Harry and Hermione still wanted to keep interrogating Ron and Neville, but very soon, their expressions froze the moment they saw Scott from Ravenclaw use that enormous book to release a sapling.
"Bloody hell... You never said this book could do something like that!" Harry said, utterly stunned.
"We did say that book was like a smaller version of Professor Kasenhis. Did you not hear us?" Ron defended himself.
"We just thought it might be able to... release a few Wither Skeleton skulls or something," Hermione explained dryly.
"Now do you understand why we reacted so strongly?" Ron said helplessly. It was precisely because Harry and Hermione had dragged him and Neville to the back that the two of them had ultimately missed their chance to be the first to experience the book again, and could only queue up at the rear.
"I really should've gone for a stroll in the Alchemy office yesterday. I regret it in the truest sense of the word," Harry murmured.
Similar remarks echoed endlessly throughout the entire class. Meanwhile, Hagrid, who was watching from the side, found it rather strange.
When Kasenhis did things to this extent, no one was surprised. But now that Kasenhis' ability had turned into a book, why did these students look as though they had seen God?
Clearly, however, none of the students in the class had any interest in answering that question for him. He would just have to wait until class was over and ask some idle students...
Or perhaps he could ask Dumbledore!
Hagrid suddenly realised that there was nothing in the world Dumbledore didn't know. Asking him was definitely the right choice.
"I don't know about this either," Dumbledore said, sighing helplessly as he looked at the eager Hagrid.
He truly didn't know. He couldn't just make something up for Hagrid, could he? That would be misleading the youth.
Although, given Hagrid's magical ability, whether he was misled or not probably wouldn't make much difference. But what if Hagrid went around spreading it with that big mouth of his?
At that point, Kasenhis would come knocking.
"So you're the one going around saying I live inside that book every day?"
Just as Hagrid was about to return empty-handed, another student entered the Headmaster's office.
"Professor Dumbledore, here's the paper you wanted... Professor Hagrid?"
Clay slowly walked up from the staircase and placed a paper in front of Dumbledore before looking at Hagrid with some confusion.
"Is there somethin' strange on me?" Hagrid asked, scratching his head in surprise.
"No, Professor. There's just something strange about you," Clay shook his head and said.
"What?"
"Mm... curiosity," Clay said quickly, looking at Hagrid's puzzled expression.
"Perfect timing, Mr Soro. Professor Hagrid needs you to explain something. Why is it that none of you are surprised when Professor Kasenhis uses his magic, but when you see that book doing something similar to what Professor Kasenhis can do, you react with such astonishment?" Dumbledore very naturally passed the problem to Soro.
"Mhm... Because that book contains an entire world. Strictly speaking, it isn't an alchemical item. An alchemical item is something I use with my own magic to produce some kind of effect on reality."
"But that book doesn't use our own magic. It's more like holding an entire world in our hands. Whatever we need, we simply take it directly from that world. That feeling of control is something no powerful spell can compare to."
"And as for Professor Kasenhis... perhaps everyone has already accepted that Professor Kasenhis is a powerful wizard on the same level as Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Grindelwald. Would you wonder why Headmaster Dumbledore knows so many incredible spells?"
Clay finished everything he wanted to say in one breath and suddenly felt his mouth go dry.
At that moment, Dumbledore handed Clay a cup of black tea. Clay accepted it, took a sip, then placed it back on the desk.
"Professor, is there anything else?" Clay asked Dumbledore.
"No," Dumbledore shook his head.
Soon, Clay fled back outside the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. Vivian was leaning against the Iron Golem's greatsword, and when she saw Clay come down, she raised an eyebrow.
The latter immediately transformed into a shameless beggar, reaching out.
"Water! Water!"
Though Vivian was surprised, she quickly handed over her small water cup, which Clay promptly drained in one go. Then he let out a wail.
"Professor Dumbledore's tea is so sweet it's cloying!"
"Pfft!"
...
Meanwhile, Kasenhis, who had finally finished class, Ender Teleported back to his office with the book. There, he saw Clay sitting on the sofa, having clearly waited for a long time.
"Looks like you've been waiting quite a while."
Kasenhis poured Clay a cup of tea. This time, Clay had learned his lesson. He first took a small sip, and only after confirming that it did not contain a lethal amount of sugar did he let out a sigh of relief.
"Professor, weren't you the one who told me to come find you at this time?" Clay asked in surprise.
Kasenhis looked at the young wizard in front of him with some confusion.
But he did not show it.
As a mature professor, one had to maintain an expression unchanged even if the Alps collapsed right in front of him.
"Mhm. Go on," he said.
"The axe can be broken down into A, X, and E. A corresponds to the first letter of the English alphabet, and X represents ten in Roman numerals. So I believe your meaning may have been the first ten o'clock of the next day, which is now, ten o'clock in the morning. You wanted to meet me here."
Clay said this proudly.
"Oh... What made you come up with that?" Kasenhis awkwardly sat back down.
In truth, he had never meant that at all.
But still, the same principle applied: remain calm even if the Alps collapsed before him. Maintain dignity! Put on an act!
"I've read Journey to the West. Does that count?" Clay explained.
"...It counts. Then what about the E?" Kasenhis braced himself and continued maintaining his mysterious expert persona.
Otherwise, if this young wizard discovered that he had not actually had any deep meaning in mind, it would be terribly embarrassing.
"That part is meant to be omitted. Just like when Sun Wukong didn't pay attention to what colour robes Patriarch Bodhi was wearing, or whether he had struck him with his hand or a ruler. For something obviously unnecessary, you simply omit it," Clay explained.
"Mhm. You have passed my test."
Kasenhis looked dryly at the clever young wizard in front of him.
What could he say?
What could he do?
The boy had already gone this far. What would it matter if Kasenhis had one more somewhat closer student? It wasn't as if he would lose a piece of flesh.
"Then what should I do now?" Clay looked at Kasenhis excitedly.
"Come here after class this afternoon," Kasenhis said.
"Alright!"
Clay nodded heavily, then immediately stood up and walked towards the door.
Because if he did not leave now, he was genuinely afraid he would burst out laughing.
He knew perfectly well that Kasenhis had never intended to create some so-called secret code for him.
He had done all this just to make it impossible for Kasenhis to save his reputation, forcing him to pinch his nose and accept him as a close student!
And now...
Clearly, the plan had worked!
___
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