Chapter 782
Standard Alchemy
Chapter 782 Standard Alchemy
William Harris's passionate opening was like a pebble thrown into water, initially creating a burst of enthusiastic ripples, with the audience wearing excited smiles.
In most people's imagination, the following scene should be as intense as the Quidditch World Cup or the Magic League;
Or it should be like when Wade Gray makes a puppet in a live competition—presenting a very intuitive and wonderful creative process, quick and direct, where a pile of waste is transformed into a magical alchemical product in the blink of an eye, inspiring a strong yearning for alchemy and finally receiving a full house of applause.
However, the reality was that the atmosphere in the stadium quickly settled down, and after a few minutes it became dull and boring.
None of the contestants immediately began waving their wands or lighting the fire; in fact, more than half of them sat still, clearly engrossed in a difficult thought process.
Some contestants quickly came up with ideas, but they immediately buried themselves in the parchment covering the table, writing down their inspirations and thoughts with their self-filling quills, and then using magic rulers and compasses to make incredibly precise measurements and calculations.
A few people also began to draw diagrams, sketching out incredibly complex, nested geometric shapes within a limited space. They then continuously wrote and adjusted ancient magical script. This process was incredibly slow, and if even the slightest mistake occurred, large areas had to be erased and recalculated.
Those complex diagrams, in the eyes of knowledgeable alchemists, are either wondrous, profound, and full of whimsy, because the audience can see that several judges begin to walk among the contestants, sometimes showing an approving expression or nodding in satisfaction.
The bluebirds in the camera deliberately flew over the heads of the contestants, but the audience, looking at the overlapping and intersecting dots, lines and circles on the streaming screen, were completely bewildered, as if they were reading gibberish.
A very few contestants went to the materials cabinet first. Everyone could tell that they seemed to want to figure out what materials the organizers had provided before they started designing.
However, the act of going to the supermarket, which resembles a shopping trip with decision-making difficulties, is completely devoid of any fun.
The visual feast of the opening ceremony is over, leaving behind an extremely tedious and cumbersome process, comparable to a paper exam that lasts for hours. The audience is like the proctor sitting next to them, and most people start to doze off after ten minutes.
William Harris tried to liven up the atmosphere, but when he made a couple of jokes about the contestants' performance and tried to explain the magic circle script drawn by a contestant, he was suddenly glared at by several contestants who were engrossed in thinking.
Krupp also said in a soft whisper, "The competition has already begun. Let's not disturb their work and quietly wait for the moment when the work is born!"
Harris had no choice but to shut up.
He looked at the elderly Krupp leaning back in his chair, seemingly about to fall asleep, and then at the focused contestants, and began to deeply regret taking on this job.
Who would have thought? He thought it was a great opportunity to appear in front of wizards all over the world, but after this competition, he will probably be called "the most boring commentator in the world".
The atmosphere in the stadium cooled down quickly, making it an unbearable time for spectators who love excitement.
They couldn't see the magical spectacle of materials flying everywhere and radiant light that they had imagined; they only felt the tedium, rigor, and repetitiveness of alchemy.
Harry shifted in his seat, couldn't help but yawn, and muttered under his breath, "Merlin's beard... are they going to draw grids like this all day long?"
Michael, though looking more intently than him, also couldn't understand the complex patterns and couldn't help but nod in agreement: "Indeed... this is completely different from what I imagined... Hermione, can you understand it?"
Hermione, who had been diligently scribbling something, looked up, shook her head, and said, "Most of it is beyond my comprehension, but as long as I write it down, I can gradually understand it later. These contestants are all exceptional alchemists, and their design concepts must have many aspects worth learning." Fred and George also shifted around in their chairs.
One said, "George... I'm going to get moldy..."
The other said, "I'm a little better off than you, Fred... I'm still trying to stay sober..."
George used his fingers to lift his eyelids.
Even Moody snorted, "Indeed... boring enough to put you to sleep."
“So this is alchemy,” Harry sighed. “I thought it would be very interesting…”
Just then, Michael suddenly said, "It's not always like that... I've seen Wade's usual alchemy process; he also starts from nothing..."
This statement immediately attracted everyone's attention. Even Lupin and Moody turned their heads curiously. Of course, Moody's magic eyes were still scanning other places.
Michael said, "It feels completely different. He doesn't do it like that... calculating little by little, trying step by step. Of course, he definitely has a calculation process, but this step seems to be completed quickly in his mind."
Michael struggled to organize his thoughts, trying to describe the spectacle:
"In short, when he started working, all the materials seemed to come alive. They would start flying around at the same time, as if the materials knew where to go and what to become."
"It's as if there's an invisible... domain around him, and everything changes according to his will—the air vibrates, the light bends, and the magic seems to transform into countless tiny musical notes, composing a symphony."
"And then the result is... you can't understand it, but you just know that something extraordinary is happening."
Everyone fell silent, imagining the scene in their minds, fantasizing about the figure who moved with such ease, surrounded by countless magical flows and dances, and suddenly they were filled with longing.
“I’ll have to ask Wade later… when he’s doing alchemy, can we go and have a look?” Harry murmured.
“Me too.” Hermione nodded, looking at her notes, and sighed deeply.
For some reason, she knew in her heart that even if Wade generously shared his alchemy methods with them, Hermione could still only learn and master this traditional, basic approach.
Fred gave Michael a thumbs up: "As expected of Ravenclaw, you've perfectly expressed our thoughts."
George nodded: "Unlike the two of us, who, although we've seen Vader's alchemy, could only say one thing—'That's awesome!'"
"So I always thought... alchemy was like Wade's." Michael looked at the arena with disappointment and sighed, "But actually, shouldn't true alchemy be like theirs?"
(End of this chapter)