"Yes, there'll be a share for you too. But two barrels is too much. You're still young, and drinking too much will stunt your growth... One barrel. At most, one barrel. How about that?"
He was like a negotiator, patiently bargaining back and forth with the two foals.
This scene left Fleur, who was watching from the side, somewhat stunned.
She could clearly hear that Lucien was using fluent French the entire time, not some language of magical creatures, yet the communication between one person and two horses was incredibly smooth. Their gazes, movements, and tones were exactly like a conversation.
She could no longer contain her curiosity and asked directly,
"Lucien, can you... can you communicate directly with magical creatures?"
Lucien nodded naturally as he evenly distributed the feed to the two foals, who had finally reached an agreement and were now satisfied.
"I can."
Fleur's eyes instantly lit up, and a mixture of curiosity and some kind of testing flashed through her beautiful blue eyes.
A slightly mischievous curve appeared at the corners of her mouth, and her red lips parted slightly. A string of ethereal, melodious, yet strangely rhythmic syllables flowed from her mouth.
The sound did not resemble human language. It was as if it carried the faint tickle of a feather brushing past and echoes from deep within a forest.
Lucien raised an eyebrow slightly.
This must be the language of the Veela.
As for its meaning...
He turned his face, gave Fleur a gentle smile, and replied in clear French,
"Thank you for your compliment."
Twilight deepened, the last rays of the sun fading behind the mountain ridges, and the lights of Beauxbatons flickered on one by one.
The cold wind was biting, and the campus paths were sparsely populated.
Only the cold glow of the magical streetlamps and groups of tiny ice fairies trailing crystalline tails of light outlined a tranquil night scene, completely different from the splendour of the day.
Fleur tucked back her long hair, which was gradually turning silver, and dutifully played the role of guide, leading Lucien on a stroll through the campus while introducing the elegant buildings and scenery one by one.
"This way is the Giant Garden," Fleur said, pointing to one side.
Following her gesture, Lucien saw a stunning garden.
Everything here seemed to have been designed for a Giant. At the centre of a massive marble fountain, the leaping dolphin sculpture was nearly the size of a small cottage, and the gushing curtain of water looked like a flowing crystal screen beneath the lights.
The flowers in the garden were as large as dinner plates, and the air was filled with a crisp, sweet fragrance magnified several times over.
Beside the winding paths were scattered polished boulder seats carved with intricate star and moon patterns. Each stone was large enough to easily seat five or six people together.
On the day they arrived at Beauxbatons, Lucien and the others had only followed Maxime along one route and had not toured the entire campus.
For the past two days, Lucien had either been attending classes, immersing himself in the Beauxbatons library, or diving into the Suitcase World to research the magical mobile phone and the principles behind modifying the Fountain of Beauty...
So he really had not had a proper chance to wander around Beauxbatons.
Exquisite fountains and small gardens could be seen everywhere at Beauxbatons, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the Fountain of Beauty again.
The clear spring water rippled with fragmented light under the magical lamps, and the statue of Nicolas Flamel and his wife at the centre stood quiet and tender.
Fleur chuckled, her tone carrying understanding and a hint of teasing.
"This one... I don't need to introduce this one, do I?"
Lucien nodded, his gaze quickly sweeping over the surroundings.
Very good. There was no one else.
Civil engineering work, begin!
He drew his wand. At the same time, several containers of different sizes and materials flew out from his pocket one after another, hovering quietly beside the fountain.
Fleur was taken aback by this sudden action, but soon, a reasonable guess surfaced in her mind.
She tilted her head slightly and asked, "Lucien, did a friend from Hogwarts ask you to bring some spring water back?"
"Yes," Lucien replied briefly, his gaze already focused intently on the spring water.
Fleur actually wanted to say that the water from the Fountain of Beauty was not as magical as the rumours outside claimed. It merely had an excellent cleansing effect and could, to a certain extent, make one's skin whiter and softer, but it would not truly make someone more beautiful.
However, when she thought of the fact that Lucien was Nicolas Flamel's student, he should naturally know this. She figured Lucien was mainly doing it because of his friends' requests.
Fleur stopped talking and quietly watched Lucien's actions.
She saw his wrist flick lightly, and hundreds of shimmering ancient Runic symbols flowed from the tip of his wand.
These runes were not chaotic. They flew in an orderly fashion toward every key node of the Fountain of Beauty: the patterns on the pool walls, the base of the statue, and even the flowing columns of water themselves, before silently embedding into them.
Immediately after, a low hum rang out.
The sound of magical resonance.
The entire Fountain of Beauty, from the bottom of the pool to the statue, was instantly illuminated by dazzling patterns interwoven like circuits.
The surging, orderly magical radiance replaced the original soft lighting, illuminating the area as though it were broad daylight.
The next moment, reflected in Fleur's suddenly contracting pupils, the massive Fountain of Beauty, which should have been rooted deep in the ground, along with all the water within it, actually rose steadily into the air and hovered there.
The water continued to circulate and flow, appearing even livelier under the precise control of Magic, yet not a single drop splashed out.
Crack, crack, crack...
A series of fine, clear sounds, like cracking ice or machinery being dismantled, rang out.
The Fountain of Beauty hovered in mid-air, its glowing complete outline clearly visible. Then, right before Fleur's eyes, it split open without any warning.
Yes, it split open!
Stone, metal, water, magical patterns...
Everything was decomposed into hundreds, even thousands, of orderly independent parts, like a huge and complex three-dimensional puzzle being instantly dismantled. Every fragment remained steadily fixed in its original position, maintaining a dynamic balance through the endlessly flowing iridescent threads of Magic between them.
Fleur's mind went blank for several seconds. The extreme shock even caused her to temporarily lose her voice.
Then, an unbelievable exclamation, raised by an octave, finally burst from her throat, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet night of Beauxbatons.
"You... why did you take apart the Fountain of Beauty?!"
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