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Regulus was indeed curious about Alchemy.

But it must be said that when it comes to Alchemy, one must look to France, to Beauxbatons, to Nicolas Flamel.

In the UK Wizarding World, there are very few ways to learn about Alchemy.

Hogwarts does offer this course, but it's only offered as an elective in seventh year.

Once I've chosen this course, graduation won't be far off. What can I possibly learn in a year?

Therefore, most UK wizards had a pitifully rudimentary understanding of Alchemy.

They thought Alchemy was simply the craft of making Magic items: engraving Rune on cauldrons to make them stir automatically, Spellcasting on gloves to make them fireproof and waterproof, and making Portkey so they could drag people away.

But this is about creating Magic items, not Alchemy.

Regulus analyzed the differences between the two in his mind.

Creating Magic items involves adding functionality to existing items.

Rune runes on a piece of wood so it can fly; Spellcasting a robe so that someone wearing it can breathe underwater; Magic a mirror so that it can reveal your enemies.

The item is still the same, just with a few more uses.

Even wands, Broomstick, and Invisibility Cloak are considered Magic items.

But Alchemy is different.

Alchemy changes the nature of matter; when lead is turned into gold, it becomes gold from the inside out.

If the molecular structure changes and the atomic arrangement changes, then it is essentially a different thing.

Making Magic items is processing; Alchemy is transformation.

The materials used to create Magic items will wear out and become ineffective, while the finished products of Alchemy are permanent.

The most typical example is the Philosopher's Stone.

That thing can continuously produce Elixir of Life and can turn Midas Touch indefinitely, so there's no need to worry about it becoming useless after just one use.

Regulus thought to himself, "No wonder the UK Wizarding World doesn't have many notable figures in Alchemy."

There was no education, no inheritance, and no accumulation.

Wizards' understanding of Alchemy was limited to making tools; how could they possibly achieve anything?

Alchemy is a profound branch of Magic, an intersection of Ancient Magic, Potions, Transfiguration, Rune.

It has an extremely high barrier to entry, and very few people can truly master it. Even among graduates of Beauxbatons, there are only a handful who can make decent alchemical tools.

And Nicolas Flamel—

Regulus looked at the white-haired old man opposite him.

Born in the 1330s, belonging to the group from the late Middle Ages to the early Renaissance.

Even textbooks on the History of Magic include him in the section on Magic figures from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period.

The Midas Touch and the Elixir of Life —either one of these things would be enough to go down in history.

He accomplished both, and with just this one Philosopher's Stone, he won the crown of Alchemy, becoming the greatest Alchemy in recorded history.

There is none other than that.

Regulus pondered these thoughts, another idea suddenly popped into his head.

About himself, about the Severing Charm.

The Severing Charm restores order to chaos, renders the whole ineffective, and disintegrates existence itself.

In his own words, it's entropy increase—it increases chaos and causes order to collapse.

Alchemy is the exact opposite.

The Midas Touch involves transforming lead, an ordinary metal, into a more ordered structure, similar to gold.

The Elixir of Life aims to maintain an aging body in a stable state.

It can make stones move on their own, giving life to inanimate objects, allowing them to remember their former the Master and automatically respond to calls when needed.

These are all ways to transform chaos into order; they represent entropy reduction.

If the Severing Charm represents destruction, then Alchemy represents creation.

Entropy increase and entropy decrease, destruction and creation, two directions, like two sides of a coin.

But there's a problem.

Let things fall into chaos, and the world will take care of it on its own, and it's always doing so. Everything is moving towards increasing entropy; this is the law of nature.

To make things orderly, to turn chaos into order, is to go against the world; it requires going against the world to achieve that.

From this perspective, Alchemy is indeed superior to the Severing Charm.

Regulus acknowledged this.

He wasn't blindly arrogant; he knew that no matter how lofty his intentions were, his Severing Charm was merely following the trend of the world.

Nicolas Flamel's Alchemy, on the other hand, was a lifelong journey against the grain of the world.

But in the world of Magic, are creation and destruction truly opposites?

Regulus thought about the stars.

The star is burning, it's fusing, it's turning hydrogen into helium, and helium into carbon.

That is creation; it is the creation of heavier elements.

Then the star died, exploded, and ejected everything it had created into space.

That was destruction, that turned order back into chaos.

But those ejected objects will coalesce into new stars and new planets.

Creation and destruction should be a cycle; they may not be opposites, but rather like a loop.

Regulus was lost in these random thoughts and didn't realize how much time had passed.

Nicolas Flamel glanced at the wall clock, then stood up unsteadily. "Regulus, Albus, I'll go see if there's anything to eat."

Dumbledore chuckled and nodded. "Alright."

Regulus got up to help.

Dumbledore neither stopped him nor offered to help; he just sat there with that amused expression on his face.

Regulus had just stood up when Nicolas reached out to stop him.

The old man smiled and said, "No need, no need. Preparing food is something I'm happy to do. You sit down and chat with Albus."

Regulus paused for a moment and looked at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore maintained the same expression, as if the scene before him was quite amusing.

He sat back down and said politely, "Thank you for your trouble Mr. Flamel."

Nicolas waved his hand. "No trouble at all. The place only comes alive with the little wizard."

He glanced at Dumbledore with a hint of disdain. "Otherwise, it's just two old men here, it's quite boring."

Dumbledore laughed, his mustache twitching, but he didn't refute.

Nicolas shuffled out, taking small, quick steps, his arms swinging slightly, making him look like a penguin hurrying along.

The figure was hunched over, yet possessed an indescribable lightness.

Regulus watched him disappear through the doorway.

That gait, those tiny, quick steps—the author, Lord of Water-Strengthening, is waiting for you at Cola with <Hogwarts: Regulus, Lord of the Starry Sky>. That slightly swaying arm—

It's a familiar feeling again.

