Inside the sealed chamber, two identical giant green snakes now lay before him.
From the texture of their scales to their size and even the cold vertical pupils, there was no visible difference whatsoever. They looked like perfect copies, down to the rhythm of their breathing.
One was the real Nagini, coiled warily in the corner behind a pale blue beam barrier.
The other lay motionless on the metal table, allowing Lucien to wave his wand and cast spell after spell across its body.
The snake behind the barrier was the actual Nagini.
The one on the table was a perfect duplicate created by the Morphing Flesh Puppet—Modified.
Not only did it replicate the physical body perfectly, but it had also copied Nagini's heavily cursed and twisted magic circuits in full detail.
After the recent loan upgrade, the Morphing Flesh Puppet could now simulate magic circuits as well.
By recreating Nagini's current circuits on the puppet, Lucien could test every correction first—where to cut, where to reconnect, what to preserve—running multiple simulations on the replica before touching the real thing.
It was exactly like a medical student practicing on a cadaver before operating on a live patient.
Heh. Guess I really am playing doctor now.
Lucien reached up and tapped the bird-beak mask on his face.
Even if it was a medieval relic.
Once he got the full Plague Doctor set—the black robes, hat, and this beak mask—he'd probably scare the patient half to death before even starting treatment.
He had tried using Transfiguration on the mask to turn it into something more convenient like a pair of glasses, but discovered it was completely resistant to any shape-changing magic.
The mask refused to be altered in any way.
Still, it was light and comfortable. He could wear it for hours without fatigue.
The herbal mixture packed in the beak released a constant cool, refreshing scent that kept his mind sharp. He could work for several hours straight without feeling tired.
Plus, he could equip or remove it instantly from the system space. Very convenient.
Since no one else was around to see it, looking a little strange didn't matter.
Lucien glanced at the real Nagini behind the barrier.
Well… there was one snake watching.
Those vertical pupils stared coldly at him—at the odd bird-beak mask on his face.
He wasn't sure if she was curious or calculating how she'd bite him once the barrier came down.
He wondered if she would even remember any of this once she turned back into a human.
Lucien pulled his gaze away and continued working.
His previous experiments and theories on circuit deformation were proving extremely useful now. All the experience he had accumulated testing and adjusting on the Morphing Flesh Puppet was paying off.
Every successful correction and every failed adjustment deepened his understanding of how magic circuits actually functioned.
At this rate, Lucien estimated he'd be able to achieve real circuit deformation in just a few more months.
He could reshape a wizard's circuits into the special patterns of half-giant or half-Veela bloodlines, or even fully replicate those of various magical creatures…
Beyond simulating the body and circuits, he wished he could replicate the "curse" itself on the puppet. That would make the practice even closer to the real situation.
Simulating the complete curse erosion process on the replica and repeatedly testing counter-curse methods there would give him far greater confidence when treating Nagini.
So his study and research into curses still needed to go deeper.
The closer he could simulate the original curse, the better his chances.
To defeat an enemy, you first had to understand it thoroughly.
Besides greatly enhancing his ability to observe curses, the bird-beak mask also helped when he was learning and analyzing them. Through the smoky crystal lenses, the structure and composition of curses became much clearer and easier to understand.
Combined with his natural talent for Dark Magic, his progress in curse studies was advancing at an incredible speed.
The deeper he went, the more Lucien had to admit—curses were really well-suited for screwing people over.
Hair, blood, even a person's name could serve as a medium.
Curses didn't have to target just specific individuals; they could latch onto concepts too—like the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position at Hogwarts.
You could even store curses inside objects and wait for powerful wizards to trigger them…