Chapter 3959: Lemaire's Legacy

Weger watched Xia De, who was carefully searching through the items in the box:

"I feel it's a great pity. If Mother's research could have continued, perhaps she really could have succeeded in creating her own 【Philosopher's Stone】."

Then she thought of another matter:

"However, Mother did not destroy all of her past research records. After I became a Ring-bearer, with the help of my teacher, I found the secret alchemy laboratory Mother had left locally and sealed away for decades. Inside there were some special alchemical substances. Although they cannot compare to a true 'Philosopher's Stone,' after my teacher examined them, she believed their properties were already somewhat close to that kind of all-purpose alchemical material."

Xia De exclaimed in admiration:

"Indeed, it's remarkable. But even though she changed her research direction midway, didn't your mother still achieve great things?"

"Yes. The research results of the 【Emerald Tablet】 were partially transformed into the 'Mother Liquor' you've seen in the underground palace..."

Weger hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back:

"Actually, in the last few research records Mother left behind, I saw some very forbidden content. One research direction was the conversion of flesh-and-blood life into a mixed solution of flesh, blood, and spirit; another research result was related to parthenogenetic reproduction independent of nature; the most dangerous result was the forbidden life-reproduction research attempting to break reproductive isolation... I won't pass judgment on these matters, after all, Mother passed away long ago."

Because he had been exposed to the research of Laplace Howard and the 【Truth Society】, Xia De was not surprised by this:

"Have you tried to communicate with her spirit?"

Weger shook her head:

"I haven't tried. On one hand, I didn't want to disturb her rest; on the other hand, I felt that even attempting spirit communication probably wouldn't succeed. After all, Mother still had to guard against the 【Emerald Alchemy Society】 finding me, so she wouldn't easily allow others to summon her spirit."

"Then did she leave you any meaningful mementos? Like personal jewelry, for instance."

Weger nodded:

"There is a pendant, but I was worried alchemists would recognize it, so I don't have the habit of wearing it when I go out."

As she spoke, she had the maid go fetch that pendant, and while Xia De was searching through these old items brought from the Astley family mansion, he also found something interesting.

【The book on the right.】

This was the reminder "she" suddenly gave. It was a not-very-thick fairy tale book titled "100 Bedtime Stories," but in fact it only contained 32 stories.

The book looked perfectly normal, but when Xia De was browsing the table of contents, he discovered that the 13th story was "The Crimson Fraud" that Dorothy and Princess Lei Lei Qianya had chosen for him, so out of curiosity he flipped to the corresponding page to take a look.

As a result, in the upper-left corner of the page corresponding to the story, he saw a simple sketch of a "vertical pupil" drawn in dark blue ink.

"Oh?"

Because of the ancient holy emblem and the "Fire Seed Source," Xia De was now very sensitive to such patterns. He reached out and touched that pattern, sensing extremely, extremely faint traces of elements. At this time the Young Lady maid who had gone to fetch the jewelry had not yet returned, so Xia De took that book and came to sit beside Weger:

"Have you seen this book before?"

Weger sat up straight and looked at the book cover:

"Mother left behind a great many books. Although I haven't read through this fairy tale book, I had seen it on the bookshelf before. Is there a problem with this book?"

Xia De then opened the page that his own finger had marked:

"Look at this pattern."

"An eye?"

Weger reached out and touched it as well, but her perceptive ability was not as strong as Xia De's:

"I'm not sure either whether Mother drew this. When I previously examined Mother's belongings, I mostly looked through those alchemy notebooks. I definitely came into contact with this book, but at the time I probably just flipped through it roughly."

Xia De nodded to indicate understanding. At this time, the Young Lady maid who had gone to fetch the jewelry also returned. The jewelry box wrapped in red velvet was small and exquisite. Weger carefully took it and opened it, displaying the blue vertical-pupil-shaped pendant inside the jewelry box to Xia De:

"This is it. It's made of sapphire. After Mother passed away, Father wore it throughout his life, and only after he departed did it pass into my hands. So strictly speaking, this is a memento of both parents."

Xia De looked at the symbol on the book, then at the item in the jewelry box, and said hesitantly:

"Although it's somewhat coincidental, is it possible..."

He showed the symbol on the book page again, and only now did Weger understand what Xia De meant:

"Although I'm now also suspecting Mother left other things behind, could it really be found this easily?"

She picked up that pendant and placed the sapphire on the simple sketch on the book page. Thus the book and the pendant, which originally only contained extremely faint elements, resonated simultaneously, and floated up into the air, breaking free from Xia De's and Weger's hands.

The symbol on the book emitted a copper-colored light, while the gemstone pendant emitted a blood-red light. Under Weger's stunned gaze, the two merged together.