He sat back down and looked in that direction with Dumbledore.

After Nicolas's figure disappeared around the corner, Regulus turned to Dumbledore: "Professor."

Dumbledore gazed in the direction his old friend had disappeared before turning his head away after a while.

Regulus asked directly, "Why did you call me here?"

Dumbledore smiled and said, "I just want to broaden your horizons."

"Magic..." He leaned back on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames in the fireplace, as if looking into the distance.

Sometimes even I feel that I've only just scratched the surface. What Hogwarts taught is enough, but only enough.

His tone carried a hint of emotion. "It's like standing on the beach, scooping up a handful of water, taking a sip, and then saying you know what the sea tastes like."

He looked at Regulus: "You have some ideas, some understanding of Magic. Alchemy could be a good supplementary area. Try it out; it might inspire you."

Regulus seemed lost in thought.

Whatever Dumbledore's purpose in bringing him here—whether it was to test his attitude towards death or simply to broaden his horizons—he didn't care.

Such an opportunity is extremely rare.

That's Nicolas Flamel, a man who lived for hundreds of years and stood at the very pinnacle of Alchemy.

Even the fact that he is still alive is the strongest endorsement in the Wizarding World.

Having lived from the 14th century to the present, I have witnessed the Black Death Cleansweep Europe and seen Muggle go from riding horses to flying in the sky.

I've also watched generation after generation of so-called genius wizards being born, rising to fame, growing old, and dying.

The level of Magic he possessed, his understanding of Magic, and his exploration of matter was beyond Regulus's comprehension.

So now that we're here and have this opportunity, we must make the most of it.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask.

Moreover, perhaps the answer to nourishing and strengthening the soul can be found here.

As Regulus was pondering this, Nicolas's voice came from the other end.

"Albus, Regulus, come and eat."

The two got up and walked towards the sound.

The restaurant was small, with a long table, a few chairs, and several dishes on the table, all in France style.

Provence stew, fish baked in olive oil, and a basket of Baguette.

Regulus glanced at it; it looked very appealing and smelled delicious.

He sat down and said to Nicolas, "Mr. Flamel. Lemaître."

Nicolas waved his hand with a smile.

Dumbledore had already picked up the fork, his movements practiced and efficient.

He cut a piece of fish, put it in his mouth, nodded with satisfaction, then picked up a piece of bread, broke it open, and dipped it in olive oil.

His posture was as relaxed as if he were at home.

Regulus found it amusing.

This old man, despite his advanced age, is quite uninhibited around Nicolas.

He suddenly thought of another problem.

Dumbledore was probably one of the few wizards who was able to maintain a relationship with Nicolas Flamel.

To reach this level, one must possess powerful Magic, profound thinking, and exceptional talent. Nicolas wouldn't be interested in dealing with ordinary people.

What were Nicolas's feelings as he looked at Dumbledore, from his youth to his middle age, and then to his old age?

Dumbledore probably wouldn't think anything of it; Nicolas was already like this when he first met Nicolas.

But what about Nicolas?

Watching my friends grow old, watching them die, one after another, like autumn leaves, falling and then gone.

What has sustained him for so long?

The Philosopher's Stone granted him immortality, but what happens after that?

He has achieved the highest level of Alchemy, Midas Touch and creating the Elixir of Life.

What is he still pursuing?

Regulus remembered something.

Less than twenty years later, Nicolas will choose to destroy the Philosopher's Stone and give up living.

Based on his perception of time, he might already have this idea now.

He snapped out of his reverie and focused on his meal; he had to admit, it was indeed delicious.

Most importantly, the baguette wasn't as hard as he'd thought; the crust was crispy, and the inside was soft and chewy, making it effortless for him to chew.

After finishing their meal, the three returned to the fireplace.

Dumbledore leaned back on the sofa, looked at Regulus, and winked. "Regulus, ask away. Nicolas rarely sees guests, don't waste the opportunity."

Nicolas looked at him, her eyes kind yet filled with curiosity. "Ask away, child."

Regulus thanked him again, then asked directly, "Mr. Flamel, about the Philosopher's Stone— "

Dumbledore's beard twitched.

A fleeting look of surprise crossed his eyes, but Regulus noticed it.

Regulus chuckled inwardly.

Dumbledore indeed somewhat surprised.

Based on his understanding of Regulus, the boy was quite shrewd.

Whether or not he was testing the waters, Dumbledore guessed that Regulus would think in that direction, and even felt that Regulus might be deliberately avoiding the topic of the Philosopher's Stone.

But Regulus asked the question directly, which surprised him.

Then he found it amusing.

Regulus continued, "The Philosopher's Stone can Midas Touch gold, and lead into gold. Since the mass has changed, where does the extra mass come from?"

Nicolas's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Alchemy doesn't treat matter as a fixed thing; matter is alive, it can change."

Nicolas continued, "In Alchemy, lead and gold are different states of the same thing. Lead wants to become gold, but it's missing something."

"What's missing?" Regulus asked.

"Magic Power."

Nicolas said, "Magic Power can be turned into matter, and matter can be turned into Magic Power; this is the foundation of Alchemy."

You ask where quality comes from? It comes from Magic Power. You pour Magic Power into it, and it becomes quality.

Regulus quickly analyzed the situation in his mind.

Magic Power transforms into mass.

That's it--

He didn't say it aloud, but continued to ask, "Is there a limit to this transformation?"

Nicolas answered directly, "Theoretically, no, but in practice, yes."

The total amount of Magic Power you can control, your mental strength, and the depth of your understanding of matter—these are all limits.

Regulus seemed thoughtful, then he asked, "And the soul? Is the soul matter?"