Chapter 68: Alchemical Civilization
The alchemy laboratory was filled with intense heat. A fist-sized gelatinous mass floated in midair, emitting a blinding, scorching golden light. Even staring directly at it caused a stinging pain in the eyeballs.
At this moment, Apollo, even without detonating, gave off a strong sense of dread.
With a click, Su Xiao pulled the lever, cutting off the energy supply to the catalytic device. The floating Apollo slowly descended, finally landing on its support rack.
After several world progressions of development and the investment of a large amount of resources, Apollo had finally completed its third modification.
[Blazing Sun's Wrath · Apollo]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise · Contractor No. 13013
Quality: Holy Spirit Rank
Type: Consumable · Explosive
Effect: Upon detonation, deals 15,300 points of True Scorching Flame damage within 3,000 meters and creates a Solar Flame deflagration.
Note: After the explosion ends, surviving units will undergo a Stamina Judgment. If they fail the judgment, they will suffer internal combustion, taking 12 points of Flame Burn damage per second for 10 to 30 minutes (7,200 to 21,600 points of Burn damage).
Note: While suffering the internal combustion effect, the enemy's potion recovery rate is reduced by 70%. Energy-based healing is unaffected.
Note: Detonating Blazing Sun's Wrath · Apollo requires 15 seconds.
Rating: 1,000 points
Description: The Solar Flame will burn everything, purifying all.
...
Apollo's properties had changed. After the explosion and burning, it would also inflict a continuous burn effect on surviving enemies. As for the Stamina Judgment, after being scorched by the Solar Flame, unless an enemy's Stamina attribute was absurdly high, they would be unable to pass this judgment.
Take the Archbishop, for example. If hit by Apollo, there was over a 95% chance he would fail the Stamina Judgment, allowing the Solar Flame to invade his body, causing internal combustion.
Apollo's power and blast radius were never issues Su Xiao needed to worry about. The main concern was the detonation time.
Apollo's detonation time was as long as 15 seconds. Don't think this is too long. Initially, Apollo's detonation time was a full 30 seconds, half a minute.
With the first modification, Su Xiao reduced Apollo's detonation time to 28 seconds. The second time, to 25. The third time, this time, he successfully reduced it to 15 seconds. This was the limit of what Su Xiao could achieve.
Within the seventh rank, ordinary enemies hit by Apollo would be instantly incinerated into a gaseous state. Elite units might have a chance to scream once before turning to ashes. For a big boss, even if they survived the explosion damage, they would have to endure the subsequent internal combustion, leaving them either dead or crippled.
Along with the increased power came the increased cost. The manufacturing requirements were as follows.
[Blazing Sun's Wrath · Apollo: Each creation requires 4,000 Mana Points, Fire Gold (1,352g), Sun Fragment (12g), Flame Flow Crystal Block (26g), and Soul Crystal (Large) x2.]
Su Xiao was not short on the required Fire Gold and Soul Crystals. The main problem was the Sun Fragments and Flame Flow Crystal Blocks.
The former was an extremely rare meteorite, while the latter was a resource produced from the planet's core. Although he could exchange Soul Coins for these two, given Su Xiao's authority, he could only exchange 16 grams of Sun Fragments and 28 grams of Flame Flow Crystal Blocks per world progression. This was only enough to manufacture one [Blazing Sun's Wrath · Apollo]. If it failed, he would have to wait for the next world progression.
The cost wasn't high; the two together only cost 10 Soul Coins. The main issue was the scarcity.
Putting [Blazing Sun's Wrath · Apollo] into his storage space, Su Xiao was never one to be rigid. Since those two materials were scarce, he would look for materials with similar properties to replace them, but he just hadn't found any yet.
Su Xiao hadn't planned to fight in the Tree Arena recently, so he had a lot of free time. He took out the Alchemy Codex and opened it to the first page. On it, engravings arranged as neatly as text appeared before his eyes.
There were a total of 275 engravings on the first page of the Alchemy Codex. Su Xiao had already deciphered 198. That meant, after deciphering another 77 engravings, he would finish the first page. Turning this page would reveal the alchemical formula recorded on its back.
What Su Xiao most hoped to get was a Recovery Potion formula, followed by a Permanent Enhancement Potion formula. As for explosive formulas, a lightweight explosive would also be very good.
Su Xiao's fingertip landed on the 198th engraving. His mental energy flowed along his finger, merging into the first page of the Alchemy Codex. Various alchemical knowledge appeared in his mind, and he entered a 'world' consisting only of alchemical knowledge.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Xiao suddenly felt the alchemical knowledge rapidly pouring into his mind come to an abrupt halt. The deciphering of the first page of the Alchemy Codex was complete.
[Alchemy Bomb Manufacturing has been increased to Lv.43 (Increased by Lv.5).]
[Alchemy Potion Manufacturing has been increased to Lv.43 (Increased by Lv.5).]
