stjorthotic Chapter 71 An Unexpected Joy, Fragments of the Heart of Elements
Chapter 71 An Unexpected Joy, Fragments of the Heart of Elements
Old John bowed deeply again, wiped his eyes, and then carefully put away the gift before leaving the laboratory.
His back, though still somewhat hunched, seemed to have shed a heavy burden, carrying a lightness of moving towards a new life.
Rowling watched old John leave, his gaze falling on the metal box in his hand.
Upon opening the box, the dark red fragment of the Molten Core lay quietly on the velvet cloth, its intense heat flowing slowly within.
An unexpected delight.
Unexpectedly, Old John provided crucial clues and some physical artifacts related to the Heart of the Elements.
This significantly accelerated his progress in collecting materials for his talent spells. Although they were just fragments and their attributes weren't perfectly matched, they were still of great significance.
He carefully stored the fragments of the Molten Core, placing them alongside the spatial dust and the Soul Absorbing Stone.
Then, he opened the leather notebook that old John had left behind.
The contents of the notes were indeed as old John had said, somewhat disorganized, mostly consisting of scattered notes.
But Rowling looked at it very carefully.
It contains descriptions of the distribution of mineral veins in the Blackrock Mountains, the climate changes in the Wind Whisper Plains, the habits of certain monsters, as well as some legendary treasures and dangerous areas.
Although rudimentary, these are all firsthand accounts from John's own experiences or what he heard over more than twenty years, making them more vivid and specific than the records in official maps and books.
He even found several locations marked by Old John that appeared to be related to ancient ruins or unusual energy fluctuations.
Although most of them have been proven to be rumors or irrelevant, one or two of them caught Rowling's attention and may be worth investigating when he has time in the future.
Closing his notebook, Rowling walked to the window.
Old John's departure meant that his daily life and sources of information in Blackrock Town needed to be readjusted. However, these were minor matters and easily resolved.
More importantly, old John's "graduation" seemed to be a small milestone.
It reminds Rowling of the passage of time and that everyone is moving forward or backward on their own path.
Aubrey chose to sign a contract to advance his career, while John chose to fulfill his contract in exchange for freedom. As for himself, he embarked on a more difficult, yet broader, path to Star Origin.
He glanced at the few adventurer "materials" sealed in the corner of the laboratory, and then felt the newly added Molten Core fragments in his dimensional bag.
Resources are accumulating, knowledge is growing, and power is settling.
He seems to be one step closer to truly building his own first-circle talent spell.
He returned to the experimental table and once again unfolded the complex sketch of the talent spell model.
The next step in the research will need to take into account the characteristics of the Molten Core fragments, and see if the elemental power within them can be integrated or balanced with the characteristics of stars and space to some extent.
The addition of new variables means more calculations and deductions.
In Rolin's eyes, the fire of focused research was rekindled.
Old John's departure was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating a few ripples before quickly subsiding.
Rowling quickly appointed another clever young man from town to temporarily take over Old John's duties, in charge of the daily handover of supplies and the transmission of information, and life returned to normal.
However, some changes were quietly taking place in Rowling's heart.
The acquisition of Molten Core Fragments, the stable collection of Spatial Dust, and the mastery of clues about Soulflame Flowers signify the three core materials required to construct talent spells.
The clues to spatial dust, fragments of the Heart of Elements, and the Flower of Soul Flame are beginning to take shape.
It's time to move from theoretical planning to substantive preparation in the development of innate spells.
He did not immediately begin trying to build actual spell models.
That will be the final step, requiring thorough preparation and being in top condition.
Before that, there is a lot of groundwork to be done.
The primary task is to thoroughly familiarize ourselves with and understand the properties of each core material, especially their energy compatibility and potential conflicts.
He first conducted a more in-depth analysis of the Molten Core fragments.
This fragment contains highly compressed and active elemental fire power, violent and intense.
Using it directly to construct spell models may result in the model structure being destroyed or becoming unstable.
