Chapter 244: Wherein Lies the Talent, Starry Sky Honeydew

The stronger the physical body, the more potent the Chariot Force becomes; this was one of the characteristics Wang Yu had deduced about his own power, and it was also the reason he had failed to discover it in his early days.

At that time, his physical constitution was too weak, and the power was correspondingly faint. With the surface-level manifestation of Ripple acting as a veil, Wang Yu had never been able to truly command this force.

The stone tablet Moira had asked him to open possessed such unique properties that the Chariot Force he could exert at his current life level struggled to influence it. To decipher the anti-magic, anti-void, and anti-battle-aura qualities of the stone was already near the absolute limit of his capabilities.

Yet, the intensity of the Chariot Force was not absolute. This was the second characteristic Wang Yu had discovered: when his physical senses were integrated with the power extended by the Chariot Force, he could unleash a far greater strength than his current life level would typically permit.

Wang Yu viewed this state—where his senses were wholeheartedly overlapped with the Chariot Force—as a skill, which he named Focused Convergence.

The Chariot Force expanded with Wang Yu at its center, forming a domain where he commanded, drove, and distorted matter. As he slowly and intently adjusted his senses, his control over the Chariot Force wavered slightly, causing the power to begin influencing the surrounding environment of its own accord.

"Hummm..."

An erratic humming sound arose. The air vibrated with the fluctuations of this power, and the particles of soil on the ground around Wang Yu began to dance, slowly rising into the sky.

As his bodily senses gradually merged and overlapped with the Chariot Force, a momentary clarity gave Wang Yu the illusion that he could perceive the very essence of everything within a certain radius.

"I'm overthinking it..."

With a soft chuckle, he cast aside this unrealistic illusion and focused his entire attention on the black stone tablet held in his palms.

As his concentration peaked, the domain representing the Chariot Force began to intensify, while its size conversely shrank, converging toward Wang Yu at the center.

Eventually, the domain contracted to a range of about twenty centimeters from his skin, and its power condensed to an extreme.

The concentrated Chariot Force once again enveloped the tablet. This time, as Wang Yu earnestly attempted to distort the strange object, he succeeded.

Starting from the hairline fractures on the stone, the Chariot Force forcibly transferred the ownership of this matter to Wang Yu’s body. An invisible hand gripped the weak points of the fissures, exerting all its strength to pull the sides apart.

Bit by bit, the stone tablet—perhaps the most durable material Wang Yu had ever encountered—was slowly but firmly torn open by his Chariot Force.

"Click, click, click..."

A strange sound echoed; though it was an incredibly solid material being rent asunder, the noise resembled the tearing of fabric. The exposed interior revealed a fibrous structure, much like wood.

The crack extended deep into the tablet, reaching a hollow cavity within that contained liquid.

"Drip."

With a faint sound, the liquid leaked from the fissure. Wang Yu immediately ceased his Focused Convergence and swiftly retrieved a standard test tube from his pouch, placing it beneath the leaking gap.

"What is this? I hope it isn't radioactive."

The liquid fell from the crack. Its viscosity seemed normal, no different from an ordinary drop of water, flowing smoothly. The remaining liquid in the cavity began to seep out, dripping into the tube in Wang Yu’s hand.

The primary color of the liquid was iridescent; various hues were mixed together with very distinct boundaries and blending sections. To describe it, it looked like the oily sheen reflecting light on the surface of water.

It emitted a faint, dim glow that illuminated the shadows of Wang Yu’s palm. This was why he suspected radiation; he could sense no battle aura, no magic, and no void energy. He could only assume it was something akin to uranium or a similar radioactive substance.

"Unlikely. This thing is too stable—so stable that it’s impossible for it to emit radiation."

Wang Yu quickly dismissed the thought. He probed the liquid with his Chariot Force, only to find its stability even more exaggerated than the tablet that held it. His power couldn't even read its properties, let alone influence or drive it.

"Forget it. This should count as completing the mission. I'll take this back to Ms. Moira."

Wang Yu stopped paying attention to the droplets. It wasn't his, and understanding it was useless. Being able to receive guidance from a master alchemist was the real prize.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Wang Yu tapped his knuckles against the wooden door.

...

"Exactly, that is how the Flowing Crystal Grass should be handled. Your learning ability is truly excellent, though you still need to put some effort into your execution. You must maintain accuracy while increasing your speed."

"But perhaps I am being too demanding. This part requires time to accumulate, regardless. At your age, to achieve this much is enough to earn my recognition."

Moira leaned on her cane, standing beside the table where Avia was processing herbs.

She watched as Avia followed the superior method she had just taught—a technique absolutely absent from any common pharmacological textbook—to process a small plant that shimmered with a deep blue light, as if composed of spliced crystals.

"You are an alchemist, aren't you? It is clear that while you learn quickly, you are not as proficient in the actual handling of herbs. Much of your work is formulaic, lacking your own personal style."

Moira commented, suddenly shifting the topic to the girl's profession.

"Your performance in theory and knowledge is overly perfect, which makes your shortcomings in practical operation and technique relatively obvious. You can be called excellent, but not perfect. These are small flaws that you will need time to remedy."

After finishing, Moira gave a summary evaluation, pointing out the areas her new disciple needed to improve.

"Did you notice? I am indeed an alchemist. My knowledge of pharmacology is limited to what I have studied and a few techniques I have mastered. The one who truly sought your guidance was my companion, whom you rejected."

