From the naked eye's perspective, this alchemy blueprint had only a single thin layer. But in the eyes of wizards who understood magic patterns, they could see two layers of magic patterns with different properties superimposed together.
The two layers of magic patterns intertwined, surfacing at times and hiding away at others.
One layer was the true alchemical pattern; the other was a "lock."
To see the true face of this alchemy blueprint, one had to unlock this tangled, coiled "lock."
This kind of "lock" had been common on alchemy blueprints in ancient times. It was a protective measure used by alchemists of that era for their original creations.
Nowadays, however, Sky Mechanical City's alchemy circles handled the vast majority of copyright protection, and such "locks" had gradually fallen out of use.
Angel had only seen records of this kind of "lock" in books before. This was his first time seeing one in person.
This "lock" used enchantment-type alchemical magic patterns, so it was best left to an enchantment-type alchemist to unravel. Of course, given Lord Isos's attainments in magic patterns, there was also a chance he could unlock it. However, this "lock" was somewhat special. If the decryption sequence went wrong midway, the alchemy blueprint would self-destruct immediately. Thus, Lord Isos had not dared attempt it rashly, which was why Angel had received this assignment.
Before beginning the decryption, Angel had already surveyed the overall layout. Yet when he truly started working, his movements remained exceedingly cautious.
The initial decryption was not particularly difficult. But as time passed, places where he needed to continue the lines with his engraving pen began to show multiple tangled phenomena. In other words, the alchemical patterns and decryption patterns intertwined, often creating several branching paths.
Simply distinguishing the alchemical patterns from the decryption