Annotated 47-13
Reynolds in panel 1 is referencing the harmonic series, which is 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 + 1/5 +… and so on to infinity. Some similar series can be said to converge to a single value. For instance, if you add the reciprocals of powers of 2, which would be 1 + 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 +…, you end up with sums that get closer and closer to 2 as the number of addends approaches infinity. But the harmonic series never converges. As its number of addends approaches infinity, its sums approach infinity too, just more slowly. Understanding the harmonic series has some real-world applications such as stacking blocks (which is certainly important to gnomish architects).
Not that any of this is important to the plot. Reynolds, inexperienced in the art of deception, is simply filibustering to buy the fleeing townspeople every second that he can, and he can do that more easily when discussing a topic he loves that is likely to confuse his audience.
And then something amazing happens in panel 3: in a heartbeat, Reynolds starts looking kind of awesome. He knows the jig is up. He has no more reason to be polite to Iwatania or its representatives. So his anger is out in the open, but thanks to the support of his people in the prior scene, its expression doesn’t come at the cost of his dignity. He’s about to be arrested, but in another sense, he’s freer than he’s ever been in his life.
FB: Plot twist: THEY WERE ALL HIDING IN HIS HELMET CREST THE WHOLE TIME.
I suppose he could have played for even more time by pretending he didn’t know anything about gnomes being gone because he was in his study the last couple of day, busy proving that the harmonic series does not converge… but I would admit that I would probably not have thought about that in the moment, myself. And my acting skills might not have convinced a lot of people, either.
All the more interesting that he has the idea to ask Ardaic about his hesitance. I suppose Ardaic has never thought to put Reynolds in the “opponents” category and is therefore surprised to see any kind of fancy trick coming from his side. That kind of obliges him to ask questions first because he finds it much harder to assume that Reynolds is actually opposing Gasto… Iwatania and could deliberately cause enough of a problem that he should be removed from his position.
Being called out on that matter, though, changes that quickly… so I’m not sure what Reynolds hoped to achieve with the remark, or whether it was simply a spontaneous idea to change character and make an impression while he still has initiative.
Love to see Reynolds getting all gutsy. He deserved this moment of looking down on someone who had towered over him in more senses than one.