Chapter 509: Mastering Life and Death
Chapter 509: Mastering Life and Death
The scene beyond the door was completely different from what they had seen upon entering the house.
That door had transported the two of them to the Le Mei couple's actual residence.
"Amazing!" Albert murmured in a low voice.
"It's just a simple little trick, Mr. Anderson," Nico said, appearing before Albert without warning and smiling as he led them into the hall.
Albert still remembered the decor here vividly. The house had looked just like this the first time he met Nico.
"Is it a magical transportation technique, or did you fold space somehow?"
Albert was curious about how Nico had achieved this. He hadn't felt the usual discomfort associated with transportation when passing through the door, so it was likely that this place was simply decorated to match the previous room.
This reminded him of the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, another magical room.
"No, it's not transportation. I merely hid this place," Nico said, turning his head towards the window. "There's actually a house here. Entering through the front door takes you into a different house, and to enter here, you need to use a rather special method."
"The silver card?"
"Yes, that's the password," Nico explained. "This place is protected by the Fidelius Charm. As long as you don't climb out the window, no one can detect your presence. From the outside, people will only see the illusion of another house."
"So, the house-elf is like a guardian?"
"In a sense, yes," Nico nodded. "I know you're curious about all this, but it's only because you haven't mastered this aspect of magic yet. Once you do, you'll find that it's all just simple tricks!"
"If possible, I'd like to learn this from you," Albert said eagerly.
"Perhaps we should sit down and have a drink first," Nico suggested, looking at Albert. "Then we can slowly discuss this matter."
"Some milk tea, please!"
Pernel placed a cup of freshly brewed milk tea in front of Albert.
Albert picked up the cup, inhaled the aroma of the milk tea, and then took a sip before commenting softly, "It's been a long time since I've had such delicious milk tea."
"Those things should arrive in France tomorrow," Serra said, looking at the greatest alchemist in history with a hesitant expression.
"What's wrong?" Nico asked.
"I heard you plan to give up the Philosopher's Stone?" Serra asked, his expression complex. "Is it true?"
"Yes, it is. I intend to destroy the Philosopher's Stone," Nico confirmed.
"What a pity!" Serra's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
"There's no need to feel regret, Serra," Pernel said gently as he placed a cup of tea in front of Serra. "We've lived too long already. It's time we found our rest."
"The meaning of life lies in death," Albert said softly. "Living too long can be torturous as you watch everything and everyone you know gradually disappear."
"Mr. Anderson has a rather insightful perspective," Nico said with a smile. "Though he does lack the vitality of youth."
"I certainly hope to live a long life and only pass away when I'm truly weary of it," Albert said sincerely.
"To master your own life and death?" Nico looked at Pernel and suddenly laughed. "That feeling is indeed wonderful, very wonderful."
Serra took a sip of her tea and fell into a brief reverie.
Back when he was young, he had met the Le Mei couple through his teacher's introduction. Unlike Albert, he hadn't been as relaxed during that first encounter.
Over the years, they had maintained correspondence and frequent visits, seeking the couple's guidance.
Eventually, he had developed his own proficiency in alchemy.
At the age of thirty-five, he had finally taken over their current work.
To Serra, the Le Meis were friends and mentors, and the fact that they were about to leave filled him with a sense of loss.
He couldn't help but feel a bit resentful towards Dumbledore.
Nico's decision to give up the Philosopher's Stone was undoubtedly connected to him.
"Don't worry, Serra. We won't be dying just yet," Pernel reassured gently. "We're still stockpiling the Elixir of Life, enough to sustain us for another five or six years while we wrap up all our affairs."
"Five or six years... perhaps you could live even longer," Serra suggested. "If your knowledge and wisdom were to disappear with you, it would be a great loss for the entire wizarding world."
"Five or six years is enough time for us to impart most of our knowledge to Mr. Anderson here," Nico consoled. He understood the importance others placed on the preservation of knowledge, and he was more than willing to lend Albert a hand.
"I can teach you many things, but there's one aspect that I'm afraid I can't help you with," Nico cautioned. "Divination and prophecy require innate talent. Without that, no amount of effort will make it easy to master."
"Please rest assured on that front."
Albert nodded to indicate his understanding. "I do have some talent in divination. I've already been able to predict some future occurrences."
"You can make prophecies?"
Nico wasn't surprised by this and summoned his crystal ball for Albert to try.
"Why don't you predict the outcome of tomorrow's International Wizard Chess Competition?" Serra suggested with a smile. "Perhaps you'll see yourself as the champion!"
"I think that might be a bit difficult," Albert admitted.
He focused his attention on the crystal ball before him, which was far more responsive than his own. The mist within the ball began to dissipate, and an image appeared—a hand holding the champion's cup of the Wizard Chess Competition.
"All right, if you don't want tomorrow's competition to be anticlimactic, don't try to peek at the outcome," Nico said as he waved his hand, erasing the image in the crystal ball. "Knowing a predetermined future can make the events leading up to it feel rather dull."
"Mhm."
Albert agreed with Nico's statement. If he knew he was going to lose, would he still want to participate in the competition?
Probably not! And if he knew he was going to win the final championship, he would lose the excitement of that last-minute victory.
The two enjoyed a sumptuous lunch with the Le Meis, and after stowing the two brick-like books that Nico had given him into his Changeling Lizard Skin Bag, Albert left Nicolas Town with Serra and headed for the wizarding street in the capital, Paris.
They would stay there for the night, awaiting the International Wizard Chess Competition the next day.
As the champion's recommender, Albert didn't need to go through the selection process and could directly participate in the 32-16 elimination round. However, along with this convenience came a downside: if he lost badly during the competition, those reporters wouldn't hold back in their criticism.
(End of Chapter)
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