Chapter 31: Discussion About the Philosopher's Stone and a New Guest
Chapter 31: Discussion About the Philosopher's Stone and a New Guest
"So, it's reasonable that someone would want to steal the Philosopher's Stone", Hermione said. "An object that grants eternal life and can produce an infinite amount of gold—there's no one who wouldn't want it."
"But if it's so good, why don’t they make more of them?" Hermione asked, a bit puzzled.
"I think it’s not that they don’t want to, but that they can’t", Liam replied.
"Why not? If they could make the first one, shouldn't it be easy to make a second one once they have the method down?"
"I’ve read a few books on alchemy in the Hogwarts Library. I don’t understand much, but I remember one thing clearly: the core principle of alchemy is the law of equivalent exchange."
Liam waited for Hermione to nod in agreement before continuing, "So, think about it. From the perspective of equivalent exchange, what kind of thing could defy the laws of nature to extend life and change the essence of matter to produce gold?"
Hermione thought for a moment, then suddenly covered her mouth as if she had been startled.
"You’ve figured it out. Only by paying with life can such a powerful effect be achieved."
"B-but. Nicolas Flamel is Professor Dumbledore’s friend; he’s not a bad person", Hermione stammered.
Liam knew Hermione had misunderstood. "I’m not saying Nicolas Flamel is a murderer. But during the time he created the Philosopher's Stone, there were large-scale outbreaks of the Black Death and smallpox in Paris. Given the scientific level of that era, these diseases caused massive deaths. For example, during the Black Death outbreak in 1353, the death rate in Paris was 40 times the normal rate. And in 1418, during the smallpox epidemic, at least 60,000 people died in Paris within a month and a half. The loss of these lives likely provided the necessary material for the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. But such opportunities have been rare since then."
"I remember learning about this in my primary school history class", Hermione nodded in agreement. "We should write to Harry right away and tell him we’ve found the information. That way, he and Ron won’t have to worry about it during the Christmas holidays."
"I think they’ve probably forgotten all about it", Liam remarked dryly.
In the end, since Hermione had something to attend to, Liam went to Diagon Alley alone and wrote a letter detailing their findings, which he sent to Harry by owl.
...
As Liam had predicted, Harry indeed hadn’t used his holiday to look up any information. After the break started, he and Ron had a great time and hardly thought about Nicolas Flamel.
The dormitory was entirely theirs, and the Common Room was much less crowded than usual, allowing them to claim the more comfortable armchairs by the fireplace. When they received Liam’s letter, they were sitting there, eating all sorts of food that could be skewered—bread, pancakes, mushrooms—while coming up with plans to get Malfoy expelled, even though none of these plans were likely to be implemented. Just talking about them was fun.
"Hey, Harry, there’s a letter outside", Ron said, noticing an owl tapping at the window with a letter tied to its leg.
Harry opened the window, and a gust of wind mixed with snowflakes blew in his face. He took the letter and tore off a small piece of buttered bread to feed the owl. The owl ate the bread and then flew away.
"Who’s it from?" Ron asked.
Harry tore open the envelope and read it. "It’s from Liam. He says he and Hermione have found information on Nicolas Flamel and will tell us when they get back after the holidays."
"Hey, I told you earlier, this kind of thing is more Liam and Hermione's forte. They love reading, so you can trust them with it", Ron said lazily, half-lying in an armchair to Harry.
After that, they completely put the matter out of their minds. Ron started teaching Harry how to play Wizard Chess. It was identical to Muggle Chess, except the pieces were alive, making it feel more like commanding an army.
However, using someone else's pieces, Harry found it much less smooth compared to Ron, who used a Wizard Chess set passed down from his grandfather. The pieces were constantly criticizing Harry's moves, making his head spin.
...
After sending the letter to Harry, Liam spent the last few days before Christmas writing homework, chatting with his parents during breaks, decorating the house, and fixing some broken items in the storage room. As he came into contact with more mechanical products, his grasp of the Winter Home Industrial Manual grew stronger.
On the day before Christmas Eve, Liam even managed to repair an ancient typewriter that had been gathering dust in the corner of the storage room. Mr. Lambert was delighted, as it had once belonged to his grandfather and was given to him as a graduation gift from elementary school.
Mrs. Sally polished every button and part of the typewriter until it shone, then placed it in the living room display cabinet as a decorative piece.
In the afternoon, Liam decided to go for a walk, as he hadn't been out much in the past few days due to his homework.
As he entered the park, he hadn't even had a chance to look around when the Multiverse General Store informed him that a new customer had arrived.
Liam quickly found a public toilet, looked around to make sure no one was there, locked himself in a stall, and then headed to the Multiverse General Store.
When he arrived, he found a customer already waiting.
The man was a slightly overweight middle-aged man who seemed somewhat timid. He wore a homespun cotton jacket and had a half-shaved head with a small braid at the back.
When he saw Liam suddenly appear in the store, he hurriedly knelt down and cried out for the Immortal's help.
Liam quickly circled the counter to help him up, as having someone of his father's age kneel and bow was a bit too much to handle.
"Alright, you must be here for a reason. What's the problem? I can't help you if you don't tell me."
Hearing this, the man started to kneel again, but he stopped at the sight of Liam's angry expression. "My name is De Fu. My master was betrayed by a villain, and we were exiled to Hlj. My master's wife and my wife just had babies, and everyone is living in an earthen hut. It's too cold there, and the babies are sick. I was so desperate that I was pacing in the yard at night when I heard a voice calling me, and that's how I ended up here. Great Immortal, please save us."
Liam found the story familiar. After a moment of reflection, his memory from his previous life as a 90s-born adult resurfaced.
"Is your master Master Xilai?"
"Ah?" De Fu's mouth opened in surprise. "The Immortal knows my master?"
Liam waved his hand mysteriously. "The Reapers complained about it when we were drinking. Your master has caused them to make many trips for nothing."
"Does that mean my master is safe?" De Fu asked.
"He's fine. He has accumulated a lot of good karma. All they can do is complain."
"Since you say that, I need to think about how to help you."
Liam sat behind the counter, resting his chin on his hand, and began to think. De Fu stood there, barely daring to breathe.
A few minutes later, Liam snapped his fingers. "I know what to do."
(End of Chapter)
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