"That won't do either. Just don't let me know you're on your own!" Alicia warned.
Yvonne gave up on the idea of sneaking out on her own. They were alone in the shop, and Alicia would notice if they stayed out too long.
Gulp ~
After breakfast, two owls happened to fly in through the door. Like last time, they were carrying a large package, but this time it seemed to be extra heavy.
George and Fred must have written back, Ivan guessed, and proceeded to unwrap the owl.
He opened it to find a collection of Extendable Ears and Quibbler, as well as a reply letter.
Yvonne was surprised to see that Mrs Weasley had agreed to let George and Fred work on a wizarding toy.
He had the impression that Mrs Weasley hated them for their mischievous research.
Yvonne smiled. The Ministry's official order and fifty Galleons seemed pretty convincing.
"It's a letter from your two classmates?" Alicia asked when she came out of the kitchen after clearing the plates.
"Yeah, they delivered the first batch of merchandise." Ivan nodded.
"They're called George and Fred? That's quite an idea. You could get them to work here after they graduate," Alicia said appreciatively as she looked at the toy merchandise in the package.
These were easy practical jokes, but they were creative and would sell well.
"I'm afraid it's difficult. George and Fred always wanted to open their own shop, and they've even thought of a name for it," Ivan explained, shaking his head.
Alicia was disappointed, but she didn't think too much of it.
After a pause, Alicia continued.
"You've almost finished with your wand. I think it would be best if you did the inscribing yourself."
Ivan's interest was piqued. He had been using this wand for so long that he had almost forgotten about the unicorn wand.
In the basement, Ivan found his wand soaked in a colourless liquid that made it look limp.
Ivan looked at Alicia in confusion.
"It is impossible to inscribe a formula into a wand without going through these processes," Alicia explained.
Ivan half-understood and nodded, then looked at the wand and had a new idea.
"Can I inscribe other runes on my wand besides Concealment? Like Strengthening?"
Strengthening Characters was a special formula that Ivan developed with the Horcrux Notebook over the course of a few days, and Ivan was forced to divulge more information to get rid of the younger version of the Dark Lord.
Acia thought for a moment. Engraving two sets of runes on the same object was something she had never done before.
"It's not impossible, but it's very difficult. Multiple formulas conflict with each other, so it may require a unique circuit."
Ivan was very interested. If he was going to modify his wand, the more powerful the better. Being able to block out the Trace alone would not satisfy him.
Not long after, he would have to find the werewolf wizards in Knockturn Alley and get some werewolf blood back to brew the potion.
With this in mind, Ivan and Alicia discuss ways to resolve the conflict between them.
Unfortunately, Alicia didn't know much, and she didn't have much time to work on her protective ring, so after a short discussion, they came up with a few ideas, but no concrete solutions.
When Ivan returned to his room after dinner, he opened the Horcrux Diary again and wrote down his question.
[Tom, do you have a solution for the conflict between the two runic formulas?]
[There is!] The black ink faded away on the diary, and then new writing appeared.
[Have you ever seen a real alchemical object?]
A real alchemical object?
Ivan's expression changed. He had created a pair of gloves, but hadn't he created a defensive ring?
The Invisibility Cloak? After a slight hesitation, Ivan tentatively wrote in his diary with a quill.
As if surprised, the dark ink lingered on the diary for a while before it slowly re-formed into new words.
[Now that you've seen it, you should know that a true alchemical item does not need to be injected with magic to be activated, but can still function.]
Ivan nodded. He hadn't noticed the difference until Tom Riddle mentioned it.
He created the Anti-Spell Gloves and the Defensive Ring by replacing the spell-casting steps with formulas arranged in magical script, which essentially required the holder to provide magical support.
The Invisibility Cloak, on the other hand, worked all the time and did not provide any additional magic, making it invisible even to a Muggle.
As such, the Sword of Gryffindor, which could automatically sense and appear in the hands of the one in need, the Sorting Hat, which kept talking about new tunes, and even the treasures left behind by the other magnates should be true alchemical items.
Ivan had a vague feeling that he had found a way to continue to improve his alchemy, so he quickly pursued the matter. Unfortunately, the Horcrux Diary did not know how to actually create an alchemical object.
'Then why did you say there was a solution?' Ivan complained, speechless.
Perhaps sensing Ivan's resentment, the diary began to fill with writing.
[I mean, we may not have the means to create an alchemical object, but we can use this method.
The key to this conflict lies in the fact that the magic infused by the holder triggers two different types of magic at the same time, and if one of the two spells works independently of the input of magic, the conflict will naturally be resolved.]
'So what exactly should we do?' Ivan thought for a while and decided that this might work, so he scribbled in his diary.
[I don't have a clue at the moment, but we can work on it together. I don't think that will be a problem for us, will it?] The Horcrux Diary was filled with a series of words written in bold, confident handwriting.
Yvonne saw the handwriting on the diary and smiled.
It made sense. In a short period of time, they had worked together to create a large number of magical formulae, creating a miracle. It was not impossible for them to create another miracle.
With that in mind, Ivan did not hesitate any longer. Using his quill, he began to write down all the conjectures he had about the circuits, exchanging ideas with Tom Riddle.
Not long after, the system's notifications sounded.
[Ding, after a period of discussion, your alchemy proficiency has increased!]
[Ding, after a period of time…]
…
[Ding, after a period of discussion, your alchemy proficiency has decreased…]
Hmm? Descent?
Ivan, who was writing a new plan in his diary, suddenly froze. He took a closer look at the system notification and curled his lip when he confirmed that he had not misheard.
Tom, you're being cheeky again!
(P.S. 3-D)