Mercenary Wars

Chapter 171 Secondary Stabilizing Agent
Gaucano walked up to his alchemy table.

For alchemists, knowledge of herbalism and magic is important, but various alchemical tools are equally indispensable.

Of all the alchemical tools, the most important is the alchemy table.

A specially treated slab of Patrick marble, inlaid with dozens of crisscrossing pure gold grooves, is Gaugano's alchemy table.

Although it was only the basic setup for an alchemist, it still cost him a full three hundred gold coins.

Gao Gano examined the alchemy table for a while, then began processing the materials for the secondary stabilizing agent.

First is the level 7 Earth-type Forget-Me-Not Moss.

Since obtaining this item from the underground of Prestoburg, Gaugano has kept it aside for a long time, but now it can finally be put to use.

The first step in dealing with the Forgotten Moss is cleaning—a magical cleaning, using four magic spells in turn: water cleaning, fire cleaning, wind cleaning, and curse cleaning. Then, it is placed in a mortar made of Guardian Stone and finely ground into powder with a pestle also made of Guardian Stone.

This set of stone mortar and pestle also incurred significant costs, as the Guardian Stone itself is expensive, and its processing is even more troublesome.

It's not complicated. You just need to place the Guardian Stone on the edge of a Guardian Barrier or a similar magic circle, then activate the magic circle. The sturdy and heavy Guardian Stone can then be cut. By adjusting the shape of the magic circle, you can control the shape of the Guardian Stone after it has been cut.

However, putting it into practice is another matter entirely. This process not only requires an intricate magic circle but also rapidly consumes another Guardian Stone, turning it into stone dust. Therefore, in terms of processing costs alone, Guardian Stones are even more expensive than mithril, making them extremely costly.

However, the Guardian Stone is essential for processing Forget-Me-Not Moss. Only a pestle and mortar made of Guardian Stone, heavy and stable enough, can ensure that the Forget-Me-Not Moss is ground into powder without being contaminated.

Unlocking the Skin of the Earth, the Guardian Stone, weighing dozens of pounds, was no less than a warhammer in Gaugano's hands. With a series of powerful blows, he gradually crushed the Forgotten Moss into fine powder.

He put the Eternal Forget-Me-Not powder into a glass bottle and then began processing common herbs.

This step is much easier; the requirements for processing common herbs are far less stringent than those for Eternal Forget-Me-Not.

Moreover, compared to Eternal Forget-Me-Not, the price of most herbs is negligible, so even if there are mistakes, or even if they are not perfect, it is not a big deal to do it again.

The reason why common herbs are so inexpensive is simple—they can be grown.

Aside from the peculiar Forget-Me-Not plants, theoretically all plants can be grown, and as long as they can be grown, the price is usually not too high; otherwise, someone would definitely rack their brains to research how to grow them.

After all the herbs had been processed, Gao Jiano took out a bottle of blood.

The Blood Elf Notebook records recipes for Blood Elves, and blood is, of course, one of the important ingredients.

The requirements for blood used in making potions are similar to those for magic ink; ideally, the blood should not have any elemental properties, and the higher the level, the better.

Among the various blood types that Gaucano possesses, the highest-grade blood type without any elemental bias is undoubtedly the level eight blood of Rosier's avatar.

As he watched the black blood ripple gently in the glass bottle, a thoughtful expression appeared on Gao Jiano's face.

He had considered using this bottle of level eight blood to repair his disability, but as his own level increased, this idea was clearly no longer feasible.

He then considered using it on the Blood Summoning Sword, but due to the small quantity, he estimated that it would only make the sword tip sharper, which wouldn't be of much significance.

Now it seems like a better choice to use it for making potions; the quantity is just right, and the grade is appropriate.

The source of the blood made Gaucano hesitate for a moment. After all, he intended to drink this bottle of secondary stabilizing potion himself, and drinking the blood of a fallen angel's incarnation inevitably raised some doubts.

But common alchemical knowledge told him that such worries were unnecessary.

In the case of ordinary medicines, unusual ingredients could indeed lead to unexpected or even unpredictable consequences. However, for elixirs, once successfully made, the raw materials cease to exist. The finished product is a completely new substance that no longer exhibits the characteristics of the raw materials.

Just like metal, once it is recast, its original shape will never be reflected again.

