Starting with the sentries on the frontier

On Monday, after another "Alchemy Class," Ms. Rowan was very pleased to commend Zag's notes.

"If the apprentices at the Golden Palace worked as hard as you, the standard five-year program might be shortened to four!"

She flipped through Zag's notes. It wasn't just a collection of knowledge points and key points; he had even divided alchemy into two main parts: practice and theory. The practice part was further divided into several operational methods such as grinding, distillation, separation, fusion, and enchanting. Then, he clearly marked the key points of each part and each operational method with numbers, making it easy to understand. Even ordinary people who knew nothing about alchemy could probably get started by following these notes as long as they could read.

Zha Ge smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

Any adult with normal intelligence who has received nine years of compulsory education in modern times understands that classification method. Even if alchemy in this world is not yet systematically classified, they can summarize it roughly by comparing it with the chemistry and biology classes they have taken.

To put it bluntly, he was just standing on the shoulders of giants.

"Perhaps you could try making an alchemical potion from scratch. Just take some magical materials from here, and you can also take a set of mortar and pestle back with you. Then start with drying and grinding, and try the methods in your notes. When you need high-temperature fusion and enchanting later, you can use the alchemical experimental table here."

Rowan, speaking, took a mortar and pestle from the cabinet, then led Zag to the storeroom. Looking at the pile of experimental materials, he pondered for a moment, then took an oxaden root, a sprig of lily of the valley, and a black pine cone. He placed them, along with the mortar and pestle, into a wooden box, handed it to Zag, and added, "I guess what you most want to learn is [Healing Hands], so let's start by trying to make your own [Healing Hands]!"

Zag held the wooden box, somewhat surprised: "I thought its formula was a secret."

"The 'Mrs. Weyland's Healing Elixir' is a closely guarded secret, and it's the core of the 'Healing Hand' formula. The other ingredients aren't, and the formula itself has long been public knowledge. In fact, many shops, to save on transportation costs, only purchase the 'Mrs. Weyland's Healing Elixir' from the Weyland Corporation, and then re-create the 'Healing Hand' at Mrs. Weyland's aromatherapy shops in various locations. That's why the 'Healing Hand' isn't as effective in some places—it's because the alchemists there aren't quite up to par… Of course, mine will definitely be fine!"

Rowan said, winking with a smile.

Zag was still grateful that Rowan was willing to teach him the recipe for "Healing Hand," even though "Lady Weyland's Healing Potion" was not cheap, it was still much cheaper than buying the finished "Healing Hand" directly.

He glanced down at the mortar and pestle in the wooden box and asked, "I guess the oxacanth and black pine cones are ground, but what about the lily of the valley? I remember you said that grinding it is poisonous."

Rowan replied, "Break it into a broth. While cooked lily of the valley is indeed poisonous, the concentrated purple broth is non-toxic and has a very good stabilizing effect, making it the most important stabilizer in this recipe."

"In addition, black pine cones do not need to be cooked. You can grind the black pine kernels directly into a paste. Its function is to harmonize the magical effects between the powder and liquid in the alchemical potion, so that it will not produce a lot of sediment due to incomplete magic."

"Actually, black pine nut oil would be more effective, but the oil extraction process is too complicated, and buying it separately is ridiculously expensive. In comparison, grinding black pine nuts into a paste is more cost-effective. The only difference in the final product is the consistency of the texture, and it does not affect the efficacy of the medicine itself."

Zag quickly pulled out his notebook and started jotting down key points: "I understand... the black pine cone acts as a catalyst... so it seems that most alchemical potions require stabilizers, and a small number require catalysts..."

Rowan repeated curiously, "Catalyst?"

This word is actually a compound word that Zag himself created. If translated directly into the Kingdom's common language, it would be something like "stimulant," or more accurately, "stimulant." But Zag understands that it actually corresponds to "catalyst" in modern chemistry.

Zag replied, "That's why I named it that—because it's the part that stimulates the magical materials to undergo enchantment."

"A brilliant idea, a truly brilliant summary. Indeed, many magical materials are too inert and must be stimulated by other magical materials before they can be enchanted and fused, but I never thought of naming it a 'catalyst'... Remember, in the alchemical 'three elements' theory, inertia is a magical property... Hmm, perhaps we should add the prefix 'magic'. I should write to my teacher about this..." Rowan's gaze towards Zag grew even more admiring: "But extracting it as a concept is indeed a very good idea. It seems you not only have high spirituality, but also an outstanding talent for learning."

Feeling quite embarrassed by the praise, Zag piled the notebook he had just finished taking notes on top of the wooden box, then hugged it tightly and replied, "Thank you for your compliment."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two concluded their day's work and study.

Meanwhile, Snowball had just finished entertaining his "good friend cat".

In fact, that morning, after Mrs. Marsh saw Helford and looked at him with a shocked and speechless expression, Zag quickly grabbed a small creamy fishbone bread and went to work. Helford's miserable dog life began.

Soon, he was forced to wear a pink floral vest that Mrs. Marsh had temporarily sewn for him, and had to shrink into a corner next to the dining room sofa and isolate himself.

He didn't really want to wear this thing; he'd rather be bald. But Mrs. Marsh was convinced that in the weather, Helford would catch a cold if he were bald like this, so she forced him to wear this little vest made from a tablecloth.

Snowball laughed and meowed, insisting on perching on Herford's head, like a lion surveying its territory, directing Herford to walk back and forth in the house. It even called two of its good friend cats—actually fairies—to come and admire Herford's appearance, which made Herford even more withdrawn.

The two best friends, a short-haired calico and a long-haired white cat, were both long-time fairies who had lived in the Eastern Port for a long time and had experienced the Great Calamity. They had seen it all, but...

I've never seen a werewolf turn into a dog before!

For a while, the three harpies watched Helford through the glass, then kept meowing in the garden.

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[Dawn Magic Encyclopedia] Deathbell Lily of the Valley, a common plant growing in the Taiyuan region of northern China, possesses magical properties and is poisonous. Its flowers can be used to make dyes and are also a commonly used magical material.