Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 105 Dumbledore's Homework

As he spoke, Dumbledore "twisted" to Vaughn's side.

Grab his hand, lift him up, and "jump" all the way, easily passing through the ceiling.

The ceiling flashed past Vaughn's eyes like a bubble.

The next moment, Vaughn found himself in a gray mist, with only a faint light coming from "below".

He looked up instinctively and saw a crystal-clear Klein bottle "floating" in the boundless gray fog.

The training ground summoned by the House of Requirement, where he had stayed before, was like a painting, flowing across the surface of the bottle.

He looked on in surprise, and heard Dumbledore slowly say, "A meditation object, at the moment of its formation, records the last scene you were in and manifests it in the ether. It has no other purpose than to provide you with an anchor!"

The gray fog is certainly not real fog.

It is essentially a transparent, constantly leaping phantom, but it is hazy and drifting without any sense of reality, looking like mist.

"In the ether, where the concept of space has been lost, getting lost is a common occurrence. An obvious question arises: now that we're in, how do we get back?"

"Therefore, anchors are very necessary. They can help you locate yourself and also help you return to reality. They can be said to be the foundation for the development and growth of modern alchemy."

"In ancient times, alchemy was a very dangerous discipline. Countless alchemists lost themselves in the ether, their bodies slowly weakening and dying like those of a vegetable!"

At this moment, Vaughn, led by Dumbledore, was already flying through the gray fog.

While listening to Dumbledore's explanation, Vaughn sensed the Klein bottle using the meditation techniques he had learned.

Like everything within the ether, the sensation was strange; according to the concepts of the real world, after he and Dumbledore "flew" away, the Klein bottle should have been behind them.

But in Vaughn's actual perception, it was in front, left, up, down... seemingly everywhere, as if it could exist anywhere he wanted!
Vaughn knew that this was why space had lost its meaning.

He also deeply understood why Dumbledore said that getting lost was a very common occurrence. When you're wandering through this pervasive, endless gray fog, without any landmarks or direction, it's no wonder you get lost!
Thinking of this, Vaughn asked, "Albus, what is this so-called 'roaming the ether'? Space doesn't exist, there's no direction, so what is 'roaming' just aimlessly 'flying' in this gray fog?"

He felt it was impossible.

Because the descriptions of ethereal landscapes were common in the notes he had read, it meant that the alchemists' travels were skillful.

Moreover, this technique is likely related to meditation and emotions, both of which are key points repeatedly emphasized in foundational books.

Sure enough, Dumbledore laughed and said, "My dear, we are wizards, so of course we use our emotions to 'think,' like this..."

As he spoke, Vaughn noticed a strange sensation emanating from Dumbledore's "body".

It was a feeling that was hard to define precisely, like being in water with gentle ripples on the surface. You could feel as if tiny waves were brushing against your skin, but upon closer inspection, it seemed like there was nothing at all.

It felt like an illusion.

Only the tangible reaction to the "before our eyes" gray fog proves that Dumbledore did indeed do something—

Below, in a realistic sense, the once tranquil gray fog, which seemed perpetually inactive, suddenly began to churn violently.

Like a whirlpool suddenly appearing on a calm sea.

Then, a "shimmering" tree flew out from the thick fog.

It was indeed a tree. If you ignored the shadow on its surface and the distinct, vibrant colors beneath it, it looked just like a real tree, with lush, layered leaves, branches extending in all directions, and a thick trunk.

Vaughn looked at Dumbledore: "Did you summon it?"

"No!"

Old Deng's head blinked to both sides. "To be precise, it was the ether that responded to my thoughts and moved a tree in front of me... or maybe it moved us next to a tree, who knows?"

Response...

Vaughn noticed this word. Dumbledore, like him, opposed the idea of ​​personifying "ether," but Dumbledore still used the word "response," which means that in Dumbledore's view, the mechanism by which the tree appeared was indeed the result of ether responding to him.

Dumbledore explained, “Just as we cast spells, strong emotions and wills are effective in the ether, even more so.”

