socalfunplaces Chapter 160 The Belated Package
Chapter 160 The Belated Package
Chapter 160 The Belated Package
Inside the Eagle's Nest, Karen was engrossed in a huge, open draft, covered with intricate arrays of runes and diagrams of magical flow, her quill pen continuing its derivation along the edges. Wesley, nearby, was practicing a silent disarming spell on a floating cork.
Fabian carefully arranged a small box of plant samples with tweezers, while Ernesto flipped through a thick book, "Ancient Rune Energy," his brow furrowed as if he were deep in thought.
Suddenly, a clear and melodious cry shattered the silence of the room. Immediately afterward, a dazzling golden-red flame ignited without warning in mid-air in the center of the eagle's nest. The flame was not scorching, but rather carried a warm and pure aura.
"Fox!" Cullen looked up abruptly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a strong premonition. Dumbledore's phoenix rarely appeared directly in front of his students, especially in the Eagle's Nest.
The flames rapidly contracted and shaped, transforming into a phoenix with golden-red feathers and a long, magnificent tail. It hovered gracefully in the air, its sharp golden eyes scanning the room before finally settling on Karen. On its claws…
He was holding tightly to a package that was neither too big nor too small.
The package itself was a deep, weathered brown, seemingly imbued with the essence of time, and its material appeared to be some kind of tough dragon hide or magical creature leather. Its surface bore no mailing labels or signatures; instead, it was sealed with a complex array of alchemical runes that shimmered with a faint silver light. These runes were not static, but rather slowly shifting and interlocking, forming a precise magical lock.
Fox gently flapped its wings and placed the package steadily on the open ground in front of Karen. Then it let out a short, melodious cry, as if confirming delivery, before transforming back into a ball of golden-red flame and disappearing in an instant, leaving only a few afterimages of firelight.
"Merlin's beard!" Wesley was the first to jump up, forgetting to put his wand away and dropping his practice mat on the floor.
He rushed to the package, his eyes wide as saucers. "What...what is this? And that just now, wasn't that Dumbledore's phoenix? That's awesome!"
Fabian put down the tweezers, adjusted his glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses were filled with shock and curiosity: "I've never seen such a complex combination of seals on those runes before. This package is definitely something extraordinary! Karen, do you know what this is?"
Ernesto closed the thick book in his hands, his eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry: "The principal's phoenix was delivered personally."
With this complex alchemical seal—Karen, should we leave for a while, Karen?
Karen's heart skipped a beat. He crouched down, his fingers gently tracing the silver runes flowing across the surface of the wrapping. In his vision, these runes were no longer simple lines, but rather composed of extremely condensed, highly structured flows of magic. The style was exactly the same as what he had studied during the summer vacation; it was all too familiar to him.
"No need, Ernesto! I should have guessed what this is by now. If I'm not mistaken, there's no need to hide it from you. Besides, Professor Dumbledore had Fawkes deliver it, so he probably didn't mean to hide it from you either." Cullen's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement and certainty. He took a deep breath, concentrated, and, following the specific magical frequency and fluctuation method he had learned before, slowly injected his magic into an inconspicuous node on the surface of the package that appeared to be a natural texture.
喻—
A soft, low hum, as if space itself were trembling, resounded. The silver runes on the surface of the covering suddenly lit up, like stars being illuminated, rearranging themselves at a dazzling speed. The dark brown leather surface rippled like water, and the sealing array unlocked and receded layer by layer as if it were alive.
Under the watchful eyes of her three roommates, the package didn't open like a normal box. Instead, as if under a magnifying spell, it began to steadily expand and extend outwards. The leather softened and shaped, and the internal structure seemed to unfold from its folded state. A few seconds later, a dark brown leather suitcase, about half Karen's height, with an antique yet sophisticated design, quietly appeared before them. The suitcase had no superfluous decorations, only the natural texture of the leather and the luster left by time, revealing a restrained yet weighty quality. This was exactly the same as the 'outer shell' of the magical workshop in Karen's memory.
"This is what's inside? A suitcase?" Wesley was a little confused. He had imagined that the package might contain some kind of powerful alchemical artifact or magical item.
"Don't rush, Wesley." Karen's lips curled into a slight smile, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. He placed his hands on ergonomically designed recesses on either side of the box. As he continued to pour his magic into it, a soft mechanical hum and a clearer magical resonance emanated from inside the box.
Click—Buzz—
Like a colossal beast awakened, the top of the box slowly lifted upwards. However, what was lifted was not a lid, but a soft, stable barrier of light. Behind the light barrier was not the expected storage space, but a breathtaking sight—a fully functional, sophisticated miniature alchemy workshop!
