Chapter 721: The Finals
Chapter 721: The Finals
Damon's words made Albert's heart skip a beat.
Could he be poisoned to death by his opponent's words?
What made him even more depressed was that before he even had a chance to put on a show, his opponent had already finished setting him up.
Albert's bold choice of the Baffling Potion indicated his absolute confidence in his abilities, and he intended to use this competition to make a big splash.
A stone that kills several birds, so to speak.
It remained to be seen how many "Master Potioneers" would have their faces figuratively swollen.
What is this Baffling Potion anyway?
It is a potion that permanently enhances the drinker's intelligence, making their thoughts more agile and quick.
To put it in perspective, the Runic Snake Eggs are sought after in the black market for centuries due to their ability to enhance cognitive abilities.
If not for the high danger of the Baffling Potion, which could easily fry the drinker's brain, it would have been exorbitantly priced in the black market.
Every parent wishes for their child to have a head start, and those wealthy wizarding families would willingly shell out large sums of galleons for such a potion.
However, creating a perfect Baffling Potion is incredibly challenging, and buyers cannot differentiate between a good and bad one, leading to most wizards being reluctant to take the risk.
Currently, all Baffling Potions in the black market are diluted with water to reduce their potency and, by extension, their danger. While these diluted potions may temporarily enhance one's intelligence, their effects are temporary and come with severe side effects if consumed in large quantities.
Should a potion-maker manage to brew a perfect Baffling Potion, they would undoubtedly become a revered figure among wizards.
The Magical Garden had a comprehensive stock of potion ingredients, and the organizers quickly gathered all the necessary materials for the four finalists.
Albert inspected the ingredients before him: a jar of Leapingshroom preserved in oil, a small cage of frogs, a jar of dragon claw powder, five Runic Snake Eggs, a jar of scarab beetles, a jar of green soothing agent, and more.
Once all the contestants confirmed that they had the correct ingredients, the judge announced the start of the third round.
The reason why it is difficult for a potion-maker to brew a perfect Baffling Potion is not just because it is a complex potion, but also because there are many nuances and details that one can only grasp through repeated attempts and accumulated experience.
However, the ingredients for the Baffling Potion are costly, and practicing to brew it comes at a high price, causing most potion-makers to be unable to afford repeated failures, trapping them in a vicious cycle.
Albert, however, didn't have this problem. His practice ingredients were kindly sponsored by his friends from America, and he also had the advantage of the system panel, which greatly reduced his chances of failure, giving him a much higher success rate than others.
At this moment, Albert skillfully held a silver knife and performed a cranial surgery on a frog. The frog brains had to be fresh, so the dissection had to be quick. In just over a minute, he skillfully dissected three frogs, removed their brains, and tossed them into the heated cauldron.
This wasn't Albert's first attempt at brewing the Baffling Potion, and he knew the secrets to achieving perfection. As he handled the ingredients and brewed the potion, he would unconsciously glance at his pocket watch, mentally calculating the timing for adding ingredients and stirring the potion.
In the judges' seats, the Master Potioneers whispered among themselves as they watched Albert's skilled movements.
This guy must have brewed the Baffling Potion before, and not just once. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to remain so calm and composed in this situation. Only through countless practices could one achieve such a level of proficiency.
Many of the judges began to suspect that the so-called improved Baffling Potion might indeed be real.
Shh!
Damon made a quieting gesture and exchanged glances with the other judges, signaling them to keep quiet so as not to disturb the competition.
The other judges, equally perplexed, chose to remain silent as they watched Albert with intense curiosity.
The spectators soon witnessed an interesting scene as the judges craned their necks, eager to witness every step of Albert's potion-making process, as if trying to commit each step to memory.
They, better than anyone else, understood what it would mean to be able to brew a perfect Baffling Potion.
If someone could brew a perfect Baffling Potion, their status would soar just like those potion-makers who mastered the art of brewing the Felix Felicis.
After all, who would refuse the opportunity to make their child smarter?
Unfortunately, the judges' seats were too far from the competition area, and Albert's swift and precise movements kept them on the edge of their seats, afraid to blink in case they missed something.
