Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 1919: Divine energy product (7)

"It seems that this was a flop..." I muttered to myself while inspecting the items these alchemists had produced.

I had provided them with divine energy flames, just as I had for the others, since heat was a fundamental requirement in their potion-making process.

However, despite the use of divine energy flames, it appeared that none of that divine energy was being absorbed by the resulting potions.

It wasn't a matter of poor craftsmanship; these potions were expertly made. The issue was simply that they failed to retain the divine energy, unlike the previous experiments.

I was well aware that these alchemists were elite hero units, the best of the best, so their skill level wasn't the problem. There was clearly an obstacle preventing the divine energy from merging with the liquid.

Since I lacked any personal expertise in Alchemy, I was at a loss as to which part of the procedure was failing.

This failure really drove home the realization that my previous successes might have just been a stroke of pure luck.

"What are you doing?"

The sudden voice startled me, yet the person standing there was exactly who I had been hoping to see.

He was likely the only one capable of providing the answers I needed.

I had summoned him quite a while ago, but he had been ignoring my requests while preoccupied with studying samples of corruption energy. Now that he had finally emerged, I intended to utilize his knowledge to the fullest extent.

"It’s these potions. We haven’t been able to infuse them with divine energy like we did with the other items."

Max looked puzzled at first, but his expression shifted to understanding once I explained the situation and showed him our existing samples.

To be fair, the only high-quality samples remaining were the forged weapons.

Most of the food items had already lost the divine energy they once held.

As is typical with food, those cooked dishes had a very short shelf life.

Perhaps creating a type of preserved ration infused with divine energy was possible, but that was a project for another day. We could worry about that once we conducted more experiments on divine energy products.

For now, the priority was diagnosing the issue with these potions.

Upon grasping the situation, a look of genuine interest flickered in Max’s eyes.

I had anticipated this reaction given his personality, but I couldn't simply let him wander off on a tangent. We were running out of time before the next round of the alchemy tournament began.

We needed to resolve the flaws in the brewing process before that deadline arrived.

Finding manpower wouldn't be the issue, as we intended to recruit anyone who displayed talent during the competitions. The real problem was the logistics of gathering them all in one place.

These people lived all across the continent and had their own lives to manage.

If we could identify the root cause now, they would be able to refine these potions regardless of their location. If we failed, we would be forced to bring everyone together to troubleshoot the process—an impossible task, as they all needed to go home to pack and move their families first.

We couldn't expect them to start working immediately without informing their kin.

And kidnapping them certainly wasn't an option.

Consequently, we were facing a severe time crunch.

"What exactly did you use to supply the divine energy?" Max asked suddenly, catching me off guard.

In response, I manifested a divine energy flame to show him.

After seeing it, he gave me a strange look that I couldn't quite decipher. I didn't see the problem; flames were an essential component of Alchemy, after all.

"What is the true essence of brewing potions?" Max questioned abruptly.

I could only stare at him with a blank expression, having no clue what he was getting at, though his tone suggested it was something vital.

No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't figure out his point.

I eventually just shook my head, looking thoroughly confused.

"The medicinal essence doesn't originate from the fire; it comes from the ingredients themselves. This differs from cooking or smithing, where heat directly shapes the final result. In Alchemy, heat is merely a transfer mechanism for the essence, but the flame never actually touches the product."

His insight took me by surprise, but I realized he was absolutely right.

The flames heated the cauldrons used for brewing, but the cauldrons acted as a barrier to protect the medicinal essence from being destroyed by direct heat.

This meant the divine energy was also being blocked, preventing the potion from absorbing it.

"Then how are we supposed to fix this?"

Since the medicinal essence was the core of the potion, it wasn't as if we could easily imbue the raw ingredients with divine energy beforehand.

Ignoring the massive amount of effort that would require, I wasn't even sure it was possible unless we cultivated the herbs using divine energy from the start.

"You’re overlooking something very basic. There is another element that holds the medicinal essence and makes direct contact with it. If we saturate that with divine energy, the solution is simple."

I looked at Max with confusion once more, yet I couldn't help but feel encouraged by the absolute certainty in his voice.