Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 406-405: Bio-Alchemy
The old craftsman in the shop was very devout.

Also normal.

After all, most wizards can only look up to legendary wizards like Ian. How to describe the status of legendary wizards in the wizarding world? It's roughly like saying that those who don't learn magic and see a legend are like frogs in a well seeing the moon in the sky.

For a wizard who has learned magic, encountering a legend is like a mayfly seeing the vast sky. That's why, upon hearing that Ian was interested in spellcasting techniques, the old craftsman even felt this was his chance.

He paused, then, as if afraid Ian would find it boring, cautiously added a suggestion, his eyes full of anticipation: "Soon a young boy from the tribe will come to learn and practice staffless spellcasting."

"Perhaps... perhaps Your Majesty could observe from the sidelines, or even offer some guidance? This would provide a more intuitive understanding of our rune system and the reasons for staffless spellcasting."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Ian nervously, barely daring to breathe, for fear that this unfathomable figure would find the suggestion too presumptuous or boring.

Upon hearing this, Ian pondered for a moment. Observing the initial teaching process of a magic system could indeed provide the most intuitive understanding of its core ideas and basic principles, which was sometimes more enlightening than directly watching advanced techniques. Moreover, the three days spent waiting for information did require some time to pass.

Looking at the old craftsman's nervous yet expectant expression, he finally smiled and nodded: "Alright. It sounds interesting to observe your introductory teaching."

The old craftsman was overjoyed and almost burst into tears, repeatedly expressing his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! Please have a seat, I will prepare tea and the best seat for you right away!"

This shows how status determines how others treat you. If an ordinary person wanted to observe such a thing, the old craftsman would have to charge them a lot of money.

But a legendary wizard was different. He frantically began to pack, as if he were not being greeted by an observer, but by a crucial teaching evaluation.

While waiting for the young wizard to arrive, Ian didn't idle around. He strolled slowly through the old craftsman Caleb's shop, his gaze carefully sweeping over the finished and unfinished products displayed on the walls and shelves.

Caleb.

This is the name that the old craftsman just respectfully told me.

He was indeed an exceptionally skilled alchemist.

These magical artifacts come in various shapes and are made of materials ranging from wood and metal to animal bones and gemstones. Ian can clearly sense the unique magical fluctuations contained in each item.

They are like silent poems, telling the unique rhythms of the African script system. Ian would occasionally stop, point to a particular piece, and quietly offer his opinion.

“This ‘Stormcaller’ staff,” Ian pointed to a dark wooden staff with a sapphire at the top and engraved with spiral runes, “the energy flow at the connection between the third and seventh nodes of the thundercloud runes seems slightly sluggish. If a tiny ‘whirlwind guide’ could be embedded in the middle as a transition, it might increase the instantaneous burst power by at least fifteen percent and reduce the spellcaster’s own mana backlash.”

Upon hearing this, Caleb immediately stepped forward, took out a magnifying glass, and carefully examined the location Ian was pointing to. After a moment, he slapped his thigh, his voice trembling with excitement: "My God! It's true! This slight hesitation has bothered me for over a decade. I always thought it was a limitation of the substrate itself! It turns out that all it takes is a simple transition symbol! Your Majesty... you saw right through it!"

now.

The old craftsman no longer looked down on Ian.

All of them were devout apprentices—that's how intimidating a legendary wizard can be.

Ian walked to a row of metal plates that looked like amulets, picked up one of them, a silver plate engraved with a protective rune: "The overall structure of this 'Resilient Protection' rune is perfect, but... if the strokes of the 'Earth Foundation' rune at the end were a little deeper, and the magic was infused for an extra breath, allowing the energy to settle and solidify better, its durability could be extended by more than double."

Caleb quickly took the amulet, his fingers trembling as he stroked the corner of the rune. After carefully sensing it for a moment, his eyes blazed with shock and ecstasy once more: "It's true! The energy accumulation was indeed not perfect! I've always pursued the smoothness and beauty of the runes, but I've neglected the most basic accumulation process! Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty! This is simply turning lead into gold!"

Ian strolled around and casually pointed out five or six details that could be improved. Each point hit the nail on the head, enlightening Caleb as if a new world had been opened to him. The old craftsman was so excited that his face turned red. His admiration for Ian was beyond measure, and he almost worshipped him as a god.

He even invited Ian to visit his "masterpiece showroom".

