Chapitre 633: Success - 633
Whether or not he would become a scholar was not something that Skymender really needed to think about right now. He already spent a lot of time learning and knew more than anybody else in his school.
To further his education without going deeper into one or two subjects, he would have to wait until he entered the Imperial School. That was where all the deeper knowledge was gathered for the future talents of the Empire, those who would go on to replace the current generation and take on a role as the upholders of the Empire.
When he got to that point, whether or not he would become a scholar would be decided.
There was still plenty of time before his ten high quality cauldrons arrived, so Skymender began to move on to the next phase of experiments. After school, he arrived at the lab and found multiple different cauldrons made of different materials.
This was to test whether or not the corrosive poison would have an effect on some materials, but not others. From the drops he spilled on himself, he already knew that it worked against living beings.
However, concocting and storing it was still completely impossible. He would either need to find a metal resistant enough to stop the corrosion, though that would lead to the corrosive properties dying out, or something that simply did not trigger the corrosion.
Naturally, with such a metal likely not existing and not being effective regardless, he opted for the second method.
Some of the materials could be used to try and create the poison itself, hence them being shaped like cauldrons. Though, most could not. He still had them shaped as cauldrons because why not?
This was Skymenders second idea. His first was for if this did not end up working.
Skymender started simply. The first few cauldrons were the shapes of various woods. He used one of the metal cauldrons to begin and only poured the substance into the wood cauldrons before adding the third ingredient.
In the end, all of the wood cauldrons corroded.
Skymender moved through cauldrons of various materials, some metal, some made from various plants, and some made from artificially created substances.
However, in the end, without fail, they corroded.
Skymender wasn't sure whether this was a good result or a bad one. What he did know was that it was time to move onto the next plan.
That was to keep the poison incomplete and store it. It would be activated by combining it with the last ingredient. The issue was, he would not always have access to heat and a cauldron.
Therefore, he would need to make it so that they immediately formed the corrosive poison upon touching.
After thinking, he would make the final ingredient the bark of the rot tree. After all, sprinkling some bark would be easier than carrying around a poisoned corpse.
So, Skymender used one of his cauldrons and mixed the body of a poisoned corpse with that of the poisonous swamps mud.
They mixed together smoothly under the heat.
Skymender stored the result in a vial.
He then tested it out. With the bark of the rot tree ready, he threw the vial at the wall and it broke. He then threw crushed up pieces of the bark at the substance.
But nothing happened. This was expected. The normal result would only be seen under heat.
It would be unreasonable for it to work.
So he needed to refine the bark in advance.
How he would do so required experimentation. Logically, turning it into a liquid should allow it to mix better, but Skymender wasn't sure what combination of ingredients would allow for such a mixture to work properly in combination with the unfinished poison.
After thinking for a while, he used more mud from the poisonous swamp. Water would most likely cause the poisonous substance to spread out and weaken, perhaps not activate at all. It was too liquid.
Only the same mud as before seemed reasonable. In a cauldron, he mixed the bark of the rot tree with the mud from the poisonous swamp.
He collected the result in a vial. He then made another batch of the poisonous swamp mud mixed with a poisoned corpse.
With the two vials, he threw them at the wall at the same time.
They broke, and the two substances mixed.
Though it was hidden under the mask, Skymender couldn't help but smile at the result.
He clearly heard sizzling, and as the liquid fell, he saw the corrosion left behind on the wall.
It was a success. Not reveling in it for long, he left the room. He saw Melly, and next to her were two servants. Li Youcai, and one of hers.
Skymender spoke to Li Youcai.
He explained a design for a two sided vial. Li Youcai listened and wrote it down, promising to have it made soon.
Meanwhile, Skymender returned to the lab and began to produce a bunch of the two mixtures. This lasted until he ran out of rot tree bark and was almost out of poisoned corpses. Even his supply of poisonous swamp mud was running very low. But what he had made was enough for a long time.
This was not a poison that could have an antidote. Its effects were instant and deadly. There was no adequate defense against it, and it had a variety of uses.
This ranged from simple killing and destruction to tactical invasions or even assassination.
From what Skymender understood, even Sword Masters would not be able to resist the effects of this poison. Of course, if he was facing a Sword Master, he wouldn't have the chance to even throw the vial before being killed.
But the fact that no normal adversary was qualified to kill him left him relieved.
Skymender stored all of the mixtures in a hidden area and returned home. The next day, after school, many newly created vials were in the room.
They had openings on two sides, as well as two lids.
He poured one mixture into one side and closed it. He flipped it upside down and poured the other mixture in the other side.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone