novelonline Chapter 4003 Lemaître and the Philosopher's Stone
Chapter 4003 Lemaître and the Philosopher's Stone
Chapter 4003 Lemaître and the Philosopher's Stone
"You mean to examine the belongings?"
Of course, Xia De wouldn't refuse Wei Ge:
"No problem. Are there many things that need to be checked?"
“There are so many. My mother was a very skilled alchemist, and it took me several years to read through all the alchemical manuscripts she left behind. Now I have to re-examine every single one of them, and if I get serious, I think I'll spend the entire spring on this.”
So I'll pick out some suspicious things to examine, hoping my mother really did leave other clues. I hope I don't discover that my mother has other aspects that are different from what I imagined.
Viggo's mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her, and there were no ring sorcerers in the Astley family, so her knowledge of her mother came almost entirely from those notes and other relics.
The woman left no letters for her daughter, nor did she keep a diary to record her life, so Viggo's understanding of her was actually very fragmented. In contrast, her memories of her father were very vivid. Even though he had also passed away early, Mr. Astley had at least lived until Viggo was three years old and had made many preparations for Viggo's growth and life.
Even before Wei Ge turned eighteen, she would open a letter left by her father every year when he passed away.
In short, based on Wei Ge's own speculation and some information she obtained from the Jade Alchemy Association, her mother was an eleventh-ring sorcerer when she passed away, which is a very high level. She was a true high-ranking member of the Jade Alchemy Association, and it wouldn't have been entirely impossible for her to become the association's president if not for what happened later.
Viggo had read about how her parents met many times in her father's diary. Her mother wasn't actually a native of Arcadia; she had only come to the city five years before she met her father.
Based on this, Wei Ge deduced that her mother was not a ring mage trained by the Jade Alchemy Association, but was already a ring mage before joining the association, although her level at that time should not have been particularly high.
As for her mother's story before she came to Arcadia, she had no way of knowing.
"My mother was incredibly talented. Although she disposed of most of her connections with the Ringwitches before she passed away, I can still glean her brilliance from those alchemical notebooks. 'Redstone,' that's the name that still circulates within the Jade Alchemy Association. Oh, and sometimes, for convenience, my mother would appear as a man, in which case she would use her middle name, Nicolas Flamel."
Among the local enchanters who had met the mother, aside from the alchemists belonging to the guild, most actually knew this alias of hers.
As Vige spoke, she took the notebook with her mother's name on it, coughed twice, and handed it to the maids beside her, asking them to pack these items into the box as well.
"Such a capable woman ultimately chose to marry your father; your father must also be very charming."
Xia De then spoke, and Wei Ge gave a faint smile:
"There's a portrait of my father at home. Let me take you to see it."
Actually, when Xia De followed the maid into the house, he had already seen the oil painting of Viggo's father in the foyer, but he still agreed to go with Viggo to see the other portraits.
However, despite being the current head of the Astley family, there is no portrait of Viggo herself in this old mansion. Or rather, Shad doesn't recall seeing a portrait of Viggo in the Fragrant Mansion.
He even asked Vige about this, and the witch explained it this way:
"Although I occasionally take photos, I have never had an oil painting done on me. As long as the angle is right and the lighting is adjusted, a photo can capture my beauty; but whether a portrait can truly reflect my beauty depends on the artist's skill, which is a very unpredictable factor."
She paused for a moment, thinking of Flora, who was far away in Velendel:
"However, I have already chosen a 'death artist' for myself. When I am about to pass away, I will invite the artist to come to the local area to record the beauty of the last stage of my life."
Although Xia De didn't know the details, he immediately thought of the artist. Before he could comfort Vige again and assure her that he would find a cure, Vige asked shyly:
"If that day ever comes, would you... would you be willing to have an artist paint us in a picture?"
She seemed to have truly mustered the courage for this question; after coughing twice, she tilted her head and looked at Shad expectantly. Shad even felt as if he would do something terribly wrong if he didn't agree.
"of course can."
He nodded slightly, and Vige smiled broadly, then took Xia De's hand directly:
“I knew you would agree. Let’s go, while the girls are loading the goods onto the truck, I’ll show you around here a bit more.”
Viggo's relatives, who lived in the Astley family's ancestral home, were also encountered by them when Viggo later showed Shad around. Viggo then introduced Shad to her relatives, and seeing her holding Shad's hand, the elderly people who had raised Viggo all smiled with satisfaction.
