Chapter 310: Chapter 306 Young Schopenhauer
Faced with the manuscript solemnly presented by Perfikot, the Royal Academy of Sciences naturally gathered all the notable alchemists in Langton to verify its authenticity and feasibility.
"Imaginary Alchemy? This is utterly nonsensical!" Without a doubt, Perfikot’s latest technological proposal was considered a wild fantasy.
"This technical material was submitted by the Count of the Northern Territory, who has already verified its authenticity." Where there is opposition, there will naturally be support; Perfikot certainly did not lack enthusiasts.
Some even believed that the theory mentioned in Perfikot’s manuscript was real, but only the part involving the Philosopher’s Stone was correct, as she indeed possessed the Philosopher’s Stone, which could break the principle of equivalent exchange and create something out of nothing.
As for the part on Imaginary Alchemy, these people saw it as Perfikot constructing a fantasy on a completely impossible theoretical basis, with no possibility of realization.
However, they also did not oppose verifying the theoretical base of this technology itself. After all, Perfikot was the vice president of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and her status and the achievements she had already obtained meant that even if she were speaking nonsense or joking, it had to be taken seriously.
Undoubtedly, once someone brought up Perfikot’s status and achievements, no matter how loudly the opponents objected, they couldn’t prevent the Royal Academy of Sciences from taking this material seriously and verifying its feasibility.
Once the president of the Royal Academy saw that everyone’s opinions were unified, he looked at a somewhat younger alchemist and asked, "Mr. Schopenhauer, would you be so kind as to verify the theories involved in Count Brandelis’s manuscript?"
This young alchemist was in his thirties, dressed in attire both appropriate and befitting his status, looking much like a "young prodigy."
And indeed, he was currently a rising young talent in Langton, having already become a candidate academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences based on his academic achievements in alchemy, even before Perfikot emerged.
If not for his extremely young age, Mr. Schopenhauer might have already become the youngest academician in the history of the Royal Academy.
Of course, that title now belongs to Perfikot, as she is a full twelve years younger than him. In the future, no one is likely to surpass the seemingly ridiculous record of fourteen years old.
"It is my duty, and I am also very interested in Count Brandelis’s research. I thank the Royal Academy for giving me this opportunity." The young alchemist bowed to the president and then instructed his assistant to begin setting up the alchemy ceremony based on the theories mentioned in Perfikot’s manuscript.
After Perfikot’s projections, the entire theory of Imaginary Alchemy was already fairly complete; it is now divided into two technological routes: creating the impossible using the Philosopher’s Stone, and constructing castles in the air bypassing the Philosopher’s Stone.
The former was, of course, unattainable for the young Schopenhauer.
The only known Philosopher’s Stone in the world was in Perfikot’s possession, which he simply couldn’t borrow.
Although he had studied the refinement of the Philosopher’s Stone, he had a very clear understanding of his abilities and limitations, knowing that he was currently unable to complete the refinement of the Philosopher’s Stone.
In fact, his research, to date, could only be considered reaching the threshold of the Philosopher’s Stone, not even entering its gateway.
Therefore, Schopenhauer did not dwell on the content of the manuscript related to the Philosopher’s Stone. He was more interested in the part of Imaginary Alchemy designed by Perfikot that circumvents the Philosopher’s Stone.
"The biggest paradox of Imaginary Alchemy is that it requires the creation of substances and elements that do not exist in reality. Although this sounds contrary to the basic laws of the real world, the fact that the Philosopher’s Stone can create substances and elements that didn’t exist and even violate the laws of reality after breaking the principle of equivalent exchange is enough to prove that creating substances and elements that do not exist in reality is feasible. We are only constrained by our imagination and understanding of the world."
"So, one of the premises of Imaginary Alchemy is to break your preconceived notions of this world, then let your imagination soar. If you cannot imagine a non-existent substance or element, you cannot create substances or elements that do not exist in the real world through Imaginary Alchemy."
"For Imaginary Alchemy, imagination is the primary condition. Without imagination, an alchemist can only trap themselves in the confines of realistic alchemy without breakthroughs. Stubborn and conventional people are the worst alchemists and do not even deserve to be called alchemists."
This is what Perfikot wrote in the manuscript titled "An Introduction to Imaginary Alchemy and Its Applications," where she elaborated on one of the most important characteristics of Imaginary Alchemy, which is the need for imagination.
This is easy to understand; the prerequisite for the traditional alchemy used by alchemists is the understanding and analysis of the world. They must use alchemy based on their understanding and perception of the world.
So, the first premise of traditional realistic alchemy is knowledge, knowledge enough to fill a library.
Because only when you have a sufficient understanding of matter and the world can you manipulate everything at will, shaping them into your desired forms.
If looked at from this point, realistic alchemy and Imaginary Alchemy are interconnected; both require sufficient imagination.
Except that in Imaginary Alchemy, imagination is the primary premise, while for realistic alchemy, imagination is merely an aid that allows the alchemist to go further.
After all, even without imagination, but with enough accumulated knowledge, one can become an "obsolete, trapped in the shackles of the real world" alchemist.
Schopenhauer considers himself such an alchemist.
This is not self-deprecation but rather his sincere belief.
He had a sufficiently clear understanding of himself, perhaps even too clear.
He knew he was a talented individual, a very outstanding alchemist, but that was the extent of it.
Because of his overly clear understanding of his own abilities, he knew exactly how far he could go. Within this range, he was omnipotent, but beyond it, he accomplished nothing.
In Perfikot’s words, he cannot imagine doing things he is incapable of.
Realistic alchemy operates based on the understanding and perception of the world. So as long as one continuously studies and deepens their understanding of the world, realistic alchemy can constantly advance until it reaches the limits of the alchemist’s understanding of the world.
And this is fatal for Imaginary Alchemy.