Many magical creations developed and produced by alchemists had, in fact, long since become part of everyday life in the wizarding world.
And precisely because of this, they understood more clearly than most wizards just how rapidly everyday life in the Muggle world was advancing.
Take communication as an example.
Wizards still relied on owls flying day and night to deliver letters, while Muggles had already invented the telephone for instantaneous communication and had even begun exploring something called the "internet."
Muggle science and technology seemed as though they had been placed under a permanent Acceleration Charm.
The methods and speed of transmitting information, along with the speed and convenience of everyday travel, seemed to produce new breakthroughs every few months. A mere few years could significantly transform the life of an ordinary person.
By comparison, what about the wizarding world?
The spread of Alchemy was far too slow.
Truly gifted young wizards were often more fascinated by mysterious, profound, and powerful magic. They pursued personal strength and glory.
Very few were willing to settle down, endure loneliness, and devote themselves to researching how to make Lumos easier to use, how to make a Preservation Charm last longer, or how to make communication more convenient.
Yet Alchemy itself placed almost unforgiving demands on a wizard's talent, patience, and creativity.
For these elders, who had devoted decades or even centuries to Alchemy, powerful and mysterious magic certainly had its own undeniable appeal.
But deep in their hearts, they firmly believed that if anything could truly transform the wizarding world and bring greater happiness and convenience to ordinary wizards, it would be Alchemy.
"Alright!"
After Lucien finished his introduction, the judges and professors all showed keen interest.
"I'll give it a try."
Laurent Rozier was the first to speak, a hint of eagerness in his tone. "I'm quite skilled at Apparition."
If his ability to escape had not been so impressive back then, it would have been difficult for him to completely avoid the turmoil during Grindelwald's rise to power, especially since his relative Vinda Rozier had shown him some extra "attention."
Before he had even finished speaking, Laurent had already risen briskly from behind the judges' table, giving the others who had also wanted to volunteer no chance to react.
Laurent walked over to Lucien and took the copy of Instant Speech from his hand. It felt warm and remarkably light.
He turned towards Madame Maxime at the head of the table.
"Headmistress, could you temporarily lift the school's restrictions on magical transportation?"
Like Hogwarts, Beauxbatons naturally had protective enchantments preventing spatial magic such as Apparition.
However, before Laurent had even spoken, Madame Maxime's exceptionally long wand was already in her hand.
Hearing his request, she gave it an elegant wave without hesitation.
An invisible ripple spread through the air, surging briefly before settling again.
The temporary restriction had been lifted.
Seeing Laurent move so quickly and smoothly through the entire sequence, the other judges and professors who had also wanted to try Instant Speech remained silent.
In such a formal setting, with so many people watching, they naturally had to maintain their dignity. Fighting over the opportunity would be unbecoming.
Besides, Apparating back and forth over long distances was quite tiring.
It definitely was not because they had been too slow to beat Laurent to it.
Laurent nodded, holding the notebook in one hand while reaching into his robes for his wand with the other.
"Professor Laurent," Lucien suddenly said, "there's no need to trouble yourself."
Before anyone could react, a strange creature appeared beside Laurent.
It resembled a cross between a horse and a deer, its entire body covered in fine pale-gold scales. Bright yellow mist surrounded it, and its eyes were as clear as glass.
Lumen had barely finished appearing before it vanished again.
The moment it moved close to Laurent, both man and beast disappeared without warning.
There was no spinning, no unpleasant noise, and none of the squeezing sensation that usually accompanied Apparition.
Such elegant, silent, and instantaneous movement through space secretly astonished even the well-travelled wizards present.
Lucien's expression remained unchanged as he reached out, opened the copy of Instant Speech on the judges' table, and lightly tapped a blank page with his finger.
The pages began flipping on their own before finally stopping on a completely empty sheet.
The hall fell silent.
The judges and professors unconsciously leaned forward, their gazes fixed intently on the blank page.
The few seconds of waiting seemed unusually long.
Suddenly, the smooth surface of the paper began glowing with a faint blue light like seawater, rippling gently.
Then...
"Can you see clearly from there?... Hmm, Lumen, is this angle right?"
Professor Laurent's voice, slightly tentative but perfectly clear, came directly from the pages.
But that was not all.
As Laurent spoke, light and shadow began gathering across the blue-glowing page, rapidly forming a clear moving image.
It was none other than France's iconic Eiffel Tower.
The image shifted smoothly, switching to a close-up of Professor Laurent's face.
He appeared to be high in the air, the wind blowing his silver-grey hair into complete disarray. Yet his pale blue eyes were filled with pure, almost childlike excitement, his eyebrows practically raised to his hairline.
The image shifted again, this time to a better angle that captured both Laurent's excited smile and the enormous steel tower behind him.
"I can see you too! Very clearly!" His voice came through the pages, unmistakably excited. "Wait, I'm going somewhere else!"
The image and sound disappeared at the same time, and the page returned to its blank, silent state.
But everyone's attention remained fixed on it.
This time, the wait was slightly longer.
A few seconds later, as though an invisible pen were writing across the page, a line of somewhat messy handwriting rapidly appeared.
"Wait a moment, the picture will arrive soon!"
Even the handwriting seemed to reflect the writer's urgency and excitement.
At the judges' table, several grey-haired masters had unconsciously leaned as far forward as they could, their breathing slightly quickened and their eyes locked on the page, afraid of missing even the smallest detail.
Ding!
A crisp, pleasant notification sounded from Instant Speech.
A flash of light appeared across the page, and a complete, clear still image emerged.
At the centre of the picture, Laurent wore a broad, almost exaggerated grin as he gave the "camera" a thumbs-up.
Behind him, beneath the bright sunlight of a distant land, the ancient and magnificent Pyramids stood silently against the passage of time.
For a moment, no one said a word.
At this point, the function and potential of Instant Speech were beyond doubt.
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