Chapter 244: Where Talent Lies; Stardew

The stronger the body, the more potent the power of his Chariot. This was a primary feature of Wang Yu's power, and also the reason he had failed to recognize it early on.

His physical body had simply been too weak to harness this power, which had been veiled by the superficial manifestation of his ripples.

The cube of black stone that Moira had tasked him with opening possessed such inert properties that the Chariot could barely affect it, even at his current level of vitality. Unraveling the strange material's anti-magic, anti-void, and anti-fighting spirit properties was already pushing the very limits of what his power could accomplish.

Wang Yu had since discovered a second trait of his power: it was not fixed in strength. When his physical senses synchronized with the Chariot—when his awareness merged completely with it—he would be able to draw on a greater fraction of its power than usual.

This state of heightened senses and awareness was, in some sense, a skill in its own right. He had named it Extrasensory Convergence.

The Chariot's power spread out from him like a domain, an extension of his will that bent matter to his command. As he deliberately and methodically adjusted his focus, his control over the power diminished ever so slightly—and the power he ceded took on independent life.

Then came an uneven, low-pitched hum. The surrounding air quivered with the pulse of power. Even the dust and soil at his feet trembled and began to rise, drifting upward as if drawn to the sky.

His senses and the Chariot gradually fused. Wang Yu was struck by a sudden, crystalline clarity—as though he could perceive the very essence of all things around him.

"It's just wishful thinking," he murmured with a dry chuckle. Casting aside the notion, he focused his converged senses upon the black cube in his hands.

As his attention honed to a singular point, the Chariot's might intensified as its radius shrank, contracting inward until it extended only twenty centimeters beyond the surface of his body. Within that radius, however, the transcendent force was stronger than ever.

Once more, Wang Yu surrounded the black cube with the Chariot's power and made a deliberate effort to twist and distort it. In this heightened state, he succeeded.

Starting from a faint crack on its surface, the Chariot wrested ownership of the material from the cube, claiming it as an extension of Wang Yu's body. An unseen hand seized the fracture, dug into its weakened structure, and pulled with all its might.

Little by little, the cube—made of perhaps the hardest material that Wang Yu had ever encountered—was steadily torn apart.

A strange sound filled the air. Despite the cube's toughness, the noise was more akin to the tearing of cloth. Even the exposed interior bore a fibrous quality, more reminiscent of split wood than stone.

The fracture extended inward until it reached a hollow core where liquid resided.

Drip.

There was a faint sound as fluid seeped from the crack. Immediately, Wang Yu dispelled the Chariot and swiftly retrieved a standard-issue vial from his belt, one commonly used for storing alchemical reagents and materials. He held it beneath the crack where the fluid was beginning to leak.

"What is this? Don't tell me it's radioactive..."

The liquid dripped steadily with unremarkable viscosity. It looked no different from water in terms of consistency. More liquid began to ooze from the cavity, collecting drop by drop in Wang Yu's vial.

Its color, however, couldn't be more different. Unlike transparent water, this liquid was kaleidoscopic, made of a swirl of vivid hues. Some of the color was clearly distinct; others bled into one another like oil on water.

It gave off a faint, ethereal glow—not too bright, but enough to illuminate the shadowy gaps between his fingers. That luminescence was what made Wang Yu suspect radioactivity. He could detect no fighting spirit, no magic, no void energy, which left... what? Uranium? Or something like it?

"That's unlikely. It looks far too stable to emit any radiation."

Wang Yu dismissed the idea just as quickly. Using the Chariot to probe the liquid, he discovered its structure to be even more stable than the cube in which it had been stored. The Chariot couldn't even analyze its properties, let alone manipulate or influence it.

"Forget it. I've completed the task, haven't I? I'll bring it back to Madam Moira..."

Wang Yu stopped paying attention to the liquid. It wasn't his, after all. There was no point puzzling over it. What mattered was that it had earned him the right to learn from a master herbalist.

He rapped lightly on the wooden door with his knuckles.

"That's right. That's exactly how you're supposed to handle luminous grass. You learn impressively quickly. That said, you still need to work on your technique. Accuracy alone isn't enough—you must also be quicker.

"Though perhaps I'm being too harsh. These things take time. Considering your age, it's more than adequate."

Moira leaned on her cane and watched from beside the workbench as Avia processed the herb.

The grass shimmered with a bright azure glow, like interlocking shards of crystal. Avia worked with practiced care, following a method Moira had just taught her—an alchemical technique nowhere to be found in common textbooks. The old woman observed closely as she offered criticism.

"You're an alchemist, aren't you? I can tell. Though you learn quickly, you aren't yet proficient in handling herbs. Too much of what you do is formulaic—you have the technique, but haven't yet cultivated your own style."

Moira shifted topics mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing in quiet appraisal.

"Your theory is flawless, almost to a fault. But that perfection only throws your lack of practical finesse into sharper relief. You're excellent, yes—but not yet perfect. That's your flaw. And it's one you'll have to mend with time and effort."

She didn't mince words. With a nod, she offered her student a clear summary of her strengths and weaknesses.

"You saw through me, Madam Moira. I am an alchemist. I've only picked up herbalism in passing. I came largely to support my companion, who truly wanted to seek out your guidance.

