"Blood Mercury is truly remarkable!"
Roy couldn't help but feel delighted upon seeing it.
Zabil Magic Metal primarily consists of seven major families: gold, silver, lead, mercury, tin, iron, and copper.
Among the mercury family, there is a classic formula that possesses a liquid property similar to mercury.
This is a liquid metal often used in the Art of Alchemy's Genesis Studies, particularly for homunculi and other alchemical lifeforms, as a substitute for blood.
Its external characteristics resemble mercury, hence the name "Blood Mercury."
What Roy had ingeniously thought of was using this "artificial blood" to perform a blood cleansing and replacement for Renien.
However, in reality, it wasn't a conventional detoxification method but rather a Wizard Body Modification!
The difficulty of refining this substance was quite high. If it weren't for acquiring the bronze-level talent [Sulfur-Mercury Theory], Roy wouldn't have been able to achieve it at his current level.
At the very least, one would need to be at the official Wizard stage to begin dabbling in such things.
But conversely, it could be inferred that it would be highly beneficial during the apprentice stage.
"I'll get myself a dose later!" Roy thought to himself.
At that moment, Renien expressed his gratitude: "Thank you so much, Roy."
Roy snapped out of his thoughts and waved his hand: "No need to thank me. Just pay me 200 Magic Stones later, and I'll be the one thanking you for your patronage."
Renien's face turned pale: "That's way too expensive! Even detoxification potions don't cost 200!"
Roy replied, "What detoxification potion? I injected you with Blood Mercury!"
"What, Blood Mercury!" Renien exclaimed in shock.
"You can actually refine something like Blood Mercury?" The onlookers were equally astonished.
"Blood Mercury can be enchanted with Wizardry Energy, significantly increasing the Mana capacity of the human body."
"It can also replace natural blood and has the function of Automata transformation."
"This... this is indeed quite expensive!"
Such a substance is hard to come by during the apprentice stage, and no one expected Roy to be able to refine it.
Renien quickly did the math and had no choice but to agree.
The cost of Blood Mercury per milliliter, plus the accompanying blood replacement service, already amounted to around 2 Magic Stones.
But on the market, it would at least double in price.
He had just consumed about 100 milliliters of Blood Mercury, and Roy only charged him 200 Magic Stones, which was essentially the cost price!
...
More than a day later, the group successfully returned to the Wizard Tower and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Olen didn't catch up with us!"
"It seems he's too preoccupied to bother with us, truly giving us a break!"
However, they couldn't help but feel anxious about what was to come.
"We'll probably have to lay low for a while."
"There are many apprentices in Tali, but he can find out through various means that we were present at the time."
"If he holds a grudge, we're in trouble!"
Roy, on the other hand, considered the situation more thoroughly and comprehensively.
"Letting us go once doesn't mean he'll always let us go.
Even if he let us go, he could change his mind!"
Renien said, "Forget it, let's not dwell on those troubles. Let's focus on something more enjoyable!"
"Right, let's divide the spoils!"
"Share and share alike!" Andov and Tigro chimed in.
This time, they successfully avenged themselves by slaying the Fishman Lord and reaped a bountiful harvest.
They could use this to wash away the bad luck.
Roy suggested, "I won't participate in the distribution of the other spoils this time. How about I just take the Lord-level Fish Pearl and that eye?"
Calculating their worth, they should be several times more valuable than ordinary Sorcerer Fish Pearls.
However, Roy himself was the main force in killing the Fishman Lord, which was fair.
Thus, everyone agreed.
Roy did not participate in the remaining distribution, nor did he bother to preside over it, letting everyone discuss and decide on their own.
His mind was now fully occupied by the inexplicably surging panel progress.
"Why...
Why did killing that Fishman Lord yield such a harvest!"
Roy returned to his room, pondering while bathing and changing clothes.
In fact, he had already had some speculations on the way back.
"「Source Essence」!"
Roy silently recited this term, recalling the knowledge he had learned in the Wizard Tower.
"In the Art of Alchemy, a single, indivisible substance is usually called the original substance, and further extended, it is 「Source Essence」.
It is a concept at the fundamental level, the basic element that constitutes matter and spirit.
Therefore, something that can enhance my soul, feed back to the upper level, and manifest as spirit, knowledge, and memory can be called Inherent Essence.
After aggregation, it forms a certain soul-like trait, which is the essence of Alchemy Talent!"
The primary principle of alchemy is equivalent exchange, which also means that matter and energy neither appear out of nowhere nor disappear into nothingness.
Even if it seems to appear out of thin air on the surface...
In the unseen depths, there are often mysterious exchanges that are difficult for ordinary people to know.
Moreover, this exchange is generally balanced.
Coming out of the bathroom, Roy sat on a chair, watching the Flower Snake he raised slowly crawl over, and he grabbed it to play with.
The Flower Snake coiled around his arm, looking at him with a deep gaze.
While gently stroking the Flower Snake and feeding it, Roy speculated that the Fishman Lord's soul had some peculiarity, releasing Source Essence after death, which he absorbed and utilized.
This is one of the reasonable explanations.
"However, it could also be this thing causing trouble!"
He soon remembered something and quickly took out an item, placing it on the table.
He named it "Thunder Demon Eye".
It was the eye dug out from the Fishman Lord's palm.
"The moment I obtained it, I felt a certain stinging sensation, which might have been caused by the integration of the soul's essence!"
Pushing away the Flower Snake that was trying to crawl towards the eyeball, sniffing and calculating whether it could swallow it, Roy examined this Demonized Organ again, finding that the stinging sensation at his brow had disappeared.
But he still felt a certain extraordinary magic from it.
"This time, I might have really found a treasure. This is definitely not something an apprentice or the corresponding magical creature should have. It must have flowed out from Chalkland!"
But as for how to fully control this thing and exert its due effect, he still had no clue for the time being.
Roy felt that even the Fishman Lord had not fully utilized its power.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easily killed by him.
"Forget it, let's focus on another matter first!"
Roy put away the Magic Eye, coiled the Flower Snake on a nearby clothes rack, entered the Alchemy Room, and took out a large jar of mercury stored in the cabinet.
It was like a shiny silver ingot, smooth and bright, with a clear reflection of the surroundings on its surface.
"Refining Blood Mercury, performing Wizard Body Modification!"
Roy's face showed a serious expression.
Provoking Olen for no reason had brought him a sense of crisis.
However, by using Blood Mercury to undergo Wizard Body Modification, one can become immune to most toxins transmitted through the bloodstream.
Moreover, this is derived from the Bronze-level talent [Sulfur-Mercury Theory], which holds immense value for me at this stage.
Perhaps I can use it to grow stronger quickly!