Wade was slightly taken aback, then nodded and said, "Of course. Are you also an alchemist?"
"It's still too early to call myself an alchemist. I'm just learning from my teacher, and I haven't produced anything original."
Natalia gave a small smile and said, "I've bought every one of your alchemical products—especially the dolls. In our very first alchemy class, the professor had us start by observing the alchemy used in your dolls…"
"But there's one thing that's a bit of a shame," another blond student from Ilvermorny, Ryan, walked over and said. "Grey, it seems you've never published any paper in a journal?"
He smiled and added, "I have an uncle who works at the editorial office of Alchemy Frontiers. If you ever need to publish something, I can help."
His tone was friendly, but there was a subtle hint of doubt in his eyes—
The more one understood alchemy, the harder it was to believe that all the inventions of the past two years had come from a teenager.
Some people preferred to believe certain rumors—such as that Wade Grey was actually the illegitimate son of the alchemist Murray, and that Murray had credited his own inventions to Wade to help the boy steal fame that wasn't truly his.
Of course, Ryan wasn't foolish enough to voice such suspicions openly. He merely hinted to his companions—if Wade Gray was really that capable, then why hadn't he published a single paper to date?
But Natalia immediately pursed her lips and said, "Grey could easily write a paper based on any of his works and get it published in whichever journal he wanted—he doesn't need your help."
Ryan: "…"
Helplessly, he tried to smooth things over. "I just meant that having a connection could make things easier, right?"
"Thank you for your offer," Wade said, "but at the moment, I have no need to publish anything."
"That's understandable—preparing for the tournament must be more than enough work already."
Natalia nodded in agreement, then added, "I've always been curious—your method of giving thought to your dolls seems a bit different from how wizard chess pieces are made?"
"That's true. When making dolls, I also incorporated some transfiguration theory, so that inanimate objects start to develop toward a living state, enhancing their logic and capacity for learning and growth…"
Wade didn't mind discussing alchemy with her—the things he mentioned were all concepts that a skilled alchemist could deduce on their own. But having the theory didn't mean they could actually create dolls like his.
More importantly, discussing such complex topics helped reinforce his "Ravenclaw bookworm" image in others' eyes.
Natalia's eyes lit up immediately, as though a grand palace of knowledge had just opened a crack in its doors, letting her glimpse the dazzling light within, and resolving questions that had puzzled her for a long time.
"Yes, I've always thought these dolls were so clever they practically had souls. What you're doing is almost like creating an alchemical lifeform…"
"Not quite to that extent—dolls are still just a smarter kind of wizard chess piece," Wade said modestly.
The dolls sold on the market were indeed far less advanced—their intelligence was roughly on par with a clever AI assistant, very different from the ones Wade kept by his side.
He explained, "Their consciousness framework is too basic—mainly relying on multi-layered construction techniques and stacked enchantments. For magical energy conduction, I borrowed a formula once proposed by Mr. Nicolas Flamel…"
"Ah, I've read that paper too," Natalia said excitedly. "Mr. Flamel once mentioned discussing matter transformation and energy conservation with a Muggle scientist friend, which led him to propose the concept of magical efficiency…"
The more they talked, the more animated they became—but for anyone who didn't understand alchemy, this kind of theory was like a lullaby.
After less than three minutes, Ryan's eyes had gone glassy.
Although he couldn't follow the conversation, judging by Natalia's expression, he could tell Wade was genuinely knowledgeable. So he made up a casual excuse and quietly slipped away.
Most of the other contestants also looked away with little interest, but three students from Salem Institute walked over. After listening for a bit, they joined the conversation.
"Grey, your works seem to incorporate some Muggle technological concepts as well?" Abby asked in a low voice.
"Yes," Wade admitted openly. "I've learned a lot from them."
"I could tell. And I think you can also see that our school places great emphasis on integrating magic and technology."
Abby continued, "At Salem, in addition to Muggle Studies, we also offer several courses related to Muggles, including Muggle Mechanical Engineering, Weapons Development, History of Warfare, and so on."
"Salem's helicopter was certainly impressive," Wade said. "Was that something you modified yourselves?"
"Yes, we just finished the modifications recently," Abby said proudly. "We removed parts of the traditional aircraft structure, redesigned the engine, propellers, and fuel tank. And of course, we used the Extension Charm on the cabin."
The founders of their school had suffered greatly from Muggle persecution in the past, but Salem Institute had not completely cut itself off from Muggle society because of it.
On the contrary, they were perhaps the most knowledgeable about Muggles of any wizarding school.
Because of their history of hostility and fear, Salem had studied Muggles more deeply than anyone. They were able to humble themselves to learn from them, and also to set aside prejudice, actively adopting the beneficial parts of Muggle technology.
While Wade was discussing alchemy with the group, Harry suddenly came storming out of the nearby broom shed, looking furious. Behind him, Rita Skeeter hastily snapped shut her crocodile-skin handbag, ran her fingers through her hair, and then stepped out in high heels.
"What happened?"
Cedric, who had been chatting with Fleur, noticed Harry's expression and walked over with concern.
"I finally understand why everyone hates that Skeeter woman," Harry muttered through clenched teeth. "She's not interviewing at all—she's just trying every possible way to make things up."
Cedric's father worked at the Ministry of Magic, so he had naturally heard all about Rita Skeeter's style. He patted Harry on the shoulder sympathetically and said,
"Every wizard in Britain knows Skeeter loves to make things up. The more you react, the more she enjoys it. The best way is not to let her steal a single bit of your attention."
"I get it. From now on, I'll stay far away from her," Harry said with a nod, trying to ignore the discomfort twisting inside him and to forget the words Skeeter's quill had written—
[Those startlingly green eyes were brimming with tears]—just thinking about it made his skin crawl, especially since she had mentioned his parents in such an utterly disrespectful tone…
Suddenly, the classroom door swung open, and Barty Crouch, Ollivander, and the headmasters all walked in from outside.
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
[email protected]/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------