There is a greedy alchemist.
God favored him and gave him wisdom, allowing him to gain insight into the greatest knowledge in the world at a young age. He can turn rivers into silver with a stamp of his foot, and turn mountains into gold with a wave of his hand. If he sheds tears, pearls will fall to the ground.
God favored him and gave him magic so that no evil could be done to him. His breath can turn into fire that burns everything, and his saliva can turn into poison that corrodes everything. If He is angry, all things will end at His will.
Endless wealth is scattered on the roadside for him to pick up. Endless glory hangs on the tree for him to pick.
However, that terrible greed never satisfied him. Having mastered all the wisdom in the world, he surrendered his gaze to the sky. He asked God: "How did you create this world? You gave me all your wisdom, but why did you hide the mystery of creation from me?"
God didn't answer him. So, he used the wealth, wisdom and magic given to him by God to build the high tower leading to the throne of God.
He knew that new life does not originate from the mother, but from corruption - look at the rotten cow carcass that produces bees, and the rotten mud that produces worms. So he sealed his seed in horse dung and transformed it with magical fire.
He carefully guarded the burning flask, not letting any feminine element contaminate its purity - because all Eve had done was cause Adam to fall.
He tried to imitate the gods and use simple skills to create the first life.
The burning fire lasted for forty days, and the shape of a child appeared in the burning flask. He was overjoyed and took care of the flask more carefully. Until the forty-fourth day, the child opened his eyes in the flask.
He heard the boy say in the flask:
"If I want to grow up, I need silver."
He did not doubt the child's intelligence. For it is the son of art and not of mother, as Adam, without original sin, is nearer to God than he is.
He did as the child asked and put the silver into the flask. As a result, he could no longer turn river water into silver.
On the forty-eighth day, the child said:
"If I want to grow up, I need gold."
He put the gold into the flask as the child said. Therefore, he could no longer turn mountains into gold.
On the fifty-second day, the child said:
"I need water, water without source or roots."
He dropped his tears into the flask. From then on, his tears were no different from those of those women.
He continued to lose the gifts he had received from God, and the child in the flask never grew.
Until six o'clock in the morning on the sixty-sixth day, the child suddenly said:
"It's time. There's one last thing I need to grow up."
He was overjoyed and promised to give anything to the child as long as he could grow up.
So the child climbed out of the flask, swallowed his body and soul, and grew up.
——"This is the most popular version of the legend of 'The Alchemist Created Man'."
After saying this long series of words, the drunk man took a breath and drank all the wine in the glass.
Amy shuddered: "This story sounds a bit scary."
The drunk man laughed: "Of course. If the poets don't add fuel to the fire like this, how can anyone be willing to listen?"
"You mean...adding more fuel to the story? So what was the original story like?"
"The prototype of the alchemist in this story is the Paracelsus you are asking about. And the person who spread the original version of this story -" the drunkard pointed to his nose drunkenly, "is I, Joseph Duchene."
"Another barrel of ale and a roast chicken."
Amy asked the store owner how many more dishes he had added, and then said:
"Tell me, what is the real situation?"
"The adapted legend actually has many unreasonable things. Paracelsus was a believer in the Abrahamic Church. The person who adapted it probably didn't know that ordinary Abrahamic Church believers could not get anything from their gods. Protected. In fact, Paracelsus did not know magic when he came to the academy. His magic was acquired after spending several years in school."
"Also, the poet who adapted it probably heard that he was a powerful alchemist, so he said that he could turn gold and silver. But everyone who knows Paracelsus knows that he never studied the transmutation of metals - —In other words, he has never bothered to study transmutation. This is probably the first of all alchemists in history."
This is somewhat similar to the girl Amy knew. So Amy concentrated and listened carefully to what Joseph continued.
"A few days ago, an alchemist graduated on the day he entered. This was the first time in the history of the university. But in fact, if Paracelsus wanted to, he could definitely do this. He was He entered the school with unparalleled alchemical skills. The purpose of admission is not to study, but to spread his brand-new theory about alchemy to the alchemists in the school."
"There are rumors out there that Paracelsus controls the elements of fire and wind. That is complete nonsense. Paracelsus does not agree with Aristotle's four-element theory at all. He wrote in Jabir's sulfur In addition to mercury, an extra salt is added to explain the composition of matter. Jabir’s sulfur-mercury theory corresponds to Aristotle’s four-element theory, but his new theory is consistent with Aristotle’s four-element theory. The doctrine is completely isolated - this unconventional statement naturally cannot be recognized by the alchemists."
"Paracelsus stayed in school for several years and remained unknown. He knew that in order to convince people of his doctrine, he had to challenge the authority of Aristotle and Jabir with a result that was great enough. So he had to challenge the authority of Aristotle and Jaber. , he set his sights on organic matter - because the thiomercuric theory can only explain metals, but his three-element theory of thiomercuric salts can be used to explain organic matter. He wanted people to see the advancement of his theory sex."
"Then he plans to use alchemy to create humans?" Amy asked curiously. From organic matter to human beings, the span is still a bit big after all.
"That's just one of the reasons. There's another, more important reason: He wanted to master all the knowledge about the world."
"All knowledge?"
"Yes, all knowledge. Some sects of the Abrahamic church held the view that the entire Bible was a coded book containing the knowledge of God. Paracelsus believed this. He read from Genesis I found this passage: 'Let us make man in my image, after our likeness'. Note that God used 'us' when he said this, not 'I'. Paracel Seuss believed that God was implying that people use skills to create humans. And about the knowledge of the world, God would speak through the mouths of the humans he created."
After answering Amy's question, Joseph cleared his throat and continued:
"I don't know how he created humans. Anyway, it's not a simple process like the legend. He worked hard for this goal for many years. During this time, his magic level became higher and higher. , to a shocking level. However, he is not welcomed in the school, and there are only three people including me who know that he has learned magic."
"Then, the crucial night came -"
Joseph's expression suddenly became serious.
"That night, I accidentally fell asleep in my laboratory. When I woke up, it was already midnight. The weather was very cold, and I was going to go back to my room to continue sleeping. When passing by Paracelsus' laboratory, I suddenly I found that the lights there were still on and there were voices of people talking inside.”
"I heard Paracelsus ask in it: 'Can you tell me what elements matter is made of?'"
"Then a girl's voice replied: 'Sulfur, mercury, salt'."
"So Paracelsus cheered inside and shouted: 'I am right, I am right!'"
"I was very curious. I looked through the crack in the door and saw a girl standing opposite Paracelsus, wrapped only in a sheet. Her face was very beautiful. How could there be such a beautiful girl in the world? It's like... it's like it was carved artificially."
Amy held her breath. She knew who the girl Joseph was describing was.
"Paracelsus then asked several more questions. I hid behind the door and jotted down these questions and answers. As mentioned before, if this girl was created by Paracelsus using alchemy, If you are a person, then what she is saying is the most important truth in the world."
"Although there was a door across the way, I could feel Paracelsus getting more and more excited. After all, the girl's answers to every question confirmed Paracelsus's previous views. About halfway through For about an hour, Paracelsus finished asking all the academic questions and suddenly asked again: 'What is your name?'"
"Wait a minute!" Amy interrupted Joseph, "Isn't she created by Paracelsus? Why did he ask her name?"
"Although it was created by Paracelsus, in fact, it was a messenger of God who came with all the wisdom of the world. Therefore, it should be considered that she originally had a name - the Abrahamic Church attaches great importance to God's name. Then , do you know what the girl answered?"
"What's the answer?"
Joseph suddenly leaned forward to Amy, his eyes filled with bloodshot eyes.
"She answered - 'I am Paracelsus'."
