Chapter 156: The Concept of a Magi-Alloy Wand
What are the properties of an alchemical artifact? Everyone has their own understanding. Some might say it's simply an item created through alchemy. Others might consider any item that allows a wizard to channel magic through it an alchemical artifact. And perhaps some wizards, whose style doesn't quite fit the current era, would simply say: "It is what it is."
In Ryan's view, an alchemical artifact should possess magical power and have specific alchemical runes inscribed upon it, allowing it to achieve magical effects through those runes. For example, the Sorting Hat at school: it has magic, it has runes, and it can use a shallow form of Legilimency to discern a young wizard's traits. Or the Dagger of Slaughter in Doro's hands: it has magic, it has runes, and the very concept of slaughter is solidified within it—the entire sword could be considered as being made primarily from Avada Kedavra itself.
He roughly explained his idea: to imbue a wand with fixed spells, allowing for instant casting simply by channeling magic into it.
However, in truth, he himself didn't believe that simply loading spells onto a wand for direct activation was feasible. He couldn't imagine that wizards from past turbulent eras hadn't thought of the same thing. Those wizards learned whatever was useful, whatever could send their opponents flying. If even in that era, no wizard had managed to imprint specific spells onto a wand for instant casting, it meant his concept must be flawed, lacking theoretical basis or a practical model.
"Every so often, someone proposes this idea. It's quite normal for young people to have novel thoughts."
Ollivander listened calmly, showing no surprise, no sudden jolt of realization, no awe as if hearing some profound truth. He simply praised Ryan's idea matter-of-factly.
"Based on the long history of Ollivanders Wand Shop," he said slowly, as if recalling past cases, "such an idea comes up roughly every half-century."
"But to this day, no wand with such a concept has ever appeared."
"This is because the woods and magical creature cores used in wandmaking do not support further alchemical processing. Any attempt usually leads to unstable spellcasting, wands exploding, and danger to the user. Conversely, if you replace the traditional materials with ones that can accommodate alchemy, the spellcasting effectiveness is inferior to wands made according to established wandlore theory. Moreover, the cost of an alchemical wand... is only higher than that of a regular wand, never lower."
Got it. Ryan understood. With traditional wands, imprinting spells and safety were incompatible. With alternative materials, safe spell imprinting and effective spellcasting were incompatible. Now he knew why wands capable of instant spellcasting hadn't appeared over the centuries: modifying them was worse than not modifying them at all.
But "effective spellcasting" wasn't his primary concern! His goal was to give Squibs, and perhaps even Muggles, the chance to cast spells with a wand! An ordinary wizard might reject an alchemically modified wand if its power and precision dropped from 100% to 50%. But Squibs and Muggles wouldn't care about effectiveness; simply being able to cast a spell at all would be a monumental step forward! It was a breakthrough from zero to fifty percent!
Furthermore, this was just one component of the magical system Ryan envisioned! And this component alone had just received incredibly good news!
He took out a piece of the Magi-Alloy that Nicolas Flamel had analyzed and begun producing, handing it to Ollivander. "Mr. Ollivander, I understand what you've said. I wanted to ask you, could this metal be used to make a wand?"
Ollivander took the metal and tapped it lightly with his own wand. Ripples of magic spread through the air, seemingly a spell for material analysis. After a careful examination, he said, "This material could, to some extent, replace the main body of a wand. However, compared to wooden wands, a wand made from this material would lack flexibility during spellcasting."
"Moreover, choosing a core would be difficult. Traditional magical creature materials are rarely compatible with metal. You would need to develop entirely new wand cores."
Ryan asked, "In wandlore, what is the significance of the wand core?"
Ollivander explained, "For a wand, the core is like the wizard's brain. It acts as the control center. Also, cores with different properties resonate better with wizards of different personalities. This is why 'the wand chooses the wizard,' allowing for greater effectiveness."
So the core is mainly for enhancing spellcasting effectiveness... Ryan, the future unscrupulous wand manufacturer, had already decided: in future production, he would sell coreless Magi-Alloy wands. Muggles and Squibs wouldn't care about effectiveness anyway; just being able to cast spells was enough. There was no need for a high-quality wand, which conveniently saved him the effort of researching cores for Magi-Alloy wands.
"That's sufficient," Ryan said. "Mr. Ollivander, I would like to study under you for a time, to learn how to make wands using Magi-Alloy."
"It seems you've already made up your mind," Ollivander said, turning toward the back room. "Then follow me."
Ryan followed Ollivander into the dimness of the back workshop. "Shouldn't we turn on a light?"
"Getting old. Forgetful," Ollivander's voice replied as the lights flickered on. The dim corridor brightened, revealing towering stacks of wand boxes lining both sides, casting long shadows that created a symphony of light and dark.
Ryan stepped from the dimness into the light. Just then, the main body of the protesting crowd passed by the shop window, chanting slogans and waving banners.
Everyone has a bright future.
"For a bright future! For us! For the magical world!"
"We need a strong and capable Minister!"
"Fudge step down!"
"First in incompetence, peerless in power-grabbing!"
The slogans of the procession grew increasingly radical. Any rational observer could tell that someone was deliberately fanning the flames within the crowd, likely using magic. But rational observers were few; the vast majority were swept up in the emotion and atmosphere. They might not have a clear understanding of Fudge's specific actions, but they simply enjoyed watching empires rise and fall. Besides, there was safety in numbers. Joining a protest of this scale to vent their frustrations felt harmless; the Ministry couldn't possibly arrest them all.
Flourish and Blotts.
Ralvin stood browsing the shelves, a copy of Advanced Charm-Casting in his hands, chatting with a friend.
"It's been a long time since I looked at a magic book after graduating. Work takes up all my time," he remarked.
His friend, another member of the Paris expedition from the previous weekend, replied, "Seeing you able to calmly read a book right now, I believe you. It really must be work that keeps you from reading..."
"In times of crisis, one must remain calm," Ralvin said without looking up, as if the spells described in the book were incredibly profound, requiring intense focus and repeated study.
~~~
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