On the table in the laboratory were two things, a book, and a fragment of a broken armor piece. From its shape, it seemed to be a part of a helmet.
The ancient book was about two and a half times the size of a regular book, with a dark hardcover that bore a line of dark blue writing: The Principles of Artifacts.
Ge Zheng found this book after searching through the wisdom library. It elaborately explained the principles, types, and refining methods of artifacts. The author of this book was unknown, but it refuted the mainstream view of alchemy's disdain for artifacts. It pointed out sharply: artifacts are also a type of alchemical work, so they should only be judged by their quality, not discriminated against based on their usage.
Ge Zheng agreed with this novel viewpoint and held the author of the book in high esteem.
The book detailed eight "patterns" of artifacts, four fixed and four variable. Patterns were encrypted structure frameworks that could be applied to any magic language.
According to the book, fixed patterns were easier to crack due to their fixed nature, so they were being used less and less. However, they were refined by countless alchemists and were more stable compared to variable patterns. If an unknown magic language was used with a fixed pattern for encryption, it would be more reliable than a variable pattern.
Variable patterns were an open structure, with only a general framework, but alchemists could modify the local part of it. Because of the allowance for modification, artifact attacks had a variety of mimicry. However, since alchemists could modify the encryption structure arbitrarily, even an unknown magic language used with a variable pattern could be attacked.
The fragment on the table was from an artifact used by the dark Alchemist in Shanzhancity. After Ge Zheng deciphered it, the dark Alchemist died on the spot, but his artifact left behind a piece of wreckage.
He picked up the fragment. The material used to craft this artifact was not complex, just a simple alloy. According to "The Principles of Artifacts," the materials for crafting an artifact were diverse, but there was no unified standard to measure them. Since each alchemist's artifact was unique, the materials had to match the alchemical attacks sealed within the artifact. If the match was good, the potency of the alchemical attack would be enhanced. Otherwise, choosing the wrong material could weaken the alchemical attack.
Regarding the combination, aside from considering the magic language used, it also had to complement the encryption pattern.
The difficulty in crafting artifacts lay in choosing the materials. Even this comprehensive book did not provide specific methods, requiring alchemists to rely on their own intuition and exploration.
Although the fragment had twisted and deformed, one could still see the dense magical characters carved on its internal and external walls, indicating meticulous craftsmanship.
He then turned to the section in the book about encryption patterns for alchemical attacks, detailing the eight patterns. The four fixed patterns were: Hill patterns, Caesar patterns, Vigenere patterns, and Kirkhoff patterns. The four variable patterns were: Discrete patterns, Block patterns, Streaming patterns, and Hashing patterns.
Comparing the two, it seemed like the variable patterns had more advantages. But if one used a magic language that only they knew, the fixed patterns were almost unbeatable!
Ge Zheng couldn't help but laugh: This was quite difficult, did he have to create a central magic language himself?
His smile suddenly froze, as he thought back to the first time he combined alchemy and Dan techniques, using spirit power within his body to replace magic power, resulting in a higher temperature of magical flames and exceptional creations. So, could language also be combined in the same way...
Ge Zheng passed on a language imbued with magic in the "gate" and began to write.
Unexpectedly, today they had to be used. Ge Zheng spent two days wracking his brains, but he could only recall fewer than a thousand bird-shaped characters. This was very frustrating for Ge Zheng. Although the total number of characters in the avian text was only a little over six thousand, unlike ordinary languages, every character in the avian text was a commonly used word. With only a thousand bird-shaped characters to remember, it would truly be quite difficult for Ge Zheng to forge a magical tool using them.
"Ah!" Ge Zheng let out an angry shout and tore a piece of papyrus by hand. Another encryption structure proposal on the papyrus had failed due to the scarcity of characters.
The four fixed structural patterns each had their own fixed simulating shape, which couldn't be altered. The Hill pattern was spherical, the Caesar pattern was rhombic, the Virginia pattern was lunar, and the Kirkhoff pattern was cross-shaped. These four fixed patterns had been refined by previous generations and left as classic patterns. Unlike variable patterns that were solely focused on attack or defense, a magical tool using a fixed pattern appeared rudimentary and unimpressive but could cater to both aspects, enabling both attack and defense.
Ge Zheng happened to have found a "magical language" in the Star Refining World that no one else recognized, but he just couldn't remember it. He was itching to remember. If only he had spent more time on the basics back in the mountains, rather than constantly trying to discipline disobedient junior disciples and tease the shy junior sisters, he wouldn't have found himself in such a difficult situation today.
