allendalepharm Chapter 290 Daily Life and Greetings from Afar
Chapter 290 Daily Life and Greetings from Afar
Chapter 290 Daily Life and Greetings from Afar
The festive warmth of Christmas and New Year gradually blended into the tranquility of daily life. For Karen, the majority of the holiday was still spent with his family; studying magical theories and refining rune techniques were merely tasks nestled in the gaps of this warm time. After two days of secluded research, he reduced his study time, scheduling his studies after Lily's afternoon nap or during the evenings when his family members were reading and resting. The rest of the time was still spent with his family.
In one corner of his room, a special area was set aside for practicing the new rune engraving exercises assigned by Professor Castor. For Karen, who had been studying the basics of alchemy since his first year and was already proficient in conventional rune engraving, the new challenge lay in becoming familiar with these ancient rune variants from Castor, which had more intricate and complex structures. They demanded a new level of stability in magical output and precision in the lines.
The table was covered with a cork mat, and next to it were dozens of thin metal sheets whose surfaces were covered with various test marks. There were brass, pewter, and even a couple of scraps of special alloy that Nico had sent with his letter, which had a good affinity with spatial magic.
Karen sat relaxed, his gaze focused, his wrist hovering, steadily controlling the tip of the engraving knife. With an extremely subtle, almost inaudible hissing sound, the knife tip moved smoothly across a thin, silvery-white metal sheet, precisely replicating a complex variant rune representing "space." His movements were skillful and confident, each application of force perfectly even, magic flowing smoothly into the engraving like a gentle stream, neither excessive enough to overheat and deform the metal, nor depleted enough to render the rune ineffective. This was not a clumsy attempt by a novice, but rather the work of a seasoned engraver familiarizing himself with and mastering a new "font" and "grammar."
After several days of intensive practice, these new variant runes held little secret for him. His wrist stability and precise control over minute amounts of magic had improved even further. Now, he was finishing up. With a gentle lift of the engraving knife, a flawless magical engraving was complete. The entire rune gleamed slightly on the metal plate, radiating a stable and restrained magical aura before disappearing, leaving only a clear, deep, and even indentation on the plate.
"Done," Karen murmured to himself, setting down his carving knife and examining his work with satisfaction. The metal sheets on the table, covered in carving marks, recorded his process of familiarizing himself with the new runes. Now, under these limited conditions, he could reliably replicate all the basic variant runes on Castor's list on various materials. Higher-level combinations and applications, however, would require returning to Hogwarts' "Eagle's Nest," where he could utilize the equipment and environment to continue his in-depth practice.
In terms of theoretical research, the several hefty tomes that Nico sent included "The Geometric Principles of Spatial Extension,"
Books like *The Alchemy Chamber: From Concept to Entity* remain exceptionally profound, filled with abstract models and complex interlocking principles. However, Karen, with her "Eye of Truth"—an intuitive understanding of magical structures and exceptional logical thinking—has already thoroughly grasped and digested the core theoretical framework and key knowledge points during her vacation with her family. What remains, too, is the part that requires practical verification and experience.
Realizing the preciousness of family time and the milestone of his research, Karen consciously began to reduce the time he spent alone studying. He devoted more of his free time to his family or to staying in touch with friends far away through a communication quill pen, enjoying the unique relaxation of this holiday.
He first contacted Fabian. The quill tip gleamed, and Fabian's vivid, descriptive words flowed into Karen's mind:
【Karen! The snow in Romania is so deep it could bury me completely! The forest near Grandma's house is like another world, full of fir and spruce trees covered in icicles, eerily quiet, but incredibly beautiful! Yesterday I found a series of distinct paw prints in the snow, like some kind of humanoid creature, but there were no other traces around. At first, I thought it might be the mark of a Yeti, but Grandma said the marks were small and probably left by an invisible beast sunbathing! At night, I could hear long howls coming from the distant mountains. Grandma said they were mountain monsters or cursed forest rangers; she always loved telling these old stories to scare me, but I'm not a child anymore. She also taught me to recognize several magical herbs that only grow in the snow. One is called Frost Thistle, with leaves edged like ice crystals, and its sap is said to soothe frostbite; there's also a Hibernation Mushroom, which looks like a small brown ball of fluff, and it's said that animals that eat it will really feel sleepy.】 Attached is a sketch I drew. Due to the limitations of the quill pen, it might be a bit simple and not very detailed — I hope you're having a good time!