"Just like now, I wanted to see a tree, and it appeared in front of me. The so-called 'roaming' is simply this kind of process..."

Dumbledore paused, then added, "Of course, these are not unconditional. In the ether, emotions are something that can be truly consumed. The stronger your thoughts and emotions, the more likely your goal is to succeed, but the faster your emotions are consumed!"

Hearing this, Vaughn frowned slightly and asked, "What happens if the emotions are exhausted?"

"do not know."

Dumbledore chuckled and said, "An old man like me who values ​​his life wouldn't dare to try. But I think there must have been quite a few wizards who had the courage to try over the thousands of years, but in reality, there is no literature describing the results, which speaks volumes."

That certainly speaks volumes.

Those brave guys are probably all dead by now.

Vaughn thought for a moment, then asked, "When you say 'idea,' do you mean something with specific requirements and detailed concepts, or something more vague and emotional?"

What he wanted to know was, if he could make specific requests, wouldn't the ether be like a wish-granting machine?

Dumbledore clearly understood his thoughts and sighed, saying:
"I know what you're thinking, but unfortunately, those thoughts can only be vague and emotional."

"It's just like magic in this respect. No matter how you conceive a spell, a disarming spell can't turn an enemy into a flower!"

"The reason why alchemy uses the word 'travel' is because, for alchemists, the ether's response mechanism is merely a tool we use to 'travel' after the concepts of time and space have disappeared, or, like some alchemists, a tool to briefly experience 'combination' with the ether and observe the universe."

"It's not a wish-granting machine!"

No wonder!
Vaughn nodded knowingly, and was about to say something when the tree "below" suddenly showed an anomaly.

Vaughn saw that the thick gray fog that had been gradually calming down beside the tree started to churn again, and suddenly, several sticky tentacles emerged from it and wrapped around the tree.

Visibly, the tree began to disintegrate. The overlapping colors inside faded rapidly, and the grayish phantom on its surface, after flashing violently a few times, turned into a thick, liquid-like state, which was then "eaten" by the tentacles.

"……what is that?"

“Ah, as I said, Vaughn, the aether is far more treacherous than you imagine.” Dumbledore said, unfazed. “These things are called aether rays, beings that live in the aether. It is said that they look a lot like rays, but they are rarely seen… They are very annoying creatures. They can sense the emotions of wizards, and they will cause trouble whenever a wizard is active in the aether.”

Quantum life?
Vaughn slightly "opened" his eyes, looking at the tentacles that had "eaten" the tree but hadn't retreated into the gray mist, still flickering evilly outside.

"Is it dangerous? Or rather, are these beings living in the ether very dangerous? I don't seem to have seen it mentioned in the notes."

"Most of them are not dangerous and have little research value. In essence, they are the same as the spiritual entities of real organisms."

"However, this doesn't mean the ether is safe. Danger can always appear unexpectedly here..."

Dumbledore said.

Sensing something amiss in his tone, Vaughn looked at him and realized that he had raised his head at some point and was "looking" into the depths of the gray fog ahead.

Looking in that "direction," Vaughn suddenly noticed that light was silently emanating from there.

A dim, yellow light piercing through the boundless gray fog!
It's so warm; just looking at it evokes the poignant beauty of an autumn sunset, the blood-red rays of the setting sun sinking into the riverbank, making one want to immerse oneself in it...

and many more!

Vaughn suddenly realized something was wrong with the light!

Just as he regained his senses, Dumbledore reminded him, "Vaughn, don't look at it."

But in the ether, where the concept of space has been lost, it is very difficult not to look at something, so Vaughn can only force himself to shift his attention.

"Albus, what is that?"

To Vaughn's surprise, Dumbledore replied, "I don't know."

"?"

“Vaughn, anything is possible in the ether. I have seen Muggle nightmares form a terrifying castle here, and I have also seen the spirits of ancient wizards who died wandering in the gray fog like living corpses... The ether is really too big and too beyond the realm of reason. No one can figure out how every incomprehensible phenomenon they encounter came about.”

