Chapter 257: Academic Mutual Admiration
Chapter 257: Academic Mutual Admiration
"Mr. Anderson is attending this gathering for the first time, so he probably isn't aware..."
"On the contrary, Mr. Anderson has brought his own creations!" Sera Harrison smiled mysteriously at the group and pointed at the delicate wooden bracelet on Albert's right wrist.
Harrison had noticed Albert's protective bracelet earlier; as an expert in alchemy, she could guess what it was at a glance.
"Mr. Anderson, may we have a closer look at it?" Harrison asked.
"Oh, you mean this?"
Albert paused for a moment before removing the upgraded version of the Protection Bracelet from his right hand and handing it to Sera Harrison, still looking slightly puzzled.
"It's a very practical item," Harrison remarked, examining it. "I couldn't have made something like this when I was your age."
"A very British magical artifact," said Adolf, the elderly wizard who had previously called Albert a genius, after taking the bracelet from Harrison.
"It's not that advanced, and the effects probably won't last too long. It's not much different from a regular amulet," said Claude, a French male wizard, glancing at the bracelet. He thought the other two were exaggerating its significance.
"Oh, Claude, you've missed the mark this time!" Sera Harrison teased. "Remember to get a new pair of glasses next time."
"What's the problem?" Claude asked, slightly displeased. He thought his assessment was fair; while it was impressive for Anderson to create such a thing at his age, it was still within that level of proficiency and nothing to boast about.
"Mr. Anderson is skilled in ancient magical texts, and he is indeed admirable in that regard," Adolf said, pointing to the bracelet and looking at Albert curiously. "Why didn't you use yew wood? I feel like yew wood would be more suitable for ancient magic."
"This is just a prototype," Albert explained.
"I suggest you try yew wood. It goes well with ancient magic," Adolf said gently. "You're Albert Anderson, right? I'm Adolf Fournier, and I have some knowledge of magical artifacts. If you're interested, feel free to write to me."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Fournier. I am indeed interested in creating magical artifacts," Albert said with a smile as he shook the man's hand.
"He truly is a remarkable young man," Adolf marveled to himself, intending to look up any papers Albert may have published in the past.
Claude was taken aback. He had known Adolf for decades and understood that the man was not one to praise others lightly. He realized that there must be something about the bracelet that he had missed.
To be honest, Claude's proficiency in ancient magic was average at best, and he felt his face heating up at the realization. He quickly took a sip from his teacup to hide his embarrassment.
"I recall Mr. McDougall's recently published book on ancient magic mentioned Mr. Anderson," Nelson said, glancing at Claude before giving Albert a nod. "I still haven't finished reading a good portion of it. Perhaps we can find time to discuss it. Also, this is a good idea; you might consider mass-producing these amulets and selling them to the Ministry of Magic for those who work in high-risk jobs. I'm sure they would love your protective charms."
The middle-aged male wizard, who was Danish, had a peculiar accent when he spoke English. He, too, was skilled in ancient magic and alchemy.
After all, Runes originated from Norse mythology.
Claude felt even more embarrassed.
The upgraded Protection Bracelet had made its rounds, and whether or not they understood its unique qualities, everyone could tell that Claude had misjudged it.
"Speaking of which, what kind of wood is this? It doesn't seem to be from a rowan tree," someone finally said, trying to change the subject for Claude's sake.
"That's mandrake root. Dried mandrake root is said to have the effect of protecting against and repelling dark magical creatures," explained Goblet, who was the most skilled in potion-making among those present.
Everyone looked at Albert with newfound respect, realizing that there was more to this simple item than met the eye.
"Well, this little wooden bracelet has certainly surprised us all," Claude acknowledged with a slight cough, readily admitting that he had misjudged it.
In fact, if Claude had simply admitted his mistake, no one would have teased him. Everyone understood that such things happened, especially in areas where one wasn't particularly skilled.
The study of ancient magic was peculiar; to truly understand it, one needed a certain level of proficiency. Otherwise, one could only grasp the surface-level concepts.
Harrison gestured for Albert to stand and explain the bracelet. Albert spoke about the magical text inscribed on the upgraded Protection Bracelet 2.0, and at least half of those present couldn't understand it.
Nelson, however, enthusiastically engaged Albert in a discussion about magical text, leaving the others out of the conversation.
"Then, I guess I'm up next." Harrison smiled and took out a glass bottle containing a pitch-black powder that seemed to devour all light.
"I call it Darkness Powder. It's a very special powder made by mixing minerals from Peru with the powdered fruit of certain plants. Its unique property is that it doesn't transmit light."
Sera Harrison poured some of the black powder from the glass bottle and waved her wand lightly, preventing the small patch of darkness from spreading.
"I recall this substance being discovered in Peru and having some unique mineral properties," said another elderly wizard, frowning.
"You're right about that. However, there hasn't been much progress in Peru regarding this matter, but I've already researched and developed a process to create it. Unfortunately, I haven't found any practical use for it yet," Sera Harrison added after some thought. "Unless you count creating patches of darkness as a use."
Yerong Bart pointed his wand into the black mist, but the light from the spell didn't penetrate the darkness.
"Ordinary lumos and flames can't seem to pass through this darkness. It's quite strange. Perhaps it could be used to resist light-based spells," he commented.
"Muggles have something called a smoke bomb that they use to escape," Albert pointed out. "You could probably make something similar with this, although I'm not sure about the production cost."
"It's not cheap, but it's not extremely expensive either," Harrison replied.
"Then it's still quite pricey. That might make it impractical," Albert frowned.
"The extraction technique needs to be improved, which will significantly lower the cost," Sera Harrison said thoughtfully.
"By the way, will this stuff be blown away by the wind?" Professor Broad asked out of the blue.
"No," Sera Harrison shook her head. "Although it's a powder, once it spreads, it behaves more like magic. However, its effects will gradually dissipate over time and usually don't last too long."
"We'll definitely find a use for it," Gerber Smith chimed in reassuringly. "Of course, Mr. Anderson has already provided the first application for the Darkness Powder."
After that, Sera Harrison mentioned the extraction process for the powder. To be honest, it was quite complex, at least for Albert. If it weren't mass-produced, it would definitely be a money-losing venture.
(End of Chapter)
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