Lord: Starting with Biological Modification
Chapter 89 - 85: Extraordinary Profession Enlightenment Class
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windowpanes of the Lord’s Mansion study, casting vibrant patterns on the floor.
Velin was in a good mood.
The "Cooperative Guild" was now a heart, constantly pumping fresh blood into Newly Town. This system of rules converted the endless influx of people into a driving force for building the territory.
Handling these matters took up a great deal of his time, and he loathed such tedious tasks from the bottom of his heart. But Velin knew that a sound system was the prerequisite for the territory’s future rapid development, even without his constant intervention.
Now that the cornerstone was laid, he could finally dedicate his energy to something more important—advancing to a Level 2 Alchemist.
Velin left the Lord’s Mansion and walked straight toward the Origin Association research institute in the belly of Nameless Mountain.
It was absurd, really.
He was already a Level 1 Alchemist, but his understanding of this world’s Extraordinary system was still fragmented.
It wasn’t his fault.
This world’s control over knowledge far exceeded his imagination.
’Before you step through that door, everything is a restricted area. Bloodline is the only ticket for admission.’
’To prevent their core heritage from leaking out, families would only pour resources into "blue-chip stocks" worth investing in.’
’As for the "bloodless," it was already a mercy to be allowed to manage the family’s peripheral businesses without being stripped of their surname.’
In the laboratory, Valerius was wearing a pair of thick crystal glasses, staring intently at a row of test tubes bubbling with various colors.
"Master."
Velin’s voice made the old alchemist’s shoulders jolt.
He carefully set down the dropper in his hand and took off his glasses.
"Oh, Velin. Is there some new problem that requires this old head of mine to solve?"
"A problem concerning myself."
Velin walked to the lab bench, his gaze sweeping over the various jars and bottles with strange labels.
"I’m preparing to advance to Level 2."
Valerius froze in the middle of cleaning his glasses.
He looked up, astonishment flashing through his slightly cloudy eyes.
"Advance to Level 2? Now?"
He put his glasses back on, leaned in, and sized Velin up from head to toe, his nose almost touching Velin’s chest.
"Judging by the dissipation of your Spiritual Power, you’ve indeed qualified... Oh, by the Holy Father! How long has it been since you were initiated? This... If those old men at the Royal Capital’s Alchemy Association saw you, they’d surely fight over you."
’Velin figured it had to do with activating his bloodline talent early; he had been training his Spiritual Power even before his initiation.’
The master pulled over a high stool, motioned for Velin to sit, and then cleared his throat like a teacher about to begin a lecture.
"Well then, Velin, before you make this crazy decision, allow me to give you this long-overdue introductory lesson on the Extraordinary."
"First, you must understand that all the Extraordinary powers we discuss originate from bloodline and Ether. And the purity of your bloodline determines the upper limit of your ability to use Ether."
Valerius held up a finger. "This is the root cause of why knowledge is so controlled. No family would waste its precious heritage on a mediocre talent with an impure bloodline."
Velin listened quietly, which confirmed his earlier suspicions.
’The foundation of this world was built on a cruel genetic lottery. And good luck alone wasn’t enough; you also needed sufficient resources to continuously purify your bloodline.’
"Based on the different principles of the Extraordinary professions, they can be roughly divided into three major paths."
"The first is called the ’Flesh-and-Blood Forge.’ Warriors are typical of this path. They focus on strengthening the body itself to obtain immense strength and physique. Rangers, on the other hand, focus on enhancing their reflexes and balance, making themselves too fast for the naked eye to follow."
"The second is the ’Spiritual Web.’ That is the domain of Casters. Mages construct magic models in their spiritual world. If their Spiritual Power is insufficient to support the model, do you know what happens?"
He said with a hint of awe, "The model collapses, and the spiritual backlash, at its lightest, still results in a shock to the brain."
Velin nodded. This explained why Mages were so rare and noble.
"Priests are relatively safer. They’re more like ’puppets,’ using their own bloodline to communicate with the Eternal Radiance Source Master and ’borrow’ power from the Holy Father."
He paused for a moment. "The last one is the hybrid path, and it’s also the most complex."
We alchemists are on this path as well, actually.
"Knights use their bloodline and Ether to condense a ’Spiritual Qi’ energy field. A powerful Knight’s Courage Aura can even directly overwhelm an enemy’s mind."
Velin was immediately reminded of Ola’s fearless charge.
"As for us, the alchemists..." Pride shone in the master’s eyes.
"We are the conductors of Ether. We use our Spiritual Power to stabilize alchemical reactions and our bloodline’s sensitivity to Ether to deduce formulas. A mistake in any step results in disaster. That is why our path is more difficult than others—and also more glorious!"
"So, what about advancement?"
Velin asked the most crucial question.
Valerius led Velin back to his private laboratory and took out several yellowed scrolls of parchment from a locked iron box.
"The essence of an alchemist’s advancement is to use highly concentrated Ether Energy to flush and reshape the very source of one’s bloodline."
"Every alchemist must use their own Spiritual Power to guide the process of concocting their own unique advancement potion."
Valerius laid several recipes out on the table, one by one.
"These are the most mainstream recipes at present: [Fountain of Serenity], [Moonshadow Dew]... Their success rates are all above seventy percent, and the side effects are minor."
He paused, then added.
"After advancing, you will gain the ability associated with the potion."
Velin’s gaze swept quickly over the recipes. When he saw the descriptions of the enhancement effects at the bottom, he completely lost interest.
’Mediocre. That was a word he could not tolerate.’
His gaze moved past these "safe" options and landed on a piece of parchment that Valerius had placed at the very bottom of the pile.
The edges of the paper were tattered, and the writing was somewhat blurry.
[Mental Torrent]
Just from seeing the name, Velin could feel an overwhelming aura of power.
"Master, what about this one?"
The old man followed his finger, and his expression changed instantly.
"No, Velin, don’t touch that!" The old man’s voice held a trace of nervousness. "That is a narrow path, the fever dream of a madman whom history has forgotten."
"Its success rate is less than thirty percent. If it fails, the best outcome is a major loss of Spiritual Power, requiring a month of rest. The worst..."
Valerius seemed to recall some unbearable memory.
"The worst result is a mental collapse, turning you into a drooling idiot. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. It’s definitely not something you want to witness."
Velin’s finger tapped lightly on the table.
"Master, I want to see it." His tone was resolute.
Valerius stared at him for a long time, the worry in his cloudy eyes plain to see.
Finally, he heaved a long sigh and pushed the recipe over.
"I knew it. You geniuses all have arrogant blood flowing through your veins."
"But promise me, unless you are absolutely certain, do not attempt it lightly."
Velin picked up the parchment.
The ingredients on the recipe weren’t particularly rare, but the descriptions of the steps were extremely vague, filled with all sorts of deliberately mystifying alchemical jargon.
Velin’s brows knitted into a tight knot. ’What is this nonsense?’
[When the Moonlight Dragon Lizard gives its third roar, add a teardrop from a weeping pixie.]
’What if the lizard has a sore throat or is in a bad mood and just wants to hiccup?’
[When the tentacles of the Magic Vine Clam curl into a spiral, add three portions of ground Storm Crystal.]
’What if it gets a cramp and just stretches?’
’This isn’t a recipe at all! It’s clearly a terrible poem written by some third-rate poet!’