When class was over, Flamel stopped Damon, and the two had their first real face-to-face conversation.
They had previously exchanged letters, but that was when Damon published White's Law.
Amazed by Damon's ingenious ideas and talent, Flamel offered numerous suggestions and research projects from an alchemical perspective. He believed that White's Transfiguration would revolutionize not only Transfiguration but also alchemy.
Certain complex yet minute materials could be directly processed through Transfiguration, eliminating the need for laborious extraction. This was something Flamel could achieve with the help of the magic stone.
However, Damon, lacking alchemy knowledge at the time and possessing limited mastery of Transfiguration, politely declined Flamel's idea. He didn't have the energy or the time to devote his attention to alchemy.
Flamel was deeply disappointed, but also fully understood. Someone who could develop such a law was either completely devoted to Transfiguration or deeply in love with it. How could he easily dabble in other branches?
"Master White," Flamel said, his expression filled with tenderness as he looked at Damon.
"Just call me Damon, Professor Flamel."
"Then please call me Professor Nicol."
Nicol didn't exchange pleasantries. He simply pulled out a piece of parchment with a magic circle drawn on it and handed it to Damon.
Damon took it and examined it. It was a complex alchemical diagram.
"This is the culmination of my life's research, the Magic Mapping Matrix. Over the next year, my goal is to teach you everything about this matrix. Once you learn how to configure and utilize this alchemical matrix, you'll be a master in alchemy."
"It looks complicated. I can't even understand the function of the first node."
"No problem. We have a year—I'll teach you thoroughly."
Nicol smiled and pulled out another stack of parchments, pulling out the top one and handing it to Damon.
"This is my first assignment for you. I hope you can use magic and transfiguration to change the conventional material extraction process—if this idea works, this matrix can be optimized in a lot of ways."
Damon followed Nicol's train of thought. As expected of a master alchemist, the assignments he assigned were filled with the logical thinking of a science and engineering student.
Nico broke down a complex alchemical matrix into individual rings, and then the rings into individual points, allowing Damon to learn.
This gradual approach not only made the process much easier, but also made the learning process much clearer.
However, no matter how scientific the method, rote memorization of a large amount of alchemical content was inevitable. Even though Damon had devoted a large amount of time to it during the summer vacation, he had mastered less than one-tenth of the knowledge, and that was based on his alchemy talent reaching level 4.
"Alchemy has never truly merged with Transfiguration, for the former seeks stability and purity, while the latter is full of uncertainty and fluidity. But you have found a bridge between them."
Flamel placed his aged hand on Damon's, saying gently,
"Although the Philosopher's Stone no longer exists in this world, if you complete this final concept, even without it, you can use magic to artificially create this effect. Then, you can fully inherit my legacy and achieve immortality." "
I have been on the path of alchemy for so long that my brain has become rusty—I look forward to you forging new paths."
Light and shadow seemed to condense in the air, a silent transmission of a legacy spanning centuries.
Damon couldn't understand this purity, but he was still moved by it.
"I will."
After concluding the extraordinary alchemy class, he spoke privately with Nicol for a while, then hurried to Transfiguration class.
Damon walked through the Great Hall, feeling no fatigue at all, his mood at ease.
He loved this pure life, free from any concerns about life, able to focus solely on learning and enjoying the process of self-improvement.
Nico's inheritance has brought him certain pressures and challenges, but it is still within the range of tolerance that he finds interesting.
"What are you arguing about?"
Sitting in the seat Ron had reserved for him, Damon slowly sipped from a bowl of beef soup specially prepared for him by the house-elf. He gave the house-elf gifts every Christmas, and these easily satisfied little creatures had become Damon's vassals.
"Divination class! Professor Trelawney did a divination for Harry, and she predicted something ominous! She predicted a ghostly dog roaming the graveyard!"
"Come on, Ron, didn't Professor McGonagall already say that Professor Trelawney loves to scare students with gimmicks. At the beginning of every term, she predicts the deaths of several students—why should we take such nonsense to heart?"
Hermione suddenly appeared across from the three of them and retorted to Ron.
"Wow! When did you get here?"
Ron was startled—Hermione wasn't there just now.
"I've been here the whole time, you just didn't notice me,"
Hermione replied quickly, her eyes flickering.
Ron ignored her, scooping a spoonful of sauce onto his plate and picking up his fork, but didn't start eating.
"Harry," he said in a low, serious voice, "you haven't seen a big black dog anywhere, have you?"
"No, I have," Harry licked his lips. "I saw a big dog on the corner of Magnolia Crescent the night I left the Dursleys."
Ron's fork clattered to the table.
"Probably a lost dog," Hermione said calmly.
Ron looked at Hermione as if she had gone mad.
"Hermione, if Harry saw something ominous, then—that would be terrible! My—my Uncle Bilions saw one, and—and twenty-four hours later he was dead!"
"Just a coincidence," Hermione said casually, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.
Ron was practically going crazy over this, even thinking Hermione was a little cold.
Damon, listening from the side, found it amusing—how strange that Ron was so superstitious about divination?
"Professor Trelawney said your aura is wrong! You just don't like being incompetent at something."
Ron had touched Hermione's sore spot for the first time in a long time.
She slammed the Arithmancy book onto the table with such force that minced meat and carrots flew everywhere.
"If getting a good grade in Divination means I have to pretend I see a death omen in a ball of tea leaves, then I might as well quit studying it! Compared to my Arithmancy, this one is rubbish!" She grabbed her bag and walked away.
Ron watched her with a frown.
"What is she talking about? Her Arithmancy class hasn't started yet."
"Maybe she has already."
Damon put down the beef soup and forked a piece of steak into his mouth.
If it weren't such a waste of time, he would actually be a little interested in Trelawney's divinations - even though ninety-nine percent of the time, her predictions were bullshit.
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(End of Chapter)