Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 247 Philosopher's Stone - Blood of the World, Echoes of Sacrifice

The cape where the lighthouse is located is now guarded by local militia, and non-patients are not allowed to enter.

People had heard that the town's night watchman was an excellent physician and that there were several skilled apprentices. Many nobles and wealthy merchants attempted to break into the cape, but they were all frightened away by the swords and pistols in the hands of the militiamen, and even bribery never succeeded.

On the contrary, those who were injured were able to pass through the checkpoints with ease.

By early February, some dignitaries had condescended to feign illness in order to sneak into the lighthouse to see for themselves. However, they did not expect that the militiamen's knowledge of physiology and hygiene was not to be underestimated, and those whose acting skills were not up to par were easily seen through.

Some self-proclaimed clever fellows attempted to land on the cape by boat from the sea.

The seagulls guarding the lighthouse would scare away any approaching boats, leaving the crew and passengers covered in pecking welts and terrified, forcing them to jump into the sea to escape the fearsome birds. Tourists on the shore would laugh uproariously.

However, there is another group of people who can leisurely visit the lighthouse.

They came from all corners of the Sail Islands, searching for the traces of the Cult of Miracles and inquiring about news of old friends and acquaintances, and gradually arrived at White Rock Island, converging towards the lighthouse.

The militia stationed at the cape would receive a portrait of the visitor in advance, and would allow them to pass if the portrait matched.

"Go in, don't cause trouble for yourself." The militiamen removed the barricades, allowing the elderly men with white hair to enter.

"Of course, don't worry."

They set off on the path leading to the lighthouse, overgrown with weeds on both sides. At the end of the path were scattered apprentices' huts, from which wisps of alchemical smoke of various colors drifted, carrying the scents of fruit, rust, bitter herbs, fragrant wood, and alcohol.

The astrologer is always waiting early to greet you.

"Welcome, travelers seeking the mysteries of magic. This is the Archmage's palace. He is aware of your arrival; now, please follow me to see him."

Since the beginning of the new year, recipients have been arriving at the lighthouse. Most are aging, dying wanderers, with only a few still in their youth or prime.

The older the recipient, the deeper their understanding of magic and the more determined their desire to learn.

The younger recipients, whose goal in traveling thousands of miles was mostly to find answers, felt the majesty of the lighthouse's fire last year, and the fear that seeped into their bones at that time still haunts them like a nightmare.

Regardless, they all arrived at this place and met the Grand Master.

The High Priest always sat behind the table, gazing at each recipient who was either kneeling in worship or standing upright in stare-out.

The apprentices heard him speak in a low voice, uttering powerful words, each word pronounced in a complex and intricate way, with a wide range of tones, which could not be fully pronounced by the vocal cords of human flesh and blood.

Rumors circulated that whenever a high priest chanted the strange sounds, he was peering into a person's fate, gaining insight into the past, and predicting future fortune or misfortune.

A moment later, the Grand Mage will make a decision: to take some people in and train them, and to persuade others to leave. Who will be chosen and who will be rejected will not depend on their attitude towards the Grand Mage.

Those who kneel in devotion may be eliminated, while those who are arrogant and haughty may be favored. Even if some raise objections, the Grand Master's decision cannot be disobeyed; those who can stay will stay, and those who must leave will leave.

No matter how much they plead, kneel for a long time, or hurl insults and slander, the moment the lighthouse rejects them, the astrologer will chant a spell to control the rejected person and drive them out of the cape like sheep.

No matter where these people go, they will never have the chance to embark on the road to the lighthouse again.

Those fortunate enough to remain followed the example of their predecessors, building huts on the cape and beginning their austere life of study.

As the number of apprentices grew—ten, fifteen, twenty—the lighthouse could no longer accommodate so many people to eat. So, the apprentices obtained permission from the Grand Master to build a dining hall not far from the lighthouse.

From then on, Tie Weiyi was still in charge of preparing the three meals a day in the canteen kitchen, and Lin Bo always ate with the apprentices.

The new disciples' daily work consisted of reading and listening to lectures. They also noticed that the Grand Master and the seven senior disciples were busy with something, but out of tacit agreement, no one inquired and they simply waited quietly for the outcome.

The stone pool where the sacrificial fire burned on the beach has been abandoned, but Lin Bo still often lingers by the sea, manipulating the moon frost to fall on the waves. The shimmering light refracted forms dragon language runes, which shatter and disappear in an instant, falling into the mage's eyes and being deeply engraved in his heart.

He was always grateful for the generosity of the Tower Dragon.

With each passing day, he learns one more dragon rune.

In early January, after five failed attempts to force a lawsuit, Lin Bo finally learned the true name of Lightning. This was the third ancient thing he had mastered, and the price he paid was to experience multiple microcurrent strikes.

He wanted to try to find out the true name of the magnetic field, but the human body does not have organs that can perceive magnetic fields, so he gave up. Moreover, Lin Bo guessed that the magnetic field might not tell him anything, and that this thing was probably more magnificent than dragons.

Discovering the true names of ancient things is extremely difficult. Without finding a suitable method, relying on forcibly naming them is still very inefficient.

Even so, he remained tireless in his search for the true names of all things.

In mid-February, a week before the full moon, all preparations for refining the Philosopher's Stone were completed.

The Empire dispatched an army to garrison outside Stone Tower Town; these were the very soldiers who had been defeated by the Miracle Walkers.

After they fled back to Hongdu, the emperor's most trusted general recounted the entire battle, a defeat in which they offered no resistance. The ministers who had been listening at the time all turned pale.

