When Luo Wei arrived home, it was already time for dinner.
Uncle Peter, who was seated at the table, glanced up and snorted. He made no attempt to hide his sarcasm as he asked, "So? Did you give that witch your first kiss?"
"Uh… no."
Uncle Peter raised an eyebrow. "Amora broke the contract?"
Clearly, in his mind, the idea of Luo Wei willingly rejecting a kiss from Amora was far less believable than Amora simply breaking her word. In fact, it seemed completely reasonable.
"No, I refused," Luo Wei admitted.
Uncle Peter blinked. "You refused?"
Even Cousin Er and Auntie looked over in surprise.
After a moment of silence, Uncle Peter seemed to reconsider the situation. "Wait… Did you refuse because of Nur?"
Nur was the tall, bald young warrior from earlier. He was a well-known rising talent in Asgard. And in a land of warriors like Asgard, being called "talented" usually meant having exceptional combat abilities.
Now that Luo Wei thought about it, the name Nur sounded oddly familiar. The man himself also seemed remarkable—his strength, his presence… But try as he might, Luo Wei couldn't recall if Nur was an important character from the Marvel comics.
He decided not to dwell on it and shook his head. "No, it wasn't because of Nur. I… I just don't like her."
Uncle Peter scoffed, clearly unconvinced.
Auntie, who was typically quiet, simply said, "Let's eat."
The meal passed without further conversation on the matter. Afterward, Luo Wei made his way to the medicine room to complete the task Uncle Peter had given him: making one hundred healing stones as soon as possible.
The Healing Stone
At first glance, a healing stone looked unremarkable—just a dull gray rock, slightly larger than a thumbnail. Its texture was relatively loose, at least by Asgardian standards, and could be crushed into powder with minimal effort.
But despite its mundane appearance, the healing stone was a miracle of Asgardian alchemy. When ground into powder and sprinkled on a wound, it could accelerate healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Of course, its effects were limited to ordinary injuries. If a wound was cursed or tainted with frost, fire, poison, or dark magic, the healing stone alone wouldn't be enough.
The Alchemy of Healing
To make a healing stone, one first had to prepare a healing potion. This potion was made primarily from two herbs:
Stargrass – The most commonly used medicinal herb in Asgard.
Bloodthread Flower – A rarer, more potent ingredient that enhanced the potion's efficacy.
Both herbs needed to go through multiple refining steps before they could be mixed into a usable healing potion. This was the most intricate and crucial part of the process.
Fortunately, Luo Wei had a natural talent for herbal medicine. After years of practice, he had memorized every step perfectly. He could make a healing stone with his eyes closed—it was almost second nature to him now.
After preparing the healing potion, he set it aside to rest. While waiting, he began working on the next component: the binding agent.
The Evolution of the Healing Stone
In ancient times, Asgardians used liquid healing potions to treat wounds. But over time, they discovered that liquid potions had two major flaws:
1. Storage issues – The potions degraded quickly.
2. Absorption issues – They weren't as effective when applied directly.
So, an improved method was developed: mixing the healing potion with Liphia clay to create healing stones.
Liphia clay was a special mineral found mainly in Mount Liphia, one of Asgard's primary sources of alchemical ingredients. This was one reason the town of Liphia had become Asgard's center of herbal medicine.
Crafting the Healing Stones
Luo Wei combined the healing potion, the binding agent, and Liphia clay, kneading them together into a soft, mud-like mixture. He repeatedly pounded and molded the mixture, shaping it into small, compact spheres.
The process was far from elegant. It lacked precision and hygiene, but such concerns were meaningless to Asgardians.
After all, the Aesir were a race capable of surviving in the vacuum of space. Their bodies were immune to most diseases, poisons, and infections. For them, hygiene was a minor inconvenience rather than a necessity.
To make an extreme comparison, an Aesir could probably bathe in sewage without suffering any ill effects—at least, no physical ones.
After working for hours, Luo Wei finally shaped the mixture into ten small lumps and placed them in a furnace to bake overnight.
By morning, the first batch of healing stones would be ready.
The Sacrament of Kings
With his work done, Luo Wei washed up, then returned to his room. He took out a book—The Sacrament of Kings—and flipped to the section on the Flask of Talent.
He carefully read through the production process of the talent mixture and couldn't help but sigh.
This is insane.
The talent mixture was classified as a seventh-level potion—an advanced alchemical creation. Its preparation was vastly more complicated than the relatively simple healing stone.
That made Luo Wei pause.
Wait… if the talent mixture is Level 7, what level is the healing stone?
Curious, he retrieved one of his healing stones and turned to the Appraisal Index in The Sacrament of Kings.
[Healing Stone – Level 1. All donations grant 2.46 piety.]
Luo Wei nodded. A first-level classification made sense. The 2.46 piety points it provided also aligned with its market value—around two large gold coins per stone.
But the gap between Level 1 and Level 7 was enormous.
To even attempt making the talent mixture, Luo Wei estimated that he would need to master dozens of advanced alchemical techniques. This was no simple feat.
Even in Asgard, a land of near-immortal beings, it would take years—perhaps decades—to reach the necessary level of expertise.
Good thing I have time, Luo Wei thought.
As an Asgardian, he had a lifespan of over five thousand years. He also had access to Asgard's vast knowledge and rare ingredients, which would make things significantly easier.
If he had been born on Earth, he might never have had the chance to create the talent mixture at all.
A Future of Power
Luo Wei pondered the possibilities.
A Level 7 potion had to be something extraordinary. Considering its ranking, Thor's Hammer might be Level 8 or 9.
He didn't expect to gain the power of Odin, Hela, or Thor overnight, but surely the talent mixture could elevate him to at least the level of Asgard's elite warriors.
Right now, his abilities were… disappointing.
He was small compared to other Aesir.
His strength was below average.
His intelligence was ordinary—aside from his talent for herbal medicine.
Had he not reincarnated and gained The Sacrament of Kings, he likely would have lived an unremarkable life as a mere herbalist. And in a world as dangerous as Asgard, there was a high chance he wouldn't even live to see Ragnarok.
Strength determined survival.
Even among the mighty Aesir, if everyone around you was stronger, life was bound to be frustrating.
Luo Wei's gaze fell on the two metal rings on The Sacrament of Kings' spine.
They seemed designed to attach a chain, allowing the book to be carried like a sacred relic.
Maybe I should find a chain to wear it around my neck. He smirked. Might as well look the part of a true paladin.