However, it's not just the elderly who live here. Although Vige's father's generation, like hers, consisted of only one person, her grandfather had three brothers. Therefore, there are also descendants of Vige's grandfather's brothers in the manor, including three young people, all of whom are younger than Vige.
Vige quietly told Xia De:
“I have now assigned them to help with Grayrock Pass and the family business. I plan to choose one of the three of them to inherit the family business in the future. When I moved out of here to Fragrant Mansion, I also had the idea of severing my witch-like aspects from the family.”
But Shad had just sensed their life force:
"It seems that all three of them have inherited a hereditary blood disease."
Wei Ge pursed her lips:
"This is the fate of the Astley family. Ironically, because of my mother's experience during her pregnancy, I didn't develop a blood disease, but my condition is more serious."
Although Vigor doesn't have any hereditary diseases, no one doubts whether she has the blood of the Astley family, as her father's features are clearly visible in her appearance.
The late Mr. Astley was a rather handsome gentleman, but because he suffered from a hereditary disease for many years, his image in the oil painting appears somewhat effeminate.
"Did your mother leave behind any photographs or portraits? She must have been very beautiful, right?"
Xia De then curiously asked Wei Ge, who smiled and nodded:
“My mother herself didn’t leave anything to record her appearance, but among my father’s belongings, there was a picture of her in his pocket watch. My mother was very, very beautiful! I didn’t bring it with me, but I’ll show it to you when we get home.”
They stayed at the Astley family’s ancestral home until 11 a.m. before returning together to Fragrance House.
The qualification for the auction had already been obtained; it was a simple invitation. But the invitation wasn't to attend the auction, but rather to attend a literary salon.
As for Wei Ge's mother, if Wei Ge's appearance shows a lot of her father's charm, then she and her mother are almost like cousins.
The old black-and-white photograph was well-preserved. The young woman in the photo had her head slightly raised, looking out of the frame. Like Viggo, she wore glasses and looked somewhat haughty, yet there was a faint smile on her face.
"However, my mother didn't have black hair. Black hair is a symbol of the Astley family, and also a symbol of the Delineor royal family. My mother had beautiful blonde hair, but unfortunately it can't be seen in the black and white photos."
Wei Ge said regretfully.
After having lunch together, while there was still time before the auction, Xia De and Wei Ge examined the belongings of the late Mrs. Le Maire in the study.
The two chatted as they searched through and touched the relics, and it was through this conversation that Xia De learned of the eleventh-ringed Lady Lemaître's achievements in alchemy, which far surpassed her accomplishments as a ring sorcerer:
"From the alchemy notes left by my mother and my few exchanges with the Jade Alchemy Association, I know that my mother's research direction was not originally the Jade Record, but the Philosopher's Stone. The title 'Red Stone' came from this."
Shad, kneeling on the carpet examining the miscellaneous items in the box, wasn't surprised. The Philosopher's Stone was known as the most dazzling jewel in the crown of alchemy. Although the Philosopher's Stone was rumored to be an alchemical artifact related to the ancient god of the moon, even the followers of the ancient god of creation constantly sought this special material.
"All the Philosopher's Stones that can be found in modern times are remnants from ancient times. Legend has it that the last alchemist who knew how to make the Philosopher's Stone was a witch in the very early Fifth Age, and no one has ever achieved this feat since."
Wei Ge, who was flipping through her notebook on the sofa, nodded. She opened the notebook and placed it on the armrest of the sofa, leaning back slightly so that she could see Xia De when she looked up.
"Yes, judging from my mother's research notes, she has come a long way on the path of refining the Philosopher's Stone. During the peak years of her life, my mother devoted herself to this research, but later she abandoned this research and devoted herself to the unknowable-level relic, the Jade Record."
Xia De then asked curiously:
"why?"
Wei Ge coughed and shook her head:
"On the one hand, I was influenced by others in the Jade Alchemy Association, and on the other hand, it is said that the Jade Record contains power that is very useful for refining the Philosopher's Stone."
I'm not entirely clear on the specifics either. The notes in my notebook abruptly stopped on the 'Philosopher's Stone,' and the subsequent research records focused on the [Emerald Record]. Although my mother mentioned the 'Philosopher's Stone' a few times while researching that unknowable artifact, it was clear she quickly shifted her research focus entirely.