8mi Chapter 6: A Beginner's Guide to Potions
Chapter 6: A Beginner's Guide to Potions
On the bus, Lin Ye sat in the last corner row.
He held a thin brass plaque, about the size of a one-inch photograph, and placed a black leather book on his lap, titled "An Explanation of the Rhine."
It's actually a dictionary of Old Rhine.
It not only provides explanations for the twenty-four basic characters, but also interpretations and related grammar for many variant characters.
He rubbed the brass plaque in his hand with the pad of his thumb, carefully examining the cross amulet that the old priest had given him.
The front features a relief of thorns entwined around a cross, while the back depicts a pattern composed of five triangular symbols arranged side by side.
This pattern is a variant of the Old Rhine script, composed of various arrangements of the basic Rhine word for "mountain".
It means "surrounded by mountains", and by extension, "protected by mountains".
"Next stop: Tianlu Lake, North Shore."
The bus announcement rang in his ears. He casually stuffed the cross amulet into his trouser pocket and looked up out the window.
Compared to the bustling NA district, the North Shore district appears much older, consisting mostly of old buildings whose original colors are no longer visible on their exterior walls.
"We have arrived at Tianlu Lake on the north shore. Please take your belongings and prepare to disembark."
Shortly after, the bus came to a stop with a clanging sound as it broke through the concrete.
After getting off the bus, I went straight to my home on the fourth floor.
It's only noon, my mother hasn't gotten off work yet, and my sister hasn't come back since she went out last night.
Back in my bedroom, I sat down at my computer desk and opened "Rheinschrift für Rheinische".
The basic characters of Old Rhine are like radicals in Chinese; specific combinations have different meanings.
However, what's interesting is that, in addition to left-right and top-bottom combinations, Old Rhine script also enlarges a basic character and then inserts another basic character into it to form a new variant script.
Furthermore, some basic Old Rhine scripts have more than one meaning, and there are specific rules to determine different meanings when they are used in combination.
This specific pattern is often related to certain natural changes in nature.
For example, the basic character for "water" has the meaning of flowing when it appears in the sky, the meaning of moistening when it appears on the ground, and the meaning of storing when it appears underground.
Overall, it's very complicated, but it also has a peculiar feel, like deconstructing the world with words.
He picked up the brown-covered book he had collected from a medieval church and began translating it word by word.
"Herbs, magic, low-grade, edible, blending, potions, experience."
"Putting it all together, it means... a record of low-level potion-making. No, according to grammatical rules, it should be translated as a beginner's potion-making manual."
"Potion...a potion of magic."
He muttered to himself, leaning back in his chair, as if a mysterious black door had opened before him, behind which lay a surging black fog.
Opening the "Elementary Potions Handbook," the first page resembles a title page, filled with long passages of handwritten text.
Some say that the difference between people is sometimes greater than the difference between people and non-people.
"Inherent differences certainly exist, but they are not insurmountable."
Even an excellent seed will struggle to grow into a towering tree if it grows in poor soil.
"But in fertile soil, even a mediocre seed can absorb an abundance of nutrients and grow unchecked."
Ultimately, even if it cannot grow into a towering tree, it can still withstand the wind and rain.
"But if you embark on the path of potion making, remember that seeds have limits, and so do people."
"As the saying goes, human strength has its limits. To gain supreme power, one must learn to relinquish—to relinquish the shackles of being human."
"Secular customs, morality, law, family ties, and constraints—everything is a shackle."
As he finished translating, Lin Ye couldn't help but read it aloud.
As the sound stopped, his thoughts also came to a standstill.
"Abandon the shackles that bind you as a human being..."
After a while, he came to his senses and looked at the signature in the lower right corner of the title page.
—Kalon Ismail.
He was probably the author of the journal.
Gently turn to the second page; on the right is a hand-drawn plant illustration.
It is shaped like a spring, with slender branches and leaves, and serrated edges that look very sharp.
The left side is covered with dense text, so I picked up the "Rhine Dictionary" and translated it.
"Black... huh?"
Lin Ye swayed slightly and reached out to pinch the space between his eyebrows.
"What happened?"
When he was translating the first word, a wave of dizziness washed over him, making him feel lightheaded.
I tried translating a few more words, my right arm supporting me on the table, and the dizziness was getting worse.
"The power of the devil?"
