Chapter 1140: Digesting Resources (2)

The Black Erosion Grass Root needs to be soaked in Moonlight Moss Juice for sufficient time to soften the stems.

Nether River Moss itself must not be exposed to fire; it can only be air-dried in a dark room and then gently crumbled by hand.

Every detail requires precision, and Duke hasn’t focused on anything this closely in a long time.

Those slight changes in materials, temperature, and spiritual power are now forming a clear thread in his mind.

Only once all the materials are prepared does he begin to ignite the fire.

The critical stage of this Magic Potion is the moment of infusion; Night Tear Dew must be added to the bottle after Flower Heart Dew, otherwise, the entire potion will be ruined on the spot.

Silent Moth Wing Powder is sprinkled in last, and as the powder falls into the potion, spiritual power must be injected to stir, turning the potion from gray-silver to dark blue.

Duke watches the liquid in the glass bottle, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.

As the last bit of Moth Wing Powder drops into the bottle, a tiny vortex suddenly swirls in the potion’s center, the color surging from the bottom layer by layer, finally turning the entire liquid into a deep blue like a lake soaked in moonlight.

Upon finishing the potion, he lets out a gentle sigh.

The dark blue liquid in the bottle sways, revealing faint silver strands.

[Moon Concealment Elixir: LV1 (1/100)]

The skill proficiency for this Moon Concealment Elixir is slow to advance, due to the scarcity of primary materials.

After crafting the potion, Duke locks the door of his dormitory, draws the curtains tight, leaving only the dim glow of the Crystal Stone Lamp by the bed.

He retrieves the Moon Concealment Elixir from his Space Ring, the deep blue liquid gently swaying in the bottle, like a slice of the deep sea soaked in moonlight.

He lifts the seal with his thumb; a faint silver mist spills from the bottle’s mouth, slowly dispersing in the air, carrying a hint of chilly fragrance, like a flower blooming at night, or cold ash wetted with dew.

Duke tips his head back and drinks the potion, cool upon entry, slipping down his throat like a light, cold flame spreading outward from his chest cavity.

His limbs soon grow slightly numb, the surrounding light seemingly drawn away by some force, turning the shadows deep and distant.

The twilight filtering through the curtain edge also takes on a bluish-gray hue, making the whole dormitory feel immersed in an endless dusk.

In his Spiritual Sea, the ink-black Shadow Branches first respond.

They tremble softly, as if hearing some incredibly familiar sound from deep darkness.

He sits cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes to circulate the power of Dark Attribute Rules.

Darkness surges from all directions, a subtle, gentle dark rising like vast swathes of black fog from consciousness, enveloping him whole.

The potion’s power flows through his blood like a vague Shadow River.

The Shadow Rules in his Spiritual Sea begin to operate autonomously with each breath, penetrating deeper with each cycle.

He can see the Shadow Branches continuously extending in the void, like a silent, slithering black snake, its scales intricate, edges glowing with a coldness beyond the night.

Over the next few days, Duke barely leaves the room, using the potion’s duration to constantly progress in Dark Attribute Rules.

The Shadow Rules have never been this clear, like someone lifting the corner of a thick black curtain, allowing him to glimpse the endless black road beyond.

At times, his skin exhibits faint black lines, starting at the back of his hand, creeping along the veins to his forearm, only to slowly dissipate with a breath.

The following night, he attempts Dark Attribute Elementalization, his body almost instantly transforming into a mass of deep black mist.

This state seems to yield better results.

Duke clearly perceives the layer of order belonging to the shadow within the gray mist, like countless cold yet soft threads flickering amidst the black mist.

Four days quickly pass, and when the potion’s power completely fades from his body, Duke sits up from the bed as the light outside the window turns clear again.

He looks down at his hand, the black lines have long receded, but the Shadow Branches in his Spiritual Sea are visibly thicker than before ingesting the potion, the color deeper.

[Rule of Darkness: LV2 (3991/20000)]

This single potion provided about two thousand skill proficiency points, an extremely noticeable effect.