The blood-colored and copper-colored lights mixed with each other, and a massive alchemical ritual array appeared in the air and began the transmutation. In the end, both the book and the pendant vanished, and a brass metal box with a very archaic design fell down. It looked very much like the appearance that the "mimics" in Xia De's memory often disguised themselves as.

Of course, this was not a mimic. The box was not large, about the same size as Xia De's 【God's Gift Box】.

Seeing that Weger hadn't reacted, Xia De reached out and caught it, then exclaimed in admiration:

"The book and the gemstone synthesized into a box—this is a preset alchemical ritual, isn't it? The ritual to be triggered is divided into two parts, separately inscribed on two different items. Once the two approach each other, the ritual is activated, and then the final step of transmutation is completed. This method is very ingenious."

"There's really something here?"

Only now did Weger look at that box. Of course, this box was not what Lady Lemaire wanted to leave behind; what was inside the box was.

It's just that the surface of the box rippled with red runes, and it was obvious at a glance that it was locked by a rune lock. But at the top of the box there were three grooves, and below each of the three grooves were runes written in an ancient language.

Xia De was not sure how Weger's ancient language proficiency was, but in any case, he had never seen similar runes before. Nevertheless, he translated them:

"From left to right, the three symbols are—【Philosopher's Stone】, 【Emerald Words】, 【Blood of Descendants】."

Xia De had solved many riddles, and he even had the title of "Sage." The meanings represented by these three symbols were not difficult to guess:

"It's easy to understand. These are the three keys needed to open the box—your mother's three greatest achievements in her life, namely the 【Philosopher's Stone】, the 【Emerald Tablet】, and you."

Weger was somewhat moved:

"Mother..."

"Let's try opening it and see. The final key is your blood. Your mother should have only wanted you or your descendants to open it. 【Emerald Words】 probably refers to those thirteen sentences on the 【Emerald Tablet】, but we don't know which specific one is needed. Still, we can't write the sentence on a piece of paper and place it in, can we? That probably isn't the requirement.

Relatively speaking, the 【Philosopher's Stone】 is actually the simplest key."

Xia De said, and Weger was puzzled:

"Why? Can you make a Philosopher's Stone?"

Xia De laughed:

"Weger, no matter how capable I am, I don't have that ability. I just happen to have a 【Philosopher's Stone】 on hand. But I didn't bring it with me, so I'll need to go back and get it."

It was still early, so Xia De handed the box to Weger:

"You study it for a bit first. I'll go back to get the thing and be back very soon."

Saying this, Xia De tossed out the crystal shoe, and it took him twenty minutes to rush back from the "Blue Ink Library" after returning home. When Xia De appeared again in the study of Fragrance Manor, he unexpectedly found the box now emitting a faint glow and floating; the runes upon it looked even more intricate than before, and the last two grooves on the box lid had now lit up.

At this moment, Miss MacDonald had also returned and was examining the box with great interest. Vege explained to Xia De:

"Eve just suggested I place my finger in the middle groove and then perform 'Matter Transmutation' on this box—that is, use the power I gained after listening to the voices in souls. I didn't expect it to succeed immediately.

The third slot used my own blood. Before I truly used my own blood, I let others test it; no one else's blood could activate it."

Xia De nodded, and the tall Miss said:

"But this also shows that the words in the teacher's soul were known by the teacher's mother."

Vege pressed her lips and said nothing. Miss MacDonald did not think she had spoken wrongly; someone had to say this matter. Xia De said nothing about it, but instead took a sealed small test tube from his pocket:

"Here, I also brought the 【Philosopher's Stone】."

Now, relying on the "Fate Ink" researched by Luvia, Xia De added spirit runes to the Circle Mages of the Church, the Academy, and the Prophets' Association. Although the amount of 【Philosopher's Stone】 in his hands was still not particularly large, it was at least much more abundant than before.

He did not know how much was needed this time, so he brought one-third of his reserves. The blood-red substance inside the small lead-sealed glass test tube displayed a magnificent hue in the afternoon sunlight.

Vege had seen the 【Philosopher's Stone】 long ago, while Miss MacDonald was clearly seeing it for the first time. She sighed:

"I have never seen such a beautiful alchemical material. The pearl on the crown of alchemy truly lives up to its name; I never expected to have the day to see it."

"In the late Fifth Era, those extravagant Witch Emperors wore the 【Philosopher's Stone】 as jewelry on their bodies. This not only amplified spellcasting ability but also displayed their wealth."

Vege explained to her student, then said to Xia De:

"I do not know whether the 【Philosopher's Stone】 you provided can be recovered. Ahem, ahem. If these Philosopher's Stones are consumed, I cannot replenish them for you in the short term."