Chapter 862: Chapter 650: Time Ice
Speaking of it, Bu Quan’s mentor Shuanglian once won the Warm Snow Cup competition.
The prize for winning is sponsorship targeted at the construction of a Mage Tower.
This huge fund greatly helped Shuanglian, accounting for nearly 40% of the total construction cost of the Honey Snow Tower.
Of course, the construction time for the Honey Snow Tower is extremely long.
Until now, it is still in the process of construction, because Mage Towers are constantly being remodeled and perfected.
The initial championship sponsorship allowed Shuanglian to build the foundation and framework of the Mage Tower. Coupled with the industries from Shuanglian’s half-plane, which continuously provided her with a large amount of funds, her Honey Snow Tower could continue to be constructed.
Zong Ge is also aware of this matter.
She is clear that the championship sponsorship is only targeted at the construction of a Mage Tower; if it’s not a Mage Tower, then the sponsorship is gone.
Additionally, the relevant contract also stipulates: Although the championship-built Mage Tower belongs to an alchemy mage, it is still part of the Ice Carving Kingdom.
Zong Ge interprets this initiative as: "With a huge fund, they not only win over excellent talents like alchemy mages but also fully mobilize the champion mage’s enthusiasm, adding a Mage Tower to the kingdom."
"The beneficiaries of this policy are not only the champion mage but also the Ice Carving Kingdom."
If she wants to solve the threat posed by the enemy, then a Mage Tower is indeed the first choice.
With huge sponsorship, Zong Ge can completely build a Mage Tower. The construction specifications of the Honey Snow Tower far exceed ordinary ones; for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, building a normal Mage Tower is completely sufficient!
But Elder Jiu Jin shook his head directly upon hearing Zong Ge inquiring about the rewards for the top three: "This year’s Warm Snow Cup competition is indeed very special."
"Because it is held during the National Ceremony."
"This time, the reward for the third place is equivalent to the previous champion’s reward. The rewards for the top two significantly exceed the third place."
"The reward for first place is not just funds but also a large amount of tower construction resources. Our Alchemy Guild has already calculated that just by obtaining this reward, one can build 80% of a normal Mage Tower."
"The reward for second place is 60%."
"However, this year’s competition is particularly fierce. If your group wants to rely on the Undead Breath Detector, don’t even think about getting into the top three."
After saying this, Elder Jiu Jin emphasized again: "Don’t even think about it!"
Zong Ge’s expression remained unchanged as she actively inquired: "Tell me, exactly how is it fierce?"
Elder Jiu Jin then explained: "Let’s talk about the first point. Many elders in our guild have signed up to participate in this competition. For instance, Elder Hua Ni is one of them."
"In addition, there are some rising stars, represented by Snow Ball. There are also some core strengths of alchemy, such as the current City Lord of Blood Relatives City. These individuals have generally prepared for more than half a year for this competition!"
"It is conceivable how excellent the alchemical achievements they will eventually present would be."
Zong Ge nodded slightly: "I am aware of this situation, tell me about what I don’t know."
Elder Jiu Jin hesitated for a moment but still spoke, disclosing: "Let’s talk about one of the latest alchemical achievements."
"Do you know about Time Ice Blocks?"
Zong Ge: "Of course, I know; it’s a specialty of the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake. Because of the power of the Divine Level giant Dragon corpse, the ice layers within the lake were eroded and modified."
"These ice layers contain the mysterious powers of time. Through certain methods, they were harvested, and turned into small ice blocks. Each of these small ice blocks contains minuscule powers of time, incredibly marvelous."
"At the period just after their harvest, Time Ice Blocks were the hottest alchemical materials in the Ice Carving Kingdom, even sparking a worldwide craze."
Elder Jiu Jin continued: "Unfortunately, this craze came quickly and left swiftly."
"The primary reason is the means of utilizing Time Ice Blocks is extremely rare. The material is excellent, but finding a suitable way to utilize this resource is incredibly difficult."
"Countless alchemy mages went forth one after another, engaging in continuous research, yet all failed."
"Until this year, a collaborative project here made qualitative breakthroughs!"
"The alchemy project is named: Exploration of Consuming Time Ice Blocks. It has now been successfully developed."
"By placing Time Ice Blocks into Worry Relief Red Wine, one can gradually release the powers of time within. When someone drinks the wine, a certain aspect of their time will be accelerated."
"We tested over a thousand times, and the results can be considered perfect!"
It was Zong Ge’s first time hearing of Worry Relief Red Wine, catching onto key phrases and inquiring: "’A certain aspect of time,’ what does that mean?"
Elder Jiu Jin understood how to explain it clearly, so he directly gave an example: "When people taste the Time Ice Blocks and Worry Relief Red Wine, they also complement other magical delicacies."
"For instance, when eating certain Magic Beast Meat, the absorbed magic power melds with the fighter’s own fighting energy. After drinking the combination of ice blocks and wine, the time taken for the fighter to cultivate fighting energy will be rapidly accelerated, thereby achieving significant savings in fighting energy refinement time."
