Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 184: The Strange Wizard's Chess Game
This morning.

Sheen rode his [Leisurely Broom] into Hope Hut, still contemplating his next mid-level alchemical creation.

At that moment, Ron appeared with the chessboard. He and Harry often gave each other extra lessons, although this didn't help them win more games, but they always enjoyed it.

"I always feel like someone's watching us. Can you feel it, Harry?"

Ron looked around the cabin in confusion and scratched his head.

“Ral Schneider is useful…”

Harry was still studying the personalities of the chess pieces, but when he actually faced the ever-changing battle on the chessboard, it was as if something inside him had awakened.

He has an exceptional ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and his number of wins is almost matching Ron's, making him one of the best young wizards at chess.

As they whispered among themselves, Sheen suddenly seemed to remember something, and his figure slowly appeared. Harry and Ron, who were in the middle of a heated discussion, didn't even notice his appearance.

Soon, the Weasley's Game House had some "strange wizard chess pieces".

They follow the rules of Wizard Chess, but there are many more choices for pieces to enter Wizard Chess:
Take, for example, the knight Larry Schneider. If you let him keep moving forward, he can take one more step after three; but if you make him move backward, he will do a lot of annoying things.

Take, for example, the knight Frick Santiago. He was a brave but brainless fellow. Sometimes he could turn the tide of battle by taking an extra step; other times, he would put his head under the enemy's blade because of that same extra step.

These alchemical creations that Sheen casually crafted not only honed his skills in shaping the will of alchemical creations, but also allowed him to find the final piece of the puzzle to reach the level of "Master":

[Intermediate Level - Strange and Weird Wizard Chess: Beginner Level (19/300)]

[Intermediate Wizard Chess: Beginner Level (119/300)]

[Intermediate Level - Leisure Broom: Beginner (100/300)]

All you need to do next is spend time grinding for proficiency.

So Sheen got busy again.

The Great Hall has been in complete chaos these past few days. Someone somehow managed to buy the first set of these bizarre wizard chess sets via owl mail. These outlandish yet logical wizard chess sets quickly became popular at Hogwarts, with some wizards even buying multiple sets in order to collect all twelve different knights.

The most powerful of these is the "Gandoka Knight," who can even destroy two of the opponent's pieces at once in dire situations.

The young wizards exclaimed, "This level of power is way beyond what's expected!"

But that doesn't stop them from wanting to collect it.

Unfortunately, this knight has an extremely low probability of appearing in the ancient and bizarre Wizard Chess game.

“Great Green, we’ve been quite conscientious; at least we let him appear, right? Three hundred sets of Wizard Chess, and we only let him appear once! How ethical! You know, some unscrupulous merchants wouldn’t even let such a rare item appear—”

"They only let them out once in a while when business is slow...like the Wizarding Lottery. If fools keep buying it, no one will win. But when fewer people buy it, ha! The lucky one appears! Then the fools go off to deliver Galleons again!"

This is how Gemini is explained.

Hearing these words, Sheehan inexplicably felt that the Weasley family winning the lottery might not be a simple matter of probability.

Weasley and Green's theater business was booming, accumulating a large number of loyal customers even before it opened. Fred and George would rush out of the castle early every morning, saying, "We are woken up every day by the sound of Galleons arriving."

And so Christmas gradually came to an end.

On the last day of the festival, Sheen found Professor Terra. He had finished reading his book, and today was the day the professor would examine the results.

Inside the alchemy office.

Professor Terra was sitting in a chair that kept changing position.

A quiet Christmas, without the lousy papers and assignments of those wizarding apprentices... The professor was unusually relaxed.

"A strange and unusual wizard's chess set? Interesting to explore..."

She even made a joke.

This is a short quiz, mainly in the form of answering questions. While Sheen is writing furiously, Professor Terra will thoughtfully supplement Heen with some knowledge beyond his own experience.

After leaving the alchemy office, Sheen's notes were filled with more notes, and then the professor told him to come back the next day to pick up the results.

Sheen left briskly, while the professor looked at Sheen's test parchment with great interest.

She was willing to give this test a score of 105, as a way to make her lovely student proud.

Suddenly, a paper airplane flew into the alchemy office and landed in Professor Terra's hand.

It's worth mentioning that it actually came straight through the wall.

The professor's slightly eager gaze gradually deepened:

"Having seen my ritual techniques, you still dare to test me? What kind of fool have you come from, out of some remote corner?"
If the vastness of magic has given birth to such a filthy and corrupt magical world, and even pure-bloods who consider themselves noble…

Her gaze sharpened, seemingly as if she were muttering to herself, yet also as if declaring:
“Send those guys from Vagado to go over there and have a proper ‘talk’ with them…”

So the paper airplane in the alchemy office flew out through the wall again.

In the alchemy office, the magic radio was still blaring:

"...The British Ministry of Magic reiterates that all unauthorized nighttime gatherings will be subject to strict scrutiny..."

“Review… oh, that’s a regulation of the British Ministry of Magic…”

Late at night.

On the last day of Christmas, Sheen reached the final six points of proficiency.

[You have practiced creating the bizarre Wizard Chess game to a beginner level, proficiency +3]

[You have practiced creating the bizarre Wizard Chess game to a beginner level, proficiency +3]

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

Sheen rubbed his temples. After seeing the Mirror of Erised, he spent even more time on Transfiguration, at one point surpassing all other branches of magic, which led to his increasing fatigue.

After all, mastering both alchemy and transmutation requires immense mental energy from a wizard.

Fortunately, the harvest arrived as expected.

[Title: Intermediate Alchemy]

[Greatly increases sensitivity to alchemical magic, significantly enhances alchemical talent, and slightly improves a wizard's control over alchemical rituals.]

How proficient is the alchemical ritual?
Sheen tapped its bookshelf, and a book immediately appeared: "A Deep Analysis of Alchemical Ritual".

This is the final book in Professor Terra's five-book series, which details the evolution of alchemical rituals throughout history, along with the professor's own understanding and practice.

On the strange wizard chess, Sheen imitated the professor's ritual.

(End of this chapter)