Chapter 355: An Irreparable Crown
Chapter 355: An Irreparable Crown
"Ha!"
As night fell, Albert yawned and lazily flopped onto his bed, burying his head in the soft pillow.
A full stomach always made one drowsy.
He turned over, eyes closed, sprawled out on the bed.
It was still quite early, but the Lemeures had retired for the night, and Albert didn't want to disturb them.
It wasn't easy to fall asleep in an unfamiliar place.
As his drowsiness began to fade, Albert suddenly sat up and opened the panel to check his daily gains, his eyes drifting towards the task panel.
There was a new task.
Heir.
You have inadvertently become acquainted with the renowned Nicolas Flamel, who seems to hold you in high regard and is willing to impart his knowledge to you. Perhaps you should seize this opportunity and strive to make it happen.
Reward: Unknown.
Albert was stunned by the task's content and furrowed his brows in thought.
While he was indeed surprised to have been introduced to Nicolas Flamel, he hadn't intended to pursue any agenda with the Lemeures.
Nicolas Flamel had lived for several centuries and had experienced the intricacies of human relationships. He was unlikely to be oblivious to certain intentions.
This was also the reason why Albert had readily given up on any other ulterior motives.
Instead of harboring hidden intentions, he preferred to keep their relationship purely as friends.
This way, they could chat casually, and that lightness made him feel more delighted. Their relationship resembled that of an elder and a junior.
If he truly intended to gain something from Flamel, Albert doubted if he could have enjoyed their conversation as much as he did today.
The Lemeures gave Albert a very favorable impression. Their long lives had endowed them with wisdom far beyond that of ordinary people. Though they tended to ramble on and reminisce due to their old age, they were far from senile.
They remained sharp-witted and witty, and by the way, Albert had recognized them when they first met.
The year before, they had crossed paths at an opera house in France. Perhaps that was when this wonderful connection began! Unknown rewards.
They were usually quite excellent.
However, Nicolas Flamel's knowledge wasn't something Albert desperately needed. He wasn't greedy to the point of wanting everything.
If he hadn't gained access to the wealth of knowledge stored by the Wildsmith family, Albert might have considered striving to become Flamel's heir.
But now, his thirst for magic had lessened, and he absorbed knowledge more out of practicality.
He couldn't deny that he had accepted the Wildsmith surname partly because of the family's knowledge and wealth, which could make his future path smoother. He couldn't think of a reason to refuse.
After all, he could still back out before officially taking on the surname when he came of age! Although doing so would be a bit unscrupulous.
As for now, his motivation for studying and absorbing more knowledge was mainly because Albert felt that he lacked sufficient knowledge.
It was similar to game skills, where some required prerequisite skills.
Moreover, Albert always believed that learning something new could never hurt.
Oh well! Why think so much? Let nature take its course!
For now... sleep! Albert yawned again and closed his eyes, letting sleep take over.
That night, he dreamed that he had successfully created the Philosopher's Stone and lived for several hundred years. But one day, he grew tired of life and decided to discard the Stone.
"Tsk, what a wastrel."
Albert woke up from his sleep, still groggy, remembering the dream he had just had, and muttered to himself.
Indeed, a person needed a goal in life.
Speaking of which, what was his goal?
To become a carefree idler after the age of thirty, with no worries and doing whatever he wanted. Although, to be honest, there wasn't anything in particular that Albert wanted to do.
Albert might appear diligent in his studies now, but it was mostly for self-preservation.
After all, strength was essential in this world. Ever since Harry Potter started attending Hogwarts, the school had become a less safe place, and one needed some level of skill to survive.
It would be a few years until Voldemort was vanquished for good, and only then could Albert truly feel safe.
As for what would happen after that... well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it! Albert got up, got dressed, and headed to the dining hall, where he found the Lemeures already awake and greeting him with warm smiles over breakfast. The meal was prepared in the French style, not too different from the English breakfasts he had become accustomed to.
Nicholas and Albert spent the day chatting idly, this time on the topic of amulets. Nicholas told Albert about several old-fashioned curses and suggested he try using garnet to create an amulet.
In Nicholas's words, amulets weren't all that effective, and once a wizard reached a certain level, they would find that amulets were mostly useless. In his opinion, most magical items fell into this category.
Albert couldn't help but think that Nicholas was referring to the level of power held by Dumbledore himself, and he didn't know how to respond.
"Let me show you something."
Nicholas brought out a wooden box and placed it in front of Albert, gesturing for him to open it.
Albert opened the box and immediately recognized the familiar crown within. He fell silent for a moment before asking in a soft voice, "Is this... the Ravenclaw Diadem?"
"Yes, Dumbledore asked me if I could repair it," Nicholas replied with a smile.
"It's broken?" Albert asked, intrigued.
"Yes, it seems someone turned it into a dark artifact of some sort," Nicholas said, his expression turning somber. "Albus mentioned that you were the one who found it."
"Yes!" Albert asked curiously. "Have you managed to fix the Diadem?"
Nicholas shook his head gently. "No, I failed. Ravenclaw enchanted the Diadem to enhance the wearer's wisdom. However, when the Diadem was damaged, the enchantment ceased to function."
"Do you know what enchantment Ravenclaw used?" Albert asked, thinking of Dumbledore's old wand, one of the Deathly Hallows capable of repairing even broken wands. "Could it not be repaired with the Elder Wand?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know," Nicholas replied with a shake of his head. "That portion of the records has been lost."
"What a shame," Albert said after a moment of silence. "I was hoping to try it on and see if it would make me smarter."
"Ravenclaw's wisdom didn't come from her Diadem!" Nicholas laughed, shaking his head. He could tell Albert was just joking.
"Mr. Flamel," Albert said, changing the subject.
"Yes?"
"I've heard that Headmaster Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard in the world."
"Indeed, many would agree with that statement," Nicholas said, his eyes sparkling with mirth as he closed the wooden box. "Albus is truly extraordinary."
"So, in your long memory, has there ever been a wizard as powerful as Headmaster Dumbledore?" Albert asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Hmm... not that I can recall," Nicholas answered after a moment's thought.
"What about the four founders of Hogwarts?" Albert pressed further.
"Well, a wizard's magical power tends to weaken as they age beyond a certain point," Nicholas explained. "But that doesn't seem to be the case with Dumbledore. His magic remains incredibly strong. Given his age, experience, and wisdom, I can't think of any wizard who could rival him, not even the legendary Merlin, I suspect."
"He truly is an exceptional Headmaster," Albert said, impressed.
(End of Chapter)
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