allendalepharm Chapter 90 The Continuous Daily Research
Chapter 90 The Continuous Daily Research
Chapter 90 The Continuous Daily Research
Professor Flitwick's Charms class is always full of energy. Today's practice is an advanced version of the Levitation Charm, which involves precisely controlling multiple targets simultaneously. Of course, the professor doesn't expect everyone to be able to do it; it's just an extension exercise. During this class, feathers, books, and even the small pumpkin on the podium clumsily flew and collided in the air, eliciting bursts of laughter and exclamations.
Karen focused intently on manipulating the three feathers of different colors, guiding them to fly smoothly along their pre-set trajectories without interfering with each other. His magical output was stable and precise; for someone who had already practiced the Silent Charm and alchemy, this was effortless.
"Very good, Mr. Hawthorne!" Professor Flitwick's high-pitched voice was full of approval as he stood on the raised cushion on the lectern. "Precise diversion and control of magic is the foundation of advanced spells! Especially when you try to cast more complex spells." He paused meaningfully, not continuing, but Karen understood what he meant.
After class, as Karen was packing her books, Professor Flitwick jumped down from the podium and walked over to her. "Karen," the professor said, his voice lowered but encouraging, "don't rush the techniques we discussed earlier. Start with the most basic 'multitasking'."
He pointed to the textbooks and inkwell spread out on Karen's desk. "For example, you can try to steadily dip a quill into ink with your wand while turning the pages of a book with your other hand, and stay focused. It sounds simple, but it requires your brain to get used to handling two tasks that require fine control at the same time. Magical control is the second step."
"I understand, Professor." Karen nodded seriously. "I'll start with these basic exercises."
"Very good! Remember, control is always the key." Professor Flitwick patted his arm and turned back to his office.
After leaving the classroom, Karen, upon being questioned by her roommates, recounted Professor Flitwick's advice. Everyone was interested in Professor Flitwick's powerful spellcasting skills and prepared to try "multitasking."
The afternoon Potions class was, as usual, shrouded in Professor Snape's oppressive atmosphere. Today's potion was for treating boils, a complicated process requiring precise control of heat and the order in which ingredients were added. The classroom reeked of sulfur and punctuated by occasional protests from students.
Karen carefully followed the steps, and fortunately he could clearly see the subtle changes in the magical reaction in the pot, which helped him adjust in time and avoid giving Snape an opportunity to make things difficult for him.
Snape glided past like a ghost, his hawk-like gaze sweeping over each cauldron. He paused for a moment beside Cullen, scrutinizing the potion's color and viscosity with a critical eye, letting out a barely audible snort—no points deducted, but no praise given—before turning to the next victim—the unfortunate Gryffindor student, whose cauldron was emitting suspicious purple smoke.
After class, the four returned to the "Eagle's Nest," where the smell of sulfur from Potions class still lingered in the air.
"Merlin's lousy hat! The way Snape looked at me today was like I was a rotten vixen!" Wesley exaggeratedly rubbed his temples, slumping into the armchair by the fireplace. "I feel like my soul has been frozen by the chill in his gaze!"
"That's because you almost added porcupine thorns instead of daffodil roots, Wesley," Ernesto pointed out mercilessly, as he carefully wiped the lenses of his brass binoculars with a velvet cloth, his movements elegant.
"Hey! That was an accident! The label was on backwards!" Wesley argued.
Fabian squatted by the windowsill, carefully watering the Whispering Fern with morning dew using a small dropper. The tender shoot emitted a serene glow in the soft light. After watering it, he looked up at Karen and said, "Karen, your potion looks perfect. Snape has circled you several times and hasn't found a single fault; it's a miracle."
Karen shrugged and placed her backpack beside the alchemy table. "Just lucky. By the way, how were you all feeling today? How did your 'multitasking' exercise with Professor Flitwick go?"
"Don't even mention it!" Wesley cried out in anguish. "I dipped a quill in ink and spilled the whole bottle! I ruined three pages! I feel like my brain's been trampled by a troll!"
Fabian pushed up his glasses and gave a gentle smile: "I tried it, and I could barely get the pen to dip into the ink while turning the pages, but the movement was very slow, and the pen would just stop in the ink bottle while turning the pages, so it was anything but stable."
Ernesto lowered his binoculars, a hint of barely perceptible smugness in his gray eyes: "It requires an extremely high level of concentration and neurological coordination. I tried to control the quill pen while tapping the table with my other hand at a specific rhythm. Although the writing was crooked and the rhythm was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, it was barely synchronized." Although he used the word "barely," the hint of smugness in his tone was impossible to hide.
Karen nodded: "I tried it too, and it worked better than Fabian. It seems this is indeed a skill that requires long-term training."
Then he walked to the alchemy table, his gaze falling on the thickest notebook Professor Castor had given him. The cover was etched with an image of a shattered amulet—the very case record of the bronze amulet that had failed due to insufficient material strength. "The study of defensive artifacts must also begin with the most basic materials science."
He opened his notebook, which was filled with dense ancient runes and complex geometric diagrams, interspersed with detailed annotations and analyses.
