Immortality and Immortality (1)

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and Ivan was able to master the Alchemical Array to channel magic before the start of the school year at Hogwarts. However, his practice of enchantment was not as smooth, and he was still unable to enchant an object within a second.

However, creating a Philosopher's Stone was not something that could be done in a short period of time, so Ivan was very open-minded. At most, he would just practice more at school.

On the first of September, the day of school, Ivan got up early, grabbed his packed suitcase, and hurried downstairs.

Perhaps it was because they were going to part ways, but breakfast was particularly sumptuous today, filling the table. Hard-working alchemical creatures bustled about, and when they saw Ivan approaching, they enthusiastically pushed a chair out for him.

Ivan was flattered by the warm reception he received for the first time. He looked at Nicolas Flamel in surprise, but he said nothing. He smiled and pointed at the food.

Yvonne laughed, too, and gave up thinking about it. She helped herself to a fork and knife, and Nicolas Flamel helped himself.

About fifteen minutes later, seeing that the departure time was approaching, Ivan, who had eaten his fill, put down his cutlery and turned to look at the white-haired Nicolas Flamel.

"Teacher, thank you very much for your guidance during this period of time. I will come and see you again next summer."

Yvonne knew that material rewards meant little to a master alchemist like Nicolas Flamel. All she could do was spend more time with him.

However, when he finished speaking, Nicolas Flamel shook his head. "You are the most gifted student I have ever met, Hulse. You have completed all the lessons I have prepared for you in just one and a half months. I do not think I have much more to teach you…"

"Please don't say that, Teacher. I've only just started learning alchemy, and I still have a lot to learn from you…" Ivan hurriedly replied.

The more she learned about alchemy, the more she understood how profound it was.

At Level 7, he was only qualified to access the most advanced knowledge of alchemy, and it would take him at least eight to ten years to fully understand it.

And that was with the help of a teacher and a system.

Therefore, hearing this from Nicolas Flamel all of a sudden caused Ivan to feel very nervous, even vaguely uneasy.

"There is no need to belittle yourself. With your current level of alchemy, you are worthy of the title of Master Alchemist. You will have to find your own way, and no one will be able to help you…" Nicolas Flamel's face was calm as he slowly explained.

Ivan was eager to say something, but was interrupted by Nicolas Flamel. "Do you remember the question you asked me the other day?"

'Problems?'

Yvonne searched her memory and remembered that she had asked Nicolas Flamel a few days ago why he had destroyed the stone, but she had not given her answer.

"Now I can answer that… because I don't need the stone any more!" Nicolas Flamel said freely.

'No need?' Ivan looked at the Master Alchemist in surprise, unable to understand.

He would never give up such a precious treasure unless he was about to die.

Wait… die?

Ivan had a sudden realisation.

"You were right, Hales. There are limits to everything. The power of the Philosopher's Stone allows one to live forever, but not forever…" Nicolas-Leroy nodded, revealing the truth.

"In other words… you're about to…" Ivan stammered, or perhaps he didn't want to say what the result was.

"Come to think of it, I should have died a long time ago, but I used the power of the Philosopher's Stone to delay the inevitable for over five hundred years… and that's more than enough!" Nicolas Flamel said with great emotion, a faint smile on his face, his fear of death invisible.

From the moment he used the Stone to brew the Elixir of Life, he never stopped drinking it, and his resistance to it grew.

In the beginning, he only needed to drink one bottle every three years to maintain his bodily functions, but his recent resistance had become so strong that he had to drink the potion regularly every few days, and his body was no longer what it used to be.

Although Nicolas Flamel was technically able to hold on for a few more years, the potion's effects on aging had completely worn off, and there was no point in leaving him alone.

It was for this reason that he lent the stone to Dumbledore, so that he could plot against You-Know-Who and destroy the stone afterwards.

After all, the last thing keeping him alive was gone, and he would have stopped taking the potion and been buried with his wife if Ivan hadn't given him the idea of raising a worthy heir.

Now, Nicolas Flamel was certain that this talented and hard-working young wizard in front of him would one day surpass him in the future, and might even be able to explore the final destination of alchemy.

And now that he had fulfilled his final wish, he could finally accept death…

Ivan's heart seemed to have stopped, and his vision began to blur with the sudden knowledge that Nicolas Flamel was dying.

He had only been here for less than half a year, but he had already fallen in love with this idyllic place, away from the hustle and bustle of the world, and considered Nicolas Flamel to be his elder…

He had been studying hard for ten days and nights straight, trying to learn how to make the Philosopher's Stone as soon as possible and not wanting to disappoint the other party…

"Death is nothing to be afraid of, Hals. It is a part of life, a long period of peace and quiet, a process that everyone must go through…" Nicolas Flamel comforted Ivan, who was in low spirits, and handed him two thick books.

Yvonne took the book and looked at it. It was the Book of Abraham, a Jewish book, and the Book of Hieroglyphs.

"I came across the first book by accident in my early years. It contained a lot of advanced alchemical knowledge, and it took me twenty-one years to decipher it and study it in depth to create a Philosopher's Stone…" Nicolas-Lemay murmured, looking at the Book of Abraham with a trace of memory.

He then proceeded to introduce Ivan to the Book of Hieroglyphs, a manuscript that he used to record magical texts and Alchemy Arrays.