New Gods of North America

Only when the owl, with a few sprigs of withered grass on its head, fluttered over from the bushes under the big tree,

Wayne confirmed that this silly bird was indeed the one Doug kept.

He removed the small rolled-up note from beside its large raptorial claws. It turned out to be Doug reporting that he was safe and sound.

Doug also mentioned that he had brought back a total of eight new "outer members" and asked Wayne if he should bring those outer members to the academy for Wayne to interview.

The detective agency didn't need to worry too much about salary issues at the moment,

so Wayne simply replied, letting Ineisha and Lina interview them first. If they seemed suitable, they could stay. He would go back and take a look on the weekend.

After finishing all this, he quickly started checking his homework, completing everything that needed to be submitted,

to avoid messing up in this small area.

The next day began another week's cycle.

He fooled the theology professor in the Holy Scripture Study class, followed by Professor Eber Meisel's mathematics class.

Walking into the classroom, he placed his homework in the designated pile on the podium,

Wayne found a seat and, along with his classmates, began to consider whether to continue struggling or simply lie flat for these two classes.

The professors' teaching process was similar. Since students attended classes according to their individual schedules, the so-called "classes" were a mix of everyone—beginners, repeaters, students from different houses, and students from different majors.

The first step in class was usually for the professors to take attendance using the corresponding list.

Originally, according to Professor Eber Meisel's style, this should have been his only "interaction" with the students in class. After that, he would simply follow the teaching plan and continue force-feeding information, regardless of the students.

But Wayne didn't expect to be greeted with an opening shock.

The serious and stern Professor Meisel walked into the classroom, slammed his textbook and teaching plan on the podium,

then propped himself up on the desk with both hands and asked the students:

"Which one of you is Mr. Wayne Constantine?"

Hiss...

Wayne suddenly remembered the "spoiler" that Professor Cooke had given him in the Science Principles class earlier.

It was said that Professor Meisel had cursed his name many times while grading the last assignment...

I was wrong.

I will never ask Seth Grayson to write my homework for me again.

At least, I will make him practice a few more times to make his handwriting more similar...

Wayne raised his hand a little nervously, thinking about how to argue later.

Professor Meisel's follow-up question was indeed related to the homework. "Mr. Wayne, was the last assignment you submitted completed independently by you?"

Um...

Should I say "yes" or "no"?

Wayne chose to escape reality. "Excuse me... is there a problem?"

Professor Meisel looked like the kind of serious professor who followed reason and wouldn't budge an inch:

"Regarding the definition of derivative, I already explained it in the last class. Mr. Wayne, I would like to confirm, how did you judge the mathematical proposition 'a continuous function must be differentiable'?"

That's simple.

Wayne shook his head without thinking, according to the textbook definition he had seen in his previous life. "That's wrong."

This is the same as "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line." Textbooks teach it as an axiom that needs no questioning.

The calculus sequence is an introductory mathematics course in higher education, so the class is held in a so-called "large classroom." The number of students is also larger and more mixed than in more "professional" courses.

Everyone had the same homework content. When the students heard Wayne's answer, a burst of suppressed laughter suddenly arose in the classroom.

A student next to Wayne gloated to his companion, "This guy is done for. He probably didn't listen to any of the previous classes. 'A continuous function must be differentiable' is a conclusion recognized by the mathematical community."

Huh?

Wayne was a little confused.

Professor Meisel hammered the podium forcefully twice, surveying the classroom with dignity and suppressing the students' laughter:

"Good heavens, I never thought that such a basic concept, a conclusion that countless mathematicians have never questioned for so many years, would be overturned by a student who has been studying calculus for less than three weeks."

"Hahahaha—"

This time, the students' laughter could no longer be suppressed.

Especially since Professor Meisel, such a serious and earnest person, suddenly used irony in such a serious manner, it had more comedic effect than those more approachable professors telling jokes.

However, neither Professor Meisel nor Wayne laughed. The students saw that the professor's expression was still serious, and the laughter gradually subsided.

Professor Meisel looked around at everyone and shook his head on the podium:

"Students, I'm not joking. You may be witnesses to this moment in mathematical history—"

"Mr. Wayne Constantine, a student who has been studying calculus for less than three weeks, the two counterexamples he listed in his homework, after confirmation by me and several other professors, have indeed successfully proved that this is a major misunderstanding in the mathematical community for many years.

"This achievement may not be enough to publish a paper, but it is a concise but powerful refutation. On this point alone, the discoverer's name is enough to be recorded in mathematical history, becoming another scholar who rewrites textbooks.

"I have sent this matter to the Federal Society via letter. Once the identity of the first discoverer is confirmed, the corresponding content will soon be published in academic journals. Perhaps we should cheer for him."

"Really? That's too..."

"Wow—"

"Oh my god... does this directly get him an 'excellent'?"

The sudden uproar in the classroom was more of a mixed resonance of "surprise" and "doubt" than "cheering."

Wayne felt as if he had been pierced by a thousand arrows from the students' various gazes,

followed by sporadic applause, which gradually converged into a concerto of a large amount of envy mixed with a small amount of admiration.

Compared to the students' various vivid expressions,

Professor Meisel still had that serious and stern look at this time.

He was already flipping through everyone's submitted homework on the podium, found the one Wayne had submitted, and looked down at it,

Then he raised his head again:

"Another proof method different from the textbook, more concise and more logical. Well... Mr. Wayne, I am now willing to believe that you do have such talent, and I look forward to you having more performance in mathematics."

Ah, this...

Is my homework now "inspection-free"? Or will it face more careful scrutiny from the professor?

I, someone who can barely do addition and subtraction in my head, if this kind of thing spreads back to Black Stone Town, it shouldn't ruin my image too much, right?

Wayne nodded a little woodenly.

Professor Meisel still looked calm and composed, while the students sitting nearby looked a little eager, and if they weren't still in class, a large group of people would probably surround him directly.

After praising Wayne,

Professor Meisel didn't even take attendance this time and quickly turned to teaching the class again.

In a state of half-joy and half-confusion, Wayne suddenly recalled the missing parts on the world map of this world,

and couldn't help but want to slap his thigh.

If he had known that mathematics could also be copied, he should have read more about the mathematical history of a certain red regime back then. The mathematicians there once led the world in terms of engineering practice and application, theory and depth.

He wouldn't even have to worry about "crashing" even if he copied it.