I know alchemy?

<Hogwarts: Regulus, Lord of the Starry Sky> is currently being serialized on Cola and is not to be missed!

Dumbledore leaned back on the sofa, listening to their conversation.

Regulus's first question, about the conversion between Magic Power and matter, seemed very basic to him.

That's something that's even in Hogwarts ' textbooks, mentioned in sixth-year advanced Transfiguration or seventh-year Potions theory.

Magic Power can act as a medium to alter matter; matter absorbs Magic Power during the transformation process—this is the fundamental principle of Alchemy.

He didn't know what the point of Regulus's question was.

Perhaps it was just a casual question.

This child's understanding of Alchemy may indeed be limited, which is understandable, given that he is only twelve years old.

But Dumbledore reconsidered and felt something was amiss.

Regulus wasn't the type to ask questions casually; every question he asked had a deeper meaning behind it.

Magic Power and matter can be transformed into each other.

What implications can be drawn from this conclusion, when combined with the child's understanding of Space Magic or Natural Magic?

Dumbledore couldn't imagine it.

Young people's minds are indeed very active.

But the second problem caught his attention.

soul?

Dumbledore's eyebrows twitched.

He looked at Regulus, then at Nicolas, shifted slightly, rested his right arm on the sofa, propped his chin on his hand, and listened intently.

Nicolas Flamel remained silent for a moment after hearing Regulus's question.

The firelight from the fireplace danced on his face, and his pale gray eyes looked at Regulus with an indescribable emotion.

He repeated the question, "Is the soul matter?"

His tone was somewhat meaningful. "Alchemy has studied this problem for six hundred years, and there is still no standard answer, but I can tell you my perspective."

Regulus listened intently.

Nicolas continued, "From Alchemy perspective, I treat it as matter."

He reached out his hand and made a loose clenching motion in the air.

"It doesn't take up any space, and it can't even be touched, but I can only do something with it if I treat it as a material."

The essence of Alchemy is to do something with matter, to change it, transform it, and reshape it.

If I don't treat it as a material thing, I won't know where to begin.

He smiled and said, "When you used your Magic Perception to probe me just now, I felt you watching me. Do you know how I found out?"

Regulus thought for a moment, "Because there are fluctuations in Magic Perception?"

Nicolas shook her head. "No."

Regulus then said, "Is it because you are too powerful? Or because your senses are more acute than mine?"

Nicolas shook her head again. "That's not right either."

Regulus asked hesitantly, "Is that... an intuition formed over hundreds of years?"

Nicolas waved his hand with a smile, "None of them are correct."

Regulus stopped guessing, but a word vaguely popped into his mind.

Observation.

It's possible that it wasn't his Magic Perception that was discovered, but rather the act of observation itself that was observed by the observed.

Just as he was looking at the Soul Avatar, that little soul figure was also looking at him.

He didn't say it aloud, waiting for Nicolas to explain it to him.

Nicolas's smile deepened, "Actually, there's nothing profound about it. It's just that you're looking at me, and I know that."

The words were blunt, but Regulus understood them.

Nicolas leaned closer, lowering his voice with an air of mystery, as if he were keeping it from Dumbledore: "But I sense that your perception isn't just Magic Perception, is it?"

He blinked. "You can see it now, right?"

Regulus's heart skipped a beat.

Was it just that one flash of Magic Perception that led to his discovery?

really.

An old wizard who has lived for six hundred years is indeed extraordinary.

But it's not surprising that Flamel discovered it.

Six hundred years is enough time for a wizard to become extremely sensitive to being observed.

Moreover, Flamel's words confirmed his earlier guess.

Observation itself is an interaction.

Looking at that little figure every day is a way of confirming its existence; each glance could be an interaction.

Those interactions, accumulated over time, deepen his connection with his soul.

This is what Flamel meant when he said, "You're watching me, I know that."

His guess was correct; the observation and being observed are never one-way.

Regulus processed all of this in his mind.

Nicolas looked at him, then at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore remained in that position, his expression unchanged, but a hint of realization flashed in his eyes. He didn't interrupt, just listened.

Nicolas turned her gaze back to Regulus: "You can see it now, which means it's there. This is the starting point."

Regulus straightened his expression. "Mr. Flamel is right."

Nicolas smiled and gave Dumbledore look.

Regulus noticed this little gesture and found it amusing.

The way these two old men get along is quite interesting.

Nicolas continued, "But seeing something doesn't mean you can keep it."

He stopped smiling and his tone became more serious, "The soul is a light and fleeting thing, easily scattered. You need to find an anchor for it, so that it can settle down."

He stretched out his hand and made a grasping motion. "In Alchemy, you need a core to refine anything before crystallization can occur, and the same goes for a soul."

Without a core, it's just a wisp of fog, easily dispersed by the wind; with a core, it can solidify and grow.

He looked at Regulus: "What is your anchor point?"

I don't know, it could be something you're holding onto, someone you can't let go of, or the thoughts that circulate in your mind every night.

But there must be some, otherwise you would have broken up long ago.

