Alchemy, that is, turning what is not gold into gold, this is alchemy, people in ancient times thought that if they could do such a thing, they could earn huge economic benefits from it, but there was never a successful example. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoWith the development of science and technology, modern science has clearly told us that it is entirely possible to turn something that is not gold into gold, and it can be done with modern technology, but unfortunately the price to be paid may be more expensive than the value of gold itself. Alchemy is the name of a skill in the game, such as in World of Warcraft, it is a skill that can process materials such as herbs and other plants into potions to improve the character's abilities or HP and MP.

Alchemy was originally introduced

1.1 Alchemy in the narrow sense

Alchemy Method:

First, we know that gold was actually synthesized from the fusion of light elements when the supernova exploded, which of course was too expensive.

Second, of course, we also have a way to use elements heavier than gold, and through high-speed neutron impact, so that they can fission to obtain gold isotopes, or even directly obtain gold. The typical cheap heavy metal is lead, and the laboratory can already obtain a small amount of gold in this way, but the separation of such gold and radioactive elements is very expensive, so no one will do it now, after all, the cost is much higher than gold.

Now we know the specific method of alchemy, but it can also be seen that no matter what the method, it is impossible to obtain artificial gold cheaply. Therefore, no one will do this kind of thing of making gold in the narrow sense.

1.2 Alchemy in a broad sense

Meaning:

What is alchemy, if the price of turning ordinary matter into gold is too high, so no one does it, to put it bluntly, that is, there is no money to make artificial gold, then can we turn one thing into another, and the thing that makes money from it is regarded as a kind of alchemy in a broad sense? To put it simply, alchemy, in a broad sense, is a collection of behaviors that can make huge profits from one substance by turning one substance into another.

Example:

For example, we can turn graphite into man-made diamonds after being subjected to high temperature and high pressure, because they are all the same elemental carbon. Isn't that alchemy?

It may be more intuitive to say that it becomes a diamond, but if I say that the use of graphite to prepare carbon-60, that is, bucky balls, is it more profitable. Isn't this alchemy?

For another example, for example, the processor we use can buy a CPU for thousands of dollars, but do you know what the core material of the CPU is? Huangsha, by purifying the silicon inside, high-purity silicon, and then a processor made of photolithography, Huangsha's value has increased by hundreds of millions of times at once.

In fact, at the beginning of the Alchemist of Steel, there is such a passage, I think it is the best interpretation of alchemy, there are many alchemists in their world, but refining gold is also a crime, for them, alchemy is through the understanding of matter, decomposition, reconstruction, and then let things have the value of use for others again, this is alchemy, yes, many times what we need is gold, for people in the desert, water is their gold, being able to desalinate seawater into drinking water, for them is alchemy, What we need for different people is our gold.

1.3 The origin of alchemy

Ancient pseudo-sciences were nothing more than the following: claiming to be able to convert other elements into gold; claims to cure all diseases with one medicine; Claims that it is possible to prolong a person's life with some kind of ritual, or to create life directly.

The first to study alchemy

To put it simply, medieval alchemy was an attempt to use some kind of medicine or ritual to evolve people's spirit and power to a higher level. Speaking of which, the first to study alchemy were Chinese Taoist priests and Egyptian priests. There are many introductions to alchemy in China, and it is always used to use alchemy, which is said to prolong life, or turn stones into gold. However, the so-called lead mercury and yellow technique failed to reveal the laws of life itself, and gunpowder came into being. In Egypt, the secrets of alchemy were also in the hands of a few monks, and after the Hellenistic era, the books of the Library of Alexandria were documented. But the people of the Ptolemaic dynasty were only descendants of European rulers, the mysteries of hieroglyphics have long been lost, and Napoleon's expedition and the breakthrough on the Rosetta obelisk were thirty centuries later. Finally, the world's largest library was reduced to rubble by the earthquake, and the mysteries of the Old Kingdom were forever overshadowed.

With the prosperity of Panhellenic civilization, so did the humanistic spirit, and it was an era of omnipotence. Aristotle was an alchemist who believed that matter could be synthesized through laws. According to his doctrine, the world is made up of four basic elements: water, earth, fire, and air. All forms of material society are made up of these four elements according to different proportions. Therefore, as long as external influences and catalysts are applied, soil can also be turned into gold.