After being annoyed for a while, an idea suddenly struck Ge Zheng: why not combine the avian text with the magical language of this world, who knew what effect it would have!
This sudden inspiration invigorated Ge Zheng. Without further ado, he started to research the combination of these two. The avian text was very ancient, so Ge Zheng selected several of the oldest magical languages in this world for the combination.
However, the process of this "combination" did not go as smoothly as Ge Zheng had imagined. It was like a man and a woman meeting - they might hit it off, but they might not necessarily become partners. Even if their parents worked hard to match them, success depended on whether there was chemistry between them. Despite Ge Zheng's efforts to combine the magical words and the avian text, he couldn't succeed. According to the encryption mode order, Ge Zheng proceeded to sequentially write the magical characters representing complex semantics and the ancient avian text, but he just couldn't form a fixed pattern in the end. Every time he wrote, all the magical characters and avian text collapsed like a tumbling block tower half-way through.
Ge Zheng shook his head. He had tried all the ancient magical languages he knew, and all of them had failed without exception.
Not giving up, he tried several other magical languages, and to his surprise, he actually found one! This magical language was very unique, as it was a combination of the two oldest magical language systems in the Star Refining World: the St. Etienne Magic Language System and the Genesis Magic Language System, resulting in a new system called the "Double Sun Magic Language". This magical language was hardly used in magical tools because its ancestral language was too extensive, raising the likelihood of being deciphered.
It was also possible that because of the characteristics of combining two different language features, this magical language was more easily integrated with other languages. When Ge Zheng wrote the avian text and the Double Sun Magic Language together, they no longer rejected each other. Instead, the characters of the Double Sun Magic Language were marvelously combined with the strokes of the avian text!
A new form of writing emerged, as the characters of the Double Sun Magic Language, influenced by the forms of the avian text, transformed into a form resembling that of flying birds, with each magical character resembling a bird about to take flight.
Ge Zheng was overjoyed and immediately set to work, arranging these characters according to the Hill pattern. The alchemical attacks using these fixed patterns had to be sealed within the magical tool, making the process quite complex. Even with fixed patterns, preparation took about an hour.
Once all the characters were arranged and encrypted according to the pattern, a faint cyan light appeared in front of Ge Zheng's chest. The results of this alchemical attack's simulation under the fixed patterns refinement were remarkable - not a single character could be seen in the perfectly cohesive sphere of light. It was seamless, without any flaws.
He also tested the other three fixed patterns and compared their effects. The Hill pattern's state was undoubtedly the most stable, but both the attack and defense values were mediocre. The Caesar pattern had a high attack value but much lower defense. The Virginia pattern was quite the opposite, with a low attack value but impressive defense. Finally, the Kirkhoff pattern, a more balanced pattern, was the one Ge Zheng decided to choose.
An ancient sage once said: "The military is a tool of destruction." With Ge Zheng's personality, if it was a destructive tool, it had to be sufficiently destructive. However, he didn't choose the Caesar pattern, because since arriving in this world, he had learned to be discreet.
The Kirkhoff pattern didn't appear very aggressive, but its attack, although slightly lower than the Caesar pattern, was still quite astonishing. Beneath this "kind" appearance, Ge Zheng believed that the magical tool using the Kirkhoff pattern would definitely be more effective than the one using the Caesar pattern.
This also matched Ge Zheng's current personality.
He would hide his edge, not remove it.
With the characters and encryption pattern determined, the next step was selecting materials. Suitable materials played a crucial role in the success of a magical tool.
Thinking about the existence of Dark Alchemy, Ge Zheng proceeded with caution. He also wanted to return home and see his wife and child. No one wasn't afraid of death, unless there was a higher cause. Ge Zheng was not rich, but he had bought a large amount of materials. Locking himself in the laboratory, he conducted experiments tirelessly every day. Although it was his first time forging a magical tool, his skill was far superior to that of a Dark Alchemy practitioner who had appeared in the neighboring city.
Each magical tool he forged, however, was much smaller than his arm armor. Through this process of continuous experimentation, Ge Zheng deepened his understanding of the importance of materials for magical tools. The same alchemical attack sealed in magical tools made of different materials resulted in vastly different sizes, ranging from the size of a fist down to a segment of a finger joint. However, smaller wasn't necessarily better, as sometimes being too small would limit the full power of the alchemical attack.
In combination with the Kirkhoff pattern, Ge Zheng considered nineteen ways to mix materials, and after experimenting with each one, he settled on a magical tool in the form of a bracelet.
It was not the smallest in size, but it could exert the full power of the alchemical attack.
