Creating life—the ultimate divine taboo.
Unlike alchemical constructs, which were mere puppets no matter how lifelike they appeared, true life could grow, reproduce, and evolve. Homunculi lacked sparks—the innate potential to transcend their creators' limits.
But what if he created one that was indistinguishable from a human?
From a scientific perspective, clones and artificial humans were already feasible (ethics aside). Yet, in the magical world, this was considered heresy because it usurped the gods' domain.
Not that Ryan cared; gods were irrelevant. His sole focus was feasibility.
Alchemy, refined over millennia, had birthed city-leveling golems—yet never a single living ant. If he succeeded, it would be alchemy's crowning achievement. The greatest alchemists would worship him.
"Knowledge really does change fate. Even as a transmigrator, illiteracy isn't an option."
The sheer volume of knowledge required was staggering. University-level science alone wouldn't suffice. He needed biology, chemistry, physics—everything. Mastery could elevate his potion-making and alchemy to unprecedented heights.
His advantage? An entire world's worth of knowledge to draw from.
"It's just studying. I'll buy more books."
During lunch, Ryan amassed stacks of advanced textbooks and printed research papers and raided libraries. By the afternoon, his space was overflowing with books.
Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!
After a hundred books, he clutched his throbbing temples. His brain, overloaded like an overheating CPU, demanded rest.
"I overestimated myself."
Science was much more difficult than magic. Spells were just gestures and incantations, which were simple to learn but hard to master. But science?
Neglect it, and you will know despair. Study it, and you realize that despair was just the beginning.
However, there were benefits.
Both alchemy and potion-making fundamentally revolve around three steps: Comprehension, deconstruction, and reconstruction.
Magic effortlessly handles the latter two steps—deconstructing materials and reconstructing them into new elements. But the true linchpin is the first step, which is often overlooked: Understanding.
Only with sufficient understanding can you create what you desire.
For instance, how would magic produce a diamond? Pure alchemy alone makes it nearly impossible. However, if you take carbon and use alchemical forces to subject it to extreme heat and pressure, thereby altering its structure and density...
Voilà—a dazzling diamond!
Science provides the theory, and magic executes the process.
This is the fusion of magic and science.
Ryan's foundational knowledge of chemistry and biology, which he had absorbed from books, significantly advanced his potion-making and alchemy.
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