A Perfect Answer

"Wholeness exists within all things. Advancement through the stages of Alchemy consists of removing the impurities within... A so-called seed is a medium that provides information and direction."

As his understanding of Alchemy deepened, Manus grew increasingly adept at operating this world's Alchemy.

Remembering what Nicolas had once said—that the essence of every stage of Alchemy was the same—Manus swiftly advanced this world's Alchemy to the level of Yellowing.

"The supposedly inexhaustible seed of Yellowing is not truly inexhaustible or independent. Like in Whitening, it still participates in the conversion process. It simply no longer becomes an impurity in the final product during the last step of conversion, but is regenerated instead."

That was why Yellowing seeds became Dead Matter after losing their original owners. The process was not nearly so mystical.

The seed still participated in the reaction according to the original procedure, but after losing its owner's magical guidance, it could not regenerate. Thus, nothing remained but Dead Matter. It was that simple.

As Manus fed in magic power and gently shook the flask, the Dead Matter within gradually melted and cleared, eventually becoming a viscous transparent liquid. Only an azure-gold bead remained.

That was the seed Manus had refined, one that had reached the Yellowing stage.

Thanks to the Black Earth Technique's ability to observe deeply into the level of information, Manus was not deceived by the material changes and magical reactions during the alchemical process.

He could clearly see the seed enter the reaction and then be regenerated.

At first glance, it resembled the catalytic cycle in a chemical reaction. When students were still at a lower level, textbooks called catalysts substances that did not participate in reactions to make them easier for beginners to understand. In reality, however, they did participate, and the reactions could