Astrology in Mesopotamia

Astrology, which originated in Mesopotamia, also invokes the claim of this element. They believe that all the celestial bodies in the universe - the sun, the moon, the stars - have an impact on human activity on the ground. As a result, later alchemists believed that alchemical rituals could only succeed when various celestial bodies were in a specific position. In the eighth and ninth centuries, Greek alchemy was introduced to Arabia, and the nomads simplified Aristotle's theory that all metals were made up of two elements: sulfur and mercury. At the same time, Chinese alchemy was also introduced to the Arabian Peninsula in the form of gunpowder, and the elixir of longevity became the legend of the fountain of youth in the Thousand and One Nights. Persian physicians systematically compiled these theories into a book, which was frequently cited by medieval alchemists.

Hemtika Anthology

Europe was turning upside down, and the fall of Rome marked the end of an era. Darkness and obscurantism reigned over the continent, and the humanities of the Greek system withered away. It was not until the 12th century that Arab immigrants poured into the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) and Sicily, and through contact with them, Europeans regained interest in alchemy, or the mystic philosophy of the East. The Greek manuscript was translated into Latin through the intermediary of Syriac or Arabic. In 1455 there was a book in Florence and Venice called Corpus Hermeticum, the Hemtica Anthology, whose name caused a lot of controversy, some believe that the moon god Thoth came from ancient Egypt, and others thought that it came from Helms of Greek mythology. In any case, the book mentions a lot of alchemy, astrology, magical symbols and utensils, as well as various rituals of ancient Egypt. The papers of other Arabic scholars have not only philosophical theoretical grounds, but also a large number of practical examples. Two of the most mentioned: Arnold? Urlanova (1240-1313), inventor of distillation; Roger? Bacon (1214-1294) gave a detailed account of the ingredients of black powder, the composition of the ingredients, the formulation of the ingredients, and the process of making the monoculars.

The Alchemist's Cabin

Let's take a look at the alchemist's hut. A typical laboratory should be dark, damp, littered with unknown pharmaceuticals and emitting suspicious fumes. Many alchemists work from home to save money while also avoiding outside interference. Some people opt for kitchens and can take advantage of ready-made fires. Some creep into the attic so that the activities carried out in the evening do not go unnoticed by curious neighbors. These dwarf expedient places were often crammed with all sorts of oddly shaped instruments, manuscripts, skulls, and taxidermy. There are also usually small altars for spiritual prayers. All these ornaments are not so much a symbol of science and technology as a symbol of mysticism. The work carried out to refine the elixir was the most primitive chemical experiment, and the alchemist was the first to try to separate the various elements. The refining of white phosphorus and the synthesis of hydrochloric acid are the products of the Middle Ages; At the same time, the utensils they used, the equipment for distilling liquids, the equipment for analyzing metals, and various methods for controlling chemical reactions are still used today.

Heating is a necessary condition for every alchemical experiment, whether it is heating a liquid or dissolving a lump of lead. In order to maintain a certain temperature, alchemists invented water baths, and my friends who studied science must have done such experiments in high school. Stoves with timers exemplify ingenious craftsmanship, and there is an incubator made in 1616 in the British Museum, where people of that era already knew how to make bimetallic sheets.

alchemist

It is also true that there was always such a laboratory in the depths of the legendary castle. From the kings of the Mediterranean coast to the rural nobility of the Baltic Sea, alchemists were seen as a quick and easy way to wealth. Greed often goes hand in hand with corruption, and so scholars are mixed, and there is no shortage of clever liars and braggarts, whose actions would make for a pompous chronicle. But, just as not every lab can produce Frankenstein, alchemists' efforts are mostly in vain. If you can't keep your promise and turn it into gold, the price you pay is to lose your head. The grumpy Redbeard II built a gallows to hang the unlucky ones who missed. Medieval alchemists were discredited because they used more or less dishonorable means to save their lives. From the 15th century to the 17th century, alchemical books became more and more complex, and mystical symbols and formulas were everywhere.

A group of clever alchemists began to shift the focus of the powerful, claiming that they could refine elixirs to strengthen the body, and alchemy began to study medicine. One of the most famous, Phillips? Oles? Parasals (1493-1541) disagreed with the popular belief that the disease was due to the disorder and disorder of its own functions. It is believed that disease exists on some kind of carrier on the outside, looking for an opportunity to invade the human body. Drugs can help fight off these diseases, which was the earliest idea of germs. In addition, he was the first to mention zinc, a "silvery-gray" substance obtained from experiments, and was the first to use the term "alcohol" to refer to a liquid distilled from wine.

