Chapter 164 - Repairing The White Phial... And Some Other Crazy Shit!
"Welcome customer, may I interest you in some of our potions or ingredients? We have a new hair potion if you are missing on some hair, or a skin potion for…"
Quintus, who was behind the counter, switched to salesman mode.
"Quintus, it's me." Jon replied while sighing.
"... you are?" Quintus didn't seem to have recognized Jon.
Quintus is an Imperial young man from Cyrodiil who works at the White Phial alchemy store. His master is Nurelion, a High Elf who is obsessed with a certain artifact also known as the 'White Phial'. It is a legendary bottle, forged in the days when Skyrim was just starting its turn to ice. A small container, made of the magically imbued snow that first fell on the Throat of the World. It is said that the Phial will replenish whatever fluid is placed inside of it.
Jon has met with Quintus half a year ago to make a deal with him about the 'White Phial' as Jon has already recovered it but it was broken. Jon needed someone knowledgeable about the White Phial to fix it for him.
Of course, due to Jon's sudden growth and all, he was hard to be recognized by anyone he met before now. Even some of his old acquaintances had problems trying to recognize him.
Jon had to show the 'White Phial' to Quintus and come up with a story to explain how he got this puffed up. Quintus, who was one of Jon's fans in the arena, became very excited after Jon's transformation. His champion is now stronger than ever in his eyes.
"So, how is the new High King Tournament this year?" Jon asked.
"I am afraid that it was too underwhelming that the High King himself was too lazy to attend it, let alone other Jarls. Last year's competition was that of true champions, Sir Jon. I hope for some champions to rise up and make some change."
"You don't need to worry. Next year, I will arrange a team from Winterhold's best and make some challenges. The High King Tournament will be on fire next time."
"Sir Jon, your words are like the warm fire in a snowy night to my heart. I will wait with my all."
Jon was serious about that matter too. Only a competition can bring out the best of talents and a strong competitor roaming around will sure attract the eyes of the people and challengers will appear to fight him.
Also, Tamriel Continent had a tradition. Arenas and competitions are a necessary part of life. Some may argue but Jon knew very well that the first game of the 'Elder Scrolls' game series was called 'The Elder Scrolls: Arena'. It was supposed to be a tournament based game at first before it would come as an RPG but it was said that Winterhold would have a team called the 'Annihilators' and every city would have such a team. The reality wasn't much different as each city has its Arena or Fighting Pit so it was still a very solid tradition.
"Enough with the fights now. We have a more important matter."
"Ah, indeed! This way, Sir Jon." Quintus led Jon in the back of the store and they arrived at a laboratory.
"This is my workplace. I have asked my master about some Enchanting techniques and arrived at some good answers."
"Good, let's start."
The laboratory had a proper Enchanting station and some excellent Alchemy tools. It was a good opportunity to compare skills and exchange ideas between the two people around.
Nefertiti was allowed to laze around. As a smart cat, she wouldn't go on tables and push things on the floor as long as she is fed. So she was left on guard duty.
The work was about how to fix the 'White Phial'. The main three ingredients were the Powdered Mammoth Tusk, the Briar Heart, the Unmelting Snow from the Throat of the World, and most importantly the White Phial itself.
To restore the White Phial, the Unmelting Snow was the necessary part to remake the broken part of the White Phial. The Powdered Mammoth Tusk would be mixed with the Unmelting Snow as it was an ivory that is as hard as iron but the Giants have found ways to make it yield. They're able to grind it down so fine that it can be infused into the lattice of packed snow. The finished material has the delicate nature of fresh powder snow, but the strength of the hardest steel.
The last thing was the Briar Heart and that was the most complicated process.
The final tempering of the Phial was performed with a type of old magic that's been lost since the Dragon War back in the Merethic Era*. The nearest modern incarnation of it is the strange rituals practiced by the Forsworn. With the heart of one of their Briar Warriors. The Briar Heart was necessary to lock the Phial's magic into its physical form and complete the missing part of the enchantment through it.
[A/N: *The Merethic Era is the era before the First Era and it resembles the Prehistoric Period as it was the first era were mortals started to dominate the world after the Dawn Era which was considered the Age of Gods. It lasted for 2500 years as far as the sources recorded and it ended 4446 years from the current novel date: 4E-197.]
