words, he retorted rather embarrassedly: ”...I did actively give them gifts too!”

”Ha!”

Xiao Xiao glanced at him, responding with a single cold laugh.

If it weren’t for the risk of having to pay for broken glasses, and the fragments potentially cutting his hand, Zheng Qing would have already punched the face in front of him that begged to be hit.

After all, the friendship between college students is like a snowflake, pure and emotionally subtle. When it’s fragile, just sprinkle a bit of pee on it, and they disappear.

Accordingly, as long as the weather becomes slightly unfavorable, the vanished snowflakes will quickly revert to origin.

That noon.

When Zheng Qing returned to his dormitory with the exhaustion of finishing two classes, he hadn’t even entered the door when he heard fierce and indistinct sounds from inside the room. Pushing the door open and entering, the dormitory was in a mess.

The desk drawers were all pulled open, books, notes, ink stones scattered all over, little sprites’ paper houses originally placed at the corners as memorabilia were completely dismantled. Zheng Qing’s bed resembled the packed-up state before leaving school at the semester’s end, sheets curled into a ball and stuffed at the foot of the bed, pillows standing slanted nearby, and even the changing robes he hung at the bedside, crumpled, were lying on the floor.

”What happened?”

Zheng Qing hesitantly stood at the doorway, bewildered while observing the chaos inside the room, particularly focusing on the state of Xiao Xiao and Xin, then quietly sighed with relief.

The two were dressed neatly, without taking out the law book, looking like they weren’t fighting.

Then he became even more puzzled by the situation in front of him.

Xiao Xiao turned around, looked at him with an inexplicable expression: ”I take back those words from this morning... You’re right... The dormitory was robbed, I suspect it’s the ravens.”

Zheng Qing was stunned by this conclusion.

Despite having said ’a bunch of fully armed ravens rush into the dormitory’ several hours ago, it ultimately was an exaggerated description, not implying that he believed such a thing would happen!

”Ravens? Are they crazy?”

Zheng Qing murmured, his eyes somewhat blank, making it unclear whether he was referring to the ravens or Xiao Xiao’s guess. After pausing, he recovered and pointed at the chaos in the room to pursue: ”Why do you think it’s ravens?”

”Normal thieves wouldn’t ignore those gemstones.”

Xiao Xiao pointed at an open box on the table, filled with beautiful gemstones, then pointed at Zheng Qing’s bed: ”Moreover, only your bed in the entire dormitory received special attention... If not ravens, I can’t think of anyone who would be interested in a smelly warlock.”