Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

"Yes... But other ingredients would be needed for that. However, the Voidroot is the main one." Maya explained.

Vale nodded as it certainly made sense. After all, this Voidroot would be such a powerful weapon against Immortals if it were too easy to use them.

"I figured they'd be valuable... It's a good thing that you can tell as well." Vale replied.

Maya chuckled and turned to face him.

"You always did have a good eye for opportunity." Maya said with a chuckle, recalling how Vale would always know the best materials when making rituals, especially the one with the human bone powder.

She returned to her seat and fixed him with a thoughtful gaze. "I'm willing to negotiate. Given the rarity of what you've brought, I'll offer you something that I think will be of great use to someone in your position."

She reached into a drawer, retrieving several items that she carefully placed on the table in front of Vale. "First, I'll give you these," she said, pushing forward several glowing bottles filled with a brilliant emerald-green liquid.

Vale raised an eyebrow. "What are these?"

"Elixirs of Shadow Fortification," Maya explained. "They enhance the abilities of someone like yourself, reinforcing your control over shadow manipulation, increasing the density of shadow, and providing resistance against light-based magic. These will help you push your limits. Well, I believe that if the seal in our realm didn't happen, you'd probably ascend to the Shadow Realm."

"Wait... You're are aware of the Shadow Realm?" Vale asked in surprise.

However, Maya shook her head.

"I don't know much about it, to be honest. However, I know for a fact that this realm existed, and there were Shadow Sentinels who had similarities to your existence." She explained.

Vale nodded. He wasn't too disappointed since this knowledge wasn't related to Alchemy. Nonetheless, the fact that Maya believed that he was planning to travel to the Shadow Realm made him a bit curious about what she believed he would gain there.

Anyway, he observed the Elixir using his Divine Sense and he even realized that it could be extracted by his system...

'Now... That's surprising...' Vale felt surprised since extracting potions wasn't something he'd normally do. Furthermore, he probably just got some type of essence or energy from it, which was something worse. He'd rather consume the Elixir than make it useless with his Extraction.

"That's not all," Maya continued, producing another set of pills, each encased in what looked like small spheres of starlight.

"These are Immortal Restoration Pills. They're only useful to those with Divinity. You're probably aware that most Artifacts, Pills, and Potions are no longer useful to you. It's all because of the Divinity in your bidy... However, with these pills I made, Half-Immortals or even Immortals would benefit from it. They speed up recovery from serious wounds and replenish your Divinity at an accelerated rate."

Vale's interest deepened. These were rare and powerful items-exactly the sort of tools he could make use of.

Maya wasn't done. She tapped the table lightly, and a small, ornate box appeared, glowing with protective runes.

'Ohh? The Chaos Alchemist is actually proficient with Rune Arts...' Vale thought to himself after having a quick analysis on the box.

"Inside this box are five Eternal Mist Talismans. They grant you the ability to slip into the ethereal realm for a short time, perfect for evasive maneuvers against Time Manipulators... Well, I made plenty of these since I thought that Time Manipulators would start invading us. However, based on the news I got. I shouldn't be worrying about that, right?" Maya explained, hinting that she knew that they have captured or even enslaved some Time Manipulators.

Vale had no idea how she was aware of that, but knowing she was still working with the Goddess of Concealment and Secrecy, it really seemed possible that she was updated on their movements.

Vale then leaned forward slightly, considering the offer. It was tempting, no doubt. Potions, pills, and talismans like these were priceless items since they were all guaranteed by the Chaos Alchemist...

But still, he wanted to push a little further. "That's a generous offer, Maya," Vale began, stroking his chin. "But given the nature of the Voidroot and the potential of the Astral Essence, I think we could strike a more balanced deal. Perhaps you could throw in a few of those incredible potions that could turn ordinary people into Arcanists."

Maya raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You mean the Philisoper's Elixir? You drive a hard bargain, Vale."

"I think it's fair," Vale replied smoothly. "After all, these items aren't easy to come by." Maya considered for a moment, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Then, she smiled. "Alright, Vale. I'll add in a batch of Philisoper's Elixir... Twenty of them... Fair enough?"

Vale grinned. "Now that's a deal."

They sealed the arrangement with a handshake, and Vale couldn't help but feel satisfied. Not only had he managed to trade his rare items for things that would aid him in the near future, but he also reconnected with a key figure of this continent, Maya Featherstar-one who had clearly risen to extraordinary heights in her own right.

As Maya began packing up the items they had agreed upon, she glanced at him with a knowing smile. "It's good to see you again, Vale. I have a feeling we'll be crossing paths more often

now."

Vale nodded. "I look forward to it."

***

Finally, Vale returned to his castle...

It was finally time to deal with one of the items that the expedition group brought back. 'Orden and Ryzoir should be done analyzing it...' Vale mused.

As he walked through the halls of the castle, he was already looking forward to seeing the item: the Perfect Vessel.

This Vessel, according to the initial research conducted by his Avatar and the others, was a genderless human body created by the Celestial Beings. It was designed to allow spirits to enter easily but not exit, providing a means for the Celestials to avoid curses, corruption, injuries, or diseases that they could not heal.

Currently, the body was perfectly preserved in a chamber deep within the castle...