From Prisoner to Si Chen..

Chapter 361 Silver Bottle

"This is the 'oviparous butterfly'."

Gillan said calmly, pointing to a blue "caterpillar" in Mrs. McCulla's palm.

"To be precise, it's a useless corpse... Because when the 'Oviparous Butterfly' is alive, it has a pair of fiery red wings. After death, the wings fall off, and the body quickly turns blue and releases a deadly poison."

"This mysterious creature often appears in dense forests at higher altitudes. Its life cycle is only two days, and it is valuable only when it is alive. It can be added as a mild material to the refining of alchemy, and can also be used to treat hysteria."

Hearing his detailed description, Mrs. McCalla raised her eyebrows and looked surprised.

The female minister and others on the side, as well as Flamel and Galken who had passed the test, were all surprised.

How could this common young man be so knowledgeable? !
"Interesting young man," Mrs. McCullagh smiled. "Very detailed and thorough."

"Hmm...what about these two materials? Do you recognize them too?"

Although the blond young man had passed the test, she was still curious, so she asked again tentatively.

"Madam, these two materials are called 'bitter duckweed' and 'poisonous eggplant'."

Jilan glanced at the other two materials in the silver-robed lady's hand, a black apple the size of an egg, and a brown plant that looked like ginseng.

On these two materials, crooked colored entries appeared, indicating their information in great detail.

"'Bitter duckweed' is relatively rare and usually only grows in cemeteries. It is a parasitic oak that entangles itself on apple trees, absorbs their nutrients, and produces these tiny black fruits."

"It has strong medicinal properties and tastes extremely bitter. Taking it directly will cause harm to the human body, causing symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and fainting, but it can enable people to see spirits for a certain period of time."

Gillan spoke very quickly, without pause or dragging his feet, as if he had memorized the information in the material by heart.

"'Poison Solanum' is also known as 'Devil's Candle' because its leaves emit a green fire-like glow at night... Actually, it is because the small bell-shaped flowers growing on the top of it release a special smell, which attracts fireflies to cling to it."

"This material often grows in swamps, woodlands and shaded areas on hillsides. It is toxic and hallucinogenic. When it is uprooted, it emits sharp, piercing screams and curses. People who hear this sound will suffer hearing loss until they become deaf, and they will also become insane or even die."

"But the juice of 'Toxic Ginseng Eggplant' has an excellent effect on both internal and external injuries. It is a common main ingredient in healing alchemical medicine..."

The more Mrs. McCullagh listened, the more surprised she became, and the smile on her face grew wider.

As for the female minister and others, they opened their mouths wide, too shocked to speak.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the blond young man, and the scene fell silent for a moment.

"Very good." Mrs. McCullagh nodded, her tone expressing undisguised appreciation. "It seems that you have a very solid foundation."

Swish.

She waved her hand and changed two things again.

This was the material that Galken had failed to identify before.

"Let's talk about these two things?" McCalla asked with a smile.

Everyone was shocked.

Is Mrs. McCalla planning to test this young man's limits?
But this has far exceeded the scope of assessment, right?
"Okay, ma'am." Jilan nodded and said calmly: "The two materials are 'bend bark' and 'parrot spore'..."

He spoke at the same speed as before, describing in detail the origins, effects and some detailed information of the two materials.

Everyone took a deep breath and found it even more incredible.

This young civilian knows too much!
After Gillan finished speaking, Mrs. McCalla put away the materials in her hands and exclaimed:
"very good."

But then, she spread her hands again and asked in a gentle tone:

"Finally, do you recognize this?"

Everyone turned their eyes to the palm of the silver-robed lady's hand, but without exception, they were all stunned and looked puzzled.

Because they found that the lady had nothing in her hands!
Nothing at all!

Master McCalla, what does this mean?

Everyone was full of doubts and turned their attention to the blond young man.

Gillan remained calm on the surface, using his "player" essence to forcibly control his facial expression, suppressing the shock in his heart and not letting it show.

Because under his spiritual vision, he clearly saw a piece of "grass" quietly placed in Mrs. McCalla's hand.

The "grass" was not green, but a strange scarlet color.

As crystal clear as blood jade.

