Chapter 806 First Advent to the High-Rank <TOC> Chapter 808 Affinity for Water
Translator: SumTLMan
To put it accurately, it’s an entrance into the high rank.
Even though it’s just crossed the threshold into the high rank, it is, after all, a high-rank alchemical creation.
Angel had always thought that he would only craft high-rank items after he became a formal wizard. After all, the tacit rules of the alchemical world dictate that crafting high-rank alchemical items requires many external factors, such as the level of alchemy spells, the breadth of energy, and so forth. These are hard requirements that Angel currently can’t meet; he would have to wait until he overcame the Great Barrier.
However, not all high-rank creations in the world require meeting these hard requirements. There are some rather special high-rank items.
This category of high-rank items focuses on their inherent effects.
In simpler terms, the inherent effects of these items have already reached the threshold of high-rank, even if the materials and crafting spells are inferior, they cannot limit the level of their inherent effects.
This is a very unique state.
Other alchemists, when crafting high-rank items, actually rely heavily on the special properties of high-rank materials. Because the effects produced by high-rank materials, as long as they don’t fail in crafting, naturally won’t be too bad.
However, crafting high-rank effects with middle-to-low-rank materials, now that’s an act against heaven.
Almost all great alchemists have a few works that are praised by others.
And the music box that Angel crafted met this standard.
Even though the materials used and the alchemy spells did not meet the high-rank standard, the “Rhythm of the Ocean” he finally crafted has indeed reached the high rank.
—”Amplify water affinity and provide significant enlightenment to wizards of the ocean lineage.”
This is the effect of the Rhythm of the Ocean.
The amplification of water affinity was something Angel had predicted beforehand. As for the latter effect, which claims to provide significant enlightenment to wizards of the ocean lineage, Angel may not understand what kind of enlightenment it brings, but he reckons it won’t be too bad.
The first effect, water affinity, actually has an upper limit, which is prior to becoming a formal wizard. Before that, one can improve the water affinity by continuously experiencing the illusion realm, and quickly cultivate the water element tricks.
This first effect is extremely useful for apprentice wizards on either side. Because almost every apprentice wizard has to learn the tricks of the elemental side, and water is an obstacle that cannot be bypassed.
For an individual, this effect might seem just fine. But from the perspective of a large wizard organization, the first effect is already very important, as it can rapidly cultivate the organization’s foundation. After all, an illusion realm can cover many people, and a large number of apprentice wizards can enter it at the same time.
Presented in any auction, it could serve as the finale item. Even in a grand auction, considering this effect alone, the final transaction price might even surpass seven digits.
The first effect alone has the potential to ascend into the ranks of high-rank alchemical creations; when you add the second effect, it can firmly establish its status within the high-rank category.
Regarding the second effect, although Angel himself cannot test it, the Eye of Nalda clearly marks it as providing “profound enlightenment for wizards of the ocean lineage.”
In Angel’s view, the crux of this statement is not so much the “enlightenment,” but rather the “wizard.”
The first effect is only effective prior to becoming a formal wizard. The second effect expressly indicates that it is effective for all “wizards” of the ocean lineage.
The upper limit reaches the standard of a first-level wizard.
There’s no escaping the fact that this firmly stands as a high-rank alchemical creation.
Of course, it’s not enough for an alchemical creation to simply reach the high-rank level; its attributes and whether it suits the user are also important. For instance, a high-rank weapon with an attack effect compared to the Black Night Sanctuary Angel wears that can block prophecy detection, the majority would likely choose the mid-rank pinnacle Black Night Sanctuary.
Firstly, those who can afford high-rank alchemical items are generally formal wizards, who already possess many powerful spells; secondly, functional alchemical items have always been more popular than offensive ones, as they can be adapted to a wider range of users; thirdly, high-rank alchemical items are expensive, and the alchemical items that mainstream wizards currently equip are primarily mid-rank, because mid-rank items are already suitable for wizard-level use.
However, whether wizards choose them or not depends on their individual needs; but one point is universally acknowledged – high-rank alchemical items serve as a benchmark, and once you’ve crafted a high-rank item, you’re not far off from becoming an alchemical master.
Such an alchemist, regardless of which wizard organization they’re placed in, would certainly be a guest of honor.
If news of Angel crafting a high-rank alchemical item were to spread, his reputation would flourish even more than now! Even the —Forest of Time— in the City of Truth would dedicate considerable space to introduce him.
The last alchemist the —Forest of Time— honored with a grand introduction was the “Mithril Shaper” Jailall from Hurricane Tower.
Though Jailall could craft high-rank alchemical items, he wasn’t able to do so consistently. If you broaden the scope a bit, Angel and Jailall are actually on the same level, with only a slight difference in rank.
However, Angel possesses self-awareness.
Crafting a high-rank item this time was completely beyond his expectations. During the crafting process, he merely felt as if he was attuning to some line of the sea. By the end, Angel was essentially operating unconsciously. From a certain perspective, you could even say that it was the sea that accomplished this creation, merely using Angel’s hands as a conduit.