Now, the emperor has sent these men back not out of foolishness to challenge miracles again, but to be ready to obey orders and serve the gods in the name of the King of Men. On this day, the Night's Watch refused visitors, the army obeyed orders to seal off the town, and no more outsiders were allowed to enter. The bustling tourists vanished overnight.

The seven old apprentices, carrying the elixir they had painstakingly prepared, followed the Grand Master in the elevator to the secret workshop beneath the lighthouse.

Tons of mushroom oil were flowing through the pipes of the ritual plate, and the naturally evaporating magical energy was dyeing the air a self-illuminating, luminous blue.

The lineage of the recipients made the apprentices who entered this place sigh with relief, like fish entering the sea, but the surging magic of the ocean also made them feel fear and trepidation, and their backs were covered in sweat.

The Grand Master stood with his hands behind his back in front of the alchemy furnace. Above him, a skylight had been opened up, leading directly to the ground. Large, specially made crystal mirrors were embedded in the skylight, gathering the light of the sun, moon, and stars into a long pillar, which flowed into the water chamber at the top of the alchemy furnace.

The apprentices carefully recalled their tasks; they were merely assistants, sharing miscellaneous tasks with the host, yet they still prepared meticulously.

As the sun sets and day turns into night, the alchemy ceremony officially begins.

Using the crystals of the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind as the main material, and undergoing four transformations of black, white, yellow, and red, guided by the alternation of the sun and moon and the flow of stars, the high-level sage stone known as the "blood of the world" can be created in the alchemy furnace.

For a week straight, Lin Bo and his disciples stayed in the workshop to guard the furnace. Their meals were delivered by Tie Weiyi, they used magic spells to cleanse their bodies, and they found a place to take a nap.

The four elemental crystals, refined by the fires of magical energy and purified by the starlight water, circulated and fused within the furnace, forming a chaotic mass. This was the alchemical universe, also known as the "philosopher's container," into which various auxiliary materials were continuously added, filling the empty container with all things.

Until the philosopher's vessel is fully formed and finally breaks and destroys, it will drip "the blood of the world".

Lin Bo knew the true name of each type of elixir. He witnessed and perceived the entire process, gradually glimpsing how the true name runes of the Philosopher's Stone were born.

The town of Stone Tower was quiet and deserted this week. Residents hurried about, staying indoors as much as possible. Hooded members of the religious order patrolled the streets, as if it were a time of rampant plague. People never went to the cape, and even when they were sick, they endured it as before.

A group of curious people and reporters gathered outside the town, but were prevented from approaching by the army.

Every night, the blue glow of magic energy surges up behind the lighthouse, reaching a height of four or five zhang (approximately 10-15 meters).

The strange phenomenon lasted for seven days. When dawn broke, the rising sun over Shita Town failed to cast a single ray of light, making it appear as if a bright white sheet of iron was hanging in the night sky.

Behind the lighthouse, however, the wellhead shone with a golden light, as if the sun were resting within it, illuminating the land of the cape. The new apprentices gathered together, discussing it with astonishment.

With a muffled rumble of thunder beneath the lighthouse, the bright light from the wellhead went out, and the inlaid crystal lens had all melted and broken. The sun on the horizon suddenly spread its morning light, illuminating the sleepy Stone Tower Town.

In the workshop, the furnace cast from sea-fired gray steel was shattered, leaving only a base with a support, like a broken bowl, containing a bright red octahedral crystal, no bigger than a thumb.

The apprentices were so startled by the thunder that they sat down on the ground.

Lin Bo had just manipulated sunlight and lightning to shatter the completed philosopher's vessel. After more than a month of hard work, he had finally succeeded.

The Tower Dragon whispered praises in the mage's ear, and even the spirit of the world was moved by the true philosopher's stone.

Although it's only the size of a thumb, it's the best result that could be achieved with the combined efforts of the title "Fault Alchemy Rescue Expert" and the Tower Dragon.

Generally speaking, someone who can make a philosopher's stone the size of a few grains of sand can already call themselves an alchemy master.

Linbo thanked the Tower Dragon for its assistance, which greatly improved the success rate. It, too, was accustomed to the mage's etiquette and simply replied softly, "You're welcome."

The Philosopher Stone, once refined, has already revealed its true name to Lin Bo: a dragon language rune.

With this item, he easily prepared an elixir of immortality, which took only five hours and consumed a small amount of philosopher stones.

The elixir of immortality was like liquid gold shimmering with starlight. The Grand Master divided one portion of the solution into seven. After his disciples took it, they gradually felt their vitality restored, their bones became stronger and their muscles more robust, their lost teeth sprouted new buds, and new black hairs emerged from their white hair.

They bowed and wept in gratitude, and the Grand Master smiled and said, "Your crying is even louder than before." Then the disciples burst into laughter through their tears, their joy and sorrow mingling together.

After cleaning up the mess, they took the elevator out of the underground workshop. The archmage was still as youthful as ever, while his old disciples, one by one, were nimble and agile, gradually regaining their youthful appearance over the next few days. To avoid shocking the world, they spontaneously used magic spells to disguise themselves.

As February came to a close, the effects of the Sleeping Serpent's Gift were completely exhausted, and Lin Bo ended his winter hibernation period.

The reverberation of the radio prototype had also reached a new level, and the growth momentum had completely slowed down.

Therefore, without further hesitation, they chose to sacrifice it.

"Confirm the sacrifice."

[Collected Echoes: Summoning God Radio - Prototype]

Reverberation level: Clear

Compatibility: Psychic 45%, Mechanical 35%, Mysticism 20%
Description: The world's first radio transceiver revolutionized human communication, and its broadcasts gave rise to numerous extraordinary tales. Legend has it that radio waves could reach God's kingdom in heaven, and that calling for help in times of crisis might result in miraculous assistance.

(End of this chapter)