"What's wrong, Caryll?"
Wade noticed his pale face and strange expression and couldn't help but ask.
"N-No… it's nothing…"
Caryll's body seemed to be trembling slightly. Wade frowned and reached out to touch his forehead.
His skin was ice-cold, not even carrying the warmth of a normal person.
It was a reminder—they were no longer of the same kind.
Caryll, however, was startled by Wade's touch. When he looked up, he suddenly grabbed Wade's arm tightly.
Wade: "…?"
Caryll forced a smile, released his grip, and said, "It feels a bit cold today. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks and have some butterbeer."
Wade naturally agreed—he had been planning to go there anyway.
The small inn was filled with smoke, warm and cozy. The rich aroma of ale and food permeated the air, making one feel warm instantly.
The bar was packed with Hogwarts students. Michael and the others were sitting together. As Wade and Caryll walked through the crowd toward them, the group welcomed them with smiles.
In a dimly lit corner of the bar, a man in a gray wizard's robe sat quietly. He secretly observed the children, and a satisfied smile slowly appeared on his face.
On the table before him lay a piece of parchment and a quill.
At that moment, the quill lifted itself and began to write line after line on the parchment.
[Successfully integrated… Getting along well… The plan is progressing smoothly…]
…
"Everything is going well."
The tattooed man put down his book of friends and said calmly.
"Good to hear."
The slightly plump woman clasped her hands over her chest in relief. "That child Caryll is incredibly stubborn. I was always worried he'd deliberately cause trouble and sabotage the mission—luckily, he didn't."
"It seems your method worked after all."
The tattooed man turned to look at her. "For a kid like him, ideals and beliefs don't mean much. Money and beauty hold no appeal either. Only family ties can tighten around his throat like a noose."
The woman grinned proudly. "All my efforts learning to cook weren't in vain. Honestly, I don't understand—British food is so awful, yet Caryll actually likes it. Did you see? He was so touched he nearly cried!"
She originally had a gentle and kind appearance, but when she smiled like that, her whole demeanor became twisted.
Even the person beside her couldn't stand it any longer. she turned and asked, "Major, what's so special about Caryll? Based on his age, he should still be in the training camp."
"He is Wade Grey's childhood friend and also your assistant."
The tattooed man—Major Baird—replied, "But he only knows that he has companions within the school. He doesn't know your identity, so you don't have to worry about him exposing you, Sierra."
The third person sitting in the room was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—Sierra Abigail.
Even after Baird's reassurance, Abigail still looked displeased and snapped angrily:
"I've said it before—I don't need extra hands! Besides, I'm about to acquire the magic doll custom-made by Wade himself—a large doll crafted based on a magical creature! Do you understand what that means?"
"I know, I understand," Baird said patiently. "But the mission's priorities have changed, Sierra—the doll is no longer the most important thing. The most important thing is Wade Grey."
"What?!" Abigail frowned. "There are so many alchemists in the world, why does it have to be him? He's right under Dumbledore's nose, and both Aslan Magic Workshop and Terrence Murray are not to be trifled with…"
"Of course, I understand the danger of this, Sierra. I'm one of the operatives in this mission as well. Dumbledore might be less than a thousand meters away from me right now."
Baird said helplessly:
"But all the alchemists we've brought in say the same thing—the doll may look like nothing more than an enlarged version of wizard's chess, but its craftsmanship is unprecedented. Its creator possesses an extraordinary and unimaginable level of alchemical skill."
"If they want to perfectly replicate the puppet and mass-produce it, they must have the full set of design blueprints. Sierra, can you obtain the doll's design from Grey?"
Abigail shook her head grimly.
Baird nodded. "That's exactly it. Alchemists are naturally protective of their intellectual property—they guard their inventions fiercely."
"But more importantly, Wade Grey is a young and exceptionally gifted alchemist."
"The things he creates—other alchemists can't even replicate them. So, if there's an alchemical feat that no other alchemist has ever achieved, is it possible that he could?"
Abigail's expression shifted. "You mean…"
"Of course—the Philosopher's Stone, the key to immortality!!"
Baird's voice carried a hint of excitement. "For over a thousand years, the only one who has ever accomplished this feat is Nicolas Flamel! Every other alchemist has been powerless before the Philosopher's Stone."
"But even Nicolas Flamel only created an incomplete version—the Philosopher's Stone allowed him to live forever, but it couldn't stop him from aging!"
"So do you understand now? Compared to those rigid-minded fools who can only follow textbooks, Wade Grey is an astonishing gift to the leader! He has a real chance of creating a true Philosopher's Stone!"
"Even if he only manages to create the same incomplete version as Nicolas Flamel, that alone could extend a person's lifespan to six or seven hundred years."
"With such a long time, and with the organization's support, a true elixir of immortality would only be a matter of time!"
Abigail trembled all over as she fully grasped the implications.
She had long suspected that the higher-ups of the organization were not truly after magical power. Their goal had always been the same—healthier, longer, and younger lives, ideally without an end.
Werewolves, vampires, wizards, magical creatures—they are all merely sacrifices along the path of their pursuit.
But all those paths had their limits. Not only were they restricted by lifespan, but the transformation process was also fraught with risks, and even after transformation, the benefits were questionable at best.
Compared to that, the Philosopher's Stone is an overwhelmingly tempting path!
—To turn stone into gold. To grant eternal life.
The greatest desires of ordinary people, all satisfied by a single, small stone.
In truth, the leader's ideal alchemist had always been Nicolas Flamel. But upon learning that the old man had destroyed the world's one and only Philosopher's Stone to keep it out of Voldemort's hands—and had since died—their focus had no choice but to shift elsewhere.
However, creating a Philosopher's Stone is not only immensely costly, but failure is the norm. Success is a rare and fleeting miracle, formed by the perfect combination of wisdom, skill, determination, and sheer luck.
Faced with repeated failures, with money being thrown away like water, and with nothing to show for it in the end—who can endure that?
Yet, even then, the leader could not blame the failed alchemists—after all, in over a thousand years, only one man had ever succeeded. Is it not natural for the rest to fail as well?
They couldn't even tell whether these failures were truly unavoidable or if the alchemists were deliberately withholding success.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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