"I am somewhat ashamed to admit that my lack of practical skill is likely because my companion has always assisted me in important alchemy experiments. I haven't spent much time practicing on my own."

As Avia said, Wang Yu participated in many of her experiments. His Ripple, combined with the body control granted by his knightly strength, made him a master at handling various materials. With his help, many of Avia's alchemical tasks proceeded exceptionally well.

Moreover, Avia could confirm that although Wang Yu’s theoretical knowledge was lacking, he had a natural talent for potion-making—a sense similar to alchemical intuition.

"Is that so? That is truly surprising. To have such a level of knowledge after only a cursory study of pharmacology is astonishing."

"And since your companion has earned the approval of a genius like you, he must have his own unique strengths in pharmacological operation."

"Rest assured, I did not deny him an opportunity. After all, mere knowledge cannot determine a person's level or talent in pharmacology. It was simply that you stood out so much that I was immediately moved to teach you."

"As long as he earnestly attempts to break open the object I gave him, I will give him the chance to learn here, regardless of whether he succeeds. As for whether he is qualified to receive my instruction, I will naturally come to a conclusion during the learning process. Haha, I haven't told him to get lost yet, have I?"

Moira spoke with the playful tone of an elder teasing the young. Her words were blunt, yet they showed a frank attitude toward her new disciple, Avia.

"By the way, since you are an alchemist, why do you want to learn here? Are you looking to step into the field of pharmacology?"

Moira asked, suddenly remembering something.

"To be honest, I intend to learn from you and then go back to teach him."

Avia replied with a wry smile. Judging by Moira's style, she was an unconventional elder, and the girl believed she wouldn't mind.

"You're stealing my craft. In my day, that would have been grounds for a duel. But that's not the case anymore, and I don't care. If you can learn my secrets, they are yours. You two are quite close, aren't you?"

Moira shook her head, unbothered as the girl had expected. She seemed to be thinking of something else, her expression shifting with a hint of something different.

"Yes."

The girl responded, though it was unclear which of Moira's remarks she was answering.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Just then, the sound of someone knocking on the wooden door of the treehouse drifted up from the first floor to the second.

"This kid..."

Moira frowned upon hearing the knock. The smile she had worn while talking to the girl vanished, and she muttered under her breath.

"Teacher Moira, is something wrong?"

Avia keenly sensed the change in Moira's mood and asked softly.

"If he had simply given up, I would never have given him the chance to learn here, no matter how late it was. That is my rule, even if you are so excellent that I am tempted to make a special exception for him."

Moira looked at the girl solemnly, voicing her thoughts.

"But what if he actually succeeded in opening the object you gave him?"

Avia was puzzled as to why Moira was so certain Wang Yu had failed to open the relic and had come to the door only to surrender.

"Do you even know what lies within that object? It contains the raw material for the potion known as the 'One and Only Miracle'—the Starry Dew. The shell that encases it does not even originate from this continent; it fell from the very firmament above us."

"Similar artifacts descended from the heavens long ago, and to this day, no one has ever truly managed to breach their impenetrable surface."

"The only reason we know of the Starry Dew inside is that some were already fractured when first discovered. The brilliant alchemists of that era used the fragments to brew that legendary 'Miracle' potion."

"If a legend told me they had cracked such a stone, I might grant them a shred of belief. But your companion? To my weary, aged eyes, he is not even a Great Knight. It is impossible..."

Moira stared at the girl, her tone unyielding. She refused to grant Wang Yu even a sliver of trust, and her reasoning was enough to explain why she was so convinced of his absolute failure.

"..."

Avia fell silent. The name of the potion left her shaken; the description of the "One and Only Miracle" was etched into history, and she had once read in a chronicle of the sheer power that miracle had unleashed.

"All things in heaven and earth yield to it, turning the impossible into the possible"—that was how the book described the miracle wrought by the potion's wielder during the Battle of the Abyss.

"Your logic is sound, yet I still wish to trust my companion. From what I know of him, he is not a man who gives up so easily."

After a brief silence, Avia met Moira’s gaze. Even as the old woman narrowed her eyes, her gaze etched with the frost of time and sharpened by displeasure, the girl held her stare with unwavering resolve.

"Hah, how idealistic. I had no intention of even looking, but since you insist, I shall go. If he is knocking for any other reason, I will still grant him the opportunity to study under me. If not, I am sorry, but I have no intention of continuing your tutelage."

After a moment of locking eyes, a sharp, dangerous curve touched Moira’s lips.

She let out a cold laugh, turned away, and headed for the stairs, her words trailing back to Avia.

From start to finish, Moira never once entertained the possibility that Wang Yu had actually opened the stone.

"Very well."

The girl responded firmly, rising to follow Moira downstairs.

They reached the entrance, and Moira pulled open the wooden door to reveal Wang Yu standing outside.

"Ms. Moira, I have successfully opened the object you gave me. This is what you wanted, isn't it? Do you still need this stone slab? If not, may I have it?"

Wang Yu held up the glass vial containing the iridescent liquid for Moira to see, while simultaneously asking if he might keep the incredibly durable stone. If he could use the power of his Chariot to forge it into a dagger, it would make for a magnificent weapon.

There was no response. Moira’s gaze and thoughts were utterly transfixed by the shimmering liquid in the vial.

The Starry Dew.