The space was cleverly folded and expanded, appearing to be at least half the size of the eagle's nest itself. At the very center was a large, heavy, dark stone workbench, its surface smooth as a mirror, its edges engraved with intricate runes—clearly the core of some kind of stabilizing and protective magic array. Above the workbench, several shadowless magic lamps, adjustable in angle and brightness, floated, emitting a soft yet bright light.
On one side of the workbench, there was a set of the latest constant-temperature alchemy crucibles that Karen had seen in a magazine. It was made of heat-resistant mithril and some kind of black crystal, and came with a precise temperature control device. Next to it was a square magic stabilizer, with several pure crystals inlaid on its surface, emitting a steady glow and suppressing the magic fluctuations in the workshop space to an extremely stable level.
On the other side of the workbench was a multi-functional tool rack, neatly arranged with precision tweezers of various sizes, engraving knives, grinders, rune engraving pens that shimmered with a faint light, measuring crystal prisms, and a set of advanced observation instruments that Karen often used with Nico for observing extremely small structures.
Against the wall was a row of built-in storage cabinets. The cabinet doors were transparent magic crystals, revealing layers of various basic alchemy materials stored inside: small pieces of dragon skin cut from different parts, mithril ingots, adamantite, moonstone fragments, basic magic crystal powders of various attributes, bottles of pre-processed herbal essences—and even in a separate cabinet with low-temperature runes, Karen saw several small bottles labeled "Eight-Eyed Giant Spider Venom (Purified)" and "Salamander Blood (Stable State)"—precious and dangerous materials! These were clearly prepared for his research.
What made Karen's heart race even faster was that at the innermost part of the workshop, there was a relatively spacious area with metal plates paved with magic-guiding patterns on the floor and pre-drilled interfaces and reinforcement structures on the walls. This was clearly a "workspace" reserved for him, where he could add and arrange experimental devices or conduct small-scale magical tests!
The walls and ceiling of the entire miniature workshop were engraved with extremely complex, nested arrays of protective runes. In Karen's view, these arrays radiated powerful energy, forming a sturdy magical shield that could not only isolate magical interference, physical impacts, and energy leaks from the inside and outside, but also provide strong defense against mental spying and curse magic. It should also be able to resist inspection, just like Newt's box.
"Wow!" Wesley finally found his voice and let out a long exclamation. He walked halfway around the unfolded workshop, his eyes wide, wanting to reach out and touch the floating magic lamp and other impressive-looking equipment, but hesitant. "This is just too... too amazing! A laboratory inside a box? That's so cool!"
Fabian leaned closer, his finger gesturing towards the materials in the transparent storage cabinet, especially the bottles marked with danger labels. His voice was filled with unbelievable excitement: "Merlin, these material reserves seem to rival Snape's! Master Nico and Professor Victor's efforts are truly astonishing! Cullen, you never mentioned that alchemy-related gifts would be like this!"
Ernesto could no longer maintain his outward composure; his eyes and expression revealed a deep interest and envy.
He walked to the workbench, carefully examining the advanced observation instrument, his voice tinged with envy: "Some of the equipment here is extremely rare."
Even my family's alchemy workshop doesn't have one. Karen, your mentors truly have high hopes for you.
Karen himself was also filled with excitement. He stepped into the workshop, his fingers brushing against the cold stone workbench, feeling the subtle magical pulses emanating from the stable magic circle on it. He picked up a rune-carving pen, the tip immediately sensing his magic and emitting a soft blue light. He then looked at the reserved open area, countless experimental ideas flashing through his mind in an instant.
"There's another letter here." Fabian, with his sharp eyes, noticed a folded parchment pasted on the inside of the light barrier.
Karen took it down and unfolded it; it was Professor Castor's familiar handwriting, with Nicole's flowing and beautiful cursive script added beside it:
Karen:
The way the package was delivered is probably beyond your expectations. Dumbledore's Fawkes was the best choice to ensure its safe arrival without too much prying, as some equipment hadn't arrived before, causing a delay compared to the original agreement.
This portable workshop was personally designed and supervised by Nico, while I was responsible for constructing the core protective array and the spatial stabilization anchors. Its folding space is sufficient to meet most of your current alchemy experiment needs. The basic equipment and materials inside should resolve many of the inconveniences caused by the limitations of Hogwarts conditions in your current research. Those hazardous materials are prepared for your subsequent research; please repeatedly confirm the safety procedures before use and do not act rashly.
The core protective array is bound to your magical frequency, and you control its activation and deactivation. The magical environment inside the workshop is highly stable, allowing for precise operations. Reserved areas are available for you to plan, add equipment, or conduct specific magical tests.
