Volume 9: Fate of Destiny Chapter 20: It's a real problem! So, I choose to cheat
There was dead silence in the small conference room.
The alchemist stared at the black apple in his hand in amazement, then looked blankly at Mason, whose eyes were full of expectation. After a few seconds, he organized his words and calmed himself down.
Then he took a deep breath and scolded Mason:
"Are you fucking crazy? You've already used the Hackintosh, and we, who were created based on you, definitely can't use it again!"
"But you've gone out on your own, haven't you?"
Mason pushed his glasses and explained from another angle:
"Although you are low-level independent individuals similar to elemental creatures, you do have completely different thoughts and life pursuits from me, and even your souls...
Although it cannot be confirmed whether we share the same soul, in terms of existence alone, the crystal heart beating in your chest at this moment represents that we are indeed independent.
Of course, our relationship is more akin to 'mitosis' than to biological blood relations in the traditional sense."
"Who asked you to explain this?"
The alchemist was a little mad. He took off his wizard hat and threw it on the ground, screaming:
"You don't really think that this little trick can deceive a cosmic artifact like the Black Apple, do you?"
The old hat on Mason's head was also alarmed by Mason's outrageous behavior. It made a blurry human face and tried to persuade Mason, who was a little angry.
Son, listen to my uncle's advice, don't make such a clever mistake.
However, the hat chose to watch in silence before it could speak, because it realized that this plan was probably not something that Mason came up with on a whim... Thinking back carefully, Mason's decisive action of giving his clones freedom seemed to have paved the way for this moment.
Well, if this happened to someone else, it might seem like hindsight, but for Mason, who thinks a hundred steps ahead, this is definitely the truth that has been ignored.
Faced with the alchemist's madness, Mason did not show any reaction but just smiled.
After Alchemist Jack Mason calmed down, Mason said to him:
"Whether it works or not is not up to you or me, but Hackintosh. Give it a try. Come on, close your eyes and ask your question."
"Will this work?"
The alchemist complained quietly.
He took a deep breath to slow down the power of his pounding crystal heart, then turned over in his mind everything he wanted to know.
As a hall-level alchemist who is making an impact on the Lv11 alchemy realm, he has countless unanswered questions in his heart.
But after several seconds, the alchemist opened his eyes a little, looked at the unresponsive black apple in his hand, curled his lips, and said to Mason:
"See! I told you no, I can feel it examining me but I'm not responding. It's no use."
"No! It works."
Before Mason could say anything, the hat spoke first.
Old Hat said to the alchemist in a doubtful tone:
"If you've already lost the chance to ask questions because Mason used it, then Hackintosh won't make you feel like it's scrutinizing you, it will just ignore you and won't respond to any questions.
Now it just doesn't answer, but it doesn't ignore you.
I think this is because Black Apple itself is confused about the unique relationship between you and Mason, and finds it difficult to truly regard you as an independent individual.
Mason's quibble makes sense.
Although we have no way of knowing what criteria Black Apple uses to judge life, it should not be simply based on life information, but something deeper.
Perhaps it is the level of existence.
Theoretically, the moment Mason separated you, your fate was changed from his. Maybe Black Apple didn't respond because your question was too outrageous?
Or maybe you asked the question in the wrong way?"
"After all, you are not an independent life in the true sense, so the authority that the black apple can give you is probably not as high as mine. For example, if an ant gets the black apple, it will definitely not ask about the truth of the universe...
In Black Apple's eyes, you are probably similar to the parasites on my body in terms of life form?"
Mason rubbed his chin in thought.
After a moment, he said to the alchemist who was upset at being called a parasite:
"So, instead of asking about those grand topics, let's downgrade your questions to specific plans. The more specific the better, and see to what extent it can respond to you."
“This is too tragic.”
The alchemist complained:
"Before, you used me as a tool, but now I have been reduced to the level of a parasite. If our relationship wasn't really good, a nasty guy like you would be killed by us sooner or later."
"Stop talking nonsense. You are creating a path for other Masons to follow."
Mason gave him a push and said:
"Think about it, if you can accomplish this, it means that other Masons will also have the opportunity to use the Black Apple. Although they won't gain any power that can turn the tide, it will be a great help to our collective goal of dominating all professions, right?
As far as I know, except for you, the engineer and the blacksmith, everyone else is stuck at Lv9 and it is difficult to break through in a short period of time. This is a breaking point.
Whether the Mason family can go further depends on you .
Don’t be stressed, just keep going.”
