Wizard Alchemist

Chapter 720 Academic Disagreements (4 in 1)

"Huh? Why is there a golden coffin in the hall all of a sudden?"

As evening fell, Prandtse and Nisa returned with Beryl and Anjali, each carrying fishing gear, nets, and buckets.

It turned out they had gone fishing.

Roy's Beach Castle boasts sunny beaches, a resort island, and a shallow bay home to many rare fish species.

Back when Nisha was still in the world of Tyrin, she was a true noblewoman. Upon discovering that shallow bay, she couldn't resist the urge to play and invited everyone to go fishing.

Artia, who was tending to the flowers and plants in the garden, came in upon hearing the news and said, "It is a gift from Lady Cindy."

"That beautiful professor?" Nisha didn't have a particularly good impression of her and couldn't help but wonder, "Why would she send something like this?"

"Don't underestimate mummies; they're the prototype of a 'panacea'!"

During the conversation, Roy walked in from the other side, followed by Freya carrying several books and Domi with her tail raised high.

"You've been out having fun all day, and this is all you've caught? Only two fish?"

Roy's gaze fell on the catch that Nisha was carrying.

Those were two gemfish, each weighing three or four pounds, and they looked jewel-like and exceptionally dazzling.

Nisha blushed slightly, too embarrassed to say that she hadn't actually caught a single fish.

She jumped into the water and grabbed it.

Roy said, "Forget it, I'll soak this mummy in water another day and make some bait-catching medicine for you guys to try."

"This thing can be used for fishing?"

"Pranjie asked in surprise."

"You don't understand, do you? Mummies are omnipotent, much more useful than those radium waters I made before!"

As they were talking, the head maid came over with several maids from the castle. Nisha handed the gem fish in her hand to them, intending to make fish soup and grilled fish to feed Domi.

Roy now feeds on gold and magical materials, and most of the others don't eat ordinary food either. Even though this place contains some magic and is not an ordinary species, it all benefits Domi.

However, just as the maids were about to leave, Roy suddenly spoke up.

"After you've killed the fish, leave one for me."

"It will come in handy later."

……

At night, everything is quiet.

On the upper floors of the castle, Roy specially isolated a corridor to serve as the entrance to the mansion, and the entire floor was also used as temporary storage rooms and laboratories.

Some items of some value, but which have not yet been thoroughly identified and examined, are placed there, primarily for the purpose of housing the body of the young female pharaoh.

However, Roy and Freya did not stay in the room where the body was placed, but instead arranged a 4x4 meter combination stone slab on the other side.

These stone slabs are pieced together to form a shamanic array with a pattern of golden scales, on which the left tray contains a small pinch of brown dust, about the size of a fingernail.

On the right, there was a gemfish that had been gutted and had been dead for several hours.

Its entire body is a bright blue, its scales are like silver armor with a crystallized coating, and its tail fin is transparent, shimmering with a slight iridescent light under the illumination of the magic crystal lamp.

It can be said that it is a magical fish that combines both ornamental and edible value.

Regular consumption of this item can help some level zero knights and warriors replenish their strength.

But at this moment, even it was like a salted fish, lying there with its belly exposed, its dead fish eyes dull and lifeless, completely devoid of life.

"Lord Roy, you are ready."

Freya arranged rosemary, amber, and short white candles next to the brown powder.

On the other side, there were three substances: mercuric sulfate, gold thread, gemstone dust, and a palm-sized gemstone mirror, each placed at different nodes.

Roy examined it and nodded slightly.

"Fria, remember this: this time, I intend to construct the 'Life Transmutation Array' using the flowing spirit of mercury, the material body symbolized by salt, and the life fire represented by sulfur."

Its essence is not the true creation of a soul, but rather the creation of a special being that exists between life and death by using the fish spirit (Piscis~Anima) summoned from the void.

The spirit of this fish is a typical wandering soul.

Freya also has a solid foundation.

She knew that in "soul studies," the term "wandering soul" originally referred to constituent elements separated from the soul, but it was much larger than the soul's essence and could be considered an aggregate of the soul's essence.

