HP: Wizards at Hogwarts

Chapter 117 The Sage and the Herbalist

While Elaine was talking to the two centaurs, Hagrid also found his good friend Ronan to chat with.

Ronan was a centaur with red hair, a red beard, and a red horse body.

However, he was not a talkative centaur.

Every time I talk to Hagrid for a few words, I have to drift off and look up at the sky to see the stars.

The sentence he said most often tonight was: "Jupiter is exceptionally bright tonight."

Centaurs are well-versed in astrology, and in their cultural heritage, the symbols of the planets are as fundamental as the definitions of written words.

In astrology, Jupiter is known as the "lucky star".

It symbolizes abundance and tolerance, promotes the exploration of knowledge to deepen insights, and guides positive values ​​such as morality, gratitude, hope, honor, and law.

In terms of symbolism, it is associated with figures such as noblemen, foreigners, fair judges, wise men, philosophers, and explorers.

So as soon as Ronan uttered those words, the centaurs around him immediately understood his meaning—

A great sage has arrived!

"Could it be that among these young human wizards is a great sage?"

"I can hardly believe it, they're so young—"

"Then how do you interpret the signs indicated by the planets?"

"Well—okay, but even if there really are great sages, what does that have to do with us centaurs? We are centaurs; we only need to focus on the affairs of the forest! Whether sages appear among humans or how they act is none of our business!"

"You're wrong! Although the centaurs live in seclusion, they have always respected and protected the wise. I think we should treat him with courtesy!"

"But so far, the stars haven't guided our actions, so perhaps we should hold back for now—"

"Having said all that, who do you think the 'Sage' will be?"

"I think it should be the blond boy, after all, he saved Kyle and Valen!"

"It's not impossible that it's Harry Potter. Didn't he defeat the Dark Lord many years ago? According to the elders' predictions over the past decade or so, he's the most suitable candidate."

"But it's clear that he's inferior to that blond human wizard in every way!"

Suddenly, the group of centaurs started arguing at the back of the procession.

Hagrid couldn't understand what they were saying, but he could roughly make out that the focus of their argument was Elaine and Harry.

Harry and Ron both looked equally puzzled.

Elaine understood, but had even more questions.

What sage?

Are these centaurs talking about themselves and Harry?

Will they inherit some special destiny in the future?

Perhaps I should take some time to study astrology properly when I get back.

A dozen minutes later, the group finally arrived at the centaur tribe.

At Kyle and Warren's invitation, Elaine and the others went to their residence to be entertained.

Of course, the other centaurs were not invited.

Upon arriving at the home of the two centaurs, they were very hospitable, immediately bringing out the fruits, meats, and vegetables they had prepared and treating them to a sumptuous supper.

The dinner table.

Curious about the living conditions of the centaur tribe, Elaine kept asking Kyle and Warren about their lives.

The two responded generously to their saviors.

The centaurs live in seclusion deep within the Forbidden Forest, forming a self-contained tribe.

They were able to be self-sufficient in terms of food by growing crops and hunting;

They maintain a patrol force as the tribe's armed force, responsible for dealing with any invading enemies.

In terms of culture, the writing system used by the centaurs is similar to that of humans;

In addition, they possess a highly mysterious astrology, which allows them to predict the future to some extent by observing and interpreting changes in celestial phenomena. The centaur tribes then use this information to make necessary adjustments.

Over the past few decades, the centaurs have come to the conclusion through continuous observation of celestial phenomena:

They are in a brief period of peace between two wars, but in the near future, a war will sweep across the magical world!

The entire tribe was thus divided into the "independence faction" and the "pro-amity faction".

The "Independence Faction" advocates that centaurs should keep their distance from humans, uphold centaurs' independence, and act only according to astrological guidance.

They followed the lead of a centaur named Bain.

Baine is currently the captain of the patrol team in the centaur tribe, and also the most powerful centaur in the tribe.

The "pro-peace faction" advocates proactively leaving the Forbidden Forest, helping humanity end wars, and maintaining world peace.

Their representative was Ferrenze, who served as the Divination professor at Hogwarts in the original story.

Ferenczek was also in the team today.

He cared a lot about Elavin, who had saved two of his people, so he made a special trip today.

The two centaurs that Elaine rescued, Kyle and Valen, were neutral members of the centaur tribe and had no clear opinions about the war or humanity.

Of course, they didn't originally have the right to decide the tribe's future.

The only people who can decide the direction of the tribe are the elders of the centaur tribe, including Baine and Ferenze.

Kyle and Valen were just ordinary members of the tribe.

"We are herbalists. In the tribe, we are mainly responsible for collecting herbs, brewing medicine, and treating the sick. We are equivalent to doctors among you humans."

"Yesterday, we went out together to collect herbs, but then—"

A herbalist?!

Elaine's eyes lit up instantly.

This presents a business opportunity!

"You just meant to brew medicinal soup?"

"Yes, I know that most human wizards use cauldrons to brew potions, right?"

As herbalists, Kyle and Valen clearly had a considerable understanding of the potion culture of human wizards.

"The centaurs are different; our medical practices are more primitive."

"We don't need a crucible, we don't need any complicated techniques, and we don't need to inject magic when brewing potions. We just need to put the herbs in the boiler, add water and boil them. The only thing we need to pay attention to is the heat."

Isn't that similar to decocting Chinese medicine?

Elaine was immediately intrigued by the centaur tribe's medical practice of "boiling medicinal soups".

Why is there such a difference?

Harry, standing nearby, asked curiously, "Even though the centaur tribe lives in seclusion, they still live not far from human wizards and occasionally interact with each other. Logically, there shouldn't be such a difference between them."

Kyle replied, "That's because 'potions' and 'medicines' origins are fundamentally different."

Warren countered, "It's not entirely the same!"

"Essentially, they were all developed by humans long ago to cure diseases and injuries."

"It was only later, with the development of the times and the different functional needs, that they gradually became two different things."