"Can you make me feel less stressed by what you say? You're a stress monster who deserves to be killed!"
The alchemist snorted.
But the atmosphere had become so tense that there was no way to back down, so he just made up his mind and continued trying according to Mason's advice.
"Great Black Apple, please teach me how to make another breakthrough in alchemy!"
He shouted.
The Black Apple didn't react, but the scrutiny didn't disappear, as if it was still hesitating on whether the guy in front of it was qualified to ask it questions.
"That won't work, the scope is too broad, be more specific!"
The old hat on Mason's head reminds:
"Even if you are a complete life and ask such a broad question, it is difficult for Hackintosh to give you a specific answer. Asking questions is an art. You have to be specific about the one you really want."
"Then... Black Apple, please tell me how to study and master the more advanced application of alchemy in the transformation rules?"
The alchemist narrowed down the problem to the core of the difficulty he was experiencing.
This time, a beam of light surged from the black apple, but it dissipated before it could fully light up. It seemed that it believed that although a "defective life" at the level of an alchemist barely met the qualifications to ask independent questions, it obviously did not have the authority to get answers to questions of this level.
"Fuck, this is a rip off."
The alchemist complained.
Mason whispered beside him:
"Okay, you know the answer I want to know now, don't bother, just ask directly."
"Tsk, even though I'm independent now, I still have to devote myself to your life. Fortunately, I have made up my mind to be a single man. Since I don't want to fall in love, naturally no one can threaten me with emotional issues."
The alchemist snorted in a sarcastic tone, adjusted his state, and was about to pick up the black apple and asked:
"Then, can you please tell me, the contemptuous and arrogant Black Apple, how can I make a resurrection potion that can save Cirilla?"
The light aroused by this question was obviously more real than before, but there was still no concrete answer. The alchemist had no choice but to put away the medicine box he had brought with him.
After several consecutive failures, he gnashed his teeth and said:
"You bastard Black Apple! There should be a limit to how much you can look down on others, right? Tell me! How can I improve the effect of my resurrection potion?"
"Buzz"
The black light surged and wrapped up the alchemist's fingers before he could react, and a cold aura surged up along his body of water.
He was different from Mason. He had no flesh and blood at all and was therefore almost unable to resist this level of freezing. In the blink of an eye, one third of his body was frozen.
In the midst of the embarrassment of shivering and breathing cold air, Black Apple contentedly withdrew his power.
It generously gave the alchemist, a broken life, the answers he needed. The weight of life and the weight of forbidden knowledge achieved a perfect balance and match.
Oh my, our Black Apple is really spicy!
Seeing that the alchemist was about to be frozen to death, Mason hurried forward to help him melt the ice that was still covering him by using water manipulation. His hat also sprayed out flames to wrap around the alchemist who was about to collapse and help him return to water state.
After several minutes of this, Mason McGuirk Cooper finally came back to life.
He lay weakly on a chair in the conference room, gasping for breath even though he didn't need to. He stared at the black apple on the penguin umbrella in Mason's hand and said through gritted teeth:
"This thing punished me, perhaps because it thought that such cleverness deserved to be punished. Asshole, I almost died, but... the standard answer does exist, although it still doesn't seem perfect to me.
But if it is this formula, I do have a higher chance of bringing your Xiliya back safely from death."
The alchemist's ocean-blue eyes reflected words and patterns, just like Mason's just now. He threw the resurrection potion in his hand to Mason and said:
“You can do with this thing as you please. I still have a little bit of the raw materials you gave me. Come with me, Mason. I need something from you to prepare the perfect resurrection potion for Cirilla.
But I declare in advance that it will be something very, very important to you, so you can choose to refuse..."
"Are you kidding me? Do you think I'd say no?"
Mason smiled, put his arm around the alchemist's shoulder, and like two good brothers, they quickly returned to the "Maijack Alchemy Shop" in the Osborne Tower in a synchronized water conversion.
This is the first step that the alchemist has planned for himself in building a business empire.
Although it is currently just a small shop located on the edge of Osborne Tower, he is confident that he will be able to build an empire spanning the endless starry sea in the new era in the future.
Well, as to why the store was opened in such a remote place, on the one hand it was because the alchemist did not like noise, and on the other hand it was because he was short of money and could not afford the expensive rent set by the old green goblin.
There is no other way. Economic independence is the first step to personal independence. If everyone in the Mason family wants to separate their lives from Mason's life, they must first achieve personal independence, right?
