[PSYCHOSIS LEVEL: 49/125]
[USER: Siderius ’Snow’ Satterblade]
[WITCH HUNTER RANK: OCULUS EXTIMA I]
[ALCHEMIST RANK: SILVER I]
[MERCURY EXTRACT: 13/150]
[PSYCHOSIS LEVEL: 49/125]
[TOXICITY LEVEL: 0/100]
The time it took for the psychosis to lower had extended even more. Now it took Siderius four hours to lower one point of Psychosis.
It was one of the natural side effects of meditation technique. Nine Rings was simply much slower than the other technique. However, it was much safer. And Siderius only cared about that.
As he conquered more and more psychosis, the essence of the owl further developed within him.
Flashes of images revealed like pages on a book and Siderius could see into its memory further.
The interesting thing was beside the memory, there was something else. A fade connection to something primal and powerful. It wasn’t the connection between the owl and Lyara.
As Siderius dissolved the essence of the owl, this connection with the witch had grown weaker and weaker. But a different connection arose. A connection to an element that Siderius knew very well.
Dark Aether. Or in its full name, Dark-Chasing Aether.
Some called it Chakra. A few called it Mana or Corruption. The most popular term in Siderius’ old world was Magic.
The breaker of rules and bending of reality. Only it was capable of exceeding the laws of the universe and bent the world to its will.
When Siderius opened his eyes again, he could faintly see the trace of Dark Aether in this world.
True Aether was dust of gold. While Dark Aether was a black void of changing matter. Sometimes it was in solid form and sometimes it was a liquid or gas. It never had a stable state, always changing from one to another.
Dark Aether was very scarce in Siderius’ old world. But here, its trace was everywhere, lingering behind the curtains of matters, hidden from the naked eyes.
This was purely a temporary state as Siderius’ vision slowly returned to normal.
However, before it was completely gone, he could see where the traces of Dark Aether were most concentrated in Mucktown.
It was in the small castle at the farthest end of the town, where the Bailiff and other high officials lived. This included High Noble like Lyara. She was probably there at this time of the night.
"Interesting." Siderius mumbled.
The owl’s nature as a familiar had somehow elevated Siderius’ sensitivity with magic, or more precisely, Dark Aether.
This was both a good and bad sign.
The positive aspect of it was that its side effect was much less than what Siderius anticipated. He hadn’t gone completely crazy nor became a slave to a witch.
The negative aspect was the sensitivity with magic itself. Witch magic was corruption. The more you delved into it, the more it would control you.
The nature of Dark Aether was destruction. And if Siderius absorbed it, he would soon destroy himself or everything else around him.
That was also the nature of the witches and the reason why they belonged in the Kingdom of Chaos.
Siderius didn’t worry too much though. As he was different from the witches. The witch relied purely on Dark Aether to become more powerful. The alchemist, however, could also make use of it in a safer and controlled way.
But in contrast to giving in to Dark Aether, the alchemist simply used it to elevate their soul. Further enhancing it and protecting it from the corruption of magic.
"Maybe this could lead me to unravel the two hundred years limitation." Siderius thought silently.
He still hadn’t forgotten his goal coming here. That was to find out the reason why the human of his world could never live another day passed two hundred years old.
It almost seemed like an unwritten rule of the universe. And what better to break that rule than Dark Aether itself.
Siderius stood up and dusted his knees. He and Ashe examined the forge. The source of thɪs content is N0veI.Fiɾe.net
Once he was sure the reaction was complete, Siderius used the tongs to remove the crucible out of the fire pit.
The pyrite had reacted completely, leaving inside the crystal a dark red powder and a cloud of colorless gas.
"Is that red powder what we needed, Master?" Ashe asked curiously.
"No, my apprentice. That powder is simply a byproduct of the process. The actual thing we need is the invisible gas that is locked inside this crystal."
Siderius carefully removed the salt crystal and placed it on the ground. He used another Salt Isolation Seal to separate the red rust and the gas into two containers.
Next, he drew another seal to add water and oxygen into the salt crystal that contained the gas. This crystal sphere was also the one that contained the Earth element from Grayground.
Once the vitriol oil formed, normal salt barriers would not be able to withstand the violent process. Only the fortification from the Earth element could help it stay together.
The seal Siderius used wasn’t Salt Crystallization but was the Directing Agent that he had used to make the saltpetre.
The same process applies. By fusing the new gas with water, he received the lesser version of the vitriol oil. This version would not be that useful in making the explosive projectiles that he wanted, it needed to be enhanced further.
Oxygen could fill this role. With the Salt Directing Seal, oxygen was slowly being incorporated into the substance, turning this lesser version into the corrosive acid that Siderius knew so well.
The oxidation process required careful manipulation and took quite a bit of time. So Siderius had to stay focused and elegantly control the seal throughout the process.
Ashe was ordered to put out the forge as they were finished working with it. She kneeled close to Siderius, intensely observing the way he manipulated the Alchemical Seal and elements.
Once the vitriol oil began to form, it began to sizzle and even ate into the salt barrier. Thankfully, the crystal sphere held on due to the Earth element.
They finished everything before dawn and retreated from Mucktown before everyone could spot them.
Back in Ashe’s house.
"What exactly are we creating, Master?" Ashe asked.
"Explosives, my apprentice. Explosive projectiles to use with the sling you made for me."
In Siderius’ hand was a crystal bottle made out of pure salt. Inside was the clear oil of vitriol that he had spent all night making. He still needed to concentrate it further and remove excess water.
However, in this state, the oil was already deadly enough.
To show its ability, Siderius poured a single drop of the oil onto the wooden floor. It ate into the wood surface and created a sizzling sound.
Ashe gasped and widened her eyes.