Chapter 60 - Arcane Solutions: Shop-Chapter 60: Is Science the End of Magic?

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Tony looked utterly bewildered. "So what exactly did I create?"

Gemini stared at the object in his hand with profound reverence. "This contains nothing but pure magical energy—do you understand? Endless, infinite amounts! How did you possibly make it? Can you mass-produce them?"

Tony examined the new reactor in his hand with growing amazement. "Current technology creating even one of these was pure coincidence combined with extraordinary luck. We'd need significant further development before we could manufacture more."

"Could it be that science is actually the ultimate destination of magic? This is absolutely incredible!" Gemini gazed mesmerized at the pulsing blue radiance.

Clang clang clang!

Bruce Banner walked in with characteristic calm. "Manager, you needed something?"

"It's you?!" Tony was genuinely shocked. "I know you! I've read your papers—absolutely brilliant work!"

Banner turned toward Tony with mild recognition. "Ah, Tony Stark. I know you as well." He extended his hand, and the two shook firmly as Banner settled onto the sofa with practiced ease.

Gemini gestured urgently for Banner to examine what Tony held. "You're also a scientist—take a careful look. Could you possibly create what he's holding?"

"What?! What do you mean! This is my invention!" Tony exploded with indignant fury.

Banner ignored the fuming Tony, studying the device with scientific precision, then shook his head definitively. "This isn't remotely my area of expertise, and merely observing with the naked eye, I can discern absolutely nothing meaningful."

Gemini shrugged with mild disappointment. "Fine, return to your work then. I was simply hoping for insight. Come by this same time tomorrow to check your soul's condition."

Banner nodded with professional courtesy, bid farewell to Tony, and departed directly.

"Why is he here?" Tony asked Gemini with obvious curiosity.

Gemini provided a brief explanation without elaborating further on the sensitive details.

The fireplace hissed with emerald flames, and Seraphina stepped out with urgent concern. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Dumbledore materialized in the portrait as well. "Miss Black, please provide an exact address—a dear friend will arrive momentarily."

Seraphina greeted Dumbledore with respectful acknowledgment, and both took their seats with visible tension. Gemini quickly rattled off the address, and Dumbledore vanished again with purposeful haste.

"Look at what's in his hand," Gemini directed with barely contained excitement.

Only then did Seraphina notice the brilliant object pulsing in Tony's grasp.

"Merlin's beard!" Seraphina shot to her feet like lightning, seizing Tony's hand to examine the device with intense scrutiny. "Merlin's beard!" she exclaimed again, asking the identical question as Gemini: "Can you mass-produce these?!"

Tony wearily repeated his explanation with growing frustration. Seraphina returned to her seat, muttering "absolutely incredible" under her breath with obvious amazement.

"So what practical use is this to wizards?" Tony asked in complete confusion.

Gemini and Seraphina exchanged meaningful glances, regarding Tony with expressions of incredulous disbelief. "He's entirely self-taught? How far has he progressed?"

Gemini calculated with painful precision. "Approximately fifth-year Charms level, first-year Potions level, and the common knowledge of a three-year-old wizard child."

Seraphina immediately bristled with exasperation. "I told you to study properly—why won't you ever listen?!"

The protective magical runes throughout the shop suddenly flared with warning light, then returned to watchful calm. Seraphina and Gemini immediately stood at full alert, wands materializing in their hands with practiced speed.

"What's happening?" Tony looked completely lost. Seraphina gave him a look of frustrated disappointment mixed with genuine concern.

"That's the intrusion warning signal," Gemini explained patiently, seeing he truly didn't comprehend the danger.

Upon hearing this alarming news, Tony quickly pressed the triangular Arc Reactor against his chest, extracting his Magic Suit Mark 1 from his Undetectable Extension Bag and donning it with impressive efficiency.

When Ethan climbed the stairs, he discovered everyone in the room maintaining vigilant, battle-ready stances. His intended words caught completely in his throat.

"What's the situation?" Gemini demanded with sharp authority.

"Um, there's an extremely elderly gentleman outside claiming to be your expected guest," Ethan reported quickly.

"I'll investigate personally." Seraphina immediately made the decisive choice.

Gemini intercepted her with calm assurance. "Unnecessary—we can observe from here." She strode onto the balcony to survey the street below.

"..."

"What do you see?" Seraphina inquired, noting Gemini's extended silence with growing concern.

"Nicolas Flamel!" Gemini whirled around with eyes sparkling like stars.

"Has Nicolas arrived?" came Dumbledore's voice from the portrait with obvious satisfaction.

"You summoned him?" Seraphina asked with dawning understanding.

Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles with characteristic precision. "Indeed, when matters concern alchemy, it absolutely must be him."

Seraphina and Gemini holstered their wands and descended together to greet their distinguished guest. Tony struggled desperately to remove his armor—what kind of ridiculous false alarm was this?!

Dumbledore observed Tony's armor removal process with genuine fascination. "Why don't you simply employ magic?"

Tony answered while wrestling with stubborn clasps. "This was the original prototype I created with George. We didn't anticipate this particular challenge then—clearly armor removal requires significant improvement!"

As he spoke, the two who'd gone to receive their guest had returned, accompanied by an extraordinarily frail elderly man. How ancient? So aged that he climbed stairs with painstaking care, and you could actually hear his bones creaking with each careful movement.

"Where is it?" Nicolas asked with breathless urgency.

Witnessing the man's profound frailty, Tony quickly extracted the reactor from his chest and offered it with respectful care.

"Oh absolutely not, I wouldn't dare handle it directly." Nicolas examined his own trembling hands, then the metal casing, and firmly declined. "Please place it on the table."

Nicolas bent over the small coffee table with scholarly intensity, too eager to acknowledge anyone else, examining the device with meticulous care while extracting various peculiar instruments from his small leather bag for detailed analysis.

"Absolutely perfect!" Nicolas declared, attempting to straighten his ancient back.

"Careful!" Dumbledore's warning arrived a crucial moment too late.

Crack!

The sharp sound of bone fracturing echoed through everyone's ears with sickening clarity.

The next second, Nicolas's anguished cry pierced the air: "Ow! My back!"

Tony, being closest, instinctively moved to assist. Crack!

Nicolas's screams became even more pitiful: "My arm!"

Everyone froze in horrified paralysis, not daring to move, only watching helplessly as Nicolas cast healing spells on his injured arm and back with tears streaming down his weathered cheeks.

Gemini whispered conspiratorially to Tony: "Do you see? That's the terrible price of living almost seven hundred years!"

Tony nervously touched his own healthy arm with new appreciation. "I sincerely hope to die of completely natural causes!"

After extensive discussion and careful planning, Seraphina departed while firmly dragging Tony by his ear, declaring she needed to properly tutor him—otherwise he wouldn't even understand what miraculous thing he'd created!

Nicolas followed with trembling determination, insisting Tony's alchemical talent rivaled his own and absolutely must be properly cultivated!

Dumbledore blinked with characteristic mischief and asked Gemini whether her shop could accommodate another portrait—he found this place infinitely more fascinating than the headmaster's office!

Snape snorted with cold disdain and physically shoved Dumbledore out of the frame. That meddlesome old honeybee wanted to compete for precious space in his portrait! In his wildest dreams!

He regarded Gemini with meaningful intensity, prompting her to immediately swear solemn vows that she would never covet Dumbledore—her room would forever contain only Snape's portrait!

Snape raised an approving eyebrow and vanished from the portrait in excellent spirits. Gemini finally released a breath of profound relief. After all, she possessed plenty of additional rooms throughout the building, didn't she?

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