"You could see it as a difference in the source of power. Magical items must be infused with spiritual power during their creation. Alchemical items, however, can actually be granted spiritual power after they are made. And the former should have another requirement... namely, natural power."
"?"
"So-called natural power means that the elements within magical items are not possessed by the creator themselves, but must be drawn from heaven and earth."
Seeing Ye Qian's thoughtful expression, Alei smiled. "Strange, isn't it? There's only Pollution in the air. How could magical power possibly exist? Yet in the early Second Era, magic really was discovered from heaven and earth. One theory said that people of that era could only summon wind and rain, or control all things in nature, with the help of divine power. People firmly believed that an omnipotent God of Magic had bestowed its authority upon all living beings. The miraculous items created using that power came to be known as magical items."
Ye Qian looked at the ring in the other woman's hand, a faint glimmer flashing through her eyes.
She thought of the Magic Net Little Orange had mentioned, as well as the deity above the Magic Net. Were the two related somehow?
"By the late Second Era, people seemed to no longer rely on the magic power within nature. Or perhaps the magical elements between heaven and earth had been depleted. So when creating items, everyone became more inclined to use their own power. Alchemy... it was hailed as a great miracle in which human strength conquered heaven and earth."
"You also said that Wizards appeared during the final years of the Second Era." Seeing that Alei intended to stop, Ye Qian continued asking.
"Wizards have a subtle connection to Alchemy. If early Mages used