How to Forge a Vessel of Great Deeds?

The Sorceress lowered her head and stared at the stone wall, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold stone patterns, remaining silent for a long time.

"What disaster?" Ailin couldn't help but break the irritating silence.

The Sorceress closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them, saying:

"The Vessel of Great Deeds, in terms of sequence, naturally only begins to condense when it reaches its limit."

"If the limit has not been reached, there is neither a need nor an obligation to do so."

"Moreover, for some reason, after the spread of the Soyer case failed, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers tightened its control over related information."

"You will be notified once you have been promoted to the Brotherhood of Sorcerers's Advanced Council."

"But in reality, after reaching the limit, apart from the final step of condensing the Vessel of Great Deeds, the key to most of the process lies in the achievement of the great cause, and has nothing to do with physical and mental qualities."

"Moreover, in the past instances of sorcerers, the spiritual power was insufficient to resonate and condense the Vessel of Great Deeds in the final step."

"It's like there might be a sheer cliff in front of you, but there are high steps in front of the cliff. If you can't even climb the steps, then there's no risk of falling off the cliff."

"Then, if we switch to the physical body, it should... it should be the same."

The Sorceress paused, her lips pressed tightly together, her expression showing some struggle.

After a long while, she continued:

"The omnipotent power within the vessel of Soyer's Vessel of Great Deeds can permanently and temporarily enhance the body's attributes, but permanent enhancement, once the physique has reached its limit, is a long but very slow process."

"Therefore, it is generally only used as a temporary buff spell."

"But then again, if the power of omnipotence works slowly on a body that has reached its limit, what about on a body that hasn't reached its limit?"

"And even if it's slow, it's still better than the improvement of a regular witcher."

"In reality, relying solely on regular training and monster hunting, the physical improvement of master-level monster hunters has stagnated, and they may even regress due to injuries."

"As for great achievements..."

"Ailin, just like when you lured Old Spearhead and the King of Ice to kill each other during the Trial of the Mountains, in the Northern Continent where monsters were still rampant, a prepared demon hunter never lacked opportunities to become famous."

"Achieving great things is much easier than for sorcerers."

"So since there's no danger, why not give it a try?"

Ailin and Vesemir stared at each other, and for a moment, it was as if he were Soyer, being questioned by her.

"Then what?"

He asked the question that everyone listening to a story would ask.

The Sorceress took another deep breath, closed her eyes, and spoke as softly as the ashes of the dead floating on a grave.

"There are sixty-three Witchers who were not influenced by Anahad and Larvik's Eran, stayed in the Witcher Conclave, and eventually accepted Soyer's ideals and followed him out of Moghlag."

"Seven people participated in the experiment."

"That night, only one person attempted to condense the Vessel of Great Deeds, but the other seven people went mad almost simultaneously, and their power increased dramatically."

"In the blink of an eye, he beheaded eleven unprepared witchers, killed eight more who refused to fight their comrades, and crippled four others."

"In the end, Soyer hardened his heart and sent them away."

"Twenty-six witchers died overnight."

"Nearly half of the witchers who trusted Soyer to follow him out of Moghlag are dead."

"Corpses lay strewn across the battle-ravaged camp, blood staining the tents and extinguishing the campfires."

"Phew~"

Vesemir let out a long breath; the fragrance of oranges mixed with cardamom seemed to conceal a strong stench of blood.

"Since then, no one has mentioned the Vessel of Great Deeds again."

"In the end, Ailin," she looked down at the Witcher, "The Condensation of Vessel of Great Deeds makes it easier for Witchers to deal with powerful monsters, but a prepared Witcher fears no powerful monster."

"It can extend lifespan, but it cannot save a witcher who fights to the death all day long from death."

Ailin could tell from Vesemir's words that she was actually advising him not to be too demanding of the Vessel of Great Deeds, as this was not a promising path.

At least don't try it when you're not at your physical or mental limit.

After thinking for a moment, Ailin asked:

"I will not condense the Vessel of Great Deeds without first reaching the required strength, however..."

He paused, then earnestly pleaded:

"Lady Vesemir, could you tell me about the general process of the Vessel of Great Deeds Condensation?"

The Sorceress gazed silently at Ailin for a long time, long enough that Ailin thought she would refuse. Then, she took a deep breath to calm herself, tapped the stone wall three times with her knuckles, as if sorting through her thoughts, and said:

"The formation of Vessel of Great Deeds typically involves three steps."

