Theo was rightfully on his feet, feeling rather faint as he couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

No. Correction—

He couldn’t believe what he had just caused.

That sudden growth...

Was it really from the same thing he had been working on?

It was like having an existential crisis, but in a good way, as Theo felt his heart pound erratically while realization slowly sank in.

Then, as his wandering mind returned to land, he heard the proud Elder, who had a finger under his nose, say, "Impressive, right?"

Theo blinked.

"Child," Elder Wei continued, clearly pleased, "if you must know, this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg."

"Huh?"

"HAHAHA!" the Elder laughed. "Producing enchantments—or converters, if they were in the form of a scroll—isn’t even your actual ability."

"Eh???"

"Your main ability," Elder Wei said, his tone turning more deliberate, "is to identify and, in turn, create high-quality potions. Fufufu!"

"...?"

"Because not only can you analyze the composition of liquids in depth without relying on external tools, but you can even manipulate them!"

Theo’s breath hitched.

"Give ten different jars to a normal person, and they might realize they aren’t exactly the same," the Elder continued. "But even if they understand that, they won’t feel it the way you do. At least not until after dedicating their lives to the craft."

There was a brief pause.

"And yes, you might think that isn’t such a big deal," Elder Wei added, "especially when there are tools that can do something similar to a degree. But tell me..."

"In a place that can barely classify spiritual energy properly, do you really think those tools can detect the most subtle differences you just saw?"

Theo froze.

Because from what he had heard—and from the fact that they had only recently discovered people could raise their spiritual ranks without relying on life bonds—it really seemed like they were behind in that aspect, despite believing they already possessed cutting-edge technology.

It was as if Theo were reading Elder Wei’s mind. But only to a degree, as the ex-bony Elder had more to say about the immaturity of spiritual energy-related matters in this realm.

This place couldn’t even properly judge the spiritual rank of someone like Young Lord Luca!

Cutting-edge, his arse!

While the four ancients, who could rarely agree on anything, acknowledged that there were plenty of interesting developments—especially the delectable dishes Luca shared with them—most of those advancements belonged to entirely different fields.

But in the case of spiritual energy, even those developing realms would have done better than them!

So while tools might exist, they would fall short the moment things became more complicated. Especially when it came to high-grade potions.

Then again—

Without the Elders’ intervention...

And definitely without everything their golden-eyed savior had already improved in this place...

Theo’s ability might never have been discovered.

After all, how would the child have ever chanced upon spiritual water or even the most basic ingredients to realize he could do something like that?

As such, even if it had surfaced, it might have been dismissed as insignificant in a world with dwindling spiritual resources.

But now?

Now things were different.

With them being there, and short of violating the established rules of the realms, they could at least teach him ways to maximize his ability.

Splendid, really!

Elder Wei smiled, deciding to continue educating everyone with whatever he could share.

"The idea of the ingredients not being exactly the same. A little off. Too much. These are things that would come naturally to you as you grow into your ability." He postured.

"And when that happens, producing potions of the highest quality, even with average ingredients, wouldn’t be impossible! HAHAHAHA!"

The Elder went on in a proud rush of words, clearly pleased as he finally let it all out and announced the matter to the stunned crowd.

Then he coughed, nearly choking on his own delight, before clearing his throat and smoothly shifting topics.

"But that’s for later."

"For now, as you can see, the purpose of that potion is to allow enchantment."

"Weapons, tools, and even armor can be imbued with a different affinity. With a high-quality Plant affinity essence, one would be able to achieve that effect."

He raised a finger as he continued.

"And as you could probably already guess, the same principle applies if the essence is derived from others like fire, ice, wind, or water."

"That means even those with different abilities—or those who have yet to awaken—can temporarily make use of these affinities until the enchantment wears off."

Elder Wei looked extremely satisfied as he lectured, clearly enjoying himself.

"As for the duration—"

For some reason, he stopped right in the middle.

Something felt off.

It was far too quiet.

Then he realized that, sure enough, Theo—who was usually attentive—hadn’t been reacting to everything he’d said, which was strange given how many shocking revelations had just been dropped.

Had they not understood?

Or were they simply overwhelmed?

But when Elder Wei looked around more carefully, he realized something even more baffling.

No one was looking at him.

What?

Aghast, he followed their line of sight.

And then he saw it.

Everyone had been staring at the Duchess, who was still within the testing zone.

The Elder turned fully to observe her— 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Only to be stunned himself.

__

But why?

What had been so shocking that Elder Wei almost had his hair standing on end?

Well, that was because everyone was staring at the Duchess, who was still growing grass, flowers, and leaves even with a different weapon.

"!!!"

Uh huh.

A totally different weapon.

Theo’s finger trembled as he pointed toward the original sword the Duchess had placed on the table.

"Umm... E-Elder Wei..." he stammered. "Didn’t you say the potion should enchant a weapon, tool, or armor?"

He swallowed before continuing.

"T-then how come even with an axe, a lance, and even a bow that wasn’t dipped in the solution, the effect is still active?" he asked carefully, clearly uneasy.

"B-by any chance... did I make a mistake with the potion?"

But Elder Wei did not—more like could not—answer.

Before the test, he had already checked the mixture discreetly. It had been correct. A basic enchantment potion like that should not behave unpredictably.

And yet, what he was seeing now could not be denied.

The Duchess continued moving.

Silent.

Focused.

She picked up one weapon after another, slicing, stabbing, and turning with fluid precision. Each movement flowed naturally into the next.

And with every motion, life followed.

Flowers bloomed.

Vines curled.

Leaves spread across the ground.

Even the arrow embedded in one of the targets had been overtaken, wrapped in delicate blossoms.

The crowd held their breath.

Time seemed to slow as she picked up two short swords.

She moved with grace, her entire body turning with each strike. The blades danced with her, and with every motion, more life blossomed around her.

It was beautiful.

And deeply unsettling.

What exactly was happening?

Did the effect somehow transfer over to her hands?

But that didn’t make sense.

Not that it was impossible. If there were ways to revive people from the brink of death, there definitely had to be ways around something like this limitation.

So yes, there were ways to achieve a similar outcome without using a particular weapon. Such as using stronger converters or, quite literally, absorbing gentler types of essence that wouldn’t collide with a being’s existing affinity.

But for today, they definitely only used the basic enchantment potion.

Others had already tried experimenting with potions before, since they were the most economical option. The results had been rather... unpleasant. At best, they ended up with hands that briefly acted like flowerbeds. At worst, they got singed or electrocuted.

Not exactly the kind of experience people would want to pursue further. If anything, most shifted toward using it on other beings for offensive purposes instead.

Thankfully, without additional ingredients, the effects never lasted long.

So why was this different?

Moreover, how long had it been since she first used the enchantment?

Elder Wei’s thoughts raced.

The potion Theo created did not even include any ingredients that would extend its duration. He had made sure to keep it simple for a first attempt, or that child would probably pass out or give up because of the difficulty.

So at most, it should have lasted a minute.

But even then, the Duchess had already exceeded that.

However, just as the Elder thought he had seen everything there was to be surprised about, he realized—far too late—that the newly grown patches were different.

Instead of sensing his own signature in each one as they sprouted with every swing, the stunned Elder found that only a single patch carried his familiar spiritual energy.

"!!!"

The ancient realized it would be better to call on the others. He had a rough idea of what might be happening, but he didn’t want to voice it without verification.

More importantly, he didn’t want to box the Duchess in before she had the chance to discover what she could do.

So, with that in mind, the Elder sent a distress signal to the other annoying bones.

He hadn’t exactly been looking forward to seeing their horrendously similar faces again so soon, but something like this definitely called for a meeting.