While many people knew the recipe for the Baffling Potion, being able to brew a perfect one was another matter entirely, especially since this was an improved version.
Timing was critical—when to add the dragon claw powder, how to stir and the number of stirs, when to add the Runic Snake Eggs, and how to identify and rectify any mistakes along the way.
Katherine averted her gaze, finding the sight of the judges craning their necks to be utterly ridiculous.
Time ticked by, and the atmosphere grew tense as everyone held their breath, not daring to disturb Albert.
Williams from the American school, Ilvermorny, felt indignant and clearly disliked the British lad stealing the spotlight. He silently cursed Albert, wishing for his failure.
Williams had also heard of the Baffling Potion, but he knew that achieving a perfect brew was virtually impossible.
As long as Albert failed, Williams was confident that he could win the Golden Cauldron for Ilvermorny. He had faith in the potion he was brewing.
Williams was currently preparing a Vigor Restorative, a potion that filled the drinker with energy and was often used on weak witches, wizards, or animals to help them quickly regain their strength and rejuvenate.
In the American wizarding world, the Vigor Restorative was quite popular, and potion-makers had made numerous improvements to it, inventing variations for different situations.
The particular Vigor Restorative that Williams was brewing was a favorite among American wizards as it could be mixed with an Endurance Potion to achieve the desired effect.
Unlike Williams, Daniela from Castelobruxo was focused solely on the potion in her cauldron, unaffected by the surrounding atmosphere.
Currently in second place, Daniela's strategy was to play it safe. If Albert Anderson messed up his Baffling Potion, she would become the champion of the Potion-Making Championship.
While it was a bit amusing to pin her hopes on someone else's failure, it was the best option at the moment.
As for the golden-robed student from Mahoutokoro, Fujii Hiroki, he was intently stirring the potion in his cauldron. He firmly believed that the potion he was brewing would turn the tables in his favor.
It was an advanced version of a Love Potion, improved countless times, and it lacked the drawbacks of typical Love Potions. It was said to be capable of creating 'love'.
Fujii Hiroki's confidence stemmed not only from his advanced Love Potion. Recently, he had received a tip from his team leader, who suggested that the key to the third round lay in the improvement and innovation of the potion.
Thus, even if one chose an extremely difficult potion to brew, the score would not be high without any innovation.
As far as he knew, due to a little trick played by Headmaster Bernard, the Hogwarts and Castelobruxo contestants were unaware of this crucial detail.
As for the arrogant genius from Hogwarts, when Fujii Hiroki heard that his opponent intended to brew the Baffling Potion, he no longer considered him a threat.
A guy with almost zero chance of success wasn't worth paying attention to, and he owed it to that fellow's recklessness that he even had a chance.
An hour later, the competition quietly drew to a close. Williams from Ilvermorny was the first to finish, deliberately making a ruckus as he left the competition area.
The Mahoutokoro contestant, Fujii Hiroki, had also finished. He nodded in satisfaction as he gazed at the nacreous potion and the spiraling steam rising from his cauldron. Then, he, too, departed.
Albert had also completed the final steps. He poured a portion of the Baffling Potion into a test tube, holding it up in front of him to carefully examine the green liquid. Pleased with his results, he placed the test tube back on the rack.
Moving silently, Albert approached Isabelle and gave her an OK sign.
If it weren't for Daniela still working on her finishing touches, the judges would have rushed over to inspect the Baffling Potion.
As soon as Daniela from Castelobruxo finished her work, the judges eagerly announced the end of the third round and proceeded to the scoring phase.
Then, they gathered around the cauldron containing the Baffling Potion, discussing the final product.
Everyone watched anxiously as the judges whispered among themselves. If Albert had brewed a perfect Baffling Potion, there would be no suspense left in the competition, and he could be declared the outright champion.
However, the judges did not do that. They huddled together, shaking their heads and muttering. Finally, they spoke to a staff member and left Albert's cauldron to inspect the other contestants' potions.
This turn of events delighted the other three contestants, who were now relieved to be free of such strong competition. They were all confident in their potions.
(End of Chapter)
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