Although Gaode did not yet have much knowledge of the Mage world, he could understand just how absurd this ability of Enhancing Magic truly was. This was a sublimation of the very essence of Magic!
"A complete Origin can enhance a Magic of the corresponding Same Tier. If I master more Magic in the future and enhance all the Magic I have learned..." Just thinking about it was enough to make Gaode excited.
What was this equivalent to? It was like everyone else playing the standard version of a game while he played a modded version—this was even more badass than being a "Krypton Gold" warrior!
"Is this your true effect?" Gaode's attention shifted back to the Crescent-shaped gem floating in the very center of his Magic Star Sea, his heart filled with awe. At this moment, he already understood that this gem was absolutely an extraordinary supreme treasure; or rather, it should be called a priceless artifact.
While marveling at the miraculous nature of the Crescent gem, Gaode pulled another Gray-eyed Mouse from the cage. With a familiar SNAP, he sent it on its way once again. His Heart and Spirit immersed into his mind.
Within the gem, after the set of "Big Dipper" representing the Origin of the Gray-eyed Mouse merged into the Magic Model of [Repair Skill], only a single point of light remained flashing. This eighth Gray-eyed Mouse did not light up a new point of light for Gaode.
Origin:
0th Ring — [Human] (1/7), [Gray-eyed Mouse] (Used)
"A single biological species can only provide one point of Origin..." Gaode had anticipated this, but a guess was just a guess; it ultimately needed to be verified through practice. It was clear that although the Crescent gem was powerful, it was not without its limits.
However, even with its various restrictions, and even though Gaode currently did not know the upper limit of the gem's Enhancing Magic—whether it could only enhance 0th Ring Magic—this Crescent gem still deserved to be evaluated as a priceless treasure. Because even though 0th Ring Magic seemingly possessed a low Same Tier, it was entirely created by historically renowned Great Mages. It was rigorous and perfect, passed down for countless years without anyone being able to innovate or enhance it. One could easily imagine just how incredibly difficult the act of Enhancing Magic itself was.
"Just what exactly are you? You followed me to this world and possess such unimaginable power..." Gaode thought to himself, secretly taking it to heart. A common man is innocent, but hoarding treasure is a crime. If outsiders knew he possessed such an item, greedy people would flood in instantly, trying everything to kill him and seize the treasure. Not to mention anyone else, Mage Seda would probably be the first to kill him for it.
"I must be extremely careful in the future. I can never let a careless word expose the existence of this treasure."
Fortunately, this gem had already taken root in his Magic Star Sea. As long as he did not actively broadcast it, who could ever imagine that he possessed such a precious artifact? Moreover, because of the gem's existence, Gaode saw a tiny, fleeting glimmer of hope to escape his current perilous situation for the very first time.
By purchasing Magic Formulas with lethal power, mastering new Magic, and then using the gem for Enhancing Magic, there might be a slight chance for him to directly resist Mage Seda. Looking at the magnificent gem in his Magic Star Sea, Gaode decided to give it a name. After all, it was not just a simple gemstone; it only looked like one. Its true essence was some kind of miraculous treasure, and it rightfully deserved a name.
Gaode looked at the Crescent-like "gem," then associated it with its miraculous effect, which was akin to a game mod. His mind stirred, and a flash of inspiration brought a highly fitting name to the forefront of his mind. "I'll call you...
"Wind Spirit Moon Shadow!"
...
Gaode forcefully suppressed the excitement in his heart, acting as if nothing had happened. He cleaned up the carcass of the Gray-eyed Mouse and then went to the dining hall for lunch. The afternoon was still working hours. The daily work in the Medicinal Garden mostly consisted of cultivating and processing medicinal herbs, as well as preparing some simple Potions for Mage Seda.
Though they were called simple potions, there were actually only three people capable of handling this job. Everything required talent, and Gaode was the most capable among all the apprentices. Therefore, he was fortunate enough to have a separate "workspace."
Of course, he had learned all of this from Amy; she had even pointed his workspace out to him, otherwise he truly wouldn't have been able to find it. Gaode's workspace wasn't large. It consisted of a long workbench, upon which lay various tools needed for preparing potions. On one side of the workbench was a foot-operated bellows, a furnace, and several hanging crucibles of various sizes.