"If you ask me how to make ether safe, I would say that the best way is to not approach or be curious when you encounter phenomena that you do not understand, but wait quietly, and it will leave on its own."

The dim light, just as Dumbledore had said, appeared silently for a moment and then vanished just as abruptly as it had appeared.

But Vaughn felt something was off. He thought for a moment and asked, "Does that kind of... phenomenon occur frequently in the ether?"

Dumbledore's figure flickered, his hands, which had been clasped in front of his lower abdomen, suddenly opened: "Not very common. I believe you should have asked Fred and George; they probably have never encountered it before?"

This is obviously nonsense; if Vaughn had known, he wouldn't have almost fallen for it.

Recalling his experience moments before, Vaughn was certain that the light possessed a powerful, bewitching ability. That was the problem. Normally, Vaughn, protected by a maxed-out Occlumency spell, should be immune to bewitching or any magic that targets the mind.

Unless, that dim light touches the soul!

Anything involving the soul is not simple. As a novice, this was my first time entering the etheric realm, and I encountered phenomena that seemed to be related to the soul...

Vaughn didn't think it was because of his bad luck. He looked at Dumbledore suspiciously, feeling that it might be related to the old man.

Unfortunately, there was no evidence, and Dumbledore's expression was obscured by his ashen face.

After thinking it over, Vaughn decided to give up on pressing the issue. There was no point in verbally pressuring a centenarian.

Since Dumbledore answered "I don't know," it means he doesn't want to say for the time being.

However, Vaughn still subtly added: "The progress of any discipline and technology is based on the tireless exploration of the unknown, just like the Hogwarts school song, 'We shall always seek knowledge, until we decay.'"

“Yes, yes, that’s the mindset a wizard should have.” Dumbledore nodded repeatedly, two heads flashing up and down on his neck. He said earnestly, “You must remember the school song, Vaughn, be positive and strive for excellence, don’t be like this old rotten fellow!”

Vaughn was speechless. What could he say to an old guy who was just giving up?
Having finally gained the upper hand in the verbal exchange through shamelessness, Dumbledore's tone became cheerful again: "My dear, shall we continue our exploration, or return?"

you still need to ask?

Of course, we should continue exploring.

The two continued flying through the gray fog. This time, Dumbledore did not use his emotions—which made Vaughn increasingly believe that the strange, dim yellow light from before was likely drawn by Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, no longer able to use his emotions, could no longer demonstrate, so he began to instruct Vaughn on how to transmit ideas to the ether.

"It's similar to when you cast a spell—a strong emotion, a strong will, but more focused, with a clear recipient. You can imagine it like this: a great being in the void is waiting to respond to you..."

Upon hearing this, Vaughn couldn't help but interject: "Alchemists all use this method? No wonder the 'Creator' theory has become the mainstream ideology of alchemy. You can see from this technique of transmitting emotions that everyone subconsciously believes that the aether is alive."

Dumbledore smiled and countered, "So what do you think? Once you enter the Aether, will you still insist on your claim that the Aether is merely an objective phenomenon?"

Without hesitation, Vaughn replied, “I still maintain that, to be precise, I do not believe that ether absolutely lacks any human characteristics, will, or intelligence. What I object to is taking the idea that ether possesses a will and that ether is humanized as truth.”

"In Muggle society, even if a theory is proven a thousand or ten thousand times, it is not necessarily correct, because human cognition is subjective. Using subjective cognition to interpret objective phenomena will inevitably have limitations. Even if the probability of error is small, that probability still exists."

After listening to these words, Dumbledore pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Is this what you used to say, that Muggle science only falsifies, not proves?"

"Yes, this way of thinking is very simple. For example, 'rain makes the ground wet.' If we reason entirely subjectively, we might also think 'no rain makes the ground dry.' Subjectively, this is indeed very logical. However, in the actual objective environment, there are many reasons for the ground to be wet, and rain is only one of them."

"Therefore, in my view, the ether that can respond to the wizard's thoughts, possessing will, wisdom, personality or divinity... these can only be considered as speculation, one of countless possibilities, and should not be regarded as a certain and unique result."

