The Irreparable Diadem

"Ha!"

As night fell, Albert covered his yawn with his hand, collapsed onto the bed, and buried his head in the soft pillow.

People tend to feel sleepy after a full meal.

With her eyes closed, she rolled over and lay sprawled on the bed.

Actually, it was still quite early, but the LeMay Couple had already gone to bed early, and Albert didn't want to disturb them.

It's not so easy to fall asleep in an unfamiliar place.

As his drowsiness began to subside, Albert suddenly sat up, opened the panel to check today's gains, and his gaze involuntarily slid to the Task Panel.

There's a new task ahead.

Heir.

You've met the renowned Nicolas Flamel by chance. He seems to value you highly and is keen for you to inherit his knowledge. Perhaps you should work hard to make this happen.

Reward: Unknown.

When Albert saw the details of the mission, he was stunned and frowned slightly as he pondered the matter.

Although being introduced to Nicolas Flamel was quite a surprise to him, Albert didn't really have any interest in the LeMay Couple.

Nicolas Flamel lived for hundreds of years and experienced all sorts of human relationships; it was impossible for him to be completely unaware of certain things.

This is also why Albert simply gave up on other ideas.

Rather than that, it's better to just be friends.

Only then could everyone chat freely, and that relaxed atmosphere made him feel very happy; the relationship between the two was somewhat similar to that between an elder and a younger generation.

If he really intended to get something from the other person, Albert doubted whether he could still have such a pleasant conversation as today.

LeMay Couple had a very good impression of the Albert; their long lives had made them far wiser than most. Although they tended to be talkative and prone to getting lost in long memories due to old age, they were not at all indicative of dementia.

They were as wise and witty as ever, and by the way, Albert remembered who they were the moment he met them.

Last year, the two met briefly at an opera house in France. Perhaps that's when their wonderful connection began!

An unknown reward.

They're usually pretty good.

However, Nicolas Flamel's knowledge was actually dispensable to Albert; he wasn't greedy enough to want everything.

If Albert hadn't obtained the intellectual wealth stored up by the Wildsmith Family, Albert might have considered trying to inherit Nicholas's knowledge.

But now, Albert is no longer so eager for magic; he absorbs that knowledge more because he feels that it can be put to use.

It cannot be denied that Albert accepted the Wildsmith surname partly for the knowledge of the entire Wildsmith Family, and partly for the wealth. He could only think of a reason to refuse, as the other party could make his future smoother.

Anyway, you can still back out before you actually come of age and accept that surname! Although doing so is a bit shameless.

As for his current efforts to study hard and absorb more knowledge, it's mainly because Albert feels he doesn't have enough knowledge.

Just like skills in a game, some of them require prerequisite skills.

Moreover, Albert always believed that it was never a bad thing to learn more.

Never mind!

Why think so much? Let nature take its course! Now... sleep! Albert yawned again, closed his eyes, and began to drift off to sleep.

That night, he had a dream in which he successfully created the Philosopher's Stone and lived for hundreds of years. But one day, he got tired of living and threw away the Philosopher's Stone.

"Sigh, what a spendthrift son."

Albert woke up from his dream, still half-asleep, and vaguely remembered what kind of dream he had just had, so he mumbled something under his breath.

Humans really do need a goal.

That being said, what are my goals?

After thirty, I'll be a carefree couch potato, doing whatever I want without a worry in the world, even though Albert doesn't really have anything he particularly wants to do.

Don't be fooled by how hard Albert is studying now; it's mostly for his own safety.

After all, strength is still very important.

Moreover, ever since Harry Potter went to Hogwarts, the school has become unsafe; without some strength, you might be doomed.

It will be several years before Voldemort is completely wiped out, and only then will my life be safe.

When the time comes... well, we'll see!

Albert got up, dressed, and went to the hall. The LeMay Couple were already up and greeted him with smiles, inviting him to have breakfast together.

Breakfast was French-style, almost identical to English-style.

Nicholas and Albert continued their idle chatter for another day, this time talking about amulets.

Nicholas told Albert about several older Charms and suggested that Albert try using garnets to make amulets.

In Nicholas's words, the amulet's effect is so-so; once Albert himself reaches a certain level, he will find that the amulet is really useless.

Most magical items are probably just so-so in Nicholas's eyes.

Albert felt that Nicholas was referring to his and Dumbledore's level of ability, and he was at a loss for words.

"I'll show you something."

Nicholas brought a Wooden Box and placed it in front of Albert, gesturing for him to open it and take a look.

Albert opened the box, gazed at the familiar Diadem inside, and fell into a brief silence. He asked softly, "This is... Ravenclaw's Diadem?"

"Yes, Dumbledore asked me if I could fix it," Nicholas said with a smile.

"Is it broken?"

"It's broken. Apparently, someone turned it into an evil Dark Magic Item," Nicholas suddenly said. "Albus said you found it."

"Hmm!" Albert asked curiously, "Have you successfully repaired the Diadem?"

"No, it won't work, it failed." Nicholas shook his head slightly. "Ravenclaw cast a spell on the Diadem to increase the wearer's intelligence. However, when the Diadem was damaged, the spell's effect was lost."

"Do you know what magic Ravenclaw used on the Diadem?" Albert thought of Dumbledore's Elder Wand, a Deathly Hallows that could even repair broken wands. Could it be that even it couldn't completely repair the Diadem? "Unfortunately, I don't know," Nicholas shook his head. "That part of the record has been lost."

"What a pity," Albert muttered after a moment of silence. "I was just thinking of trying to see if the Ravenclaw's Diadem could make me smarter."

"Ravenclaw's wisdom doesn't come from her Diadem!" Nicholas said with a laugh and a shake of her head. He could tell that Albert was just saying it casually.

"Mr. Nicolas."

"What's up?"

"I've heard that Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard in the world," Albert changed the subject.

"That's certainly true." Nicholas laughed heartily and closed the Wooden Box. "Albus indeed very powerful."

"So, in your memory, are there any wizards as powerful as Dumbledore?"

"This... I don't think so," Nicholas said, shaking his head after recalling.

"And what about the Hogwarts' Four Founders?" Albert continued.

"Actually, when a wizard reaches a certain age, his Magical Power begins to weaken, but this did not happen to Dumbledore; his Magical Power remains extremely strong." Nicholas said his thoughts. "Given Albus's age, combined with his experience and wisdom, almost no wizard could be more powerful than him. I even doubt that the famous Merlin could be."

"He truly lives up to his reputation as the principal," Albert remarked.