Following the text were simple lines drawn by Fabian depicting herbs and footprints; though few in number, the features were captured accurately. Karen couldn't help but smile. He could imagine Fabian excitedly exploring in the snow and ice—a rare sight for him compared to his usual self. He replied:
[That sounds fantastic, Fabian. The Invisible Beast's tracks! That's so cool. Be careful, don't venture into the forest alone. That herbal knowledge will be very useful; maybe it'll come in handy in our Potions class later. It's snowing in Plymouth too, but not as much as it is where you are. I'm mostly spending the holidays at home with Lily and my parents; it's very relaxing. Give my regards to your grandmother.]
Next, he contacted Ernesto. His reply was, as always, concise and clear:
[Everything in the castle is as usual, quiet to the point of being boring. Attached is a summary of the data from the monitoring nodes you asked me to collect over the past seven days. According to your previous analysis standards, the magical fluctuations at each marker are at baseline levels, with no abnormal peaks or disturbances. A couple of days ago, Filch caught two first-year Hufflepuffs trying to steal pies from the kitchen. Although it feels like Filch forcibly captured them, it's still the biggest event recently. The winter sky has excellent visibility, perfect for observation. Everything is fine in the castle, don't worry. —EG]
Attached were pages of monitoring data. Due to the limitations of the quill pen, which couldn't transmit too much data at once, the transmission was completed in three separate steps. After confirming the transmission was finished, Karen quickly scanned the data and performed some checks and calculations, confirming that all the data was indeed stable and accurate. He replied:
[Data received, thank you for your hard work, Ernesto. Peace is the best news. Enjoy the stars and this tranquility, we'll talk again when you get back to school.]
Finally, there was Wesley. His message came almost immediately after Karen's greeting, overflowing with barely suppressed excitement:
Happy New Year, Karen!!! Hey buddy, you'd never guess how busy I've been this holiday!
My dad took the whole family to London to see the New Year's parade. Those giant inflatable figures floating in the sky, and so many floats—everyone came up with so many ideas! I also went to see a football match! The atmosphere was incredible! I wonder if the Quidditch World Cup is this exciting, even though they can only kick with their feet! (Now I think flying on a broomstick would be even more fun!). Oh, and I found my dad's complete collection of football trading cards in the attic—it's amazing! Holiday homework? Uh—I think so—I'll talk about it later! Hope you have fun over there! —Your roommate who's almost forgotten how to use parchment!
Karen could almost hear Wesley chattering and gesturing excitedly as he described the events. He shook his head with a smile, as if he could see Wesley's excitement as he immersed himself in the family's New Year's activities through the words. He replied:
[Sounds like your vacation is packed with activities, Wesley! The football match and parade must have been fun and a great experience. Give my regards to your family. Homework—I'm still working on it too. Enjoy the rest of your vacation, but remember the parchment and ink are still waiting for us.]
At dinner time, Emily's stewed lamb and roasted vegetables were laid out on the table, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
"Did you contact your friends today?" Emily asked as she served Lily some food.
"Hmm," Karen nodded, swallowing her food. "Fabian saw the footprints of the invisible beast in Romania and also learned to recognize several magical herbs."
"An invisible beast?" Lily's eyes widened. "Is it a magical creature that can turn invisible? Have you ever seen one, Karen? Can we keep one as a pet?"
"Lily, don't always think about bringing home every interesting thing. Besides, this kind of animal must be quite rare," David gently corrected her, then turned curiously to Karen. "But the wizarding world in Romania sounds very primitive and wild. How does their standard of living compare to ours? Do they have modern facilities?"
Karen thought for a moment and said, "According to Fabian, his grandmother's village is quite remote, more like a traditional wizarding village, preserving very ancient customs. But big cities like Bucharest should have magical commercial districts like Diagon Alley, so life shouldn't be bad. However, they seem to be more accustomed to coexisting with nature and magical creatures."
"That sounds very challenging," David commented. "Even the British wizarding world is like the Middle Ages; the magical world in that environment is probably even more ancient and primitive."
"That's why they rely more on magic," Cullen laughed. "Ernesto says it's very quiet in the castle, and he's still insisting on stargazing. When Wesley first arrived at Hogwarts, he kept saying that football was his favorite sport, but now Quidditch is becoming his favorite sport."
"Quidditch!" Lily cheered. "Brother, is it that kind of activity where you fly around on a broomstick, like you said before? Can you take me?"
"I'm afraid not now, Lily. The competition venue is far away, and there will be a lot of people." Karen shook her head. "But I can explain it to you in detail."
"Great!" Lily was a little disappointed, but her excitement was quickly replaced by anticipation.
Emily watched the children chat with a sense of satisfaction and said to Karen, "It's so nice to have so many friends. Although we have different lifestyles, friendship is universal. It seems that besides spending time with us, you've also kept in touch with your friends this holiday. That's great."
"Yes." Karen looked at her family, her heart filled with warmth.