Chapter 62: Natural Materials? Not Even a Dog Would Use Them!
"My suggestion," Vaisey continued, his voice cool and confident, "is that we use no natural materials whatsoever. All secondary components should be replaced with materials treated with magical potions. And the main components should each be created using a dedicated alchemical device." He looked at Ryan. "The difficulty, of course, is that this would require a very high level of alchemical skill, and a significant… initial research and development cost, correct?"
"Yes," Ryan confirmed. "Creating a specialized alchemical device to produce other devices… that's what we would call R&D. And I can't be certain how long it would take to create such a thing." Vaisey, he thought, my most loyal supporter. Even more radical than I am. In a world that still revered "all-natural, organic" materials, he was proposing a jump straight to synthetics.
"I can only estimate," Vaisey said, "but with this method, the material cost of the communication device could be as low as one or two Galleons."
A collective gasp went through the room. When Pablo had calculated the cost of Ryan's prototype at fifty Galleons, most of the students, with the exception of the pure-blood heirs, had been boggled by the number. They couldn't imagine spending so much on a single item. Pablo's reduction to ten Galleons had already seemed like a stroke of genius, a brilliant piece of cost-cutting that would make the device accessible to more wizards. But this… this was on another level entirely.
Heretics! they all thought. How can you make a magical item without natural materials?! Soaking them in potions is one thing, but not a single natural ingredient? And creating the core components with an alchemical device? It's sacrilege! It has none of the beauty of magic!
Even the Muggle-born students, with the exception of the Weasleys, who were practically drooling at the thought of a two-Galleon communicator, found the idea of a fully synthetic magical object… unsettling. Hermione was reminded of the cheap plastic and rubber goods she had seen in Muggle shops. "My goodness," she whispered. "That's not magical at all. Shouldn't a high-end magical item be made from a variety of mysterious and rare ingredients?" And then, a sudden realization. Alchemy is the art of creating what does not exist. Using a creation of alchemy to create another product is entirely logical!
Ryan, though he felt a pang of guilt for so thoroughly corrupting the young witch's view of the "proper" magical world, decided to double down. "That's right. The essence of alchemy is transmutation. It is entirely logical to use alchemy to create the core components." The art style of the wizarding world was about to get a major overhaul, and he was going to be the one to do it.
The meeting drew to a close. "Just a reminder," Ryan said to the group of delinquents, "your detention starts tomorrow night. You'll be reporting here, to the Adventurers' Club." The students all cheered. Detention with Ryan, in the club? It was practically a party.
Later that night, Ryan was back in the club, trying to design the alchemical devices. After several hours, he had only a few vague ideas. He was trying to create something that had never existed before, with no reference points, and he was completely stuck. He downed a potion, feeling a surge of renewed energy. The Headmaster is surely still awake, he thought. A perfect time to ask for some advice.
The Headmaster's Office.
"Ryan," Dumbledore said, not even inviting him to sit. "It is late." He was already halfway up the stairs to his private chambers.
"I've run into a problem with my alchemy research," Ryan said, casually pulling up a chair and using his wand to pour them both a cup of tea.
"I believe you should be in your dormitory, resting," Dumbledore said from the stairs.
"I can't sleep," Ryan said, putting on his best woeful expression. "The problem has been tormenting me." His acting is terrible, the portraits on the walls all thought in unison.
"A Ravenclaw will always pursue knowledge," Dumbledore said with a yawn. "But we can discuss this another time."
"But, Headmaster," Ryan said, "you're not even wearing your pajamas." Dumbledore was, in fact, fully dressed, his cheeks flushed, looking unusually refreshed. "What is going on, Headmaster?"
"Oh," Dumbledore said, improvising badly. "It has become fashionable, recently, to sleep in one's robes. I was just trying it out. I'm on my way to change now." He then sealed the entrance to the second floor with a spell.
What? Ryan thought. Dumbledore was not only acting suspiciously, he was acting illogically. His plan to consult with the Headmaster was a failure. He was just about to leave when he saw it: the Sorting Hat, sitting on a nearby shelf. And the magical portraits on the walls.
"The Sorting Hat! The portraits!" A sudden flash of insight hit him. "They are magical items that have been imbued with a form of consciousness! If I can infuse a similar consciousness into my alchemical devices, and give them a set of basic instructions, they could refine the production process themselves!"
He could create a simple form of magical artificial intelligence. It wouldn't need to learn and grow like the Sorting Hat, just perform a set of predefined tasks. He could skip over centuries of Muggle scientific development and go straight to a functioning AI.
Overjoyed, Ryan rushed to the library. He had to learn everything he could about the magic of enchanted portraits. He couldn't wait. He wanted to have it done by morning, to present the finished product to the club and casually say, "It was just a stroke of luck."
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