"First, one must reach the pinnacle of physical or mental well-being through various means, which is also the most difficult of the three steps."

"It's simpler for warlocks, but even after a long period of research, there are no more than fifteen warlocks in the entire Brotherhood of Sorcerers reached the pinnacle of their spirit."

"But it's almost impossible for a Witcher to do."

"Because you not only lack the secret arts that warlocks use to steadily enhance their spirit, but you also frequently need to accept commissions to hunt powerful monsters."

"Inevitable injuries will hinder the Witcher."

Upon hearing this, Ailin suddenly remembered something. "So, the Veridian Sigh is?"

"That's right," Vesemir nodded. "The well-known benefits of slowing aging and increasing lifespan are not the main reason for developing the Veridian Sigh; healing hidden injuries is."

After speaking.

Smack!

Vesemir snapped her fingers again, and three bottles of emerald green potions appeared between her fingers.

"If you want to create Vessel of Great Deeds, you can't do without these potions."

"Take it. The Necrophage Oil and Specter Oil have made a lot of money for my alchemy workshop. This is what you deserve."

She handed three bottles of "Veridian Sigh" to Ailin.

Ailin thought for a moment, then opened the reagent bag and placed the potion on the innermost side.

Given his relationship with Vesemir, there was really no need for him to be so polite.

Moreover, he really needed this potion, not only for his own use to treat his internal injuries, but also so that if he encountered a similar situation to Huus' serious injury again, a bottle of "Veridian Sigh" could at least keep him alive.

Vesemir watched with satisfaction as Ailin accepted the potion, nodded, and then said:

"When the mind or body reaches its peak, that is the second step to achieving great things."

"First, use special materials to inscribe a magic circle that allows for keen emotional perception on the body, just like etching enchanted patterns on alchemical tools."

"Although this ancient race's magic array is essentially only for sensing emotions and has nothing to do with the achievement of great deeds."

"But when a great achievement can be accomplished is not as perceptible as the first step."

"This kind of magic array can, to a certain extent, quantify the collection of emotions when a great achievement is made, making it easier to predict the key moments of such achievements."

"And then came the great achievements."

"For a sorcerer, it is an academic achievement, and the impact of the results on humanity and the world as a whole."

"Spells, alchemical tools, potions, biological modification..."

"There are many ways for a warlock to achieve great things, but to reach the point of condensing Vessel of Great Deeds requires a lot of time and in-depth research."

"Of course, for a witcher, there is really only one path."

"Witch hunters?" Ailin countered.

"That's right, hunting monsters," Vesemir nodded, "Hunting monsters that threaten the human living environment or cause great damage to nature."

She paused, then explained in detail:

"Just now at the entrance of the secret passage, I said that the main material of the Vessel of Great Deeds is emotion, which is the strong emotion of praise and reverence of the wise life that gathers after the Great Cause is spread."

"Therefore, when breaking down a great achievement, the two most important factors are: one is the scope of its influence—how many people know about your achievement; the other is the quality of the achievement—how many of those who know about it are deeply moved, how many praise it, how many admire it, and how many agree with it..."

"So naturally, the more widely known something is, and the more difficult an achievement is to attain, the faster emotions will build up."

"Certainly."

"These two factors are also mutually influential and not independent."

"A trivial matter, no matter how widely it spreads, is like stagnant water in a puddle after the rain. It will evaporate completely in no time, leaving no trace."

"But grand undertakings, like the tolling of a great bell, often influence many, and their echoes are long-lasting and profound..."

Upon hearing this, Ailin raised an eyebrow, sensing that there was something fishy going on.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Since the main element is just emotion, can't it be faked and exaggerated?"

"We cannot hire bards to exaggerate the achievements of great deeds, or even fabricate achievements that never existed?"

The Sorceress raised an eyebrow and looked at Ailin in surprise.

She never knew that Ailin was such a "flexible" person when it came to her bottom line.

"Someone has tried," she said softly, "But it didn't work."

Vesemir looked at him with her ruby-clear eyes and asked in return:

"The magic array engraved in the body can only sense emotions, so..."

"Where do you think those emotions that ultimately formed the Vessel of Great Deeds have gone?"

