Chapter 91: Double the Copy

"Who asks like that? Do you just want to be praised?"

After a while, just when Murphy thought the topic had ended, Serika spoke up again.

"Because... you're handsome."

"Really good-looking, very capable, and so cool! I liked you, I mean, sort of liked you when I saw your picture in the Prophet's Daily."

Serika seemed to have given it her all, thinking she had been rejected and might soon die anyway, so she decided to spill everything without leaving any regrets.

Murphy listened silently.

"And you're different from other wizards," Serika's eyes sparkled as she looked at him. "You seem to shine. You never hesitate and always move straight towards your goals. You don't seem to fear anything – the judges, Malfoy, and others, even Dumbledore, you're not afraid of them."

"I've never seen a wizard like you! You're filled with power. A strength that seems to be able to destroy everything, yet also seems to be able to rebuild a world from the ruins! No other wizard is like you. Not even those smartest wizards, those Aurors, or even those big shots have what you have."

"And you're really handsome." The girl suddenly stuck out her tongue, "Sorry, I lied earlier, I really do like you."

"Like you a lot, very much. So much that I wish I could be with you forever…"

As she spoke, Serika suddenly lowered her head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cry…"

Murphy wasn't sure how to respond. After thinking for a moment, he reached out and patted her head.

"It's okay."

He smiled, "I didn't expect you to think so highly of me."

"You're making fun of me…" Serika suddenly felt a bit aggrieved and started crying uncontrollably.

She wiped her eyes vigorously, "Sorry, I didn't want to cry, but I'm so scared... I don't want to die... I've always been afraid, it's so good to see you at the end..."

The accumulated pressure since she realized she was trapped in the village seemed to explode, making it impossible for her to control herself.

She hugged Murphy, burying her head in his shoulder and sobbing. Soon, she made his clothes a mess.

Crying herself out, she became drowsy and even started to speak nonsense: "I'm a bit sleepy, I want to sleep. I hope to die in my sleep so it won't hurt..."

"Mr. Murphy, can you, kiss me, just once, I want to die happily…"

"..."

"No. You think you can take advantage of me just like that?"

"Ah?"

Seeing her suddenly stunned, Murphy felt a bit amused, "I've decided not to let you die."

Before Serika could react, Murphy cast a petrification spell, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Then he followed it up with a freezing spell.

These spells could slow down the progression of her symptoms as much as possible.

Having done this, Murphy opened his briefcase and went inside.

He checked the bottle that previously held the magnetic beads, finding a few black droplets remaining inside.

These beads are micro-sized and have superparamagnetic properties. They become magnetic under an external magnetic field and lose their residual magnetism once the field is removed, making them ideal for cell separation.

Since the particles are so small, even the small amount left in the bottle was considerable. However, to separate enough T-cells, this amount was far from enough.

If Serika really died, it wouldn't have much impact on Murphy's plans.

At most, he would lose another ally like Alex, but there were plenty of others who could replace them.

And as for Serika's feelings for him, to be honest, Murphy didn't feel much. She was just a pretty girl. Although she had a good impression of him, Murphy's feelings for her were still just at the stage of appreciating her physical beauty.

She was not indispensable.

But a girl who had just confessed her feelings to him, Murphy didn't want to watch her die.

Saving Serika wasn't a must-do, but at this moment, he wanted to.

I came to this world and even have magic, can't I do what I want? Can't I avoid doing what I don't want to? If not, why the hell didn't I just continue toiling at the Ministry of Magic?

Once he decided what he wanted to do, Murphy's thinking became much broader.

Maybe he could search for those scattered magnetic beads in the briefcase again? He should be able to find some with a magnet, right?

Or, the duplication spell? He put the bottle with the few black droplets in front of him, aimed his wand at it, and said, "Geminio!"

The bottle in his hand turned into two, and the droplets inside also doubled.

Murphy immediately poured the duplicated droplets onto a microscope slide. To his disappointment, he didn't see magnetic beads the size of cells. Under the microscope, the black droplets were still just a black liquid, showing no microscopic structure.

Murphy thought and guessed the reason.

Holmes had said that human cognition of objects is on a macro scale. To duplicate the magnetic beads, he needed to target them specifically, or else the spell would only show him black droplets. Although they looked the same to the naked eye, they were actually fake, without detail.

Such things naturally couldn't be used for cell separation.

He smeared a bit of magnetic bead on a slide, viewed it under a high-power microscope, and saw the real magnetic beads, looking like the pearls in bubble tea, very round.

"Geminio!"

The magnetic beads on the slide multiplied, looking exactly like the original beads. However, when Murphy tested them with a magnet, he found that these duplicated beads didn't react at all to the magnetic field.

They were still fake.

The duplication spell still only duplicated their appearance, but the microscope couldn't observe the material and molecular structure of the beads, so the spell ignored these details.

Tricky as always, Magic Network, always looking out for your own convenience, eh?

So, how to make it fill in these details?

Murphy began searching through his belongings, finally finding a manual.

From it, he noted several names: polystyrene, magnetite (Fe3O4), and carboxylic acid.

These beads actually had a three-layer structure: the innermost layer was polystyrene, the middle was a magnetized layer of magnetite, and the outer layer was coated with an organic compound with carboxylic groups.

Knowing the structure, Murphy found a piece of foam - polystyrene, then took a magnet from a broken instrument - mostly magnetite, and finally found a bottle of salicylic acid in the medicine cabinet - a carboxylic acid.

He smashed the magnet into powder, mixed it with the foam crumbs, and poured it into a small basin, then added the salicylic acid.

After applying a transformation spell to the rough mixture, turning it into a paste-like substance, Murphy smeared some of it on a slide, placing it next to real magnetic beads.

The materials are ready, I've given you the structure, size, and even the sample. The request couldn't be clearer, what will you do now, Magic Network? "Geminio!"

___________________

(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)

If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT