Unexpected Judges

Lucien circulated the magic power that was slowly recovering within his body, making his pale face appear rosier.

After feeling a little better, he and Phoebe, who was waiting beside him, pushed open the heavy doors of the hall.

In the spacious hall, contestants, professors from various schools, invited judges, and many senior students who came to watch the competition gathered in twos and threes to chat.

The judging hadn't officially started yet, but several long tables were set with exquisite pastries and various teas, creating a relaxed atmosphere reminiscent of a social tea party.

Lucien's gaze swept quickly across the crowd, and he immediately spotted Madame Maxime's strikingly tall figure.

Standing beside her were several elderly people with gray hair and extraordinary demeanor. Judging from the slightly respectful and curious attitude of those around them, they should be the alchemy masters who were specially invited to serve as judges.

Based on his memory, Lucien matched several of them with photos and names from journals such as "Advances in Alchemy" and "Matter Evolution," confirming that they were all renowned figures in the field of alchemy.

His gaze continued to move, and suddenly, an old man who had been talking to Madame Maxime with his back to him turned around.

The moment Lucien saw the other person's face clearly, his pupils trembled.

The old man seemed to notice his gaze and looked back at him.

The moment his eyes met Lucien's, the old man smiled gently. He said a few words to Madame Maxime and the other master beside her, then walked straight toward Lucien.

The old man walked steadily and looked no different from any other kind elder.

He first smiled kindly at Phoebe, who was standing next to Lucien, and spoke in a gentle tone:

"Miss, would you mind if I borrowed this handsome young man for a moment to say a few words?"

Although Phoebe didn't recognize the old man in front of her, her good manners made her immediately give a polite nod. "Of course, please go ahead."

Lucien followed the old man to a relatively quiet corner of the hall, where there was hardly anyone around. He then lowered his voice, his tone a mixture of surprise and confusion, and asked:

"Teacher, what brings you here?"

Yes, the seemingly ordinary old man before us is none other than Nicolas Flamel.

To be precise, it's Nicolas Flamel whose appearance has become "younger".

Of course, this "youth" is relative. Compared to his previous aged appearance, which had been eroded by more than 600 years of time, Nicolas, who has now recovered to the state of "eighty or ninety years old," is practically a different person.

Upon hearing this, Nicolas grinned like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.

"Albus it to me before, and I thought it would be interesting to see you participate in this kind of competition, so I decided to come and check it out on a whim." Nicolas shrugged, his tone relaxed. "Anyway, in this situation, nobody here knows me."

Lucien opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Indeed, although Nicolas's life was prolonged by taking the Elixir of Life made from the Sorcerer's Stone, aging continued.

The last time he appeared in the world looking like he was "eighty or ninety years old" was five hundred years ago.

Without revealing his identity, it would be difficult for anyone in the current Wizarding World to recognize this living legend.

Before Lucien could fully recover from the unexpected shock, Nicolas had already scrutinized his face for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on Lucien's wrist, a gentle magic slowly seeping in.

A moment later, Nicolas's brow furrowed even more:

"How could your mana be depleted so severely? It's almost completely exhausted... This doesn't seem like the result of normal spellcasting."

Lucien quickly explained, "It was a small mishap during a new magic experiment, but it's all right now, teacher, and I'm recovering."

Nicolas then released his grip, but his expression remained serious, and he gave a word of advice with the concern of an elder:

"Although you are exceptionally gifted in magical power, your body and magical energy are still in the developmental stage. Overdrawing your abilities is not advisable. You must be more careful in the future..."

Hearing the concern in Nicolas's words, a warm feeling spread through Lucien's heart.

"I understand, teacher."

Unfortunately, the restoration of a wizard's magic mainly relies on its own cycle and the passage of time; there are few external means that can directly accelerate this process.

Lucien changed the subject, looking at the judges' panel in the center of the hall. "Teacher, are you here to serve as a judge as well?"

"Yes," Nicolas readily admitted, then lowered his voice, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, "But I'm using a different identity and name. Maxime knows the inside story, so it's no problem."

Nicolas seemed to remember something, and helplessly shrugged.

"I was originally going to ask Albus come along, but he said he's been too busy lately and can't get away. Sigh, these young people nowadays, all they know is how to be busy, they don't even know how to relax."

Listening to the over 600-year-old teacher criticize the over 100-year-old "young man" Dumbledore in such a tone, Lucien's lips twitched involuntarily, and he was somewhat speechless.

The conversation flowed naturally, and neither of them felt there was anything wrong with it.

Nicolas wouldn't show any favoritism to Lucien just because he was her student, and Lucien, in turn, had enough confidence in his alchemical creations to not need any special treatment.

Not far away, Madame Maxime clapped her hands, her clear voice echoing throughout the hall:

"Contestants and judges, please take your positions. The final judging is about to begin."