Chapter 124: Chapter 108: Failure? I Don’t Understand
After reading the Magic Book for a while, Isaac decided to first research how to store Magic Power.
If he chose to prey on Demons, he would need an additional step: a purification ritual.
He would first need to purify the all-corroding Evil Energy into Magic Power. Otherwise, if he used too much of it, he risked turning into a Demon.
Many Legendary Mages chose to modify themselves into Demons during their Grand Wizard stage, and it was a powerful path to take. However, the key was that the transformation had to be driven by Isaac’s own modifications, not by the Erosion of Evil Energy.
The difference between the two was actually quite significant.
Besides, he had no interest in becoming a Demon at the moment. ’Ugly, so no thanks!’
The purification ritual, however, was easy. The method was in the Evil Power Encyclopedia. This wasn’t considered precious knowledge to the Flesh Sect. For Wizards, Evil Energy itself wasn’t dangerous; the real peril lay in the process of dealing with Demons.
But for Isaac, dealing with Demons was neither dangerous nor troublesome. The difficult part was finding a way to store Magic Power...
Modifying his body was difficult. Don’t be fooled by how casually Cheryl gave him the Magic Seal; the technology behind it was not simple in the slightest. At least, Isaac couldn’t create one himself. And if he did modify his body, his looks might suffer greatly...
’That’s why it’s the last resort, the backup plan...’
After a moment of thought, Isaac walked over to the Magic Cauldron used for brewing Magic Potions, casually lit the fire, and began tossing things in. The main ingredient was a Tier Two Demon Heart the size of a washbasin. The supplementary ingredients were more varied: Demon Fur, Demon’s Nails, Demon Blood, and even a few strands of a Witch’s Hair...
The ingredients were, as always, abstract and bizarre.
But this was the Fantasy Alchemy of Legendary Mages, where anything could be stewed in a Crucible. For a highly skilled Legendary Mage, there was no need to add any High Level ingredients. They could pick up a random rock from the roadside, toss it into a well-seasoned broth, and refine it into a High Level Magic Item!
Like a ritual, a Legendary Mage’s Fantasy Alchemy focused on the fusion of Concepts. It even seemed to involve the Power of Faith. He had discovered this before while brewing Magic Potions; although it was a very small amount, some Power of Faith would indeed be incorporated into the mixture.
Perhaps this was the secret to how Fantasy Alchemy, despite its crudeness, could turn the mundane into the miraculous.
Unfortunately, that level of mastery was still far too distant for Isaac. For now, he could only follow the recipe diligently, step by step.
As the ingredients were added one by one, the color of the liquid in the Crucible changed rapidly. It went from green to purple, then from purple to red, then blue, and then back to purple again, seemingly without any pattern.
And indeed, there was no pattern. Isaac’s expression was extremely serious. His attention wasn’t on the liquid’s color, because although the changes were obvious, they were unimportant.
The recipe wasn’t that detailed, either. It only specified the order of the ingredients. The rest was all about feeling it out.
If you think it’s ready, then it’s ready!
Extremely arbitrary, but that was Fantasy Alchemy!
The kind with strict procedures was Truth Alchemy, which had been developed in recent years. It had less inspiration and more structure. It was still hard to say which was superior, as the history of Truth Alchemy was short and it wasn’t yet fully refined.
But even in its unrefined state, Truth Alchemy was developed from the foundations of Fantasy Alchemy and Ritual Alchemy. It was an advancement, and the future belonged to Truth Alchemy.
This was the consensus among many Wizards, and Isaac thought so too, even though he had learned Fantasy Alchemy.
Isaac had also studied Truth Alchemy, as his big sis Cheryl specialized in it. However, Truth Alchemy was too rigid for his tastes, so he didn’t particularly like it and never delved deep into its study.
Besides, with his Golden Finger, he wouldn’t fall behind in success rates or learning speed. So, naturally, there was no need to agonize over the choice. He just did whatever felt right.
At this moment, Isaac stared intently at the Crucible, ignoring the ever-changing colors of the liquid. The long spoon in his hand stirred with alternating deep and shallow strokes, first clockwise, then counter-clockwise.
The most important step in Fantasy Alchemy is the extraction and fusion of Concepts. Through simple stirring, one extracts the Concepts within the ingredients, merges them, and ultimately forms the desired Magic Item. Much like a ritual, the process is quite flexible.
However, this step severely tested a Wizard’s Perception Power. The Concepts within the Magic Cauldron were incredibly complex, containing residual Concepts from previous concoctions as well as those from the newly added ingredients. Finding the correct Concepts amid this complexity and integrating them into the primary ingredient was no easy feat.
The Magic Item he was currently refining was called a Second Magic Power Source, a very ancient Magic Item that was rumored to have the potential to become a Relic through continuous refinement.
To be frank, that possibility was exactly what Isaac was aiming for!
Normally, such a "possibility" was just an exaggeration by the original creator or seller. Although a Relic’s Initial Tier was only Tier One, due to its infinite growth potential, all Magic capable of creating Relics was Tier Three!
And not just Ordinary Tier Three!
It had to be a Tier Three Authority Magic, and one from the corresponding domain at that!
How could a mere Tier Two Magic Item possibly be related to a Relic?
Normally, it would be impossible. The so-called possibility of it becoming a Relic was next to none.
Yes, *next* to none!
Which meant that the possibility, however small, actually existed!
And Isaac had seen that possibility—one in one hundred thousand!
An extremely low probability. This wasn’t the kind of thing where you were guaranteed one success after a hundred thousand attempts; there was no pity system for this.
But for Isaac, as long as there was a possibility, even one in a hundred thousand, he could turn it into a one-hundred-percent certainty!
’A Relics Level Magic Power Source...’
’That would be so worth it!’
However, the ascension to a Relic could only happen after the Second Magic Power Source was completed. For now, he just needed to create the base.
Isaac calmly watched the Magic Cauldron, the long spoon in his hand never stopping. His stirring looked random, but he was actually harmonizing the complex Concepts within. Under his guidance, the washbasin-sized heart in the Crucible began to shrink, and blue, circuit-like lines appeared on its bright red surface.
These were Magic Circuits, a special kind of biological magical structure, and the fundamental reason why the Second Magic Power Source could ascend into a Relic.
Once the Magic Circuits appeared, it meant the refinement of the Second Magic Power Source had reached its final stages. At this point, success was all but guaranteed.
But Isaac showed no trace of excitement. Success was a matter of course. After all, before he even began, he had already seen the margin for error—
One thousand percent!