Vaughn's statement undoubtedly goes against the thinking habits of wizards.

Dumbledore remained silent for an even longer time this time, ultimately offering no comment, as if the conversation had never occurred, and continued to instruct Vaughn:

“Let’s continue… Before transmitting ideas, you need to lift the brain seal. This is a prerequisite. We must have closer contact with the ether to ensure everything is accurate and error-free.”

"Of course, I also have to remind you that you might not be used to it, because we are now spiritual beings, without the constraints of a physical body, and still subject to the influence of the ether. It might behave a little too... lively!"

Soon, Vaughn experienced the “discomfort” and “excessive liveliness” that Dumbledore had described.

As he removed the brain-sealing technique, the icy, cool sensation that had been shrouding his head subsided, as if some shackles had been removed.

Countless burning, frenzied thoughts seemed to surge up from the depths of his consciousness, jumping and shouting. Vaughn felt as if his thoughts had been suddenly divided into countless parts, each with its own ideas and opinions, "arguing" in a chaotic mess.

For a fleeting moment, Vaughn even "saw" the phantom on the surface of his spiritual body flickering more intensely, as if something was about to separate away.

Old Deng, standing nearby, was still gloating: "Oh—darling, your mental body is more complex than I imagined. Generally speaking, a 12-year-old shouldn't have such noisy thought processes!"

Vaughn is too busy to criticize Deng right now.

For someone who has mastered memory magic, gathering his thoughts and maintaining focus is not too difficult. In reality, he can make his mind "completely clear" in one second.

But in the ether, this process becomes much more difficult.

The main problem lies in the concept of time. Time represents "continuity," which can be the continuity of matter or the continuity of thought. Previously, the Occupational Surgery effectively protected Vaughn's consciousness, and the "interruption" of the continuity of matter did not affect his thinking.

It wasn't until the brain surgery was lifted that Vaughn truly understood what it meant for "time to lose its meaning."

The thought process, which should have been moving from one second to the next like following a line, suddenly became "jumping".

His perception of time was also as if it were being infinitely subdivided into countless moments, all of which existed simultaneously. This caused his thoughts and consciousness to also seem to be divided into countless parts.

If someone is a Muggle, this kind of time perception error leading to mental confusion can immediately turn a normal person into an idiot.

But wizards, especially those with memory magic, have plenty of ways to solve this.

The world of the mind reflects reality. This originally continuous space has been divided into countless parts, like stacked microscope slides. In each "slide" there is a "Vaughn Weasley", some calm, some angry, and some anxious.

They coexist simultaneously, neither willing to yield to the other!
The personification device appeared, transforming into a wisp of white smoke that drifted across countless "glass panes," exploring and searching.

After an unknown amount of time, it stopped on a glass slide with its eyes closed in deep thought and merged into it.

In that glass slide, "Vaughn Weasley" with his eyes closed gently flicked his finger, and a few wisps of white smoke rose from "him" and quickly disappeared into the adjacent glass slide.

Infection, control, assimilation...

One by one, the "Vaughn Weasleys" went from chaos to quiet, closing their eyes just like the original one, with white smoke swirling in the scene.

After this process is repeated dozens of times, even in the dark world of the mind, there are still many "glass pieces" that are still separated and noisy, but the "Vaughn Weasley" with his eyes closed, who has been connected by the personification, gradually takes the lead!
Then, "Vaughn," who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them!

In the thick gray fog of ether, Vaughn let out a soft sigh.

His consciousness remained clear throughout. After all, no matter how you break it down, those countless "he"s are still him, only lacking a central figure, resulting in a chaotic mess.

Even now, he still feels that his mind is a mess, with all sorts of thoughts coming one after another, but at least it has a main body that allows him to think clearly.

"Exquisite memory magic!"

Dumbledore's praise came from beside him.

Vaughn rolled his eyes at him. Even though Old Deng couldn't see him in his spiritual form, it didn't stop him from expressing his dissatisfaction: "Thank you for the compliment, and thank you for not reminding me. You almost made me turn into an idiot."

