“First is intellect. Second is wealth. Mana is merely third.”
This was one of the maxims passed down among alchemists.
Half of it was a joke, but the other half was also a serious reflection.
This stemmed from the characteristics of alchemists.
The two main specialties of alchemists were material reconstruction and homunculi production.
To skillfully handle the former, various engineering and physical knowledge was essential.
To avoid mishaps like making a ship out of heavy rocks or creating a sword out of soft rubber, one had to accurately understand the properties of materials. The same was true for engineering knowledge to create more efficient and precise mechanisms.
The latter was no less challenging. Homunculi production was unthinkable without considerable knowledge and understanding of biology. The higher the level of the homunculus, the more this was true.
The wealth aspect was relatively simple. Creating and maintaining homunculi consumed considerable funds.
Preparing laboratories, collecting relevant books, gathering materials—it all came down to money.
Even feeding homunculi, which boasted voracious appetites proportional to their high physical abilities, was difficult to manage with ordinary wealth.
Compared to these, mana was somewhat lower in priority.
Once created, homunculi were independent living beings, so while they cost money to maintain, they didn’t require mana.
Material reconstruction consumed an average amount of mana, so it wasn’t bad for an alchemist to have a small amount of mana, but compared to other schools that would become half-dysfunctional without mana, their situation was much better.
This was why Elphaba could remain composed even as she watched the increasing number of undead in the fierce battle unfolding on the rooftop.
How foolish. Attempting a war of attrition against me?
It was truly unpleasant, and also amusing.
Certainly, the enemy’s forces were increasing, and Elphaba’s army was gradually decreasing.
If this state continued, the balance of power might eventually reverse.
But that was impossible.
After all, while Elphaba didn’t need to consume any mana to make homunculi fight, Dorothea had to continuously expend mana.
Every act of reviving fallen homunculi as undead, moving their bodies, and repairing wounds all required pouring out mana, and the more powerful the homunculi’s basic abilities, the more intense the mana consumption.
An ordinary mage could manage at most 3 bodies, and even if someone quite talented like Franka did the same, it would be about 30 bodies.
And that was only if they focused solely on reviving and maintaining undead, without paying attention to anything else.
Yet Dorothea was now single-handedly maintaining defensive magic with her staff and supplying mana to the Tin Knight.
Moreover, she must have been continuously consuming mana on the way here, so it wouldn’t be strange if she experienced mana depletion right now.
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