The bracelet was three fingers wide, dark red throughout, and engraved with avian text all over. If it were an ordinary person, they would only see a cluster of sand-sized dots, unable to discern the individual characters. On the front of the bracelet, there was a pattern of a cross with a pair of huge flaming wings spread behind it. Due to being presented on the bracelet, the entire pattern was flattened, but it did not seem strange at all.
Slipping the magical tool bracelet onto his wrist, Ge Zheng channeled a bit of magic, and with a soft "whoosh," a towering flaming cross in crimson light formed in front of him, reaching the height of a person. A fierce blaze crackled on the cross, seeming to float in mid-air.
Although it looked scorching, in reality, even standing next to the cross, one would not feel any heat. It was as if the fiery cross did not exist at all.
In fact, it didn't. The cross itself was just a simulating form, an illusion. But when the alchemical attack concealed beneath this form entered one's body, the chilling reality of its "heat" could be felt.
The blazing flame on the cross continued to grow into two massive flaming wings as more magical energy was poured in. Suddenly, Ge Zheng had a thought and named this magical tool "Punishment of the Cross."
He slowly withdrew his magic power, causing the flames behind the cross to shrink until they dissipated into a shimmering light. Then, the cross also shrank, eventually condensing into a beam of red light, retreating back into the bracelet.
He destroyed all the other creations before considering his first magical tool forging complete.
Having been occupied with crafting magical tools for a while, he neglected Miss Feifei's lessons. Although Miss Feifei was delighted, her father was not at all pleased. Ge Zheng knew what was needed, and as soon as he emerged from the laboratory, his first order was for Commissar to notify Miss Feifei that they would have class that evening.
He understood that this student harbored deep grudges against him, and he didn't hold much favor for this willful little girl. If only that girl would attentively attend class, Ge Zheng would not have the impulse to reprimand her as a teacher, which would be more warranted than disciplining the junior disciples back then as his senior.
During dinner, the hall was bustling as always, with bread crumbs flying like agile fleas over Commissar's head, even landing in Dinora's plate. The female warrior was oblivious, diligently shoveling all the food into her mouth. Ge Zheng frowned as he observed. Dining conditions in the Star Refining World urgently needed improvement.
...
Miss Feifei's panda eyes had finally disappeared, but her resentment towards the home tutor had shifted from her eyes to her heart.
The talented little witch raised several hellhounds, and she knew that guard dogs that bark will never bite. So, today, Miss Feifei dressed as if she were a well-behaved girl, proud of her elegant twist braids cascading down her back, and her fringe carefully arranged, all while wearing a typical noble girl's blue floral dress, wearing a sweet smile as she waited for Ge Zheng in her study.
Surprisingly, the little witch, dressed this way, paired with her still somewhat inexperienced face and tender skin, appeared quite adorable.
Upon entering, Ge Zheng paused for a moment, then smiled faintly, but he was also on alert.
He had encountered rookie teachers of troublesome students before - he was the biggest troublesome student in the Ge Clan himself.
"Teacher, please don't mind the previous misunderstanding. Feifei apologizes to you." The little witch flashed a sweet smile, her big eyes forming two crescents as she raised the edge of her skirt, curtsying to Ge Zheng.
Ge Zheng smiled faintly, "How could a teacher blame their student? Let's start our lesson."
The lesson Ge Zheng taught that day was about some basic symbols and the four primary elements in alchemy. Strangely enough, these topics should have been monotonous, but Miss Feifei listened with zest, supporting her chin with her hand while staring intently at Ge Zheng, seemingly enchanted by the lesson.
Ge Zheng started to feel increasingly uneasy, but everything appeared normal within the room, no magical fluctuations whatsoever.
Finally, the lesson was concluded. Ge Zheng was about to stand up to leave but encountered a problem - he couldn't get up.
With Ge Zheng's cultivation, he could stand up even if a millstone was placed on top of him. However, if the clothing under you was stuck, trying to stand up would result in tearing it - could you still stand?
Miss Feifei blinked her large eyes. Her long eyelashes flickered, "Teacher, do you have difficulty standing because of your legs? Why can't you stand up?" Ge Zheng clearly saw a devil's tail appear from behind the little girl, and those wide eyes suddenly transformed into two crescent moons, and she genuinely laughed.
Ge Zheng cursed himself for being careless. He felt helpless in the face of the magical trap, being tricked by such a small trick. As soon as he entered, he was only focused on observing if there were any magical traps in the room, forgetting that Feifei was just a twelve-year-old child. Children's pranks are not always so sophisticated.
