Inside the Forbidden Forest.
A shimmering figure appeared soundlessly, and beside him stood a tall old man with silver hair and a silver beard, dressed in deep purple pajamas and a matching nightcap.
In less than half a second, a ball of crimson flame flared into existence in midair.
A magnificent bright red phoenix burst forth from the flames.
Circling once, it descended and hovered above the fallen unicorn.
Drip, drop~~!
Two clear, transparent tears fell, landing on the unicorn's forehead and abdomen.
"Fawkes?"
Both Lucien and Newt, instantly recognizing the unmistakable phoenix, looked up at the same time and saw Dumbledore standing beside the shimmering figure.
But the three said nothing—only exchanged brief nods.
Lucien and Newt continued with Seleneia's cesarean section.
Dumbledore, his expression solemn, glanced at the strange creature beside him, quickly processing the information it had conveyed.
For someone of his age, being awakened by an unknown magical creature suddenly flying into his Headmaster's office was startling enough.
But what the creature communicated to Dumbledore—through a strange, unfamiliar method—shocked him even more.
When he saw the special permit Lucien had given it, Dumbledore was forced to accept the creature's account.
Then, using a method similar to Apparition, the creature transported him directly from Hogwarts Castle to the Forbidden Forest.
It moved through Hogwarts' protections as freely as Fawkes—yet even faster.
Now, seeing the person the creature had mentioned—Lucien...
And seeing his old friend of many years, Newt...
Dumbledore finally confirmed he was not dreaming.
He strode quickly to the gravely injured unicorn and drew his uniquely shaped Elder Wand.
This time, Asterion did not react defensively. Lumen had already explained everything to him.
Spells streamed from the Elder Wand—some assessing the unicorn's injuries, others clearing obstacles and distractions for Lucien and Newt.
Dumbledore swiftly grasped the situation, connecting it to the information provided earlier by the creature named Lumen.
A thoughtful glimmer flashed in his bright blue eyes.
He stepped toward the workbench covered in potion tools, and with a flick of his wand, several additional materials appeared directly atop it.
Dumbledore swept his Elder Wand through the air, and the many brilliant materials before him were processed with smooth, precise efficiency.
He was now preparing to brew a Potion to detoxify the female unicorn.
That compound Potion toxin was indeed troublesome—but for Dumbledore…?
He hardly needed the title of Potions Master. His achievements already spoke for themselves.
On the other side—
The caesarean procedure had passed its most dangerous and critical stage. Lucien realized his assistance was no longer essential, and that Newt could finish the rest alone.
"Mr. Newt, I'm going to prepare for treating the baby unicorn," Lucien said plainly and directly.
Hearing this, Newt's hands never paused, but a trace of sorrow flickered in his lowered eyes.
He understood the condition of the unicorn that was about to be born. Their current efforts were primarily to preserve the life of the female unicorn, Seleneia.
A severed magic circuit would only bring unbearable suffering to the newborn. As for repairing it…
But hearing the resolve in Lucien's voice, Newt couldn't bring himself to speak the harsh truth.
Besides, Newt himself wanted to try—he too wished for that faint, improbable hope.
"Mm. Go on. Leave the rest to me."
With Newt's reply, Lucien immediately stood and headed toward the workbench.
"Headmaster, I would like to borrow the Philosopher's Stone—"
Lucien hadn't even finished speaking when the familiar translucent red gem appeared before him.
"Yes. Do what you intend to do."
Hearing Dumbledore's words, Lucien took hold of the Philosopher's Stone and walked to an open area nearby.
He pulled out a small purple gourd, waved his wand, and had his workbench fly out.
At the same time, he mentally reviewed the general steps of the Magic Weaving Technique:
The first step was to use a combination of Alchemy and Potion methods to refine a Potion called Moon Soul Water.
Its primary function was to calm magical creatures, stabilize their souls, and fix their magic circuits.
The second step was a specific Dark Arts spell used to tear open a creature's magic circuit.
But this could be skipped; the baby unicorn's circuits were already in a fractured state. What he needed now was repair, not transformation.
The third step.. and the most crucial.
This was the most precise application of Transfiguration, using the Wizard's own magic to mimic a portion of the magical creature's internal circuits, slowly guiding, altering, and reshaping them.
It was extremely complex—and the key to whether this attempt would succeed or fail.
The final step was the longest—requiring continuous use of various spells and Potions to maintain the stability of the newly formed circuit.
Lucien glanced up at the moon, letting the cool moonlight wash over him, and exhaled.
The moonlight was sufficient.
Haah.. Let's begin.
He placed the Philosopher's Stone on the worktable. This pinnacle of Alchemy, when used in Potion refinement, not only shortened the brewing time but also extended the Potion's original duration.
The alchemical components of Moon Soul Water were meant to ensure the Potion's sustained effect. With the Philosopher's Stone assisting, many steps could be omitted, saving an enormous amount of time.
And at this moment, time meant life.
Lucien beckoned Asterion over.
"I need your blood to save your child. It has to be given willingly."
Lumen, beside them, translated Lucien's words for Asterion.
Asterion nodded immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing this, Lucien lightly traced his wand across Asterion's chest, creating a clean incision.
He took out a jade plate to catch the thick, silvery-white blood.
After checking for any curses using the Eye of Peering Magic, Lucien exhaled quietly.
The first step in refining Moon Soul Water required the blood of the targeted magical creature as a primary ingredient. It did not have to be the creature itself—any closely related species would do—but it had to be offered willingly.
This was easy to judge with unicorns. If their body materials were obtained by force, they would inevitably carry curses of varying intensity.
And among those, the curses contained in the blood were the most severe.
Once the amount of blood was sufficient, Lucien healed Asterion's wound and handed the jade plate to the panicking Lumen.
"Fly as high as possible and let the blood absorb the moonlight until blue circular spots appear in it."
"Yes, Master!"
"Be careful with the temperature. Don't let the blood freeze or solidify."
The qilin separated a small cluster of auspicious cloud, balanced the jade plate on it, and streaked upward into the sky.
Lucien turned back to continue the next preparations while waiting for the blood to absorb enough moonlight.
He cut, prepared, and ground the required complex materials; if anything was missing, he simply asked Dumbledore for it.
As long as he asked, Dumbledore could produce it.
A faint, almost mosquito-like cry reached Lucien's ears.
He looked toward Seleneia—Newt was now holding a small golden foal.
The newborn unicorn tried hard to open its eyes but couldn't…
Lucien continued preparing the medicinal ingredients while waiting for a notification from the system.
After all, the loan task for the Circuit Tracing Tablet was: Witness a memorable birth of life.
But the system had not issued the "loan repaid" prompt.
This birth certainly counted as memorable, but…
Lucien recalled the system's exact definition of the task: "The moment life fully descends into the world, contacting the world in the form of a newborn."
The lack of a notification clearly meant the young unicorn's life was still in critical danger and did not yet meet the conditions of a true "birth of life."
No—not yet.
The vortex in Lucien's eyes widened as he examined the unicorn's magic circuits. They were dimming, flickering, but still stubbornly alight.
Perhaps because of the qilin blood, perhaps because of the phoenix tears, perhaps because of the unicorn's own will to live…
Lucien's actions remained precise but had pushed to their fastest possible pace.
It isn't over yet.
________
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