Chapter 579: Salem Embraces Technology
Wade blinked slightly, then nodded. "Of course. You're one of The Alchemist's disciples?"
"It's too early to call myself The Alchemist," Natalia said with a small, playful smile. "I'm just learning under my Teacher. I haven't produced anything truly original yet."
Ryan, another blonde-haired student from Ilvermorny, approached with a friendly grin. "You know, Granger, you've never published an essay in any journal, have you?"
He chuckled, "I have an uncle working in the editorial department of Frontiers of Alchemy. If you ever need help submitting an article, I can assist."
His tone was pleasant, but a subtle skepticism lingered in his eyes. The more one knew about Alchemy, the harder it was to believe that a mere teenager had conjured all those recent inventions. Many preferred to entertain rumors—like Wade Gray being Mor’s illegitimate son, or that Mor had secretly transferred his own inventions onto the boy’s name, letting the youth steal fame he didn’t deserve.
Of course, Ryan wasn’t foolish enough to say any of this outright. He merely gave a quiet warning to his peers: If Granger is truly this talented, why hasn’t he published a single essay yet?
But Natalia immediately rolled her eyes. "If Granger wanted to publish, he could write one in a day and get it accepted anywhere. Why would he need your help?"
Ryan: "..."
He shrugged helplessly. "I just thought it’d be more convenient to have a contact, that’s all."
"Thank you for the offer," Wade said calmly. "But I don’t currently have any need to publish."
"Understandable," Natalia nodded. "Preparation for the Competition alone is enough to keep anyone busy."
She paused, then added, "I’ve always been curious—your method of infusing Thought into the Magic Puppet seems different from how you create Wizard’s Chess."
"Indeed," Wade replied. "When crafting the Magic Puppets, I incorporated some principles from Transfiguration—specifically, theories that encourage inanimate objects to develop tendencies toward life-like behavior. This enhances their logic and learning capacity."
He didn’t mind discussing Alchemy with her. The ideas he shared were mature enough that a true Alchemist could deduce them independently. But mastery of these theories didn’t mean others could replicate his creations.
More importantly, talking about such complex topics only reinforced the image of him as a quintessential Ravenclaw bookworm.
Natalia’s eyes lit up instantly—like a door had creaked open in a grand library, revealing a blinding beam of light. Her long-standing confusion finally found clarity.
"Yes," she breathed. "I’ve always thought these Magic Puppets were unnaturally intelligent—almost as if they had souls. Your approach is almost like creating Alchemical lifeforms..."
"Not quite yet," Wade modestly replied. "They’re just cleverer Wizard’s Chess sets."
The Magic Puppets sold on the market were indeed limited in wisdom—roughly equivalent to advanced AI assistants. Nothing like the ones Wade kept by his side.
He explained, "Their consciousness matrix is still too basic. They rely heavily on layered construction techniques and spell overlays. For the energy transfer, I adapted a formula once proposed by Nicolas Flamel—"
"Ah! I read that essay!" Natalia brightened. "Leveller mentioned he discussed matter transformation and energy conservation with his Muggle scientist friends, which inspired his concept of magical efficiency."
They fell into a smooth rhythm of conversation—two minds connecting over shared knowledge. But to anyone unfamiliar with Alchemy, the discussion was like a lullaby.
Within three minutes, Ryan’s gaze had already gone blank. Though he didn’t understand a word, the look on Natalia’s face told him everything. Wade had substance.
With a quick excuse, he slipped away.
Most other competitors lost interest and shifted their attention elsewhere. But three students from Salem Academy stepped forward, having listened intently, then joined in.
"Granger," Abby murmured, "your work seems to incorporate some Muggle technological concepts, doesn’t it?"
"Yes," Wade admitted without hesitation. "I’ve learned a lot from them."
"Detecting the trend," Abby said. "You can probably tell—our school places great emphasis on merging magic with technology."
"In Salem," she continued, "besides Muggle Studies, we offer several courses related to Muggle life—Muggle Mechanical Engineering, Weapon Development, Military History, and more."
"Salem’s helicopter is truly impressive," Wade remarked. "Did you build it yourselves?"
"Yes," Abby said proudly. "Just completed the modifications. We removed traditional aircraft structures, redesigned the engine, propellers, and fuel tanks. And the cabin uses an Invisible Expansion Charm."
Salem Academy’s founders had suffered greatly at the hands of Muggles. Yet instead of isolating themselves entirely from Muggle society, Salem had taken the opposite path. They were, in fact, the most knowledgeable magical school about Muggle life.
Driven by fear and hostility, they studied Muggles deeply. They could humble themselves to learn from them—and, just as importantly, they were willing to discard prejudice and adopt the useful elements of Muggle technology.
As Wade spoke about Alchemy, Harry burst out from between the broomsticks, furious. Behind him, Rita Skeeter hurriedly snapped shut her crocodile leather bag, adjusted her hair with a quick finger sweep, then stepped out with a practiced click of her high heels.
"What’s wrong?" Cedric, who had been chatting with Fleur, noticed Harry’s stormy expression and moved closer, concerned.
"I finally know why everyone hates this woman," Harry hissed, grinding his teeth. "She’s not doing interviews—she’s making up lies on purpose."
Cedric’s father worked at the Ministry of Magic, so he was well aware of Rita Skeeter’s reputation. He gave Harry a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
"Everyone in Britain knows she’s a gossipmonger. The more you react, the more she thrives. Best thing? Just ignore her completely."
"I know," Harry nodded. "I’ll keep my distance from her from now on."
He forced himself to suppress the unease in his chest, pushing away the images of her feather quill scribbling things like:
“Those emerald eyes filled with tears…”
The thought alone made him shiver. Worse still, she’d spoken about his parents with no respect at all.
Suddenly, the classroom door swung open.
Barty Crouch, Ollivander, and the headmaster stepped inside.
(End of Chapter)
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