Chapter Eighty-Six: Magic Bread

While waiting for the materials to temper, Qi Xiao received an unexpectedly intriguing alchemy commission.

“To craft a crystal ball…?”

Qi Xiao frowned at the azure envelope in his hand. It was a reply from Karl, whom he’d met previously in Vistalia, but the alchemy customization request was rather demanding.

“Prophecy magic, astrology, and it must also incorporate the amplification of stellar magical power… hmm…”

Perhaps Karl knew his request was somewhat unreasonable; the letter merely asked Qi Xiao to do his best, the price was negotiable, and there was no rush—completion within five years would suffice.

Among the arcane disciplines, prophecy is one of the most renowned, rivaling the spatial and temporal schools, with even more practitioners than the latter two combined. Ultimately, this is because the path of “fate” has produced two legendary prophecy sorcerers, whereas the last legendary spatial sorcerer dates back to the Middle Ages, and the records of the temporal school are so vague they can only be gleaned from ancient tomes.

The gears of destiny have become much more entwined with the wizarding world thanks to that legendary figure’s achievements. What was once a nearly unbridgeable fate-line can now be learned even by apprentices. Qi Xiao had previously encountered prophecy-based alchemical artifacts, but if the alchemist lacked a deep understanding of prophecy, those items inevitably contained errors.

Qi Xiao was considering taking the opportunity to learn a few spells from the prophecy school—not solely for Karl’s commission, but because, having watched that film, he had some sense of the trajectory of the future. If he ever needed to explain his knowledge, he could attribute it to prophecy spells, which are, after all, shrouded in mystery. There have even been prophecy apprentices who divined disasters of apocalyptic magnitude.

With this in mind, Qi Xiao set aside the envelope and walked into his spare alchemy laboratory, beginning to craft alchemical equipment according to the schematics of metallurgic alchemy.

Previously, Qi Xiao had avoided metallurgic alchemy—it was simply too time-consuming. He had nearly exhausted all the ordinary-grade alchemical schematics in rune alchemy, and with little choice, he began to explore metallurgic alchemy. These were varieties he had never sold before; who knew if one might trigger feedback from the prophecy school magic?

Amidst the hardship, Qi Xiao found solace, imagining a bright future.

——

[Congratulations on successfully completing an alchemy supply. You have received a reward—Level 1 Cantrip: Psychic Shock]
[Congratulations on successfully completing an alchemy supply. You have received a reward—Level 1 Cantrip: Azure Lightning]
[Congratulations on successfully completing an alchemy supply. You have received a reward—Level 1 Cantrip: Summon Earth Elemental Guard]
[Congratulations on successfully completing an alchemy supply. You have received a reward—Level 0 Cantrip: Magical Bread]
[Congratulations on successfully completing an alchemy supply. You have received a reward—Pure Mana]

Five days later, Qi Xiao brought his newly crafted alchemical equipment to the alchemy shop for sale. As soon as they were displayed, they were snatched up instantly. Though Qi Xiao now dismissed ordinary-grade alchemical equipment unless they were uniquely exceptional, among apprentices, these items could immediately elevate their combat prowess.

Within five days, Qi Xiao managed to craft only five pieces of alchemical equipment, even after pushing himself to work faster. Metallurgic alchemy was simply much slower than rune alchemy.

This time, the rewards were, regrettably, not the prophecy spells Qi Xiao most desired, but he was pleasantly surprised by a culinary spell—Magical Bread.

Although it was only a level 0 cantrip, he considered it far more important than the level 1 spells. The moment he mastered it, Qi Xiao gained insight into the culinary school he had previously failed to grasp. He realized the reason he could never learn culinary spells was that he never infused “emotion,” but instead approached them like basic alchemy, following the recipe’s proportions to perfection.

Alchemy, too, requires emotional investment. Qi Xiao never mechanically followed the schematics; he always made subtle adjustments according to his understanding, precisely calibrating the materials as needed, or letting his intuition guide him—never breaking the rules, but always innovating.

But when it came to culinary magic, he was a novice. He replicated recipes perfectly, one-to-one, and with his alchemist’s expertise, everything he made tasted exactly as the instructions intended—even after a hundred iterations, the flavor never varied. Yet, this was precisely why he couldn’t grasp the essence.

“If only someone had told me sooner! Had I known to approach culinary magic as I do alchemy, I wouldn’t have struggled at the beginner level for so long.”

Qi Xiao was filled with confidence. This spell was truly invaluable; had he not received it, he might have wasted much more time trying to break through the basics.

Moreover, the spell Magical Bread was a classic. Qi Xiao had learned it among several culinary spells before. Its function was to use magic to produce a loaf of bread, and its flavor changed with the mood of the user—remarkably wondrous. Many wizards who frequently explored or wandered would specifically learn this culinary spell, though most of them didn’t even know it belonged to the culinary school, since culinary wizards had been extinct in the Northern Wizarding Realm for so long.

When he watched the film and learned that the culinary legend attained enlightenment in the Northern Wizarding Realm, Qi Xiao hadn’t thought much of it, but now he found it miraculous. While culinary magic thrives in the Eastern Wizarding Realm, the first culinary legend actually emerged from the culinary-starved North.

Yes, according to what the protagonist learned in the film, this culinary legend was the first of the school. After all, culinary magic itself is relatively new, created only from the late medieval to early modern periods, by which time even the Eastern Wizarding Realm had already been transformed—hence its flourishing culinary magic.

The custom alchemical items for Bai and Rocco had already been delivered three days ago, and today they came to collect them together. The feedback from the system was quite interesting:

[Congratulations on successfully completing an alchemy supply. You have received a reward—Twenty-Four Secret Fragrance Extraction Recipes]
[Congratulations on successfully completing an alchemy supply. You have received a reward—Blueprint: ‘Wolf’s Guardian Legend Staff’]

The first reward was self-explanatory, and Qi Xiao could use it right away. The second reward was especially intriguing—a blueprint for an exceptional-grade staff.

Qi Xiao was surprised; this kind of reward would have been worthy even for selling a premium-grade item, yet he received it for an ordinary-grade one. He couldn’t fathom how the system judged these things, but he was pleased regardless.

Yet as he examined the blueprint, his frown deepened.

Never mind the parts he couldn’t decipher; just the core of the staff alone—required the complete soul of a being whose rank matched that of a true wizard!