[Alchemy Creature Manufacturing has been increased to Lv.43 (Increased by Lv.5).]
[Plant Harmonization Chapter has been increased to Lv.61 (Increased by Lv.6).]
...
Su Xiao opened his eyes. He gently rubbed his forehead, and after a moment, the discomfort in his head completely subsided. If it were a normal alchemist, they would need at least one to two days to recover. Su Xiao was not a normal alchemist; he had a body far stronger than any alchemist's.
Looking at the Alchemy Codex on the experimental table, Su Xiao tried to turn the first page. The metallic page, full of a sense of age, was turned.
The first thing Su Xiao saw was the pattern on the second page. There were no engravings on it; it was pitch black, like a deep night sky. This wasn't an illusion. Although it was a flat surface, the black page Su Xiao saw gave a sense of depth. The profound night sky seemed right before his eyes, yet also like an unreachable horizon.
On the black page was only the pattern of an eye. The pupil of this eye was a deep blue, surrounded by fine, dense specks of light, distributed in a spiral pattern.
At first glance, it was just an eye pattern. But after staring for a while, one would feel that the black page was the starry sky itself, the pupil was the center of a galaxy, and the surrounding area was filled with countless stars, distributed in a spiral.
Seeing the second page of the Alchemy Codex, Su Xiao temporarily forgot about the formula on the back of the first page. For him, the second page was more attractive.
Su Xiao raised his index finger and touched the Galaxy Eye on the second page. A trace of mental energy seeped into it.
In an instant, the veins on Su Xiao's neck bulged. His eyes were bloodshot, and a feeling of dizziness and disorientation appeared.
Su Xiao spat out a large mouthful of blood. His right hand was already raised. Just now, he felt his mental energy being pulled to a very distant place, witnessing that vast galaxy. Compared to that place, he was incredibly small. This smallness was both a feeling of fear and a driving force. Even if he was extremely small now, as long as he continuously pursued strength, when he was strong enough to look at these things again, the vastness would just be a beautiful scene, and he would no longer feel his own insignificance.
"Misstep."
Su Xiao picked up the water glass beside him, rinsed the blood from his mouth, and continued to scrutinize the Mysterious Eye on the second page. That's right, this thing was called the Mysterious Eye, the ultimate creation of a certain alchemical family.
This thing wasn't meant to be perceived by infusing mental energy, but to be looked at with the naked eye. Just looking at it would cause extremely intense mental fatigue within a few minutes, which could enhance mental resilience.
Once his mental resilience reached a certain level, Su Xiao would be able to turn the second page. This was preparation for deciphering the engravings on the third page. Otherwise, deciphering just a few engravings on the third page would be enough to be fatal.
Su Xiao realized he had somewhat underestimated the Alchemy Codex. In that instant just now, he learned many secrets.
Many ages ago, alchemy developed to its most prosperous period, even beginning to create artificial planets, planets extremely suitable for biological habitation.
That was the Second Era: Alchemical Civilization. But that alchemical civilization was destroyed because their development went astray. Alchemy was not meant to pursue things like stars or planets, but to develop towards the mystical side.
Realizing this, the alchemists of that time united. They knew that the Second Era: Alchemical Civilization was not far from destruction. So, they recorded all their lifelong knowledge in written form, eventually compiled by the most prestigious alchemical family of the time. This was how the Alchemy Codex came to be, the life's work of countless alchemists.
Among these people, any one of them would have been a guest of honor for the major races of the Void. Even the old immortals of the Demon Race and the Feather Race would have to be polite. Even the Supreme Being of Arcane Eternal Star would personally receive them, temporarily setting aside the dignity of Arcane Eternal Star's supreme ruler.
Unfortunately, the golden age of alchemy was no more. Figures like the Tree Sage dared to call themselves masters in the Void. If it were the Second Era: Alchemical Civilization, the Tree Sage would at most be considered an alchemist of minor achievement, the kind you could hit three or four of with a single thrown brick.
Such a person, in the Second Era: Alchemical Civilization, wouldn't even be qualified to add a single engraving to the Alchemy Codex.
Before facing destruction, the alchemists of the Second Era: Alchemical Civilization sought out the alien beings of the Void, their trusted friends.
These alien beings, who had existed for untold ages, witnessed the destruction of the Second Era: Alchemical Civilization. The alchemists had no choice. Rather than letting everything they created compress the entire Void into the size of an apple, they chose destruction. In that era, alchemists were highly respected beings.
These alchemists of the Second Era were worthy of respect. They explored the unknown, created 'miracles,' and ultimately took the bitter fruit of their own making, accepting destruction.
The Alchemy Codex was the legacy of the Second Era: Alchemical Civilization, a tremendous treasure. Su Xiao was not the first to obtain it. Without the corresponding ability, one would meet death upon turning the second page. To gain something, one must also bear the corresponding risk, just like the law of conservation in alchemy.