Zong Ge felt her heart stir: "Thereby, if one consumes some magical dishes paired with ice blocks and wine, one can shorten the growth time. Transcendents could achieve rapid promotion to more advanced levels in just a few months or years?"
Elder Jiu Jin nodded, realizing Zong Ge grasped the impact of this alchemical achievement.
Zong Ge’s expression remained unchanged, though her heart inevitably began to yearn greatly.
This alchemical achievement offers substantial assistance not only to her, but to all survivors.
"With the Bloodline Purification Array, we can improve our bloodline."
"What is really lacking is time."
"The cultivation of fighters and mages requires time for accumulation, it’s a step-by-step process."
"But with Time Wine, the growth period can be greatly shortened. What normally takes several years can be reduced to a few months."
"I won’t speak for others, but the squad leader needs it the most."
"His bloodline is very strong, far from reaching its limit. Using the Time Wine combination, he can quickly make a breakthrough, reaching the Golden Level, offsetting the negative impact of Zong Ge’s promotion to Golden Level!"
Elder Jiu Jin asked, "Mage Yao Ma, do you think this alchemy achievement has the potential to compete for the top three?"
Zi Di immediately caught the implication in Jiu Jin’s words, and couldn’t help but be surprised: "The universal applicability of the Time Wine combination is huge, can it really not even compete for the top three?"
Elder Jiu Jin nodded, his expression serious: "If this achievement were completed independently by our Alchemy Guild, it could possibly be in the top three. But unfortunately, it isn’t."
"It’s a collaborative project. Besides our Alchemy Guild, the other collaborator is the Drunken Sect."
"Worry Relief Red Wine is mainly produced by the Drunken Sect, with the most crucial ingredient being the Divine Blood of the Wine God."
Zi Di was shocked: "Divine Blood?"
Elder Jiu Jin continued: "It is precisely because the Drunken Sect can provide the Divine Blood of the Wine God that our nation allowed the Drunken Sect to preach on Ice Sculpture Island."
"Now, Drunkard Port is the diocese of the Drunken Sect."
Zi Di suddenly understood: "The Drunken Sect has been preaching for many years, and I’m somewhat familiar with the situation in Drunkard Port. So, the research and development of this alchemy project has been going on for a long time, at least twenty years?"
Elder Jiu Jin nodded: "Indeed."
He gazed at Zi Di, then continued: "From the very beginning, this year’s Warm Snow Cup competition was destined to be extraordinary!"
"Such a collaborative project can never be in the top three."
"Our nation stands proudly in the world with its alchemy technique, and will not let a collaborative project be in the top three of this competition."
"If your side took out the Undead Breath Detector to compete in this competition, I’m afraid it wouldn’t have a good outcome."
"Based on my current understanding, the top three are absolutely impossible, and the top five is also out of reach. There might be a chance to break into the top ten."
Zi Di paused in silence, then asked: "So, which alchemy projects are expected to compete for the top three?"
Elder Jiu Jin shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Some I know, but I’ve signed confidentiality agreements. Some I haven’t even heard of, as they are private projects of the guild’s elders."
"In any case, we will definitely do our best to push the Time Wine project out of the top three."
Zi Di couldn’t help but feel emotional.
The Snow Elf Clan is indeed an elf species, inherently proud.
On the other hand, this also involves the national interest.
The Ice Sculpture Kingdom is secretly struggling with all its might to maintain its reputation in the field of alchemy.
At this level, reputation is very important and is strongly linked to profits.
For example, isn’t the profit of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ magic potion largely brought about by the reputation of the Dragon-man Youth?
Zi Di has always been enjoying this dividend.
"Elder Jiu Jin, I want some Time Ice and Worry Relief Red Wine. Can you make this happen?" Zi Di asked.
Jiu Jin smiled wryly: "Impossible."
"Even our Alchemy Guild Master only got half a vial as a sample."
"And this half-vial was quickly divided up by the guild master and other influential elders."
Jiu Jin is not considered an influential elder, incomparable to Hua Ni, Shuanglian, and the Tower Master Snow Cake.
"The elder collaborating with the Drunken Sect is Ban Tu."
"You may have heard of him; he is the creator of the magic potion ’Beautiful Future’. Because of this potion, he suffered a major setback in life, lost everything, and spent a period of time constantly drowning his sorrows in alcohol. He thus converted to the Drunken Sect."
"Because he befriended the high ranks of the Drunken Sect, he got the opportunity to collaborate and eventually successfully completed the Time Wine alchemy project."
"Ban Tu is no longer what he used to be. Due to that huge blow, he became reclusive and strange, did not like socializing, was paranoid and irritable, and was marginalized from the mainstream of the Alchemy Guild, having bad relations with everyone."
"Ban Tu might be a breakthrough point, but even the guild master might be powerless. Let alone me?"
Zi Di had to reluctantly give up.
"Looks like to get this alchemical product, I’ll have to wait until it’s officially sold after the competition."
"Using the Divine Blood as the main ingredient, I’m afraid the sales of this alchemical product won’t be high."
Thinking of this, Zi Di couldn’t help but furrow her brow, worrying silently.