Wade stood silently beside Professor Murray. He heard the professor urge him, "You don't have to follow me, Wade. Feel free to explore and take a look at things you like."
Wade shook his head, said nothing, and didn't leave.
—After all, he is still just a child.
Professor Murray thought to himself, smiled gently, and stopped urging Wade to act on his own.
While admiring the stone tablet engraved with text, he softly explained to Wade:
"Gull previously mentioned to us the items he prepared for this exhibition. This is one of them... A stone tablet unearthed from ancient Egypt, which is said to possibly contain content carved by Democritus himself."
"The magic of that era was very primitive and pure, much closer to the essence of magic and the truth of nature than it is now. It's said that back then, techniques existed that could elevate humans to be equals with gods."
"Like this stone tablet?" Wade asked.
Professor Murray chuckled. "That, of course, requires translation and research to know what's actually written on it. However, I can try to interpret part of it for now..."
As he spoke, Professor Murray began carefully examining the text on the tablet. He muttered to himself while gesturing with his fingers, trying to make sense of the content.
The text on the stone tablet was unlike any currently known language. Ancient characters often used simple symbols to express complex meanings, making interpretation exceedingly difficult.
After a few minutes, Professor Murray murmured, "What's going on... how strange..."
The old professor went back to reexamine the text.
"Strange... this doesn't seem right... Could it be that these characters were carved incorrectly?"
He studied the visibly aged and weathered stone tablet, then sighed after a moment of contemplation.
"What's wrong, Professor?" Wade asked.
"The text doesn't seem right." He turned to Wade and explained, "It's possible that Gull was deceived. This might be a forgery. Let's go look at something else."
Wade glanced around. The red-robed wizard stood smiling beside a wooden-carved bronze mirror, speaking with Orlando from Beauxbatons. Nearby, several young alchemists surrounded the mirror, occasionally casting reverent glances at it.
The elevator they had entered through was now closed. The display panel for the floors above was dark, showing no text.
Wade noticed that chain-like magical rune patterns coiled around the elevator doors. It was clear that opening the doors wouldn't be easy.
Looking closely, he saw that the ancient portraits hanging on the walls, that were originally in a state of peaceful slumber, now had about half of their eyes open. Some were squinting, as if secretly observing.
Even the positions of the statues had subtly shifted.
However, the alchemists in the hall were all engrossed in the exhibits, paying no attention to these changes.
Wade withdrew his gaze, and chose not to mention his observations. Instead, he followed Professor Murray to continue examining the Thorn Wreath.
"It looks like an ordinary wreath, but in reality, it is likely connected to the legendary wizard Merlin…"
As always, Professor Murray began by providing background information:
"Niniane, the Lady of the Lake, used the thorn wreath on her head to trap Merlin, causing him to lose his sense of direction and ultimately imprisoning him forever inside an oak tree…"
Suddenly, his voice faltered. He stared at the wreath within the protective barrier for a long moment and was unable to speak.
Under the magical barrier protecting the exhibit, the alchemists could not use detection magic to further inspect the artifacts. They could only rely on their eyes to admire and imagine.
But for someone like Professor Murray, an experienced grand alchemist, his intuition for alchemical items was nearly instinctual. Even just by observing the appearance, he sensed something unusual.
Professor Murray lightly traced the air with his fingers, mimicking the shape of the thorn wreath through the barrier.
Then the old man let out a bitter laugh.
"How could this possibly be something from one or two thousand years ago…? It looks like it was made one or two days ago!"
His expression turned sharp. "Wade, tell me, under what circumstances would an alchemist with 30 or 40 years of experience misjudge something twice in a row?"
Wade replied softly, "Perhaps if they were being threatened or controlled? Look, Professor, others are starting to notice as well… We'd better not act rashly."
Professor Murray, initially furious at the thought that the red-robed wizard Gull had staked decades of his reputation on a fraudulent exhibition, immediately calmed down upon hearing Wade's words.
He, too, began noticing the issue.
The younger alchemists continued to wander, admiring the exhibits, but most of the older alchemists were now frowning and exchanging glances.
Only Orlando remained engaged in conversation with Gull, subtly probing whether he could negotiate a discount on the mirror while discussing the legends of death.
An elderly man with wrinkled clothes and a face full of spots quickly examined all the exhibits before striding over to interrupt the two men's conversation.
"Gull!" he demanded harshly, "What on earth are these things you're exhibiting? Do you really expect to fool our eyes with this nonsense?"
It appeared that he was more offended by the assumption that such items could deceive him than by the fact that the exhibits were fakes.
Gull paused for a moment before smiling and asking, "What do you mean, Mr. Mathias? Which item are you referring to?"
"All of them!" the elderly wizard replied furiously. "Take that damn mirror in front of you, for example! It's not a magic mirror at all!"
"What?!" Orlando was horrified. He immediately lunged toward the barrier to scrutinize the mirror more closely.
Gull paused again, still wearing a warm smile. "How could that be? This mirror is an ancient artifact with the power to communicate with the dead. If you're interested, I can explain it to you in detail..."
"I have no interest in fakes at all!" Wizard Mathias shouted angrily. "Did you even hear what I said?!"
Gul's smiling expression shifted slightly, but his lips soon curved back into a smirk. He asked in return:
"Are you questioning my professional expertise? I've been in this field for thirty-nine years! My friend, trust me—if I hadn't verified the authenticity of an item, I would never include it in my exhibition."
This time, Wizard Mathias didn't retort. He stared blankly at Gull for a moment with a fixed gaze, before his anger flared even further. "The Imperius Curse?! Who dares to use the Imperius Curse on someone?!"
Before his words had fully settled, a loud "thud" echoed in the hall.
A young wizard had suddenly collapsed.
Then a second, and a third...
One alchemist after another fell, some crashed into stone pedestals and injured themselves with blood spilling onto the floor.
Gull acted as though he hadn't noticed a thing. He continued smiling and said, "...Rest assured, I stake my life on this: every item I sell is the real deal!"
Someone shouted loudly, "Run!"
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
p@treon.com/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------