[Chapter Size: 1400 Words.]
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It wouldn't be accurate to say Hermione found the clue.
To be precise, it was Neville who discovered something, which led Hermione to the clue.
Neville is also a collector of wizard cards, but his level isn't as high as Ron's. Still, he's better than a beginner like Harry. Compared to Ron, who was already a leader and just one card away, Neville paid more attention to news about wizard cards.
For example, after Christmas, Zonko's Joke Shop was hired by the Magic League and the International Confederation of Wizards to launch two new wizard cards from China.
One of them was Quong Po, a 15th-century dragon expert. Harry had heard of this wizard before, but he wasn't sure if it was Ron or Hagrid who had mentioned him, though he was mentioned when they were discussing dragons.
Another powerful figure was Dzou Yen, a master alchemist active in the 4th century BC. This was a relatively unknown name to Harry and his friends, as they had never come across him in any book.
But that's normal. In the 4th century BC, the Ollivander family, today the oldest family in Britain and even Europe, hadn't even started making wands yet.
That wasn't a big deal. In fact, Ron had already gotten these two cards for Christmas. He had used some tricks and thanked Fred and George for it.
Fred and George are friendly customers of Zonko's Joke Shop who always manage to get something special. These two new cards weren't particularly valuable. Ron got them after working hard and promising to help his unreliable brothers with some shady tasks during the summer holidays.
In fact, that's how Ron managed to get most of his wizard cards with almost no pocket money.
However, on the first weekend of the new term, when Neville excitedly showed them the Dzou Yen card he had just gotten, Hermione, who was beside him, took a look because he was a rare Eastern wizard, and her expression suddenly turned strange.
Then Hermione ran off. When Harry and his friends found her again in the common room in the afternoon, she was holding a large book weighing at least ten kilograms in her arms.
Looking around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, Hermione waved to Ron and Harry, signaling them to come closer. She then opened the book.
The page she turned to was the biography of Dzou Yen.
"We've fallen into a misunderstanding. I was focusing on Nicolas Flamel." Hermione whispered, but Harry could still clearly feel the suppressed excitement in her voice.
"I should've paid more attention to Ptolemy. If I had, I might have figured this out earlier."
"Who?" Harry and Ron looked confused.
Hermione rolled her eyes in frustration, took a deep breath, and then said carefully, "The prophet who first proposed the Philosopher's Stone."
"Oh..." Harry and Ron nodded repeatedly, pretending to remember.
Hermione curved her lips, clearly seeing through their little tricks, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she pointed to the description below and said:
"Look here. Dzou Yen came from the East to Europe. Since he was skilled in alchemy and his level surpassed that of any European wizard, he was treated as an honored guest by many kings and lords. He was a close friend of the prophet Ptolemy. This passage is also taken from a wizard's letter."
"So..." Harry seemed to understand something, but Ron was still blinking, looking confused.
"Ptolemy was a prophet, not an alchemist. I've read about his works, and while it's mentioned that he proposed the concept of the Philosopher's Stone, there's nothing else. However, he knew Dzou Yen, who was almost the most powerful alchemist in Europe at that time. What do you think..."
"Maybe he studied the Philosopher's Stone with Dzou Yen?" Harry's eyes lit up immediately.
"Bingo!" Hermione smiled with satisfaction, then glanced at Ron, who blinked and hesitated for a moment before suddenly realizing what had just happened.
"And then?" Harry asked eagerly, "What did you discover?"
"Look here..." Hermione also snapped out of her thoughts and pointed to a line in the book, reading aloud:
"Dzou Yen developed potions that could slow aging and death, as well as potions that could grant wizards more powerful magic. However, both the ingredients and the process of making these two potions are extremely complicated. As a last resort, Dzou Yen, inspired by Ptolemy, is preparing to develop a magical alchemical product to increase the success rate of the potion..."
"You mean that this magical alchemical product is..." When Harry saw this sentence, he instantly understood what Hermione was trying to say.
"Yes, I think this is the original Philosopher's Stone. Although I'm not sure if it's the same one made by Nicolas Flamel later. But obviously, Dzou Yen must have been the first person to study the Philosopher's Stone. And his original goal was to increase the success rate of magical potions."
"That makes sense!" Harry nodded repeatedly. "Snape is very interested in potions, otherwise, he wouldn't have become the youngest Potions Master."
Even Harry and Ron, who despised Snape, had to admit that Snape was a master in Potions. The title of Master of Magical Potions is the second-highest rank in the field of magical potions, only second to the Grand Master.
In the field of magical potions, there are only two people who hold the title of Grand Master worldwide: one in Greece and the other in Egypt.
Although there are a few more people with the title of Master, the number across Europe doesn't exceed two hands. Britain is very powerful in this regard, with three such Masters, and Snape is one of them. He is also the youngest to receive the title since it was officially introduced.
Since Snape is so passionate about potions, it seems reasonable that he would want to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, which could facilitate the refinement of potions.
Not to mention that the Philosopher's Stone appears to be a huge help in refining a magical potion that could grant wizards more powerful magic.
"The Philosopher's Stone can turn stone into gold. I think he managed it." Harry said while reading the description.
Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Turning stone into gold…" Ron murmured softly.
Harry and Hermione didn't pay much attention, just looking at the final description of Dzou Yen.
It's a pity that, compared to the descriptions of other people, which have multiple pages or even dozens of pages, the description of Dzou Yen is rather brief, just a little over a page. Apart from describing him as the creator of many wonderful magical objects, his research in his later years is also mentioned.
This great alchemist's search for immortality ultimately led to eternal life and the power of the devil.
However, like many wizards who sought immortality and demonic powers, Dzou Yen suddenly disappeared after an experiment or magical ceremony. It's unclear whether he is alive or dead, but it's more likely that he is dead.
One could say his life ended rather abruptly.
"The power of the devil…" Harry murmured to himself. The history of magic describes many wizards who sought this kind of power, and many of them became very powerful at some point, but the final results weren't great.
But then he thought: If this Dzou Yen successfully refined the Philosopher's Stone, then his method of seeking demons must also be connected to the Philosopher's Stone.
If that's true, then Snape wants the Philosopher's Stone...
Harry looked at Hermione, and Hermione seemed to have thought about this at that moment, looking back at Harry, both showing expressions of surprise and concern.
But at that moment, Ron suddenly murmured:
"Who wouldn't want a stone that can turn everything into gold?" Ron muttered softly. "I suddenly understand Snape a little. I want the Philosopher's Stone now too. If I had a few hundred Galleons of gold, I should be able to buy things, right?"
At this moment, although Harry had already thought of a very bad situation, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Then he looked at his good friend with some sympathy.
"Buddy, just a few hundred Galleons of gold? Do all fantasies seem so achievable?"
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