Chapter 189: The International Alchemical Symposium
Professor Terra was grading homework, her brow furrowed. She closed her eyes for a moment to rest before continuing.
When Sean entered, the Professor seemed weary, but her expression brightened upon seeing him.
"You're here, child. It seems your joke shop isn't doing too badly?"
Professor Terra was rigorous, but she always encouraged wizards to explore the boundaries of alchemical mystery. A wizard who couldn't sense the call of this vast, mysterious domain was not a qualified alchemist.
So, although the items in the shop weren't profound, the whimsical ideas embedded within them were interesting enough to catch the Professor's attention.
Sean was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected the Professor to care about such trivial matters. The shop itself was a delightful accident; he hadn't anticipated his casual alchemy homework becoming so popular.
"Professor, I succeeded."
Sean gathered his thoughts and placed a biscuit emitting a soft purr-purr sound on the desk.
Noticing the Professor's serious gaze, he began his explanation:
"I used a magical ritual of my own creation to transfer the magical abilities of a magical creature into a wizard's body."
The moment the first sentence landed, Professor Terra shot to her feet. Outside the door, the eavesdropping upper-year wizards were utterly confused.
"What is a 'self-created ritual'? And what is 'transferring magical abilities into a wizard's body'? What is he talking about?" the Ravenclaw wizard gaped.
"If we're studying the same Alchemy... I still don't understand," the Gryffindor beside him said blankly.
"I think..." the last wizard spoke up, drawing their gazes. "That wasn't English!" He sounded absolutely certain.
Inside the classroom, the explanation continued:
"Although there are still many flaws. The transformed wizard cannot maintain consciousness, the duration is only one minute, and the production time is excessively long... Most importantly, if the user doesn't desire the transformation and firmly believe they are a Kneazle, the transformation will likely fail."
Sean paused briefly, then continued.
"Although I made this biscuit, its reproducibility is still in doubt. Even as the creator, I cannot explain the full effect of every step. The only thing I am certain of is that the wizard's will plays a decisive role...
"But the mysterious nature of magic always compensates. Perhaps a wizard doesn't need to understand everything perfectly—um, to put it simply, once a wizard has a certain grasp of the ritual, they just need to believe, and leave the rest to magic."
...Just like Potions. Sean truly felt that successful brewing students were basically relying on brute-force miracles.
Coincidentally, magic was the miracle by which wizards reshaped the world.
In the Alchemy classroom, Sean explained his entire alchemical process in one breath, skipping only the construction of his system in the domain of alchemical willpower.
The room was silent. The upper-years outside had completely lost the thread.
Made but not necessarily reproducible? Can't explain but it works? Belief? Magic?
They had no idea what this wizard was talking about.
"There's Beef Wellington for dinner in the Great Hall tonight," the Ravenclaw wizard announced.
"Oh, I think we should talk about that. Beef stew with mushrooms is also delicious."
The Gryffindor and the two Ravenclaws walked away, arms around each other's shoulders.
Professor Terra stared at the door for a long moment, then took a deep breath.
"Yourself... of course it was yourself... spent over a month? Naturally, I can tell time... self-created ritual... achieving the leap of magic from wizard to magical creature..."
Professor Terra muttered many seemingly nonsensical things, her eyes growing brighter with each word.
She knew an alchemist would encounter some outstanding young wizards in their lifetime. But what she had encountered was more than just outstanding...
"Sean Green, my apprentice, you will surpass Nicolas Flamel."
Professor Terra's gaze burned with certainty.
Sean jumped, shaking his head. He wouldn't dare make such a claim.
"Humility is a virtue, of course, but excessive humility..." Professor Terra shook her head with a smile, then looked at him curiously. "My apprentice, do you truly think so?"
Sean nodded.
"Merlin's beard—I have seen too many ignorant wizards unaware of their ignorance, and too many arrogant fools with no ability..."
Professor Terra had never felt in such good spirits.
She handed Sean a card that looked luxurious yet understated.
"The Uagadou International Symposium on Alchemy. I originally thought only Headmaster Dumbledore and I would attend, but now there is one more wizard, correct?
"Before that, you must expand the boundaries of the Magical Creature Transfiguration Biscuit as much as possible. If a Kneazle Biscuit exists, there must be other magical creatures... If you need materials or have any questions, you can use 'this' to find me."
Before Sean could put away the invitation, a small booklet of white paper appeared in his palm.
"This is the creation that won me the Gold Medal for Ground-Breaking Contribution at the last International Symposium. You will understand its utility.
"By the way, remember to name this milestone alchemical creation, my apprentice. Learning to enjoy your own honors is also very important."
Professor Terra kept Sean's notes and the Kneazle Biscuit, gently ushering him out of the classroom, presumably to study the biscuit herself.
Sean summoned his Nimbus 2000 through the window, mounted it, and vanished into the darkness.
Only then did he have time to examine the invitation.
To: Sean Green, Alchemist of Distinguished Achievement.
Shall we take another step on the path of truth, or stumble in the mud of mediocrity?
The Uagadou International Symposium on Alchemy awaits the arrival of an era.
No superfluous description, just a faint sense of guidance. It almost looked like big talk from some Hogwarts club.
But seeing his name suddenly appear on the letter, Sean realized that alchemists had always commanded the profound power of magic.
Room of Hope.
The small fireplace had run over to Sean's feet. He was contemplating his future choices for magical creatures.
The difficulty of transforming into different magical creatures lay only in whether Sean's understanding was sufficient, so he'd best choose creatures found at Hogwarts.
His Quick-Quotes Quill hovered over his notebook, recording his thoughts:
[Three-Headed Dog, Dragon, Basilisk... hmm, in second year, the Basilisk shouldn't be a match for me...]
(End of Chapter)
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