First Alchemical Creation

Wade suddenly turned to look at Michael.

Michael looked at him strangely. "—Had you never thought of confronting him about it?"

Wade: ...

He really hadn't.

The plot he knew had, to some extent, blinded his thinking—Wade had known from the very beginning that Voldemort was hanging off the back of Quirrell's head, and that no one would die that year. He carried the superiority of a "transmigrator" and a "prophet" in his heart, even viewing things with something of a game-like mentality. When he suddenly discovered Voldemort's Secret, he had merely blamed himself for being careless and had not held anyone else responsible.

Under Michael's gaze, he carefully went through the entire matter from beginning to end, including his own thoughts, Dumbledore's possible considerations, and the eventual fates of these people in the plot.

He found that he still would not confront or resent Dumbledore.

"Why?" Michael asked, puzzled. "He's the Headmaster. He should protect our safety."

"If I confront him, what would I gain?" Wade asked seriously. "Watching Dumbledore repent? Or making him apologize to me? What use would that be? Would resenting Dumbledore over this keep us away from danger in the future?"

Michael was speechless.

"There's no point dwelling on what has already happened, Michael," Wade said at last. "Shouting at the only person who can protect us, questioning him, resisting him—that would be even more foolish. Only those who are favored can act without restraint. Since we aren't favored, we have even less reason to indulge and vent our emotions."

Michael fell silent for a long time before asking softly, "Don't you feel wronged?"

"No," Wade said. "If I learned anything from this, it's this—"

"First, don't place all your hopes on others."

"Second, only those with power can do as they please."

"Third... when you can't beat someone, you have to endure it."

"That's how this world is—it has always been this way."

Wade had spoken rationally to Michael, but in truth, he had not been completely unaffected.

On several nights, when he woke in the middle of the night, he seemed to see the green light of death flash through his dreams. At other times, it was the vicious, cruel voice of that noseless bald monster.

In the latter half of the night, Wade would stare at the stars on the ceiling for a long time, unable to fall asleep. He simply got up and read instead.

He began devoting more time to studying and Alchemy.

During the final week before Christmas, Wade finally completed his first Alchemical creation.

On the pale yellow parchment, golden lines formed an intricate yet orderly geometric pattern. The circles of the inner and outer rings turned slowly at different speeds, while Ancient Runes flickered alternately with golden light.

Wade could clearly see the paths through which Magic Power flowed within it, as well as the way the Spells operated. He could even vaguely sense which parts needed adjustment and where the materials needed replacing.

After a while, his eyes began to sting. He closed them and rested for a moment. When he looked again, there was only an ordinary piece of parchment before him.

After independently completing his first Alchemical creation, Wade's eyes changed again, gaining a new ability—

After being able to see people's true names and the way Spells were cast, Wade discovered that he could now also see the magical diagrams within Alchemical items, the patterns of Magic Power flow, the Spells used, and the Magic script engraved upon them.

However, he needed to concentrate and "look" with intense focus. The slightest distraction would make that special vision disappear.

It was a good thing, really, but Wade wished his Golden Finger would give him an instruction manual.

At first, he had thought he would be well suited to becoming an Auror in the future—whether it was Polyjuice Potion or human Transfiguration, nothing could escape his eyes.

Later, he felt he might be suited to becoming a teacher. Every student could receive one-on-one targeted instruction. Even if the excellence rate was not one hundred percent, it would at least be ninety percent.

Now, Wade felt that he was probably a born Alchemist.

But if he had never come into contact with Alchemy in this life, wouldn't he have remained forever unable to discover that his eyes could see even more wondrous things?

During Thursday tutoring, he handed his repeatedly adjusted creation to Professor Murray.

"Oh, let me see... a piece of parchment?"

Professor Murray put on his glasses and stopped Wade from introducing it. First, he slowly ran his long, thin fingers over the seemingly ordinary parchment.

"Mm... ordinary parchment, with a little mercury, Stone Scale Fish Oil, and mountain rat grass added. None of them are special materials." Professor Murray murmured Spells, his fingers swaying lightly as he examined the Magic Power circuits upon it. "Transfiguration Charm, Connection Charm, Erasing Charm... and a Concealment Charm... Very ingenious—an exceptionally ingenious idea—"

He looked at Wade with delighted, sparkling eyes and said, "I'm guessing you have another identical piece of parchment in your hand, don't you?"

"Yes, Professor." Wade smiled and pulled a notebook he had bound himself from his bag. "Actually, I have a whole stack!"

Professor Murray smiled. He sat down and thought carefully for a while before writing a sentence on the paper in his hand—

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

The bold, powerful handwriting appeared on both pieces of parchment at once, identical in both content and position.

"So that's how it is." Professor Murray examined it again. "The structure of the Magic Power circuits is extremely stable. Even I can find no place to alter... It is almost unaffected by distance and can transmit information instantly—"

As he spoke, he rose to his feet and paced back and forth through the room several times, muttering things no one could understand. His eyebrows seemed ready to fly off his face.

After a while, Professor Murray suddenly turned around and strode toward Wade. He grabbed Wade's shoulders and said excitedly, "Child! Do you know? You will change the world! This is a great invention that can change the world! Merlin! It is more meaningful than every invention I have made so far!"

"It's unbelievable that you're only eleven!"

"This is a piece of parchment, yet it is more than just a piece of parchment! It will change the way all wizards communicate!"

"How did no one think of it before? It is so simple, and yet so great!"

Seeing Professor Murray's gleaming eyes and somewhat crazed demeanor, Wade's heart began to pound violently. He forced himself not to step back, his fingers curling slightly as he nearly reached for his Wand.

In an instant, countless precedents flashed through his mind—Song Zhiwen, who had killed to steal poetry; Newton, who had suppressed and persecuted other scholars.

In that instant, Wade became intensely wary, as if he had returned to that day—when he heard Voldemort's voice through a wall.

Dumbledore's calm, pale blue eyes seemed to be watching him.

Wade secretly gripped a bean the size of a Button—his safety measure.

He did his best to remain humble and composed, smiling as he said, "It can't really be called my invention—I merely borrowed from the example of Muggle network communication. Without your careful guidance, Professor, I wouldn't have been able to make it successfully."