The Principals in the portraits fell silent, and the Sorting Hat also stopped speaking, making Gary feel that the silence was a kind of torment.
"Why aren't you speaking?" Gary wondered.
"…I haven't thought of my opening remarks for today yet," the Sorting Hat said.
"You called me here just to sit idly?" Gary wiggled his bottom to make himself more comfortable.
"…Isn't this also chatting?" the Sorting Hat said awkwardly.
"Tell me, how far along are you in your Alchemy class?" the Sorting Hat finally opened its mouth to get to the point.
"Professor Dumbledore has already started having us research the internal arrays of Alchemical items. I made a ring with a continuous warming charm, the process was very simple, with only one layer of Alchemical array."
"You should know the upper limit for multiple arrays on Alchemical items, right?" the Sorting Hat's voice transmitted into his mind.
"Hmm, a maximum of six layers can be engraved," Gary nodded subconsciously.
"That's right, six layers is the limit for all Alchemical items. We call them inanimate objects. Each layer of array makes the Alchemical item more powerful."
"After reaching the six-layer limit, if you then imbue it with thought, the item becomes a living object. At this point, the Alchemical item is no longer restricted by the six-layer limit. Imbuing an item with thought can be said to be the path to becoming a high-level Alchemist."
"Then what do we need to do to make an inanimate object gain thought?" Gary felt a surge of eagerness after hearing the Sorting Hat's words.
"Even if you know it now, it's useless," the Sorting Hat retorted, "I estimate you can't even engrave a two-layered Alchemical array right now. In Alchemy, you must never be overly ambitious. If you don't calm down, you won't be able to hone excellent skills."
"I understand," Gary accepted the lesson and reined in his thoughts.
"Then what are the difficulties in engraving a two-layered array?" Gary was eager to learn.
"I've taught you quite a bit of knowledge, now it's your turn to chat with me," the Sorting Hat didn't answer his question, "Quick, tell me what you usually do?"
Seeing that the Sorting Hat was unlikely to talk about Alchemy today, Gary could only humor it and tell it some recent interesting stories about Hogwarts.
According to Dumbledore's instructions, Gary returned the Sorting Hat to its original place before five o'clock (curfew time) every Friday and left the Principal's office.
The Sorting Hat only told him a tiny bit of Alchemical knowledge each time. It would be fine if it taught less, but it always stopped right before the most important knowledge points, keeping Gary in suspense, just like those excellent students from online novel cliffhanger training classes.
He had no choice but to empty his mind every week, thinking of interesting anecdotes about Hogwarts to tell it.
There was nothing he could do; it was the boss, after all.
The boss, the Sorting Hat, finally couldn't resist Gary's persistent nagging and finally relented on the third Friday evening.
"The most crucial point in engraving a multi-layered Alchemical array lies in magic power preservation. Unlike a single-layered Alchemical array, the engraving time for multi-layered Alchemical arrays is often measured in days. Once dragon blood ink evaporates completely, the magic power is already fixed, and any array engraved by re-applying dragon blood ink thereafter will have reduced efficacy."
"Moreover, strictly speaking, Alchemical products made by repeatedly applying dragon blood ink cannot be called multi-layered Alchemical array products. Not only is the effect different, but the speed of magic power evaporation is also vastly different."
"More importantly, if an Alchemical product is made by repeatedly applying dragon blood ink, it cannot be imbued with thought," the Sorting Hat finished this long speech in Gary's mind in one breath.
"The requirements for engraving multi-layered Alchemical arrays are so strict?" Gary gasped, "Does that mean high-level Alchemists can prevent dragon blood ink from drying up?"
Book 69 New
"No, no, no. It's undeniable that high-quality dragon blood ink can last longer, but what's more important is the Wizard's own mental power," the Sorting Hat's speaking speed slowed down considerably.
"Mental power?" Gary felt confused.
"Yes, I mentioned Legilimency to you before, didn't I?" the Sorting Hat's tone became very serious, not its usual cheerful, flippant manner.
"The casting method for Legilimency is different from other offensive spells. Its key lies in attaching a certain amount of mental power to the magic power during casting. If your mental power is stronger than the opponent's, you can easily enter their brain; otherwise, you will be blocked outside their brain," the Sorting Hat explained in detail, recounting knowledge that Gary normally couldn't access in class.
He took careful notes, absorbing the knowledge like a sponge.
"Highly skilled Alchemists can use their mental power to firmly attach magic power to the Alchemical item, lasting for several days, until the dragon blood ink is applied when the last layer of the Alchemical array is completed."
"So that's how it is…" Gary was very shocked internally. Dumbledore had never mentioned this knowledge.
"Don't make that face. I've lived for a thousand years, so knowing more is only natural," the Sorting Hat said somewhat proudly.
"Then how do you practice mental power?" Gary eagerly asked. The Sorting Hat had already opened a new world for him.
"Let me state one thing first: all excellent Alchemists are geniuses at Legilimency. Their attainments in mental power are extraordinary," the Sorting Hat said calmly. "Nicolas Flamel and Dumbledore are both highly skilled users of Legilimency."
"So that means I must practice Legilimency?" Gary deduced based on the Sorting Hat's words.
"Who will you practice with?" the Sorting Hat scoffed, "Who would let you see all the secrets in their mind?"
"Hmm… Then what should I do?" Gary asked cautiously.
"You start with the basics, try to mobilize your mental power," the Sorting Hat hummed, "You're still a long way from Legilimency."
At night, he lay in bed. A crack in the curtains revealed a sky full of stars and a full moon.
How to mobilize mental power? Gary didn't know Occlumency or Legilimency. After carefully pondering the Sorting Hat's words, he always felt that mental power was too ethereal.
He knew very well how to mobilize magic power. As long as he had the thought, the magic power hidden within his body would surge into his right arm and then into his wand.
Would mental power be the same way?
Gary closed his eyes and, in a trance, kept trying to exert his mind. Ten minutes later, he gave up. He only felt his eyeballs swelling slightly.
Rubbing his eyes, Gary felt a little tired. Howard next to him was already fast asleep. This atmosphere made Gary feel a bit lazy too, and drowsiness surged over him like a tide, sweeping Gary away.
Gary closed his eyes, his limbs flat on the bed, allowing his body's muscles to relax naturally. His breathing gradually slowed.
Then he jumped up. Just as he was about to fall asleep, an inspiration flashed, but he couldn't grasp it.
Gary stood on the bed, recalling for a long time. After confirming he couldn't remember, he gave up. He lay down irritably, pulling the quilt over himself.