Roy continued, "What is created in this way is neither an undead nor a simple puppet creation, but a true alchemical life form."

This method can verify the correctness of my "Life Transmutation Array" and the "Luo's Alchemy" theory behind it.

Previously I lacked good materials, but now that I have this mummy, I can take some bandages, hair, and the part above the nails and grind them into powder, which will come in handy.

Its function is to be the seed of "resurrection"!

After saying this, he faced the shamanic array, stretched out his palm, and began to cast a spell.

"~~,~~~~."

(O shining jewel, your name is Lithos...)
As if responding to Roy's spell.

On the right side of the shamanic formation, on the balance tray.

The scales of the hollowed-out gemfish emitted a faint iridescent light, like gems refracting sunlight, and flashed briefly.

"..."

(Your soul dwells in radiance.)

In the void, ripples seemed to appear on the water, and something swam within them, moving with light and shadow.

"..."

(Crystal Summoning, Soul Resonance)
"..."

(Through the mirror)
"..."

(Descended into the mortal world)
Before you know it, the ripples on the water have become more and more obvious.

In the void, that inexplicable, invisible existence was reflected in the mirror in the form of a fish's soul.

Then, the light refracted and focused on the hollowed-out body of the gemfish corpse, suddenly turning into white spiritual light and pouring into it.

"..."

(Now, in the name of me, the alchemist Roy, I command you to be born!)

As the incantation ended, the fish's body trembled slightly, and then its previously dull, lifeless eyes suddenly shone brightly.

"Oh, what's going on here? Where did you get this stuff from?!"

A voice, neither male nor female, sounded, like that of a child.

The dead fish, whose body had been hollowed out, suddenly thrashed about and leaped up with great effort, turning itself over.

Like a fish pulled from the water, it stands tall and shines brightly under the lights.

The alchemical miracle of “creating life”—even though it was actually a misconception from the Neoclassical era—has now been corrected to be not so miraculous.

But this can still be called the "ultimate of the past". The great creation that once existed as the pinnacle has now appeared in front of the two of them.

******
"It's a success!" Freya exclaimed in delight.

Roy nodded with satisfaction, gazing at the alchemical life form that shone with the brilliance of gemstones before him.

"This is indeed a breakthrough."

Life is forged...

Success! "

His gaze fell upon the surface of this alchemical life form called "Litos," as if he could sense the life energy flowing within its scales.

At that moment, he felt as if he had touched the authority of the Creator, and had a slight illusion that he was omnipotent.

In fact, this is a complete illusion.

It's merely touching, not mastering.

However, the translucent illusory panel then shifted, and new soul recipes were indeed included.

Jewel Fish (Fish Spirit)

(Bronze-level Soul Recipe)

Spiritual composition ratio:
Bestiality: 69.8743%
Human nature: 15.1234%
Divinity: 15.0023%
Attribute configuration table:

Instinct: Extremely strong

Emotion: Strong
Emotion: Medium
Wisdom: Middle
Divinity: Weak

……

"Alchemical life is a perfect combination of magic and creation; it is not a simple mechanical structure, but an existence containing life and soul."

If the creator is skilled enough, they can imbue it with life, mimicking various physiological functions, and even the ability to reproduce itself.

Furthermore, infusing it with a soul can create self-awareness, enabling it to think, feel, and even possess unique personality traits.

However, achieving these two points is extremely difficult...

Normally, the lowest alchemical life forms have neither life nor soul, nor even intelligence.

Many low-level puppets, golems, and the like exist solely as weapons of war or some kind of tool!
This is equivalent to the Dark Iron rank, similar to insectoids or low-level demons.

With Freya's admiration in his voice, Roy, in a way that was both a retrospective and a summary, slowly explained.

"The next step is bronze."

This stage is the realm of animals, monsters, robots, and weak artificial intelligence, which begin to possess a certain degree of spirituality and intelligence, and have emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and are driven by them.

Unfortunately, even reaching this point is an illusion...

These emotions are cleverly simulated using biomimicry, but animalistic instincts still dominate.

