Musa's situation once again confirmed a principle Ian had summarized before.
Imagination was a wizard's greatest weapon, the thing that made anything possible.
Of course.
This did not mean Musa was much more powerful, talented, or intelligent than Ian and Albus Dumbledore. Musa's madness was the main reason.
On the other hand.
Alchemy research was like materials science. Ideas and direction were important, but luck was even more important. Some things could not be stumbled upon through exceptional talent alone.
Otherwise.
Alchemy would not be a field that many people failed to even enter after spending their entire lives on it. Of course, Musa's achievement was not merely due to having a little more luck and a few more ideas than Ian and Dumbledore.
Ian calmly analyzed the reasons.
First, there was naturally the difference in time invested. Musa had devoted nearly all the decades of his later years to an all-or-nothing study of Time Magic. With no distractions, every inspiration, every failure, and every pain became fuel driving his research forward.
Ian and Dumbledore, meanwhile, bore too many responsibilities. They had to deal with Voldemort's threat, balance the forces of the wizarding world, teach students, and explore the mysteries of every branch of magic... Time was a scarce resource to them. They could not focus all their energy on a single point as Musa had.
This was a very important reason.
In fact, in terms of overall accomplishment in alchemy, even under such circumstances, Ian and Albus Dumbledore far surpassed Musa.
This showed that.
Musa truly was not more talented than them.
This Elder was the sort of alchemist with a severe imbalance in his skills and an obsession. Beyond that, the second and more important reason was the difference in their standing and concerns. Ian and Dumbledore stood