Hermione's Doubts

Day after day.

Lin Yuan was like a sponge from another world, possessing infinite suction power, madly absorbing the knowledge of this world.

As for Hermione Granger, the little Gryffindor lioness proud of being "all-knowing," she encountered a "being" for the first time that made her feel powerless and defeated from the depths of her soul.

She regarded Lin Yuan as the ultimate "imaginary enemy" in her life.

She secretly observed him, imitated him, and tried to catch up to him.

Finally, after a Potions class, she was severely humiliated by Professor Snape with the reason, "Ten points from Gryffindor for your unrealistic foolish fantasy," due to a bold conjecture. Hermione, with her last and most remote hope, walked towards Lin Yuan.

Clutching the thick book, Advanced Potion-Making, she walked like a startled cat that had mustered all its courage to approach the quiet, statue-like figure engrossed in Runic Structures.

"Um... Classmate Ryan."

Her voice trembled slightly, a tremor that was hard to detect.

Lin Yuan slowly raised his head from the vast world composed of countless lines of laws.

His eyes were calm and deep, as if reflecting the sea of stars.

He simply looked at her, saying nothing, yet giving her the illusion that all her thoughts were being seen through.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat, but she braced herself and, in the fastest possible speed, blurted out her question:

"It's about the recipe for the 'Soothing Agent'! The book, and Professor Snape, both insist on using Moonstone Powder to neutralize Goblin Feces. But I believe, based on the principle of opposing medicinal properties, that Unicorn Horn Powder, with its pure energy, should be more effective at countering the corrosive nature of Goblin Feces than the gentle energy of Moonstone! My idea... is it really... foolish?"

She asked this question, using almost all her strength.

She stared nervously at Lin Yuan, awaiting his "judgment." Would he mock her contemptuously like Snape, or stare at her blankly like Ron?

Lin Yuan's gaze lingered on her flushed face, red with nervousness, for a full three seconds.

Then, he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, as if stating that "one plus one equals two."

"Your train of thought is correct."

This short sentence, like a divine light, instantly illuminated Hermione's gloomy world!

Her eyes suddenly lit up, filled with disbelief and ecstasy.

"Really?! I knew it! I knew my deduction made sense! Professor Snape he..."

"The core of a unicorn's horn is the 'Purification' law of pure energy," Lin Yuan's voice continued calmly, interrupting her excitement. "And Goblin Feces contains the dark attribute laws of 'Corrosion' and 'Chaos'. When they meet, it's not 'neutralization,' but 'annihilation.' Theoretically, a Soothing Agent made this way would be at least three times more effective than the standard recipe. It could even instantly heal permanent scars left by Dragon Pox."

Hermione was so excited she almost fainted! This was even more powerful than she had imagined! Her theory had been proven! And it had been explained perfectly by someone she most revered, using a "law" theory she had never heard of but felt was incredibly correct!

However, just as she was immersed in immense joy, Lin Yuan's next sentence, like a giant hammer from the Ice Age, struck her squarely on the head.

"But, you can't do it."

Hermione's smile froze instantly.

"Wh-why?" Her voice was dry and bewildered.

Lin Yuan's eyes remained calm, yet carried a detached indifference, as if looking down on all beings. It was the look one gives a mortal trying to catch lightning with their bare hands.

"Because you cannot handle the 'Energy Entropy Increase' that erupts when two opposing laws annihilate each other within a ten-thousandth of a second."

"Energy... entropy... increase?" Hermione's brain completely crashed.

This vocabulary was beyond her knowledge base.

"Explain it in a way you can understand," Lin Yuan's tone was devoid of any fluctuation. "The moment you throw the Unicorn Horn Powder into the cauldron, your cauldron will explode instantly."

Hermione's face instantly turned as pale as paper.

She subconsciously took a step back.

Lin Yuan's voice continued.

It wasn't loud, but it was like a surgical knife, precisely dissecting a world of potions she had never imagined.

"There are only two ways to solve this problem."

"First, on the inner wall of your fragile tin cauldron, using at least three types of Ancient Runes that can form a 'Three Powers Stable Force Field'—for example, the Earth Rune representing 'bearing,' the Water Rune representing 'absorption,' and the Wind Rune representing 'guidance'—you must construct a temporary 'Energy Buffer Rune Array' with millimeter-perfect precision. This rune array can absorb, convert, and export the energy the moment it erupts. If any stroke of energy injection is off, or the activation time is a thousandth of a second late, the result will be the same as what I just said."

"Second," Lin Yuan's gaze paused slightly, as if piercing the library's dome and looking towards a more distant, ancient existence. "You need a true 'Alchemy Cauldron.' It is not forged from ordinary metal but from a divine material capable of self-stabilizing spatial laws—such as 'Mysterious Gold Silver.' Such an artifact does not 'resist' energy but 'harmonizes' laws. It is, in itself, a small, perfect world."

Energy Buffer Rune Array...

Mysterious Gold Silver...

Alchemy Cauldron...

Hermione Granger, one of the brightest witches in Hogwarts' history, stood there dumbfounded.

Her mind was a complete blank.

She recognized every word Lin Yuan spoke.

But when these words were combined, they constructed a mythical realm that she could not understand at all.

She felt her entire proud knowledge system, that magnificent skyscraper built from countless books and sleepless nights, collapsed in an instant at Lin Yuan's few casual words, turning into ruins.

The gap between her and Lin Yuan could not be bridged by effort.

It could not even be explained by talent.

That... is the dimensional rift.

Lin Yuan had already shifted his gaze back to his ancient rune book, as if the conversation that could have overturned a top student's worldview was merely him casually answering a "How's the weather today?" question.

He closed the book and walked past Hermione, heading towards the next bookshelf that interested him.

His footsteps were light, making not a sound.

All he left her with was a calm, indifferent back, as if nothing had happened.

And Hermione Granger was still frozen in place, clutching the Advanced Potion-Making book tightly to her chest.

This book had once been a symbol of her intellect and pride.

But now, in her hands, it felt so heavy, so... insignificant.