Regulus seemed lost in thought.

What is his anchor point?

What he insisted on was his desire to go out, to see what lies behind the stars, and to know what exists beyond this world.

That was a thought that started when I was very young, and it has always been in my heart, never fading away.

That idea was bigger than any specific goal, bigger than everything else.

His mind was filled with thoughts of understanding Magic, exploring the world, and contemplating rules.

Those incantations pondered every night in the Room of Requirement, those stars seen in Star Orbit Meditation, those possibilities imagined in the Soul Avatar.

As for those you can't let go of?

Regulus dismissed this; he was only twelve and didn't care.

These are anchors, things that hold his soul in place.

Flamel is right.

Regulus then asked, "Mr. Flamel, can the soul grow stronger?"

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Nicolas's eyes. "Of course. Like Alchemy, matter needs Magic Power to be transformed, but what does the soul need?"

It eats your experiences, it eats the choices you make, it eats the things you stubbornly refuse to let go of.

He continued, "Albus said you have Patronus, but have you ever thought about why your Patronus is so bright?"

Regulus tilted his head slightly, his eyes filled with doubt.

Because I am kind?

"Because there is light in your heart, that is your soul feeding; it is consuming what makes you shine."

Regulus quickly processed Flamel's words in his mind.

The brighter the Patronus, the better the soul is nourished; therefore, is the Patronus an indicator of the soul's appetite?

Those happy memories, those touching moments, those things he was willing to Protection —they were all food.

But Regulus then thought of another problem.

What Flamel said can be taken as the standard answer, but is it the only answer?

If Patronus represent positive aspects, then what about those Patronus are completely opposed to them?

If those dark, destructive things that bring about the collapse of order can also nourish the soul, what does that signify?

If souls could also eat those things--

What would happen if those moments of rage, those surges of murderous intent, those cold-blooded commands of destruction could also become nourishment?

Will you be swallowed by darkness, or will you devour it and make it a part of yourself?

If the Patronus are consumed, then Dark Arts will consume darkness.

What will happen to their souls if they eat together?

Creation and destruction can be a cycle, but must light and darkness necessarily be opposites?

Regulus pondered these things, lost in thought, but found no answer.

But he felt that this was a question worth considering.

Nicolas didn't rush to speak, she just looked at him.

Dumbledore didn't say anything, he just looked Regulus up and down, but he was thinking about something else.

This child can already see souls, and is even thinking about how to make them stronger?

A flicker of surprise crossed Dumbledore's mind.

Being able to see the soul is not something that can be achieved simply by having good talent; it requires a deep understanding of oneself and a far-reaching exploration of one's inner self.

Most wizards never even get close to this door in their entire lives, but Regulus did it in his second year.

But then Dumbledore laughed again, remembering the words he had spoken to Regulus outside the Shrieking Shack on that full moon night in September.

Seeing Regulus deep in thought, he knew the boy had taken his words to heart and was moving forward.

His eyes were full of admiration.

Nicolas was watching too, with the same expression in her eyes.

After a long while, Regulus came to his senses.

He noticed the two old men were looking at him, so he gave a slight bow and said, "Sorry, I was daydreaming."

Nicolas waved his hand. "It's okay, have you figured it out?"

Regulus thought for a moment, "I understand some things, but I'm still wondering about others."

Nicolas nodded in satisfaction. "That's right. What you can figure out all at once is often wrong."

He smiled and said, "So these three things are interconnected. The fact that you can see it means it's there; the fact that you can anchor it means you have an anchor; and the fact that you can nurture it means you know what to feed it."

He held up his hand and made a three-pointing gesture.

"See, anchor, feed—all are essential. You're already doing it, you just don't realize it's Alchemy."

Regulus murmured these three words to himself; they were indeed one.

The clearer the view, the more stable the anchor.

The more secure the anchor, the more it can eat.

The more you eat, the clearer you see.

A loop.

If that's the case, then we can't just passively experience things; we have to actively choose them.

Actively choose things that can strengthen the anchor point.

Actively nourish the soul.

This doesn't seem to conflict with the direction in Saiph is illuminated.

Exerting influence abroad is itself part of the experience.

The deeper the experience, the more the soul nourishes itself; the more it nourishes, the more firmly it anchors; the more firmly it anchors, the greater the likelihood that Saiph light up.

Exerting influence abroad is itself part of the experience.

The deeper the experience, the more the soul nourishes itself; the more it nourishes, the more firmly it anchors; the more firmly it anchors, the greater the likelihood that Saiph light up.

They don't conflict; in fact, they complement each other.

Regulus sorted these things out in his mind.

Nicolas looked at him and said, "Having lived for six hundred years, I've learned one thing."

Some problems don't require a prior answer before you can solve them. You can start by doing them, and the answer will gradually emerge.

Regulus said gratefully, "Thank you Mr. Flamel."

Nicolas waved his hand. "You're welcome. It's because you asked a good question that my answer was interesting."

He glanced at Dumbledore: "Much better than all your pointless questions."

Dumbledore chuckled but didn't refute.