Chapter 221

Wizards appeared one by one in this place.

They seemed eager, walking straight to the tree trunk; within the cavity beneath the tree lay one alchemical creation after another.

As En approached, he saw the tree trunk encircled by a ouroboros, its edges engraved with all manner of animals.

“The Kabbalistic Tree of Life—the divine tree described in The Book of Creation, revealing the mysterious causal relationships of the universe;

the ouroboros, symbol of Gnosticism and Hermeticism, interpreted in magic as eternal cyclic renewal: the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

In the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone, it symbolizes the black earth, the blackened raven; chalk, the whitened swan, the white eagle; the color-cycling peacock’s tail; the crimson, reddened cock; and finally, the transformation—the phoenix reborn from fire…”

“Since you’ve memorized it, go choose what you desire.”

Professor Taila gave En a brief explanation, then gently pushed him toward the array of alchemical creations below.

En gazed silently; countless alchemical creations resembled stones in an endless river.

Two-way mirrors, vanishing cabinets, portkeys, pensieves, invisibility cloaks… he even spotted a miniature of the Knight Bus.

The Knight Bus?!

En was surprised—why hadn’t the alchemists placed Hogwarts Castle among them?

The castle itself seemed an extraordinarily magnificent alchemical creation.

Before En’s eyes,

beneath each alchemical creation lay books enveloped in soft white light.

In front of the books, an elderly and a young wizard were conversing; the distance was close enough for En to hear their voices clearly.

“It’s this one—”

“No more consideration?”

“Of course—we only have half an hour. You taught me: hesitation leads to defeat.”

Then En saw the young wizard’s invitation transform into a golden key, and from the cavity floated a complex alchemical creation En had never seen before.

It seemed to be a Chuancheng ceremony—each young alchemist could choose one alchemical creation here, and those books were surely detailed analyses of their creation processes.

So what should he choose?

Even Floo Powder was here—technically, its inventor and producer were supposed to be top-secret.

As he walked, En spotted the label bearing Dumbledore’s name; he focused his gaze and immediately felt intense interest.

It contained ancient magical script research on interspecies transfiguration, even speculative theories on transfiguration principles.

If he wanted to directly apply the Magical Beast Cookies to transfiguration, this would be an excellent choice.

Without hesitation, En’s invitation soon transformed into a key.

As he returned with his selection, he couldn’t help but glance again at the inscription:

【The Four-Layer World shifts; the Fifth Element emerges.】

Just now, those words had glowed briefly; he vaguely sensed he had somehow formed a pact.

Professor Taila’s voice sounded at the right moment:

“Ancient alchemists believed the Fifth Element to be the substance formed after the World Soul or Prima Materia interacted with the four elements.

It is called the Fifth Element.

Upon the Philosopher’s Stone’s completion, this Fifth Element manifests. The Fifth Element may also be called ‘aether’—a substance that never decays, never spoils; ancient wizards believed planets were composed of it.

If you look closely, you’ll notice: the surroundings are dark, the cavity holding alchemical creations is pure white, your key—that invitation—is golden yellow…”

“Then… the reddening, my student?”

En thought for several seconds, then said:

“The symbol of crimson and reddening is a cock raised on its own blood; the blood flowing within a wizard’s veins is the final step of the pact.”

“I am proud of you—”

…

The pact had truly been formed; Professor Taila spoke without burden:

“Alchemists are wise; they uphold the principle of equivalent exchange. You’ve received the Chuancheng —now you must show the future you represent… though merely show it, nothing more.

Enough. The exchange has begun, my student—”

After another Apparition, En and the professor returned to the original location.

Professor Taila crouched, took the Magical Beast Cookies series from En’s hands, and declared with an uplifted tone:

“Show those old fools—a new era has arrived—”

Then vanished on the spot.

At that moment, the deep, dark stone walls blazed to life; En realized they must be inside some vast castle structure.

—This was the banquet hall.

Most wizards were gathered here, seemingly clustered first by nation.

British wizards mostly wore faded, modest plain robes and pointed hats—like Headmaster Dumbledore’s ornate purple robe or Professor McGonagall’s green one.

In contrast, Nordic wizards wore thick fur cloaks to withstand the cold; they were tall, with pale hair. African Wadugou wizards wore vibrant, light-colored robes adorned with jewelry made of feathers and bones.

There were also older men and middle-aged figures dressed in silk, standing with hands behind their backs, radiating quiet dignity and elegance.

En noticed those special wizards—

those seated on the main guest bench alongside Headmaster Dumbledore and Master Merle; there were seven of them total, and Professor Taila was among them.

When Professor Taila stepped forward, they vanished from their seats.

Now, house-elves carrying trays moved throughout the banquet hall. In the center, a long table had risen, laden with delicacies from every region—En even spotted Chinese cuisine.

This brightened En’s eyes.

Unfortunately, the banquet didn’t last long, as Headmaster Dumbledore slowly walked toward the mirror.

All wizards had returned; they all watched as a figure reappeared in the mirror—Albus Dumbledore.

“Youngsters, oh, and teenage alchemists—the Alchemical Exchange begins.”

Headmaster Dumbledore finished his address and winked at En.

The surrounding alchemists applauded with restrained elegance.

“After a brief screening, the International Alchemical Convention Joint Committee has evaluated the creations of each young genius…”

At that moment, En realized—the wizards on the main bench had been judging their creations?

It reminded him of the Magical Beast Cookies series the professor had taken from him.

“Let us congratulate—the first—”

As if guided by unseen force, the largest mirror naturally displayed a pair of calm, emotionless green eyes.

“Recognized by the International Alchemical Convention Joint Committee as the most gifted alchemist in six hundred years, the youngest ever admitted to the International Alchemical Convention Joint Committee, recipient of the Udala International Alchemical Convention’s Gold Medal for Groundbreaking Contribution—the alchemist from Hogwarts School—Mr. Wizard Sean Green—”

Apologies, dear readers—Lu’s caught a cold^; the convention plot will end tomorrow morning, then back to the usual five updates.