Chapter 320 – Microscopic Matter

Chapter 320 – Microscopic Matter

The two of them had no choice but to keep drinking, and every sip was a monumental struggle.

Alba was curious. “Is it really that bad? At least with Breadfruit you can take a big bite at a time.”

“Why don’t you try it?” Iris said.

Alba leaned over and took a sip. The sourness rendered her completely speechless. When Iris asked if she wanted more, she waved her hands frantically and retreated far away, terrified that Iris would make her drink again.

This was far more sour than eating raw Breadfruit.

Iris simply couldn’t endure the sourness any longer. She pulled out a large bag of jerky and shared it with Vasida. The two of them furrowed their brows, faces scrunched in misery, and only by chasing each sip with jerky did they manage to finish all the Breadfruit juice.

After finishing, they both looked completely wilted.

Mo Lan gave them a few candies to eat, which helped a little.

Iris’s place couldn’t accommodate more people. Once the juice punishment was over, she roasted the wild boar for everyone as lunch, and then they all returned to their own dwellings.

Mo Lan didn’t arrive at Wild Boar Valley until the middle of the night. After getting back, she collapsed into bed and fell straight asleep.

Starting the next day, she buried herself in her study and resumed her magic studies.

Beyond reading and practicing Magic, she also conducted some other research.

One area was studying the application of the Metal Shaping spell, Stone Shaping, and Wood-Shaping Spell at the level of microscopic material composition.

The other was designing cards based on the knowledge and abilities she currently possessed, expanding her card library.

Mo Lan had first noticed how understanding microscopic material composition could aid the Metal Shaping spell and Stone Shaping when she was building the drainage system for her dwelling.

She hadn’t had time to investigate further back then. Now that she did, she finally sat down to think it through.

While making the water pipes, she had recalled a book on the Purification spell she’d once read. It mentioned that when purifying many ores, one should exercise restraint and find the right balance, because an appropriate amount of impurities would give the ore superior properties.

This bore a certain resemblance to Earth’s research on metals.

This led her to wonder: could she extract different elemental substances, then combine them using the Metal Shaping spell to create the various alloy materials found on Earth?

To her surprise, she actually succeeded.

Moreover, the process was remarkably simple. She only needed to know which elemental substance she wanted, and as long as the corresponding ore contained it, the Purification spell could extract it with precision.

She then extracted pure iron, chromium, nickel, carbon, and other elements, mixed them in certain proportions using the Metal Shaping spell, and produced stainless steel.

Of course, when it came to mixing in the carbon element, the Metal Shaping spell was no longer effective—but Stone Shaping could handle it.

The water pipes in her dwelling were all made of stainless steel.

From this, Mo Lan hypothesized that the Metal Shaping spell and Stone Shaping might not only be useful for changing the shape of metals or stones and bonding them together, but could also mix elements at a microscopic level, altering the properties of objects.

If the Metal Shaping spell and Stone Shaping could do this, the Wood-Shaping Spell might have a similar function.

Their core logic was actually about changing the arrangement and composition of matter.

Mo Lan first spent time verifying this hypothesis.

She then discovered that reality diverged somewhat from her speculation. For various alloy materials, with the Metal Shaping spell as the primary method, combining it with either Stone Shaping or the Wood-Shaping Spell for microscopic material mixing could achieve the results she wanted.

But when she tried to make synthetic resin to produce plastic, she failed.

After carefully studying the differences, Mo Lan discovered that these three spells essentially worked by converting Mana into corresponding elemental force, then moving matter within the range of that elemental force’s influence, thereby changing an object’s shape and material composition.

However, they could not arrange and combine elemental substances at the microscopic molecular level.

Put simply, these three spells could alter matter at a level analogous to Earth’s physical reactions. When it came to changes analogous to Earth’s chemical reactions, they fell short.

Mo Lan noted this conclusion for now and planned to conduct deeper research later.

She then recorded all the Earth alloy materials that could be produced using the Metal Shaping spell, Stone Shaping, and Wood-Shaping Spell.

These were primarily alloy materials, created with the Metal Shaping spell at their core.

Adding the properties and production essentials of each material, she compiled everything into a book. Each material and its corresponding elements was accompanied by a small sample she had personally made.

It was essentially a magic book on the advanced applications of the Metal Shaping spell, Stone Shaping, and Wood-Shaping Spell.

By the time she completed all of this, her proficiency in these three spells had broken through to Advanced in one fell swoop.

“Headmistress, what do you think of my magic book? Does it meet the standards for inclusion in the Witch Council Library?”

This was Mo Lan’s first successful achievement in magical research, and she couldn’t resist showing off to Lady Amisha.

The moment the words left her mouth, a portal appeared before her, and Lady Amisha stepped through it.

Mo Lan was somewhat surprised—this appeared to be her real body!

“I heard from No. 69 a while ago that you were tinkering with some novel metal materials!” Amisha said.

In truth, she had been watching the surveillance mirror for days. She simply hadn’t wanted to disturb Mo Lan’s research, so she had held back.

Her curiosity had long since reached its peak, and the moment Mo Lan asked, she came immediately.

She used the Speed-Reading Spell to quickly finish the document, then said:

“It’s merely an advanced application of the Metal Shaping spell, Stone Shaping, and Wood-Shaping Spell? I thought you’d researched a spell for creating different metals!

Still, to be able to produce new metals with such superior properties without involving creation-level changes is quite impressive!

If you sell this magic book as your own proprietary spell, quite a few witches would be interested.

Many things that require magical ores to make could now be made by refining and combining ordinary ores into alloys using your method—greatly reducing costs.”

After Amisha finished speaking, she noticed Mo Lan hadn’t reacted. She called out to her: “Moira?”

“Ah! Headmistress, understood. Then I’ll add a contract template to it and sell it at one Mana of permanent Mana per copy, placed in the Witch Council Library for witches to purchase and study!”

Mo Lan snapped back to her senses and quickly appended the contract template.

Card Magic sales at the Witch Council had entered a plateau period, and permanent Mana income had slowed considerably. She was still in great need of permanent Mana, so every bit she could earn helped.

“Smart!” Amisha signed a contract on the spot, contributing one Mana of permanent Mana to Mo Lan. “I’m taking this copy!”

She was eager to get back and experiment with making these new metals!

After Lady Amisha left, Mo Lan fell into deep thought.

Amisha’s words just now had given her an idea. If the Metal Shaping spell combined with Stone Shaping and Wood-Shaping Spell achieved changes analogous to physical reactions without involving creation-level alterations, then did chemical reactions—involving the arrangement and combination of microscopic particles—constitute creation-level changes in magical terms?

The fundamental difference between physical and chemical reactions was indeed whether new substances were generated.

If she could use Mana to rearrange microscopic particles, could she perhaps develop a spell capable of creating a specific substance?