Four Ultimate Pursuits

Inside the classroom, most people wore focused, serious expressions, their pens constantly moving.

Roy also pulled himself together and took notes quickly.

Because of his Alchemy Talent, he had already decided on the direction he would strive toward: becoming a Witch Realm Alchemist!

Only in that field could he receive a boost and enjoy a tremendous advantage.

The Wizarding World had absorbed alchemy, this ancient Mystic Art, and over time had distilled it into four major branches corresponding to the "Four Ultimate Pursuits."

The first was "Potionology," whose Ultimate Goal was the perfect medicine—the universal elixir, Azoth.

Its effects included, but were not limited to, restoring youth, preserving one's prime, and granting immortality...

It was the conceptual embodiment of humanity's ambitions and desires to "cure all illnesses," "dispel all sorrows," and even "fulfill all wishes." It even encompassed the legendary "regret medicine."

The second was "Creationology," encompassing all manner of witchcraft tools, curios, and Magical Equipment. Its Ultimate Goal was divine artifacts.

Legendary magic rings, heroes' swords, and the like all fell under this branch. They were also indispensable magical props in many adventure stories.

The third was "Genesis," whose Ultimate Goal was Artificial Life, especially humanoid beings.

The results of organic matter and biomimetic witchcraft had long since been mastered by wizards, allowing them to refine Flesh Puppets that resembled living humans.

The singing and dancing dolls crafted by Eastern puppet masters, and the Homunculi crafted by Western alchemists, were representatives of this kind of technology.

But when it came to souls and intelligence, that was still considered an exclusive domain on the level of the Creator God.

The fourth was "Crystalology," whose Ultimate Goal was the Philosopher's Stone.

It was an Idealized divine object, said to be a catalyst capable of turning ordinary metals into precious metals such as gold, or a material for producing universal elixirs.

It had been bestowed with many illustrious names: stone from heaven, the raw material of gold and silver, the Fifth Element, the touchstone, Red Potion Liquid, Philosopher's Stone, and more.

Across different legends and myths, it took many forms. It could be solid, liquid, or powdered, and usually appeared blood-red. It could also take special forms such as alcohol or the water of life.

"Achieving the Four Ultimate Pursuits all at once is unrealistic. During their explorations, alchemists of the Wizarding World have created many accidental products.

For example, trying to revive a lover, only to refine a zombie instead...

When witches brewed Witch's Brew or refined universal elixirs, products such as Potion of Transfiguration, Poisonous Potion, and Love Potion were born.

When wizards used witchcraft to create Homunculi, they might also refine all sorts of magical beasts and puppets.

These failed products have continued to multiply, forming a vast and complex alchemical system."

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Roy.

"So the Philosopher's Stone is the original aspiration of alchemy, as well as the key that opens the doors to the other branches?

Theoretically speaking, the magic stones used in everyday transactions can also be considered Philosopher's Stones in a broad sense.

They can be transformed into and exchanged for other Alchemical Products, so long as the price is high enough..."

His pen suddenly stopped. He understood.

How foolish of you, Roy!

Making money can never be as fast as making money itself!

After class, in the library.

Using his apprentice status, Roy entered the borrowing section, found several related books, and brought them back to his residence to read.

"Cinnabar crystals, crystal essence, Aurum-Mercurial, mica..."

One mineral and crystalline material or product after another began to become familiar to him.

"The most urgent problem I need to solve right now is still my lack of money.

My aptitude is simply too poor. I can only make up for it with resources..."

As With Previous final hurdle, the Wizarding World had no shortage of ways to solve such problems. On the contrary, there were many, many methods.

But every single one required money, resources, and opportunities.

A huge amount of magic stones was indispensable.

This commonly used material in the Wizarding World was essentially a spiritual medium born from the process of exploring the Philosopher's Stone. It was also a catalyst needed for many rituals and Alchemy Recipes.

It did not rely on issuance by any specific institution, instead following a universal valuation standard.

Many people could refine it, but it was also heavily consumed in all kinds of spellcasting and refining activities.

Perhaps he could try refining some himself.

After returning to his residence, Roy took out magic stones and continued pondering them.

The materials needed to refine magic stones were quartz, crystal, cinnabar, Diatomaceous Earth, and the like. But More Important was infusing them with Witchcraft Energy.

In essence, it was also a type of magical power.

During their campaigns in other worlds, wizards had discovered substitutes outside, such as Magic Crystal Ore, Psionic Stone, and Origin Stone.

So long as they contained magical power in the broad sense, they could be used as Raw Materials.

That was also the origin of the name.

"The steps for refining magic stones are not actually complicated. The main thing is to use quartz crystals or stone-like components to carry Witchcraft Energy.

"There is also cinnabar. The mercury separated during the smelting process acts as a catalyst, allowing the Witchcraft Energy to merge into the carrier. This step must strictly follow witchcraft guidance; finished metallic mercury cannot be used directly..."

A great deal of related knowledge surfaced in Roy's mind, and his understanding deepened further.

He continued studying and preparing materials.

Some time passed again.

Roy felt that he had finally mastered the recipe for refining magic stones.

"Finally, it's come to this...

No matter what, Give it a try!"

Roy placed the prepared quartz, crystal, Diatomaceous Earth, and other materials into the Reaction Kettle one after another.

Next, he added cinnabar.

Then he added crushed magic stone powder.

In less than half a moment, the mixture had been fired into a soft paste resembling red-hot glass.

While it was still warm, Roy poured it into molds and compressed it. He then placed it beneath the witchcraft array he had arranged beforehand on the Alchemy Platform, carrying out magical power infusion and more precise balancing.

A Moment Later, a batch of finger-sized magic stones, shaped like white pebbles with surfaces smooth as jade, was successfully refined.

In truth, the process was not difficult. Even a clumsy alchemist could boldly imitate it and give it a try.

But the problem was precisely that imitation.

Many things in this world seemed learned once one's eyes and mind had seen them, but the moment one actually tried them, one discovered they made no damn sense at all.

Even with the exact same recipe and every step clearly written out, one might not necessarily cook something delicious.

Let alone something far more complex like alchemy?

Yet at that moment, Roy once again experienced the benefits of the Skilled Worker Black Iron Rank Talent.

It was like a cheat code, allowing him to skip the two major hurdles of beginner and entry-level stages and directly reach proficiency.

And the Success Rate doubled!

Using Spiritual Power to inspect them, he picked out several with Witchcraft Energy that was too low or too high as defective products, intending to remelt and refine them in the future.

In the end, he obtained 115 qualified finished products.