“Dear Vaughn, that kind of thing is impossible. It’s just a mental confusion caused by a time perception error. Even without memory magic, you will slowly—slowly—recover as you get used to the ether!”

The old man argued.

He certainly wouldn't admit that he had a bit of a perverse sense of humor, and he even argued, "Most importantly, your thinking is too complicated and your personality is too assertive. The other young wizards who were encountering ether for the first time didn't react as strongly as you. Their reactions were much simpler."

Although it sounded like he was being mocked, Vaughn knew that Deng was right.

He not only has a complex mind and a strong personality, but also has two lifetimes. Obviously, in a timeless worldview that lacks continuity and is infinitely subdivided, this unique experience is not an advantage.

But that's all.

I can't be bothered with Dumbledore anymore.

Vaughn calmed his mind and continued to manipulate the persona to connect consciousness and strengthen the subject.

He only stopped when the noisy thoughts in his brain gradually subsided and most of the countless floating "glass panes" in his mental world turned white.

“Next, it’s time to transmit thoughts to the Aether…” Ignoring Dumbledore’s crossed arms and spectator-like posture, Vaughn adjusted to his current mental state while starting to manipulate his emotions according to Dumbledore’s previous teachings and his experience in casting spells.

Focus, concentrate!
In a daze, he suddenly felt as if he had returned to a few years ago when he first tried the spell, feeling inexperienced and awkward, and unable to concentrate his emotions.

Unlike back then, and unlike in reality, Vaughn clearly felt that as he stirred his emotions, a strange feeling was condensing from his spiritual body.

It was something wispy and gray, like a shadowy image on the surface of the body.

In reality, emotions and feelings are abstract and unquantifiable, but here, they clearly have a form.

Vaughn merely glanced at them before turning his attention away and began to ponder what kind of response he needed from the ether.

"Alchemy says that all things have a spirit, and ether is the sum of the spirits of all things. This is the fundamental reason why it connects all things. So, if we explain spirit from the perspective of Muggle science, what should it be?"

"Is it information, or rather, the informational state of matter?"

Vaughn hadn't forgotten that what puzzled him most before entering the realm of ether was exactly what ether was!
In a broad sense, it must be some kind of substance, a substance that can express the information state (spirit) of matter.

However, things cannot be measured only from a broad perspective; they must also be defined and confirmed from a narrow perspective.

"Before entering the Aether, Dumbledore said that traveling through the Aether was like a dream. He also mentioned before that he had seen a Muggle's nightmare, which formed a terrifying castle in the Aether... Let's see what consciousness or dreams, these non-physical things in reality, really look like!"

As soon as he made up his mind, the emotions that had condensed into form within his spirit began to dissipate immediately.

They were like ripples spreading across a lake, leaping away from his spiritual body in discontinuous circles and fragments.

They detached from Vaughn's body, carrying with them a rustling whisper:
"Dreams...consciousness...mind...all that is non-physical, the spiritual realm..."

They came into contact with the gray fog and then vanished instantly, as if something around them had been waiting to receive them!
Then, quite abruptly, Vaughn raised his head.

He could sense that some strange concept was responding to him, a feeling that was hard to describe.

It was as if a voice was coming from a distant place, or as if a thought was emerging in one's own mind.

In short, he knew that the ether had "responded" to him!
Moreover, it wasn't just a feeling; there was also the gray fog in front of my eyes, which began to churn and boil.

But this time, unlike when Dumbledore "summoned" the tree before, there was no physical entity emerging from the gray mist. Instead, in Vaughn's perception, he was suddenly pulled "down" by something!
Caught off guard, Vaughn instinctively resisted, but immediately heard Dumbledore say:

"Don't resist!"

Vaughn did as he was told and gave up resisting, going with the force pulling him down or forward... in any direction he couldn't tell.

This was the first time he had ever felt the pull of gravity since entering the ether.

He passed through the boundless gray fog. In his state of losing all sense of time, he couldn't tell how long he had been falling. He only knew that color suddenly appeared before his eyes.

It was an incredibly vast expanse, like a horizon, with a slight curve and seven colors.

