Wade entered a state of complete immersion in his study of alchemy.

Following Nicolas Flamel’s guidance, he began to re-examine everything he knew about the subject.

He studied the books, notes, and manuscripts word by word and sentence by sentence. He never skimmed over something simply because he already knew it, and whenever he encountered something he didn’t understand, he humbly sought Flamel’s guidance.

Seven days later, Nicolas Flamel once again tested Wade’s alchemy skills.

Compared to before, Wade had made obvious progress.

He was now able to connect many different pieces of knowledge, and he could even solve some extremely profound problems, though he sometimes needed a little time to think.

Even so, his progress left Nicolas Flamel pleasantly surprised.

“Enzo, your talent makes me jealous.

“I’ve encountered quite a few once-in-a-century geniuses, but you’re the first person I’ve ever met whose talent in alchemy surpasses mine.”

Nicolas Flamel sighed with emotion.

“To be able to meet you before my soul returns to the underworld is a stroke of good fortune for me.”

“Teacher, hearing you say that puts a lot of pressure on me.”

“I’m not joking. When I was your age, I couldn’t even have made that wand of yours.

“Now, take another look at your own creation. I believe you’ll have a different perspective.”

Wade summoned the wand into his hand and gently ran his fingers along its entire length.

“If I made another wand from scratch, I could reduce the time and resources required by twenty percent.

“Teacher, how much could you save if you made it?”

Nicolas Flamel raised eight fingers.

“Eighty percent.”

“Same problem. I know every possible solution and can even come up with simpler ones.

“You’ve merely found a solution that’s simpler than your previous one. It still isn’t the simplest possible solution.”

“As expected, I’m still far behind.”

“Don’t be so modest. If you had been solving problems for several hundred years, you’d consider that perfectly natural.

“Besides, your current level has already surpassed that of many alchemists.”

“I still need more guidance.”

“Then read more books.”

Nicolas Flamel pointed toward the rows upon rows of bookshelves.

“If you can master and apply all the knowledge contained in them, you’ll be able to reach the very top of the pyramid in the field of alchemy.”

“Just like you?”

“Uh... Once you reach the top, you’ll discover that there’s still a sky above your head.”

Wade blinked blankly before breaking into a laugh.

“Teacher, you really are funny.”

“Have you read the books on artificial life?”

“I’ve read a few. I gained some insights, but not very much.”

“That’s normal. After all, what you’re trying to create isn’t a simple machine. You want to create genuine life.

“That is a forbidden practice even within the field of alchemy.”

“If it’s forbidden, why aren’t you stopping me, Teacher?”

Wade asked curiously.

“If you tried to persuade me, I might even give up.”

“I only have a few days left to live. I can’t stop you.

“And besides, why should I stop you?”

Nicolas Flamel gave him a half-smile.

“If we’re talking about forbidden practices, the Philosopher’s Stone is the greatest taboo of all.

“Among alchemists who achieve extraordinary accomplishments, there are only two kinds: geniuses and madmen.

“Those who rigidly follow every rule and convention don’t even have the courage to challenge taboos. Their achievements are destined to remain limited.”

“Still, I recommend that you prepare yourself mentally. You’re going to fail many times.

“You may even fail in the end and never succeed.”

“I understand.”

Wade nodded calmly, though he didn’t really take the warning to heart.

What he was pursuing was a perfect creation.

But in reality, even a half-finished product would be enough.

As long as it could temporarily take his place, he wouldn’t feel particularly bad about scrapping it afterward.

It was a consumable, after all.

He could always make another one.

Nicolas Flamel returned Wade’s notebook to him.

“I’ve modified everything I could. The probability of success is now above seventy percent, but the probability of failure is still above ninety-nine percent.

“The crucial problem isn’t magic. It’s...”

“Emotions and memories.”

Wade finished for him.

“Magic can be powered by magical crystals as an energy source, but emotions and memories can’t be replaced by objects.”

“Either you raise it like a child from the moment it’s created and give it a proper set of values, or you extract someone else’s memories and completely implant them.

“The first method is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

“The second will give you a flawed puppet, and if you’re discovered, you’ll probably be spending twenty or thirty years in Azkaban.

“If I had enough time, perhaps I could solve this problem.

“But now, you’ll have to figure it out yourself.”

“I won’t choose either of those methods. I’ll find a better solution.”

“Suit yourself. I won’t be around to see it anyway.”

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel prepared a large number of books along with a batch of precious alchemical materials. They placed everything inside a suitcase enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.

“This is for you, Enzo.”

Nicolas Flamel smiled as he handed the suitcase to Wade.

“If you succeed, bring it to our grave and let us see it.”

“I will, Teacher.

“By the way, where have you chosen to be buried?”

“Beauxbatons. The scenery there is quite beautiful.

“Oh, and take this as well.”

Nicolas Flamel took out a silver ring engraved with his name.

“This represents your status as Nicolas Flamel’s heir. It will allow you to move freely throughout Beauxbatons.”

“A portion of Beauxbatons Castle and its surrounding lands was funded by us.”

Perenelle explained.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

Wade accepted the ring and left the estate with the suitcase.

He had gained an enormous amount during this month.

Aside from a vast amount of precious alchemical knowledge and materials, the human-shaped alchemical puppet was no longer merely a theoretical design on paper.

He now had enough confidence to attempt creating it.

But more importantly, his progress in acting as Sequence 6, the Faceless Man, had surpassed three-quarters.

Enzo was a genuine genius.

So Wade had simply played the part naturally, spending an entire month acting as a genius.

Under Nicolas Flamel’s guidance, every improvement he made also represented an increase in his acting progress.

With less than a month remaining before Hogwarts reopened, he had to hurry.

He still needed to make a trip to Nevermore Academy, and he also had to learn how to create Portkeys.

The books Nicolas Flamel had given him contained detailed instructions, which would save him quite a bit of trouble.

The most important part of creating a Portkey, however, was obtaining the exact coordinates.

Only someone who had personally visited a destination could create a Portkey that would transport people there.

One more push. I should try to finish digesting the Faceless Man potion before Christmas this year.

Wade silently encouraged himself before raising his wand.

A few minutes later, the Knight Bus Apparated directly in front of him.

“Enzo?”

Stan, the conductor, stared at him in surprise.

“I’m impressed you still remember me.”

“Anyone who rides the Knight Bus three times within a month is worth remembering.”

Stan said this as though it were perfectly obvious.

Under normal circumstances, unless they were in an extreme hurry, hardly any wizard was willing to ride the Knight Bus.

They would rather spend a little more money and walk a little farther than experience the nauseating sensation of their stomach acid churning while their vision spun.

“Where are you headed?”

“Diagon Alley. The Leaky Cauldron.”

Wade handed him eleven Sickles.

Once aboard, he naturally took the window seat beside the door.

“Off we go, Ern. The Leaky Cauldron.”