Chapter 102: Alchemy

********

In the novel's synopsis, there is a YouTube link of my channel provided. For every 50 subscribers and 50 likes on both the channel and the video, I promises to upload an additional 4 chapters, and also on My P@treon page. The total sum of chapters will be uploaded on Sundays.

*********

Albert sat in the corner of the library, chin resting on his hand, casually flipping through the catalog orders of the Elegant Wizard Clothing Store, intending to select a suitable Christmas gift.

Originally, he planned to personally craft a talisman for Nia, but after reading several books on alchemy, he temporarily dismissed the idea.

Albert realized that his initial idea was not practical. While wizards could enchant objects and imbue them with magical properties, the magic on the items usually didn't last long and would fade over time.

In Albert's view, giving Nia a talisman that would quickly become ineffective as a birthday gift was less meaningful than buying her a scarf.

Creating a powerful and long-lasting magical item was by no means an easy task.

Firstly, one needed to use materials that inherently carried magic as the raw ingredients. Throughout the manufacturing process, spells needed to be cast on those materials. After the creation was complete, there was still a process of enchanting the finished product. The strength of the enchanter and their skill in using magic would determine the power and durability of the magical item.

In ancient times, wizards would also carve runes like hieroglyphs on the magical items to further enhance their magical effects. However, in the present day, very few wizards were capable of doing so, and most of the ancient techniques had been lost.

Using this complex and cumbersome process, what was usually created was a powerful and enduring magical item.

Of course, in some places, they were called alchemical items.

Honestly, the magical community in Britain didn't pay much attention to alchemy.

The concept of alchemy originally came from the ancient Greek and Egyptian regions and was introduced to Western Europe in the 12th century.

In the early days, wizards had a very vague understanding of alchemy and didn't even know what it was.

Albert had read the famous ancient Egyptian book, "The Emerald Tablets," in the library but couldn't make sense of its meaning. The first translated sentence of the book was:

"As above, so below; accomplishing the miracles of the One."

The second sentence was: "All things are One, created by differentiation from the One..."

After struggling through the text and memorizing it, Albert closed "The Emerald Tablets" and returned it to the shelf. Ancient books were often filled with complex and profound concepts that were difficult to comprehend.

Albert finished reading the two sentences in "The Emerald Tablets," and the only understanding he had was that it might be referring to the universe or something similar. He didn't really ponder the meaning of that book. Perhaps one day, when he learned alchemy, he would suddenly have an epiphany?

Anyway, early alchemy involved multiple fields.

It explored the mysteries of magic, the forms of matter, and even early cosmology. It was basically a mishmash of various things incorporated into alchemical theories.

Later on, alchemy became obsessed with metallurgy, which is why some metalworkers in later centuries were labeled as alchemists, although they might prefer to call themselves metal artisans.

After several centuries of development, alchemy, through the research of great alchemists like Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, Roger Bacon, and Arnold von Winkelried, laid the foundation for the concept of transmutation. Raymond Lull even proposed the hypothesis of the Philosopher's Stone, also known as the Sorcerer's Stone, based on the theory of "understanding, disassembling, and reconstructing."

This hypothesis was completed by Nicolas Flamel, who, through the Philosopher's Stone, or the magic stone, realized the early idea of transmutation by adding "seeds" to "transformation." He successfully created the elixir of immortality and could turn any metal into pure gold.

Nicolas Flamel, the creator of the Philosopher's Stone, was thus regarded as the founder of European alchemy, standing at the pinnacle of alchemy and overlooking all alchemists.

However, as it passed down through generations, the concept of transmutation eventually leaned towards the study of potions.

While metalworkers were given the title of alchemists, they clearly didn't possess the self-awareness associated with alchemy. The branch of alchemy that they fell into was the realm of mysticism.

Creating magical items, on the other hand, was something commonly done by metalworkers. They excelled in using magic to process metals and create magical tools imbued with mystical powers.

Fairies were particularly skilled in this regard. They specialized in crafting pure silver products using fairy magic, which was similar to the magical world's mithril.

However, over time, the technique of crafting pure silver among fairy artisans was lost, and only a few fairy craftsmen could forge fairy iron items.

As the profession of metalworking gradually faded away, alchemy completely merged with mysticism. However, most alchemists didn't consider items created through simple spellcasting as true alchemical items.

Nevertheless, there were some individuals who called themselves alchemists in the present day. One of the books Albert had come across, "Simplified Alchemy," was one such example.

With a deeper understanding of alchemy, Albert had a new idea for creating talismans. He needed to gather a collection of magical materials imbued with protective significance and combine them to craft a talisman. This way, the talisman would greatly enhance the protective magic that Albert would ultimately cast onto it.

For example, using magical materials like the Guardian Tree or the Amethyst, also known as the Stone of Life and the Guardian Stone... By using runes like Eihwaz, which symbolizes protection and defense in the Æsir runes, and combining them with other Æsir runes, the protective power of the talisman could be strengthened.

Unfortunately, as great as the idea was, reality was harsh. Albert needed more knowledge to help him accomplish this project, and he had almost no understanding of ancient magical runes, such as the Æsir script.

Records about ancient magical runes mostly focused on interpretation and understanding, without delving into deeper aspects. Perhaps Dumbledore had some research on these things, but there were very few wizards who truly knew how to utilize them nowadays.

Albert pushed aside the idea of creating talismans as gifts. In fact, he had a better and almost finished option.

A lion-headed eagle-bodied creature symbolizing Gryffindor.

This was inspired by Albert's practice of basic movement magic, using wood, gears, and magic to create a moving lion-headed eagle-bodied creature.

The reason he embarked on this project was the model of a flying dragon on the Triwizard Cup, a proportionally scaled model with flapping wings.

That's right, ever since he acquired some skills in economics, various innovative ideas started popping into Albert's mind. For example, selling models of magical creatures in the future, which could potentially bring in a considerable profit.

After all, he could collaborate with others, establish a company, and invest while providing relevant technology.

In order to carve the lion-headed eagle-bodied creature, Albert even went to the rotating staircase near the Headmaster's office on the third floor and observed a statue of the creature for a long time, taking several comprehensive and multi-angle photos.

He also took the opportunity to level up his sculpting skill and assembled a lion-headed eagle-bodied creature using the wood from Hagrid's Guardian Tree. The basic movement magic even allowed it to flap its wings, although flying was currently out of the question, of course.

As for the future, Albert believed in his ability to achieve it and thoroughly perfect it. After all, he had a status panel, how could he lack confidence!

As for who to collaborate with, Albert even had a potential candidate in mind, a certain unlucky fellow who had been pushed to the brink.

You can read +62 advanced chapters on my P@treon page for just 4$ !!

P@treon.com/young_sunlight

Check out my Other Projects Too:-(Advanced chapter on P@treon)

=> Sailing with Whitebeard: Starting with a Question

=> Marvel: All the famous scenes were exposed by me

(End of this chapter)