Chapter 73: The Alchemical Device
Ryan pushed the door open and stepped back into the Adventurers' Club. The atmosphere inside was much as he had left it. Percy and the twins were anxiously watching the doorway, curious about what their brother had needed to say, while Vaisey was the only other one who seemed to be paying the entrance any mind.
Seeing Ryan enter alone and shut the door behind him, Percy couldn't hold back his question. "Where's Ron?"
"The Headmaster was just passing by," Ryan said, his voice perfectly calm and believable. "He noticed Ron looked like he was coming down with a bit of a cold and took him to the hospital wing."
He offered a small smile. "You can visit him after detention is over. By then, he might even be back in the Gryffindor common room." Ryan chuckled. "And of course, be sure to tell him that this doesn't get him out of his punishment. He'll have to make up for the time he missed tonight."
Hearing this, Percy and the others visibly relaxed. If Ryan could joke about it, Ron's condition couldn't be serious.
"What did he want to talk to you about?" Harry asked.
"Kids can be proud," Ryan said smoothly. "He wanted to apologize but was too embarrassed to do it in front of all of you, so he asked me to step outside. It was nothing serious."
"I'm glad he finally came around," Harry said, looking genuinely pleased.
With the exception of the two Slytherins, everyone present knew of Ron's earlier disrespectful comments. They were his friends and family, and the news that he had been willing to apologize was met with relief.
A chorus of "He's still just a boy" and "Well, the important thing is that he realized his mistake" went around the room.
"Alright, that's enough chatter," Ryan said, clapping his hands together. "Let's get to work."
In truth, "getting to work" meant that Ryan would be handling ninety-nine percent of the alchemical engineering. Those with some knowledge of alchemy could assist him, while the others were tasked with observing and passing him materials.
Once he focused on the task, Ryan's demeanor became serene and impassive. He set aside the monumental bad news that "Voldemort's grown a brain" and fixed his entire attention on the alchemical goal before him.
One by one, the materials were ignited.
Pathway by pathway, the circuits were opened.
Quintessence by quintessence, the core was infused.
As each ingredient was smelted and integrated, brilliant flashes of light pulsed across the array. The object at its center slowly began to take shape.
"Next, we inject and guide the formation of a conscious mechanism. This requires precise timing," Ryan murmured, as much to himself as to the students watching in fascination. "Using a technique borrowed from the creation of magical portraits, we can imbue it with a consciousness, creating an alchemical device that can autonomously craft its own key components."
"This step, I believe, is the greatest departure from traditional alchemy."
"I don't deny that brilliant alchemists of the past and present can grant a form of life to objects," he explained. "But they would likely never apply such a principle to mass production."
Ryan paused, clarifying that this wasn't a slight against the ingenuity of past wizards. "Industrialization requires a significant population base. Without breaking the Statute of Secrecy and merging the wizarding and Muggle worlds, our population is simply too small to support it."
"There are only a few thousand witches and wizards in all of the British Isles. Globally, the number is likely less than two hundred thousand. That's nowhere near enough to sustain a true industrial complex, which requires a massive market, a steady stream of consumers, and a robust supply chain. Why build a factory for something a few hundred wizards can accomplish with a flick of their wands?"
"If we want to truly liberate the productive power of wizards, allowing every individual to pursue their own magical research, we must innovate with magical solutions."
"An alchemical device that can perform alchemy by itself!"
"That's astonishing!"
"I've never heard of anything like it."
"This could fundamentally challenge the role of alchemists," Vaisey said in a low voice. "There will be many who are not pleased with what you're doing."
"But who is it that creates such a machine? An alchemist," Ryan countered. "Don't worry, the tide of progress is on my side. As for those traditionalists who might object..."
He smirked. "In my view, all conflict is born from a clash of interests. Once those alchemists discover that by following my lead, they can earn far greater rewards than they ever did toiling away for weeks on a single artifact, they will become my most loyal supporters. It's simply a matter of the carrot and the stick."
As he spoke, Ryan drew a silvery, thread-like substance from his temple and wove it into the alchemical array.
"A memory," he stated.
"I know what that is!" Malfoy suddenly exclaimed. "A wizard can extract their thoughts and memories and place them in a Pensieve!"
"Very good, Draco. This is one of the key ingredients for a magical portrait," Ryan said. "This particular memory is one I fabricated using Occlumency—a rudimentary 'robotic' consciousness. It will be sufficient for our device's needs."
As the silver thread sank into the array, the matrix erupted in a brilliant glow. A mass of black, shimmering liquid at the center levitated, rapidly expanding and taking on a silvery-white sheen. The various pathways of the array began to flash in a complex, intersecting sequence. Under their influence, the expanding liquid began to differentiate, solidifying into a distinct shape.
Moments later, a half-sized, castle-shaped alchemical device stood before them.
"Is that... Hogwarts Castle?" George asked.
"It's merely a likeness, let's not get carried away. I have no untoward intentions toward the actual castle," Ryan said, a grin playing on his lips. "Lil' Hoggy, say hello to everyone."
The small castle suddenly spoke in a cheerful, synthesized voice. "Hello, everyone. I am Lil' Hoggy, a dedicated employee for the production of communicator components."
The students crowded around it, fascinated, and began peppering the little castle with questions. While they were distracted, Vaisey pulled Ryan aside.
"That business with Ron..." he began quietly. "It was about Voldemort, wasn't it?"
"How did you arrive at that conclusion?" Ryan asked, genuinely surprised. Vaisey had no inside information; how could he have made the connection?
"No other adversary would cause you this much trouble, nor would it warrant a 'coincidental' appearance from Headmaster Dumbledore," Vaisey answered, his logic sharp and precise. "Furthermore, the Gringotts break-in was a major event. It was in the Daily Prophet for weeks. Everyone was speculating that it meant Voldemort was back."
He sighed. "So it's true? He's really here, in Hogwarts?"
"That's the problem," Ryan said, scratching his head in frustration. "We don't know where Old Voldy himself is, but it seems we have a whole swarm of Little Voldys to deal with."
"'Old Voldy'? 'Little Voldys'?" Vaisey frowned, puzzled by the bizarre nicknames.
He was about to ask for clarification when a silvery phoenix Patronus soared through the wall and hovered in the middle of the room.
It opened its beak and spoke with Dumbledore's voice. "By my calculations, the detention period should be ending. Ryan, I need you in my office immediately."
~~~
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