When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 665 - 623: The Nature of Alchemy

"Well done, Robert, I remember your name." Horn patted his shoulder.

"It's all thanks to your and Hilov's wise leadership." Robert placed a hand on his chest and bowed. "If it weren't for your 'Experimental Methods' and 'Control Variable Methods,' and Hilov's 'Natural Theology' theory, I would probably never have found this method in my lifetime."

Horn smiled mildly and shook his head, saying to Hilov, "Since the technology is almost mature, we can start producing."

"Don't rush, there's more technological progress to follow, and this is just a result of the Metal Salt Alchemy Workshop." Hilov gestured to Horn, signaling him to follow her to the second-floor laboratory. "The Dragon Language Scholars at the Crystal Alchemy Workshop are attempting to develop electro-gold encrusted panels."

"Electro-gold encrusted panels? What's that?"

"I'll show you the report later. It's about how to inlay electro-gold into red clay crucibles without conflict, creating a general alchemical reaction vessel." Hilov stopped at the side of the stairs, and with a straight face, she spread her arms like a great bird towards Horn.

Horn lifted her up, while Ah Fu picked up the cart.

Although there was a special ramp on the stairs, it was clear that when given a choice, the Wolf Woman would prefer not to laboriously wheel herself up the ramp.

"If we can create this peat reaction vessel, it is expected to reduce the recovery time of Alchemist Priests to about 1 hour and double the production capacity." Being held in Horn's arms, Hilov's face flushed slightly, and her tail continuously swept against Horn's knees.

Although Horn held her in a princess carry, because Hilov lacked calves, he had to firmly grasp the edge of her thighs, causing the elastic thigh flesh to squeeze out from between his fingers.

"A general alchemical reaction vessel, what is that?"

"Because this reaction vessel can be used in most alchemical reactions. If it's successfully developed, it won't just increase the efficiency of peat but also of mountain copper and slime juice."

Carrying Hilov all the way to the second-floor Demon-Loving Fungus laboratory, Horn finally set her down. "The past six months while I wasn't here, your research pace has been rapid."

"This isn't considered fast." Hilov pushed open the laboratory door. "Many formulas were already known by predecessors; they simply refurbished these formulations."

To be precise, these old alchemical formulas indeed belonged to the predecessors.

But refurbishing them wasn't that simple; otherwise, these innovations wouldn't have emerged only after Horn established the ry Court Barracks.

The key was that Horn provided a convenient and clean environment along with sufficient funding, complemented by a series of natural scientific methodologies such as 'Experimental Methods,' 'Deductive Reasoning Methods,' and 'Control Variable Methods.'

Furthermore, the ry Court Barracks offered a stable and well-ordered research environment, allowing them to experiment and investigate without distractions.

After Hilov translated the 'Emerald Records Commentary,' she provided abundant research on the essence of alchemy.

Remembering this, Horn immediately thought of the lightning furnace issue and inquired Hilov about it.

Hilov shook her triangular ears, "It's not that simple. After you mentioned it, we tried many substances, but those with lightning alchemical properties are few and very costly.

I even procured a Lightning Shaping Wizard sentenced to death. His bones and some organs had lightning alchemical properties, but the efficiency was too low, and the cost too high."

Horn greeted Kerben and others in the room, but Hilov's tail stood up discontentedly, "Are you listening to me?"

"Listening, but it's too technical; I can't understand it." Horn chuckled as he grasped Hilov's wolf tail, which softened instantly.

Hilov's wolf ears flickered. "According to the explanation in mother Emerald's commentary, the essence of alchemy is to invoke the spiritual attributes of matter through spells."

Seeing Horn still puzzled, Hilov sighed, picked up a small blackboard, and began to lecture him: "Classic alchemists consider the source of alchemy to be what? It is the soul..."

Following Hilov's explanation, Horn gradually understood.

In other words, alchemy believes that all matter has both a 'tangible and visible' materiality and an 'intangible and invisible' spirituality or alchemical nature.

The two are separate yet closely connected, with spiritual and material attributes mutually influencing each other.

Take the Witch, for example, she's a person with a human appearance who can run, jump, eat, and excrete; this is her materiality.

The Witch can think, perceive, and possesses mana; this is her spirituality.

In the process of using spells, such as Jeanne wielding power, it represents materiality manipulating spirituality, while the process of imperceptible power summoning tangible lightning is spirituality influencing materiality.

Although the Vampire Annotated Edition of the 'Emerald Records,' written centuries ago, considers mana to be a medium rather than an entity, aligning with modern mana theories.

They all regard mana as non-entity, fundamentally void.

All alchemy, in essence, involves using mana as a medium for the alchemist to bridge, synthesize, and elevate the spiritual attributes of matter.

Items crafted this way are referred to as alchemical matter.

"Let's take peat as an example. According to the book, its alchemical reaction is a sublimation ritual." Hilov picked up a small tweezer to hold a piece of peat, "It inherently possesses a burning spirituality, just not activated.

Though we don't know why dirt would have a burning spirituality, the sublimation ritual involves activating that spirituality to allow it to burn.

From this perspective, the burning of peat seems similar to burning wood, but essentially it is different: it is more like peat casting spells, aligning with the essence of the Witch using spells.

Thus, even with such a small volume and weight, it burns longer and more intensely than firewood."

Horn pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, "Then why not directly sublimate iron ore to refine iron?"

"It's not that simple." Hilov twirled in her wheelchair, picking up a piece of iron from the workbench, "Different materials have varying alchemical reactivity. Those natural alchemical products have high alchemical activity and can self-sublimate under natural conditions.

Most metals are inert substances, with their alchemical nature nearly unchanged; you see, creating mountain copper involves grafting rituals, transferring the sublimated alchemical nature of a sunflower."

Upon hearing this, Horn couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

However, ultimately, other things progressed faster because they were previously developed but suppressed by the Empire.

Lightning refinement is a novel concept, and by Horn's understanding, the Secret Faction doesn't currently have anyone capable of advancing in this domain, so slow progress is understandable.

Thinking of this, Horn suddenly paused. He quickly walked over to Hilov, who was rummaging through the electro-gold encrusted panel report, and whispered:

"According to your statements, can't Divine Art suppress spells? Since the activation of alchemical matter is casting spells, why doesn't battlefield Divine Art suppress alchemical matter?"

Hilov's hand suddenly stopped flipping pages; she raised her head, and her wolf ears drooped on both sides, resembling airplane ears.

Horn immediately coughed softly.

The originally room-standing Petier swiftly reacted; he coughed, grabbed Robert and Kerben, and called everyone else out of this laboratory.

Once only she and Horn remained in the room, Hilov glanced around before locking eyes with Horn to speak: "Regarding the essence of Divine Art, the original author of this 'Emerald Records Commentary' did not elaborate, but mother left her thoughts on a blank page."

"What is it?" Horn hurriedly followed up.

In a lowered voice, Hilov tightened her tail, "She believes the Church's Divine Art is divided into two kinds.

The first kind is the Scripture Recitation Divine Technique, which suppresses casting and attacks the soul of witches, a variant of mind spells, only effective on the psyche of intelligent beings.

And the second kind is what the Knights possess; similar to blessings and sanctification, its essence..."

Hilov hesitated for half a second, "is necromancy."