[ He closed his hand and the ice flames went out, the vial clicking as he lowered it onto the table. Letting it sit, he started assembling the gears and cogs, arranging them into a interlocking cage. ]
It can be, but it can also give a person another method to overcome a disadvantage. [ He tips the vial over and retrieves a glowing stone from it, the reflections not quite real looking as if it was trying to bend the very air around it. He set it into the gear cage and sealed it. ] I've been working on a few clockwork toys for some of my friends. Unfortunately, the energy they need to move is something that gege's energy will distort making it break, so I found a work around.
Lingshi. I think most people would say a spirit stone. It uses a piece of harvested jīngmài from one of those dinosaurs, dried, cooled and heated with the right pieces of other ingredients. Usually it takes a long while to make, but... I am old and the only other being in my world that's stronger than I is gege.
[ He laughs as he waggles the gear cube at the young human and starts to pack away it and the other pieces to the clockwork's innards. ] Hasty are you?
[ He pauses for a moment to pull out a book made from thin pieces of wood bound together by old silk thread which he holds out. ] This has the basic instructions on how the furnace for the lingshi works. Read it while I secure these and draw a furnace out.
[ It wasn't a long or hard reading except the terms laid more towards Chinese units than English. The biggest different was the mentioned 'Ki vein' ingredient. ]
[He takes the book, carefully but not uncertainly. He's dealt with a wide range of books, in a wide range of languages. He sits, cross-legged, completely absorbed - and absorbing - the book. He looks up again when he's finished, focusing on what Ye Zun's doing instead.]
[ It takes a bit as he puts away the typical alchemy setup and replaces it with a more Warring States styled table, with the batches of herds and minerals custom to that time. He also was setting up a furnace of bronze and clay. ]
First is making the base materials and purifying them. Most people rush through grinding, but even the very levels of grinding can affect the strength.
[He watches everything as if he's memorizing it all. Which he is, along with making mental notes. He can't be accused of not being an attentive student, or of not being a ravenous one. But his hunger for learning is balanced with the ability to be patient when he's learning.]
Are there times you might want to use that to control the strength?
Yes. A smoother grain can be diluted easier than a coarse one, especially when you're adding it to milkroot juice. But you will want to be careful when blending it together. Too much force or splattering will place too much Air into Water, thus unbalancing it.
Coarse is with the stone wheel, smooth the mortar. [ He nodded first at the round press with the handle on top and then at the more traditional mortar on the table. ] You can also make a paste with the stone if you need to. Spirit stones come in five elements, so each element has a different ratio.
[ With that he starts going through the levels of grind and what was grounded how much, using each of the elements in the Chinese system - Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal. ]
[Nathaniel's an attentive student, packing information away and asking occasional questions to clarify certain details. He also doesn't have much respect for the limits of the human body, as the bags under his eyes can attest to, but he does have a human body, so he does have to catch himself in a yawn when he opens his mouth to ask another question about ratios.]
[ He breaks off and then shakes his head, already feeling a little gnawing hunger creep into his mind now. Flicking his fingers, he let the programming system pack away everything. ]
Let's continue this another day. I'm hungry and I think you will also benefit some rest. Which is something that you always need to keep track of; these are not hard to make but they also can cause some damage if you mess them up.
Time I have a lot of. [ And he bows with a flourish, a small smile on his lips. ] Try not to get into too much trouble while under my care in the meantime, mm?
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 12:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 12:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 12:49 am (UTC)Is alchemy part of your learning?
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Date: 2022-07-16 12:50 am (UTC)[Magicians tend to have to resort to alchemy when they're not in positions of proper power.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 12:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:31 am (UTC)[ He pauses for a moment to pull out a book made from thin pieces of wood bound together by old silk thread which he holds out. ] This has the basic instructions on how the furnace for the lingshi works. Read it while I secure these and draw a furnace out.
[ It wasn't a long or hard reading except the terms laid more towards Chinese units than English. The biggest different was the mentioned 'Ki vein' ingredient. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:39 am (UTC)[He takes the book, carefully but not uncertainly. He's dealt with a wide range of books, in a wide range of languages. He sits, cross-legged, completely absorbed - and absorbing - the book. He looks up again when he's finished, focusing on what Ye Zun's doing instead.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:49 am (UTC)[ It takes a bit as he puts away the typical alchemy setup and replaces it with a more Warring States styled table, with the batches of herds and minerals custom to that time. He also was setting up a furnace of bronze and clay. ]
First is making the base materials and purifying them. Most people rush through grinding, but even the very levels of grinding can affect the strength.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:55 am (UTC)Are there times you might want to use that to control the strength?
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 01:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 02:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 02:11 am (UTC)[ With that he starts going through the levels of grind and what was grounded how much, using each of the elements in the Chinese system - Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 02:20 am (UTC)My apologies.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 02:24 am (UTC)Let's continue this another day. I'm hungry and I think you will also benefit some rest. Which is something that you always need to keep track of; these are not hard to make but they also can cause some damage if you mess them up.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 02:34 am (UTC)I'm used to work where the smallest mistake can cost you your life. Rest is important, when possible.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 02:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 02:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 02:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
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