My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 331 The Philosopher's Stone

"That's great!"

Tong Hua closed his eyes and concentrated, and an unprecedented, vast and profound knowledge and insight flooded into his mind like a sudden awakening.

If the first thing that came to his mind when he unlocked the Alchemist class was the introductory manual, then it was this.

Now that he has become a capable alchemist, what appears in Tong Hua's mind is a vast and profound "encyclopedia".

All the alchemy recipes I had tried in the past came to mind naturally, and I could easily spot any irregularities or areas for improvement.

Tong Hua felt that his understanding of alchemy had jumped from "knowing what" to "knowing why".

Even his mental strength has undergone a qualitative leap. He can retrieve objects from a distance without relying on the magic wand or the magic book, making it several times more useful than the wave guide.

"Not bad, not bad—" Tong Hua nodded, then slowly opened her eyes.

"But then again, I didn't expect this mission to have an extra reward."

He opened his eyes and looked at the item that had appeared on the workbench after submitting the levitation quest, in addition to the regular experience and Alliance Coin rewards.

It was a fist-sized, deep, translucent dark red gemstone with an irregular shape, seemingly formed naturally, yet subtly exuding a perfect geometric feel.

It lay quietly on the workbench, in the dim light of the alchemy workshop, its interior seemingly pulsating with a lava-like light, radiating a gentle yet profound energy fluctuation.

Tong Hua and the newly returned Tibrim both held their breath, their eyes fixed on the gem.

"This, this is—"

Tibrim's voice trembled with disbelief as she cautiously approached, hesitant to use her telekinesis to touch her.

"Bree—could this really be?"

"The Philosopher's Stone!"

Tong Hua and Tibrim blurted out at the same time, their voices echoing in the silent alchemy workshop, filled with uncontrollable shock and ecstasy.

[Philosopher's Stone (Prototype): Quality B. A medium that facilitates the transformation of base metals into precious metals. It is currently incomplete and its effect is not perfect. Recommended processing methods (alchemy, gold engraving).]

"Wait, what are you surprised about, Brie?"

Where did this thing come from, Bree?

Once she calmed down, Tibrim immediately realized what was happening and looked at Tong Hua suspiciously.

"Are you hiding something from me, Brie, again?!"

Tong Hua felt a little uneasy under Tibrim's gaze. He scratched his head, chuckled dryly, and his mind raced as he tried to figure out how to get out of this.

"No way!"

This is a semi-finished product I casually concocted. Try it and see how it goes!

The Philosopher's Stone, the legendary pinnacle of alchemy, is said to be able to turn lead into gold, create elixirs of immortality, and even create life. The one before us is only in its nascent form and of only B quality, but the significance it represents and the possibilities it contains are enough to drive any alchemist mad.

"Bree————"

Sensing that Tong Hua was clearly changing the subject, Tibriam looked him up and down suspiciously, then glanced at the alluring red gem on the workbench.

"Never mind, Bree————"

In the end, Tibrim gave up on investigating further, his hat brim drooping limply. "Anyway, you're a weirdo."

This isn't the only strange thing that's happened to Bree.

Rather than tracing its origin, the thing itself is the key, Bree!

She refocused her attention on the Philosopher's Stone, her eyes burning with intensity.

"The Philosopher's Stone! This is the Philosopher's Stone!"

With this, it should only be a matter of time before I can concoct a potion that restores me to human form, right?

"That's right!"

Tong Hua immediately seized the opportunity to change the subject, saying, "So what we should do now is test its specific effects, familiarize ourselves with its characteristics, and then we can use it in the most critical places."

These words struck at Tibrim’s deepest desire, and she immediately floated to the worktable, her little hands nervously clasped together.

"Bree! What are we waiting for, Brie! Let's try it out, Brie!"

"Okay! Let's do a simple test first."

Tong Hua took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement, and glanced at the remaining materials on the worktable.

He picked up a small piece of the most common copper ingot and a pinch of ordinary quartz sand.

"The most basic and well-known ability of the Philosopher's Stone is transformation."

Tong Hua placed the copper ingot and quartz sand in a clean crucible, and then carefully picked up the warm, smooth shape of the Philosopher's Stone.

"It's said to be able to turn stone into gold—so let's start with the most basic metal transformation."

Tong Hua gently placed the prototype of the Philosopher's Stone about an inch above the copper ingot and quartz sand, without direct contact.

He closed his eyes, trying to connect his mental energy with the deep red gem.

The moment Tong Hua's spiritual power cautiously touched the nascent form of the Philosopher's Stone, he felt as if he had connected to a silent, deep red ocean.

The next second, a miraculous scene unfolded—

The originally deep red Philosopher's Stone prototype suddenly shone with a soft yet unusually solid dark golden light.

The light flowed down as if it were alive, forming a semi-transparent light shield that completely enveloped the copper ingots and quartz sand below.

The copper ingots and quartz sand in the crucible began to undergo visible changes inside the photomask!

First, the quartz sand appears to be decomposed and purified by an invisible force. Impurities are released as fine black dust, while the pure silica portion begins to emit a faint, metallic luster.

Next up was that ordinary copper ingot! Its surface color began to change rapidly, transitioning from a reddish-copper color to a brighter, more stable pale gold!

The texture also seems to be repeatedly forged and refined by an invisible hand, becoming more delicate.

This process lasted for about ten seconds—the dark golden light shield gradually dissipated, and the light inside the Philosopher's Stone prototype seemed to dim slightly, regaining its warm, dark red hue.

Tong Hua and Tibrim both eagerly approached the crucible.

The copper ingots and quartz sand that had originally filled the pot had vanished, replaced by several pieces of yellowish-brown material, condensed dozens of times in volume, yet shimmering with an alluring luster.

"Why has it shrunk?"

"You idiot, Tong Hua! This is an equivalent exchange! You call yourself an alchemist? Don't you even understand, Bree?!"

Tibrim gave Tong Hua a sharp tap on the head, the brim of his hat trembling with anger.

"Even the Philosopher's Stone can't conjure matter out of thin air, Bree!"

It simply allows matter to spontaneously undergo "transformation" and "purification," Brie!

Your small piece of copper and a handful of sand, after transformation and high refining, can be turned into these few small pieces of pure gold, which is already quite remarkable.

"An incredible miracle happened to Bree!"

Tong Hua covered her head, finally realizing what was happening. One of the fundamental principles of alchemy is "equivalent exchange"—matter cannot be created or destroyed out of thin air, it can only be transformed.

"In that case—does that mean we don't need to concoct any fantasy drugs?"

"Can't you just transform your body into a human?"

"That's why I said you don't know anything about this, Brie—" Tibrim shook her head helplessly, then began to explain.

"What you're saying is absolutely impossible, Bree—"

Tibrim's tone was somewhat complicated. She looked at the few pieces of newly formed gold, then at Tong Hua, her eyes under the brim of her hat appearing particularly serious.

"What made me this way is the curse that pervades this world, the curse upon the existence of witches," or rather, a "distortion" rooted in the very rules of the world—"