The colorful entries are reflected in Jilan's eyes:
“Pilgrimage witness.”

"It is a common plant that grows deep in the Corridor of God's Homeland. However, it has been stained with the blood of failed Ascendants, thus changing its appearance color."

"Countless mysterious people have tried to ascend, trekking through the corridors and making pilgrimages to the mountain top, but they have stumbled and fallen halfway, spilling blood, declaring their fate to be overturned and their failure to climb the stairs."

'Is this a material that Madam McCulla picked up deep in the "Corridor" of God's Country?'

Gillan guessed in his heart.

"Doesn't she know what this is? Or is she testing me..."

"How is it? Do you recognize it?"

The lady in silver robe asked again with a smile on her face.

Jilan frowned slightly, showing doubt, and said hesitantly:

"Madam, you seem to have nothing in your hand."

"Really? Do you want to take a closer look?"

Mrs. McCalla studied the young man's expression carefully but could not discover any clues.

"I'm sorry, ma'am."

Jilan looked a little frustrated, shook his head and said in a deep voice.

A trace of thought flashed across McCala's eyes, and then she smiled and withdrew her hand. For some reason, she felt a little disappointed.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Guillen Iros."

"Well...Mr. Gillan, your performance is excellent. From now on, you will be my apprentice."

Mrs. McCulla laughed.

As she spoke, she turned around and said to the two young people, a man and a woman:
"And you two, Miss Flamel, and Mr. Galken."

Hearing this, the man and the woman looked excited.

The female ministers and others on the side clapped their hands with forced smiles and offered insincere congratulations.

The reason was simple: among the three apprentices recruited by Master Macara, two were civilians, and both were male...

The eyes of the nobles were filled with envy when they looked at Flamel, and they were full of resentment and jealousy towards the two commoner men, Gillan and Galken.

"You three go back and prepare, say goodbye to your families, and pack your luggage... From now on, you will study and live with me, and you won't be able to see your family and friends for a long time."

Mrs. McCalla explained to Gillan and the other two.

Her tone is gentle and friendly, making people feel like spring breeze.

"I understand, teacher."

Flamel grinned and was the first to answer.

She turned her head again and looked at Gillan and Galken.

Maybe it was because she was a noble that she felt superior to these two men of the same age who came from humble backgrounds, so she put her hands on her hips and squinted her eyes and said:
"I am the first one to pass the test, so I should be your senior sister... From now on, you must be respectful and polite to me. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Sister Flamel."

Galken bowed to her and bowed his head respectfully. But Gillan had no intention of paying attention to the noble girl. He walked towards Mrs. McCalla and explained to her that he was an orphan and did not need to say goodbye or make any preparations.

Seeing that the blond young man ignored him, Flamel Nicolas's face changed slightly and he gritted his teeth.

Finally, he snorted coldly and kicked Galken lightly, as if taking out his anger on him.

After being kicked by "Senior Sister", Galken didn't dare to say a word, but just looked terrified.

...

...

Shortly after the apprentice recruitment examination was completed, Gillan followed Mrs. McCullagh out of Queen's Square.

The lady originally lived in seclusion in Andea, the capital of the Kingdom of Sakya, specifically in the suburbs north of the town.

The environment there is quiet and peaceful. After passing a wheat field, there are woods and streams.

There are several wooden houses in the woods.

"Jilan, please find a room to stay in first and get used to the surrounding environment. Tell me if you need anything."

The lady in a silver robe brought him to the wooden house and smiled gently.

"When Flamel and Galken come, I will teach you all the knowledge together."

"Yes, ma'am." Jilan nodded and said.

After giving the instructions, Mrs. McCalla went into the wooden house in the middle, leaving Gillan standing alone in the yard.

He looked at the wooden houses on both sides and finally chose the one on the left, because the early morning sun would shine into the window, and he preferred the warm feeling of the morning light filling the room and sprinkling on his body.

It's approaching evening.

Galken and Flamel arrived at the cabin one after another.

The former came on foot, carrying a large sack on his back and a lot of bags in his hands, while the latter was picked up by a horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by four strong female guards who helped the noble girl to carry her luggage down.