In the time that followed, Duke seemed to reside solely between the Magic Potion Laboratory and his dormitory.

Using the reward list from the Path of Divine Revelation, he classified all materials, dividing them into those suitable for direct use, those for refining into products to sell, and those for selling as raw materials for better profit.

The first item he refines is the Black Abyss Star Iron Grass among the top-tier materials in Magic Potion, which occasionally absorbs Death Energy near the three-layered gray mist, with leaves exhibiting a deep gray between metal and plant.

Duke uses it along with Shadow Stone Powder and several low-tier auxiliary materials to create a batch of Secondary Dark Attribute Assistance Potion.

Its effects are far less than the Moon Concealment Elixir, but to ordinary Level 3 Mages, it’s considered good.

He doesn’t rush to sell, first mailing six bottles to Vivian for her discretion, leaving the rest with Harrison, instructing him not to release them all at once, but gradually, to achieve higher prices.

Then, he takes two days to refine the Old Sea Salt Frost into a commonly used stabilizer for alchemy.

This stabilizer is ideal for buffering in Water Magic Potion, and the Star Dome Commerce Association already has a long-term purchase demand.

Duke seals the refined product into glass tubes by specification and sends them to the Star Dome Commerce Association’s receiving point in the Central Islands.

Oliver responds that day, stating the stabilizer’s quality surpasses most on the market and he would like to purchase long-term at a fixed price.

With this exchange, Duke deals with most of the unused scraps, exchanging them for auxiliary materials needed for daily cultivation with the obtained Magic Stones.

He doesn’t deliberately visit other places or take any tasks.

His daily routine becomes simple to the point of mechanical: crafting potions in the Magic Potion Laboratory during the day, contemplating rules in the dormitory at dusk, occasionally exchanging messages with Harrison and Oliver.

A few days later, his Space Ring is mostly empty, yet neatly stocked with rows of labeled potion bottles, material packets, and several new anonymous Magic Stone Cards.

The items he brought back from the Path of Divine Revelation have gradually transformed into tangible assets he can hold in his hands.

…

Ten years is enough time for an ordinary person to grow from a child to a teenager, or for a teen to start feeling the effects of aging.

But to the wizards of the Central Islands, ten years are merely a few dozen turns of the sun dial.

During these ten years, Duke rarely appeared in public.

He sunk like a stone in deep water, settling into the quietest corner of Six-Ring Tower after the noise of The Path of Divine Revelation faded.

Occasionally, those familiar with him might meet him while passing the Magic Potion Laboratory corridor, spotting him in a faded gray work robe, holding several freshly sealed potion bottles, with a calmness honed from extended immersion in alchemy and meditation.

He seldom mentions his progress and rarely inquires about outside affairs.

Occasionally, Vera visits from Thorn Holy Tower, bringing him letters from the West Coast.

Edmond sometimes drops by while handling affairs in the Central Islands, always visiting for a while, having tea, talking about recent changes in the Silver Hand.

Duke listens each time, responding occasionally, but rarely proactively discussing his cultivation.

Instead of absorbing all six Divine Fragments at once, they have been refined one by one according to the unique traits of the six rules over ten years.

Each Divine Fragment resembles an old palace hidden within stone, needing to be pushed open inch by inch using spiritual power.

The Fire Attribute Fragment was exhausted first, followed by Earth, then Wind and Water, with Light and Darkness being the slowest.

His Sixth Element Rules have been climbing slowly but steadily through this gradual, uninterrupted progression.

During these ten years, Duke returned to Black Sail several times.

He knows that between the deck and the sea breeze of Black Sail, there will always be a place for him to return to.

He also visited Florence Continent several times, where Vivian’s Cottage has taken firm root, with apprentices in the academy multiplying compared to the past.

Each time he returned to Maple Hill County, he would stay for some time, helping Vivian assess the Defense Witch Array layout, and taking walks in the Moonlight Forest, which remains just like it was in his youth.