After a moment's thought, Gaucano decided to use Rossier's blood as an ingredient in the mixture.

Including this bottle of blood, the ingredients for this elixir total dozens of types, demonstrating the complexity of its preparation. This is only a secondary stabilizing elixir, almost the simplest of all elixirs; high-end elixirs naturally involve far more materials.

Now, Gaucano needs to prepare these materials into several "preparations." These preparations are the "precursors" to the final product, the potion, by further fusing several corresponding preparations using magic.

The most crucial pre-prepared medicine, of course, is centered around the forget-me-not, supplemented with several herbal powders and juices. After carefully weighing and thoroughly mixing them, Gaucano, holding his flint staff, began chanting incantations.

Pre-mixed solution!

Despite it being the first time, under the influence of the harvest goddess's "alchemical inspiration," Gaucano felt very comfortable and the process went very smoothly.

As the spell was completed, the liquid's color instantly reversed, transforming from a murky gray to a pure earthy yellow, and it glowed faintly within the glass bottle.

Gaucano nodded in satisfaction, carefully placed the glass bottle aside, and then continued making other pre-preparations.

Ultimately, all the pre-prepared materials were successfully completed, transforming from raw materials into liquids of different colors in several glass bottles.

Then Gaucano poured them into several grooves on the alchemy table, letting them flow and converge along the channels.

Then came a long and rapid incantation.

The spell's official name is "Secondary Stabilizing Elixir," a key ingredient second only to Eternal Moss, and it was also the first third-circle spell that Gaucanor mastered.

As he chanted, the flint staff and alchemy table glowed, and magical fluctuations echoed throughout the small room.

Meanwhile, the pre-refined agents on the alchemy table fused together, their colors changing several times, until finally turning into a pure earthy yellow, gleaming in the pure gold grooves, and then poured into glass bottles.

You're done!

A few lines of information flashed through Gao Jiano's mind.

[Status Ended: Alchemical Inspiration]

Learned Level 1 Alchemy

[Intelligence +2]

[Experience +100]

Gao Jiano picked up the glass bottle, looked at the yellow liquid inside, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.

[Item: Lesser Stabilizing Elixir]

[Level: Level 8]

[Effect: Improves physical or mental condition]

Gao Jiano drank the bottle of the secondary stabilizing agent.

The medicine melted instantly upon entering the mouth, accompanied by a warm current, and Gaucano's body underwent changes.

[Physique +3]

3 points about body constitution!
This was a significant change, accompanied by a complete elimination of physical fatigue, which Gao Gano could clearly feel even without any notification from the panel.

"The improvement from taking potions is so fast!" he thought excitedly. If it were practicing a skill, it would take at least a year and a half to achieve the same effect, but now, after just one potion, he instantly gained three points in his attributes. He examined his stats.

【Physique: 34/53】

[Spirit: 34/53]

[Intelligence: 30/53]

【Strength: 28/53】

[Agility: 30/53]

There is still a lot of room for improvement.

Even the two highest attributes, Constitution and Spirit, have a potential for improvement of 19 points.

The five attributes combined offer a total potential improvement of 109 points.

If he could raise all 109 points, Gao Jiano believed he would undergo a complete transformation!

Of course, this is a distant goal.

Even if you increase your attribute by 3 points each time, it would still take 37 bottles of various minor potions to achieve 109 attribute points.

Moreover, not every bottle of minor potion can increase by three points. The reason why this happened this time was probably due to the influence of "alchemy inspiration".

Furthermore, all potions develop resistance to some degree. Regardless of the type, once a certain level is reached, the effect will inevitably decrease significantly. To maintain the effect, one must switch to a higher-level potion. A stat boost of over 100 points would require more than 50 bottles of lower-level potions if relying solely on them; 100 bottles might even be sufficient.

In addition, like all potions, the creation of elixirs also has a failure rate.

No alchemist dares to say that they can successfully create potions every time—even potions they have long mastered.

For a novice alchemist, making one hundred potions might require two hundred attempts, which is by no means an exaggeration.

Two hundred times!
That means at least two hundred pieces of Eternal Forget-Me-Not, which translates to ten thousand gold coins!
This is just the cost of the Eternal Forget-Moss.

If the medicine is purchased, the cost will at least double.