Thin yet rich, illusory yet real, distinct layers, overlapping layers!

It's like... just like the colors that appear under the gray phantom of his spiritual body.

Vaughn suddenly realized that his previous guess about the colors under the shadow on the body surface might be wrong, and that it might not be the manifestation of light in the ether.

Before he could continue guessing, the fall suddenly stopped. Vaughn was slightly taken aback and lowered his head.

He saw that he was standing on a cement ground—no gray shadows, just like the real ground!

Vaughn came to a highway.

A winding, long road that seems to have no end.

It came from the endless gray fog, circling the vast, arcing, seven-colored rainbow that Vaughn had seen "just now" as he fell—

It was only at this moment that Vaughn noticed that the iridescent color was actually a huge "bubble" surface.

It was so magnificent that the road where Vaughn stood seemed like a tiny, imperceptible mycelium clinging to its periphery.

Dumbledore had somehow landed beside Vaughn. His shimmering figure bounced on the concrete floor like a child, then cheerfully said to Vaughn, "Good luck, Vaughn, Aether has found you a modern human."

Vaughn immediately noticed the key point: "Modern humans?"

“Yes, modern humans, this Muggle highway is all too obvious.” Seemingly pleased with Vaughn’s good luck, Dumbledore answered casually, “Don’t forget, time has no meaning in the ether, so things that exist within it are not limited to the present, but also the past and the future. I once met a very futuristic-looking person from the future.”

"..."

The word "science fiction" sounds really out of place coming from Dumbledore's mouth...

Vaughn walked to the edge of the road and looked up at the huge, iridescent bubble "before his eyes".

He asked curiously, "Is there only one human inside such a huge bubble?"

"That's right. To be precise, this soap bubble-like thing contains a human dream world, or rather, his unconscious."

Upon hearing the word "unconscious," Vaughn immediately recalled some knowledge that he hadn't paid much attention to before.

Because of the relationship between the "Creator" theory and the theory of the Golden Soul, the mainstream thought of modern alchemy is actually more inclined towards the spiritual level, or, in Muggle terms, psychology.

Modern alchemy not only divides humans into two states, "physical body" and "spiritual body," but also further subdivides the "spiritual body."

They believe that a person's spiritual body contains a three-dimensional structure:
Consciousness, individual unconscious (subconscious) and collective unconscious (collective subconscious).

Consciousness is located on the surface; it is the "self," the subject of a person's thinking and memory.

The unconscious is located at the second level. It is a "container" that contains various psychological activities that are inconsistent with the functioning of consciousness, such as all forgotten memories, experiences, perceptions, dreams, fantasies, etc. It is "waste" that must be separated from the subject.

Theories he had read before suddenly came to mind. Looking up at the giant bubble "before his eyes," Vaughn pondered and guessed: "Muggles and ordinary wizards do not have alchemical talent, so their spiritual bodies cannot enter the aether... Now it seems that 'consciousness' cannot enter, but the unconscious can?"

To be honest, he hadn't paid much attention to the modern alchemical theory of the three-fold structure of the spiritual body before.

Because, based on his experiments after learning memory magic, he found that everyone's personality is singular and complete. He hadn't considered that the foundation of the triple structure theory was not reality, but ether.

It is a summary of the phenomenon of inner consciousness in the ether!

Beside him, Dumbledore added with a smile, "The collective unconscious can also be materialized by the ether. You should encounter it sometime in the future... Now, let me show you the personal unconscious of this poor Muggle."

As he spoke, Dumbledore had already taken Vaughn's hand, while placing his other hand on the "bubble".

Vaughn recalled his previous erroneous guess about the seven colors. His greatest virtue was his willingness to ask questions, so he asked Dumbledore, "What do the seven colors on the surface of the bubbles represent? Are the colors under our phantom spirits the same thing?"

Unfortunately, Lao Deng did not give him a definite answer.

"In your words, it might be some kind of external manifestation of the mind. As for what it is exactly, no one has figured it out yet. If you figure it out in the future, remember to tell me!"

Vaughan: "..."