Remember: the power of a tool lies in its user. Don't let sophisticated equipment overshadow the importance of mastering fundamental principles. Focus, empirical evidence, and...
Reverence—this is the foundation of alchemy. Experiments with hazardous materials must be conducted with all protective measures in place in the workshop, and with thorough theoretical simulations and contingency plans in place.
I hope you will use it to achieve a substantial breakthrough.
Castor Grindelwald (to Nicolas Flamel): Dear Karen, I hope this little workshop will be a helpful tool in your pursuit of truth. The handling of spatial folds and nodes is fascinating; you can study it in your spare time, as it may offer insights into understanding the boundaries of matter and energy. Safety first, and enjoy the creative process!
Karen glanced at the contents to make sure there was nothing she couldn't say, then briefly read the letter to her three curious roommates.
"Bound to magic frequency? Fantastic! Only Karen can open it, it's safe!" Wesley clapped his hands. He wasn't interested in the complicated principles, but he was very interested in the words "exclusive" and "advanced".
"Planning out the area yourself - that's really thoughtful," Fabian exclaimed. "Karen, what are you planning to put there?"
Continue your protective badge testing range?
"Perhaps, or perhaps we could build a more sophisticated magic flow observation array." Karen's gaze swept over the area, and she had already begun to conceive a plan.
"Core protective array spatial stabilization anchor point," Ernesto repeated the words from the letter in a low voice, his gaze returning to the intricate runes on the workshop walls. "This technology... even in the archives of pure-blood families, it's considered a secret. No wonder he's an alchemy master!"
Karen nodded, offering no further explanation regarding his mentor's identity. He walked to the constant-temperature alchemy crucible set, extended a finger, and carefully infused it with a wisp of magic. A soft orange-yellow light emanated from the inside of the crucible, and a set of precise dials and knobs appeared on the side of the swivel, displaying the current temperature and preset mode.
"Shall we give it a try?" Karen looked at Fabian. "How about taking a tiny sample of the basic purified solution?"
Fabian immediately understood and took a small bottle of the most common oxalic acid solution used for cleaning cauldrons from the potion-making materials they had prepared outside the workshop. Karen took it, opened the lid of the constant-temperature cauldron, and poured in about 50 milliliters.
He turned the knob, setting the target temperature. The orange light inside the crucible brightened slightly, and the crystal on the surface of the magic stabilizer also lit up faintly. In Karen's "Eye of Truth," the flow of magic inside the crucible became extremely uniform and stable. The temperature of the solution rose steadily at a visible rate, stabilizing precisely at the set temperature a few seconds later, without the slightest fluctuation or sign of boiling—at least to the naked eye.
"Absolutely precise!" Fabian exclaimed, looking at the results Karen confirmed with the thermometer. "There's absolutely no localized overheating! It's far superior to the copper crucibles we use!"
Karen walked to the empty wall in the workshop. He gestured to Wesley: "Wesley, face this wall..."
Just cast a random spell, and it'll be slightly stronger.
Wesley grinned and raised his wand: "No problem! Expelliarmus!" This was the spell he had been practicing the most lately.
However, just as the spell struck the wall, the crystal on the surface of the magic stabilizer flickered slightly. Karen, observing from the side, clearly saw that the magical shockwave generated by Wesley's spell, which should have spread outwards, was instantly smoothed and absorbed by an invisible, gentle force field originating from the stabilizer before reaching the workshop's boundary. The magical environment within the entire workshop remained completely still; even the air itself did not fluctuate.
"Whoa!" Wesley was startled himself. "My spell seems to have been absorbed? No, it's that there's absolutely no reaction around me?"
"It didn't absorb it," Karen explained, pointing to the stabilizer. "It instantly calmed the localized magical disturbances caused by your spell, maintaining the relative stability of the workshop's internal environment. Performing precise operations here, such as inscribing runes or making sensitive magical adjustments, will greatly increase the success rate because external interference and the aftershocks of your own spellcasting are eliminated to the greatest extent possible. However, this interference prevention definitely has its limits; it's just that Wesley, your current spell hasn't reached or exceeded those limits."
Karen shut down the facilities, and the lights inside the workshop dimmed, but the atmosphere of precision, professionalism, and complete control remained. He looked around his own miniature alchemy workshop, his heart filled with gratitude for Nico and his mentor, and an urgent desire to continue his research.
"Alright, guys," Karen took a deep breath, her face lighting up with anticipation, "the Eagle's Nest now has its heart. Let's see what kind of breakthrough it can bring."
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