He recalled what the forum user "The Chaser" had said: the ancient Rhine people were beings who wielded demonic power.
Why was everything alright before?
Is it because you don't understand the meaning of the words that you can read them freely, but now that you know the meaning, you can't read them freely anymore?
But what's going on with the first page?
He flipped back to the first page and looked at the text. He was quite certain that he hadn't experienced any dizziness while translating that page.
Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow.
Is it because it doesn't involve potions?
He remembered what the old priest had said: it wasn't that he wasn't allowed to think, but that he couldn't think.
Is he trying to cross that unthinkable "silent territory" now?
"The power of the devil..."
"The power of the potion..."
"The power of the mystical side..."
He turned back to the second page and continued translating, ignoring the dizziness.
It took more than an hour to finally translate this page.
Gently massaging my temples, I realized that translating these words wasn't tiring, but it was incredibly mentally taxing.
I stepped out of the room, grabbed a bottle of chilled lychee-flavored soda from the refrigerator, and gulped it all down.
After regaining some composure, I returned to my computer desk, sat down, and began to organize the content I had just translated, writing it down on a blank sheet of paper.
Type 1 Potion - Black Goat's Night
Ingredients: 20g white tin powder, one black snail-shaped grass, one pair of castrated black goat horns, and 100g of blood.
Potion effects:
1. Slightly increases the user's strength and flexibility.
2. Receive the blessing of the night; for a period of time after consumption, movement speed will be greatly increased.
Preparation method:
1. Dry the black snail-shaped grass by roasting or air-drying it, then grind it into powder and mix it with white tin powder. Use the mixed powder to draw the "Night" rune, ignite it, and collect the ashes for later use.
2. Cut off the top of the black goat horn about one finger's width from the tip, grind the tip into fine particles, and mix it into the black goat's blood.
3. After sunset, pour the 'Night Rune Ashes' into the Black Goat's blood, mix well, seal and let stand.
If, around dawn, the black goat's blood turns into a transparent liquid mixed with dark red particles, then the preparation is successful.
He finished the last stroke and put down his pen.
"Runes, one of the alternative names for the ancient Rhine script..."
Looking at the potion recipe in front of him, he muttered to himself.
Before he could sit up straight, a large expanse of black text appeared before his eyes.
[Achievement Triggered: The Birth of the Black Goat]
[Achievement Description: This marks the beginning of your journey into the world of potions.]
[Unlock Conditions]
1. Learn the 23 basic runes of Ancient Rhine (incomplete)
2. Master the basic pharmacology theory (completed)
3. Memorize a Type 1 potion recipe (completed)
4. Make and drink a bottle of Type 1 potion (incomplete)
[Achievement Rewards]
Ability - Potions Apprentice (1/10)
Ability Description: A tender seedling that has just embarked on the path of potion making, increasing the success rate of making a type of potion by 30%.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Looking at the black text in front of him, Lin Ye's breathing became somewhat rapid.
A new achievement has been triggered!
Moreover, compared to the passively effective "Yin-dominant constitution," this "Potion Apprentice" is clearly more practical.
It's not just about increasing the success rate of potion making; more importantly, he has methods to enhance this ability.
This ability can be upgraded by continuously concocting potions!
He thought of the monster in the church.
If that monster can trigger other achievements... it might unlock this kind of growth ability as well.
And it's very likely not a support ability like "Potion Apprentice," but rather some kind of powerful offensive ability!
He still remembers clearly the traces that monster left in the church; they were far beyond human power to resist!
That kind of destructive power could very well trigger some kind of aggressive achievement!
Compared to support abilities, attack abilities are definitely more appealing!
After calming himself down, he took out his phone, opened a shopping platform, and searched for "black snail-shaped grass".
After a short while, he frowned.
No? I clearly remember seeing her somewhere before.
I put down my phone and glanced at the hand-drawn illustration of the black spiral-shaped herb in the "Elementary Potions Handbook".
If I remember correctly...
His eyes lit up, and he pulled open the drawer on his left and took out a blue folder from the bottom.
A whiteboard was inserted on the cover, which read "School Laboratory Purchase Record".
After searching for a while, he pulled out a crumpled purchase order.
My fingers traced down from top to bottom, stopping at a record.
Black Spiral Grass: Quantity 20, Unit Price 400.