The seven-colored, swirling bubbles give the impression of being both illusory and real.

When Dumbledore plunged his hand into it, taking Vaughn with him as he "passed" through, the feedback he received was exactly the same.

They seemed to pass through layers of curtains, or perhaps just through empty air, or a patch of colorful light.

Then, a completely different scene appeared before my eyes.

Those were green trees, forests, meadows, and sunshine...

The monotonous gray suddenly disappeared from sight, and the previous experience vanished like a dream.

Vaughn felt as if he had suddenly returned to reality, back to a warm and pleasant afternoon.

Of course, he understood that it was just an illusion caused by suddenly seeing everything in front of him!

Vaughn and Dumbledore's spirit forms hovered in mid-air, overlooking the beautiful scenery below, overlooking the golden sunlight that bathed the forest path, where a middle-aged man was leisurely strolling.

He noticed Vaughn and Dumbledore, and didn't find it strange at all.

He waved enthusiastically to the two men and shouted, "Good afternoon, gentlemen!"

But neither Vaughn nor Dumbledore responded.

Because they all understood that this was just the middle-aged man's dream.

In the blink of an eye, a beautiful woman appeared beside the middle-aged man. He immediately stopped paying attention to the two people floating in mid-air, laughed happily, and took her hand.

The whole world seemed to become more vibrant because of his joy.

The roadside grasses struggled to support their leaves, and the dewdrops reflected the sun, shimmering like pearls.

Trees droop their branches to create shade, and in the dappled light and shadow, a gentle breeze blows through the forest.

The roadside flowers desperately opened their petals, spreading their fragrance, and butterflies fluttered about.

Everything seemed like a fairy tale, and all the changes revolved around that middle-aged man; everything here was his dream!

"It looks like a beautiful dream!" Dumbledore exclaimed.

"Yes, but it only seems like a beautiful dream..."

"Vaughn said softly."

Being in such a "dream," as a master of memory magic, he could sense the essence of the middle-aged man's "dream" and understood why Dumbledore had called this Muggle "pitiful" before he came in.

"As the second layer of the mental body, the personal unconscious exists to protect the conscious subject. On the one hand, it contains the unimportant parts of life experiences, making it easier for the subject's consciousness to forget them and reduce the burden on the mind."

"On the other hand, it is also responsible for containing things that may harm the subject's consciousness."

"For example, pain, frustration, despair, anxiety..."

Looking down at the middle-aged man, Vaughn silently recited the words he had read before. He could feel the intense pain hidden beneath the seemingly beautiful surface of this dream, or rather, fantasy.

The heartache stems from the beautiful woman who suddenly appeared and stayed by the man's side!
For Vaughn and Dumbledore, masters of memory magic, the pain permeating this "dream world" was all too clear.

They watched silently.

Until a certain moment, the entire "space" suddenly collapsed, the huge bubble rapidly shrank, and the bubble surface with seven distinct colors swept past the two people and collapsed into the gray fog.

In the blink of an eye, the enormous bubble disappeared, and the beautiful scenery was replaced by gray once again.

"……what happened?"

“He’s probably woken up!” Dumbledore shook his head. “We don’t feel the passage of time, nor do we know where he is. Perhaps it’s already dawn where he is in reality.”

"What will happen when he wakes up? Will he remember us, remember this dream?"

Vaughn was a little curious.

He suddenly recalled a past experience of his—

Sometimes when he wakes up, he knows he had a dream, but he can't remember what it was about.

Dumbledore shook his head again: "No!"

Vaughn knew that he was far inferior to Dumbledore in his research on the spiritual body and the ether, so he never missed an opportunity to ask questions: "Why? Is it because his consciousness is not in the ether? Or is it because everything that happens in the ether is more 'false' to reality?"

As mentioned earlier, consciousness is the core of a person's thinking and memory; experiences without conscious participation are obviously impossible to remember.

By reading the notes of his predecessors, Vaughn also vaguely understood that the ether and reality overlapped and were isolated from each other. At least, it seemed that things that happened in the ether had little effect on reality.

