Tears of Mary

The Tears of Mary is an ancient potion that sharply increases an official Magus’s spiritual force and offers a small chance of helping with a bottleneck. Leylin’s recovery and modification of its difficult formula becomes one of his major early achievements in potioneering.

History

An incomplete ancient formula

Leylin selects the Tears of Mary formula from Kroft alongside the Azure Potion. Several vital ingredients are extinct, while its soul-related procedures initially exceed both his understanding and an acolyte’s abilities. Experiments on spirit bodies and the A.I. Chip’s reverse engineering of Grine Water eventually solve most of the problem, though some steps still require an official Magus. (Chapters 37, 52, 77, and 102)

Brewing through spirit research

Leylin first derives a modified version and confirms that it raises spiritual force. After advancing, he collaborates with an old witch who supplies processed, grievance-filled spirits and receives agreed shares of the finished potion. A successful dose raises Leylin’s spiritual force dramatically, and sustained production helps him progress through rank 1. (Chapters 103 and 163–175)

Declining usefulness

Leylin retains some doses and later uses one in a transaction, but the potion’s benefits do not scale indefinitely. Once he reaches rank 2, he judges Tears of Mary too weak to matter to his advancement. (Chapters 175, 185, and 278)

Abilities and properties

• Greatly increases an official Magus’s spiritual force and may offer a small chance of breaking a bottleneck. (Chapter 169)
• Requires powerful resentful spirits and specialised rank 1 spirit work during preparation. (Chapters 169 and 174)
• Becomes ineffective relative to Leylin’s needs after he advances to rank 2. (Chapter 278)

Ownership and custody