In the back of the shop is a quiet room naturally formed by tree roots. Dozens of "magical artifacts" hang on the walls, each radiating unique magical energy.

The old craftsman picked up a short ebony staff and respectfully handed it to Ian: "This is one of my most prized works, 'The Wind Whisperer'."

Ian took it and examined it closely. The short staff was entirely black, with three sets of spiral runes engraved on its shaft, rising upwards, and a weathered lapis lazuli stone inlaid at the end.

"This rune arrangement... is it 'Breath of the Wind,' 'Eagle Eye,' and 'Silence'?" Ian asked.

"Yes!" The old craftsman's eyes lit up with surprise. "You recognized me at a glance?"

“The spacing between the runes is a bit too large, which causes poor magic transmission,” Ian pointed to one of the spirals. “If the third line of ‘Breath of the Wind’ is moved inward by half a finger’s width, the magic concentration efficiency can be increased by 30%.”

The old craftsman's one eye widened, then he suddenly realized: "Ah! I never thought of that! I always thought it was because the lapis lazuli was of poor quality..."

Ian picked up a bone knife, the blade of which was engraved with serrated "earth-splitting" runes.

“This ‘Earthshatter’ rune is supposed to be explosive,” Ian pointed out, “but you used a ‘continuous wave’ engraving, which disperses the power. If you changed it to a ‘stepped’ engraving, the impact would be more concentrated and the armor-piercing effect would be stronger.”

The old craftsman's hands trembled slightly. These seemingly minor adjustments had never been pointed out by anyone in his decades-long career of engraving. He had always believed that his skills had reached their peak, unaware that in Ian's eyes, every detail was open to improvement.

"Sir...where did you learn this from?" The old craftsman's voice trembled, almost piously.

“I’ve seen many systems of magic,” Ian smiled. “European wands, Eastern talismans, Norse runes… each has its own wisdom. Your ‘rune artifact’ solidifies the spell into a physical form, making it extremely suitable for combat, but… there’s still room for improvement in energy conduction and rune structure.”

He picked up an unfinished piece of copper and quickly drew several new lines on it with his fingernail: "For example, this 'shield' rune, the traditional way of engraving is a nested circle, but if a 'honeycomb hexagonal' structure is used, the defensive area can be expanded and more magic power is saved."

The old craftsman stared at those simple engravings, as if he were seeing a whole new world. His admiration and respect for the legendary wizard Ian grew even stronger.

The old craftsman suddenly knelt down, his forehead touching the ground: "Please take me as your apprentice! I am willing to offer all my skills!"

This shows a genuine desire to improve.

“Master, you don’t need to do this.” Ian smiled gently at Caleb’s tearful gratitude and did not accept the other’s request for loyalty.

He simply offered his suggestions as best he could.

"Your rune system is unique and ingenious, and many of your ideas have greatly inspired me. In particular, this approach of closely integrating magic channeling with visible runes is completely different from our method of relying on internal wand cores, and it has obvious advantages in many specific applications. Communication is a two-way street."

When Caleb heard Ian say that he had been "inspired" by him, he was even more apprehensive and waved his hands repeatedly: "You...you actually said that you were inspired by my crude skills? This...this is simply a blessing from the ancestral spirits! Your Majesty, you are too humble! My humble skills are like a firefly compared to the bright moon in the face of your wisdom, how could I..." Just then, the beaded curtain at the entrance of the shop was lifted.

A young couple dressed in traditional tribal attire, with respectful expressions, walked in with a little boy of about seven or eight years old, whose eyes held a mixture of curiosity and timidity.

“Master Kaleb!” The couple bowed respectfully to the old craftsman. “We have brought Kamba with us. Thank you for your help.”

Caleb quickly suppressed his excitement and respect towards Ian, reverting to his usual dignified masterly demeanor, though a deep reverence for Ian still lingered in his eyes. He nodded to the couple: "Yes, the timing is perfect. And this is…"

He looked at Ian, unsure how to introduce him.

Ian spoke first, his tone calm: "I am a friend of Master Caleb. I come from afar and am very interested in African magic and art. I have come here today to observe and learn."

He cleverly concealed his identity.

The couple, seeing Ian's obvious outsider appearance and demeanor, were somewhat curious, but upon hearing that he was a friend of Master Caleb, they dared not ask any further questions and simply nodded politely in greeting.