Since Flamel was the only female among the three apprentices, she lived alone in the wooden house on the right, while Galken lived with Gillan.

Mrs. McCullagh prepared the dinner herself.

Each person received a piece of white bread, a bowl of mushroom and vegetable soup, and a piece of roasted wild boar.

The food is simple but tastes great.

The four of them sat at the wooden table in the yard and had their meal together, enjoying the cool evening breeze and the setting sun.

"Thank you, Mrs. McCullagh, the food was delicious."

Flamel took a bite of his bread and meat, stood up politely, and bowed to the silver-robed lady with his skirt lifted, with a lovely smile on his face.

"Sit down, don't be so polite."

Mrs. McCulla laughed.

"Yes, ma'am." Flamel smoothed her skirt and sat down gracefully.

The lady in silver robe picked up the mushroom soup and took a sip.

Then he took out a piece of unprocessed white limestone from his body, drew a circular pattern on the table, and asked the three people with a smile:
"Do you know what this is?"

"Alchemy array." Jilan glanced at the pattern on the table and said softly.

It was a circle inlaid with equilateral triangles.

"Yes, this is a basic alchemy array."

Mrs. McCulla laughed.

“What it actually represents is the cycle of energy and matter.”

"The principle of alchemy is the law of nature. Alchemists explore, discover, summarize and use this law to realize some unimaginable ideas."

“Everything will end, but it will leave traces. Such traces can be dust or nutrients, which will give birth to new things.”

“It’s a cycle of energy and matter.”

Mrs. McCalla pointed to the white alchemy array on the table and spoke to the three apprentices.

"And this basic alchemy array is a simplification of the laws of nature."

“Alchemy is a kind of mystical knowledge that understands, decomposes and reconstructs everything in the world. Through it, the time and process of the cycle can be shortened.”

Mrs. McCullagh smiled and paused.

"For example."

As she spoke, she gently placed the white limestone in her hand on the alchemy array on the table.

Accompanied by a flash of golden light.

hum-

The pupils of Lemay and Galken who were present shrank, and a look of disbelief appeared on their faces.

I saw that the limestone was dyed with golden color at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then turned into a gold!
"The Midas Touch!" exclaimed Flamel.

Immediately, she looked excited and expectant, and said to the lady in silver robe:

"Teacher, I want to learn this! If I master the knowledge of 'turning stone into gold', I will never lack money in the future!"

Galken on the side opened his mouth but did not have the courage to ask for permission to study. However, the eagerness and excitement in his eyes could not be concealed.

Gillan stared at the golden stone on the table.

He was sure that it was a gold coin.

A piece of gold transformed from ordinary limestone!
But at the same time, Gillan does not believe that there is any way in this world that can turn stone into gold for no reason.

"Ma'am, this will cost you something, right?"

He suddenly asked in a deep voice.

McCalla looked at the blond young man in surprise, as if he was surprised that the young man was not blinded by greed and could think calmly.

"That's right." The silver-robed lady nodded and smiled. "Alchemy is not omnipotent, and it cannot create something out of nothing."

"If you want to obtain a substance, you must pay a corresponding price. This is one of the laws and truths of the mortal world, 'Equivalent Exchange', which is governed by 'Ms. Snow', the ninth month's celestial being."

“In short, to gain, you must first lose.”

As she spoke, the lady raised her other hand, and in her palm, there was a small glass bottle, but it was empty.

"The 'alchemy potion' I just used up was actually because I quietly consumed this bottle of 'alchemical potion', not because I turned limestone into gold out of thin air."

"As for the value of this bottle of 'alchemical medicine', it is more valuable than gold."

Madam McCalla smiled at the three apprentices, her tone hinting at a warning and instruction:

"So, don't try to gain something for nothing through alchemy. This is against the laws of the world and is impossible to achieve."

"Yes, ma'am."

The three apprentices said respectfully.

Mrs. McCullagh nodded with satisfaction, took out three more limestones and handed them to them.

"Next, I will first teach you how to draw the nine basic alchemy arrays, as well as their respective effects and uses."

"And remember it carefully and practice diligently."

"Yes, ma'am."

(End of this chapter)