113. Learning Magic

Aurelius took a gray-stained book from the bookshelf and looked at Nicolas with confusion. "Your body is already so weak?"

"I am six hundred years old," Nicolas said with a gentle breath. But at a distance of less than two meters, it would take so long to calm down.

"What's the point of living like this?"

"Why didn't you make some alchemy tools to help you?" This is also Aurelius's biggest question. People are accustomed to looking for tools for things they cannot do. Shouldn't alchemists make some alchemical tools to help them live?

"Ah, what a good idea. Unfortunately, I am already old. My last alchemy work was four hundred years ago." Nicolas was calm and nostalgic. "Now I don't even have the strength to hold it up." Nicolas Flamel referred to the crystal ball.

"But don't you still have magic?"

"I never rely on magic. These are the last things I can do. Don't you think it's a blessing to be able to jump around with a 600-year-old body?"

"There's something wrong with these wizards' minds! Is it okay to find fault for yourself?" Aurelius couldn't understand the happiness that Nicolas mentioned. Asking these questions satisfied his curiosity, but what he really cared about was the book in front of him.

He flipped through the book and found that he couldn't open it at all.

"Black magic, as expected." Looking at the magic lines and runes on the book, Aurelius knew it was not a good thing.

"Blood sacrifice, only by injecting blood can this book be opened."

"What a boring and bad taste," Aurelius commented. What did Nicolas mean by saying he wrote a book that no one should read? And why did it require blood?

Aurelius had some guesses, and there was a high probability that injecting blood would result in a curse.

For these dangerous black magic books, Aurelius didn't mind using the most vicious way to influence their thoughts. Not every master of black magic is as unaffected as Aurelius.

Aurelius uses a summon spell.

Suddenly, a frightened majestic bison appeared and fell to the ground.

"Fainted————"

The panicked bison immediately fell to the ground, shaking the floor of the room.

"Oh! Merlin's pants!" Nicolas patted his chest as if he was frightened.

"Don't be nervous, I'm just using some blood." Aurelius turned a bison's hair into a dagger and cut the bison's skin, causing blood to flow immediately. There was no waste; he waved his wand and the dripping blood instantly defied gravity, forming a line that was injected into the magic circle on the book.

Visible to the naked eye, the originally black book turned red. This surprised Aurelius. "I thought it would cast a blood curse directly."

"No, it's just a lock and not a very powerful one. If know the trick, you can actually use magic to unlock it," Nicolas explained.

Stealing work was not Aurelius' specialty. After all, his exposure to magic was relatively short and he was not particularly skilled in it.

Many conventional curse theories were unclear, let alone tips on unlocking an ancient lock like this.

With the contribution of the bison, the book revealed its true nature. The runes disappeared from the red cover, revealing the title of the book: "Blood Magic?"

"A very ancient and specific type of magic that was popular for a period of time probably more than a thousand years ago. This kind of magic uses blood as a sacrifice to achieve various magical effects. When I was young, I collected a large amount of ancient magic in pursuit of the magic stone, and I found this book as well," recalled Nicolas.

"A blood curse is blood magic. Well, that makes sense," Aurelius couldn't help but smile.

Many wizards blindly pursue ancient magic, believing that it is powerful and mysterious. But Aurelius is not particularly enthusiastic about it.

People long for ancient magic because it has been lost. Today's wizards can only imagine ancient magic based on a few words and some rumors that cannot be distinguished between true and false.

Instead of obsessing over ancient magic that is nothing more than a pipe dream, it is better to first understand modern magic.

"No, a blood curse is a very special type of blood magic," Nicolas shared his knowledge with Aurelius generously.

"I have always believed that blood curses should be classified as curses in modern magic, and they may even be the origin of curses."

Aurelius frowned; this viewpoint was interesting. However, his understanding of blood curses was extremely limited, so he did not express his opinion. Instead, he searched for the blood curse chapter in the book.

Just like his thoughts, there wasn't just one type of blood curse, and it didn't only curse the target and their descendants to transform into beasts.

In "Blood Magic," there was a detailed description of blood curses: the essence of a blood curse is to use the blood of the caster as a sacrifice, the blood of the person being cast on as the medium, and something called a cursed spirit. Curse rituals were performed with special sacrifices.

The contents of curses varied, but their common features were heritability and delayed effects, meaning they took time to take effect. As a curse caster, he will undoubtedly die when his blood dries out after the ceremony, but the cursed person can still live for a few years or even several decades. If the cursed person is older, the curse may not take effect until he or she dies.

No wonder no one uses it, and it is now lost!

The contents of the blood curse are many and strange, but many of the effects look familiar to Aurelius.

"Falling into eternal sleep... becoming an eternal statue... isn't this an enhanced version of falling unconscious and being petrified?" Aurelius couldn't help but think.

This is good news.

Aurelius had an immature theory - the theory of magical transformation.

He believes that there is no necessary connection between magic effects and spell-casting methods, and they can be transformed into each other.

The Death Curse Trap is one of his achievements.

Now, seeing the familiar magical effects of the Blood Curse, this is another strong support!

"If the sleeping object falls to the ground in a coma, and the statues are all petrified, then this animal transformation..." Aurelius narrowed his eyes, and a magical name came to his mind: Animagus!

Animagus is a form of transfiguration.

It can be hailed as the 'jewel in the crown of transfiguration'. The master of transfiguration may not be an Animagus, but all Animagi can be called masters of transfiguration.

This form of magic is known for its high risk, long practice time, and reliance on luck.

Despite its grand name, few wizards are willing to learn it.

Compared to the demanding learning requirements and risks involved, the rewards it brings are minimal. All you can do is transform into an ordinary animal.

Not only are you unable to cast spells, but you will also be influenced by animal instincts. In animal form, you will engage in behaviors that are impossible or even repulsive for humans.

And all of these behaviors stem from animal instincts.

From this perspective, being an Animagus is indeed quite similar to being a Maledictus.

The difference is that a skilled Animagus finds it difficult to forget their human nature while in their animal form for an extended period, whereas a cursed wizard may have a more powerful beast form or even a beast form that lacks magical qualities.

So... what is the fundamental reason for this difference?

After carefully reading the book, Aurelius finally made an enlightening discovery. He noticed a unique sacrifice involved in casting the Blood Curse.

An animal!

The Blood Curse, the Maledictus curse requires an animal as an additional magical component.

Furthermore, the book clearly states that the cursed individual will gain the ability to transform into this specific animal after the curse takes effect.

And their descendants will also inherit the ability to transform into similar animal forms.

The book does not explain why the cursed person and their descendants may transform into different types of animals.

But that's sufficient information!

Aurelius felt that as long as he unraveled the Blood Curse and understood the role of each component, he would be able to comprehend Nagini's current state.

Although he may still not have a solution, at least he can understand Nagini's "condition" instead of relying on mere speculation like he did today.

This is a partial victory!

"It seems to have been helpful to you." Nicolas was also delighted as he saw the smile on Aurelius's face.

"Very helpful! Mr. Flamel, can you lend me this book for a while?" Aurelius made his request.

"Of course, it's just collecting dust here. Perhaps in your hands, it can save many lives."

Aurelius felt grateful, "Thank you very much for your generosity. As a token of my gratitude..." Aurelius paused and looked at the unconscious bison on the ground, "I will treat you!"

Nicolas Flamel glanced at the bison whose fate had been determined and then at Aurelius.

He hadn't encountered such an interesting young man in quite some time.

When was the last time?

Well—it was probably over twenty years ago when Albus unexpectedly found him...

Oops, how amazing. I can't let this slip by. That audacious boy from back then is now a renowned wizard across the world.

Time flies so quickly!