The souls of these life forms originated from ancient alchemical rituals, imbuing creations with spirituality through complex arrays of runes and the fusion of elements.

Generally speaking, it is believed that the source of spirituality is the will of the world or the deeper, more distant cosmic void.

Every alchemical life carries the will of its creator, or more precisely, the desire of its creator...

In essence, it was a wandering spirit summoned from the void in accordance with the alchemist's wishes!

Thus, the concept of the "soul recipe" was born!

Freya nodded upon hearing this.

"This is the difference between true creation and reconstruction, resurrection..."

Ancient alchemists did not have this understanding and mistakenly believed that this method of creation was the 'ultimate' method and that they had grasped the authority of the creator!

During the early and middle periods of classicism and even neoclassicism, the emergence of alchemical beings, including the 'Homunculus', was regarded as a model that brought alchemy to its peak.

It was only later that I realized that this was merely touching upon the authority of creation, not yet grasping it.

Even so, it is enough to prove that your alchemical skills have reached a whole new peak.

Because the vast majority of alchemists, even masters, will never reach such a level in their entire lives!

"Um?

Who are you two, babbling on and on?

Do you guys even know where this is? Please, lend a hand! I think I accidentally jumped over the edge and can't flip back up!

Also, my cheek hurts so much, I can't breathe!

Just as Roy and Freya were talking.

The gemfish Litos had a black "#" shaped emoticon appearing on its forehead, and it slapped its tail, saying to them with some displeasure.

Freya then noticed it.

It turns out that this guy used too much force and jumped several meters away, causing himself to fall and get hurt.

She kindly stepped forward and helped him up.

"Oh, thank you, I was so careless."

But what exactly happened? I feel like my body has been hollowed out..."

Roy's lips twitched slightly: "Don't even feel it, you're really drained."

Oh no!

Upon hearing this cruel truth, the gemfish Litos was utterly shocked.

"What's the matter?"

Roy said, “Your soul comes from the void, and your body is a gem fish in this material world. I will name you Litos.”

To be precise, you were resurrected in the body of a corpse, and I simultaneously conducted an experiment of creation and resurrection on you.

Litos's eyes widened, though they were already wide enough, and a few black lines forming an exclamation mark appeared on his forehead: "Wait, I think I remember now, that's right..."

"The soul has memory."

Roy turned to Freya and explained.

"However, storage functions are generally weaker than those of the brain, a physical organ. Only a sufficiently powerful soul can retain enough memories and intense longings, attaching them to tangible matter—that is, a relic..."

"So that's how it came about."

Freya nodded.

……

After a long while, the gem fish Litos finally accepted the fact that it had been entrusted to this hollowed-out fish corpse and become an alchemical life form.

Whether it was creation or resurrection, it was ultimately Roy who gave it life and soul, so it quickly accepted the other's identity as its master.

But in the blink of an eye, it shamelessly begged, "Master, please have mercy and sew my belly back up!"

Also, I feel like I can't breathe...

"Oh no, my cheeks! Who was the heartless person who gouged my cheeks out?"

Freya: "..."

This guy is just as noisy as that bronze beaker!

However, Roy wore a smile throughout.

It's a good thing that alchemical life forms have individuality!
"There's no need to stitch up the wound. Next, I'll have Freya perform a witch body transformation on you, giving you the power to activate extraordinary life."

The hollowed-out belly can be used as a small pouch for simple storage.

I will attach a Void Beast hide to the inside of your stomach to create an effect similar to a spatial ring.

"Also, the functions of this body, as well as its defensive capabilities and magic resistance, should all be modified."

He hadn't done it before because even he wasn't sure if he could really complete this "life-forging" ritual. If it failed, all the investments he'd made in the modifications beforehand would have been wasted on the dead fish.

Although it can be made into a salted fish pouch, it ultimately lacks the sophistication of having life and soul.

After giving his instructions, Roy left the room, leaving the rest to Freya.

There's absolutely no need for me to do it myself. As a seasoned alchemist, Freya is already capable of handling many things independently.

******
Before we knew it, it was April 10th.

Roy sat in the study of the mage's mansion, his mind racing, his brows sometimes relaxed and sometimes furrowed.

A golden quill pen writes swiftly, recording information rapidly.

"The systematic construction and simplified application of the life-altering array..."

Beside the notes that were several thousand words long, the pen tip sketched complex geometric shapes on the paper, and runes of will were continuously added to them.

One after another, new magical formations with clear meanings were revealed in their entirety during operation.

"Okay, you're done!"

After a while, Roy looked at his work, nodded in satisfaction, and got up to leave the room.

As soon as he entered the corridor, he saw the black cat Domi riding majestically on the back of the gem fish Litos.

Litos had a "#" emoticon made of black lines on his forehead, but he could only resign himself to carrying the big cat, his fish tail flapping in the air as he swam around, hovering more than a meter high.

"Master!" Seeing Roy finally come out of the study, Domi lightly leaped down, affectionately rubbing its fluffy head against Roy's leg, then hugged it and said sweetly, "This flying fish you made is so much fun, much more fun than Adai!"

Roy reached out and picked up Domi, chuckling as he rubbed its chin. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Litos floating in mid-air, its face filled with utter despair.

After completing the creation of this alchemical life form, the two little guys met and began a continuous "pet war".

The result was undoubtedly that Domi, who had a closer soul connection with her and was a cat, gained a complete advantage.

"Litos isn't a toy, don't always bully it." Roy chuckled and tapped Domi's nose, eliciting a smug purr in return.

Meanwhile, Litos, floating to the side, could only helplessly exhale a string of colorful bubbles, which refracted into a rainbow-like halo under the lights.

It wasn't too stupid; it probably understood its position within the family.

However, its round, fish-like eyes darted around, as if it were starting to plot something again.

"Lord Roy."

At that moment, Freya walked over carrying a stack of documents.

"This is the report on Litos's body modification. The curing of radium salt mixed with mummy spices is now basically complete. Combined with the 'activation technique,' the 'living corpse body' has been created!"
The subsequent diamond coating and other further modifications will require your personal attention.

"I understand. I'll take care of it when I have some free time in a few days."

Roy took the renovation report from Freya and glanced at it briefly in the corridor.

The Litos of today is no longer an ordinary dead fish...

It was cured with radium salt mixed with mummy spices...

He has become the true king of salted fish!

The intense, mystical marinating process has thoroughly infused the flavors.

This transformation granted it a physique of over 1 degree, and that 1 degree of physique was concentrated in such a small body.

If it can further enhance its own coating, its physical resistance and magical defense will reach an astonishing level, allowing it to directly resist attacks of level one and two.

However, this is not the main point. Some high-level alchemical life forms are actually used for non-combat purposes.

Alchemists don't really care about these things.

Life and wisdom themselves are the more precious things.

Combat ability is merely a byproduct that naturally arises in the process of pursuing these benefits.

Unless they are pursuing some kind of "ultimate combat power," few alchemists deliberately seek those things.

For example, right now Roy is concerned about some medical examination and test reports.

"This fish actually knows quite a bit of water magic?"

"Yes, it has a natural spellcasting ability, especially the ability to spit out colorful bubbles and create illusions of itself or its surroundings with the brilliance of gemstones."

Upon hearing Freya's words, Litos immediately did a somersault, a "^_^" emoticon appearing on his forehead.

"Hmph, thanks to my master, I am a perfect creation that can blow bubbles! Please enjoy my special skill—the Rainbow Bubble Illusion Show..."

As he spoke, he seized the opportunity to show off, blowing out even more bubbles.

As the bubbles multiply, a mirage-like illusion appears.

The light in the corridor distorted, as if two diverging paths had appeared.

"Oh, not bad."

Roy commented indifferently.

Litos was taken aback, and a "T_T" emoticon with intertwined black lines appeared on his forehead. He thumped the air with his fins in a wronged manner while crying out.

"Waaah... Master, you're too strict! I'm clearly more... useful than that one..."

Domi flashed its claws from the side.

