Chapter 204: Magic Research
Chapter 204: Magic Research (Seeking Subscriptions, Favorites, and Recommendations)
As Liam finished his incantation, the Runic Inscriptions transformed into a handful of golden powder that covered Mrs. Potts. Upon touching her, the golden powder began to flow slowly over her surface, eventually projecting a series of golden Runic Inscriptions of various sizes into the air.
What surprised him the most, however, was that a chain of golden runes connected to the rose inside the glass dome.
"Hermione, start recording now." With a wave of his wand, the runes floated in the air, forming a peculiar pattern.
As the scratching of the quill stopped, Hermione put down her Writing Brush. "I've finished drawing the entire pattern." Liam lowered his wand, and the golden runes in the air dissipated.
"Maintaining this requires a considerable amount of magic power. I'm glad you were quick, or I wouldn't have been able to hold it much longer. Let me see—" Liam took the freshly recorded drawing from Hermione and began to study it in detail, with Hermione peering over his shoulder.
The furniture around them seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for a verdict. After scribbling through several sheets of paper, Liam shook his head bitterly.
"Is there no solution to this problem?" Hermione asked, noticing the sudden change in Liam's expression.
"Although my knowledge is extensive for a student, I still fall short compared to truly powerful Wizards. The magic involved here isn't just Transfiguration; it also includes Life and the Power of Nature. The most intricate part is how Curses are used to combine these forces and maintain their balance, focusing all the power into that rose." Liam pointed to the rose inside the glass dome.
"However, the issue is that our knowledge lacks systematic study of Curses. That's part of the N.E.W.T. Advanced Class in Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. All the books with detailed explanations of Curse Magic are in the Restricted Section, and I've never seen any of them. So, I don't know what to do." Hermione placed her hand on Liam's shoulder and gave it a gentle pat to comfort him.
What Liam didn't say was that Ancient Viking Wizards, like their warriors, favored direct and straightforward methods, so their traditions contained very little about Curse-breaking. Another form of Nature Magic, which they considered evil, was entirely absent.
As for Maoshan Daoist Techniques, while they had extensive content, they were primarily focused on Zhongtu Taoist Techniques and had little effect on Western magic. The Thunder Art, though powerful enough to break any spell, was too violent. If used on ordinary people who were affected by the Curse, it could easily kill them before the Curse was broken.
In other words, all the knowledge Liam currently possessed couldn't safely remove the Curse from these people, a conclusion that left him feeling disheartened. After all the adventures and the power he had gained, he still felt helpless in this situation.
"Oh, child, this is not something you should worry about. We must bear the consequences of our own mistakes. Would you like a cup of hot tea?" Mrs. Potts poured two cups of tea and placed them in front of them.
"Thank you." Liam took the cup and continued. "Although I can't remove the Curse from its root, I think I can come up with a temporary solution to make you more comfortable. The Curse will make you increasingly stiff, which must be very uncomfortable."
"Really? Thank you so much then." Candlestick Butler hopped up and gave Liam an elegant bow. "By the way, do you need any help?"
"Adequate paper, pens, and ink. And a dimension large enough for us to conduct experiments."
"I know just the place for that." Clock Steward clumsily climbed onto the table. "Follow me."
Under Clock Steward's guidance, Liam and the others arrived at the castle's Library.
"Heavens, so many books. While it's not as extensive as the Hogwarts Library, this is quite an impressive private collection", Hermione exclaimed as she surveyed the room filled with books after opening the door.
"Biographies, Literature, Adventure Notes, and some Reference Books. But there isn't a single useful Magic book here." After a quick scan, Liam concluded. "Well, that's fine. Let's get to work."
"I think this should do it." After more than an hour, with Hermione's help, Liam combined his knowledge of Life and the Power of Nature to create a Curse Breaker. This spell wouldn't directly interfere with the Curse itself. After all, both Liam and Hermione knew that the fairy tale's ending wasn't bad, and they were worried that meddling too much might lead to unforeseen consequences.
So, in this magic, they simply used the power of nature and life to increase the Life Force of those cursed into furniture, creating a simple barrier between them and the Curse to protect them from gradually turning into lifeless objects.
"We really did it." As Liam and Hermione high-fived in celebration, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a rough voice called out. It must have been Beast: "Come on, you can take a look at a few books here... What's wrong?"
"It's just incredible." Belle's response echoed from behind several bookshelves.
"Alright, we need to find someone to test our spell on." Hermione gathered the papers on the table and said to Liam, who was still engrossed in his research. "I know these runes can reveal a lot, and I got caught up in them too. But helping these cursed people is what we promised, so we should finish that first."
"You're right. I lost control of myself." Liam stood up from the table and helped Hermione organize the papers. Honestly, he wasn't usually so absorbed in his studies, but today, the Curse had hit him hard, and he had gotten a bit obsessed. Hermione's reminder helped him snap back to reality quickly.
When they were ready and walked to the Library door, they saw Belle covering her mouth in amazement, staring at the bookshelves.
"What's wrong, Miss Belle?" Hermione asked as she approached.
"Oh, just call me Belle. I got a bit carried away just now. I love reading, but I didn't expect to find so many books I haven't read here."
Hearing this, Liam's lips curled slightly, feeling an urge to comment. Even across different worlds, this face always represented a character who loved reading.
Hermione glared at Liam when she saw his expression. He knew it wasn't appropriate, so he quickly pretended to look elsewhere.
Liam had planned to wait for them to finish their conversation before going to help the furniture, but since they found common ground in their love for reading, it seemed they would be talking for a while.
With no choice, Liam bid them farewell and set off alone to find the cursed furniture.
(End of Chapter)
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