Starting with the sentries on the frontier

Rowan first taught Zag the basics of alchemy, namely the classification of alchemical materials.

This is actually basic knowledge of magic, but Zag had never been exposed to it before and was a complete novice, so Rowan had to teach him from scratch.

"In magic science, all magical materials can be broadly classified into five categories: water, fire, wind, earth, and spirit. It is important to note that this concept should be distinguished from the material principles of alchemy, which state that 'all matter is composed of sulfur, mercury, and salt.'"

"Mithril, for example, is a typical earth element material, which explains why you can feel it vibrating when you touch it."

"Because the five elements correspond to taste, sight, smell, touch and spirituality respectively—this is in the mystical sense. People with low spirituality cannot perceive these senses, just like when they touch mithril, it is no different from touching ordinary metal."

Zag listened attentively, taking notes, and then, during a break in Rowan's explanation, asked his question: "Wait, forgive my bluntness, but what does 'all matter is made up of sulfur, mercury, and salt' mean?"

Rowan replied, "This is the principle of the 'three elements' in alchemy, which does not refer to worldly matter, but rather to a mystical concept. Normally, we would consider sulfur to be the soul, representing flammability and activity; mercury to be the spirit, representing volatility and changeability; and salt to be the body, representing fixity and inertness."

"Flammability, volatility, and fixity are the material properties of magical materials in alchemy, while activity, variability, and inertness are magical properties."

Zag frantically waved his quill, then carefully reviewed his notes, asking with a critical eye, "So, a substance that simultaneously possesses elemental properties, physical properties, and magical properties, right?"

"Yes, you are a very smart student."

Rowan nodded and then began teaching the first alchemy experiment.

She dispensed the healing sap she had just bought from Zag into tiny glass bottles, each containing one liter of taran.

Then, he took two more materials. One of them was something Zag recognized: Oxagen powder. He didn't recognize the powder itself, since you can't tell the material from the powder. He only recognized the words on the bottle containing the Oxagen powder.

Another one is called "Origin Lake Water," a magical material that Zag assured him he had never heard of before.

Rowan first weighed 15 grains of Oxagen powder on a balance scale, placed it in a heating pan, turned on the heater, and set it to a low temperature. He explained, "This Oxagen powder is already cooked. This is part of the preliminary work for alchemical experiments—pre-processing all the magical materials you use as much as possible for easier storage and use. Oxagen is rarely used in recipes, so in most cases, alchemists will cook and grind it."

"Then why do we need to heat it up?"

"High temperatures can accelerate the magical reactions between magical materials."

This was another point of knowledge, and Zag hurriedly jotted it down in his notebook.

"These Origin Lake waters are distilled by me. If they were raw materials collected from elsewhere, they would need to be distilled before use. As you know, the Origin Lake waters are located around the Ancestral Tree, the sacred ground of the pure-blooded elves. The magical elements there are very active. If they are not distilled, the magical element impurities in the lake water will affect the results of the alchemy experiments."

"The distillation method is also very simple, I'll explain it next time. Today I'll demonstrate the most basic gold refining method for you."

Rowan said, taking a clean glass bottle. He first poured the water from Origin Lake into the bottle, then added about one-third of the bottle of healing slime—about one volume of Skruppel—and then stirred them thoroughly with a mithril rod.

At this point, the oxaden powder had finished heating, so Rowan turned off the heating device, picked up the entire heating plate with tweezers, poured the oxaden powder into the Origin Lake water that had been mixed with the healing mucus, and continued to stir.

"Normally, the Origin Lake water needs to be heated in order to fully utilize the magical reaction, but this time the magical materials contain healing slime, which has the property of solidifying irreversibly when exposed to high temperatures. Therefore, it must first be fully mixed with the Origin Lake water at room temperature before adding the heated Osage powder."

Finally, Rowan concluded: "That's how alchemy works; you need to consider the properties of all magical materials."

In Rowan's glass bottle, the originally pale green liquid gradually became clearer and eventually transparent after being mixed with oxazone powder and stirred.

"In terms of effectiveness, this basic healing potion with fundamental healing and calming effects is now complete. I invented this formula, well, because normal alchemists wouldn't make healing slime into an internal alchemical potion, since its main function is for external injuries. But... well, my clients are mostly noble ladies and wives who are unlikely to suffer external injuries, aren't they?"

Rosa shook the transparent potion in her hand, took out a bottle of dark green liquid from the cabinet, and dripped two drops into the transparent potion. Instantly, the potion turned dark green and began to shimmer. Under the illumination of the magic lamp in the room, it flowed with colorful light.

Zag looked curiously at the bottle of dark green liquid and asked, "What is this?"

Rosa's smile became somewhat meaningful as she replied, "The coloring... it's made from powdered green plants like tricolor, mint, and olives. The shimmering stuff in it is extracted from the powder on the wings of ghost butterflies. Besides making this alchemical potion look better, these things also help to adjust the flavor. You know, a fresh, natural plant-based taste will make those noble ladies and wives feel more at ease."

"This is a business tactic, not a true form of alchemy. I guess you understand."

Zag suddenly realized: "Yes, I understand. Just like tying a green ribbon in a bow on a bottle, or putting a card describing the effects in a wooden box containing medicine, these are all ways to provide emotional value to customers."

Make money, not shabby.

"Brilliant! I never thought of that!" Rosa looked at Zag in surprise, even joking, "I think you should go into business instead of studying alchemy! Tying a ribbon into a bow on a potion bottle... what a brilliant idea!"

Zha Ge awkwardly touched his nose. He couldn't very well say that he had learned all of these marketing techniques from modern times and was just using them on the spot, could he?

"Haha, it was just a sudden thought."

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【Tria Prima Theory】: The Tria Prima theory is an alchemical concept proposed by the classical alchemist Paracelsus Hohenheim, which states that all substances are composed of sulfur, mercury, and salt.

Of course, in this theoretical system, sulfur is the soul, representing combustibility and activity; mercury is the spirit, representing volatility and variability; and salt is the body, representing fixity and inertness.