"Oh no! What I mean is... um... how about an upgraded version of the Phantom Show?"

"The modification of the space capsule was also very successful. Now, there is a large space of 10*10*10 inside it."

As Freya spoke, she grabbed Litos, reached into the fish's belly, and pulled out a small light-enhancing wand made of oak.

Litos froze, and an "O_O|||" emoticon appeared on his forehead.

"Not bad, we can look for cheaper implementation solutions in the future."

A Voidbeast hide is worth far more than a commoner's Aetherstone.

However, the method used requires the supply of some life energy, which is not as stable as a spatial ring.

"It would be wonderful to be able to combine with such an alchemical life form."

Roy commented with a smile.

After they finished discussing that topic, Freya told him, "The academy inquired about your new doctrine. A gentleman named Kaham seems to have some objections to it and has expressed his views on it publicly."

This is a follow-up to the previous public announcement of "Luo's Alchemy".

Many apprentices, newly appointed wizards, and professors in the alchemy department were quite interested in this.

It's understandable that there are many different opinions.

Roy didn't pay much attention to this, and simply asked, "Oh, Professor Kaham, does he criticize 'equivalent exchange' and advocate other doctrines?"

“Quite the opposite,” Freya said. “He also adheres to the principle of equivalent exchange; what he opposes is merely the transmutation circle.”

What he advocates appears to be a mystical sacrificial ritual that originated in the classical period, arguing that this idea should be practiced through "sacrifice" rather than through the more modern "alchemy circle."

"Ok?"

Roy was slightly surprised.

Surprisingly, we're kindred spirits.

But sometimes, so-called heretics are more hateful than heretics...

Alchemists within the same school of equivalent exchange may have much greater disagreements than those with the Natural Magic School, the Three-Body-All-Things School, the Spiritual Fundamentals School, and so on.

After all, this is an achievement in the struggle for unification, and a great opportunity to push modern alchemy to a whole new height!

Strictly speaking, the two men's ideas and practices share some similarities.

******
Thinking of this, Roy instructed Freya, "Find his information..."

Since Freya had mentioned this person, it meant she was prepared, and she immediately said, "I have already gathered some information beforehand."

"Oh, you're so thoughtful."

Roy nodded with satisfaction and smiled contentedly.

Soon after, Roy sent Domi, Litos, and the others away and went to the second-floor terrace of the mansion to read quietly.

Alice brought the ghost maid over to refill his tea. Seeing his focused expression, she didn't disturb him and quietly went inside to wait for him.

Roy learned that this was a veteran professor who was nearly 1700 years old and in the prime of his life as a high-ranking wizard.

He was one of the few survivors from the previous generation in the Okmi Tower and was entrusted by the Alliance with the important task of rebuilding academia.

"In this Academy of Archademia, many of the alchemy wizards seem to have transferred from other departments or fields."

People like Cynthia were promoted from Level Two Wizards, and then spent considerable time gaining the Alliance's recognition and being granted the title of Professor.

Roy thought about it for a moment and suddenly noticed this fact.

It is worth mentioning that even for a great wizard, his alchemy skills may not necessarily increase with his level of cultivation.

This is somewhat similar to the fact that earning power doesn't necessarily increase with age...

Of course, a more accurate way to put it would be similar to the difference between magic and arcane arts.

An increase in life level means an increase in mental strength and soul essence, as well as an increase in combat power, lifespan, and so on.

However, this is not necessarily entirely related to academic level.

At best, they simply live longer, accumulate more knowledge and experience, and become more comprehensive.

Moreover, in places like the Cretaceous Kingdom, the amount of funding, resources, and manpower required for such a large-scale, taboo experiment as "creating a soul" is incalculable.

The great wizards often spend more of their time pushing forward these large projects.

"This is similar to the particle collider, or the FAST telescope, or controlled nuclear fusion projects that existed on Earth in the past."

It's always a matter of large investment and large output.

It's always about teamwork, different schools of thought and factions!

It always takes so many years to achieve results.

Stagnation in academic development is also common.

