Cornflower Witch

Chapter 225 Cracking Method
The following morning, Hilti and several scholars, along with Dorothy, discussed the situation regarding 'plaster'.

“This kind of thing spreads very easily. Even if we send someone to Mammoth Town and then notify the association headquarters, it will take too long, and we may not be able to save the ‘Iron Cliff’ outpost in time.”

"Are all the monsters that spread from the depths of the Dark Mist Mountains this strange?" a young student couldn't help but wonder.

“If you consider the Sea of ​​Monsters below the Cloud Sea as a seabed full of silt, then the edge of the Dark Mist Mountains in the Shadow World is like a tug hook stuck in the silt, and some monsters will spread upwards along the tug hook and invade,” Dorothy explained to everyone.

"These monsters are very dangerous, but they also bring all sorts of novel changes, inspire many extraordinary schools of thought, and bring many new resources."

"For example, the 'Demon Blood Vine' that Tiya used before was originally taken from a twisted plant. After several generations of improvement, it gradually strengthened its ability to suck blood and cultivate 'blood-red fruit', and finally formed the 'Demon Blood Vine' we know today."

"Then there are a few rare 'beastmen' whose core ability is to transform into some kind of monster, greatly enhancing their combat power."

“We alchemists have also found many novel and unknown raw materials from these monsters and strange resources, and have used them to develop many new things.” Dorothy rested her hands lightly on the bookshelf next to her, then leaned her head on the back of her hands, stretched her body, and turned her head to explain to everyone.

"The dangers and rewards in the film world are two sides of the same coin; places that are very safe often offer fewer rewards."

“But I can’t think of any use for this ‘plaster’ that we found this time.” A young trainee rubbed his hair.

“If we study it more in the future, we’re sure to make some discoveries. For example, I’m very interested in their ability to divide and multiply.” Dorothy stood up, stretched, and then covered her mouth and yawned. It seemed she hadn’t slept much last night.

"It seems that they are very good at concealing their presence, because once they disperse, apart from Xiaotiya, no one else can find them at all."

“We need to find traces of them first before we can discuss how to eliminate them.” Dorothy walked to the side of the group and pressed one hand against the transparent glass cage that held the ‘gray mud’.

A light pink flame rose within, seemingly transparent, but the way this flame ignited the fire was quite unique; the ash seemed particularly afraid of it, and was quickly burned away.

"This is 'Purcher Fire,' a special alchemical flame that can cause the consumption of 'attribute.' It is often used to eliminate 'attribute' impurities in certain materials, but it is surprisingly effective against these 'plasters.'"

“I can find a way to make special flame dust to purify this ‘ash’, but you’ll have to find a way to detect and identify these tiny ‘ash’ particles.”

She turned around, her gaze sweeping over all the members before finally settling on Sylvia.

"It's up to you, Tia." In her opinion, this girl was the most likely to come up with a solution.

"I understand." Hilti nodded slightly. Currently, she was the only one in the camp who could discover these subtle traces of 'plaster'. The other trainees couldn't even observe them, let alone solve them.

Unfortunately, she was alone. It was impossible for her to inspect such a vast "iron wall and high cliff" by herself. Even if she could, she would inevitably miss some things. Perhaps she would finish dealing with the west side and then the east side would spread like this.

We need to come up with a way to let other trainees 'see' and 'discover' the existence of these strange plasters.

In the following days, while waiting for a reply from the association headquarters, Hiltiya discussed and experimented with various methods and approaches with other students.

First, she thought of 'eye medicine'. If she used the enhanced 'blue eye' medicine, would she be able to observe these tiny 'gray' particles? After all, she observed them through 'identification eye'.

The saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul" is indeed a kind of truth in the supernatural world, and "eye drops" can often maximize their effects, bringing stronger power and abilities.

However, the eyes are also exceptionally fragile organs. Improper medication can lead to eye damage and harm one's soul and destiny. All pharmacists and alchemists know that 'eye medicine' is the most effective. After years of research, only seven basic 'eye medicines' have been developed. 'Emerald Eye' is used to observe the state spectrum of plants for cultivation and observation.

'Blue eyes' are used to observe subtle and minute changes in substances, and are used in alchemy and pharmaceuticals.

'Red Eyes' are used to observe the finer flow of blood, for locating enemies and engaging in combat.

'Purple Eyes' are used to observe the flow and changes of runic imprints, and are used to guide spellcasting.

'Dark Eye' is used to observe the presence of ghostly creatures and is used in rituals and to defeat enemies.

'Phantom Eyes' enhance one's illusionary abilities, used to hypnotize enemies.

'威瞳' enhances one's own deterrent ability, used to intimidate enemies.

Unfortunately, just like the pharmacists and alchemists of the past, Hilti discovered a huge problem in developing 'eye medicine': how to transform a potion with complex effects into an eye medicine that would not harm the eyes.

If she added various rare ingredients to neutralize and remove the side effects of the 'eye medicine', she could indeed create an eye medicine for observing 'mud'. However, the materials required for that eye medicine and the complexity of its preparation would be equivalent to a high-level eye medicine, with extremely high costs. It would also require alchemists of level 5 or above to personally prepare it, which is something that the current town simply cannot accomplish.

After dozens of attempts yielded no results, Hilti had no choice but to abandon this overly difficult path and start looking for other solutions.

Alternatively, she could start with the powder. Suddenly, Hiltiya remembered the 'revealing powder' that the wizard Karl had given her during her adventure.

[Revealing Powder Recipe]: Made from firefly mushrooms, pine powder, and shimmering grass, this powder reveals the form of ghosts, invisible creatures, and color-changing beings.

Ordinary revealing powder has no effect on 'plaster', but Hilti knows the principle behind it: a certain substance in it can react with those 'ghosts' and 'invisible' creatures, causing them to change and reveal their outlines.

If she can find materials that react with these 'plasters' but not with other things, she can identify the 'plasters' from the environment.

So what materials can be used to achieve this?

Over the next two days, she and her companions continued their experiment, using various common alchemical reaction materials at Dorothy's suggestion. Unfortunately, the developer they made either had no effect on plaster, or it worked on plaster but also reacted with other impurities and dust, making it glow wherever it was sprinkled.

"So, what exactly is it that happens to react with 'plaster' but isn't interested in other substances or organisms?" Hiltiya sat on the sofa, her legs, encased in stockings, crossed to the side, and opened the book of potion materials on her lap, looking thoughtful.

"If the two are compatible in nature, a faint resonance connection can also occur..."

Distorted matter is everywhere in the Dark Mist Mountains, even in the wind, so that probably won't work. The girl shook her head, then suddenly she thought of something else.

The origin of 'plaster' seems to be some kind of 'mushroom fungus'. If we take this as a starting point...

Thinking of this, Hilti jumped off the sofa, put on her shoes, and quickly walked to the office on the side. She found a glass jar in the cabinet, inside which were several clusters of purple jellyfish-like mushrooms, quietly emitting a fluorescent glow.

It's you!
Since we all originated from 'mushroom silk', we should be able to recognize each other, the girl thought curiously, blinking her eyes.

(End of this chapter)