Chapter 317
Stranger Filled with Anticipation
The stranger was very happy.
She didn’t know how her companions were doing, but she was indeed very happy at the moment.
This was because the guest she was currently hosting was completely beyond her expectations—
“Yes, I also believe the Philosopher’s Stone is impossible to achieve. It violates one of the core tenets of the Path of Balance, ‘equivalent exchange,’ and thus it is actually an erroneous goal.”
A young woman with long, wavy, sea-blue hair and a gentle appearance sat in a private room, speaking animatedly to the young man before her.
The young man was more like a boy than a man. Although he looked no longer young, perhaps even close to or past thirty, he possessed a shy and bashful aura.
He had messy black short hair and wore black-rimmed glasses. His clean demeanor was more akin to a scholar’s than a noble’s, a style completely at odds with the decadence and depravity of this place.
“I think you’re absolutely right!”
The youth was overjoyed, his happiness and excitement stemming from finding a kindred spirit. “Have you also studied Alchemy? What are your thoughts on ‘technification’?”
“Technification” was a term in Alchemy that was usually derogatory.
Alchemy was an incredibly complex discipline, encompassing a broad range of methods for understanding the world, including various philosophical concepts and methodologies. Specific alchemical formulas formed their own systems, and each alchemist’s understanding was subtly different. In most cases, alchemists tended to rederive formulas based on fundamental principles or to completely deconstruct and thoroughly research another’s formula before making it their own.
“Technification,” however, referred to the hurried teaching methods of alchemy mentors who, due to errors or impatience, imparted too many alchemical formulas to apprentices before they had fully grasped the foundational theories of Alchemy.
This resulted in apprentices possessing formulas but lacking the understanding of their underlying principles, rendering them unable to effectively debug or improve them.
Consequently, Alchemy transformed from a “discipline for exploring truth” into a “technique for manufacturing Alchemical Products.” Within the mainstream thought of alchemists, this acted was undoubtedly harmful and utilitarian, even damaging the inheritance of Alchemy.
If such behavior were taken to extremes, it would ultimately lead to only those “useful” formulas, or even the “most useful” formulas, being passed down. Yet, a seemingly useless formula might hide deeper mysteries and the key to truth.
However, the stranger stated without hesitation, “The core power of the Path of Balance comes from the complete deconstruction and transformation of [Mysterious Knowledge] into [Conventional Knowledge]. This process is what we call ‘Bewitchment Dispelling.’ Replicating the techniques and potions that exist only in myths and legends in reality – this is Alchemy. It is a great discipline that devours and integrates the powers of other paths, ‘unifying’ them.
“Undoubtedly, if only one path could exist in this World in the future, it would ultimately be the Path of Balance. And I believe the essence of ‘technification’ is further Bewitchment Dispelling of Alchemy, transforming it into ‘Alchemical Technology,’ that is, ‘Alchemy.’
“This is indeed utilitarian, but it is not harmful. Because this is one of the core tenets of the Path of Balance: to understand and transform the world with knowledge and methods, unifying the disordered into the ordered—”
The stranger’s eyes blazed with an incomparably Brilliant radiance.
It was the radiance of intellect and truth.
The youth sitting opposite her trembled with excitement. “You’re right! My goodness, by the Hourglass— I never expected the first person to completely understand me to be here at Crescent Moon Manor… No, I must find a way to take you with me…”
As he spoke, he called out, “Pomanach!”
“Coming, coming…”
A handsome youth, swirling a glass filled with blood, walked over smiling. “How is it, Basil, my friend? Is the girl I ordered to your satisfaction?”
Upon seeing their neat attire, he looked somewhat disappointed. “You two drank for two hours, and nothing happened?”
“What are you talking about, you idiot,” Basil Valentine said with some displeasure. “This is a Respected Miss! She completely understands my philosophy, and some of her views are even more advanced than mine—”
“Tell me, Pomanach… How can I take her away? I believe ‘The Twelve Keys’ need her!”
