Chapter 277

Nicolas Flamel was still sitting sluggishly beside Perenelle's corpse as he was when he left.

It was just that at this time, he had moved Perenelle to the bed with magic, and he himself was sitting by the bed.

He looked at Quirrell, who was grabbed by Murphy, and didn't seem to have much interest. He didn't answer Murphy's words, but turned his head back to look at his wife. "Looking at her like this, I would think she is still alive, just like in these hundred-odd years, looking at her sleeping appearance, I would think she is already dead."

"Sometimes, I will feel that life is nothing more than this, just barely maintaining action and thinking. We only eat a very small amount of food every day, and gradually lose some taste and smell. Our bodies are very difficult to retain nutrition, bones become fragile, muscles become atrophied, all relying on magic power, to be able to move relying on this corpse-like shell."

"Death is really close to us. We have been friends with it for many years, so long that even the instinctive fear, sadness, and regret have slowly dissipated."

"We had long been prepared for death." Nicolas Flamel said. "But really watching her leave first, there will still be a kind of sadness."

"In this world, no one knows what kind of person she was, what kind of things she did, her beauty, her kind and soft character, those wisdoms of hers that shine like jewels, those happy times we spent together, will be lost forever, and no one will remember."

"My soul is already too old, just like this body, it is difficult to produce intense emotions about any kind of thing. I can't be angry, so it is also difficult to feel happy about what you did."

"But I should thank you, thank you for doing these things for Perenelle, although she may not need it anymore."

Murphy looked at this old man whose heart was like dead ashes, and for a moment felt a bit unable to start. "Are you indifferent to everything? What about the Sorcerer's Stone? Since you are indifferent to everything, why did you hand the Sorcerer's Stone to Dumbledore?"

"Ah, the Sorcerer's Stone." Flamel's eyes finally recovered a bit of spirit. "If there is anything worth being proud of in my long life, it is the Sorcerer's Stone."

"But in fact, that was just my luck. It is a miracle that is difficult to replicate, requiring heaven-sent opportunities."

"However, yes, I still care about the Sorcerer's Stone. I don't want my greatest work to be used for evil causes."

"Then, what about the knowledge of alchemy?" Murphy asked. "You should be the most powerful alchemist in the world. Don't you want to leave behind those unique insights of yours about alchemy? Or are you also the kind of person who would be complacent about enjoying a truth alone?"

Flamel's eyes looked over. He seemed to have pulled his spirit out of his own world for the first time and seriously treated the person in front of him. "What do you want, young man?"

"Your knowledge, your wealth, all your heritage," Murphy said. "Instead of them being thrown into the pile of old papers and the vault of Gringotts to get moldy, it's better to let me exert greater effect."

"You are very ambitious." Flamel looked at him. "You don't even want to hide it. Really energetic. Perenelle would definitely like you. We don't have children, she has always liked young people very much. Sometimes seeing people like you, I will realize that I might just not be dead, rather than truly living."

"All our assets will be donated to the French Ministry of Magic, the British Ministry of Magic, as well as Beauxbatons and Hogwarts..." Flamel said. "We have lived in these two countries for a long time. If you want these, sorry, this is something Perenelle and I have already agreed upon, I will not change it."

Murphy curled his lips. "Doesn't matter, assets are just incidental. Perhaps you are very rich with alchemy, but believe me, I might be even richer than you."

Nicolas Flamel looked at him in surprise. "Then what you want is my knowledge and the Sorcerer's Stone."

"My knowledge... in fact, most of it has been disclosed one after another over so many years, and I have also stopped doing research work for many years. If what you want is those past notes and thoughts... you can take these books and notes of mine. Originally I wanted to leave them to Dumbledore, but he is too busy and rarely has time to do alchemy research. If someone can inherit this knowledge, I am happy to see it."

"But I think, what you want most is probably the Sorcerer's Stone, right?"

"Correct." Murphy said, not intending to hide it.

"What do you want to do with it?" Flamel asked.

"This question... it's a long story." Murphy said, but he still explained it. "Initially, I wanted to get the Sorcerer's Stone because I got a disease. My cell division speed is too fast, and my body is aging rapidly. I must have the Immortality Potion to maintain life. However, this point has become less urgent due to some new research progress. Although the Immortality Potion is still the most convenient solution, it is not irreplaceable."

"But, apart from the direct effect of the Immortality Potion, I also value its mechanism of delaying aging. From your situation, it is not cell repair, but more like a maintenance of form, which is different from my current anti-aging research direction. If studied in depth, it might have a superimposed strengthening effect."

"To be honest, I want immortality, but not immortality like you, like a walking corpse. I also want true youth, always keeping the body in peak condition, otherwise the meaning of immortality is not great. Your kind of immortality, perhaps it is really not all fun, right?"

"I haven't experienced the fun of life for a long time," Flamel smiled. "What an ambitious idea, just like when I was young. Anything else?"

"Is the Sorcerer's Stone's ability to turn stone into gold true?" Murphy asked.

"Through some rituals, the Sorcerer's Stone can indeed turn some base metals into gold, and the saying of turning stone into gold is also not wrong." Flamel affirmed.

"This is also what I consider to be the greatest value of the Sorcerer's Stone." Murphy said. "The physical value of something that can perform material conversion is unimaginable. The energy consumed in the process of turning the impossible into the possible is a quantifiable huge magnitude. Studying the Sorcerer's Stone will definitely be able to raise my understanding of magic to a brand new realm."

"So, you want the Sorcerer's Stone because you value its academic value?" Flamel asked with a slightly strange expression.

"That's right." Murphy admitted. "However, the Immortality Potion is also very useful to me."

"I understand." Flamel nodded. "I see your will to be determined to get the Sorcerer's Stone. Then, if I don't agree to hand the Sorcerer's Stone to you, what will you do?"

"..."

"You guess?"

(End of chapter)