Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 307: At the Sapphire’s Exchange (Part-5)

Everyone nearby could only stare, dumbfounded.

Just moments ago, the three inscription masters had been red-faced and furious. And now? Not only had their tempers vanished, but they were actually apologizing to Zora.

This kind of reversal was so dramatic that it left people wondering what on earth Zora had done.

"My heavens..." Tiffany blurted out, unable to restrain herself. "Those are inscription masters! And they’re apologizing to Zora. How does she always turn around the situations in an instant!"

Her heart was pounding. This scene alone was enough to shock someone for days.

Raphael’s eyes gleamed with pure admiration. Zora was dazzling no matter where she stood, and it felt like she never stopped rewriting what "outstanding" meant.

"When did Zora even start learning inscriptions?" he murmured. "How does she know so much?"

"She’s my idol now!" Reesa declared without hesitation, her eyes sparkling in excitement and admiration. "Zora is basically omnipotent!"

Inscriptions. Something so complex that most Spirit Warriors never even touch it. Reesa genuinely wondered how big Zora’s brain was.

Just 17 years old.

Strong cultivation. Skilled in alchemy. A divine Physician. And now, even inscriptions?

Even if someone devoted their entire life to one of those paths, mastering it would still be difficult. Yet Zora seemed to juggle all of them effortlessly.

Sylvandria stood there in a daze.

She had been called a genius since childhood. Her cultivation was outstanding, and her alchemy talent exceptional. But only she herself knew how much time and effort it required.

There were days when time simply wasn’t enough, when only sheer willpower kept her going.

And yet Zora cultivated, studied medicine, concocted potions, and still had the time and energy to delve into inscriptions?

More terrifying still, she had answered a question that even three inscription masters had been stuck on.

That meant one thing.

Zora’s understanding of inscriptions was not superficial at all.

Thinking of this, Sylvandria felt a chill in her heart. She couldn’t even imagine how far Zora would go in the future.

"She’s a monster," Ophelia muttered under her breath, her eyes still carrying stubborn disdain.

She refused to believe it.

This had to be a coincidence.

Maybe Zora had overheard the answer somewhere. How else could a girl this young solve a problem that stumped inscription masters?

Anyone with half a brain would know this couldn’t possibly be her own insight.

Yet no matter how much Ophelia denied it, reality sat plainly in front of her.

Meanwhile, once Zora was seated, Eamon leaned forward eagerly.

"Little girl," he asked without wasting a breath, "how exactly should the star powder be added? And at what stage?"

Zora replied calmly, her tone unhurried.

"First, let the blazing stone and black gold ore interact with the condensate liquid for five minutes. Only after that should the star powder be added."

For inscriptions, she might not claim absolute mastery.

But when it came to preparing inscription fluids, she was confident.

Because during this time, she had been learning inscriptions inside the Ring of Chaos.

From the old man within the Chaos Ring, she had learned the properties of countless ores and the critical details involved in blending inscription liquids.

Just like alchemy.

Before concocting potions, one didn’t start with fire or cauldrons.

One started by understanding the materials themselves.

And she had done exactly that.

The old man within the Ring of Chaos possessed an astonishingly profound understanding of inscriptions.

Zora’s memory was excellent, but even so, memorizing the properties of countless metal ores and the subtle differences between them had taken her a very long time. Even now, there were still many details she had yet to fully grasp.

That said, when it came to most problems involving the preparation of inscription liquids, she could already handle them on her own.

Yet the moment Zora finished speaking, the expressions on Eamon and the other two elders turned peculiar. Her method was clearly different from what they had been envisioning.

"Why wait five minutes before adding the star powder?" Godfrey asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

He had never imagined being so precise with the timing, but the more he thought about it, the more inspired he felt.

Zora explained calmly, her voice steady and confident.

"Star powder is a very special substance. If it’s added too early, then a small amount won’t be enough to fully neutralize the conflict. But if too much is added, the inscription liquid’s quality will drop sharply, greatly weakening the final inscription’s effect.

"After five minutes of heating, when the clash between the blazing stone and black gold ore reaches its peak, only a small amount of star powder is needed to completely resolve the problem."

Her flawless features carried a faint glow of confidence as her dark eyes swept over the three elders.

"I wonder what the seniors think of this?"

Eamon and the others had already fallen silent, completely immersed in thought.

