Marvel: Trading with Worlds

After studying alchemy notes for over a month, Kain decided it was time to try his hand at creating an alchemical artifact. 

He purchased numerous magical materials and eventually selected three types to craft a necklace.

Defensive alchemy items were best carried at all times, making jewelry the ideal form. The process required precision: using flames to shape the materials while ensuring their magical properties were preserved, then combining them and using runes to unite their magical energies into a cohesive whole. 

This formed the prototype of the item.

Finally, the runes would imbue the item with specific functions, completing the process. 

Nicolas Flamel, a master of alchemy, had summarized centuries of alchemical knowledge in the wizarding world and was considered a legend in the field.

"I didn't expect constructing runes on alchemical items to be this difficult," Kain muttered. "And my ability to control magic power is still lacking."

Kain attempted the process twice but failed both times. Using ancient runes to stabilize the magical materials required immense precision and felt like multitasking on an overwhelming scale.

"Wait… Shadow Clones!"

Kain suddenly remembered Uzumaki Naruto's method of using Shadow Clones to develop the Rasenshuriken. By distributing the workload among his clones, Naruto had successfully created his new technique.

Inspired, Kain decided to adapt this approach. One Shadow Clone would stabilize the magic within the materials, another would construct the rune sequences, and his real body would imbue the artifact with its functions.

Even with this method, constructing the runes was painstakingly slow. Condensing dozens of runes into the small surface of a necklace presented a significant challenge. 

Nicolas Flamel had refined several such artifacts in his youth, but the toll of his extended lifespan was evident in his later years—his energy and memory had weakened, and his failure rate increased, causing him to refine items less frequently.

"Finally… success!"

When Kain completed the final rune and imbued the necklace with its intended properties, the once-glowing artifact became deceptively ordinary in appearance.

 This kind of alchemical item was remarkable—it would protect its wearer from all external damage within its resistance threshold.

"Let's have Hermione test it," Kain decided.

He called Hermione over, knowing she could spare a moment. Her potion was currently being prepared in an automatic stirring cauldron, leaving her free to help.

When Hermione saw the necklace Kain handed her, she asked curiously, "Godfather, what is this necklace?" Its design didn't seem like a gift, and the style was rather unusual.

Kain replied, "It's my first alchemy item. Put it on and try it out."

As soon as Hermione put the necklace on, Kain suddenly cast a spell at her. Hermione gasped in surprise as the spell's red light shot toward her—only to be blocked by a transparent shield that appeared around her.

"God! What was that just now…" Hermione exclaimed, clutching her chest. 

She examined the necklace closely and then said with admiration, "Was that the Armor Charm? Godfather, you're incredible! I've heard protective alchemy items are extremely expensive. Something like this, with an automatic Armor Charm, would cost at least several hundred Galleons—maybe even thousands!"

Hermione's estimate was conservative. Necklaces imbued with an automatic Iron Armor Charm rarely appeared on the market and were highly sought after. 

They were capable of even partially blocking Unforgivable Curses. 

Such items typically started at thousands of Galleons, and if the materials used were particularly rare, they could fetch four or five thousand Galleons or more.

"The materials used in this necklace are fairly basic. It was just for practice," Kain explained. "It's probably worth one or two thousand Galleons at most."

Seeing the hopeful glint in Hermione's eyes, Kain smiled and added, "When I refine a better defensive alchemy item for you with more expensive materials, it'll be even stronger. This one already has some cracks."

Hermione quickly took off the necklace and inspected it. Sure enough, she found faint cracks in the beads. 

Kain's magical power was exceptionally potent, so the spells he cast were incredibly strong. The fact that the necklace had successfully defended against his spell spoke volumes about its quality.

Kain, having found the key to improving his success rate, was ready to refine more advanced items. Expensive materials were no longer an issue for him. 

As the largest supplier of potion materials in Europe, he could easily procure anything he needed—even goblin-refined mithril and adamantine.

With some time left before the start of the Hogwarts term, Kain refined all the common magical materials in his inventory into alchemy items. 

He then instructed Guy to purchase more expensive materials, including mithril and adamantine, for which he allocated 30,000 Galleons.

