Inside Nicolas's workshop.
Under the legendary alchemist's guidance, Lucien was correcting the doll's imperfections.
"Yes, remove one ring of energy-gathering runes here, replace it with one and a half rings of magic-transferring runes, and then refine the components with mithril, which has excellent magic-conducting properties..."
After Nicolas offered his guidance, Lucien quickly understood his meaning and put it into action.
"Then at the transmission end, at the more slender magic conduit, should I reduce the stacking of runes? And as for the material's properties..."
Lucien's ability to extrapolate from one example to many pleased Nicolas greatly. He wasn't just mechanically learning and copying, but constantly keeping his mind active and incorporating his own ideas into the experiments.
"Very good, very good, Lucien. Your learning speed is quite fast. What alchemy books have you read before?"
"There aren't many alchemy books sold on the market. I found all my books in the Hogwarts library, including Alchemy for Beginners, Principles of Material Transformation, Magic of Equivalent Exchange..."
Lucien listed more than twenty book titles. His main focus last year hadn't been alchemy, so he hadn't read many related books.
"It's right to build a solid foundation first. Most of those books were recommended by Albus, weren't they?"
Lucien nodded.
"Yes."
Nicolas told Lucien to put away the doll, then opened his mouth and uttered a word. Lucien couldn't identify it for a moment; the pronunciation was obscure and strange.
Just as Nicolas finished the word, the floor beneath their feet suddenly lit up with glowing runes, and beams of magic energy surged upward, enveloping them.
After the magic light disappeared, Lucien found that the scene before him had changed.
The original magic space vanished, replaced by rows of towering bookshelves filled with volumes both ancient and new.
Teleportation magic?
In that instant, the runes had formed a magic circle, faster and more comfortable than using Floo powder.
Was it another kind of ancient magic? Nicolas, this ancient wizard who was almost synonymous with history, truly possessed vast and extensive knowledge.
"Want to learn? The magic circle from just now."
"Yes!"
Lucien replied without hesitation, not hiding his yearning for knowledge.
Nicolas smiled, thinking that this child possessed talent while also maintaining a thirst for learning. Unlike his peers, who often became arrogant and lazy with a little aptitude, this was truly rare.
He waved his hand, and a beautifully bound book flew from one of the bookshelves.
Lucien looked at this library, which was even larger than the Hogwarts library, a veritable sea of books.
He sighed inwardly, thinking, As expected of someone who has lived for several hundred years, to be able to collect so many books.
Letting the book hover in front of Lucien, Nicolas said softly, "This is Ancient Hebrew. You should read this book first to learn it."
"It is the foundation for learning that kind of teleportation magic circle, and also the script commonly used in some ancient alchemy texts."
Lucien took the book and thanked Nicolas.
One should not underestimate this book. Though Nicolas had picked it up casually, it was definitely a rare treasure.
Alchemy was a difficult subject to get into. Besides the heavy demand for resources, which required significant expense, many wizards could only truly attempt it after they had grown up.
Another difficulty was the writing. Alchemy was hard to learn, and few people studied it, leading to a scarcity of its inheritance. It could often be traced back to ancient times, and the scripts it used were naturally ancient magical scripts. Modern writing often could not clearly explain those spells.
Nicolas conjured a blackboard along with desks and chairs, and right there he began to teach Lucien alchemy, filling in his knowledge gaps and thoroughly solidifying his foundation.
Nicolas directly summoned any necessary teaching materials from the library.
Lucien also studied with all his might, like a dry sponge constantly absorbing knowledge and nourishment.
Opportunities to learn from a legendary alchemist were rare.
Although he was a man who had lived for over six hundred years, Nicolas's teaching was not rigid at all. He was deeply knowledgeable and explained complex concepts in a clear, easy-to-understand manner.
As Nicolas taught, he found Lucien's performance increasingly satisfying.
It had been a long time since he had taught anyone like this.
The last time might have been more than a hundred years ago.
Through this process, Nicolas gained a clearer understanding of Lucien's alchemical talent.
This child was undoubtedly a true genius.
But what surprised Nicolas even more was that Lucien also excelled in other areas.
Alchemy inherently involved multiple fields of magic. To pursue true, comprehensive alchemy, aptitude was an insurmountable barrier.
It was frustrating, yet undeniably real.
Nicolas had initially prepared to spend extra effort helping Lucien if he was lacking in Charms, Potions, or other subjects, but the facts told him he had worried too much.
Lucien temporarily stayed with Nicolas, and his daily schedule was very fixed.
In the morning, he would write Transfiguration essays or develop alchemical tools and potions. In the afternoon, he would study alchemy with Nicolas. In the evening, he would either continue working or accompany Nicolas and Perenelle in leisure activities such as watching operas.
The fuller the days, the faster time passed.
Lucien had already been staying with Nicolas for over half a month.
One day, Lucien was playing Wizard Chess with Nicolas.
"Beauxbatons offers alchemy classes in the third year? That early?"
Beauxbatons was a magical school located in France, ranked alongside Hogwarts and Durmstrang as one of the three largest magical schools in Europe. Its authority in France was comparable to Hogwarts's in Britain.
Nicolas had just mentioned that students at this school could take Alchemy classes in their third year, and it was a compulsory course, not requiring specific prerequisites until at least the upper years.
At Hogwarts, Alchemy could only be chosen as an elective in the sixth year and required sufficiently high grades.
In some years, if too few students met the standard or showed interest, the course would not even be offered.
Nicolas frowned, engrossed in the chess game.
"Hmm, I've funded Beauxbatons and provided some help and guidance in Alchemy, so they can offer widespread Alchemy education. Of course, the threshold for truly advanced study is still quite high."
Hearing Nicolas's words, Lucien no longer found it strange. With the support of Nicolas Flamel, Beauxbatons's Alchemy classes were probably the best in the world.
"How about it, Lucien? Do you want to transfer to Beauxbatons? The Alchemy classes are definitely better than Hogwarts, and..."
Nicolas glanced at Lucien's reaction, then at the chessboard, wondering if there was a chance to sneak a move.
"Beauxbatons also has many pretty young girls. I built a beauty fountain there. It's very effective, hehe. You'll definitely have a feast for your eyes if you go."
"It's not just for looking. You're a handsome boy, so you definitely won't lack partners there. Speaking of which, have you found a girlfriend at Hogwarts?"
During his time with Nicolas, Lucien no longer felt as tense as he had at first. He understood that Nicolas would occasionally be "improper for his age," which Nicolas himself claimed was to maintain his mindset so he wouldn't be weighed down by the years.
"I think the atmosphere at Hogwarts is great, and this is the age when I should be studying. By the way, what's the principle behind the beauty fountain you mentioned?"
Seeing that Lucien was still intently watching the chessboard, completely undistracted, Nicolas secretly pouted.
"Finish this game first, and I'll teach you tomorrow."
"By the way, Lucien, do you want to be my student?"
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