The more they analyzed her explanation, the clearer it became. It made perfect sense.

Previously, they had insisted on adding all the materials before heating. This approach, however, opened an entirely new door for them, broadening their perspective in an instant.

"Yes... this really is excellent," Anselm said at last, his face filled with admiration. "It solves the problem perfectly, no matter how you look at it."

Without this insight, they might have remained stuck for who knows how long.

Eamon broke into a delighted smile and looked at Zora anew. "Girl, what is your name?"

Compared to his earlier impatience, his gaze now held nothing but appreciation. A junior with such promise was something he hadn’t seen in many years. She was an outstanding seed for the world of inscriptions.

"This junior is called Zora," she replied, rising slightly and giving a graceful salute, with a hand on her chest and a slight bow.

Her politeness only deepened Eamon’s admiration. Talented yet humble. Such young people were truly rare.

"How did you come to understand something like this?" Godfrey couldn’t help asking.

Zora was simply too young. For someone of her age to reach this level was astonishing.

"Well..." Zora paused briefly, then smoothly shifted the credit elsewhere. "This junior previously studied inscriptions under a master and learned quite a bit from him."

The three elders exchanged glances.

Her answer was modest, but that only made it more convincing.

In that instant, they were all certain of one thing.

The master behind Zora was absolutely no ordinary person.

"Miss Zora," Anselm asked with a trace of curiosity in his eyes, "may I know your master’s name?"

A renowned disciple rarely comes from an unknown teacher. With Zora’s level of understanding, it was obvious that the person behind her could not be ordinary.

Zora gave a faint, helpless smile. "I apologize, but my master lives like a wandering cloud. He dislikes fame and has instructed me not to mention his name."

The three elders were not surprised by this answer.

Many true experts preferred seclusion, avoiding the noise of the world. In truth, even people like them had long since grown tired of disputes and only wished for a peaceful life.

"We understand," Eamon waved his hand with a smile. "Anyone capable of teaching a disciple like you must at least be an inscription grandmaster."

He was very clear about his own level. At best, he could be called a master. But the person who guided Zora was undoubtedly on an even higher realm.

After all, her insight had solved a problem that had stumped them for days.

"Little girl," Godfrey then suddenly spoke, a spark of interest flashing in his eyes, "I have another question. Why don’t you help us think it through?"

Zora smiled softly. Talking with these elders reminded her of her previous life, debating and testing ideas with a group of stubborn but passionate old men. The feeling was strangely nostalgic.

"Please ask, Elder."

Godfrey nodded. "How should cat’s-eye glazed stone be combined with blazing stone?"

Blazing stone was commonly used in fire-attribute inscriptions, but its violent nature made it extremely troublesome. One careless step, and the entire inscription liquid could explode. It was both beloved and feared by inscription masters.

Eamon and Anselm also turned their gazes toward Zora, smiling as they waited. They wanted to see just how deep her understanding truly went.

Zora met their expectant looks, her lips curving into a calm smile.

"Cat’s-eye glazed stone has a mild nature, so it doesn’t conflict with blazing stone in principle.

"The issue lies in its hardness. It can’t be ground into powder using ordinary tools. However, if black softening sand is added first, it can be softened. After that, it can dissolve smoothly together with blazing stone."

She paused briefly, then added, "That said, I have another idea. If a small amount of rutile stone powder is mixed in, the quality of the inscription liquid should improve further."

"Rutile stone powder?" Eamon frowned slightly.

No one had ever suggested such a method before. Yet when he thought about it carefully, rutile stone did possess properties that could enhance stability and conductivity.

If this truly worked...

His heart suddenly began to race.

"If this succeeds, the effectiveness of the inscriptions could rise another level," he muttered.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He slapped his thigh and stood up abruptly.

"No, I must go back and test this immediately!" Eamon said with undisguised excitement. "This idea is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!"

Not only Eamon, but Godfrey and Anselm also felt their horizons abruptly widen.

For years, they had been circling the same problems, trapped in habitual thinking. No matter how hard they pondered, those bottlenecks remained immovable.

Yet now, a few casual remarks from Zora were like a sudden gust of wind, blowing open a long-sealed window. Problems that once seemed unsolvable now appeared to reveal faint outlines of answers.

"Girl," Godfrey said eagerly, already turning away, "I must go back and verify a few ideas immediately. We’ll talk again later!"