"Of course it's inside the body..." Ailin answered matter-of-factly, but after pondering the Sorceress's words, his tone trailed off.

Vesemir clearly didn't want him to keep guessing. "Humans can only retain memories; their own emotions are born and die, lasting for even a moment, let alone other people's."

Ailin was somewhat bewildered upon hearing this; he truly couldn't fathom how abstract emotions could construct the Vessel of Great Deeds.

"The Holy Grail is not elsewhere, but in the reflection of every seeker."

Vesemir sighed softly, "This is a famous quote from Herbert Stamford, who succeeded Geoffrey Monk and studied the Vessel of Great Deeds (the Holy Grail)."

"A reflection is the illusory image of an object on the ground; it belongs to both the seeker and the world."

"Alzure's interpretation of the reflection is—the Holy Grail is the child of the seeker who merges with the world."

Even Joffrey Monk and Herbert Stamford, who excavated the 'Holy Grail' from the tombs of ancient races, did not know where the so-called 'Reflection of the Seeker' was.

"But intelligent beings can be deceived, but the world cannot."

"All of a person's achievements will be fully revealed at the moment when they finally come together to form Vessel of Great Deeds and resonate with the world."

"At that time, the material of false emotions was like a palace built with shoddy workmanship. The deeper the falsehood, the more unstable the palace. If it were completely fabricated, it would probably collapse just by walking normally inside the palace."

"Ultimately, the Holy Grail, which can break through the limits of life, is the world's reward for heroes and should not be desecrated."

Sure enough, loopholes aren't so easy to exploit... Ailin thought to himself.

"Believe me, Ailin," Vesemir looked him straight in the eye, her eyes filled with deep sorrow and a hidden fear, "Every path that seems like a shortcut ultimately leads to a sulfurous abyss."

"Take the right path, not the wrong path."

Ailin paused for a moment, then nodded seriously. "I understand, I was just asking."

Vesemir nodded, not dwelling on the matter, and continued:

"In the second stage of achieving great things, the seeker must find the path that he will adhere to throughout his life, and achieve great things without deviating from that path."

"We must also find a vow to the world, and in every great achievement, make a vow to the world with the most intense emotions."

"Then, after achieving a great feat in both quality and quantity, and after accumulating sufficient emotions in the 'reflection,' comes the third step."

"In a grand ceremony, with overflowing emotions and firm vows, knock on the door of destiny."

"For those who meet the requirements of the seeker of the Way, the world will 'gift' them a Holy Grail imprinted with the words of oath. This Holy Grail is a vessel capable of holding power that can break through the limits of species."

"Warlocks call Divine Power the power of the sage, and physical power the power of the omnipotent..."

"Wait..." Ailin seized on the key point, "The Holy Grail, imprinted with the words of oath... what if the oath is broken?"

The Sorceress looked up at the spiderweb hanging outside the candlelight in the corner and whispered, "Those who break their promises will naturally be stripped of the Holy Grail by the angry world."

"So the Chief will lose the Vessel of Great Deeds?"

"Yes, ordinary people will lose a lot of power after the world takes away the Holy Grail, but they won't bother us anymore..."

"Is Chieftain Soyer different?"

The Sorceress lowered her head, her eyes dimming. "Do you still remember Soyer's title?"

"Dragon Slayer?" Ailin thought for a moment, somewhat uncertain. "I just encountered an extremely aggressive dragon's might in the illusion. That dragon's might was very similar to the one the Chief once unleashed in front of me. I remember you called it the Reverse Dragon's Might back then, so..."

The Sorceress nodded and said, "Dragons are the darlings of Chaos Magic. The Dragon's Reverse Dragon's Might after killing a dragon is not a reward, but a warning and a mark of hatred for other dragons."

"Moreover, in essence, this Reverse Dragon's Might is actually Dragon Soul Fragment that has been killed."

"This fragment will become entangled in the soul of the Dragon Slayer. Under normal circumstances, it will not cause any harm, but in extreme situations, the soul will suffer severe damage."

"The dead dragon soul will rise from the ashes and gnaw at the fragile soul until..."

The Sorceress choked up and couldn't continue speaking.

Until death... Ailin guessed the ending from the Sorceress's tone, then thought for a moment and tentatively asked:

"If I had someone else's Vessel of Great Deeds, could the Chief Executive Officer recover it?"

The Sorceress paused, her voice choked with emotion:?