Elementary Potion Manual

On the bus, Lin Ye sat in the corner of the last row.

He held a thin brass tag the size of an ID photo. A black-covered book rested on his knees, titled Rhine Script Dictionary.

It was essentially a dictionary of Old Gulyain Script.

It contained not only explanations of the twenty-four basic characters, but also definitions of many variant characters and their related grammar.

His thumb rubbed over the brass tag as he carefully examined the cross amulet the old priest had given him.

The front bore a relief of a cross wrapped in thorns, while the back displayed a pattern made up of five triangular symbols placed side by side.

This pattern was a variant character formed by arranging and combining the Old Gulyain basic character for "mountain."

It meant "surrounded by mountains," with the extended meaning of "protection of the mountains."

"Next stop, North Shore Tianlu Lake."

The bus announcement sounded beside him. He casually slipped the cross amulet into his pants pocket, then raised his head and looked outside.

Compared to the prosperity of the NA District, the North Shore District looked far more aged. It was full of old buildings, their original exterior colors no longer visible.

"North Shore Tianlu Lake has arrived. Please take your belongings and prepare to disembark."

Before long, after the clanking of the bus breaking over the cement road, it came to a stop.

After getting off, he headed straight home on the fourth floor.

It was only noon. His mother had not gotten off work yet, and his sister had not returned after going out last night.

Back in his bedroom, he sat at his computer desk and opened the Rhine Script Dictionary.

The basic characters of Old Gulyain Script were like Chinese radicals. Different combinations carried different meanings.

What was more interesting, however, was that apart from horizontal and vertical combinations, Old Gulyain Script could enlarge one basic character and then place other basic characters inside it, forming a new variant character.

Moreover, some basic Old Gulyain characters represented more than one meaning. There were specific rules for determining their meanings when they were used in combinations.

These rules were often related to certain natural changes in the world.

For example, the basic character for "water" meant flow when it was in the sky, nourishment when it was on the ground, and storage when it was underground.

Overall, it was extremely complicated, yet it gave him a strange feeling, as though he were using words to deconstruct the world.

He picked up the brown leather book collected from the medieval church and translated it character by character.

"Herbs, magic power, low-grade, consumption, preparation, formulation, experience."

"Put together, it means... Records of Low-Grade Magic Potion Studies. No, according to the grammatical rules, it should be Elementary Potion Manual."

"Potions... medicine infused with magic power."

He muttered to himself and leaned back in his chair. Before his eyes, it was as if a mysterious black door had opened, with surging black fog behind it.

He opened the Elementary Potion Manual. The first page seemed to be the title page, covered in handwritten text.

"Some say that the gap between one person and another can sometimes be greater than the gap between humans and nonhumans."

"Innate differences inevitably exist, but they are not impossible to overcome."

"An excellent seed, if it grows in harsh soil, will struggle to become a towering tree."

"But in fertile soil, even a seed that is not so outstanding can absorb an excess of nutrients and grow without restraint."

"In the end, even if it cannot become a towering tree, it can still fear neither wind nor rain."

"But once you embark on the path of potions, remember this: seeds have limits, and so do people."

"As the saying goes, human strength is finite. If you want supreme power, you must learn to abandon things—abandon the shackles of being human."

"Worldly concerns, morality, laws, familial affection, bonds—everything is a shackle."

By the end of the translation, Lin Ye could not help reading it aloud.

As his voice faded, so did his thoughts.

"Abandon the shackles of being human..."

After a while, he came back to himself and looked at the signature in the lower-right corner of the title page.

—Kalon Ismayil.

That was probably the author of the manual.

He gently turned to the second page. On the right was a hand-drawn image of a plant.

It looked like a spring, with long, slender branches and leaves. Its edges were serrated and looked very sharp.

The left side was densely packed with writing. He took the Rhine Script Dictionary and began translating against it.

"Black... Hm?"

Lin Ye's body swayed slightly as he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"What's going on?"

As he translated the first character, a wave of dizziness surged up and left him lightheaded.

He tried translating several more characters. Supporting himself against the desk with his right arm, he felt the dizziness worsening.

"The power of demons?"

He recalled what Pursuer had said on the forum: the ancient Gulyain people were beings who wielded demonic power.

