Knowledge is Wealth

Ian admitted he was gambling, unsure of the experience book's true value.

However, the clever Ian had other plans prepared: technical data for the Propeller, Sealed Cabin, and Wave Pressure Plate.

The Propeller wasn't exactly a secret, but the form Ian possessed was copied from his past life and verified by Wawa, making it technologically and morphologically superior.

After all, the invention and evolution of the Propeller were filled with twists and turns.

The Sealed Cabin was an indispensable technology in the age of ironclad warships.

The Wave Pressure Plate, though seemingly simple, was a powerful tool for improving the Propeller's propulsion efficiency.

These technologies shared a common trait: they were difficult to keep secret. Once you used them, others could replicate them.

Therefore, Ian didn't hesitate to share them.

The six wizard towers each specialized in different fields, such as Potionology, Magic Equipment, alchemical equipment, enchanted products, and combat Witchcraft, attracting a large number of Alchemists in these professions. However, knowledge was shared among all wizard towers.

At the entrance of the three-story wizard tower, Ian placed his right hand on the crystal ball by the door. With a fluctuation of spiritual energy, authentication was successful, and the door opened.

Ian proceeded unimpeded all the way to the fifth-floor hall, where an Alchemist from another Tree of Knowledge school was responsible for contribution point exchanges.

Ian submitted the experience book for refining Enchanted Weapon Oil, along with a can of the highest quality Enchanted Weapon Oil.

Seeing the Enchanted Weapon Oil Ian submitted, the white-haired Alchemist looked surprised.

The biggest limitation in refining the highest quality enchanted products was, of course, spiritual energy. But being able to refine it indicated that the refiner's own skill level was already very high, with no shortcomings.

The elderly Alchemist quickly completed the registration. In less than an hour, he organized a four-person inspection team: one to supervise and record, and three to review and verify.

According to the process, Ian demonstrated on-site and refined a batch of top-quality Enchanted Weapon Oil. Of course, this step could be refused, but a live demonstration would speed up the knowledge certification process.

Verifying the true value of knowledge wasn't easy, and Ian had prepared to wait for several days.

But to his surprise, the three Alchemists, who were deeply knowledgeable about enchanted products, immediately affirmed its value.

After signing and confirming, 30 contribution points were awarded on the spot. This was not a small amount; the recipe for Enchanted Weapon Oil was only worth 30 points. And this wasn't all.

The Alchemist Fellowship believed knowledge was the most important wealth and placed great importance on recognizing its value. They also believed knowledge must be put into practice, and only knowledge that could benefit more people was useful.

According to the agreement, contribution points were divided into three parts: the first was for value confirmation, the second for value fluctuation, and the third for diffusion and application.

The first part was a guaranteed minimum, like Ian's 30 contribution points.

The second part reflected uncertain value. If it was found to be more useful than initially recognized during subsequent applications, or if new application areas were discovered, contribution points would be supplemented based on the actual value.

The third part was a paid revenue share. If other Alchemists exchanged this knowledge for contribution points, Ian, as the knowledge provider, would receive a 1% contribution point reward.

Ian suspected that the contribution points from the third part might be the bulk of the earnings!

With the contribution points in hand, Ian excitedly rushed back to the fifth-floor hall to check the internal exchange list.

[Awakening Potion I: Greatly increases the success rate of spiritual awakening and protects spiritual energy from damage during the process. Limited to one bottle per person per year. 30 contribution points.]

[Alchemy Gunpowder Recipe I: Strong explosive power, high stability. 30 contribution points.]

[24-pound Alchemy Cannon: Alchemical equipment. Limited to two per person per year. 30 contribution points.]

[Supplementation Technique: Witchcraft, quickly repairs damaged Magic Equipment. 80 contribution points.]

[Unstable Compound Recipe: Causes a powerful explosion upon impact. The longer it is brewed, the greater the damage. 120 contribution points.]

[32-pound Alchemy Cannon: Alchemical equipment. Limited to one per person per year. 200 contribution points.]

[Alchemy Cannon Refining Process I: Knowledge related to refining 3 to 18-pound Alchemy Cannon. 150 contribution points.]

[Awakening Potion Recipe I: ... 350 contribution points.]

Reading the exchange list made Ian's heart pound. Recipes, refining processes, potions, equipment – it all made his mouth water.

The Awakening Potion, which couldn't be bought outside, only cost 30 contribution points here.

This was the internal price for Alchemists. Many items were for internal use only. Recipe knowledge came with restrictive contracts prohibiting external dissemination.

Ian, short on funds, decisively submitted the technical data for the Propeller, watertight compartment, and Wave Pressure Plate he had brought.

However, these types of documents were different from before; they couldn't be verified on the spot and required waiting.

Ian could only reluctantly exchange for one 24-pound Alchemy Cannon, not even purchasing the specialized Alchemy Gunpowder and cannonballs.

He would first experiment with ordinary gunpowder and cast cannonballs. If Ian's hypothesis proved feasible, he would find a way to purchase the refining process to make his own Alchemy Cannon and gunpowder.

In the evening, Ian led a convoy into the tower. This was the Alchemist Fellowship's convoy transporting the Alchemy Cannon.

When Ian returned to the tower, he found Milta enthusiastically moving things into the warship. More than half of the supplies stored on the second and third floors were gone.

It seemed they were getting along well. Although Ian had planned for Wawa to move supplies with its tentacles that night, seeing Milta's enthusiasm, Ian opened his mouth but ultimately didn't interrupt him.

The 24-pound Alchemy Cannon, weighing nearly two thousand kilograms, was packed in a large wooden crate. Ian directed the transport convoy to place it beside the tower.

Once the ordered ordinary gunpowder and cannonballs arrived, they would be loaded onto the warship.

After the cannon transport convoy left, Ian stopped Milta and together they carried out the pre-prepared sails.

"Captain, we should prepare the rigging first."

Milta whispered as he saw the captain take out the sails first.

Preparing the rigging on a sailing ship was a very tedious task, impossible for one or two people to handle in a short time.

Ian gave a mysterious smile, "We have something better."

Ian brought out the box containing the Activated Rope and placed it on the deck.

"Wawa, can you use it? Will it affect your spirituality?"

The degree to which a magical item's spirituality affects its owner also depends on their corresponding relationship. If the owner's spirituality is strong and stable, the influence will be weak. If the owner's spirituality is weak and scattered, the magical item's spirituality might take over, causing the owner's spirituality to become biased.

Wawa... (Master, I can use it, and it will have almost no effect on me...)

Wawa's spirituality was special, and its strength had long surpassed Ian's. This result was within Ian's expectations.

As Wawa imprinted its spirituality onto the interior of the Activated Rope, the Activated Rope pushed open the box and flexibly coiled the sails onto the mast.

Every part of the Activated Rope was equally soft and flexible. The entire process of operating the sails was fluid, extremely skillful, and aesthetically pleasing. Even every knot was both standard and beautiful.

This complex process was completed in less than three minutes. The sails on the main mast billowed in the wind and were quickly retracted and tied to their corresponding positions according to Wawa's commands, without any disorder.

Ian was astonished by the scene before him, while Milta was even more like a statue, dumbfounded, with his jaw hanging open.