great-warnovel Chapter 267 Purification Ritual
Chapter 267 Purification Ritual
Chapter 267 Purification Ritual
"This is a purification ritual."
The Potions classroom was empty of students; instead, it was filled with professors from various subjects.
Because this was an unprecedented, massive potion-making project, no one dared to claim experience, and even McGonagall was unsure of what to do.
Therefore, the professors of all subjects were summoned, and even Dumbledore sat below, listening with great interest to Lily's lecture.
"As we all know, the brewing of potions requires a very high level of cleanliness in the crucible."
"In relatively universal situations, as long as you clean the pot thoroughly and make sure there are no remnants of the previous potion in it, it will be fine."
Using clean water, or cleaning thoroughly, or even using a vanishing spell, can satisfy basic cleanliness needs.
"But when it comes to truly high-end, top-tier experimental potions involving subtle mysteries and profound qualitative changes, the masters have extremely strict standards for the purification of the cauldron."
Lily glanced at Ferenze, who was standing crouched at the back of the classroom. Centaurs were also quite skilled in healing magic, but they usually only used herbs.
There is no consensus on the wizards' theories about potions.
"One second our clay pots are cooking rice, the next they're used to boil herbs," he muttered under his breath. He hadn't originally wanted to come, but Professor McGonagall felt it was best to hear different opinions.
"Even the finest dust, or the slightest trace of unusual magical aura, can alter the properties of a potion, which is intolerable in the experimental field," Lily continued.
"Therefore, before each potion-making process, we perform a purification ritual to ensure that the pot is clean in both mystical and practical terms."
She placed a cauldron on the stage and demonstrated by circling the rim of the cauldron with her wand. Then she cast a spell on the cauldron, made specific gestures with a knife and pliers, and performed some operations that Hermione could not understand. Finally, she tapped the cauldron, producing a pleasant tinkling sound.
"Because this is the flavor I usually use, the steps have been simplified and omitted, but the effect is not compromised."
She raised the cauldron, its mouth facing everyone. In addition to the visible cleanliness, the wizards present could feel an unusual sense of "cleanliness" lingering inside. Just looking at the black bottom of the cauldron made them feel inexplicably more comfortable, as if everything was in the right place and everything was in perfect harmony.
"It's definitely different from a freshly cleaned effect." Quirrell craned his neck to examine it. Although he had good grades in school, his potion skills were only average, and he had no access to such advanced techniques.
"The essence of the cleansing spell is to achieve a level of cleanliness that the user is aware of," Flitwick explained.
"When we become aware of the presence of dust, a cleansing spell can properly help us remove it, but potions require a very high level of cleanliness. These are 'foreign objects' that even the potion master himself is unaware of. If we indiscriminately use a cleansing spell to remove things that we imagine may exist but cannot understand, then the entire potion pile might be wiped out."
Lily nodded: "Moreover, the Cleansing Charm is a very distinctive spell, and it can remain in the pot, causing a change in the potion's properties."
"The benefit of the purification ritual is that it is not only clean itself and does not react with potions, but more importantly, it can purify 'dust' that wizards cannot understand, and that is what I hope to do for the Black Lake and its creatures."
"To consider mutations caused by radiation or some other reason as a kind of filth?" Dumbledore pondered.
Could a massive purification ritual cleanse these impurities and restore the merfolk and any other creatures that might exist to normal? Even if the physical mutations are difficult to remove, could their spirits at least be restored?
Potions is a subjective discipline, and as a world-renowned potions master, if Lily thinks it's possible, then there might actually be some truth to it.
"I can't offer much help. Alchemy has always found potions to be absurd." He shrugged. When he and Flamel studied alchemy and discovered the twelve uses of dragon blood, they were quite objective and rational.
"However, I think it's not a bad thing to give it a try. If we succeed, we will have a stable rear base. The merfolk have always been our allies, but we simply couldn't take them with us when we withdrew back then." He sighed.
"If we consider the entire Black Lake as a cauldron, then everything in the lake is a pre-mixed potion. Would using a purification ritual on an existing potion cause other reactions?" Little Barty frowned. Although he was an inside man, McGonagall felt that he was eager to perform well and would definitely put in a lot of effort to devise a plan for this matter. Moreover, he was indeed quite good at potions.
His words also prompted other professors to think, such as Sprout and Pomfrey, who, although not experts in potions, had some knowledge of them, and were now mentally simulating the process.
Lily was prepared, and she calmly replied, "That's because you misunderstood."
As a potions master, she had enough authority to say that, which made Little Barty blush.
"You believe the Black Lake is a potion, and the water and creatures within it are magic potions. This is extremely simplistic, figurative thinking; you've only seen the surface."
And then replace them with things they already know in equal measure.
She chuckled softly: "We're not really going to turn the creatures of the Black Lake into a thick soup, so why do we have to separate the lake from the creatures?"
"From my perspective, there is no strong distinction between geography and medium."
"Black Lake is an entire ecosystem, and this ecosystem itself is constantly giving birth to new life. Isn't this ecosystem a crucible?"
This unusual line of thinking immediately stunned everyone.
Their goal was to purify the mermaids, and the ritual of purifying the cauldron was clearly more effective and safer to use the mermaids as the cauldron itself than as the contents of the cauldron.
Little Barty seemed to choke: "This idea—this—this doesn't fit the potion—"
"Professor Crouch, you may indeed be quite skilled in potions, but I am the Potions Professor, and one of only three Potions Masters." Lily's tone was calm, but her words revealed a pride that belonged only to her.
In the realm of potions, she needs to compromise with no one except her mentor and Snape, with whom she competed in the past.
"That sounds daring, but I trust Lily," Flitwick said in a high-pitched voice, swinging her short legs in the chair.
McGonagall nodded thoughtfully and looked at Dumbledore.
While the White Wizard remained silent in thought, Hermione asked, "If the Black Lake can serve as an ecosystem for purification rituals, what about the Forbidden Forest? Can the same be replicated?"