After leaving the residence of Flamel and his wife, Ian did not return to Moon Laboratory immediately. Instead, he returned to Britain and briefly reunited with his aunt Amelia and cousin Susan.
In those days, he seldom talked about research, only walked and ate with his family, and occasionally practiced basic magic spells with Susan.
Seeing the girl standing in the sun, trying to make the feathers float over and over again, Ian felt warm in her heart.
At night, he and Amelia sat in front of the fireplace and discussed the concept of "limitations."
He explained that there is a "magic threshold" in the wizard's body, and once it is exceeded, the first qualitative change will occur.
Most people spend their entire lives staying under "First Limitation", and he plans to design a potion for his aunt to enable her to break through under safe conditions.
"I don't plan to use blood modification on you." Ian said lightly, "That is too dangerous and the risk is difficult to control. I will design a potion that allows wizards to break through independently. In one or two years, your magic power should be enough to reach 25 times the benchmark value of an adult wizard, and you can use it by then."
Amelia was silent for a moment and nodded. "Then I will regard this as a belated challenge for myself."
Ian smiled.
He knew his aunt's inner perseverance and did not need any further persuasion.
As for Susan--she is still early to reach that level.
However, with Ian's personal guidance and the assistance of pharmaceuticals, her growth rate will far exceed that of her peers.
"When she reaches adulthood, I'm afraid she won't even be able to match my achievements in magic." Ian thought in his heart, with a bit of pride in his eyes.
--
After saying goodbye to his family, he took time to visit some old friends.
Not even Solair was left behind.
This witch with whom he had a brief tangle was obviously not living a stable life now.
Her husband discovered the secret of their past, but after confirming that "that person" was Ian, he did not dare to pursue it and just maintained calm on the surface.
However, from the tired look in Solair's eyes, Ian knew that her family had ceased to exist in name only.
He didn't say much.
He had warned her from the beginning that their relationship would have no future.
She wanted to use his hand to cure her daughter's Bloodline Curse, but he was temporarily obsessed with her beauty.
They were using each other from the beginning, but now the relationship has come to an end.
When leaving, Solair asked in a low voice, "If there is a next life, can we still meet?"
Ian stopped and said calmly, "Maybe."
--
In the days that followed, he turned his attention back to communications around the world.
Letters from Europe, Americas and Far East arrived one after another. They were all scholars and researchers with whom he had written for a long time.
They discuss magical ecology, spatial dimensions, and soul theory.
Ian knows far more than they do, but he is still willing to listen--
Because he knows very well that knowledge is never an island.
He wrote in the letter:
"The pinnacle of any field is worthy of awe.
Although I can be one step ahead in alchemy and soul research, your experience can still inspire me in Magical Creatures ology, rune geometry, and even Muggles science.
Knowledge is the ladder of our progress."
--
After writing the letter, he finally took the most important step - making his own Philosopher's Stone.
He analyzed the Philosopher's Stone structure of Flamel and confirmed that it was a high-concentration magic crystal.
Therefore, the first step is to find the location where the magic is most concentrated.
Ian once conducted an experiment to verify "whether magic exists in the environment."
If, like some other worlds, the air contains free magic, then wizards should have been able to manipulate energy at will and cast spells that are so powerful that they are almost miraculous.
But the experimental results are negative.
The power of wizards in this world relies entirely on their own reserves - there is no magic power from the outside world that can be directly absorbed.
However, the magic is not completely gone.
It still exists in Leyline Nodes underground.
Those magical rivers flowing underground are connected into a network and gather at specific nodes to form a huge energy source.
The Hogwarts, Ministry of Magic buildings, and even Gringotts are all built on such nodes.
That's why those places have remained strong and magical for thousands of years.
Ian also discovered similar structures on the moon and built the experimental base on the strongest node.
He speculated that this shows that the world of Harry Potter was once a universe of high demon civilization.
It's just that these nodes seem to be sealed now, or are "sleeping" and have not yet been reactivated.
Unfortunately, he has not found evidence of the seal yet.
--
Philosopher's Stone The second step is to bind the soul.
He walked into a closed white room Chamber of Secrets.
There are diamonds here - from the size of a thumb to the size of a fist, each one sparkling with a faint silver light.
Ian picked one of them up and stared inside.
Under that luster, there was a vague figure curled up.
That is the soul.
"Muggles's soul." He whispered.
He had already prepared for this day.
From 1985 to 1991, he participated in almost all large-scale wars and conflicts in the world.
When death came on the battlefield, he collected the scattered souls and sealed them in diamonds.
Diamonds are ideal containers - after alchemical treatment, they can store souls stably over the years.
As early as Africa, Ian secretly controlled several mines to ensure sufficient reserves.
He never accepts the souls of children, and has made special precepts for this purpose.
"They haven't gone through enough mistakes before they deserve to be let go."
He wrote this sentence on the first page of his experiment diary.
He knew that his behavior could not be called aboveboard, and even contained hypocrisy.
But this is the only bottom line that allows him to "still be considered human".
With a wave of the magic wand, one hundred thousand diamonds rose into the sky and floated around him, like a silent shower of stars.
--
According to calculations, the number of souls required to make Philosopher's Stone should be around 50,000.
But during the communication with Flamel, Ian learned another truth.
The reason why Philosopher's Stone's Elixir of Immortality has side effects is because of soul resentment.
Those disturbed souls will not be used as "fuel" willingly.
Their pain seeps into the stone, eventually corroding the body and soul of the user.
Flamel The reason why his body is weak and his magic power is declining is not only due to the passage of time, but also the backlash of the resentment of his soul that he has endured for six hundred years.
"Resentment is a variable that cannot be ignored." Ian said softly.
So, he proposed a new plan--
Replace resentment with Emotional Energy.
In each diamond, the pain of the resentful soul was purified by him with a spell array, and then balanced with his own "Emotional Energy".
Those are the true emotions he extracted from countless memories, joys, sorrows, sorrows and joys--
Compassion, guilt, nostalgia, and even love.
Although this is very costly, it can keep the soul calm during the transformation.
"If Philosopher's Stone is destined to be soul-based, then at least let them no longer suffer."
He took a deep breath and waved his wand.
Tens of thousands of souls slowly rotated in the air, gathering into light.
The experiment officially begins.