Chapter 102: Alchemy
Chapter 102: Alchemy
Albert sat in a corner of the library, his chin propped up by one hand as he casually flipped through the catalog from the Fengya Wizarding Apparel Store, searching for an appropriate Christmas gift.
Initially, he had planned to craft a protective amulet for Nia by hand. However, after perusing several books on alchemy, he temporarily abandoned that idea.
Albert realized that his initial concept was rather impractical. While wizards could enchant items, infusing them with magical properties, the magic imbued in objects usually didn't last very long and would fade over time.
In Albert's opinion, crafting a protective amulet that would lose its power soon after it was made would be less meaningful as a gift than buying Nia a scarf.
Creating a powerful and enduring magical artifact was no easy feat.
Firstly, one needed to use items that inherently carried magical power as raw materials. Throughout the crafting process, spells would need to be cast on these raw materials. Once the item was complete, there would be an additional step of enchanting the finished product. The power and skill of the enchanter would determine the strength and durability of the magic imbued in the item.
In ancient times, wizards would also engrave Runic letters on magical items to further enhance their effects. However, very few wizards in the present day were capable of this, and most of the ancient techniques had been lost.
Following this complex and tedious process would usually result in the creation of a powerful and long-lasting magical artifact.
Of course, some referred to these as alchemical items.
To be honest, the British magical community didn't pay much attention to alchemy.
The concept of alchemy originated in the regions of ancient Greece and Egypt and was introduced to Western Europe in the 12th century.
Early wizards had a very vague understanding of alchemy and some didn't even know what it was.
The second sentence was: "All is One, the One is all, achieved through its differentiation..."
After forcing himself to read and memorize these lines, Albert closed the Emerald Tablet and returned it to the bookshelf. Ancient texts were often filled with complex and profound concepts that were difficult to comprehend.
Albert's only interpretation of these two sentences from the Emerald Tablet was that they might be referring to the universe. He didn't bother delving further into the meaning of the book, thinking that perhaps one day, when he learned alchemy, he might suddenly have a moment of enlightenment.
In any case, early alchemy encompassed multiple fields.
It delved into the mysteries of magic, the forms of matter, and early cosmological theories, among other things.
Later alchemists became obsessed with transmuting metals, which was why some metalworkers in later generations were given the title of "alchemist", even though they might prefer to call themselves metal craftsmen.
Over the centuries, alchemy evolved through the research of great alchemists like Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, Roger Bacon, and Arnold of Villanova, leading to the establishment of the concept of transmutation.
Ramon Llull even proposed the idea of the philosopher's stone, based on the theory of "understanding, decomposition, and reconstruction."
This hypothesis was later completed by Nicolas Flamel, who, through the use of the philosopher's stone, or the magic stone, realized the early concept of transmutation by adding a "seed" during the process, successfully creating an elixir of life and transmuting any metal into pure gold.
Nicolas Flamel, the creator of the philosopher's stone, came to be regarded as the forefather of European alchemy, standing at the pinnacle and looking down upon all other alchemists.
However, over the generations, the concept of transmutation eventually shifted towards potion-making.
While metalworkers were given the title of alchemist, they did not seem to embrace this identity, and alchemy as a field drifted towards the realm of mysticism.
Crafting magical items was indeed the work of metalworkers, who were skilled in using magic to process metals and create artifacts imbued with mystical powers.
Fairies were particularly adept at this, using their fairy magic to create silver artifacts that resembled mithril in the magical world.
However, over time, the fairy craft of silverworking was lost, and only a handful of fairy craftsmen remained who could forge fairy iron.
As the profession of metalworking gradually disappeared, alchemy fully embraced mysticism. Yet, most alchemists did not acknowledge items that had merely been enchanted with simple spells as alchemical artifacts.
Nonetheless, there were some who called their practice modern alchemy, and the book "Simple Alchemy" that Albert had once read was one such example.
After delving deeper into alchemy, Albert revisited the idea of creating a protective amulet. He realized that he would need to gather a collection of magical materials imbued with protective meanings and combine them to craft the amulet. This would greatly enhance the protective magic he ultimately imbued into the amulet.
For example, he could use wood from a guardian tree or a mulberry tree, known as the stone of life and protection, or garnet... Using the Runic letter Eihwaz, which symbolized protection and defense, along with other Runic letters, would strengthen the amulet's protective power.
Unfortunately, while the idea was good, reality was cruel. Albert needed more knowledge to bring his plan to fruition, and he himself had little understanding of Runic letters, the ancient magical script.
Most records of the ancient magical script focused on interpretation and understanding, without delving into more profound aspects. Perhaps Dumbledore had researched these things, but wizards who truly understood and could utilize them were few and far between.
Albert set aside the idea of creating a protective amulet as a gift and turned his attention to a more suitable option that was almost ready.
A lion-eagle statue symbolizing Gryffindor.
This idea had come to Albert while practicing basic movement magic—to create a moving lion-eagle statue using wood, gears, and magic.
His inspiration came from the fire dragon model on the Goblet of Fire—a model that moved in perfect proportion.
Indeed, ever since he had unlocked a few levels in economics-related skills, Albert's mind had been brimming with all sorts of schemes, such as selling models of various magical creatures, which could potentially be a lucrative endeavor.
After all, he could find partners to collaborate with, form a company, and provide investment and technical expertise himself.
To carve the lion-eagle statue, Albert had specifically gone to the spiral staircase leading to the headmaster's office on the third floor to observe a lion-eagle statue for a long time, taking photos from multiple angles.
He had also taken the opportunity to level up his carving skill. Using wood from the guardian tree provided by Hagrid, he pieced together a lion-eagle statue. With basic movement magic, he could even make it flap its wings, although making it fly was currently out of the question.
As for the future, Albert believed that he could perfect it. After all, he had his skill panel, so how could he not be confident?
As for whom to collaborate with, Albert already had a candidate in mind—a certain unfortunate soul who had been pushed to the brink.
(End of Chapter)
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