Lucien withdrew his gaze and continued working.
His previous ideas and experiments involving magical circuit deformation had made him far more proficient when it came to treating and correcting Nagini's circuits.
All the experience accumulated through repeated experiments on the Shape-Shifting Flesh Puppet was proving useful now.
At the same time, while using the Magic Weaving Technique to correct the circuits, Lucien's understanding of circuit deformation was also improving little by little. Every successful correction and every failed adjustment deepened his understanding of how magical circuits functioned.
Lucien estimated that, at most, after a few more months, he should be able to achieve a certain degree of circuit deformation.
He could transform a wizard's circuits into specialised circuits like those of a half-Giant or half-Veela, and then further transform them into the circuits of various magical creatures...
Actually, aside from simulating the physical body and magical circuits, Lucien thought it would be even better if he could somehow replicate the curse itself.
That would make the simulation much closer to the real situation.
If he could reproduce the complete process of the curse eroding the flesh puppet, he could repeatedly test different curse-breaking methods within the simulated environment. Then, when the time came to treat Nagini for real, he would have much greater confidence.
So his study and research into curses still needed to go deeper.
The closer the simulated curse was to the original, the more reliable the treatment plan would be.
To deal with an enemy, one first had to understand it thoroughly.
And aside from enhancing his ability to observe curses, the bird-beaked mask also helped to some extent when Lucien tried to learn how to analyse them.
Through those two smoky crystal lenses, the structure of a curse became clearer and easier to understand.
Combined with Lucien's own talent for the Dark Arts, his progress in studying curses could only be described as rapid.
The deeper he went, the more Lucien had to admit that curses were truly well suited for harming people from the shadows.
Hair, blood, and even a name could serve as a medium for a curse.
And curses didn't necessarily have to target a specific person. They could also target concepts or positions, such as the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.
Curses could also be stored inside objects, causing even highly skilled wizards to fall victim to them.
..
..
The Potions brewing room in the Suitcase World.
At the centre of the room, a large black cauldron stood steadily over a magical flame, surrounded by various oddly shaped glass bottles, scales, mortars, and knives. The air was filled with a mixture of herbal and metallic scents.
Lucien stood in front of the cauldron, holding a thick book bound in dark green leather.
His gaze fell on one page, which contained a detailed description of a relatively new potion formula: the Wolfsbane Potion.
"Wolfsbane Potion, invented by Damocles Belby, who was awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class, for his immense contribution toward addressing the werewolf problem," Lucien read softly from the introduction.
The remarkable aspect of this potion was that if a werewolf drank it in the week leading up to the full moon, they could retain their sanity after transforming instead of losing control and attacking people.
Lycanthropy was, in essence, also a curse.
Lucien's task was to improve three curse-related potions, and the Wolfsbane Potion was one of the targets he had chosen.
Taking a deep breath, Lucien began preparing the potion.
He first arranged all the required ingredients on the workbench beside the cauldron: powdered moonstone, aconite, powdered Bicorn horn, dittany juice, hellebore syrup... Every ingredient had been carefully selected and processed.
He picked up a small silver knife and began working on the aconite.
The sap of the herb was highly corrosive and had to be handled carefully.
Lucien cut the aconite into evenly sized pieces, placed them into a mortar, added a small amount of pure water, and began grinding them.
As he worked, a fresh herbal scent spread through the air, mixed with a faint bitterness that was almost imperceptible.
Once the grinding was complete, Lucien poured the aconite juice into the cauldron.
The magical flame beneath it automatically adjusted to the appropriate temperature, and the liquid began to simmer gently.
Next, following the order given in the formula, he added the powdered moonstone and powdered Bicorn horn one after another.
With each addition, the liquid in the cauldron changed.
The moonstone powder turned it a pale blue, while the powdered Bicorn horn made it thicker and more viscous.
Lucien watched the changes in the cauldron intently, gently waving his wand while chanting a series of complex incantations.
He needed to control both the heat and the stirring speed with precision. Even the slightest mistake could cause the potion to fail.
When the potion turned silvery-blue, Lucien picked up the glass bottle containing the dittany juice and carefully dripped it into the cauldron.
Immediately, the potion began to churn violently, releasing a large cloud of steam as the smell in the room grew even more pungent.
Lucien quickly waved his wand and channelled magic into the potion, trying to suppress its instability.
Under his control, the potion gradually settled down, and its colour changed from silvery-blue to a deeper purple.
The final step was adding the hellebore syrup.
The syrup was highly poisonous, and the dosage had to be controlled with absolute precision.
Lucien used a dropper to draw exactly three drops, then slowly released them into the cauldron.
The potion boiled again, but this time it quickly stabilised, eventually becoming a clear, transparent liquid that gave off a faint glow reminiscent of moonlight.
"Success."
Lucien let out a breath of relief, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
He picked up a clean glass bottle, poured the finished Wolfsbane Potion into it, then sealed it with a cork.
Looking at the clear liquid inside the bottle, Lucien fell into thought.
Although the Wolfsbane Potion allowed werewolves to retain their sanity, it could not truly cure the curse.
Some werewolves acquired lycanthropy after being bitten, while congenital werewolves inherited the curse through their bloodline.
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