If Angel were to try to recreate this by himself, it would be virtually impossible. There were too many mysterious aspects that he simply couldn’t understand at present. It was precisely these peculiarities that endowed Rhythm of the Ocean with its advanced effect, anchoring its status as a high-rank alchemical creation.
Therefore, Angel did not intend to claim all the capabilities of this “high-rank alchemical item” for himself.
He continued to carry out the examination of the Rhythm of the Ocean in a calm and composed manner.
After all, this was the second special effect created by Angel using the “Alchemical Illusion” as the core. The first type of effect was the incorporation of a Mysterious Object into the Alchemical Illusion. As proven by fact, alchemy with illusion as the core still had a vast treasure trove to excavate.
Meanwhile, beneath the ocean…
Jiebo was currently holding a pristine conch, gently rotating it, and the scene from the end of Angel’s alchemical process appeared in the conch.
This was the scene Jiebo had recorded after that peculiar “sigh”.
He was very interested in that sigh, thinking that if more sighs appeared later, he would record them for research, but unfortunately, no more sighs appeared afterwards.
However, Jiebo had recorded some useful information.
When Angel was crafting before, he had set up an illusionary cover. But when he finally collected his alchemical item, the illusion had disappeared, and he did not replenish the illusionary nodes, so Jiebo hadn’t recorded the appearance of that alchemical item.
Jiebo didn’t care much about its appearance. What he noticed was that, even though Angel quickly put away that alchemical item, he still felt a sense of the ocean.
This ocean aura was too vast. In Jiebo’s mind, this item was definitely exclusively for wizards of the ocean lineage, and its level might be very high.
However, Jiebo could not completely confirm whether it was a high-level alchemical item. If it really was, then Angel’s reputation could instantly leap from being a prodigy among young apprentices to receiving due respect at all levels.
After pondering for a moment, he decided to temporarily store the recorded scene for later, to inquire his mentor upon returning to the Song of the Deep Sea.
However, just at this moment, he felt a familiar fluctuation from the depths of the ocean current.
“Jiebo, is that you?”
Jiebo was taken aback, “Mentor?”
“Mm.” The message in the ocean current confirmed its identity to Jiebo. It was indeed the “Sea God” Florence, who was currently in the Song of the Deep Sea. “What are you doing here?”
Upon hearing Florence’s voice, Jiebo’s eyes immediately lit up, “Mentor, I was carrying out your command, monitoring Angel’s movements… Mentor, can I go back now? Angel is definitely not the person we’re looking for. From his journey to the Feran Continent to his departure, he was almost always within my sight. He simply didn’t have the time to seize the Mysterious Object.”
Florence hesitated for a moment, evading Jiebo’s statement instead of confronting it directly, he deflected the subject: “Are you following Angel now?”
“Yes.”
Florence, “I sensed an odd transformation in the ocean here earlier. Was it your doing?”
“An odd transformation?” Jiebo paused, denying, “I didn’t do anything. But if we’re talking about strange changes in the ocean, there’s only one thing that comes to mind.”
“What is it?”
Jiebo recounted the entire episode of Angel’s alchemical activities here, from beginning to end, leaving nothing out.
“Did you record it?”
“Yes.”
Florence, who had originally been dealing with messages from the Crown Star Cathedral, furrowed his brows upon hearing Jiebo’s words. Dedicating even more energy, he followed the ripples he had previously emanated, and in an instant, arrived at the distant BlackBerry Sea area.
A phantom, composed of water elements, appeared before Jiebo.
“Show me the recording,” Florence commanded.
Jiebo was a bit taken aback; his mentor had actually used a water clone to arrive in person, showing such importance? Could it be that the alchemical work Angel crafted had some hidden intricacies?
Although he was puzzled, his movements weren’t slow. He replayed the subsequent recordings, which also included Angel’s conversation with the mermaid Vali.
Jiebo noted that when Florence saw the alchemical item, his pupils constricted slightly, then he fell into contemplation.
After the recording finished playing, Florence didn’t speak but sank into deep thought.
After quite a while, Florence finally said, “Indeed, worthy of a genius alchemist, this work has indeed reached a high rank.”
Before Jiebo could speak, Florence continued, “And, considering the various anomalies you’ve mentioned before, if my guess is correct, this is an alchemical piece that resonates with the will of the ocean. Unless I’m mistaken, it has an astonishing impact on our lineage of ocean wizards, it can even be compared to a strategic level.”
Strategic level! Jiebo exclaimed, he hadn’t expected that Florence would give such high praise to Angel’s alchemical item.
It must be understood, a strategic level item could support an entire wizard organization!
Thinking of this, a greedy light flashed in Jiebo’s eyes, “Mentor, Angel is nearby, shall we…”
Chapter 806 First Advent to the High-Rank <TOC> Chapter 808 Affinity for Water