Mithril Engraving Knife

Linley opened the three Christmas presents one by one.

Professor McGonagall had given him a notebook on Transfiguration, recording her insights from when she was young. To Linley's delight, he found within it Professor McGonagall's methods for applying Transfiguration in actual combat!

However, the brittle texture of the paper showed that this Transfiguration notebook had likely been copied using the Gemino Charm. Even so, Linley was thrilled.

Professor Flitwick had given him a wand maintenance kit, which could help Linley care for his Wand.

Professor Snape, meanwhile, had given him a bottle of Felicity Potion. Linley felt that Professor Snape ought to save it for himself.

After opening the gifts from the three professors, Linley picked up the other two presents, which were from Irvin and the Weasley twins.

Irvin's gift was a Pocket Revealer. Unfortunately, Irvin did not know that Linley had already learned how to make Revealer mirrors.

The Weasley twins' gift was a Honeydukes snack set, bought with the Galleons Fred and George had painstakingly saved over the past month or so by selling Improved Stink Pellets.

Linley then opened the last gift. It was from his teacher, Professor Green.

"Is this... the Mana Suppression Scepter?!"

Linley could not help staring blankly at the gift in its wrapping.

During the Halloween crisis, Linley had activated the Mana Suppression Scepter Professor Green had given him. That had allowed him to save the gravely injured Professor Green from the hands of the dark wizard, but activating it had also rendered the one-use alchemical item ineffective.

He had never expected Professor Green to forge another Mana Suppression Scepter as a Christmas gift for him.

Linley put away the Mana Suppression Scepter, deeply moved.

After opening all the gifts, Linley left the dormitory and headed to the Great Hall on the first floor of the castle.

At the entrance to the Great Hall, Fred and George approached him.

"Thanks, Linley! We really like your gift!" Fred and George said in unison.

Linley had given them organized Alchemy Notes, along with a reading list he had compiled from the books Professor Green had recommended, selecting titles suitable for the Weasley twins to study on their own.

"I like your gift too," Linley said with a smile. He took a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean from his pocket, gestured to the two of them, and tossed it into his mouth. "Damn it! Stinky socks flavor!"

His reaction made them burst out laughing.

After a while, once the two had recovered, Linley said, "All right, I need to go to Professor Green's Defense Against the Dark Arts office. See you later!"

"See you!" Fred and George waved.

After saying goodbye to them, Linley went to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office.

"Professor, I'm here. Thank you for the Mana Suppression Scepter!" Linley said, giving Professor Green a slight bow.

Professor Green merely smiled. He led Linley to an Alchemy Platform specifically used for engraving Alchemy Formations. Unlike engraving Alchemy Formations on a desk, this platform could focus an alchemist's attention, strengthen their ability to condense magic power, and raise the success rate.

"Your recent progress in alchemy has reached the standard for making an engraving knife. It's time to forge one of your own. You will handle everything yourself, and I'll supervise from the side."

As Professor Green spoke, he waved his Wand, and dozens of different materials appeared on the Alchemy Platform.

Linley had long been prepared. He sat before the platform and reached into the pile of materials, taking out a mithril engraving knife blank.

At the same time, the other materials on the Alchemy Platform vanished, while Professor Green's golden engraving knife appeared beside Linley's hand.

Linley skillfully picked up the golden engraving knife and carved a symbol representing an energy source into the handle of the mithril knife blank. Slightly above it, he carved a rune nexus.

Then Linley took out a special pair of glasses from his pocket. Engraved with Alchemy Formations, the glasses functioned like a microscope, allowing him to precisely see where each stroke landed.

As time passed, complete Alchemy Formations appeared one after another on the mithril engraving knife, and the glow it emitted grew ever more brilliant.

Three hours passed.

Linley gently carved the final stroke into the mithril engraving knife, connecting the last Alchemy Formation to the rune nexus and energy source, completely finishing the forging of the mithril engraving knife.

The mithril engraving knife seemed to have been reborn. A sharp burst rang out as countless excess particles of mithril exploded from its blade, turning into specks of light.

The mithril engraving knife looked incomparably sharp. Even Professor Green's golden engraving knife seemed slightly inferior beside it.

And that was indeed the truth.

Like a Wand, an engraving knife could accompany an alchemist for life.

Though Professor Green was now a renowned French alchemist, he had been merely an alchemy apprentice, just like Linley, when he made that golden engraving knife. Naturally, the golden engraving knife he had made back then could not have been of particularly high quality.

"A perfect engraving knife! Remember, Linley, this engraving knife will accompany you for the rest of your life. Never abandon it!"

Professor Green exclaimed in admiration. The strength of the mithril engraving knife truly astonished him.

Linley held the mithril engraving knife in both hands and nodded firmly.

Professor Green turned around and took a box covered in Alchemy Formations from a cabinet some distance away.

Handing the box to Linley, Professor Green said, "This box is for storing your engraving knife. The Alchemy Formations on it can maintain the knife."

Linley opened the box. It looked solid inside, but when he tried placing the mithril engraving knife on it, the solid portion inside the box began to twist and shift. In the end, a space appeared that could perfectly hold Linley's mithril engraving knife.

Linley carefully put the box away and thanked Professor Green once more.

Professor Green said, "For the next half of the school year, you only need to continue learning more Alchemy Runes and strengthen your foundation. As for our Saturday lessons, I plan to teach you some combat techniques. How does that sound?"

Over the past month or so, Linley's attainments in alchemy had already surpassed those of an ordinary alchemist. More advanced alchemical knowledge would have to wait until Linley's magic reserves improved further before he could begin studying it.

Therefore, Professor Green currently had little else to teach Linley in alchemy.

Hearing Professor Green's words, Linley was overjoyed.

He still vividly remembered the helplessness he had felt when facing that dark wizard on Halloween. His heart had long been filled with a desire to improve his ability to use magic and his combat skills.

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