In the Apocalypse, I Can Enter Hogwarts

Chapter 76 Magic Stone

……

The extremely bad weather, with its fierce winds and torrential rain, lasted all night.

The next morning, when Ian got up, he found that it seemed like spring had arrived outside again, with a gentle breeze and bright sunshine, as if the disastrous scene of the previous day was just an illusion.

"Goodness... this change is as fast as a girl in love."

Looking out the window at the bright sunshine and peaceful scene, he couldn't help but make a comment.

After cleaning up and washing up, Ian ate some quick food for breakfast and immediately went to repair the generator that had broken down the night before.

After all, the refrigerator is full of food, and I can't just watch it spoil. Also, many of the furnishings in the room need electricity to operate, otherwise they'll just be decorations.

He wasn't a mechanical engineer and had no idea how to repair a broken generator, but wizards had their own unique ways of solving problems.

"Restored to its original state..."

Okay, I don't understand the principle, I don't understand where the problem lies, but it can restore you to your starting settings. At this moment, the power of idealistic magic is perfectly demonstrated once again; it's just that unreasonable, even a bit tyrannical.

With the support of powerful magic, all the items that were damaged in the courtyard last night have been completely repaired and are as good as new.

But only living vegetable seedlings cannot be restored. Faced with the grand theme of life, no matter how unreasonable the wizard's power may be, it cannot violate the fundamental law of life and death.

The air after the rain is not only fresh, but also carries the earthy scent and the fragrance of grass, making every breath captivating.

He was reluctant to go back to his room. Although the courtyard was still a bit chilly in the morning, his wizardly constitution made him completely ignore it. He sat in his wicker chair, greedily breathing in the fresh air while pondering his questions.

"Is it just a sudden, unexpected bout of severe weather, or a signal...? If it's the latter, then things are getting complicated..."

Just as he was making wild guesses without any clue, his thoughts were interrupted by a clear voice.

"Ian, I think you can come and see, I've got everything sorted out."

Eileen stood gracefully at the front door, looking at Ian, while raising the thick notebook she was holding.

"Okay, coming right now." Ian jumped up at the mention of her name and immediately walked towards Eileen. Upon getting closer, he noticed her tired-looking eyes and asked with some surprise, "You didn't sleep a wink last night?"

"I'm having some trouble sleeping, so I've chosen to work. It's not important; I can catch up on sleep after breakfast. But I think I need to give you these documents first."

Ian didn't say much upon hearing this; it was just insomnia. He immediately said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go take a look."

After all, it was a matter of lifespan, so he couldn't afford to be careless. Traveling between the two worlds consumed twice the time, and he was really starting to get worried about this going on for a long time.

……

"You know what? The books you gave me seem like a lot, but actually, the core content recorded in hundreds of books is not that much. One notebook is more than enough."

After the two returned to the living room and sat around the desk, Eileen spoke earnestly to Ian.

It felt like she had rediscovered the feeling before the apocalypse. Eileen didn't rush to have Ian read it, but instead chose to focus on explaining the key points first.

"This alchemist named Nico and his wife seem to have gained nearly 700 years of life for each other through the Philosopher's Stone, but the price behind it is bloody and cruel."

"...And the opening page of this book, *Alchemy Notes*, clarifies the essence of alchemy—'Alchemy is not creation; everything follows the principle of equivalent exchange.' I consulted *General History of Magic*, comparing Nico's life with historical events, and discovered something terrifying..."

At this point, Eileen paused slightly, as if to organize her thoughts, and continued, "Nicole was born in 1330 in a country called France. Between the time Nicole was 17 and 25 years old, that is, between 1347 and 1335, an unprecedented plague—the Black Death—occurred on that continent."

"...Afterwards, the virus swept across the entire continent, causing at least 2500 million deaths, which directly accounted for more than one-third of the total population of that continent at the time. Considering the principle of equivalent exchange in alchemy, it is not difficult to deduce that the Philosopher's Stone must have been created at that time; otherwise, there would be no way to explain why it could prolong life."

At this point, Eileen added a seemingly pointed remark, looking intently into Ian's eyes as she spoke with a hint of seriousness:

"In our world, there are countless fungal parasites. No matter what form they take, at least one thing is certain: they possess extremely tenacious vitality."

Ian fell silent after hearing this. At this moment, he was very grateful for Eileen's help, and her intelligence had also exceeded his expectations.

