Chapter 1122: The Legacy (2)
Chapter 1122: The Legacy (2)
That day, as they kept the Nicollet company into the night, it was hard to imagine that the elderly couple had so much to say. Fortunately, their stories of the past were not boring, and they gave Albert and Isabelle a glimpse into what the magical world was like centuries ago. It would have been a historian's dream to hear the memories of the Lames.
Unfortunately, neither Albert nor Isabelle was a historian.
Albert had no interest in history.
He was only interested in the creation of the Philosopher's Stone.
And that was largely due to his identity as an alchemist.
There wasn't an alchemist who wasn't fascinated by the Philosopher's Stone.
It was the lifelong pursuit of many.
Of course, it might also have been because the stone could transmute base metals into gold and create an elixir of immortality.
Nicholas agreed.
Using the Pensieve, he took them back to April 25, 1382, the day the Philosopher's Stone was born.
"It took me 21 years to fully translate and comprehend the contents of the 'Hebrew Book of Abraham,'" Nicholas said, pointing to the parchment on the table. "The last Hebrew scholar who helped me was a great aid. I remember that day as if I were possessed, constantly attempting to create the legendary Philosopher's Stone."
"That is the ultimate goal of all alchemists. Knowing how to create the stone, you would undoubtedly be unable to resist the temptation to try," Albert said.
"Indeed," Albert nodded.
"In the end, I succeeded. To be honest, I don't know how I did it. Somehow, under the influence of the stone, some mercury transformed into gold."
In the laboratory, Nicholas was attempting to use the stone to transmute mercury. As the stone was placed into the liquid metal, it gradually turned it into gold.
The group watched as the fifty-something-year-old Nicholas jumped around like a child, holding the stone with glee.
"I remember that day; Nicholas came to me like an excited child to share his discovery," Perenelle said, her eyes filled with nostalgia.
"I would probably have reacted the same way," Albert said softly.
"The stone truly transmuted mercury into gold, and the gold it created was of better quality than ordinary gold—softer and more malleable," Nicholas said, his eyes fixed on the gold created by the stone. "Later, I realized that what was produced was not true gold, but something even more valuable."
"After that, we tried to create more stones because we found that using the stone to transmute mercury consumed a small part of it. That's why the stone you see now is larger than the one we originally created," Perenelle added.
"You tried to replicate the stone but failed?" Albert guessed the outcome.
"Yes, we failed," Nicholas nodded. "The new stones we created could not transmute mercury into gold."
As Nicholas spoke, the scene before them became blurred, and they found themselves in the laboratory once more. Nicholas was there, looking older, and the surroundings had changed. The table was filled with red stones similar to the Philosopher's Stone.
"Later, in our old age, we chose to make the recipe for the stone public to see if anyone else could successfully create it."
"The results were disappointing."
"Everyone failed."
This was probably why there were so many recipes for the Philosopher's Stone circulating in the magical world. Many believed that Nicholas Flamel had shared a fake recipe and tried to modify it to create the stone.
But they all failed.
When people tried to get the real recipe from Nicholas Flamel, the elderly couple had already chosen to retire and disappeared from the public eye.
The authenticity of the recipe could not be verified.
The greed for the stone subsided with the disappearance of the Lames, and many came to regard the stone as nothing more than a mythical treasure.
That night, Albert carefully studied the notes on the stone, recalling what he had seen in the Pensieve. The notebook indeed recorded the creation of the stone in great detail, or rather, it recorded the failed attempts to create it.
That's right, the failures! The notes were probably written after the fact, based on memories retrieved from the Pensieve. They documented Nicholas's initial success in creating the stone, but all subsequent attempts had resulted in the creation of red stones that resembled the Philosopher's Stone yet lacked any of its properties.
Failure after failure led Nicholas to eventually give up on researching the creation of the stone and regard the lone stone he possessed as an extraordinary miracle.
After re-reading the notes, Albert did not find the skill for creating the stone in his skill panel.
However, he hadn't expected to master the creation of the stone immediately after reading the notes.
After all, Nicholas himself was unable to replicate it, and the process described in the notes likely lacked some critical factor. Otherwise, the stones created would not have been mere look-alikes, devoid of any power.
If the method for creating the stone did appear in the skill panel, Albert might have been able to understand its principles. But for now, he did not intend to master its creation through other means.
