Display Case No. 51

More and more alchemists gathered around Display Case No. 51. Whether it was people's curiosity at work or the alchemical achievement on display was simply too tempting, many witches and wizards saw the crowd and drifted over, curious about what sort of creation had drawn so many alchemists to watch.

The newcomers quickly joined the discussion over whether Mandrake root could be used to brew wine. Using Mandrake root to make Potions was common enough, but brewing wine with it was unheard of. And did the Mandrake Wine truly have all the effects described on the parchment?

Could it be a sham?

If Mandrake Wine really worked, it would hold tremendous appeal for a large number of witches and wizards.

Of course, it might be fake. Mandrake might not be capable of making wine at all, and the wine in the display case might not possess the effects described on the parchment. In fact, that seemed highly likely.

The discussion over Mandrake Wine quickly became polarized. More people believed the bottle was fake, but some alchemists who knew Sera and Albert believed it was real.

"Everyone, disperse. This is obviously a fake."

Many alchemists felt this was unacceptable. Every International Alchemy Convention had similar incidents, and they believed fraudulent items should be banned from appearing in the display cases.

"Does anyone know who Albert Anderson is? His name sounds rather familiar." Someone spotted the exhibitor's name and frowned as he asked an acquaintance beside him.

"Don't you people ever read the newspapers?" Claude said sarcastically. "You don't even recognize such a famous genius, yet you think what he put on display is fake?"

Claude was an old friend of Sera's. He had also met Albert once at an alchemy gathering and knew very well what the boy was capable of.