Roy was thinking about all this. His first impression of Kaham was that he was "well-educated and respected" and had a long career, but he was not stubborn and incorrigible. He was still "in his prime".

More than 160 years ago, when I first transmigrated here, I was just a lowly karami.

From his perspective, it was quite remarkable that a young man named Kiric, who was not even 200 years old, had already been promoted to a high-level wizard.

But to talk so presumptuously about new learning, innovation, and breakthroughs is indeed somewhat absurd and laughable.

Roy shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, then looked at the witchcraft that Kaham was good at, which turned out to be "sacrifice magic".

He is proficient in all kinds of ritual magic, including summoning rituals, sacrificial rituals, sublimation, transmutation and so on.

Among them, "sacrifice magic," especially the sacrificial rituals related to "equivalent exchange," is what he is most proficient in.

"Professor Kaham's alchemical philosophy is an equivalent exchange between sacrifice and the supreme arbiter?"

He once mentioned in public and in his published papers that "alchemy is a contract, and truth requires collateral..."

Roy recalled the basic knowledge he had accumulated in the past and learned that this theory had a major premise.

That is, the "Sacred Exchange Theory"...

Kaham believed that the essence of traditional transmutation circles is "borrowing from nature"—leveraging the power of the world's origin through geometric and symbolic language.

This method is limited by the practitioner's understanding of "natural spirituality," and its uncertainty is too high, making it susceptible to abuse!
From this perspective, his theories actually share many similarities with his own.

However, he advocates replacing the "transformation circle" with "targeted sacrifice". The key point is to pay the price in advance and avoid any hidden costs.

Moreover, it relies on a "platform"—a fabricated "supreme arbitrator" or a faith anchor—who directly determines the fairness of the exchange and prevents the abuse of various "alchemy circles"!

What's even more noteworthy is that similar ideas already existed during the early classical period, when the theory of equivalent exchange had just emerged.

The explosion in the land of chalk adds some credibility to this claim!

A strange look appeared on Roy's face.

It feels a bit like the difference between "use now, pay later", "loan consumption" and "traditional shopping"?

But something doesn't seem quite right!

What evidence is there that the explosion in the Land of Cretaceous was not caused by the use of "sacrifice"?

If this happens to be the problem, the "Supreme Arbitrator" pop-up payment window includes a loan agreement and various hidden charges...

And then what if you accidentally clicked on it?

In the past, I had actually dabbled in this myself, for example, the "Treasure Sacrifice Ceremony" which was modified from the "Adebayo's Sacrifice Ceremony"!
Does the other party have some misunderstanding or misconception about "alchemy arrays"?
After thinking for a moment, he simply took out his magic crystal ball and asked the academic affairs office for their contact information.

then……

I called directly!

"Lord Kirick?"

Inside the crystal ball, the figure of an old man with white hair appeared, and a slightly hoarse voice came from it.

This is Professor Kaham.

Kaham was quite surprised by Roy's message and remained silent for a moment in response to his private question.

"I can't answer that question right now, and that's exactly what I'm working on."

However, if I may be frank, in my personal opinion, the "transformation array" you advocate does indeed have various problems.

Coincidentally, I have a lecture at the end of the month, and I might add a critique of it on the fly...

If you're interested, come and listen!

Roy's eyebrows twitched slightly upon hearing this.

This guy is really...straight!
However, so far, all he has encountered has been academic debate.

This so-called criticism is not directed at any person.

"I would like to hear your insightful opinions."

He vaguely felt a desire to embrace the challenge.

After that, Roy inquired about the relevant information and indeed heard about the lecture.

Diev and the others told him: "The sacrificial ritual pioneered by Lord Kaham and named after himself is nearing completion..."

The lecture mainly focused on this topic: how to conduct "targeted sacrifice" more effectively, safely, and efficiently!

He was unaware that Kaham intended to "critique" Roy's new doctrine!

Soon, Roy also learned the main content of the lecture.

Upon seeing the question, he paused slightly, and then a slightly strange expression appeared on his face.

"Life sacrifice...and alchemical life?"

(End of this chapter)