Even more fascinating was the engraving method. The magic lines were incredibly fine, far more delicate than what could be achieved with ordinary rune carving tools. Alex could barely make them out, even with his trained eyes. Without his specialized observation instruments, he wouldn't have been able to see them at all. He turned the mask over again, lost in thought. His concentration was interrupted by Medea, who had been watching him like a hawk. "Well? Did you find anything?" she asked, curiosity burning in her voice.
Alex glanced up, smirking slightly. "Yeah. It's interesting," he said vaguely, then immediately returned to his work.
Medea frowned. His casual response made her even more impatient. 'What's so interesting? Tell me!' She wanted to press him for more details, but she also knew that interrupting now would only slow him down. So instead, she stared at the mask as if she could somehow figure it out herself.
Alex, meanwhile, shut everything else out and focused on breaking down the rune structure. The first step was to separate the two layers of runes, identifying their individual functions. He grabbed two pieces of parchment and began sketching while cross-referencing with his scope. Every now and then, he picked up the No Damage Hammer and gave the mask another light tap, causing the fine runes to momentarily surface again.
This process took two long hours of methodical work, but at last, he had successfully mapped out the individual rune structures. Satisfied, Alex leaned back, cracking his knuckles. Now, the real work could begin, figuring out exactly what these runes did.
Medea, who had been sitting with him the entire time, perked up immediately when she noticed his shift in posture. Her previous exhaustion was gone, replaced by renewed energy as she leaned in closer. "Did you crack it?!" she asked eagerly, practically vibrating with excitement.
Alex gave her a sideways glance. 'Is she always like this?' "Not exactly," he said. "This is just the first step. The real analysis comes next. But I do have a pretty good idea of what this thing does."
Medea's eyes practically sparkled. "Oh? Tell me! I need to report back soon, and you're about to close up shop anyway."
Alex sighed, but humored her. "From what I can tell, the mask has two primary functions, communication and identification."
Medea raised an eyebrow. "Identification?"
"Yeah," Alex confirmed. "It's linked to the wearer's blood, which means it's impossible to use if you're not the original owner. That alone makes it difficult to trace unless we break the magic completely." He tapped his fingers against the worktable. "But the real mystery is the communication function. The runes tied to it are far more advanced than anything I've seen before. If I can decode it, we might be able to track down anyone else wearing one of these masks."
Medea's breath hitched at his words. "Wait… You're saying we might be able to locate the other criminals?"
"It's possible," Alex said, scratching his chin. "But I need more time to fully understand how the communication function works."
Medea was practically bouncing in her seat. "If you pull this off, it'll be a huge breakthrough! The Ministry's been struggling to track these guys for months!" She abruptly stood up, checking her pocket watch. "I have to get back and report this, this is too important."
Alex watched her rush to gather her things, then muttered under his breath, 'Some protector she turned out to be.' He wasn't exactly surprised, Ministry work hours were sacred, after all. Still, he wasn't complaining. If Medea left, it meant more space and fewer interruptions.
As she turned to leave, Medea gave him a grateful nod. "Alex, this is really valuable information. Keep at it. If you find anything else, let me know."
"Yeah, yeah," Alex said, waving her off. "Just make sure the Ministry remembers to compensate me properly."
She smirked. "I'll put in a good word."
After Medea left through the Floo Network, Alex remained in his workspace, calmly studying the spell imprinted on the mask in his hands. The rune structure was unfamiliar, far more intricate and powerful than the alchemy he was used to. This wasn't just a different style; it was a whole new system of rune arrays. Analyzing them gave him fresh insights and broadened his understanding of alchemy, making this research incredibly valuable.
When the Ministry of Magic learned that Alex had made real progress in deciphering the masks, they took immediate interest. The very next day, Medea returned with another mask, along with a message from Minister Bagnold. The Minister promised that if Alex could successfully help the Ministry crack the mystery behind these masks, they would place an additional order for alchemical equipment. Of course, this wasn't just a goodwill gesture, the Ministry had already recognized the quality and reliability of Alex's work.
Not that Alex needed their incentive. He would have pursued the research anyway. Unraveling these spells expanded his knowledge of alchemy, and beyond that, he had his own reasons, one of which was the "Silver Wands." Understanding their tools was a crucial step toward his goals.
After several days of meticulous study, Alex finally decoded the mask's primary functions: identification and communication. The identification rune was particularly intriguing. It allowed the wearer to recognize others using the same type of mask, effectively establishing an internal network. More impressively, the rune assisted vision, enabling the wearer to see through fog, darkness, and similar visual obstructions. That explained why the Silver Wands had no trouble countering the Misty Cloud Curse.
Through this research, Alex expanded his personal rune library. This spell alone could have significant practical applications, perhaps even surpassing the Echo Spell in certain situations.
The communication rune, however, was even more revolutionary. Unlike Alex's own communication amulet, which functioned similarly to a telegraph, only allowing back-and-forth responses, the rune worked more like an advanced pager. It could transmit messages to distant targets instantly, and thanks to the mask's blood-binding enchantment, the communication remained highly secure.
But Alex saw even greater potential in it. The rune mimicked the structure of the Floo Network's communication magic, but with a much broader bandwidth that could handle greater magical output. In theory, if refined and expanded, this could serve as the foundation for an advanced magical communication device, one that might even rival Muggle telephones in functionality.
Despite his breakthroughs, there was a significant limitation. The blood-binding enchantment meant he couldn't use the mask to track its original owner. It would only respond to those bound to it.
To bypass this, Alex came up with a plan. He would refine the mask using the blood of Iseron, the former owner who was now little more than a husk. Since Iseron was still alive, his blood should retain the necessary magical link, allowing Alex to bind himself to the mask and potentially gain access to its network. Bloodline refinement was a delicate process, taking at least a week to complete. However, Alex had been delaying his research to maintain good standing with the Ministry.