Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 321 Dark Algae Analysis and Unexpected Discoveries

Back in the warm and safe eagle's nest, the four immediately began a preliminary analysis of the dark algae samples they had risked their lives to collect.

Fabian, being the most interested in potions and herbalism, naturally took charge of the testing. He put on dragon-skin gloves, took out a small piece of dark algae leaf, and carefully crushed it in a crystal mortar.

"Its juice is dark blue, almost like ink," he observed carefully, "very viscous, with a—cold, fishy smell, but not unpleasant."

He dipped a glass rod into the liquid and dripped it onto a test strip specifically used to detect magical properties. The test strip quickly turned deep blue, and spiderweb-like ice crystal patterns seeped outwards, while emitting a faint fluorescent glow.

"It has very strong water-attribute magic characteristics," Fabian judged, "and contains a peculiar vitality, look at this rate of penetration—but it also gives people a very inert, cold feeling, which is very contradictory."

Karen activated his "Eye of Truth," carefully observing the algae fragments and juices in the mortar. "Its magical structure is unique," he described, "like an extremely fine spiral network. It doesn't actively emit magic, but it continuously and subtly absorbs and influences the magical flow in the surrounding environment, slowing its flow, making it more—viscous, and clearly biased towards water."

"Slytherin uses it as a stabilizer or medium in many enhancement potions and cultivation experiments," Ernesto said, flipping through his notes. "It seems they utilize its ability to 'bind' and 'guide' water magic to prevent violent magical conflicts or to promote the retention of magic within biological tissues. The records also state that it can react with many common catalysts; I remember moonmoss appearing in some of them. We have quite a bit of that."

"But the notes also mention side effects several times, though they might not be considered side effects by Slytherin," Wesley reminded him. "I still remember those notes: 'mental chilling,' 'irritability,' 'increased aggression.'"

"So we need to verify it," Karen said. "Let's try the simplest method mentioned in the documentation."

They chose a relatively safe potion reaction test. Fabian took a small pinch of dried, ground dark algae powder, preparing to add it to a test tube filled with water. Then, following his notes, he added a trace amount of moonstalk powder and observed the reaction.

For safety, they stepped back a distance and added protective covers to the test tubes.

Fabian carefully sprinkled a tiny amount of dark algae powder into the test tube using a long-handled silver spoon. The water turned slightly blue. Then, holding his breath, he scooped up a small amount of moonshoe moss powder and added it to the test tube.

In an instant—"Swoosh!"

The liquid in the test tube began to boil violently, not from heat, but from the release of a chilling white vapor! A thick layer of frost visibly condensed on the test tube walls, making a slight cracking sound, as if it were about to freeze and crack. A cold, strangely fishy smell could be faintly detected even through the protective shield.

"Merlin—" Wesley exclaimed.

The reaction lasted for about ten seconds before gradually subsiding. The liquid in the test tube turned into a cloudy, deep blue suspension that appeared to contain countless ice crystals.

Fabian carefully removed the protective shield, and a blast of cold air hit him. He cautiously picked up the test tube, and even through the thick dragon-skin gloves, his fingertips immediately felt a strong, penetrating cold and numbness.

"It's so cold!" He almost dropped the test tube, quickly placing it on the stand. "It feels like holding a block of ice that's extremely cold."

Moreover, at the same time as that cold, numb sensation came over him, a very brief feeling of irritation inexplicably surged within him, an urge to smash this uncomfortable thing in front of him to the ground. This feeling was fleeting, but incredibly clear.

"Are you alright?" Karen noticed the sudden change in his expression.

"It's nothing—" Fabian shook his hands, took off his gloves, and saw that his fingertips were a little red. "It was just too cold. And—I suddenly got inexplicably angry just now and wanted to smash something, but only for a moment."

"It seems the Slytherin's description was not unfounded," Ernesto said gravely. "After specific catalytic treatment, this material can indeed directly affect the mind and emotions of those who come into contact with it, making them cold and agitated. And this is only a trace amount of powder."

Karen observed the tube of cold, turbid liquid with her Eye of Truth: "Its magical properties have changed drastically, from being inert and harmonizing to being extremely aggressive and corrosive. That cold fluctuation can indeed interfere with the magical fields of nearby creatures, especially at the emotional level."

This minor incident made the team aware of the potential danger.

"It seems that conducting experiments with active potions directly is very risky," Fabian said with lingering fear. "We need more robust protection, or—temporarily shift to more fundamental research on property analysis and preservation methods. Let's figure out how to safely store and handle it first."

Everyone agreed to the proposal. They carefully sealed the remaining dark algae samples in a specially made crystal jar enchanted with a temperature-regulating and isolation spell. Over the next few days, Fabian and Ernesto began systematically testing the stability of the dark algae and the rate of magical decay under different light, temperature, and humidity conditions.

Meanwhile, Cullen did not abandon his practice of Slytherin sonic techniques. The successful underwater application and tests on mermaids further fueled his interest in the technology. He continued to practice simulating frequencies directly with magic without relying on equipment; although progress was slow, his understanding of these frequencies deepened.

During a late-night practice session, he closed his eyes and concentrated, striving to continuously and steadily output that specific vibrational frequency through magic, attempting to expand its range of influence. Fine beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead, his mental energy highly focused.

Suddenly, a strange feeling welled up in my mind.

He "sense" it! No longer just seeing with his eyes, but as if the sound waves emitted had become invisible tentacles extending from him. He could vaguely "touch" the distance, not just in the direction the device was pointing, but in a body of water centered on him, sensing the general outlines and numbers of creatures within it. Although he couldn't get a clear image, he could discern which direction something was moving, and even vaguely capture a very indistinct emotional tone: a dozing owl by the window was "calm," the fat monk drifting past in the downstairs corridor was "faint sadness," and from the direction of the distant Black Lake came a "tranquility" mixed with a slight "restlessness," most likely nocturnal aquatic creatures.

This "sonar perception" ability is extremely mentally taxing. He only maintained it for a dozen seconds before feeling dizzy and had to stop. Moreover, the perception was very blurry, and it was difficult to accurately judge distance and shape.

But this is undoubtedly a huge, unexpected surprise!