Then why had he been fine before?

Was it because he could look at the writing freely when he did not understand it, but now that he knew its meaning, he could no longer read it casually?

But what about the first page?

He flipped back to the first page and looked at the writing. He was certain that he had not experienced any dizziness when translating that page.

Suddenly, his brows rose.

Could it be because it did not involve potions?

He remembered what the old priest had said: it was not that one was forbidden to think, but that one was unable to think.

Was he now trying to cross that unimaginable "Domain of Silence"?

"The power of demons..."

"The power of potions..."

"The power of the mysterious side..."

He flipped back to the second page and endured the dizziness as he continued translating.

It took him more than an hour to finally translate the page.

He gently massaged his temples. Translating the text had not been tiring, but the mental drain was immense.

He left his room, took a bottle of chilled lychee soda from the refrigerator, and drank it all in one go.

Feeling a little more clear-headed, he returned to his computer desk, sat down, organized the content he had just translated, and wrote it on a sheet of white paper.

[Type I Potion—Night of the Black Goat]

Ingredients: 20g White Tin Powder, one Black Spiral Grass, one pair of castrated Black Goat Horns, 100g blood.

Potion Effects:

1. Slightly increases the drinker's strength and agility.

2. Grants the Blessing of the Dark Night. For a period after drinking it, movement speed is greatly increased.

Preparation Method:

1. Dry the Black Spiral Grass by roasting or air-drying, then grind it into powder and mix it with White Tin Powder. Use the mixed powder to draw the "Dark Night" rune. Ignite it, then collect the ashes for later use.

2. Cut the Black Goat Horn one finger-width below its tip. Grind the tip into fine particles, then pour them into the Black Goat Blood and mix.

3. After sunset, pour the "Black Night Rune Ashes" into the Black Goat Blood, mix evenly, then seal and let it stand.

If, around dawn, the Black Goat Blood turns into a transparent liquid mixed with black-red particles, the preparation has succeeded.

After writing the final stroke, he put down his pen.

"Rune, one of the alternate names for Old Gulyain Script..."

Looking at the potion formula before him, he muttered to himself.

Before he could even straighten up, a large block of black text appeared before his eyes.

[Achievement Triggered: Birth of the Black Goat]

[Achievement Description: This is the beginning of your journey down the path of potions.]

[Unlock Conditions]

1. Learn 23 basic runes of Old Gulyain Script (Incomplete)

2. Master basic pharmacology theory (Completed)

3. Memorize one Type I Potion formula (Completed)

4. Personally create and drink one bottle of Type I Potion (Incomplete)

[Achievement Reward]

Ability—Potion Apprentice (1/10)

Ability Description: A tender sapling that has just embarked on the path of potions. Success rate for crafting Type I Potions increases by 30%.

----

Looking at the black text before him, Lin Ye's breathing became slightly hurried.

He had triggered a new achievement!

And compared with the Yin-Attracting Constitution, which took effect passively, this Potion Apprentice ability was clearly much more practical.

Not only did it raise his success rate when making potions, more importantly, he had a way to improve this ability.

As long as he kept brewing potions, this ability could level up!

He thought of the monster in that church.

If that monster could trigger other achievements... perhaps it could also unlock this kind of growth-type ability.

And it would very likely not be an auxiliary ability like Potion Apprentice, but some kind of ability with immense offensive power!

He still remembered clearly the traces that monster had left in the church. They were absolutely beyond what human strength could contend with!

That kind of destructive power could very well trigger some sort of offensive achievement!

Compared to auxiliary abilities, offensive abilities were naturally far more tempting!

After calming himself, he took out his phone, opened a shopping platform, and searched for "Black Spiral Grass."

Before long, he frowned.

Nothing? He clearly remembered seeing it somewhere.

He put down his phone and glanced at the hand-drawn Black Spiral Grass in the Elementary Potion Manual.

"If I remember correctly..."

His eyes lit up. He pulled open the drawer to his left and took out a blue folder from the very bottom.

A white label had been inserted into the cover, bearing the words "School Laboratory Inventory Record."

After searching for a while, he pulled out a wrinkled purchase order.

His finger traced down the list before stopping at one entry.

"Black Spiral Grass: Quantity 20, unit price 400."