Alchemy

unconsciously.

More than two months have passed since the "Secret Stone Incident," and Han Dong can be considered a senior second-year Mysticism Apprentice.

My studies in the library and in the mysterious realm are nearing their current limits, and further learning offers little potential for improvement.

As for the level of "Lesser Demon Eye", it is directly related to Han Dong's head.

Before the Faceless Head is upgraded, the Lesser Demon Eye can only remain at the [Volume 2 - Pupil Imprint] stage.

This means that the only way to increase one's strength is through Destiny Points... Han Dong even had a vague feeling that he had hit a bottleneck and was beginning to crave a breakthrough.

Breaking the seed has to be done step by step, and Han Dong tried to keep a calm mindset as much as possible.

Therefore, during these two months, Han Dong focused his attention on a side business that he was very interested in.

[alchemy].

The Holy City's technological level remains at the level of the First Industrial Revolution.

Due to the emergence of Higher Lifeforms, a very small number of humans are confined to living in sealed cities.

The main concern is not technological development, but how to gain the ability to fight against life outside the city from within the Destiny Space.

In a world where technology is far less advanced than it was in Han Dong's time.

The preservation of [Alchemy] is a good example of this.

Alchemy is essentially a form of ancient chemistry, and humanity's understanding of chemical reactions remains only superficial (it has not reached the microscopic level).

However, due to the existence of magic and supernatural abilities in the Holy City, the development of its alchemy also differed.

Alchemists will understand various chemical reactions from a magical perspective, thus creating a unique technology tree in Han Dong's world.

The preparation of various pharmaceutical agents is essential.

The highly effective potions refined through alchemy can provide instant energy replenishment, life restoration, and physical enhancement.

Some of the more advanced potions can even enhance Combat Power, magical effects, and provide visually striking combat effects, giving knights entering the Destiny Space a great chance of survival.

In Han Dong's long-term research into alchemy, the most important aspect lies in "symbols".

The alchemists in the Holy City don't know how to write chemical formulas, nor do they know what chemical formulas are.

They fused alchemical reactions with their own magic, expressing it in the form of an abstract "symbol".

For example, the preparation of a certain active pharmaceutical agent is represented by the symbol [Я].

Simply draw a diagram with the symbol, or wear gloves printed with the symbol.

By preparing the raw materials in the correct proportions and using alchemical magic, the activation energy required for a chemical reaction can be replaced, allowing the reaction to occur directly.

It seems simple.

In fact, the drawing of symbols is also a science.

The library houses a book titled "Symbolic System," which is over a thousand pages thick and contains nearly a million words, describing the drawing of symbols and the details thereof.

At the same time, the alchemist's control over magic must be tested during the alchemy process. Whether the "symbols" are driven evenly or explosively, the precision of each step will affect the quality of the final alchemical product.

For some advanced alchemical products, multiple "symbols" need to be achieved through "overlapping", "connecting", or "complex fusion", which also corresponds to multiple driving steps.

If any step goes wrong, the alchemy will fail, and may even lead to a major accident.

Due to the specificity of the symbols, the alchemists in the Holy City specialize in a particular alchemical method.

Han Dong was not affected by this fixed pattern while reading, studying, and memorizing basic symbols.

After all, Han Dong already had the periodic table and a large number of reaction equations memorized in his head.

If given enough time, Han Dong could even create his own symbols based on some equations, thereby producing some products that had never been heard of in the Holy City.

However... ever since Han Dong embarked on the path of minoring in this field, it has meant that 'time' will be squeezed out completely.

Therefore, Han Dong could only focus on making money rather than scientific research and development.

An investigation revealed that the market for various medical and energy supplements is basically saturated.

Moreover, novice alchemists like Han Dong might create potions that are not pure enough to be sold on the market.

However, Han Dong quickly identified a blind spot in the market.

"Pressure"

This is a problem that humanity cannot avoid at this stage.

The main source of stress is Mental Plane.

Having witnessed the indescribable faces of the creatures outside the city,

I heard some terrifying whispers implanted in the cerebellum.

Or suffering from near-death pollution trauma,

Even Though the pollution is purified by holy light, the mental stress in the brain still exists, surrounding the brain like a nightmare. If it cannot be released in time, it will lead to insomnia, hallucinations, self-harm, and ultimately suicide.

In some ways, it is similar to "depression".

In the Holy City, the preparation of stress-relieving potions is extremely complex, often involving more than ten "symbols"... The final potions are very rare and expensive.

These kinds of potions are often given to important members of the Knight Order for use during 'expeditions'.

Han Dong has a lot of memories about the molecular formulas and manufacturing processes of antidepressants.

After all, during his postgraduate entrance exam preparation, he practically wore out the pages of the book "Medicinal Chemistry".

There is an antidepressant that can be easily prepared, which gave Han Dong the idea of mass-producing it... If it works well and can be mass-produced, a steady stream of funds will flow into Han Dong's hands.

Furthermore, the Holy City will have an additional affordable stress-relieving drug.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine)

It is widely found in mammalian tissues, especially in high concentrations in the cerebral cortex and neural synapses, and is a messenger that can produce pleasurable emotions.

Serotonin affects almost every aspect of brain activity: from regulating mood, energy, and memory to even shaping a person's outlook on life.

Studies have shown that people with low serotonin levels are more prone to depression, impulsive behavior, alcoholism, suicide, aggression, and violence.

I even suspect that the rate of serotonin synthesis in the brains of humans who have been 'polluted' is severely impaired.

Let's try to create a drug through alchemy that can catalyze and increase the synthesis of serotonin in the human brain.

However, in this era, polycyclic compounds are probably extremely difficult to prepare... Even if they pass the laboratory test, mass production is by no means easy.

Let's give it a try... If it succeeds, not only will I reap huge economic benefits, but the pressure faced by the entire Holy City will also be alleviated.

Let's try borrowing funds from Demps's brother for the experiment.

Once the finished product is ready, we'll apply for research funding from Mr. Black and White.

Han Dong wrote down all the molecular formulas of the antidepressants that he could remember.

After acquiring a batch of benzene-containing substances, he immediately used Mr. Black and White's privileges to travel to the area outside the city.

This time, I naturally took Demps with me when I went out of town, or rather, I would take Demps with me every time I went out of town... I had to please this project sponsor.