A few days earlier, Guy had dealt with the Dellacour family for violating a magical contract. He had cut off their supply of potion materials for the next batch, forcing them to pay a hefty penalty for the breach.

 If they failed to meet the deadline, they would face sanctions from the Ministries of Magic of both countries. Worse yet, their offense had alienated the largest potion supplier in Europe—Kain's business. 

It was likely the Delacour family would be unable to stay in the trade and would have to pivot to a different line of work.

The day before the start of Hogwarts, Kain held a shimmering gemstone necklace in his hand and felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

"It's finally finished. If this one had failed, I might have been a bit heartbroken," he mused.

The necklace was crafted from a chain of mithril and fine gold, woven together with unicorn tail hair and phoenix feathers. 

At its center was a magical emerald imbued with powerful properties. The necklace not only carried an Iron Armor Charm but also provided healing and rejuvenation abilities.

If the necklace were put up for auction, it would likely fetch no less than 10,000 Galleons. 

With its protection, an Auror wearing it could hold their own against three dark wizards, provided they were cautious of the Killing Curse.

The ability to imbue multiple spells into a single item seemed to be a hallmark of Nicolas Flamel's alchemical methods. 

While his success rate was low, after creating a few such items, he shifted focus to studying other alchemical techniques.

Now, Kain had inherited and advanced this craft. 

With the help of his Shadow Clones, which shared his memory and magical power, the process of refining alchemical items became significantly more efficient—producing results that were greater than the sum of their parts.

The next day, as the Hogwarts term began, Hermione dressed in youthful and cheerful attire and said, "Godfather, it's almost time to go."

"You look lovely today, Hermione, but you're missing just one thing." Kain smiled, pulling out the alchemical necklace he had successfully refined the day before. 

Handing it to her, he said, "This is for you from your godfather—it's my first fully successful piece."

Hermione's eyes lit up as she took the necklace. "This is for me? Thank you so much, Godfather! I love it!" Her excitement was evident, and she admired the necklace with delight.

Kain explained its features to her.

The materials used in the necklace were of the highest quality. While Kain hadn't fully tested its limits, he estimated the protective power of the Iron Armor Charm embedded in it to be at least ten times stronger than his earlier attempts. 

It was likely capable of withstanding even his full-strength Crushing Curse. Whether it would shatter after blocking such a powerful attack remained uncertain, but the necklace's value was undeniable.

After Hermione put it on, Kain escorted her to the Hogwarts Express. Once she was safely aboard, he instructed Phil to transport him to the school. 

With Hogwarts being heavily warded against Apparition, Kain opted to arrive more conventionally.

Upon arriving, Kain made his way to meet Dumbledore. He greeted the headmaster warmly, saying, "Professor Dumbledore, thank you for lending me Nicolas Flamel's alchemy notes—they've been immensely helpful."

"It's nothing at all," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "Nick would be pleased to know someone is carrying on and expanding his work."

He pushed a bowl of honey candies toward Kain, who politely declined, though Dumbledore himself picked one up and popped it into his mouth with a twinkle in his eye.

"Professor Pent," Dumbledore began, "your office hasn't been used in quite some time. When Lupin was teaching, he used the office at the back of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom."

"I'm aware," Kain replied. Then he added, noticing Dumbledore's hesitant expression, "But something seems to be troubling you."

Dumbledore sighed. "It's the Death Eaters. So many were arrested, yet none will reveal their purpose. To gather so many of them... apart from Tom, I can't think of anyone else who could manage it."

"Why not use Veritaserum?" Kain asked.

"It's prohibited—both by Cornelius Fudge and the influence of certain pure-blood families."

Kain chuckled. "A puppet minister, through and through. Professor Dumbledore, don't waste too much energy on them. The reason those rats hide in the shadows is because they lack the strength and courage to live in the open. By the way, I was the one who..."

"Show mercy, and next time, they won't be so lucky."

"I believe you on that, Professor Pent. In my opinion, your magical talent surpasses even Tom's."

Dumbledore then added with a playful smile, "If you were headmaster, Hogwarts might be a safer place."

…

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