Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 563: Kindred Spirit of Knowledge

CH563 Kindred Spirit of Knowledge

***

Eleanore found herself standing within an alchemy workshop.

Test tubes, vials, alembics, retorts, and various other laboratory apparatus lined the tables and walls. At the centre of the room stood a massive cauldron, large enough to brew dozens of potions at once.

’Wait—!’

Eleanore recoiled abruptly, stumbling backwards and landing on her backside as another figure materialised within the chamber.

A troll.

The troll paid her no attention.

Instead, it strode towards the cauldron and began pouring an assortment of suspicious liquids and ingredients into it without hesitation.

Ominous bubbles rose from the concoction as the troll stirred the thick mixture with a long rod.

At first, the brew emitted a pungent, unsettling odour.

But gradually, a familiar fragrance reached Eleanore’s nose.

It was the scent of an alchemical medicine potion.

Realisation dawned upon her.

This was no ordinary troll.

It was a Wizened Troll— a rare subspecies that had traded their race’s natural avarice for food and sleep in exchange for an obsessive pursuit of knowledge and intellect.

Where ordinary trolls could sleep for years so long as they were well-fed, Wizened Trolls could remain awake for years in relentless pursuit of research.

They were master scholars, researchers and experimentalists.

And generally harmless...

So long as one did not become the subject of their experimentation.

As the troll continued stirring, the cauldron’s contents —initially amounting to well over ten litres— gradually reduced.

Steam hissed into the air.

The liquid condensed and refined.

Eventually, only a few hundred millilitres remained.

The troll carefully siphoned the concentrated potion into a crystal vial.

Still ignoring Eleanore’s presence entirely, the Wizened Troll carried the potion into a nearby garden connected to the workshop.

At the centre of the garden, it uncorked the vial.

Instantly, a dense aura of potent life force flooded the surroundings.

Rare, precious, and notoriously slow-growing plants stirred visibly, their stems thickening and leaves unfurling as they grew before her eyes.

Even Eleanore felt a wave of overwhelming tranquillity wash over her.

Her Fey Monarch Bloodline reacted instinctively to the rich vitality emanating from the potion.

For a fleeting moment, an intense urge surged within her— to seize the vial and drink it whole.

Yet she retained enough clarity to suppress that impulse.

Ignoring the obvious fact that interfering with a Wizened Troll’s research was a catastrophically foolish decision —not to mention doing so before one who exuded the breath of Laws, indicating at least Saint-level existence— even if she somehow managed to snatch the potion, drinking it would be sheer stupidity.

Merely inhaling its vapour caused her vitality to stir violently.

If she were to consume it outright, the overwhelming life force would flood her body beyond its limits.

Her bloodline would not have the time to refine or absorb it.

She would simply explode and die.

While Eleanore marvelled inwardly at the potion’s brilliance, the Wizened Troll merely shook his head and began writing upon a parchment scroll.

Eleanore’s heart itched with curiosity.

She longed to glimpse the scroll— to steal even a fragment of the knowledge etched upon it.

Then suddenly, the troll paused.

It turned to face her.

To her surprise, it nodded slightly— and there was unmistakable appreciation within its eyes.

”The Heaven and Earth are vast with mysteries to uncover, truths to understand, and knowledge to comprehend. To walk the path of the Heaven and Earth is to recognise one’s ignorance, to abandon trifling futilities, and to seek the generosity and illumination of knowledge.

”To walk the path of the Heaven and Earth is to take knowledge... and convert it into something useful to you.

”To walk the path of Heaven and Earth is to recognise that the intellect hidden between Heaven and Earth is the greatest gift of all— not the obvious treasures that lie before our eyes. For with knowledge and intellect, we may transform those obvious gifts into something far greater.

”To walk the path of Heaven and Earth is to acquire knowledge and produce that which improves your existence.

”This is the reality for one who seeks to walk that path.”

The Wizened Troll fully turned to face Eleanore.

Though it appeared only marginally less savage than most trolls she had encountered, its eyes shone with an intellectual depth that drew her in.

For a fleeting moment, she sensed that —despite its ferocious exterior— she and this troll would have gotten along well.

Provided they could communicate.

Suddenly, the troll’s figure trembled.

Its presence shifted.

An archaic, melancholic Will settled into the space.

The troll nodded appreciatively at her before gesturing towards a stack of scrolls nearby.

The ancient Will flowed into the scrolls, forcing what should have been mere illusionary props into tangible reality.

The troll gazed deeply at Eleanore.

It did not speak.

It did not need to.

As a fellow seeker of knowledge, she understood.

Those scrolls represented the culmination of the troll’s life’s work.

And now, it was inviting her to read them.

The sharing of knowledge.

The greatest gift one kindred spirit of intellect could bestow upon another.

Eleanore bowed deeply in respect.

Without hesitation, she approached the stack and selected a scroll.

She began reading at once — as swiftly as possible.

She understood instinctively that this ancient Will would not endure long. This was not part of the official trial.

Unfortunately, despite her speed, she managed to complete only a single scroll before the Will began to fade.

It had withered for far too long.

Time had eroded it beyond recovery.

Still, it had endured just long enough to pass on a fragment of its knowledge to one worthy of receiving it.

Eleanore bowed once more as the Will dissipated into nothingness.

From that single scroll —likely written during the troll’s prime— she gained profound insights.

Not only into Verdantis-style alchemy... But also into methodologies useful in Pangea’s.

’Truly a genius beyond its era,’ Eleanore thought, a faint trace of pity stirring within her heart.

That realisation only made her disappointment at being unable to read the remaining scrolls even more poignant.

Yet she did not allow herself to dwell on it.

She understood the true purpose of this trial.

She was to create a potion she had never brewed before— one capable of resolving a current limitation she faced.

As for who would determine whether her creation succeeded or failed...

It would be herself.

For she was a kindred spirit of knowledge.

And when it came to the pursuit of advancement, Eleanore would never deceive herself— even if doing so meant failing the trial.

’Fortunately, the trial has left behind a compendium of herbs. First, I must match these herbs to their Pangean counterparts so that I may bridge and harmonise the two alchemical systems,’ she contemplated inwardly.

Though the trial was already demanding, Eleanore chose to elevate its difficulty further.

She deliberately incorporated the techniques and theoretical insights she had gleaned from the Wizened Troll’s scroll into her formulation.

A fitting tribute to a fellow seeker of knowledge.

—

Outside the steles, the mysterious old man’s gaze swept across the backs of Alex’s wives and followers before settling particularly upon Eleanore.

’It appears the lingering Wills of those old fogeys have taken a liking to these youngsters,’ he mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully. ’I cannot say I blame them. Each of them possesses talent in their own right.’

’Now... let us see whether they can capitalise upon these opportunities. Or whether the increased difficulty will crush them beneath its weight.’

HUM~~~

A sudden vibration rippled through the air.

The old man’s eyes snapped towards Alex.

For the first time since their meeting, genuine surprise coloured his face.

’I anticipated he possessed the fortune of a Legatee... but to achieve a result beyond the intended scope of the trial?’

A faint smile slowly spread across his face.

’Fascinating... truly fascinating.’

***