Even if he wanted to succeed in creating the stone, it would undoubtedly consume a lot of experience and skill points. Before Voldemort's demise, Albert would not consider wasting resources on the stone. The Elixir of Life, after all, only granted immortality, and for someone as young as Albert, it was not a priority. It did not warrant the expenditure of his limited resources.
"Have you discovered anything?"
A gentle voice sounded from behind, followed by a waft of fragrance as Isabelle, clad in a thin sleep dress, wrapped her arms around Albert. "I thought you weren't interested in the Philosopher's Stone."
"Any alchemist would be interested in the Philosopher's Stone," Albert closed the notebook, tossing it onto the table, and patted Isabelle's hand. "Nicollet probably gave me this notebook because he was concerned I might try to create the Philosopher's Stone in the future."
"Do you want to become like them?"
"I don't know."
"No, you do." Isabelle pressed her body against his, "That kind of life isn't bad. But I think Madame Perenelle was right; we should seize the moment."
"You're absolutely right, dear. We're probably at the happiest time of our lives right now." Albert smiled, picked Isabelle up, waved his hand to open the trunk, and stepped inside.
...
The next day, after breakfast, Albert took Isabelle to find Bade, the elderly man currently vacationing in France.
Well, to be more precise, Britain had become unsafe, so he fled to France for refuge and helped with the preparations for Albert's wedding.
However, Bade's way of seeking refuge was rather unique; he hid himself among Muggles, basking in the sun on a beach in southern France.
The couple found Bade, dressed in stylish and cool attire, complete with sunglasses, at a beverage shop on the southern French beach.
He looked like a cool old man on vacation.
Bade was also well-liked among Muggles.
As Albert approached, Bade was chatting with some travelers who were also on holiday.
"The people I've been waiting for are here, so I'll take my leave." Bade smiled and bid farewell to his newly-made friends, walking towards Albert and Isabelle.
"This is indeed a great place for a vacation." Albert greeted Bade with a smile.
"It's nice to blend in with Muggles, and no one pays extra attention." Bade led Albert and Isabelle towards a secluded area nearby.
"Is everything ready over there?" Albert asked, "The date is probably around the 13th."
"Earlier than I expected."
"Mr. Flamel's potion is almost exhausted." Albert explained.
"There are still about ten days left, so it's fine."
Bade placed his hand on Albert's shoulder and took the two of them away with him using Disapparating.
The trio appeared in a bush, with a large rock nearby that seemed to be a deliberately chosen coordinate.
Bade led the way and gestured for them to follow.
"It's a bit old over there, but I've asked the house-elves to help tidy up. Although it might be a problem for people to live there, hosting a wedding shouldn't be an issue."
As he spoke, Bade had already led Albert to the estate.
In fact, there was no mansion, only a bush of withered yellow shrubs.
"Welcome to the Noles Manor. No one has been here for a long time." Bade cheerfully introduced the place to the couple after making sure there was no one around.
As he finished speaking, the bushes in front of them parted, revealing a grassy stone path that led to an old French mansion at the end.
Undoubtedly, this mansion was protected by the Fidelius Charm.
As they entered the mansion, Bade happily explained, "This used to be a small grape estate, but unfortunately, it was abandoned because no one lived here."
"Are there many other places like this?" Albert asked curiously.
"I don't know. This is an inheritance from someone." Bade shrugged, "It was passed down to us, but as you know, we don't need it, so it has been vacant."
"Do we have any other safe houses in France?" Albert suddenly turned and asked.
"Tiberius has a safe house in France." Bade smiled, "He told me about it some time ago, probably guessing that you might need to use a safe house."
"My family will be returning to Europe soon, and I need to prepare a safe house for them in France." Albert explained.
"You can use the safe house provided by Tiberius. I've been there; it's an old villa." Bade thought for a moment and added, "However, I suggest letting them stay in your trunk. It would be a massive undertaking to thoroughly clean up that place."
"You can prophesy to see if it's safe for them to stay in a Muggle hotel." Isabelle suggested.
"Never mind, it's just for a few days. It's better not to let our guards down, and they will also go to Noles Manor to help with the final preparations." Albert ultimately vetoed Isabelle's proposal; he didn't want to take the risk, as it would be meaningless.
(End of Chapter)
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