That being said, for Ron, Element Potatoes were practically costless.
As long as he had enough time, he could produce them in large quantities.
When it came to scaling up production, as long as he unlocked enough cultivation spaces in the future, it wouldn't be a problem at all.
The real key was whether he could leverage the Element Potato's trait—automatically absorbing surrounding elements to replenish itself—to turn it into a reusable substitute for elemental stones.
Illya, standing beside him, also realized this.
Because she had already sensed that the Element Potato embedded at the bottom of the water condenser, after having part of its elements absorbed by the storage array, was now slowly drawing in surrounding elements to replenish itself.
The speed seemed slow, but in reality, it would only take a few minutes to restore the one-twentieth that had just been consumed.
This speed…
Illya's mouth slowly parted as she sensed something unbelievable. Her entire body froze.
"Th-this… how is this possible…"
"What's wrong?" Ron asked, confused.
Although the recovery speed of the Element Potato was impressive, it shouldn't warrant such a reaction from Illya, right?
"It—it's not just absorbing water elements…"
Illya frowned deeply, focusing her senses without daring to relax. But the truth was right there—she couldn't deny it.
"It's absorbing all six elements… but it only stores water elements…"
Ron paused as well. "You're saying that while recovering, it absorbed other elements and converted them into water elements?"
"That's impossible!"
Illya shook her head vigorously, as if her worldview had just taken a heavy blow.
"There must be something wrong!"
"It is absorbing all six elements, but it's also possible that the other five elements are being filtered out again in some special way."
"The six primary elements are the most fundamental particles—how could they possibly transform into one another?"
Unlike Illya, Ron hadn't been raised under the rigid framework of traditional magical education.
So his worldview wasn't shaken as much.
Moreover, as a third-tier mage, his perception of elements outside of meditation was still vague, making it hard for him to verify Illya's observations.
"It really is absorbing all six elements? You're sure you didn't misread it?" Ron asked, wanting to confirm this point first.
Illya fell silent, then slowly nodded.
Though she was also only a fourth-tier mage, like Ron, she was the elven Holy Maiden. Her innate sensitivity to elements was extremely sharp—she wouldn't make such a mistake.
"Then did you sense the other five elements being released after being absorbed?"
Illya closed her eyes again and carefully sensed for a while before opening them, stiffly shaking her head.
"Maybe there's some method I haven't detected… some more concealed way it releases them," she said, trying to rationalize it.
"But it's also possible that it really does convert all elements into water elements, right?" Ron asked, stroking his chin.
"Your Eminence Ron, the theory that the six fundamental elements cannot be mutually converted is a consensus in the magical world…"
"But the facts are right in front of us. What I'm suggesting is still a possibility, isn't it?" Ron tried offering a new perspective.
"For example, what if elemental particles aren't the most fundamental units?"
"They could be composed of even smaller particles."
"Different arrangements of those particles would form different elements."
"It's just that these particles can't exist independently. They must combine into elemental particles—manifesting as one of the six elements—to remain stable."
"That's why no one has discovered them."
"Of course, this is just a guess. It could be completely wrong—but that's exactly what rigorous experimentation is for, right?"
Illya immediately fell into deep thought.
To be honest, she was captivated by Ron's bold and unconventional hypothesis.
Although she usually focused on magic array research, a theory that challenged the very foundations of magic was even more enticing.
After all, it would inevitably impact her own field as well.
"I'll apply to the academy for a laboratory," Illya suddenly said, standing up—then abruptly realized something and sat back down. "No… If this is involved, the existence of Element Potatoes becomes too sensitive…"
She lowered her head, muttering to herself as she thought.
Then suddenly, she looked up at Ron, her eyes shining.
"Your Eminence Ron."
"Yes?"
"I want to submit a resignation to the academy and follow you to research Element Potatoes and the nature of elements."
Her expression was serious, without a trace of hesitation.
Ron was stunned.
How did this suddenly turn into a resignation?
"Y-you're an exchange student from the elves, right? Can you just resign like that midway?"
Illya shook her head. "Strictly speaking, I completed my studies in just one year, then applied to become a teaching assistant so I could use the academy's knowledge base for magic array research."
"Although the three-year exchange period isn't over yet, if I want to leave, no one can stop me."
Ron looked puzzled. "Elven Holy Maidens have that much freedom?"
"Is that strange?" Illya asked in confusion. "Holy Maiden is just a title. Any elf born from the main trunk of the Mother Tree is called a Holy Maiden or Holy Son. There are several every year."
"Your Eminence Ron, this is not the same as princes and princesses in your human empire."
"Other than being very conservative about marriage, we actually encourage elves to leave the Forest of Freyst and experience the outside world—Holy Maidens and Holy Sons included."
"If we remain closed off, then the ancient dragon race and the beastfolk from a century ago are the best examples of what happens."
Since Illya had already put it that way, Ron had no reason to refuse.
After all, Harper was already resigned to follow him. Whether he built one laboratory or two, it made little difference—it was just a matter of funding.
And for him now, money was the least valuable thing.
"If you're truly willing, then I'll fully support you," Ron said. "I'll leave the Element Potato research to you."
Illya nodded firmly. "I'll prepare my resignation right now."
Her execution was swift. Once she set her mind on something, she acted immediately—standing up, taking out a sheet of paper, and beginning to write.
Just then, Edith's voice came from outside the lab.
"Illya~ are you awake?"
"Did you eat dinner properly?"
"I'm coming in~."
The lock clicked.
Edith pushed open the door and stepped inside, only to see Illya sitting at the table writing something, while Ron sat nearby holding the water condenser.
"Your Eminence Ron?"