Chapter 160: Alchemy Talent
Sean was currently planning to finish five books.
They were The Selection and Enlightenment of Alchemical Materials, Aether and the Secret Laws of Combination, The Power of Ancient Runes in Alchemy, Runic Inscription and Vessel Construction, and A Deep Analysis of Alchemical Rituals.
These corresponded to materials, combinations, runic symbols, runic inscription, and the most crucial element—the ritual.
The more he studied, the more Sean felt that wizards were essentially hypnotizing themselves.
For example: [The death and resurrection of the dragon symbolizes the decomposition and purification of matter.]
The Selection and Enlightenment of Alchemical Materials stated that adding dragon's blood made an alchemical creation purer and more stable.
But it was hard to say if the dragon's blood was actually doing the work.
Because later in the same book, it stated: Dragon's blood can destroy the purity of an alchemical creation—it decomposes the creation's components, imbuing it with the dragon's destructive properties.
So how exactly should dragon's blood be used?
Professor Dumbledore had famously discovered the twelve uses of dragon's blood. These uses were often contradictory, sometimes serving diametrically opposed purposes.
Sean had a vague feeling that dragon's blood worked however the wizard wanted it to work.
Everything in Alchemy served the wizard. The more a wizard believed in the power of Alchemy, the more power Alchemy granted them. The ritual was the bridge connecting the two.
Thus, the ambiguity of Alchemy became a necessity, because it was fundamentally an art, not a science.
It relied on the wizard's fluctuating mental state, indescribable symbolic associations, and personalized magical intuition. Two wizards using the exact same knowledge and tools, following the same guide, could produce vastly different results. Because "belief" could not be standardized and replicated.
After Sean recorded his thoughts, heavy snow began to fall outside again. The snow outside Hogwarts Castle was thick and layered. Soft, fluffy flakes fell, compacting day by day into hard, cold ice, though the surface remained soft enough for snowballs.
Room of Hope.
Justin was making biscuits with a portable oven, while Sean quietly inscribed runic characters.
The seating arrangement in the Room of Hope was as follows: Sean sat in the center, with Justin to his left and Hermione to his right.
In front of them was Neville, tending to the "garden" at the front of the room. Because there were so many plants, they naturally took up the entire area that would have been a teacher's podium, piled high on various tiered plant stands.
Behind them were Harry and Ron. One liked studying Transfiguration, the other Charms.
Since Sean had transfigured the seats into semi-enclosed booths, privacy wasn't an issue.
The engraving tool grew warm in Sean's hand. He knew he had completed the Howler.
[You have practiced crafting a Howler to the Adept standard. Proficiency +10]
[A new Title in the field of Alchemy has been unlocked. Please view.]
[A new Wizarding Talent has been discovered. Please view.]
Sean decided to check his Alchemy talent last. First, he looked at the Alchemy Title.
[Title: Novice Alchemist]
[Effect: Slightly increases perception of Alchemical magic. Slightly improves Alchemical talent.]
Expected. Sean held his breath and read on.
[Wizard: Sean Green]
[Alchemy Talent: Gold (Legendary)]
Note: Average wizarding talent is Green (Uncommon).
[Evaluation: Creation and reform, exploration and the unknown. You are an irreplaceable pathfinder in the field of Alchemy. If you can fulfill your potential, you will leave a legacy that future alchemists will strive to chase.]
Does this mean I'm on par with... Nicolas Flamel?
Sean was stunned.
He suddenly understood something.
Flying and Alchemy talents must share a high degree of commonality. If his Flying talent was Gold, then his Alchemy talent wouldn't be weak. After all, a broomstick was an alchemical creation.
He recalled the extremely low proficiency requirement for Flying—only 30 points to advance from Apprentice to Novice. If Flying talent was a byproduct of Alchemy talent, it made sense.
So, his true talents lay in the Dark Arts and Alchemy?
Just then, the Panel chimed louder than ever before.
DING—
A line of text appeared below the golden Alchemy talent:
[You have unlocked three Legendary Talents, successfully expanding the boundaries of legend. One talent cap has been increased.]
What is... this?
Sean looked down in surprise:
[New Wizarding Talent: Red (Mythic) (0/1)]
(Requires unlocking a Legendary Title in any magical field)
Sean was stunned again. He thought Legendary was the limit. Was there more?
Magic was truly vast; as long as you wanted to walk, there was always a path ahead.
Above Legendary... what could it be?
Sean knew:
[Expert] corresponded to an adult wizard.
[Master] corresponded to a Hogwarts professor.
[Legendary] likely corresponded to Dumbledore and Voldemort.
So what was above Legendary?
Mythic? Divine?
Just thinking about it made Sean's passion for magic surge.
As he pondered, a sizzling sound came from beside him. Justin's biscuits were fresh out of the oven.
Looking at the biscuits, Sean felt he hadn't gone far enough in combining Transfiguration and Alchemy. If Owl Biscuits could be made, then Giant Bear Biscuits, Beetle Biscuits, Lion King Biscuits were all feasible. The difficulty lay only in whether Sean understood these animals well enough.
The road of Alchemy and Transfiguration was still long. Sean felt he first needed to master the transformation of "self" into "animate object." Whether growing wings or transforming into a shark head to dive underwater, it would be useful.
Suddenly, Voldemort's flight form popped into Sean's mind—Voldemort could fly as a cloud of black smoke. Was that a special kind of Transfiguration?
He waved his wand.
[You have practiced an Advanced Transfiguration to the Adept standard. Proficiency +30]
The elm bookshelf trembled slowly. As if receiving a command, the wood spat out a notebook with a dark green cover.
Sean sighed slightly. Since his Transfiguration reached [Expert] and surpassed 100,000 proficiency points, the gains from low-standard practice had dropped significantly. Just like when he learned non-verbal spells, it forced him to explore deeper realms.
He took the dark green notebook. It contained McGonagall's notes on self-transfiguration, interspersed with tips on Animagi.
He looked at the notebook, the words from the Panel flashing in his mind:
"Creation and reform," "Exploration and the unknown," "Irreplaceable pathfinder in Alchemy..."
Just then, words surfaced on Professor Terra's notebook as well:
[You will eventually feel it, child. Why do we study Alchemy?
I write this here to remind you, and myself, once again: we must always look at things with different eyes.
We explore the mysteries of Alchemy because we are wizards, and wizards are filled with creativity and passion.
We possess magic that can change the world. Why are we willing to be mediocre and stand still?
This is my answer. Perhaps it is yours too.]
(End of Chapter)
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