"It's a bit messy here, don't mind, it won't affect my alchemy efficiency."
The alchemist started making the product immediately after returning to his small shop. He took out the Phoenix Fire and the remnants of the Philosopher's Stone that Mason had given him last time, and fused them together in a dazzling manner. He used a solution made from the pure blood of a unicorn and the perfect recovery potion as a base, and then sprinkled the crushed dragon bones into it.
Although there is no longer the shock and magical feeling of boiling medicine in a big pot, just watching the alchemist's smooth operation is a visual enjoyment.
Mason watched the entire process.
Although his connection with other Masons on a technical level was not cut off, to be honest, even with equal knowledge, he would never be able to achieve the level of proficiency of an alchemist.
His energy was too dispersed. He could be called an excellent craftsman, but in terms of the concept of "outstanding", he was obviously far inferior to his brothers.
"Wait a moment. When the alchemical solution is boiled to two-thirds of the way, I will add some very special substances into it."
The alchemist put down the crystal stirring rod and put the potion, which had already begun to blend, into the blender next to him and kept spinning it. He took out an hourglass and placed it beside him. As the fine sand fell, he said to Mason very seriously:
"I'll take this opportunity to explain to you the solution Black Apple gave me. There is no problem with the effect of my potion. It can indeed revive a dead life in a short period of time. Of course, there are side effects. Death will take away some vitality, which the potion cannot completely fill.
Therefore, the life after resurrection will enter an unpredictable period of weakness and change in life form.
This is because I was simply focusing on the process of "resurrection", but ignored another problem with Ciri, which was the infection of Mephisto's existence on her.
The fact that Hei Qiyi was unable to completely expel that influence showed that the infection had already reached the root level.
If she is given a resurrection potion and cannot be completely expelled, even if she is really resurrected, Mephisto's power will still remain. This is the main reason why the divine world cannot completely encode Ciri's biological consciousness.
That power merged with her and became a part of her.
So Hackintosh suggested that I solve the problem directly from the source! ”
The alchemist opened the drawer, took out a piece of parchment, and wrote a short but powerful contract on it with elegant handwriting. The writing style and wording of this contract were completely different from all the rituals Mason knew, and even the old hat was amazed.
This should be the answer that Black Apple gave to the alchemist just now.
The alchemist held up the written contract and placed it in front of Mason. He emphasized:
“Don’t worry about its confusing sentence structure. This thing will definitely work, but the problem is that this contract shares more than just simple things like vitality or life span.
We need to find a being who is equal to Mephisto or even higher than him on a symbolic level, to replace his power that constantly interferes with Ciri.
In other words, transfer!
At the moment of Ciri's death, when her connection with Mephisto was severed, she used the 'sharing' granted by this contract to bind her existence to another existence.
In this way, even if the resurrection potion failed to take full effect, she would not be torn to pieces, and she could rely on this "existence binding" to restore her life for an unknown period of time.
I don’t know if you understand, but this is the general principle of effectiveness, so the only question now is…”
The alchemist placed the contract in Mason's hands and asked carefully, word by word:
"Mason Cooper, you are a unique existence without a space-time anomaly, the only one in the world, and you are currently the only life that can be confirmed to survive in the next era.
Although you haven't transcended, on a symbolic level, you already have a unique existence that is more powerful than Mephisto, so are you willing to give half of your remaining life to Ciri?"
"What do you think?"
Mason looked at the contract in his hand. He put his finger to his mouth and bit it. He wrote his name on the contract with his own blood and then returned it to the alchemist.
This decisiveness made the alchemist shrug his shoulders. He processed the contract with a special method and then blended it into the resurrection potion that was being stirred, and said to Mason:
"Okay, I admit that you are indeed a pure love party."
"I always have been."
Mason looked at the potion that was about to be completed. He then looked at the box in his arms that contained the original potion and said softly:
"You don't need this thing anymore, do you?"
"What are you going to do with it?"
The alchemist turned around and said:
“Didn’t I just say that it has side effects? If this potion can work on Ciri, then I already have an idea for the potions for the other two great mentors.
Liana Latimes can be bound to the concept of hell . She is a creature of hell. Mephisto's power has little effect on her. The difficulty of her resurrection is the easiest among the three mentors.
Old Shazam is in a bit of trouble.
But I believe that with his wisdom he can definitely find an equivalent binding.
Mason put the potion in his hand into his bag and said:
"No, there is one more person who needs to experience death. That is destiny."
