The beautiful girl was like a whirlpool, gradually drawing in and consuming his gaze.
This was clearly a state of infatuation.
With a flicker of thought, Lucien couldn't help frowning slightly. As his Magic flowed, his dark green eyes became deep and profound.
The sudden sensation of his heart racing vanished instantly.
Fleur Delacour, indeed. Even with only partial Veela blood, she possessed such charm.
The group stepped into the campus.
Walking through Beauxbatons, Lucien looked around at the surrounding buildings with interest, finding the style here vastly different from Hogwarts.
Compared to Hogwarts' restrained mystery, Beauxbatons fully displayed its magnificence and nobility.
In terms of architecture, Hogwarts was a single enormous castle, while Beauxbatons was a complex of palaces. It covered a vast area, but the buildings were not very tall, generally only three or four storeys high.
As they walked along the central corridor of the palace complex, elegantly shaped statues and decorations were everywhere, all carrying a sense of French romance.
When the group arrived at the courtyard, the constant sound of flowing water filled the air.
A grand fountain stood in the centre of the courtyard, surrounded by a dozen smaller fountains that rhythmically sprayed columns of water, all connected through a complex system of channels.
Even though the weather was cold, the fountains had not frozen, and the water continued to flow.
At the centre of the main fountain stood two stone statues, one male and one female. Each held up a wand, and clear spring water gushed from the tips, splashing into the pool below.
Lucien immediately recognised the pair of statues as his teacher Nicolas and Madame Perenelle.
Although they were still some distance away, his superior eyesight allowed him to clearly see the words inscribed on the side of the fountain:
"Forget not youth and beauty, Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle Flamel."
Lucien remembered his conversation with Hermione before leaving. At the time, the young witch had shared a great deal of information about Beauxbatons with him, which naturally included the Fountain of Beauty.
When she mentioned this fountain, Hermione had become uncharacteristically coy, saying that she was curious whether the Fountain of Beauty truly had the effect of making people beautiful and young, and that she especially wanted to study the magical principles behind it, and so on.
Lucien had naturally seen through the young witch's thoughts, sighing inwardly that the pursuit of beauty truly spanned a woman's entire life.
He wondered whether he should develop some beauty and skincare-oriented Potions and Alchemical items. How could he have overlooked such a massive market...
[Ding! Loan Triggered: Advanced Elemental Earth Vein]
[Loan Mission: Improve the Fountain of Beauty at Beauxbatons]
A system notification rang in his mind as Lucien gazed at the Fountain of Beauty, which was spraying gurgling water.
Just looking at a fountain had triggered a loan: an Earth Element Magic Pattern, and it was even at the advanced level.
Counting his previous Lightning and Water Patterns, he now had three types of Elemental Magic Patterns.
Collection progress +1.
Earth was one of the four basic elements. Combined with the Water Element Magic Pattern, it would likely provide a boost to Alchemy.
Hmm, but this loan mission, improving Beauxbatons' Fountain of Beauty?
He would first need to understand the principles behind this magical fountain. Writing a letter to Teacher Nicolas would be quick, but the Fountain of Beauty was a landmark of Beauxbatons.
If he really intended to act like a civil engineer and renovate it, he would definitely need the Headmistress's permission first.
Lucien's gaze drifted toward Madame Maxime, only to find that she was looking right back at him.
"Grafton, are you interested in the Fountain of Beauty?" Maxime asked.
Hearing this, Lucien admitted it without hesitation.
Aside from the newly triggered Earth Element Magic Pattern, he was already curious about this magical fountain crafted by Nicolas, especially after hearing so many people mention it before his arrival at Beauxbatons.
"The water of the Fountain of Beauty possesses Magic. It is exceptionally effective at cleansing impurities, and long-term bathing in it can also improve one's skin... Well, this fountain was built by Nicolas Flamel and his wife as one of their gifts to Beauxbatons."
When she mentioned Nicolas Flamel, Maxime glanced at Lucien again, as if hinting at something.
Lucien listened carefully to the introduction of the Fountain of Beauty, but he did not hear anything about any magical properties that could make people more beautiful or younger.
The rumours outside about this fountain were indeed exaggerated. The young witches at Hogwarts were going to be disappointed...
Wait.
The system required him to improve the Fountain of Beauty. What exactly would count as an improvement?
Could it be that he really had to add effects like making people more beautiful and younger?
That would be a little difficult...
But this loan was only a monthly loan, so the difficulty should not be too excessive.
With no time to check the specific details of the loan for now, Lucien continued following the group on their tour of the Beauxbatons campus.
Stopping and starting along the way, the group followed Madame Maxime toward the main hall of the palace complex.
Whenever they occasionally encountered groups of Beauxbatons students, the students would immediately stop and respectfully greet Maxime upon seeing her.
Watching this, Lucien felt that Beauxbatons' management must be relatively strict.
The students' bows and even their tones of greeting felt standardised, as though they had undergone etiquette training.
The smooth white stone doors slowly opened, and a magnificent golden atmosphere rushed out.
Lucien observed the interior. Sunlight poured in through the windows, making the already gorgeous hall appear even more dazzling.
In mid-air, several small Fairies with transparent wings were flying, tiny glittering fragments falling from their wings as they moved.
Arriving at a side hall, everyone took their seats at a long table.
"This Alchemical Tournament will last for half a month. I hope everyone will leave with wonderful memories of Beauxbatons."
"After the fatigue of your journey, please enjoy some delicacies first."
After a brief introduction, Maxime lightly clapped her hands.
Food instantly appeared on the plates.
Tasting the food, Lucien felt that the students of Beauxbatons were quite fortunate. The refinement and deliciousness of French cuisine were truly beyond reproach.
Here, the strict serving order of French cuisine was still followed:
Cold appetisers, soup, hot appetisers, fish, main course, hot dishes...
The portions, of course, were very small. By the time one finished eating, the previous dish might already have been digested.
However, thanks to the convenience of Magic, as long as one lightly tapped the empty plate with a spoon, the next course would appear directly.
Eating authentic French cuisine, Lucien couldn't help thinking of the meals at Hogwarts, which consisted every day of classic British "delicacies" such as fish and chips and steak.
Although the ingredients were fresh and the House-elves did their best, it was still monotonous.
Fortunately, he had given the elves some suggestions and taught them a few dishes from Gordon's cookbook, which could be considered a rescue operation for the taste buds of the Hogwarts Young Wizards.
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