Chapter 187 Alchemical Speculations

This chapter is titled "A Thousand Blades Severed by Snow," sponsored by a generous donation.

At the bow of the ship, Marcus looked at Hiddleston with shining eyes. It was a look of longing.

Hiddleston had adapted well and no longer feared the rocking of the ship; it could now walk freely on the deck.

An intermediate-level magical beast, paired with the thorn sprite, would undoubtedly propel Liszt to the rank of Viscount. And Marcus, following Liszt into battle, could also easily attain the title of Baronet.

The noble aspirations of several generations of his family rested on Marcus's shoulders, and he pinned his hopes on Liszt.

Liszt's reliance lay in Hiddleston and Jie La.

Liszt did not respond but instead pointed at the sea, giving an order: "Hiddleston, Rock Spike!"

Hiddleston opened its mouth and spat.

A rock pillar, not very thick, emerged from the sea only to sink back down and disappear.

"Woof woof!"

Hiddleston seemed puzzled by the sudden disappearance of its rock spike.

Liszt patted its head and then turned to Marcus, saying, "Creating something out of nothing—although constrained by the environment, the rock spike is much smaller than on land. Still, the nature of the magic power remains awe-inspiring. I'm starting to believe in Glanny's triangular theory."

Spirit, magic power, and matter can be converted among each other.

Deep down, he wasn't fond of this theory, but there was no better explanation available.

However, Marcus clearly lacked the spirit of exploration: "Dragons produce metal and gems, elves increase plant growth—these are the laws of nature. Hiddleston can create rocks, just as mages can conjure fireballs. I think they are all natural phenomena."

"Do you believe alchemists exist?"

"Alchemists?" Marcus thought for a moment and then said seriously, "I don't know, but I hope they don't. A knight's glory comes from charging into battle. Relying on alchemy for easy gains will only lead us to corruption."

Liszt sighed.

Marcus was clearly not the right person to discuss these matters with; his mind was filled with the glory of knighthood and nobility.

"I believe alchemy exists. The means to turn stone into gold sounds simpler than creating something out of nothing..." He spoke briefly, losing interest in the conversation.

He gazed at the blue waves, lost in thought.

"All the materials for gold coins come from gold dragons that produce gold. If someone discovers the secret of how gold dragons infect gold, they might master alchemy."

Thinking about this, he remembered the two chests of books salvaged from the sunken treasure.

One of them was a book about alchemy.

Unfortunately, after touching it, the book turned to ashes, which was a huge regret. Occasionally, he felt heartbroken thinking about it. Sometimes he wondered if putting the book into the gem space would have preserved it, as the gem space could stop time, perhaps allowing him to read the pages.

On second thought, it seemed unlikely.

If a candle were placed inside, the flame would still topple it over. Similarly, if a book were placed inside, touching it would still cause it to crumble. Perhaps he could scrape away the decayed pages layer by layer to retrieve some content.

Sadly, he hadn't thought of that at the time.

Putting aside his regret about alchemy, his thoughts turned to the dragon bone stored in the gem space.

This bone, originating from a sunken ship, belonged to a dragon-type magical beast. Without a shipwright, it couldn't be embedded into the Fresh Flower, preventing it from repelling sea monsters.

"When I have enough money, I'll build a new, revolutionary schooner and embed this dragon bone into it."

...

The sun had risen high.

The sea breeze blew, reaching a force of three to four.

It was a northwest wind, allowing the Fresh Flower to sail smoothly at more than five knots.

Once everything was stable, Kosto came out of the captain's cabin and reported to Liszt, "The current speed is five and a half knots. Maintaining this, the Fresh Flower will reach Black Horse Island in thirteen hours."

"You're the expert in this area. Take charge of everything and ensure safe navigation. If we encounter a storm, remember to use the Sea Calming Pearl. I'm going to rest now. Report any issues to me immediately."

The Fresh Flower was only a medium-sized merchant ship, so the cabins were not spacious. Thomas arranged the fruits on the table and left to take care of Hiddleston.

Left alone in the room, Liszt took out the Flame Mushroom Magic Potion from the gem space and began his daily potion consumption task.

As the potion entered his stomach, the burning magic power spread throughout his body. Silently, he circulated his martial aura, guiding the magic power to evenly impact every part of his body. Compared to people in this world, he had a clearer understanding of the body's structure, including the meridians that could accommodate the flow of martial aura—a concept deeply rooted in ancient Chinese culture.

Liszt had studied meridians before, but on Earth, they were unproven entities.

Here, meridians were real, serving as channels for the flow of martial aura.

With the activation of magic power, martial aura grew, increasing the total amount within his body. Everything went smoothly, immersing Liszt in the process.

He couldn't help but marvel, "I am truly a genius."

"According to the experience imparted by the Earl and verified by Levis, elite Earth Knights often feel various bodily discomforts during the early stages of potion consumption. This is a side effect of the magic potion impacting the body, requiring a long period of adjustment to find balance."

Suddenly opening his eyes, he muttered to himself, "Why don't I feel this way? Consuming the Flame Mushroom Magic Potion has immediate effects, yet I don't experience any bodily discomfort?"

Soon, he deduced why his cultivation was so smooth.

"I understand the meridian theory of traditional Chinese medicine, which helps me grasp the details of martial aura circulation and find the balance point... These two theories of meridians indeed share many similarities."

"I have a thorough understanding of the body's structure, and I can adjust the flow of Aura according to its structure at any time."

"Furthermore, my mental strength is likely stronger than that of an ordinary knight. After all, I am a transmigrator. My soul has absorbed the soul of my predecessor and even has some inexplicable connection with the Smoke Dragon. Therefore, my control over Aura is effortless, without any obstruction or stagnation."

Knowledge is power.

The Count, Levis, and others probably only know about the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, bones, muscles, and fat when it comes to the structure of their bodies. This world lacks any research on the microscopic level; they don't even know what bacteria or cells are, let alone atoms or electrons.

No one cares about medicine or physics; everyone focuses on Aura and magic.

"It's not entirely true that there's no scientific study. Mages can be considered a variant of scientists, but their research direction is focused on magical power," Liszt said with a slight smile. "As for me, with the knowledge from two worlds and decent bloodline talent, calling me a genius wouldn't be an exaggeration."

It was as if he could see a Sky Knight beckoning to him.

After feeling pleased with himself,

he quickly regained his composure as an adult and continued practicing his Aura.

Until the door was knocked on, and Thomas asked from outside, "Sir, it's lunchtime. Would you like to eat now?"