The Golden Age of Alchemy

The Renaissance ushered in a golden age of alchemy, and it was illegal to revive the glory of Rome, and it was unlawful, completely washing away more than a decade of silence, and the world of art and science produced a dazzling number of results. Religion also underwent great changes, with Protestantism completing its reorganization in the first half of the 16th century. Alchemy at the moment is made up of three parts: part science, part art, part religion, and also stepping on brisk dance steps to the beat of revival. Scientific researchers were officially separated from alchemists and became an independent profession. The experiments produced by the previous alchemists in their pursuit of precious metals laid the foundations of modern chemistry. The other part is devoted to astrology, the fortune-telling tricks of the lower ones such as the gypsies, and the advanced ones may be called numerology. The psychopathological studies that prevailed in the mid-20th century also used the idealism and spiritualism of alchemists.

astrologer

First of all, the astrologer, just as the purpose of art is the pursuit of perfection, for the astrologer with true wisdom and foresight, how to reach a higher level of spiritual cultivation is far better than the temptation of wealth and fame; Transcending the confines of a body as heavy and blunt as a block of lead, and allowing the mind to mature as bright as gold is more important than its physical realization. Unlike the Greco-Roman era, they were not ascetic like the Cynics or as bombastic as the Stoics. They look at the skylight in the attic, faintly grasping the totality of the universe, verifying the constant changes of the starry sky, and guarding the eternal moral code in their hearts.

Astrologers see their business as the sacred art of perfecting dualism: completing the purification and sublimation of their own mind, and explaining the practical activities of the human world in terms of the movement of the universe. Due to the open academic atmosphere of the Renaissance, they also began to challenge the authority of antiquity, leaving aside human beings to explore the mysteries of nature, and completing the transformation from large to nuanced. (Socrates asks in the square: Who am I?) Where am I from? It is called the big philosophical question. ）

This noble purpose undoubtedly made him a martyr who never saw the door open to the kingdom of freedom throughout his life. When part of the people

In the days of striving for a crucible full of gold, the true scholar is buried in a humble tomb like a beggar in disappointment.

The founder of modern chemistry

Then there are the founders of modern chemistry, who inherited the functions of the earliest alchemists. Introducing Nikolai first? Freman, an alchemist in 14th-century Paris, and his disciples knew nothing about the composition of matter. At that time, everyone believed that all physical existence consisted of four basic elements, just as Aristotle had said. The elements have different proportions, and they are formed in different ways, so they have different forms.

From this theory, the transformation of metals is possible. In his book, Freman writes that all metals come from the interior of the earth, and that the natural furnace mixes the elements, the process of which is determined by some higher being, or the will of God. The realm of the gods is always perfect, so if the mixed elements stay deep enough in the depths of the earth, perhaps iron or lead at first, they will slowly turn into gold and silver. However, there are always those that are mined prematurely, and the metals on the earth take on different forms as a result. The mission of the alchemist is to continue the unfinished work of the Creator and accelerate the "evolution" of metal. When people today read this, they should also admire their strong imagination.

All the alchemists were secretive about their results. At the 13th-century alchemy lectures, all men were to stand first: "By my soul, if I reveal to others what I see today, I will be forever damned." "One is called Basel? Valentine's priest wrote: "One can only hope that if one preaches a little mystery of the kingdom of heaven, the soul will descend to the deepest hell." ”

There are two reasons for this: first, a sense of superiority, or greed, in which alchemists keep their equations tightly guarded; Then there is the Church, which considers alchemy to be interference and blasphemy against the Creator, and alchemists who engage in the art of the devil. There are also noble people who believe that their equations can be successful, but once they fall into the hands of those with bad intentions, they will be harmful to society, so they must be buried. It is paradoxical to think that if this is the case, why study with pious enthusiasm, but when you think of the achievements of nuclear physics today, modern people are not qualified to make fun of them.

Alchemy expertise is divided into three specializations: potions, potions, and transformations. Potion specialization allows alchemists to craft additional artifacts when crafting consumable potions such as healing/mana, Potion specialization allows alchemists to craft powerful and agile potions, buff potions such as various concoctions to produce additional artifacts, and transformation specializations allow alchemists to obtain additional artifacts when transmuting. The additional number ranges from 1 to 4, which means that it is possible for a Transformation Specialized Alchemist to use a single material to transform into five Origin Energies!