Special Supplement

Xia Lin leaned closer to the special issue of Arcana of the Mage, his gaze falling on the paper Emily was pointing to.

"Abstract: This study aims to explore the physiological and mental barriers faced by adults during the development of their Arcane Potential. Based on the deciphering of fragments concerning the ancient alchemical technique of 'Affinity Amplification' from the age of the Ancient Magical Empire, it attempts to reproduce an Alchemical Potion that may improve the efficiency of adults' communication with the Magic Net—provisionally named the 'Mind-Expanding Potion.'"

Seeing how absorbed Xia Lin was, Emily grew smug. Mimicking the pompous tone of the old scholars in the Mage Tower as they read out their papers, she began reciting in a measured cadence: "1. Introduction: The difficulty of developing Arcane Potential in adults has long been considered a major challenge in the field of arcane research. Traditional views hold that after the age of fourteen, an individual's Mental Power shaping period ends, and the difficulty of sensing the Magic Net increases exponentially..."

Xia Lin had little patience for all the elaborate arguments. His fingers skimmed directly over the dense rows of tiny text, skipping chapters on things like "magical diffraction spectrum analysis of material purification" and "comparative models of Mental Power fluctuation spectra," as his gaze hurriedly searched for the most important part—the formula.

There it was! Midway through the paper, under "3.2 'Mind-Expanding Potion' Alchemical Formula and Preparation Process (Reconstruction from Fragments)":

"Core solvent base: Dawn Dewgrass Juice (three ounces), Bellflower Powder (one mace), Moonlight Moss Extract (one-fifth pint)..."

Xia Lin skimmed these lines, muttering to himself, Dawn Dewgrass, bellflowers, moonlight moss... These don't seem like rare treasures. Orlando's herb garden should have all of them, right?

He flipped straight to the conclusion:

"...In summary, the 'Mind-Expanding Potion' has a significant supportive effect on improving arcane energy perception and Mental Power cohesion in low-level apprentices who have successfully connected to the Magic Net. For adults who have not yet connected to the Magic Net, however, the potion's efficacy remains uncertain in many respects. Preliminary experiments suggest that it may 'soften' the already-solidified Mental Barrier of adults to some extent, slightly improve their affinity for Magic Net energy, and even, in a very small number of cases, produce a slight enhancement to an individual's innate 'talent'..."

"Hey! There's a chance!" Xia Lin's eyes lit up as he read this, and he nearly crushed the thin booklet in his hands.

"Big bro, don't get too excited yet." Emily doused him with a bucket of cold water, pointing to a note in tiny print after the conclusion. "See this?" The final preparation of the potion is subject to a highly challenging external condition."

Xia Lin's heart leaped into his throat again, and he hurriedly read on.

"...Based on fragments of deciphered ancient texts, after completing all the alchemical steps, the 'Mind-Expanding Potion' must be placed under 'sustained Divine Grace Radiation' and undergo at least two standard hours of 'Divine Baking' to fully activate its effects and neutralize any potentially severe energy conflicts in the ingredients..."

"Divine Baking?" Xia Lin furrowed his brows. "What the hell is that?"

"Put simply, you need some big shot who can continuously and steadily pump out divine power to radiate your pot of potion for two hours." Emily made an exaggerated casting gesture and gave him the blunt explanation. "Any cleric who can do that is a prized treasure in one of the major temples. A Cardinal? The Grand Knight Commander of the Holy Temple? You think you can convince someone of that caliber to 'bake' a potion with unknown effects?"

At the end of the paper, the author, signed "Seven-Ring Mage, member of the Arcane Truth Council, Sri Lanka Monsk," wrote in a tone that conveyed both awe of the unknown and the unique obsession and regret of a researcher:

"...Thus, although the 'Mind-Expanding Potion' has theoretically revealed to us some possibility of mortals influencing their own talents, its absolute dependence on 'Divine Grace' for the process of realization has undoubtedly cast an almost insurmountable shadow over this path of exploration. Perhaps this is the boundary of mortal wisdom. After all, the authority over the mysteries of life and talent has always been firmly held by the gods who dwell high above in the Astral Plane."

"So, big bro..." Emily closed Arcana of the Mage and patted Xia Lin's shoulder earnestly. "Just give up on that idea. Be a good adventurer. Hack away at Goblins, rummage through Kobolds' Treasure Chests—isn't that good enough? Picking a fight with magic is just asking to empty your wallet and fry your brain."

"Ha." Sera's slightly hoarse voice rang out again. Her dark red eyes glimmered with an inscrutable light in the dim attic. "The Goddess of Magic has more varied tastes than I imagined. She doesn't just like fresh-faced underage apprentices—she's also fond of adults who need to drug themselves to change."

Emily burst into another utterly unladylike laugh. She was almost crying with laughter. "Sera, you've said exactly what I've been thinking! That's brilliant! No, no, I have to introduce you to some of my equally unhinged friends sometime. You'll definitely hit it off!"

Xia Lin didn't laugh.

A thought was circling in his mind just then—a thought about the mysterious little candle he had found on the Kobold altar.

Divine... Baking?

Didn't that candle give off energy that was similar to something sacred and pure? It was faint, but...

He suppressed his excitement and said solemnly to Emily, "Emily, thank you. This formula... can I copy it down?"

"Hey, it's no big deal." Emily waved dismissively. "It's just an outdated rag of a magazine. Big bro, if you really manage to make something of this, remember to tell me first! Maybe I can ride your coattails and get the title of 'Archmage's relative' ahead of time. Then I can swagger around the Mage Tower!"

Xia Lin carefully copied the potion formula onto the parchment he carried with him, writing every word with particular care.

By the time he finished, it was already afternoon.

"All right, big bro, it's getting late. I'd better go back and look after my never-ending pile of stupid paperwork." Emily stretched and yawned. "Let's get together again when we have time. Next time... next time I'll treat you to some juice at Elf's Kiss! The servers there are real Elves, you know!" She winked at Xia Lin with a sly smile.

Xia Lin and Sera said goodbye to Emily and left the rickety attic.

As they walked along Orlando's streets in the afternoon, Sera glanced at Xia Lin's thoughtful expression and suddenly spoke. "Your sister... she doesn't seem to care at all about what you plan to do next, or how you're doing."

Xia Lin paused slightly, then resumed his usual pace, his tone flat. "What else did you expect? Did you hear her mention our parents even once? When the family went bankrupt, she wasn't even in Changhe City. Did she show the slightest concern about it?"

He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Everyone in House Toremo is probably cut from the same cloth, with 'selfish and self-serving' carved into their bones. She doesn't care about me, and I don't really care about her either. Being able to have dinner together now and then and shoot the breeze is already... more than we owe each other."

Sera was silent for a moment, then changed the subject. "About the Magic Net. Judging by your expression just now... you seemed quite confident. Do you have some special idea?"

Xia Lin rubbed his chin, a mysterious smile spreading across his face. He deliberately drew out his words, keeping her in suspense. "Well... I'd say there's an eighty percent chance it's absolutely true. It'll probably work."

"A typically human contradiction." Sera shook her head. Her dark red eyes looked especially deep in the afternoon sunlight. "Always wavering between affirmation and denial."