“You like her that much?”
The Child of the Moon, Pomanach, looked surprised. He glanced at the stranger and asked, “What number are you?”
“I am number 23,” the stranger replied.
“Twenty-three,” Valentine marveled. “An odd number, a prime number. Just like your unique disposition.”
He looked pleadingly at his noble friend. Pomanach felt a pang of sympathy.
“Alright, number 23 isn’t expensive. I’ll buy her for you, consider it a birthday gift. If you’re not staying here tonight, take her with you directly.”
Pomanach’s eyes gazed at the stranger, his pupils turning crimson for an instant. He sensed the stranger’s emotions and thoughts, and a slight smile touched his lips – he detected no trace of conspiracy or scheme, only fervent reverence and excitement.
He casually added, “It’s about time you settled down – if you don’t mind that she used to be a blood servant.”
“I already told you, I only see her as a friend, a confidant—”
Valentine’s cheeks flushed as he protested, “I just want to bring her into my ‘Twelve Keys’!”
Meanwhile, the stranger’s eyes widened as she watched everything unfold. Compared to her Ascension mission, being able to personally interact and converse with a young Valentin I was a far more precious and rare experience.
No Alchemist from the Star Antimony Kingdom would fail to revere Valentin I. It was precisely his “Twelve Keys” organization that altruistically transformed Alchemy from the knowledge of the high nobles into something everyone could learn—a path to contacting Truth. It was also because of his proposal to establish the Kingdom with Alchemy that the Star Antimony Kingdom, after the War of Territorial Division, was able to annex former neighbors, some of which were powerful and rich, despite receiving only the smallest and least fertile piece of land.
Time had proven them right. And the person before her was the great man who brought them Truth and victory.
—With the right methods, all mortals could become gods.
This was the philosophy proposed by Valentin I. Even the high-ranking Heavenly Envoys and Pillar Gods were not necessarily irreplaceable. There were no inherent taboos or impossible feats in this World; everything was about taking one step forward, and then another. There was nothing humans could not achieve; all humans were like stars. When darkness fell, the stars could illuminate the Earth.
It was this philosophy that the Star Antimony people sensed and gathered under his banner.
Meeting one’s idol was undoubtedly a surprise, and completing the mission so easily was an even greater delight.
But then, the stranger suddenly remembered something—
This mission required two people to complete. So, she subconsciously blurted out, “But, I…”
…I have a friend. Can I bring him or her along?
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, she felt a hesitation.
Pomanach, with his scarlet eyes, turned back. “Hm? Is something wrong?”
“…No, nothing.”
The stranger’s thoughts raced. She abandoned the idea of persuading the benefactor to buy her companion along. It would be too greedy. Even if everything here was an illusion, she didn’t want her idol, Valentin I, to perceive her as insatiable. She surmised that they would be able to solve the problem themselves.
If I truly lived in this era, how wonderful it would be to join Valentin I’s “Twelve Keys,” she thought. Compared to that, she should focus on exchanging Alchemy insights with him. Even though his understanding of Alchemy was centuries behind, and Alchemical technology had been rapidly advancing each year since then… with his intelligence, he would surely gain inspiration and spark some ideas from these new techniques.
Coincidentally, the Armored Gargoyle that the stranger had developed had a technical hurdle yet to be overcome—these gargoyles, while capable of deflecting spells, had relatively fragile bodies and were incapable of casting spells themselves. So, how could they inflict effective damage from a safe distance? It was to solve this very problem that she took up the Path of Balance and self-studied Alchemy. Yet, even with her Alchemy nearing Third Tier, she still couldn’t resolve this issue. The best current strategy remained the lobbing of various Alchemical potions… but the consumption was prohibitive.
Perhaps this founding monarch of the Star Antimony Kingdom could offer some technical inspiration to the current Star Antimony—
The stranger was filled with anticipation.
