The Method for Delicious Tea Eggs

Victor quickly cut the heat, bringing the water to a stop. The radiance shining from the cauldron dimmed, allowing Vesemir to clearly see the marvelous sight within.

The outer ring was crystal-clear water, yet a mass of blue ** swirled in the center, held by some unknown force that kept it distinctly separated from the water around it.

Victor picked up three test tubes and used a ladle to scoop the blue ** into them one by one. Once finished, the central vortex dissipated, leaving only clear water in the cauldron, as if the foul-smelling, yellowish sludge had never existed.

He handed over a vial, his plain face wearing a half-smile.

Vesemir took the blue test tube solemnly and gave it a shake. The ** was clear and free of impurities; it smelled of faint fruit, tasted sweet and smooth, and left a gentle warmth in his stomach, accompanied by a refreshing sense of mental clarity.

From any perspective, this was the perfect version that had previously existed only in imagination and had never actually been achieved. The efficacy of the Vitality Decoction was not only significantly improved, but the lack of impurities meant it would not spoil easily. Although he hadn't tested the shelf life yet, it certainly wouldn't require overnight brewing every day.

At this thought, Vesemir looked at the boy with a complex expression. Just as he had claimed beforehand, this truly was Incredible Alchemy.

Then, this miraculous boy fainted.

The next day, under the insistence of the newly awakened Victor, life remained unchanged and training proceeded as usual. However, at noon, he confidently demonstrated Incredible Alchemy once more from a different angle.

This time, in front of the hall's fireplace, he laid out firewood, set up a small pot, boiled water, and tossed in flour, spices, milk, sugar, and eggs. After stirring the batter for just a few minutes, the seven-colored light reappeared. Vesemir watched as an unknown force lifted the food, dubbed a "Caramel Cream Pancake," to the surface, serving as their lunch.

Spearing a pancake and popping it into his mouth, Victor let out a satisfied sigh. "...So, the more unfamiliar the concoction, the longer it takes and the more mental energy it consumes. Yesterday's fainting was because I wasn't familiar with the recipe. Once I do it a few more times, even if I can't reach the speed of making pancakes, the time will be significantly shortened."

"In your world, can anyone use this... Incredible Alchemy?" Vesemir tentatively placed a pancake in his mouth, finding the texture just like one freshly fried in a skillet.

"Uh... no. This alchemy requires talent. Even in my original world, it was an extremely rare gift."

"I learned it from my grandmother."

"She said, 'If you can do it, you can; if you can't, you can't—you'll know after one try.'"

"Come on... toss these tea leaves and eggs into the pot and stir it up, just like this: gurgle-gurgle, clack-clack-clack... and then, with a flash of light, swish-swish—it turns into tea eggs!'"

"Hey! Don't look at me with that skeptical gaze. I swear I remember it word for word."

"Anyway, from the day I concocted those tea eggs, according to her, I was an apprentice alchemist. A few days later, she unilaterally announced her retirement from the kitchen, and I took over as head chef..."

Swallowing the last piece of pancake, the sweetness of the caramel lingered on his palate. "I want to see... if I can do it..." Vesemir took out the last vial of superior Vitality Decoction from his breast pocket, staring at the crystal-clear, sediment-free liquid. "This idealistic alchemy has great potential. At the very least, in hundreds of years, I have never seen a Vitality Decoction of such high quality."

"Reject the impurities, and the impurities simply vanish; imagine the finished product, and the product is born."

"I must say, child, you have overturned every alchemical common sense I have ever known."

Victor shrugged indifferently. "No problem. Let's try it together tonight. I also want to know if people in this world can learn Incredible Alchemy."

"Child, I can try it on my own privately. As for you, you must begin learning traditional alchemy, even if that craft seems to you to be inefficient and of low quality."

"...To cover up the Incredible Alchemy?"

"Correct. Emperors would wage wars just to hold you in their grasp. Promise me, before you can protect yourself, do not show this technique to anyone else."

"Understood, Uncle Vesemir. I will learn traditional alchemy. However, I don't think I'm as amazing as you imagine. After all, I'm just an apprentice; I can't even manage slightly difficult concoctions."

"I believe you won't always be just an apprentice."

As is well known, Incredible Alchemy consists of three realms. The first realm is Wish of Alchemical Faith: place the correct materials in, visualize the details of the finished product while stirring, and when the power of intent is sufficient, the door to miracles will open. Basically, almost all modern alchemists are at this level.

The second realm is a talent possessed only by the darlings of the world, which we call Listening to the Voices of All Things. This ability allows one to hear the voices of all materials, which will tell you their hidden properties and void concepts.

Therefore, from the second realm onwards, alchemists possess the great power to confront gods and demons. In the past five hundred years, there have been only three known second-tier alchemists, including the Sage of Kindling.

As for the third realm, it exists only in the oral accounts of the Sage of Kindling. Only the grandmother who taught him alchemy reached this realm. He named it I Think It Works, pronounced in Ancient Elvish as I Reckon.

It means that as long as his grandmother felt it could work, then it truly could...

The most famous alchemical work of this realm is none other than the Sage of Kindling's renowned Endless Herb Bag. It is said that when she was making it, his grandmother thought a regular herb bag made by stirring a single piece of cloth had too little capacity, so she added a few more pieces of cloth into the cauldron, thinking it should be able to hold a bit more.

Thus, the Endless Herb Bag, boasting that the void has its limits but her bag is infinite, was born.

Excerpt from—Origins of Modern Alchemy, Volume 2

Another month passed, and the season entered June, the early summer sun shining brightly.

Having finished familiarizing himself with the Ox Stance, Victor continued his swordsmanship practice with the Apex Stance. As for his reading, he had finished history and begun cross-referencing geography.

His progress in learning traditional alchemy was also clear. He had steady hands, a cautious mind, and a soul core steeped in the scientific method. No matter how rigorous traditional alchemy was, it lacked a theoretical basis compared to chemistry lab classes.

On that night when Vesemir regretfully admitted he couldn't use Incredible Alchemy, after seeing Victor gradually fulfill his potential, he began to impart his secret Witcher recipes without reservation.

"I hope that one day, you can break the curse of the Trial of the Grasses. This is the final wish of an old man in the twilight of his years." Vesemir spoke with great emotion, though Victor, judging by his knowledge as an alchemical apprentice, figured that if nothing went wrong, this old guy could easily live another hundred years.

Time did not stop its pace, and Victor was able to endure the solitude.

After steadily completing the four basic stances of swordsmanship, he continued to practice the three supporting attack movements—slashing, thrusting, and dragging. His main opponent at this stage was the Armored Wooden Dummy.

Thanks to the solid foundation of the basic stances, he picked up the attack movements quickly. However, Vesemir then stepped in to spar, because defensive counters and close-quarters techniques required two people to experience through the clash of blades; they were only effective when remembered through the body in actual combat.

It must be said that the Witcher master was worthy of his title. By the time Victor finally progressed from being "beaten up in fancy ways" to having no fancy ways, only "being beaten up," several months had passed just like that.

A child of this age was naturally in a growth spurt. Supported by high-intensity exercise and superior Vitality Decoctions, Victor's frame suddenly shot up to five feet seven inches, shedding his childish appearance and growing into a lean, sturdy teenager.

Unfortunately, his looks did not improve accordingly; he remained as plain as ever.