A Pleasant Conversation

"Everyone wants to be a great wizard like Dumbledore."

Albert gently stirred the black tea in front of him with a spoon, took a sip, and his eyes lit up. He couldn't help but praise, "Your skills are superb. This is the best black tea I've ever had. If possible, please teach me how to brew such a delicious cup of black tea."

If it were his past life, Albert wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between good and bad black tea, but in this life, after drinking black tea for several years, he can now really tell whether it tastes good or not.

All I can say is that this person truly lives for hundreds of years; the ratio of black tea, milk, and sugar is absolutely perfect.

"Of course." Perenelle smiled. "Let me tell you, Albus doesn't really like the tea I brew. He always says it's too weak."

"Everyone has their own favorite tastes. I've heard that Dumbledore has a particular fondness for sweets." Albert then tried a piece of the baked buckwheat biscuit on the plate. It was just as good, with a strong wheat aroma that got better with each bite, but it wasn't sweet.

For people who like sweets, it's probably not that delicious!

As the two elderly people talked, they began to recall their first meeting with Dumbledore.

Similar to Albert's situation, Dumbledore met the LeMay Couple through introductions from other wizards. Unlike Albert, however, Dumbledore had been corresponding with the LeMay Couple for several years before meeting them.

When Dumbledore graduated from Hogwarts School and began his travels around the world, he passed through France and met the LeMay Couple for the first time through an acquaintance.

When they first met, they had a lot in common and chatted happily.

Later, Dumbledore months in France, mostly discussing magic and alchemy with Nicholas.

"At that time, we worked together to find other uses for Dragon Blood and successfully created Stain Remover."

"Dumbledore discovered the Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood; I memorized that from the book."

"Well, that statement is actually wrong." Nicholas took a sip of black tea and recalled, "When Albus discovered other uses for Dragon Blood Dragon Blood, some of those uses had already been invented by other wizards. However, information exchange in that era was not as convenient as it is now, so not many people knew about it."

"Later, Albus published a paper on the uses of Dragon Blood, which directly led most wizards to believe that Albus had discovered the Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood."

"I remember Dumbledore once clarified this matter," Perenelle said. "It's just that it's been passed down from person to person, and nobody really cares whether he invented the use of Dragon Blood."

"I remember Ivan Drunsby once claimed that he had already discovered eight uses for Dragon Blood when Dumbledore 'borrowed' his papers," Harishis said with a laugh, recalling an incident from over a decade ago. "In fact, Ivan Drunsby was a step too late. He thought Dumbledore stolen his work, so he went around slandering Dumbledore. That guy didn't have a good reputation. I remember he even claimed to have cracked the recipe for Floo Powder, only to blow himself up from the fireplace while trying to do so."

Listening to the recollections of the past, Albert felt he had truly broadened his horizons. Although he wasn't particularly interested in Dumbledore's past, he didn't mind listening to it as a story; sometimes it was really interesting, especially those long-forgotten tales.

The truth of history is often not recorded on parchment.

After all, it was written by the victors.

"Please forgive my nagging habit; I'm just getting old," Nicholas said to Albert with a smile, sipping his now-cold red tea.

"No, these stories are very interesting." Albert shook his head to indicate that he didn't mind. "My grandfather also loved to tell me stories from the past."

"By the way, could you tell me about the fourteenth century? What kind of era was it?" he continued. "I've heard that magic was more prevalent in ancient times than it is now, and many magical and alchemical practices have disappeared in that era."

"It's not that it disappeared," Nicholas said, shaking his head. "It's just that it's no longer suitable."

"Not suitable?" Albert pondered the meaning of those words.

"The fourteenth century, that era, is known as the Dark Ages," the old man recalled. "In some ways, that's true. It was a very ignorant and dark age. Although wizards had their own rules and constraints, most of them were quite unscrupulous and didn't hide like wizards do now, which created a false impression of prosperity."

"Knowledge was extremely valuable in that era, and many wizards would hide their knowledge. Because they rarely communicated with each other, wizards could only try to develop some magic to master, and most of these magic spells were just random incantations. When you don't know much magic, these spells become very precious."

"However, most spells have been rendered obsolete by time."

"Indeed, the so-called prosperity is just a self-perceived prosperity," Albert murmured.

"Yes, it's undeniable that some magic has been lost, but many spells have stood the test of time and survived," Nicholas explained softly. "However, this knowledge has been well preserved, and you need to make a special effort to access it to know about these things."

"For easier management?" Albert murmured.

"Yes, for ease of management."

The one who answered him was not Nicholas, but Mr. Harishis, who had been silent all along.

"Maybe I shouldn't talk about this."

"Few people can see these things clearly," Nicholas said. "However, everything has two sides, and it is indeed more peaceful now than before."

"But it's undeniable that it was an era when even Muggle were enthusiastic about alchemy." Nicholas changed the subject. "It was indeed the golden age of alchemy, and many theories, origins, and studies were born in that era."

"For alchemy?"

"Yes, for alchemy, for getting rich," Perenelle said with a laugh. "At least, most Muggle back then did so for that purpose."

"You are the only ones who succeeded," Albert said with a smile.

"Gold cannot be extracted from the Philosopher's Stone," Nicholas shook his head, denying the claim.

"But you have already achieved immortality."

"That wasn't gold, we only really realized that later." Nicholas's tone was tinged with helplessness. "It was like gold created using Transfiguration Spell or Duplication Charm."

"Of course, Muggle can't tell the difference."

Realizing that Nicholas seemed reluctant to talk about the Philosopher's Stone, Albert steered the conversation in another direction.

He would occasionally ask questions about alchemy, and even took the Protective Bracelet he had made to consult Nicholas, hoping that the other party could give him some good advice.

Nicholas really knows a lot of things because alchemy in that era encompassed a lot of things. Although he may not have been an expert when he was young, or even just had a basic understanding, as people live longer, they learn what they need to know.

Albert's situation was different; he was only thirteen years old.

During her conversation with Albert, Nicholas vaguely realized that the boy in front of her possessed extraordinary talent.

The word "magical" is very apt.

In fact, Nicholas knew something about the Wildsmith Family; he had dealt with more than one "Wildsmith".

The two then discussed a wide range of topics, with Albert offering his own perspectives based on his understanding.

Even without checking, he knew that the experience points for the Panel Skill were increasing rapidly.

The chatter continued on and off for several hours until noon, when the two stopped to prepare for lunch. While Albert was enjoying his France meal, he discovered that Harishis had quietly left.

"You can stay here for now. Mr. Harishis will come to pick you up in a few days," Perenelle said to Albert.