svetikya Chapter 105 The Eagle's Nest Tea Party
Chapter 105 The Eagle's Nest Tea Party
Chapter 105 The Eagle's Nest Tea Party
The Eagle's Nest is filled with a rare sense of relaxation and warmth on this weekend. The bright afternoon sunlight streams through the high windows, and the air is filled with the mixed aromas of black tea, baked goods, and fresh parchment.
A section of the enormous alchemy table in the center of the room had been cleared out and covered with a brightly colored Indian-printed cloth brought by Fabian, serving as a tablecloth. It was piled high with treats generously provided by the house-elves: a mountain of raspberry puffs, apple rolls exuding the aroma of cinnamon, delicate scones with custard and strawberry jam, gingerbread men sprinkled with icing sugar, a large pot of steaming Ceylon tea, and a pot of rich chocolate. In the corner, there was even a small plate of what Wesley had insisted on trying—supposedly Fred and George's new invention, the "chili chocolate crucible cake."
The four members of the Eagle's Nest team sat together, relaxed smiles on their faces. The pressure of their studies and the tension of their forbidden forest expedition had eased their minds.
The frustration of solving the puzzle seemed to be temporarily dispelled by this warm afternoon tea party.
"First," Karen, as the convener, raised his teacup, "a toast to our safe return, to our unwavering friendship, and to our inextinguishable curiosity!"
"To friendship and curiosity!" Wesley responded immediately, raising a scone piled high with cream, almost smearing it on his nose. Fabian and Ernesto also smiled and raised their glasses.
"Well then," Karen put down her teacup and took out a few items from her dragon-skin tool bag, "as agreed, I'll first share some of my recent small achievements."
He first picked up a palm-sized, intricately designed brass disc, inlaid with several crystals of different colors, along with tiny pointers and dials. "This is a 'simplified weather forecaster' based on the previous one, combined with my own understanding," Karen said, placing it in the center of the tablecloth.
"Wow, it looks good, but it's quite different from the previous one!" Fabian leaned closer to take a closer look.
"Its principle is to utilize several magical materials sensitive to changes in atmospheric humidity, air pressure, and temperature. Through the linkage of an internal miniature Niven array, environmental changes are translated into the deflection of pointers and corresponding changes in the brightness of crystals," Karen explained, pointing to the disc. "Look,"
This blue crystal represents the probability of precipitation; the brighter it is, the higher the probability. The pointer indicates the approximate temperature range. The swing of this small red pointer suggests the wind trend over the next few hours.
He gently shook the forecaster, and as its internal structure shifted slightly, the blue crystal indeed flickered a few times, and the small red pointer swayed slightly. "For example, right now, it tells me there might be light rain this evening, with light winds and moderate temperatures. While it's not as accurate as the previous weather forecaster, and it can't predict for very long periods, it's more portable and intuitive, and," he smiled, "the manufacturing cost is significantly lower."
The materials are all common items that can be bought in the Forbidden Forest or Diagon Alley, and the production difficulty has been reduced considerably.
"That's so cool!" Wesley grabbed a cream puff and popped it into his mouth, mumbling, "Karen, can you make a few more? We can each have one!"
"Theoretically, yes," Karen nodded. "Once the process becomes more mature and stable, and I can further optimize it."
Then, Karen solemnly took out the prototype of the protective badge that incorporated the new ideas. It looked thicker than the previous version, the mithril base shimmering with a restrained luster, and the obsidian fragment inlaid in the center revealing a deep icy blue hue in the sunlight. "This is the 'Eagle's Nest Guardian' protective badge, version 1.0," he said, using the name he had given it.
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to it as Karen explained in detail how it differed from the previous ones:
1. Passive Absorption Layer: The new "Sowilo-Fehu-Gebo-Kenaz" composite absorption rune array etched inside the dragon skin can continuously draw weak energy from light, airborne magic, and even the wearer's body temperature.
2. Storage and Regulation Core: Obsidian crystal fragments serve as "batteries," combined with an improved "Isa" rune and inlay technique to stably store energy. Most importantly, several extremely precise energy guiding channels have been added.
