Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 160: Alchemy Talent

At this time, Sheen was planning to finish reading the five books he had been reading.

They are "The Selection and Inspiration of Alchemical Materials", "The Secret Law of Ether and Combination", "The Power of Ancient Runes in Alchemy", "Inscription of Runes and Construction of Vessels", and "An In-Depth Analysis of Alchemical Rituals".

Corresponding materials, combinations, runic symbols, runic engravings, and most importantly, rituals.

The more Sheen studied, the more he felt that the wizard was hypnotizing him.

For example: [The death and resurrection of the dragon symbolizes the decomposition and purification of matter].
The book "Selection and Inspiration of Alchemical Materials" mentions that adding dragon blood can make alchemical creations purer and more stable.

But it's hard to say whether the dragon's blood was the cause.

Because right after "The Selection and Inspiration of Alchemical Materials," it is mentioned that dragon blood will destroy the purity of alchemical creations—it will decompose the components of the creations and imbue them with the destructive properties of dragons.

So how exactly should dragon blood be used?
Headmaster Dumbledore then wrote down twelve uses for dragon's blood.

These uses are quite contradictory, and you can often see several completely different ways of using them.

Sheen inexplicably felt that how the dragon blood would function depended on what the wizard wanted it to do.

Everything about alchemy is for the service of wizards; the more a wizard believes in the power of alchemy, the more power alchemy can give the wizard.

At this point, the ceremony becomes the bridge that connects the two parties.

Thus, the ambiguity surrounding alchemy became inevitable, because it is essentially an art, not a science.

It relies on the wizard's ever-changing mental state, ineffable symbolic associations, and personalized magical intuition. Two wizards using the exact same knowledge and tools, following the same guide, can produce vastly different results. This is because "belief" cannot be standardized or replicated.

After Sheen wrote down his thoughts, it started snowing heavily outside again.

The snow outside Hogwarts Castle is thick and layered. The snow falls softly and gradually hardens and cools after being accumulated day after day, but the surface layer is still soft enough to be rolled into snowballs.

Inside the Hope Hut.

Justin was baking cookies on a portable oven while Sheen silently engraved runes.

The seating arrangement in Hope's Hut was like this—Sheen sat in the very center, Justin to his left, and Hermione to his right.

Nave was in front, and he was in charge of taking care of the plant "garden" at the very front. Because there were so many plants, they naturally filled the entire area that belonged to the podium, creating plant shelves of various heights.

Next up are Harry and Ron, one of whom likes to learn Transfiguration, and the other likes to learn Charms.

Because Sheen has used a transformation spell on the seat to create a semi-enclosed structure, there's no need to worry about privacy.

The carving knife was getting slightly hot, and Sheen knew that he had finished making the Howling Letter.

[You have practiced making a Howl Letter to a proficient standard, proficiency +10]

A new alchemy title has been unlocked. Please check it out.

A new wizard talent has been unlocked, please check it out.

Sheen decided to leave his alchemical talent for last, so he first checked the titles in the field of alchemy.

[Title: Beginner Alchemy]

[Slightly increases sensitivity to alchemical magic and slightly enhances alchemical talent.]

As expected, Sheen held his breath and continued reading.

[Wizard Sheen, Alchemy Talent: Gold. Note: Normal wizards have Green.]

[Evaluation: Creation and reform, exploration and the unknown—you are an irreplaceable pathfinder in the world of alchemy. If you can realize your talents, you will surely leave a lasting legacy for alchemists to emulate.]

So, does that mean I'm on par with... Nicolas Lemaître?
Sheen was stunned.

He suddenly understood something.

The common ground between flight and alchemy talents should be quite high. If his flight talent is associated with metal, then his alchemy talent wouldn't be too weak either. After all, a flying broom is an alchemical creation.

Then Sheen remembered the extremely low proficiency requirement in the field of flight—only 30 proficiency points were needed to advance from the apprentice level to the beginner level.

If the talent for flight is a byproduct of the talent for alchemy, then it makes sense.

So, his true talent actually lies in dark magic and alchemy?

Just then, he heard the panel emit the loudest "ding" ever.

A line of text appeared beneath the golden alchemy talent:
You have unlocked three legendary talents, successfully pushing the boundaries of legend. The cap of one talent has been increased.

What's this?
Sheen looked down in surprise:

[New Wizard Talent: Red (0/1) (Requires unlocking a legendary title in any magical realm)]

Sheen was stunned again. He originally thought that legendary talent was the limit, but he didn't expect there to be more.

Indeed, the vastness of magic lies in the fact that as long as you want to go, there will always be a path ahead.

Beyond the legends... what lies beyond?
Sheen knew:

[Expert] corresponds to an adult wizard;
【Masters】correspond to the professors at Hogwarts;
[Legend] It could be Dumbledore and Voldemort.

What about beyond the legends?
What will it be?
Just thinking about it made Sheen feel his passion for magic surge up.

Just as he was pondering this, he heard a sizzling sound from the side; Justin's cookies were freshly baked.

Seeing the cookies, Sheen felt that he hadn't gone far on the path of combining transmutation and alchemy.

If owl cookies can be made, then bear cookies, beetle cookies, and lion cookies are all feasible.

Their only challenge lies in whether Sheen knows enough about these animals.

The path of alchemy and transfiguration is long, and Sheen feels he needs to first learn how to transform his "self" into a "living being".

If it could grow wings, or transform into a shark head to dive, that would be pretty good.

A moment later, Voldemort's flying posture entered Sheen's mind again—Voldemort could turn into a cloud of black smoke and fly; could this be a special kind of transfiguration?

So he waved his wand.

[You have practiced an advanced Transfiguration spell to a proficient standard. Proficiency +30]

The elm wood bookshelf trembled slowly, and as if receiving some command, the wooden planks spat out a notebook with a dark green cover.

Sheen sighed slightly. Ever since Transfiguration reached the "Expert" level and surpassed 100,000 proficiency points, the proficiency gained from low-standard practice had been decreasing significantly.

Just like when he first learned the Silent Spell, it made him need to explore more profound areas.

He took the dark green-covered notebook, which contained Professor McGonagall's notes on self-transformation, interspersed with Animagus techniques.

He looked at the notebook, and the words on the panel inexplicably flashed through his mind:

"Creation and Reform", "Exploration and the Unknown", "An Irreplaceable Pathfinder on the Alchemy Path"...

At this moment, words appeared in Professor Terra's notes:
You will eventually understand, my child, why we must learn alchemy.

I'm writing this here to remind you, and myself, once again that we must always look at things from different perspectives.

We explore the mysteries of alchemy because we are wizards, and wizards are full of creativity and passion.

We possess the magic to change the world, so why are we content to remain mediocre and stagnant?
This is my answer, and perhaps it's yours too.

　Dear readers, the regular five-chapter update will be at 10:30 PM tonight.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)