Therefore, ordinary people cannot rely entirely on potions to improve their attributes. Even for most nobles and the wealthy, this is a luxury that only the top nobles and the wealthy can afford.

Even if high-ranking nobles and wealthy individuals had the money to consume a hundred attribute potions, they would usually not choose to do so.

After all, there are many kinds of potions, and those that improve attributes are only one of them, and even that is a relatively unimportant one.

People tend to prefer spending money on other supplements, such as longevity supplements for the elderly.

For an elderly nobleman who is near death but has not yet spent all his money, the Elder's Elixir is obviously far more valuable than other elixirs, and he would not hesitate to go bankrupt for it.

Only young people who crave power are willing to invest more money in self-improvement.

But young people are always short of money.

Most wealth is always in the hands of the elderly.

A father's wealth is greater than his son's, and a king's wealth is greater than a prince's; the pursuit of power often cannot overcome the pursuit of life.

Therefore, throughout history, it has been rare to hear of anyone frantically using potions to improve their attributes.

But Gaucano was eager to try it.

After all, he has plant perception, which allows him to obtain Eternal Forgetfulness Moss at a much lower cost than others, and in turn, obtain the potion.

He has the potential to do what most people cannot.

Just then, a Tidal Land was about to open, and Gaucano had already decided to go there, so he immediately began to make some preparations.

The most important preparation is probably "taking leave".

He had to find a sufficiently legitimate reason to get the army to grant him a period of complete freedom so that he could travel to the Tidal Lands on the edge of the Kiso Mountains.

This is actually a bit troublesome.

Although he had the title of "Hero of Nordanron" and enjoyed many privileges and preferential treatment, it was, after all, a time of war and a religious holy war. In theory, every Mosaic should make some contribution, whether it was manpower or physical strength.

Taking a break is already a huge perk, and you actually want to take a long vacation?

Fortunately, General Muradin of the fortress was not interested in war, at least not in this particular war.

At the same time, because of the red dwarf, he was very enthusiastic towards Gaucano.

More importantly, the war has also undergone new changes.

The internal crisis of the Dubto principality has not been resolved. On the contrary, it has created a vicious cycle with the external situation, pushing both sides to rapidly evolve into a worse situation.

Mosa's side gained an increasing advantage. As Dibto suffered repeated defeats, Prince Eric's army advanced westward, and news of their victories kept reaching back home.

This continued until the fall of Dibto's kingdom.

To retain Cyril XIV's position as Patriarch, the Marquis of Dubto tried every means possible, but to no avail. In the end, Cyril XIV went from being a high-ranking Patriarch to a prisoner, and the Marquis of Dubto was also dragged down with him, becoming isolated and beset by internal and external troubles, suffering a crushing defeat.

Under these circumstances, the outcome of the war was self-evident. In fact, Dibto was defeated and its country was destroyed. Most of its territory was captured by Prince Eric's army, and most of the rebels were "purified."

But at that moment, the war was put on hold.

“We have almost completely conquered the territory of the Dubto Marquisate!” Ryan, who was still working in intelligence at the fortress border guards, shared news from the front with a few close friends.

"Why doesn't Your Highness continue fighting?" someone asked.

“Because the main stream of the Nikon River is just west of Dibuto,” Ryan said. “Crossing the Levin River might be somewhat ambiguous, but crossing the main stream of the Nikon River would be an unequivocal breach of the Nikon agreement.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "And as long as the Nikon Pact is broken, a large-scale religious war is almost inevitable, and all the Yemeni and Mosaic nations will be drawn into it, and the Nikon River will be stained red with blood once again."

"That's truly terrifying..."

Ryan: "Yes, who wants to see an endless war except for the craziest ones? So the Pope has issued a decree strictly prohibiting the army from continuing westward, and the supply of materials from the Breadth House will be gradually canceled."

Gaucano said, "So the result of this war was the fall of Dibto?"

“Not really, at least Dibto isn’t completely finished,” Ryan added. “It still has territory on several islands, and the Marquis of Dibto is still alive.”

Someone exclaimed in surprise, "Kassain Dibto is still alive?"

Ryan nodded and said, "That's right, he is indeed still alive, though in a terrible state. I heard that when he was fleeing, only a few knights and a bird were with him..."

(End of this chapter)