It took Jon and Quintus almost all the night to prepare all that.
Jon's original goal was the part where the Briar Heart is to be used to reveal the enchantment of the White Phial. What he was after from the very beginning was not the White Phial as an artifact but the truth behind its magic.
Jon has indeed studied the White Phial all that time. He understood the basic principle about how it works. Actually, he knew it from the start as his 'One School Theory' had some similar basics to that magic.
This enchantment could be said as the only way to secure the new source of power Jon was after from the beginning.
Once everything was ready, Jon and Quintus started to apply the mixture and perform the enchantment. It took them quite a while until they reached the final form that they were after.
"Is it fixed?"
Quintus was worried and looked to Jon who was silently looking at the White Phial.
The crack that was on the side of the Phial has indeed disappeared and left no trace except a small area on the outside of the white bottle that made it appear to be a newer spot that the rest of its body.
"I think there is only one way to find out."
Jon grabbed a potion from nearby and dropped a few drops in the White Phial.
"... the records say that it at least needs a day to refill itself. Do you think it will be possible to…"
"It is possible." Jon replied and looked meaningfully at the White Phial then grinned. He was sure that the theory of the White Phial he had in mind was true.
He then held a journal that was written in Arabic and started to add his notes with a lot of excitement. The enchantment was nothing but a miracle in his eyes now.
How was it?
The White Phial is a bottle that refills any liquid that gets dropped by instantly amplifying and purifying it.
Was that something possible by normal means?
Of course not. In the eyes of the people in this world, this is akin to 'Creating Something from Nothing'. But Jon knew better that it is impossible to do such a thing.
Creating something from nothing is something that only God can do. The White Phial was no holy artifact and like any other thing, its function still followed the 'Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy'.
To put it in simpler words, this White Phial didn't create something from nothing, it consumed energy and converted it into matter.
To a modern person, this was a mindblowing matter.
Can energy be converted into matter?
Yes, energy can be converted into matter with mass M=E/c^2. Although, It would take a huge amount of energy to get a tiny mass. For example, to make a glass of water, you would need 2.2468 × 10^16 J of energy. That is the equivalent of detonating over 250 Fatman bombs.
But this White Phial could do it! This thing would make the Superpowers of Earth go on World War 3 to seize such an artifact.
And now, it belonged to Jon.
Jon confirmed the theory by sensing the Magicka around the White Phial and sensing how much energy was being sucked in. It was, by all means, RIDICULOUS.
He would throw up if he had a less profound sense of the Magicka between Heaven and Earth.
After analyzing the enchantments on the White Phial one last time. He arrived at the final result.
What he was after all along can be created!
The White Phials wonder was in its power to convert Energy to Mass but what Jon needed was the mean to take Magicka from the surroundings and trap it into the enchantment.
Why was so wondrous in Jon's eyes?
The answer was another question; what is the only other thing that has the exact same function that can absorb Magicka and store it or trap it?
The answer was: Living Beings.
Not only them, the Daedra too could do the same function even though their lives are a matter of argue between the scholars for the nature of their souls but that's a matter for another discussion.
Back to what is important, the Living Flesh can absorb Magic from the Heaven and Earth and store it.
No other scholar has reached the conclusion about the ability of the White Phial to have the ability to do such a thing other than Jon. With all that in mind, Jon could now move to the next stage.
The creation of the new 'Power Source'.
"Quintus, thank you and deliver my thanks to your Master. Give him the White Phial and tell him I will be rude and visit him in the future to do more research. Excuse me now, I have a very important matter to attend to in Winterhold."
Jon took his things in a hurry and carried Nefertiti then ran out of the store.
"Hey, Sir Jon! Wait…"
Quintus called for Jon but the later moved in lightning speed and disappeared in thin air leaving the White Phial in Quintus's hands.
After teleporting away, Jon smiled and giggled. His gain this time was very huge. He copied most of the Enchantments on the White Phial and was very sure of his achievement.
Still, he had to let go of the White Phial to gain something much better.
'Why not hunt two birds with one stone when there is an opportunity?' He thought.