Upon hearing Ian refer to himself as a friend, Caleb gave Ian a grateful look, then beckoned to the little boy, Kamba: "Come here, kid."

Little Kamba walked nervously to Caleb. Master Caleb patted his head, his voice softening: "Don't be afraid, child. Today is an important day; it will open a new door for you. Close your eyes and relax."

Little Kamba closed his eyes as instructed, his long eyelashes trembling slightly. His parents watched nervously from the side, their hands clasped tightly.

Ian watched intently, curious about how this so-called "enlightenment" actually took place.

Master Kaleb extended his right hand, his index and middle fingers joined together, the tips glowing with a soft white light. He gently touched the little Khanba's brow with his fingers and softly chanted an ancient and melodious incantation.

The syllables of the incantation were peculiar and magical, and Ian could feel a gentle yet extremely pure spiritual power flowing into the little boy's body. Little Kamba's body relaxed slightly, his breathing became steady and long, and he quickly fell into a deep, magically guided sleep.

“This ensures an absolutely smooth process, so the child won’t move around due to pain or fear, affecting the accuracy of the runes,” Caleb explained to Ian.

Then his expression became extremely focused and solemn.

obviously.

This is an African version of the sleeping spell.

He gestured to the child's parents to help him lay little Kamba flat on a stone platform covered with soft animal hide, which had been prepared beforehand. Then, Caleb took out his tool—not a carving knife, but a magic carving needle as thin as a cow's hair, shimmering with silver light, the end of which was connected to a magic crystal that constantly changed colors.

He carefully lifted little Kamba's right hand, straightening his index finger. The fingertips of his other hand glowed again, this time with a more concentrated, subtly cutting power.

What happened next made even the well-informed Ian's eyes widen slightly.

Master Caleb's fingertips, like the most precise scalpel, gently traced the tip of Little Kamba's index finger. Skin and muscle tissue were silently parted by a gentle force, revealing the pale finger bones beneath! There was no bleeding, no wound; it was as if a tiny door had simply been opened.

The whole process was filled with a strange and sacred sense of ritual.

Then, Caleb picked up the magic needle. The magic crystal at the end of the needle shone brightly, converging into an extremely fine beam of light, yet containing immense energy. He held his breath, his gaze intensely focused, and began to carve on the surface of that slender finger bone!
The engraving needle fell, emitting an extremely subtle "sizzling" sound that seemed to directly affect the soul. Intricate runes were engraved stroke by stroke on the finger bone, each symbol lighting up and then disappearing, the magic deeply and permanently imprinted into the deepest part of the bone, connected to the child's life essence.

Saw this scene.

Ian suddenly realized!

So that's it! The core secret of African sorcerers' staffless spellcasting lies here!

They did not not use tools; rather, they inscribed the tools—the "staff" that carried the magical runes—directly onto their bodies through some kind of sacred ritual!
With this method, the most frequently used and most flexible index finger bone becomes their innate, unique, and ever-present "magic wand"!
The runes on their finger bones are a combination of their staff core and runes!

Talk about it.

This should be considered a case of human alchemy.

With such runes inscribed.

Through specific gestures, mental guidance, and the surge of magical energy, they can directly activate the runes on their finger bones to cast spells! This completely explains why their spellcasting looks so natural.

It was almost instinctive!

This is a crazy yet incredibly sophisticated technique that integrates magic directly into the blood and bones! It belongs to the human alchemy techniques of Africa, far surpassing those of Europe!
He finally understood!

Why do African wizards not need wands? How can they cast spells without wands?

The answer lies in the child's fingers.

Their "magic wand" is not an external object, but their own body!
By having basic magical runes inscribed directly into their finger bones during childhood, their bones themselves become "magic conduits" and "spell carriers." Each time a spell is cast, magic is released through the network of runes in the finger bones simply by guiding the thought, without relying on external tools.

This is not just magic, but also biomodification. This system, though cruel, is extremely efficient. It allows magic to truly integrate into the bloodstream, becoming a part of the body.

"It's truly a miracle!"

Ian looked at Master Caleb's focused and sacred expression, at the magical mark that was gradually taking shape on the child's finger bone, a mark that would accompany him for life.

He was deeply shocked.

This completely overturned his understanding of how wizards cast spells. This African magic system, so unique and profound, far exceeded his initial imagination.

This observation was invaluable.

It broadened Ian's horizons somewhat.

(End of this chapter)