Dumbledore clasped his hands together, thought for a moment, and replied, "Anything is possible!"

"Albus!"

Dumbledore laughed heartily, glanced again at the spot where the bubbles had disappeared, and said, "It's getting late, Vaughn. Let's call this voyage for now!"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Let me give you another lesson. Before we begin, I'd like to ask you a question, based on your earlier question: Vaughn, what do you consider to be real, and what is false?"

Ok?
Of course, objective facts are true, and things that do not exist or have not happened are false!
Vaughn was puzzled and was about to answer when he suddenly stopped.

He suddenly realized that Dumbledore was not asking about the objective truth or falsehood, but rather about the subjective judgment of a conscious subject!

Seeing that he seemed to understand, Dumbledore continued, "From our perspective, what just happened is definitely real because we remember the whole cause and effect and process, but what about that Muggle?"

“What you just said is actually correct. Yes, his main consciousness did not experience it, so he will not remember it. Similarly, those things that do not exist in his memory are false. He does not know the existence of ether and has no concept of ether... And there are billions of people like him in the world, including most wizards who do not have alchemical talent.”

"If we compare them this way, then who is right?"

Vaughn frowned slightly; he didn't quite understand the meaning of this question.

For him, neither was wrong; the difference was simply due to the amount of information he possessed.

Dumbledore didn't seem prepared to hear an answer. Before the frowning Vaughn could speak, he once again used his "idea".

"The last lesson also begins with this question."

He reached out towards the gray mist, and waves of emotion spread out like ripples, leaping out of his body in waves.

These transmitted ideas quickly received a response from the Ether.

The gray mist churned and sprayed out packets of "materials"!
The ingredients looked familiar: milkweed juice, mercury, mithril powder...

Dumbledore pointed to the materials that he had "summoned" with his thoughts and asked, "Vaughn, are these real or fake?"

Vaughn's brow furrowed even deeper as he suddenly realized he couldn't answer.

Based on what he knew, things in the ether cannot be brought into reality, so from that perspective, these materials must be fake.

but……

Dumbledore once again transmitted "ideas" to the gray fog.

This time, the ripples flowing through his body were more intense and frequent, and numerous afterimages left his body.

In contrast, the materials began to fuse due to the "response" of the ether—just like the steps Fred and George took to make the mithril mercury mixture. Before long, a golden, demon-friendly, insulating rubber sheet was born. The moment it was born, it seemed to have completed its mission and quickly disintegrated into wisps of gray mist.

But it didn't disappear completely; instead, it remained in place, leaving behind a "symbol" that emitted a faint light and appeared as a circle from any angle!
Dumbledore pointed to the "symbol" again and said, "This is how alchemy obtains symbols, Vaughn. Is it real or fake?"

Normally, this move by Old Deng would have made Vaughn's eyes light up and fill him with curiosity—the alchemical items that Fred and George had spent many days thinking about before inventing were easily replicated by the old man.

But at that moment, Vaughn's mind was not on that at all.

He stared at the symbol. There was no doubt that the symbol could be brought into reality; from an alchemist's perspective, it must be real.

But from the perspective of someone other than an alchemist, it simply doesn't exist!

Vaughn was beginning to understand what Dumbledore wanted to teach him.

Sure enough, he heard Dumbledore continue, "I can sense your ambition, Vaughn. You're trying to combine alchemy with Muggle technology, and I suspect you also want to try to promote magic... No need to deny it, I don't know much about Muggle technology, but I know you."

"If you didn't have that mindset, you wouldn't have tried to understand ether with Muggle knowledge from the very beginning."

"The problem is this: let's ignore the possibility of failure for now. Suppose you do succeed one day, how do you explain to those Muggles who have no access to ether what ether is?"

"On the other hand, how do you convince alchemists to understand Muggle theory?"

“You have big ambitions, child, but you’re not even an alchemist yet, and you don’t even know how they see the world!”

"I think you should first learn to think like an alchemist. This is the homework I'm assigning you... Don't look at me like that. You said you wanted me to be your mentor!"

(End of this chapter)