Crisply, Lucien showed his respect for Nicolas's words.
However, he truly could not comprehend the peculiar mindset of someone who had lived for hundreds of years. Perhaps, if he ever lived that long in the future, he would understand.
"Your breadth of mind is truly admirable."
Hearing Lucien's compliment, Nicolas smiled.
"Anyone could reach that point if they lived long enough. Speaking of which, Dumbledore and I discussed your attitude toward the Philosopher's Stone…"
Nicolas turned his palm, and a red gem floated at his fingertips.
The gem was crystal clear, emitting a faint magical glow.
More complete, more abundant magic. This must be the true, fully perfected Philosopher's Stone.
Lucien immediately sensed the difference between this Philosopher's Stone and the one Dumbledore had given him.
Sure enough, Nicolas Flamel had refined more than one Philosopher's Stone.
"This is a Philosopher's Stone I refined recently. It can turn lead into gold and also produce the Elixir of Life."
Nicolas looked at Lucien, meaning flickering in his eyes as he deliberately stated what he held.
Lucien remained composed, his gaze moving between Nicolas and the Philosopher's Stone.
No… first Dumbledore, and now Nicolas as well.
Do these old men enjoy teasing people with treasures like the Philosopher's Stone?
Hmm. When he grows old, maybe he'll play the same game.
"Mr. Nicolas, I am very interested in the Philosopher's Stone and its effects, but I am even more curious about the knowledge required to create it. Likewise, I am also very curious about this… spaceship. How much magical knowledge does it contain?"
A bright light shone in Lucien's eyes. His thirst for knowledge had long since overflowed.
Seeing a science-fiction-like spacecraft in the magical world was simply too tempting.
Although he suspected Nicolas had most likely created it through alchemy, it was still astonishing.
What kind of materials could support such a structure? What principles governed the runes engraved across its surface? What was the energy source powering this massive construct? There were far too many things Lucien wanted to understand.
Seeing the light in Lucien's eyes, Nicolas was momentarily dazed. Those eyes were too pure.
Only a young wizard like Lucien could possess such a gaze.
Perhaps, in his own youth, he had once looked the same—driven by a desire to uncover the mysteries of alchemy.
With that thought, Nicolas gave a slight nod. With centuries of experience behind him, he could easily tell whether the young man before him was lying or concealing anything.
Lucien's words and expression were both sincere and unguarded.
Nicolas flicked his finger, and the Philosopher's Stone floated steadily toward Lucien.
Lucien reached out and caught the brand-new Philosopher's Stone.
"This is…"
"Exploring magical knowledge on your own is an irreplaceable pleasure."
"This stone is for you. Don't worry, I'm not short of these things. After all…"
As Nicolas spoke, he lightly patted the silver wall beside him. A recessed panel slid open, revealing a glowing Philosopher's Stone embedded within.
"After all, powering this behemoth requires a great deal of magic."
Lucien looked at the Philosopher's Stone set into the wall, then shifted his gaze forward. No fewer than twenty Philosopher's Stones were arranged in sequence along the corridor wall.
The scale of this spacecraft…
Just how many Philosopher's Stones had Nicolas Flamel refined?
Lucien could not help feeling astonished. From Nicolas's tone, the Philosopher's Stone seemed to be little more than an ordinary stone to him.
Using Philosopher's Stones as the spacecraft's power source was entirely reasonable. Only the Philosopher's Stone could provide such an enormous amount of magic—and there were so many of them.
"This spacecraft is truly breathtaking. It's practically the most complex alchemical creation in the history of magic."
Lucien could not help exclaiming.
But Nicolas Flamel actually shook his head, a trace of melancholy entering his voice.
"The history of magic…"
"But Muggles already possess even more wondrous creations. They've had them for more than twenty years. They can fly higher—much higher…"
Muggle creations? More than twenty years ago?
Lucien had not expected Nicolas to suddenly bring up Muggles. Fly higher? Higher than this spacecraft?
Wait—more than twenty years ago.
No way…
Lucien's gaze toward Nicolas grew slightly more alarmed. This elderly wizard wasn't planning to go to the moon, was he?
But Muggle creations from over twenty years ago, and ones that could fly extremely high…
Wasn't that humanity's first moon landing?
Nicolas built this spacecraft and also spread the news that the Philosopher's Stone had been destroyed and that he was about to pass away… The more Lucien thought about it, the more bizarre—almost insane—it seemed.
Yet within that madness, there was a thread of logic.
Magical technology was, in many ways, strangely developed. The progression between low-end and high-end fields often defied conventional reasoning.
For example, Apparition—essentially spatial teleportation—had been mastered by wizards many years ago, yet Muggle technology might take ages to reach anything comparable.
If a wizard truly wished it, reaching the limits of the sky might not be impossible.
Especially for the man before him—someone who had lived for centuries, accumulated immense wealth and resources, and stood as a legendary alchemist of vast knowledge and experience.
"Sorry, I got a bit carried away. Come, I'll show you around first. After that, we can talk about the knowledge that interests you more."
Nicolas quickly composed himself and "floated" ahead of Lucien.
He had invited Lucien largely out of curiosity about the young wizard.
Two old friends, Dumbledore and Newt, had both mentioned a young man named Lucien in their letters, their words filled with admiration and approval.
As for how curious Nicolas truly was about Lucien's talent—that was another matter.
Both Dumbledore and Newt had sent him samples of Lucien's alchemical tools.
Nicolas's evaluation had been simple: "Not bad."
For a young wizard who had only been exposed to magic for a year, producing such items was indeed quite good. At the very least, in alchemy, he showed clear promise.
However, Nicolas could also tell from those works that Lucien—at least in alchemy—was not a true prodigy.
According to Dumbledore and Newt, the boy possessed extremely high aptitude in Transfiguration and Magical Creatures.
But Nicolas had seen far too many people and taught numerous students and apprentices. He was very certain of one thing:
There were no all-domain geniuses.
Especially in magic.
Magic encompassed far too many fields—Charms, Alchemy, Potions, Herbology, Divination, Transfiguration, the Dark Arts…
To reach the pinnacle in even one field was already rare. To then apply that mastery across other disciplines—that was the true path of a genius.
Based on Nicolas's experience in judging people, once Lucien reached the pinnacle of Transfiguration, he might be able to advance further in Alchemy and reach the threshold of a genius. Beyond that, however, it was difficult to say.
At present, Nicolas's energy was entirely focused on this spacecraft—on using Alchemy to "catch up" with Muggle achievements. For him, Alchemy was the most meaningful pursuit right now.
But none of this affected Nicolas's appreciation for Lucien. It was rare to encounter such a young wizard who appealed to him.
The last had been Newt, and before him, Dumbledore.
Those two were only about a century old; to Nicolas, they were still young men.
Nicolas had no intention of being stingy with his knowledge. As long as Lucien wished to learn and was capable of learning, whatever he gained would be to the boy's own credit.
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