3. Activation Layer: The optimized Ironclad Rune is activated by a stable and controllable energy flow through the "Guiding Channel," avoiding the instability and high losses caused by high-pressure impact.
4. Real-world performance: With the help of Professor Flitwick and Wesley, it successfully resisted the Disarming Charm and the Powerful Stunning Charm. The shield was generated quickly, almost instantaneously, with a stable structure and significantly increased duration. Moreover, the energy output was stable, making the wearer more comfortable.
"Therefore, it's no longer a 'disposable' shield generator, but a recyclable protective device with preliminary 'self-charging' capabilities. Of course," Karen frankly pointed out the biggest bottleneck at present, "the absorption efficiency is still too low, it takes a long time to fully charge the 'battery,' and the total energy storage capacity is also limited, still struggling to cope with high-intensity continuous attacks. Optimizing the absorption rune combination and finding energy storage materials with higher energy density are the next key steps, and I will also add an active charging function to further improve it."
"This is already remarkable, Karen!" Fabian exclaimed sincerely, picking up the badge and examining it closely as if admiring a work of art. "Transforming inspiration from natural observations into alchemical applications—this idea is brilliant! Professor Victor was right; it opens up a completely new direction! And its name, 'Guardian of the Eagle's Nest,' is truly fitting!"
"Indeed," Ernesto agreed, his grey eyes filled with appreciation. "This is a qualitative leap from disposable consumables to sustainable combat equipment. As for the issue of absorption efficiency, perhaps we could try to find materials that are more sensitive to specific environments? Or perhaps we could refer to the energy-conducting metal mesh structure used in ancient magical amulets?"
"Ersto's right! Karen, you're a genius!" Wes slapped Karen's shoulder hard, almost shoving him into his tea. "We'll wear it on our next adventure in the Forbidden Forest! It'll give us a real sense of security! Oh, right, Fabian, it's your turn! Show us your treasure map!"
All eyes turned to Fabian. He adjusted his glasses somewhat sheepishly, then carefully took out a thick stack of neatly bound parchment from a large sketchbook. "This is my 'Atlas of Magical Plants at the Edge of the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts (Draft),' a combination of field observations, textual research, and, well, some extra inspiration from that full moon night." He unfolded it cautiously.
The illustrations are exquisitely detailed. Each page features a watercolor painting of one or more magical plants, depicting their entirety or in close-up details with vibrant colors and lifelike forms. It also includes animated photographs, accompanied by meticulously written labels in small print indicating the scientific name, common name, key characteristics, magical properties, medicinal uses, toxicity, growing environment, and seasonal characteristics. Furthermore, it includes specimens of magical plants such as Devil's Web, Bubble Pod, and Motra Mousegrass. Of course, the most eye-catching element in this initial draft is undoubtedly the "Moonlight Moss," which occupies two full pages.
On the atlas, the moonsweet's normal gray-green cover contrasts sharply with its magical form under the full moon, where its leaves unfurl and emit a silvery-blue halo. Next to it, not only are the characteristics of its "photosynthetic magic" detailed, its dependence on a pure magical environment, and its symbiotic relationship with the ancient oak tree recorded in detail, but the atlas also specifically depicts the shape of the moon-white halo flowing along the edges of the moonsweet leaves in that state, along with a hypothetical diagram of the magical flow. Fabian even sketched, from memory, a few tiny figures of hunchbacks dancing on the moonsweet ground in a corner.
"It's so beautiful, Fabian!" Karen exclaimed sincerely. "Your records are so detailed! The drawing skills are also first-rate, especially the speculation on the magical flow of moonshine moss, which is very helpful for my understanding of that natural resonance! I feel like I'm witnessing the growth of a master herbalist!"
"This illustration is absolutely stunning!" Wesley, though not particularly interested in botany, was also blown away by the exquisite beauty of the atlas. "If you sold it to Flourish and Blotts, it would definitely get published!"