He tried to use stellar power to contact and guide it, and found that the inclusiveness of stellar power could indeed neutralize its violent characteristics to some extent, but the effect was limited, and a more precise balance point needed to be found.
He designed a series of experiments to test the stability of mixing different proportions of star power with the energy of the Molten Core, and recorded the critical point of the energy reaction.
This process requires extreme care, as the slightest mistake could lead to energy runaway. Fortunately, the fragments are small and the total amount of energy is limited, so it remains within a controllable range.
Meanwhile, he continued to use stellar decoys to collect space dust.
He has now accumulated a considerable amount of spatial dust, enough to conduct multiple construction attempts.
He conducted optimization tests on the stable triangular arrangement of space dust and found the optimal parameters to maintain its long-term stability in a micro-stellar force field.
As for the Soul Flame Flower, although he has not yet obtained it, Rolin has already begun to study its related energy properties.
He used the Soul-Absorbing Stone as a research sample to analyze the dark and soul-mixed energy it contained.
This energy is cold and corrosive, and its properties clearly conflict with the vast light of star power, the fiery and violent heat of the molten core, and the detached and anchored nature of spatial dust.
The biggest challenge in constructing talent spells is how to harmonize these distinct energy attributes so that they can coexist peacefully within the same spell model and achieve a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts.
Rowling spent a lot of time conducting energy simulations and deductions.
He constructed a virtual spell model framework in his mental sea, and then tried to import energy properties of different attributes into it to observe their interaction.
Failure is the norm; the virtual model crashed thousands of times.
With each crash, he carefully analyzed the cause and adjusted the arrangement and ratio of energy nodes, as well as the settings of the buffer zone.
In this process, his previous experience with dynamic stability and energy cycling, gained from optimizing the flow barrier, greatly inspired him.
Instead of pursuing absolute static balance, he began to design a dynamic spell model structure with multiple tiny energy vortices inside, capable of autonomously adjusting and dispersing conflicts of different attributes.
In addition to the core materials, constructing talent spells also requires other auxiliary materials.
The Primal Ink that Wizard Stone mentioned is one of the keys.
It needs to be able to perfectly carry the wizard's spiritual imprint and be compatible with the core materials.
Rowling began experimenting with preparing the base for his own ink.
He had dragon blood ink from a dragon species obtained from a secret realm, several plant juices with spiritual conduction properties that he had collected before, and an extract of a certain bioluminescent moss from the Blackrock Mountains that Old John had mentioned in his notes.
He mixed these materials in different proportions to test their energy affinity, stability, and ability to withstand mental energy.
The preparation process is complex and delicate, requiring repeated purification, filtration, and energy blending.
He transformed back into the researcher immersed in the laboratory, meticulously recording detailed data and energy responses for each formulation. Progress was slow, but he found it endlessly fascinating.
Adjusting one's own state is equally important.
He increased the intensity of his practice of the "Star Source Meditation Method," striving to adjust his spiritual sea and natal star to the most active and stable state.
The moment of constructing a talent spell requires a high degree of mental concentration and resonance with the rules, leaving no room for error.
He practiced the [Flowing Barrier] and other first-level spells repeatedly to ensure that his control over the power reached its peak, as if it were his own arm.
Luo Lin even began to consciously adjust his diet and daily routine, and took some mild medicines to nourish his spiritual essence, so that his body could also be in the best condition.
Ellie keenly sensed that her husband seemed busier than ever before, and the aura he exuded when focused on his research was becoming increasingly pronounced.
She dared not disturb them in the slightest, but instead worked even more quietly, then practiced diligently in the yard or outside the laboratory.
Her swordsmanship improved day by day, and the black iron longsword became more and more agile in her hands, faintly showing a trace of her own sword style.
She knew that only by constantly becoming stronger could she live up to her husband's expectations and perhaps be able to help him someday in the future.
Baha also sensed that Rolin was in a critical preparation period, so it became more vigilant, expanded its reconnaissance range, and ensured that there were no potential disturbances around the courtyard.
Time flew by amidst the intense preparations.