"To be honest, my lack of practical skill may be because my companion has always assisted me in important alchemical experiments, allowing me to focus on theory."

Wang Yu's ripples and superior physical control over his body made him an extraordinary assistant who was flawless at handling even the trickiest materials. With his aid, her work always went smoothly.

More than that, she knew Wang Yu had a natural gift. Though he lacked formal theory, he had a certain tactile intuition for herbalism, an instinctive grasp for it, much like Avia's talent at alchemy.

"Is that so? Your theoretical foundation is truly surprising, then.

"And if he has earned the respect of someone as gifted as you... then no doubt he has some talent of his own in handling reagents.

"Worry not. I won't deny him a chance. After all, knowledge alone doesn't define one's aptitude for herbalism—but you were so brilliant, I couldn't help but take you under my wing.

"As long as he earnestly tries to unlock the cube I gave him, I'll grant him an opportunity. Whether or not he succeeds isn't the point. And if he truly lacks the qualifications... well, that'll become clear soon enough, won't it?"

Moira chuckled, the dry mischief of an elder clearly enjoying the upper hand. Her tone was unceremonious, yet there was no mistaking the warmth behind it—at least where Avia was concerned.

"But," Moira continued, as if struck by a sudden thought. "If you're an alchemist, what are you doing here studying herbalism? Do you intend to master both fields?"

Avia hesitated, then smiled wryly. "To be frank, I was intending to study under you, then pass on what I've learned to him."

Judging by Moira's candor, Avia surmised she wasn't one to fuss over minor matters. Surely, she thought, the woman wouldn't take offense.

"You're stealing my craft, you know," Moira said with a chuckle. "Back in my day, we would've dueled over that sort of thing. But times have changed, and I couldn't care less. If you've the talent to learn what I can teach, then it's yours. You two really are quite close."

She shook her head, unconcerned, just as Avia had predicted. Yet something else seemed to stir in Moira's mind, some distant thought or memory, and her expression shifted subtly.

"Yes," Avia replied softly, though it wasn't clear which part of what Moira had said that she was agreeing to.

At that moment, the sound of knocking echoed up from the first floor and reached the two women on the second.

"That boy..."

Moira frowned. The warmth she had shown during their conversation vanished in an instant, replaced by a muttered complaint under her breath.

"Is something the matter, Madam Moira?" Avia asked, keenly noticing the sudden shift in her mood.

"If he's here to give up, then I will never allow him to study under me. That is my rule," Moira said gravely, locking eyes with Avia. "Even if he is so promising that I find myself tempted to make an exception."

"But... what if he's here because he succeeded?" Avia tilted her head slightly. "What if he managed to open what you gave him?"

Moira scoffed. "Do you even know what that object contains? It's the raw essence used to make a Wish Elixir—a once-in-a-lifetime miracle. The substance inside is called stardew, and whatever's encasing it isn't from this continent. It came from the heavens themselves.

"Long ago, similar fragments fell from the sky. No one has ever managed to break them open.

"This coating, whatever it is, is beyond even our current understanding. We only know what lies within—this stardew—because some of those fragments were already cracked by the time they were discovered. Back then, the most brilliant herbalists of the age managed to craft a Wish Elixir from what lay within.

"The only way I'd believe such a feat is if a legend were behind it, and even then I'd want proof. As far as I can tell, your friend isn't even a grand knight. There's simply no way."

Her tone was ironclad. She had not the faintest sliver of trust in Wang Yu's ability, and her reasoning was more than enough to explain why.

"..."

Avia fell silent. The name Wish Elixir sparked a memory. A miracle that happened but once—a phrase burned into her memory. She recalled reading of it once in an old chronicle, in a passage describing its legendary power.

"Heaven and earth parted for its bearer; the impossible was made real." That was how the historian had recorded the scene, when the elixir had been used in the battle at the bottom of the Abyss.

"You make a very good point," Avia said slowly. "But even so, I still want to believe in him. From what I know of Wang Yu, he's not someone who gives up easily."

She lifted her eyes and met Moira's gaze head-on. Even though the elder narrowed her eyes, sharp with age and disappointment, Avia didn't flinch. Her resolve remained firm.

"Heh. How idealistic," Moira muttered. "I wasn't even planning to go look. But since you're so insistent, I'll go. If he's knocking for some other reason, I'll still grant him the chance to study here. But if he's here to surrender..." She paused, her voice colder. "Then I'm afraid I'll no longer teach you either."

After a moment of heavy silence, her mouth curled into a sharp smile. She turned away and descended the stairs, her words lingering in Avia's ears.

At no point did Moira so much as entertain the notion that Wang Yu had actually succeeded.

"Mm."

Avia answered with quiet determination as she rose to follow the old woman down the stairs.

The two reached the door. Moira opened it—and there stood Wang Yu.

"Madam Moira," he said calmly, "I've managed to open the cube you gave me. This is what you wanted, isn't it?" He held up a glass vial, the liquid inside shimmering with iridescent hues.

"Do you still need the stone cube itself? If not, may I keep it? I think I could forge it into a dagger using the power of the Chariot. It'd make quite the weapon."

Moira gave no reply. Her eyes were fixed on the vial in his hand, her thoughts completely and irrevocably captured by the swirling brilliance within.

Stardew.