All right, Ian admitted there was an element of gambling involved. He had no idea how valuable this experience manual was.
Still, clever Ian had prepared other options too: technical materials on propellers, Sealed Cabins, and Wave Pressure Plates.
Propellers weren't exactly a secret, but the design Ian had brought with him was copied from his previous life and had been tested by Wawa. It was definitely ahead of the curve in both design and technology.
After all, the invention and development of the propeller had been a winding road.
Sealed Cabins were essential technology in the ironclad era.
Wave Pressure Plates looked simple, but they were a powerful tool for improving propeller efficiency.
All these technologies had one thing in common: they were difficult to keep secret. Once you used them, others could copy them.
So Ian didn't mind handing them over at all.
The six Wizard Towers each specialized in a different field, such as Potionology, Magic Equipment, alchemical equipment, enchanted products, and combat witchcraft. As a result, they drew large numbers of Alchemists specializing in those fields, but the knowledge of each tower was shared with the others.
At the entrance to the third floor of the Wizard Tower, Ian placed his right hand on the crystal ball. His spiritual fluctuations were recognized, and the door opened.
Ian made his way straight to the fifth-floor hall without a hitch. The Alchemist from the Tree of Knowledge school in charge of exchanging contribution points was someone else.
Ian submitted his experience manual on refining Enchanted Weapon Oil, along with a jar of the highest-quality Enchanted Weapon Oil.
The white-haired Alchemist was visibly surprised when he saw the Enchanted Weapon Oil Ian had submitted.
The greatest limitation on refining the highest-quality enchanted products was, of course, one's spirituality. But being able to refine one meant the creator was highly skilled, with no weak points.
The elderly Alchemist quickly completed the registration. In less than an hour, he had assembled a four-person inspection team: one person to supervise and record, and three to review and verify.
As procedure required, Ian demonstrated the process on-site and refined a batch of the highest-quality Enchanted Weapon Oil. This step could be declined, of course, but a live demonstration sped up the knowledge verification process.
Verifying the true value of a piece of knowledge wasn't easy. Ian had prepared himself to wait several days.
But to his surprise, the three Alchemists, all deeply versed in enchanted products, confirmed its value on the spot.
Once the documents had been signed and approved, he received 30 contribution points immediately. That was no small sum: the Enchanted Weapon Oil recipe alone was worth 30 points. And that wasn't all.
The Alchemist Fellowship considered knowledge the most important kind of wealth and took the valuation of knowledge very seriously. At the same time, they believed knowledge had to be put to practical use: knowledge that benefited more people was useful knowledge.
As agreed, the contribution points were divided into three parts: the first for confirmed value, the second for fluctuating value, and the third for dissemination and application.
The first part was the guaranteed minimum, such as Ian's 30 contribution points.
The second part reflected uncertain value. If later use showed that the knowledge was more useful than initially determined, or revealed new areas of application, additional contribution points would be awarded according to its actual value.
The third part was a royalty. If another Alchemist redeemed this knowledge with contribution points, Ian, as its contributor, would receive a bonus of one percent of the points.
Ian figured the third part might well be the biggest windfall!
Thrilled with his contribution points, Ian hurried 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 the spirit from harm during the process. Limited to one bottle per person per year. 30 contribution points.] [Alchemy Gunpowder Formula I: Powerful explosive force and high stability. 30 contribution points.] [24-Pound Alchemy Cannon: Alchemical equipment. Limited to two cannons per person per year. 30 contribution points.] [Supplementation Technique: Witchcraft. Quickly repairs damaged Magic Equipment. 80 contribution points.] [Unstable Compound Formula: Causes a powerful explosion when thrown. The longer it is prepared, the greater the damage. 120 contribution points.] [32-Pound Alchemy Cannon: Alchemical equipment. Limited to one cannon per person per year. 200 contribution points.] [Alchemy Cannon Refining Technique I: Knowledge related to refining 3- to 18-pound Alchemy Cannons. 150 contribution points.] [Awakening Potion Formula I: ... 350 contribution points.]
The exchange list left Ian reeling. Recipes, refining techniques, potions, equipment—everything made his mouth water.
Awakening Potions, which couldn't be bought with money outside, cost only 30 contribution points here.
These were Alchemist-internal prices, and many items were restricted to Alchemists' personal use. Knowledge involving formulas came with binding contracts that forbade sharing them with outsiders.
With his pockets feeling light, Ian promptly submitted the technical materials he'd brought along on propellers, Watertight Compartments, and Wave Pressure Plates as well.
But these materials were different from what he'd submitted earlier. They couldn't be verified on the spot, so he had to wait.
In the end, Ian could only reluctantly redeem a 24-Pound Alchemy Cannon. He didn't even buy the special Alchemy Gunpowder or cannonballs.
He would experiment first with ordinary gunpowder and cast cannonballs. If his idea proved feasible, he'd find a way to buy the refining technique and make the Alchemy Cannon and gunpowder himself.
At dusk, Ian entered the tower with a convoy. It was a cart train from the Alchemist Fellowship, delivering the Alchemy Cannon.
When Ian returned to the tower, he found Milta eagerly hauling things aboard the warship. More than half the supplies stored on the second and third floors were gone.
It seemed the two of them were getting along well. Ian had planned to have Wawa move the supplies with its tentacles that night, but seeing how enthusiastic Milta was, Ian opened his mouth and then decided not to interrupt him.
The 24-Pound Alchemy Cannon weighed a full two thousand kilograms and was packed in a large wooden crate. Ian directed the transport crew to set it down beside the tower.
They would load it onto the warship once the ordinary gunpowder and cannonballs he'd ordered arrived.
After the cannon convoy left, Ian called Milta over, and the two of them carried out the sails they'd prepared earlier.
"Captain, we should prepare the rigging first."
Seeing the captain take out the sails before anything else, Milta quietly reminded him.
Preparing the rigging on a sailing ship was an incredibly tedious task. One or two people couldn't possibly get it done in a short time.
Ian smiled mysteriously. "We have something better."
He brought out the box containing the Activated Rope and set it on the deck.
"Wawa, can you use it? Will it affect your spirituality?"
How much an oddity's spirit affected its owner depended on the relationship between them. If the owner's spirituality was strong and stable, the effect was weak. If the owner's spirituality was weak and scattered, the oddity's spirit could take over and skew it.
"Wawa... (Master, I can use it. It'll barely affect me...)"
Wawa's spirituality was unusual, and it had long surpassed Ian's in strength. Ian had expected as much.
As Wawa imprinted its spirituality inside the Activated Rope, the rope pushed open the box and deftly carried the sails up the mast.
The Activated Rope was equally soft and nimble all over. It handled the sails with such fluidity and practiced grace that the entire process was a delight to watch. Even every knot in the rigging looked perfectly neat.
The complicated task was over in less than three minutes. The sail on the mainmast flapped in the wind, then swiftly furled and fastened into place at Wawa's command, without a single hitch.
Ian was astonished by the sight. Milta had gone completely rigid, staring in stunned silence with drool running from his mouth.
Before you continue