translating_wizard
patreon
Chapter 401: Death and the Philosopher’s Stone
🕑 Added 2019-02-23 17:35:26 +0000 UTCNicolas Flamel paused and carefully observed the expression on Evan’s face before gently saying, “I saw death in it!”
“Death?!” Evan was surprised.
"Yes!" Seeing the startled look on Evan’s face, Flamel could not help smiling. "This must be accurate, isn't it?! This stone basin made an effective divination and proved its accuracy. After talking to Albus two years ago, I've destroyed the Philosopher’s Stone, so that I can keep off people ulterior motives. But it also means that I can’t make the Elixir of Life anymore.”
Even though Evan was still worried about the sneaky man he just saw in the stone basin, the mood became particularly grim when he heard Flamel’s words.
He was not sure if he should comfort Flamel.
“All right, son! Don't show such an expression, it's no big deal." Flamel continued to speak in a relaxed tone, "Death is a relief for us. My wife Perenelle and I are ready to taste it.”
“But…”
“For a young man like you, it seems a little unbelievable. But for us, death is actually like going to bed after a long day.” Flamel waved to show Evan that he did not care. "And you must have heard Albus say that death is just another great adventure for a very sober wizard. Keep in mind that this is far from the end."
In the empty corridor, only Flamel’s deep old voice echoed.
He seemed to be implying some thoughts, but Evan couldn't understand.
Although he had seen descriptions of death in many magic books before, they were all vague.
Among the ancient lost doctrines, many wizards believed that death did not simply mean the end of life, but the beginning of a new cycle, one that transcended life itself and opened up doors for another mysterious category of magic.
Only a truly powerful wizard was qualified to explore it.
Ordinary people, however, would only do everything possible to prolong their lives and avoid death.
Although not many agree with this, if it really belonged to magic, then there must be secrets that death opened up people to.
Evan wasn’t certain that he’d just close his eyes and face death calmly if it arrived. Obviously, Flamel was more certain.
But before Evan could ask him about his views on the relationship between magic and death, Flamel blinked and continued. "I want you to ask, but now is not the time to tell you. My child, when your life is about to reach the end, you will understand what I said today."
Flamel looked at Evan carefully, with a smile on his lips, and looked at the confusion on his face.
“How long until that day? It all depends on your choice.” Flamel’s eyes slowly descended and fell on the Locket hanging on Evan’s chest. "Unlike most, you have a choice. You also have a Philosopher’s Stone, as I did before, which means that no matter how much wealth you want and how long you want to live, you can get what you want."
“I can't do this!" Evan said dejectedly, "It originally belonged to Godric Gryffindor. Gryffindor transformed this Philosopher’s Stone a thousand years ago, and now it has no use but to provide magic."
He opened the Locket and took out the Philosopher’s Stone.
The irregular red Stone glowed softly in his hand.
"I don't think so. If you have a little knowledge of alchemy, it's just a way of using magic in the Philosopher’s stones to make gold from a stone and to make the Elixir of Life. The key is the Philosopher’s Stone itself. It is the foundation. Everything is possible with this Philosopher’s Stone.” Flamel bent down and looked carefully at the Philosopher’s Stone in Evan's hand. "This Philosopher’s Stone has a lot of power, much stronger than the one I used to have."
Instead of removing the Philosopher’s Stone from Evan's hand, he maintained the position and watched it for a few minutes before slowly raising his head.
“Although I don't know much about curses, there is no doubt that the power inside this Philosopher’s Stone is very pure and powerful, far beyond imagination." Flamel looked at Evan and said softly, "Breaking the Curse on you is not a problem. In fact, as long as you master the use of this stone, no matter what you want, it will help you achieve it."
“What should I do?" Evan asked subconsciously.
“This involves very esoteric alchemy knowledge and related theories, it’s still beyond your level.” Flamel laughed. “What you need to do now is to restore this broken Philosopher’s Stone and find the other half as soon as possible."
Evan put the Philosopher’s Stone away. For the other half of the piece, It had only been taken away by the fallen Centaurs in the war 800 years ago.
He didn't know where it was hidden now, and he had no clue.
But from what Sirius said before, Dumbledore should already be doing the research, and nothing could be concealed from him.
“Although what I want to say next may not be appropriate, I have to. A Philosopher’s Stone is not really that wonderful." Flamel’s expression suddenly became serious and he warned Evan, "With it, you seem to have everything, but you actually lose everything. This goes in line with the most basic principle of alchemy: equivalent exchange. It took me more than 600 years to understand this truth."
Evan blinked. He did not fully understand what Flamel was saying.
Like Dumbledore, Flamel always liked to say half and keep half. All his warnings were to stop and let Evan think about the rest.
This might be an admirable way of teaching, but it was ambiguous enough to drive one mad!
"With the Philosopher’s Stone, you'll get all your wealth and longevity, but at the same time you'll have to be prepared to give up more." Flamel looked at Evan and said slowly, "As a pioneer, if you ask for my advice, then I'll tell you that these seemingly important things don't actually do you any good."
“I don't understand!"
“When you understand, you can face death calmly!" Flamel gasped for a moment before continuing, "Today is the first time we’ve met. But no surprise, this should be our last meeting."
Evan looked up at the old wizard. The light in his eyes was fading slowly.
At this moment, he was like a dying old man whose life was passing through his body at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Flamel waved his hand, interrupting Evan’s question, and signaled him to continue listening. “At the moment I destroyed the Philosopher’s Stone, I was ready to meet death. But because there was one thing I couldn’t rest assured of, I have never acted. Seeing you today, I finally can."
