Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 567: Alex’s Alchemy Innovation II

CH567 Alex’s Alchemy Innovation II

***

Alex was no stranger to product reveals and peer reviews.

He had done it many times in his previous life, and in this current one as well.

So, although he had been caught slightly off guard by having to present his innovation before a committee of phantom peers spanning the ages, he quickly adjusted.

"My name is Alex Fury," he began calmly. "Today, I present to you a new alchemical refinement method... Pill Alchemical Refinement."

"Or simply—Pill Refinement. Or if you prefer, Pill Alchemy."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"As the name implies, Pill Alchemy involves refining alchemical products into the form of a pill. This method works best for medicinal and poisonous alchemical products, though there may also be certain applications for it within the field of material alchemy."

"Pill Alchemy utilises the same fundamental ingredient formulas used in traditional potion alchemy. Naturally, this raises an obvious question..."

Alex smiled faintly.

"What makes Pill Alchemy different —or even superior— to conventional potion alchemy?"

"There are several advantages."

He raised a finger.

"First: shelf life."

"Pills possess a significantly longer shelf life compared to potions. When refined correctly, the pill structure completely locks in the medicinal essence and efficacy of the ingredients. This means the pill itself naturally resists spoilage and loss of potency."

"Potions, on the other hand, rely heavily on their containers to maintain stability."

"In most cases, depending on the potion grade —particularly for higher-tier potions— leaving the liquid exposed to the open air for only a few minutes, some even seconds, is enough for the essence and medicinal efficacy to dissipate almost entirely."

"By contrast, alchemical products refined into pill form can remain exposed to the open air for at least ten times –hours— longer than their equivalent potion counterparts before experiencing any sort of degradation."

"In addition to this inherent advantage, pills can also still benefit from specialised storage containers just like potions."

"However, pills occupy far less physical volume."

"In practical terms, this means significantly more alchemical products can be stored within the same amount of space."

Alex paused briefly and looked across the dozens of phantom figures —the innovators of Verdantian Alchemy from across the ages.

Even though their faces were indistinct, he could feel their attention fixed firmly upon him.

Still smiling calmly, he continued.

"Furthermore, because —when done correctly— pills inherently trap all of the alchemical product’s efficacy within their structure, they generally possess greater medicinal potency than their corresponding potion forms."

"This occurs because, during traditional potion production, some portion of the medicinal efficacy is inevitably lost throughout the brewing and stabilisation process."

"This loss is unavoidable."

"With pill refinement, however, that loss can be drastically reduced, if not completely eliminated."

"This is significant because it means that, in many cases, a pill may be up to twice as effective as its equivalent potion."

That statement landed like a bombshell.

To Alex’s surprise, the phantoms reacted visibly.

Despite their indistinct features, the subtle ripples in their forms clearly conveyed astonishment.

"Another advantage of pills lies in superior batch production," Alex continued.

"Pill alchemy allows multiple pills to be refined simultaneously simply by increasing the quantity of ingredients used and dividing the final condensed product during the final stage of refinement."

"This dramatically improves production efficiency, as several doses can be produced within a single refinement cycle."

"The exact number of pills produced will naturally depend on the complexity of the formula and the potency of the ingredients involved."

"In addition, because pills contain a concentrated form of medicinal efficacy, they may also be dissolved into suitable liquids, such as liquid mana, to recreate potion solutions."

"In fact, a single pill may be dissolved to produce multiple doses of potion."

"Beyond the increased production efficiency, this method also addresses a long-standing weakness of potion distribution."

"Transportation."

"As mentioned earlier, potion shelf life is heavily dependent on the containers used to store them."

"Unfortunately, the containers that provide the greatest preservation —such as specialised glass vials— are also among the most fragile."

"They are prone to cracking or shattering during transportation."

"Pills do not suffer from this vulnerability."

"Pills are structurally stable and remain intact unless deliberately dissolved in specific energy-infused liquids or consumed directly."

"Furthermore, because pills occupy far less physical space while retaining the ability to be converted into potion form when necessary, large quantities of vital medicine can be produced in pill form and transported easily."

"Upon reaching their destination, these pills can then be dissolved into energy liquids to produce potions if required."

"In essence," Alex concluded calmly,

"pills provide greater versatility, stability, efficacy, and logistical control than traditional potion-based alchemy."

"This concludes my method reveal."

"Thank you."

Alex bowed respectfully.

Although he was not entirely certain what kind of entities the phantoms before him truly were, Alex decided to treat them as if they were real people.

He conducted himself exactly as he would during a formal presentation before fellow scholars or innovators.

Clap... Clap...

To his surprise, the phantoms began applauding.

Their approval was unmistakable.

The acknowledgement felt... surreal.

It was as though he had received recognition from peers scattered across the river of Time itself.

How many inventors in any world could claim such a thing?

With that, the outcome of his alchemy trial was obvious.

A resounding success.

One by one, the phantoms dissolved into motes of fading light.

Soon, the entire scene blurred.

Alex felt his consciousness shift—

And then he opened his eyes.

He was once again seated before the stele.

However, as he looked to the side, he noticed that Eleanore had also completed her trial.

Yet unlike him, she wore a deep frown.

Alex struggled to imagine a scenario in which someone as talented as Eleanore could have failed the trial.

With sharp wits, he quickly came up with a subtle way to ask about it.

"What’s wrong?" he asked. "Was the trial too simple?"

Eleanore shook her head.

Her mind drifted back to what had just happened inside the trial.

***