Karen focused his mind, and a faint light, imperceptible to ordinary people, flowed deep within his gray-blue eyes. The static rune structures on his notebook seemed to come alive, simulating the path of magical flow and the pressure at the nodes in his vision.
"The energy converges at nodes C3 and D7. The impact peak far exceeds the yield limit of bronze, no wonder it shattered." Karen muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rune nodes on the table.
Wesley leaned closer curiously, staring blankly at the incomprehensible symbols and charts: "Merlin's Beard, Karen, you can understand this? This is even harder to understand than those star trails."
"A little bit." Karen didn't look up. "Professor Victor is right; understanding failure is more important than replicating success. The design concept of this amulet is actually very clear, but the wrong material was chosen for the 'shield,' like using parchment to block a shattering curse. Of course, if it's just for one-time protection, then the material requirements aren't so important."
"What about the successful arm armor? What materials was it made of?" Fabian was also drawn in, temporarily putting down his gardening tools.
"Meteorite iron and mithril." Karen flipped to the section of her notes that recorded the black arm armor, pointing to a diagram analyzing the microstructure of the materials. "Look here. Meteorite iron itself has excellent magical inertia and physical strength, and can withstand huge impacts; while mithril has extraordinary magical affinity and ductility, and can efficiently conduct and disperse impact energy."
Ernesto also came over, looking at the complex structural diagram, his brow furrowing slightly: "Meteorite iron and mithril—these two materials are extremely rare and expensive. No wonder that arm armor was successful."
"So, my first problem," Karen closed her notebook and rubbed her temples, "is not the rune design, but the materials. I need to find one, or combine several, materials that must simultaneously possess sufficient physical strength, a maximum magic capacity, good energy conductivity, and be relatively easy to obtain, at least not as unattainable as meteorite iron. Professor Victor's notes mentioned several alternatives, but their effectiveness was greatly reduced, and the processes were extremely complex."
"The library?" Fabian suggested. "Perhaps the restricted section might have even more obscure materials science books?"
"Yes, I'll have to find an opportunity to go." Karen nodded. "But before that, I need to thoroughly understand the basic material properties and magic conduction models mentioned in Professor Victor's notes. There's still a long way to go." He picked up his quill and began to record his insights and questions in his alchemy notebook.
For the next two days, Karen spent all his free time in the library. He had a clear goal: to go straight to the section on spell applications and alchemy materials.
In the spells section, he found several books on the technique of "multitasking," which recorded some ancient wizards' meditation methods and basic exercises for cultivating mental focus and coordination. Although they were not as directly aimed at spellcasting as Professor Flitwick's suggestions, they provided theoretical support and different training approaches.
In the materials section, he perused the thick volumes of "The Complete Book of Magical Materials," "The Mineral Magic Atlas," and "An Introduction to Alchemy Matrix." He focused on finding the alternative materials mentioned in Castor's notes: adamantite (extremely expensive, with high hardness but average magic conductivity), orpiment (a legendary metal, rarely found in reality), dragon scale fragments (extremely strong, but with overly active properties, difficult to control), and even obsidian (fragile) and star-patterned steel (with unstable effects) that had been specially enhanced by magic.
"I can't find a perfect one," Karen said, slamming the thick book shut in frustration and rubbing his sore eyes. The flaws in the materials from the failed cases in his notes flashed through his mind. "Perhaps I could combine them? Use several materials in combination, taking advantage of their strengths and compensating for their weaknesses? I can observe their magical conductivity with the Ironclad Charm to create a suitable solution."
Then he remembered that the arm armor Professor Castor had shown was a composite structure. He began to list several possible combinations in his notes: for example, using adamantite as the core skeleton to provide strength, with an outer layer of softened mithril alloy to channel energy? Or using high-strength magical wood as a base, inlaid with dragon scale fragments as reinforcement at key nodes? Each combination was followed by a series of question marks and questions that needed to be verified.
Time slipped away with the turning of pages and the rustling of writing. When Mrs. Pince began to signal with a stern look that closing time was approaching,
Karen left with a head full of materials and a few borrowed books.
On Thursday evening, Karen arrived at Professor Castor's office door precisely on time. The familiar scent of sulfur and herbs wafted out as the door opened. The office was still dimly lit. Professor Castor sat behind his large ebony desk, the mithril bracelet on his left arm reflecting a cool luster under the light.
"Professor," Karen greeted respectfully, closing the door behind her.
Castor looked up, his gray eyes calm and unwavering. "Sit down. How's it going?" He cut to the chase without any pleasantries, as if he could see right through Karen's thoughts during this time.
Karen sat down opposite him, taking out his alchemy notebook and several books borrowed from the library from his dragon-skin bag. "Progress is slow, Professor," he answered frankly, opening his notebook. "I've carefully studied your analysis of the failed bronze amulet and the successful composite material structure of the gauntlets. I'm trying to find alternative materials or feasible composite solutions in the library."