Eileen didn't say a word the whole time, choosing to ignore the unfamiliar world, unfamiliar country, unfamiliar history, and unfamiliar calendar system described in the books.

She even vaguely guessed what she was thinking, which made her thoughtfully add a final sentence, for fear that she might fall into a blind spot and ignore the existence of these fungal parasites.

Ian took a deep breath, let out a long sigh, and said with some emotion, "The price of immortality is indeed cruel. Eileen, thank you for your help. I've come to understand a lot more now."

Eileen replied with a sigh of relief:

"I've said it before, I only care about whether I can help you, whether it's growing vegetables, cooking, or organizing book contents, I'll be happy as long as it helps you... Besides, shouldn't the fungi here be eradicated?"

Ian didn't say anything more, only nodded earnestly. Without needing to absorb any divine sense, he already understood that Eileen was speaking from the heart. Sometimes, words of gratitude don't need to be spoken; mutual understanding is enough.

I picked up the other person's carefully written and organized notes and began to study them carefully, word by word.

……

"Flames are raging..."

At this moment, Ian was in the office building where he used to live. In front of him was a humanoid parasite whose limbs had been severed by the Severing Curse. Even with its limbs severed, the parasite was still slowly moving towards Ian by using its neck muscles as a leverage point.

As the incantation was recited, a blazing orange flame shot out, instantly reducing the tenacious parasite to dust.

"Finally, there's a response. So this thing only has a 5-meter range for receiving signals," Ian muttered to himself, staring intently at the magic stone in his hand.

After reading Eileen's notes, Ian became increasingly convinced that the Black Death was the root cause of the indirect creation of the Philosopher's Stone.

The most obvious example is that for the next few centuries, no one was able to forge a new Philosopher's Stone. Was this really just due to limitations in alchemy? He never underestimated anyone.

In conclusion, he decided to try the most basic method to see if he could recharge the magic stone in his hand. He experimented countless times over about a week, failing countless times in the process.

At first, it was thought that the number of parasites killed was too small to cause any change in the Philosopher's Stone. However, later on, Ian killed hundreds of parasites at once, but the Philosopher's Stone remained unmoved and did not change in the slightest.

But he was not discouraged at all. If it were really that easy to recharge, the magic stone wouldn't need to be destroyed as a useless item.

Perhaps it was the ease with which he had killed them that made Ian complacent. Even today, after a preliminary search, he still missed something and didn't find a single parasite hiding under his desk.

The sudden appearance of the parasite startled him, but fortunately, his fighting spirit remained, and he dealt with it perfectly with three cutting spells and one fire spell. If it weren't for the experiment with the Philosopher's Stone, Ian would actually really enjoy using the petrification spell.

Furthermore, the Petrification Curse was one of the earliest and most practiced spells Ian mastered, and he can now cast it virtually without a wand or sound. At the same time, with the support of his powerful magic after his second awakening, this spell has long surpassed the realm of poison curses; in fact, its power is comparable to that of ordinary curses.

Getting back to the main point, just as the fire spell completely annihilated the parasite, the Philosopher's Stone finally showed a slight reaction. If it weren't for Ian's extraordinary sensitivity, he would have barely noticed this minute change.

"It's good that there's a change. That's great. I'm not worried about you absorbing a lot; I'm just worried about you not having any reaction..."

Ian was overjoyed; the boulder pressing down on him had finally loosened somewhat, although the magic stone seemed unchanged for the time being.

But he knew that was only because there weren't enough. Compared to the magic stone forged from the sacrifices of 2500 million, he was only at a small step. Perhaps only after sweeping through the entire city would the magic stone show any noticeable changes.

"But that doesn't make sense! The Black Death spread and ravaged all of Europe. If the Philosopher's Stone really only absorbs life force from a distance of 5 meters, even if Nico ran until his legs gave out, it would be impossible for him to gather all the lost life force from all of Europe in just 15 years. Something just doesn't make sense here..."

After the initial joy, Ian fell into a brief period of contemplation. Of course, he wasn't a stubborn person; if he couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it. After all, it seemed that this matter, no matter how you looked at it, was beneficial to him.

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(P.S.: New book, please add to your favorites, recommend, invest in, and vote with monthly tickets.)

A heartfelt thank you to all the readers! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The seedlings need your help and support!

(P.S.: New book, please add to your favorites, recommend, invest in, and vote with monthly tickets.)

A heartfelt thank you to all the readers! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The seedlings need your help and support!

(End of this chapter)