Ge Zheng suddenly put on a smiling face and looked at Feifei, "Miss Feifei, my good student, I suddenly remembered that you still have homework to do." "Ah!" Feifei was stunned. Ge Zheng took out a parchment notebook from his storage ring, "This notebook was specially made for you by the teacher, it has special alchemy imprints on it, look how much the teacher cares for you." Feifei was very curious, although she knew that the effect of this imprint would definitely not benefit her, she couldn't help asking, "What is the effect of this imprint?"
"The effect is, if you let someone else write your homework, the teacher will be able to tell from the homework." Ge Zheng put on a respectable appearance, which made Feifei very angry. This despicable alchemist dared to spy on her!
But what made her even more furious was yet to come. Ge Zheng continued, "Today we discussed sixty alchemy symbols and to deepen your memory, your homework today is to copy these sixty alchemy symbols fifty times." "What did you say?" Miss Feifei completely dropped her ladylike facade, jumped onto Ge Zheng's desk and shouted at him, "Fifty times, do you want to exhaust me? This is punishment, I will report to my father, I want to change my teacher!" Ge Zheng shrugged, "As you like. But as long as I am your private tutor, there is no room for negotiation about these fifty times." Ge Zheng took out a bottle of potion and poured it on his chair, the ordinary adhesive melted. Ge Zheng patted his butt and stood up, a flame magic dried the water stains on his buttocks, and he left unscathed.
Before leaving, Ge Zheng suddenly turned back and smiled at Feifei, "Little girl, I am your teacher, you need to understand, if you try to mess with me, I will spend a lot of effort, but if I mess with you, it's perfectly justified!"
After Ge Zheng left, Feifei, who was so angry that her nose was askew, suddenly smiled with a mischievous expression again. The crescent moon symbol reappeared on her face. The young girl jumped off the table, puffed up her developing chest, put her hands behind her back, and paced slowly in the study, saying, "Humph, despicable alchemist, the title of genius little witch is not in vain for me. You can't even dream of my tricks! The last sentence is the evidence, as long as I hand over this magic recording to my father, you will never set foot in the duke's mansion again!"
Feifei reached out and felt under Ge Zheng's desk, and indeed found a magic crystal containing the recorded magic. Miss Feifei pressed it and infused it with a segment of magic power. Ge Zheng's emotionless lecturing voice slowly played out, and Feifei patiently listened until the last sentence, the most critical evidence...
Miss Feifei heard a "click" sound in the magic recording, which was followed by the sound of Ge Zheng opening the door. The incriminating statement was made after he opened the door.
"Snap." Followed by a series of magical alert beeps, Feifei's face turned pale. It was full! All the preceding nonsense was recorded, but the most important sentence was missed... the last sentence was omitted. Miss Feifei's face turned black, her round big eyes turned into a scary hexagonal evil king, her fingertips twisted as if they were demon claws!
"That's why this stinking alchemist was so chatty today, intentionally filling up the recording magic... It infuriated me!" Feifei figured out why Ge Zheng was so talkative when he mentioned her homework.
Leaving Miss Feifei's study with a warm smile, Ge Zheng encountered maids and servants on the way, all of whom greeted him with smiles. The servants of the duke's mansion had a good impression of Ge Zheng.
A passerby saw Ge Zheng and snorted, bypassing him without acknowledging his presence. The person had a level 9 alchemist certification badge on his chest, indicating he was Mr. Pico, the chief alchemist of the empire.
A servant caught up with Ge Zheng, "Master, the Duke requests your presence in his study."
In the study, Duke Marris had been waiting for him for a while. When he saw Ge Zheng come in, the Duke smiled apologetically and asked, "Master, is Feifei behaving in class?" Ge Zheng showed a sincere smile, "Very well, Your Excellency, you are truly blessed to have such a well-behaved daughter!"
"Ah... yes, yes, hehe..." The Duke concealed his bizarre expression. He knew his own daughter's temper best. Noble children receive strict education from a young age, from etiquette to music, from literature to magic. Even if Feifei enjoys her magic classes the most, she often plays pranks on her tutors, let alone her complete lack of interest in alchemy. The Duke was curious whether the person Ge Zheng referred to was really his daughter.
"As long as she is well-behaved." Since Ge Zheng had praised his daughter so highly, the Duke need not worry too much. The Duke quickly returned to the main topic, "Master, the person sent to the city of Delson has returned, and he also brought a message from His Majesty."
He handed Ge Zheng a gilded envelope with a seal bearing the imprint of His Majesty, Emperor Meijeff IV of the Empire, which the Duke had already opened.