Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In the end, the old man was buried by Newton. The village, for the most part, held a decent funeral for him, supported by the locals. As for what lay ahead, Newton had already discussed it with the villagers; he did not intend to stay in the mountain village.
This did not come as a surprise to the villagers, as the Magical Item was truly not that significant here. The old man's skills were, frankly, quite poor. His daily business barely managed to scrape by with some herbs, but even those were provided by doctors who only visited occasionally. If it weren't for gathering wild vegetables and fruits, Newton would have likely starved to death even if he had been rescued. As for hunting? Sorry, with just an old man and a young boy, who had the ability for that? Not to mention the existence of magical beasts in this world; although they rarely appeared in the village, encountering one would lead to total annihilation.
However, Newton did not plan to leave just like that. Having spent his previous life researching mysticism, he had faced many dangerous situations. Therefore, he was determined to ensure he had the means to protect himself. This was largely thanks to the old man's insightful notes.
The contents of the notes were quite varied, covering topics like herb crafting and enchantments, along with some information on incendiary devices. Well, wasn't Alchemy just a precursor to modern chemistry? But in this world, with magic at play, Alchemy clearly possessed even more incredible powers.
What intrigued Newton most was the section at the end of the book that described Alchemy as a form of magic that allowed for equivalent exchange through an Alchemy Array. It even suggested that transmuting base materials into gold was possible. This type of Alchemy required first understanding the original material, then breaking it down, followed by comprehending the material to be transformed before finally reassembling it. The bridge between these processes was represented by something called an Alchemy Array.
Newton began to understand why the old man could not perform Alchemy. Understanding materials is simple enough; however, asking people here about the composition of air or the molecular formula of oxygen would be another story. While magic brought immense power in certain aspects, it also stunted development in others.
At least now, Newton was immensely grateful for his education back in his own time; that rote learning had allowed him to retain a considerable amount of knowledge.
"Just this Alchemy Array..."
Newton felt somewhat troubled by the drawing of the Alchemy Array and issues related to magical energy.
According to the book, all Alchemy Arrays were based on circles. A circle always has a center point where forces from its circumference converge towards it—this represents a cycle of power and agreement. Additionally, circles symbolize the time cycle required during the refining process or operation. They illustrate both the process needed for refinement and the construction formula of materials involved. From a modern perspective, this could be likened to a chemical equation. By combining this construction formula with a circle, an Alchemy Array is completed. Then an Alchemist can channel their thoughts into the array to activate it.
At this moment, Newton's lifelong study of mysticism proved beneficial; although he lacked practical experience and was unsure about the authenticity of those mystical texts, he at least had plenty of material to reference now. However, creating an Alchemy Array was no simple task. If one wanted to produce fire through an Alchemy Array, then both the array and materials must share similar properties with fire itself. Thus, careful consideration was necessary when dealing with content within an Alchemy Array. While one could draw multiple arrays, activating them takes time; familiarity with a specific array allows for faster activation and less consumption of magical energy. Therefore, it would be more convenient to focus on creating one satisfactory array rather than juggling several.
As for magical energy—since Alchemy is not about creating something from nothing but rather about equivalent exchange—one might think they could turn a single seed into a mansion directly; however, that clearly does not constitute equivalent exchange. In such cases, an Alchemist must pay another price: magical energy. When one's magical energy runs low, they may have to sacrifice part of their body or life force as payment.
It sounded quite like a devil's contract, but at least there were no whispers of demons here to tempt you. Whether or not to engage in Alchemy was entirely up to you.
The following days passed without much difference from before. Newton would rise early each morning to gather food and herbs, then return to his shop to study his Alchemy Array. As for magical power, he had to admit that his previous life had helped him greatly, as he had learned quite a few meditation techniques back then. Fortunately, he had survived trying them all without falling into madness. However, he still practiced each method for a week, feeling the changes within himself, and ultimately chose a relatively stable meditation technique as his daily practice.
As time went by, Newton finally completed his Alchemy Array. The outer layer formed a ring, inside which were the Runes he had learned previously. At the very center was a Seven-Pointed Star, with each point marked by the symbols of the Seven Luminaries.
Although the Runes were few in number, their combinations could create countless variations. The Seven Celestial Runes were similar; with seven attributes, the Seven-Pointed Star held incredible power according to tradition.
Newton had considered using the Yin Yang Bagua from Chinese culture as his Alchemy Array, but when he drew it out and attempted to channel magical power into it, the energy he had accumulated instantly drained away. If he hadn't given up in time, he might have been left completely depleted. Not only with the Yin Yang Bagua; even just adding the eight trigrams caused a terrifying consumption of magical power. Newton couldn't even activate it, let alone use it, so he decided to abandon that idea and stick to testing what he could actually handle. At least for now, the Yin Yang Bagua was not something he could approach.
The current product was what Newton had determined to be the most suitable Alchemy Array for himself at this stage.
"Now it's time for testing."
With the array completed, Newton naturally needed to conduct an experiment. He put on a pair of gloves, with the backs of his hands adorned with his Alchemy Array. He placed his hands on the table where various herbs were laid out.
"Alchemy!"
Understanding—Decomposing—Refining.
A splash of liquid spilled across the table, leaving behind a pile of waste nearby.
"Ah, I forgot to grab a glass bottle."
Newton looked at the dampness on the table, his lips curled in dissatisfaction, yet the smile on his face was undeniable, for this time it proved that his ideas were not wrong.
"Success at last."
Stretching lazily, Newton surveyed all the materials in the room; the day of departure was drawing near.
Comment 0 Comment Count