## Chapter 376: The Ambition of Immortality
"What's wrong, Carlyle?"
Wade couldn't help but ask when he saw Carlyle's pale face and strange expression.
"No… it's nothing…"
Carlyle's body seemed to be trembling slightly. Wade frowned and reached out to touch his forehead.
His skin felt icy cold, not even having the normal body temperature of a human.
This seemed to remind him—they were already different species.
Carlyle, however, was startled by his action. When he looked up, he tightly gripped Wade's arm.
Wade: "…?"
Carlyle managed a strained smile, released his grip, and said, "It feels a bit cold today. Let's go to Three Broomsticks for some Butterbeer."
Wade naturally agreed; he was heading that way anyway.
The small inn was smoky and warm, filled with the scent of ale and food, which immediately made one feel warmer.
The pub was packed with Hogwarts students. Michael and the others were sitting together. Wade and Carlyle moved through the crowd towards them, and everyone smiled, welcoming them.
In a corner of the pub sat a man in a gray Wizard's robe. He secretly observed the children, slowly revealing a satisfied smile.
On the table in front of the man lay a parchment and a quill.
At that moment, the quill automatically lifted and wrote lines of text on the paper.
Successfully integrated… getting along well… the plan is proceeding very smoothly…
...
"Everything went smoothly."
The tattooed man put down the Book of Friends and said calmly.
"That's good to hear."
The slightly plump woman clasped her hands over her chest and said with relief, "Carlyle is very stubborn. I was always worried he'd deliberately cause trouble and ruin the mission—thankfully, he didn't."
"It seems your method really worked."
The tattooed man turned to her and said, "For a child like him, ideals and beliefs don't mean much, and money and beauty hold no attraction. Only family affection can truly hold him."
The woman smiled smugly. "It wasn't for nothing that I painstakingly learned to cook for so long—it's hard to believe that Carlyle actually likes British food, even though it's so terrible. Did you see it? He was so touched he was almost in tears!"
She originally had a gentle and kind face, but with that smile, her entire demeanor became distorted.
Another person nearby couldn't stand it anymore and turned to ask, "Major, what's so special about Carlyle? Given his age, he should still be in training camp."
"He's Wade Grey's childhood friend and also your assistant."
The tattooed man—Major Byrd—said, "However, he only knows that he has companions at school and doesn't know your identity, so you don't have to worry about him exposing you, Sera."
The third person in the room was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—Sera Abigail.
Even though Byrd said this, Abigail still looked displeased and said angrily:
"I've told you before, I don't need extra help! Besides, I'm about to get the Magic Golem custom-made by Wade himself—a large Magic Golem based on magical creatures! Do you understand what that means?"
"I know, I understand," Byrd said patiently. "But the mission requirements have changed, Sera—the Golem is no longer the most important thing. The most important thing is Wade Grey."
"What?!" Abigail frowned. "There are so many Alchemists in the world, why choose this one? He's right under Dumbledore's nose, and Aslan's Magic Workshop and Terence Murray are not to be trifled with…"
"Of course I know the danger of this, Sera. I'm also one of the mission executors. Dumbledore is probably less than a thousand meters from me right now."
Byrd said helplessly:
"But the Alchemists we invited back all said that while the Magic Golem looks like an enlarged Wizard's Chess piece, its craftsmanship is unprecedented, and its creator possesses an extremely outstanding, unimaginable Alchemy level."
"If they want to replicate a complete version of the Magic Golem for mass production, they must have the complete design schematics—Sera, can you get the Magic Golem's design schematics from Grey?"
Abigail shook her head with a somber expression.
Byrd said, "Exactly. Alchemists naturally have a strong sense of intellectual property and protect their inventions very strictly."
"More importantly, Wade Grey is a young, very talented Alchemist."
"Other Alchemists can't even replicate what he creates; so, is it possible that he can accomplish Alchemy that other Alchemists cannot?"
Abigail's expression shifted. "You mean…"
"Of course, the Philosopher's Stone that grants immortality!"
Byrd said, barely containing his excitement, "For thousands of years, the only one to achieve this feat was Nicolas Flamel! Other Alchemists were helpless with the Philosopher's Stone."
"But even Nicolas Flamel only created a semi-finished product—the Philosopher's Stone could make him live forever, but not remain young!"
"So do you understand now? Compared to those rigid-minded mediocrities who only practice Alchemy by the book, what a surprising gift Wade Grey is to the leader! He is very likely to create a true Philosopher's Stone!"
"Even if he only creates a semi-finished product like Nicolas Flamel's, it can extend a person's short lifespan to six or seven hundred years."
"With such a long time, plus the Organization's funding, a true Elixir of Life will be within reach!"
Abigail trembled, now fully understanding.
She vaguely knew that the higher echelons of The Organization weren't actually pursuing powerful Magic. Their goal had always remained the same: a healthier, longer, younger life, preferably one without end.
Werewolves, Vampires, wizards, and magical creatures were all sacrifices on their path of exploration.
However, all these paths had limited lifespans, not to mention the immense risks during transformation, and even after transformation, there wasn't much benefit.
In contrast, how alluring was the path of the Philosopher's Stone!
—To turn lead into gold, and achieve eternal life.
The greatest desire a normal person could possess could be fulfilled by a tiny stone.
Actually, the Alchemist the leader wanted most was Nicolas Flamel, but later he heard that the old man had destroyed that unique stone, unparalleled in the entire world, to prevent Voldemort from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone, and had since died.
They could only shift their attention to other alchemists.
But creating a Philosopher's Stone, besides being incredibly expensive, was mostly failures, with success being a rare coincidence born from a combination of wisdom, skill, willpower, and luck.
Facing repeated failures, with money pouring out like water and nothing to show for it in the end, anyone would lose their temper.
Yet, the leader couldn't even blame those failed alchemists—for thousands of years, only one person had succeeded, so wasn't it natural for these others to fail?
They couldn't even determine if these failures were unavoidable or if the alchemists were doing it on purpose.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------