The bellows were used to control the heat. He had heard that Advanced Alchemists all relied on Magic to heat things; not only was it convenient, but the heat control was also much more precise. On the other end of the workbench stood a large shelving unit. Rows upon rows of raw materials required for potion-making were arranged on it, stored in various different containers. After carefully scanning this familiar yet strange environment, Gaode took a deep breath. "Let's begin."
His task for the afternoon was to prepare a dose of Basic Spider Venom Potion. Just as Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, and Array Masters were known as the "Three Royal Families" of secondary professions in immortal cultivation novels, this world also possessed many disciplines related to Magic, such as Golem Study, Scroll Study, and so on. However, these were minor paths; the three disciplines with the highest recognition had always been these three: Alchemy, Magic Potion, and the most mysterious Rune Science.
Alchemy could be compared to Artifact Refining, and Magic Potion was even easier to understand—Alchemy. As for Rune Science, given his predecessor's volume of knowledge, he truly had no corresponding understanding of this discipline. Regardless, as one of the three major disciplines, the knowledge required for Magic Potion was profound. It was absolutely not as simple as Gaode had seen in some Western movies and TV shows, where one just tossed all the ingredients into a pot in order and boiled them.
First of all, before preparing the Potion, the required materials had to undergo Demonization. Demonization could release the properties of the materials, and through the Alchemist's precise control, align them more closely with the requirements of the Potion. This was a very crucial step, and simultaneously one of extremely high difficulty. The reason most apprentices couldn't perform the task of preparing potions was because they were stuck on this very step.
Gaode narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling all the details in his mind once again.
"Snake Tooth Grass x1, Mountain Wormwood x1, Green Spider Sac x1..."
Relying on his memory, Gaode took down the main materials needed for preparing the Basic Spider Venom Potion from the nearby shelf and set them aside.
Following that, he took out the Snake Tooth Grass and placed it into a wooden bowl on the table that looked ordinary and, in fact, was extremely ordinary. After calming himself slightly, Gaode stared at the grayish-green Snake Tooth Grass in the wooden bowl. He channeled his Spiritual Power, and his five senses became exceptionally sharp at this moment.
About two minutes later, in his field of vision, some unusual things appeared on the surface of the Snake Tooth Grass. Spiral ripples resembling DNA strands, sharp jagged ripples, wavy ripples... Nearly seven or eight kinds of ripples were being released from the Snake Tooth Grass in a peculiar yet regular pattern. Gaode knew that these ripples were the physical manifestation of the Snake Tooth Grass's various properties.
The Snake Tooth Grass was not a rare medicinal herb, but it still possessed seven or eight medicinal properties. Naturally, to prepare the Basic Spider Venom Potion, he only needed one property—the "toxin." With a solemn expression, Gaode reached out his hand to touch the Snake Tooth Grass in the wooden bowl. At the same time, the Mana in his body flowed out accordingly, concentrating in his palm before crawling along his fingers onto the surface of the Snake Tooth Grass. It then continuously flowed into the sharp jagged ripples, as if charging it up.
Consequently, all the ripples aside from the sharp jagged ones representing the "toxin" property of the Snake Tooth Grass stopped releasing for a fleeting moment. It seemed the stillness of the other ripples gave the sharp jagged ripples more room to expand. Coupled with Gaode's "charging," its volume suddenly doubled at this moment. But the stillness only lasted for an instant.
Soon, the other ripples were released from the Snake Tooth Grass once again, squeezing into the space now occupied by the sharp jagged ripples that didn't originally belong to them. However, the jagged ripples had gained too much momentum. These returning ripples could only reclaim a fraction of their territory; the vast majority of the space was still firmly occupied by the jagged ripples.
Seeing that he had succeeded, Gaode, whose nerves had been highly strung, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that the Demonization of this stalk of Snake Tooth Grass was complete and silently withdrew his Mana. The entire Demonization process, from beginning to end, took less than a minute, but the toll it took on Gaode's Spiritual Power and Mana was not small.
The Snake Tooth Grass was merely an ordinary herb without any Tier. One could easily imagine how much more Spiritual Power and Mana would be required to Demonize High Tier herbs. It was no wonder people said that a powerful Alchemist must also be a powerful Mage. Although this was Gaode's first time performing the Demonization procedure, his predecessor had already done it many times. Muscle memory ensured he didn't make a single mistake.
With the experience from this attempt, the Demonization of the remaining materials was even easier. Soon, all the materials were completely Demonized. The first step of the work was considered finished; the next step was to process the materials.