"This is extremely valuable academic material," Ernesto commented. "If it's ever published, please let me know; I'll definitely buy it for my collection!"
Receiving everyone's approval, Fabian blushed slightly and excitedly continued sharing, "Besides the diagrams, I've also summarized some tips for handling magical plant samples, especially those dangerous or delicate varieties." He took out another booklet, "For example, when handling poisonous tentacle seeds, you must wear dragon-skin gloves throughout and operate in a well-ventilated area, preferably using the 'Bubble Head Charm'; collecting moonstalk samples requires quickly cutting off the edge leaves with a mithril knife after the full moon and before dawn, and immediately placing them in a specially made glass bottle with preservation runes etched on the inner wall to prevent magic loss and wilting; and for aggressive plants like Devil's Web, it's best to temporarily paralyze them before collecting the roots."
He spoke eloquently, his eyes gleaming with the light of knowledge sharing. Wesley, though somewhat confused, tried his best to listen attentively, occasionally popping a snack into his mouth. Karen and Ernesto listened attentively, occasionally asking questions or adding their own opinions.
When it was Enes's turn, he didn't take out the parchment, but instead adjusted the exquisite brass planetarium on the small table beside him. "This is a simplified teaching version of the 'Stargazer IV' planetarium from the Griffith family collection," he introduced, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible pride. "Based on Professor Sinister's course this semester and recent observations, I have recalibrated and drawn this 'Map of Major Visible Constellations and Planetary Movements at Hogwarts Latitudes in Spring'."
He gently turned several knobs and slides on the planetarium, and the intricate gears and lenses inside began to operate. A soft beam of light was projected onto the opposite white wall, revealing a deep star map dotted with countless points of light. Ernesto pointed at the star map with a slender ebony baton:
"Look, that's Ursa Major, a prominent landmark in the spring night sky. Follow the arc of its four stars to find Arcturus in Boötes, that bright orange-yellow star. Below is Virgo, whose main star, Alpha Virginis, is one of the brightest blue-white stars in the spring night sky." His baton moved, and the stars in the beam lit up. "In the eastern sky, the Summer Triangles are beginning to rise—Alpha Lyrae, Alpha Cygnus, Alpha Aquilegs. Although they're not high enough yet, they will be the main characters by summer nights."
He then pointed out the positions of several bright planets: "Currently, Jupiter is near Leo, one of the brightest 'stars' in the night sky; Mars is in Gemini, appearing distinctly red; and before dawn, Venus can be seen shining brightly in the eastern sky."
The star chart rotated slowly as he explained, simulating the apparent diurnal motion of the starry sky, a truly beautiful sight.
"Wow!" Wesley exclaimed, his mouth agape as he stared at the flowing starlight on the wall. "This is clearer than looking through a telescope at the Astronomical Tower! Ernesto, this thing is amazing!"
"It's very clear and intuitive," Fabian exclaimed. "It's incredibly helpful for understanding the relative positions and movement patterns of constellations!"
Karen nodded in agreement: "Precise and elegant, Ernesto. This star chart itself is a fine work of art."
Ernesto was clearly pleased with everyone's reaction. He nodded slightly, the corners of his mouth curving upwards more pronounced than usual: "The significance of stargazing lies in understanding the order and grandeur of the universe. It reminds us how insignificant our personal troubles are on the scale of the stars. At the same time," he changed the subject, looking at Karen with a hint of teasing, "it is said that changes in the position and brightness of certain stars can also affect the energy nodes of large magic arrays. Although I think that's nonsense, it seems that high-level alchemy sometimes refers to this?" This was clearly a response to Karen's earlier concept of the natural magic cycle.
Karen smiled knowingly: "Indeed, the order of the universe itself may be the grandest magic circle. Thanks for the reminder. Perhaps in the future, if I want to undertake a large-scale alchemy project related to astronomy, I really will need to ask you to be my astronomical consultant."
Ernesto readily accepted Karen's praise and invitation, promising to be her astronomical consultant and ensuring that Karen's alchemy experiments would proceed more smoothly.