He pushed his notebook to the center of the table, pointing to several material combinations he had listed: "For example, a core of adamantite + an outer layer of mithril alloy, or a base of magical hardwood + reinforcement with dragon scale fragment nodes. I've also considered stabilizing star-patterned steel, or magically enhancing obsidian." Professor Castor's gaze swept over the items Karen had listed, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, producing a rhythmic sound. For a moment, only the tapping and the crackling of burning firewood in the fireplace filled the office.
"The line of thinking is not seriously flawed." Castor finally spoke, his voice low and steady. "The combination of adamantite and mithril is theoretically feasible, but it is very expensive. Moreover, the melting point and magical compatibility of the two metals require extremely precise process control. If you are not careful, it will lead to internal stress cracks, which will become new weak points."
He paused, then continued, "As for the dragon scale fragments, they are powerful, but far too unruly. Channeling the raging power of a fire dragon into a protective circuit that requires precise and stable control is like stuffing an active volcano into a watch. I know you can observe its magical fluctuations, but isn't the risk a bit too great?"
Karen's palms were slightly sweaty. He had indeed overlooked the interference and potential damage that the dragon scales' powerful active magic could cause to the intricate circuits. "I underestimated things, Professor."
"As for magical wood, star-patterned steel, and obsidian," Castor shook his head slightly, "they either lack sufficient instantaneous energy-carrying capacity, or their inherent stability is insufficient to withstand the high-intensity magical erosion during a protective spell's outburst. Short-term tests might succeed a few times."
However, absolute reliability cannot be guaranteed in critical moments.
His grey eyes stared directly at Karen: "Tell me, Karen, what was your original intention in designing this protective device? Was it to deal with paper airplanes that might fly into the classroom? Or was it for when real danger, such as a deadly Killing Curse or Shattering Curse coming your way,..."
Can I buy you those crucial fractions of a second?
Karen met that deep gaze and felt a heavy pressure. He took a deep breath: "It's the latter, Professor. I hope it's a reliable trump card."
"Then, 'barely usable,' 'highly expensive and difficult to replicate,' and 'possessing unknown risks' do not meet the definition of 'reliable.'" Castor's voice was resolute. "Alchemy, especially alchemy involving protection and life, allows no room for luck or compromise. An imperfect healing potion may simply be ineffective, but an imperfect protective item can cost lives."
He stood up and walked towards the display wall that had been hidden by Weiman. Weiman silently slid open, revealing various failed alchemy relics. His finger hovered over the charred and shattered bronze amulet and the silver bracelet inlaid with a cracked ruby.
"Look at them. Behind every failure, there were thoughts like 'Maybe this will work,' 'The cost is too high, let's try something else,' and 'Let's see how it goes.' The result is these broken wrecks, and the bloody price recorded in the notes."
Karen's gaze swept over the shocking failures, and the cold records of casualties in Professor Castor's notes resurfaced in her mind.
Castor turned to look at Karen again, his tone slightly softened but still serious: "Your direction is correct. The composite approach is the right way to solve the material bottleneck. But you need to understand more deeply the essential characteristics of each material, their magical resonance frequencies, their microscopic changes under different energy impacts, and the synergistic effects or conflicts that arise when they are combined. Make good use of your talent. Others may need to spend a huge amount of time and energy on this, but you are different. Your talent can help you find shortcuts."
He walked back to his desk, picked up Karen's notebook, and flipped to the pages recording the properties of materials: "Put aside those unrealistic fantasies of 'advanced' combinations. Start with the most basic single-material testing. For example, focus on thoroughly understanding 'mithril' as a material first."
"Where is its ductility limit? What are the curves of its magic conduction efficiency at different purities? What kind of deformation will its microstructure undergo when subjected to magic impacts of different frequencies and intensities? What is the effect of temperature changes on its performance? How sensitive is it to etching depth and angle when engraving different runes?" Castor asked a series of questions.
"Only when you know a basic material inside and out, as well as you know your own fingers, are you qualified to consider how to combine it with other materials to achieve a '1+1>2' effect."
Karen felt a tightness in his chest, but also a sudden realization dawned on him. He had indeed been a bit too ambitious, thinking too much and trying to jump straight to a solution, neglecting to start researching first. "I understand, Professor. I was too impatient. I will start from the basics, focusing first on testing the properties of mithril."
"Very good." Castor nodded slightly and handed the notebook back to Karen. "The lab will be replenishing its basic alchemy materials next week, including mithril ingots of different purities and testing tools. I'll give you a detailed list of tests. Remember, be precise, rigorous, and record every piece of data, even the failures."
"Yes, Professor!" Karen solemnly put away her notebook.
"Karen, I hope you understand that you're not just making protective charms right now. If you just want to make a protective charm, I can provide you with the same materials as that arm guard. With your talent, you should be able to replicate it quickly."
"But that's not what I want to see. I want you to use your talent to explore more fundamental, more essential things. These things can be used not only for protective spells but also to lay the foundation for your future research. Understand, Karen?"
"I understand what you mean, Professor!" Karen replied.
"Very good, it's about time. Go back now. I'll send you the materials you need in a couple of days." Castor waved to Karen, indicating that she could leave.