Chapter 451: Magic Potion Banquet

Chapter 451: Magic Potion Banquet
After talking about the Triwizard Tournament, they turned the topic to the upcoming Potions Championship and shared their discoveries, experiences and insights about potions.

Selena tilted her head slightly and spoke softly, "I heard that the potions courses in the UK are more traditional than here. Is that true?"

Xie Lin smiled lightly, his tone steady and confident, "Indeed. British potion science is centered on classic formulas, emphasizing the stability of raw materials and the inheritance of traditional craftsmanship, while French potion science is more inclined to innovation and flexibility. For example, some of your herbal blending methods are rarely seen in Hogwarts."

Nayes moved closer excitedly, her blue eyes sparkling: "So, which system do you think is superior?"

"It depends on the goal," Schelling said calmly. "If you want stable efficacy, traditional formulas are more reliable; but if you want to adapt to individual needs, the French innovation system is obviously more advantageous. Take the 'Mind-Concentrating Demulcent' as an example. The British formula has remained unchanged for almost a thousand years, while the French improved version can adjust the dosage according to the patient's constitution, making it milder."

Selena's eyes lit up slightly. "You actually know about the mind-relief agent? That's one of the topics our family has studied."

Draught of Peace is a fifth-year course at Hogwarts, but the Draught of Peace that Schelling talked about is an ancient recipe recorded in the book “Powerful Potion”. Because its effect is too powerful, it is listed as one of the forbidden potions in the British wizarding world. Only a few wizards have access to this knowledge.

"Of course, I also know that the Eifler family adjusted its formula fifty years ago." Sherin said calmly, "Adding a small amount of 'Moondew Grass' to enhance the sedative effect, but it also reduced the speed of magic flow, so some wizards will feel a temporary stagnation of magic after taking it."

The so-called "magical stagnation" is a professional term used by healers and potion makers, which means that you will feel uncomfortable and unable to perform well when casting spells.

These words made the two Veela girls stunned for a moment, and then Naisi smiled in surprise: "Oh my God, Xie Lin, you even know this? Books from the outside world will not record such details."

"I just happened to have studied it." Xie Ling said calmly.

Selena pursed her lips and smiled, with a look of admiration in her eyes: "You know more about potions than I thought."

"If it's just general potion knowledge, it might not be enough to surprise me." Nayes' tone was somewhat provocative and playful. "Then let's change to a more difficult question?"

Xie Lin raised his eyebrows: "I would like to hear the details."

"Did you know that 'Magic Bee Venom Essence' and 'Fairy Wings' can be used together?"

"It depends on the purpose." Xie Lin said almost without pausing, "If you simply mix them, the properties of the two materials will conflict, resulting in a violent magical reaction. But if you use the right method, such as freezing them at low temperatures to neutralize the toxicity of the essence of the magic bee venom, and then crushing it and adding it when the fairy wings belonging to Mercury enter the correct planetary cycle, you can make a highly effective anti-inflammatory agent."

Naisi opened her mouth slightly and then laughed out loud: "You even know this? I just studied this topic in the laboratory last month!"

Furong snorted lightly, with a smug smile on her lips: "Don't make a fuss, Xie Lin is famous for his superb potion knowledge."

Selena's eyes flickered, and she seemed to be seriously looking at Xie Lin for the first time: "Your understanding of potions is deeper than many official potion masters."

Nayis blinked and smiled with the natural charm of a Veela: "I suddenly understand why Furong is so interested in you."

The smile on Furong's face froze slightly, and then she glanced at her cousin lightly, and said in a lazy and warning tone: "Naisi..."

Naise immediately made a gesture of surrender and stuck out her tongue playfully, but the way she looked at Schelling showed some fresh interest.

Selena smiled slightly, gently brushed the hair by her ear, and said in a gentle tone: "If there is a chance, I really want to see your potion experiment process."

Xie Lin smiled and said, "You are welcome anytime."

At this time, the door of the banquet hall finally opened, and the waiters politely invited the guests to come in. Selena and Nayes said goodbye reluctantly and followed the crowd into the banquet hall, while Furong sighed softly, looked at Xie Lin, and said with a smile: "Are you always like this?"

"what?"

"You can easily charm two girls." She crossed her arms and snorted in a half-hearted tone, "Looks like I have to keep a close eye on you."

Xie Lin laughed: "Maybe you should ask yourself, it was you who brought me to see them."

Furong narrowed her eyes, raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and revealed a meaningful smile: "Then, I have to make sure you don't have too many dance partners at the banquet later."

Xie Lin chuckled, without comment, and walked towards the banquet hall, while Furong followed lightly, with a hint of determined pride in her blue eyes.

The banqueting hall at Evere Manor.

Under the night sky, the magic candlelight floats in the sky, illuminating the intricately carved ceiling. The dome depicts an ancient alchemy array, with faint golden runes. The long table is covered with a dark purple velvet tablecloth, and silver goblets and exquisite ceramic plates are neatly placed.

On the long table, every dish had the wonderful flavor of potion science - roasted lizard meat dotted with blue flames, magical fruits soaked in herbal dew, seafood soup cooked with phoenix blood, every bite was a fusion of potion and cuisine. The air was filled with a faint herbal scent, as if the whole banquet itself was a feast of magic and alchemy. The guests invited to attend were all masters of the potion world.

They were well-dressed, their words and deeds were full of academic atmosphere, but also had a bit of mystery and arrogance that was unique to potion masters. Xie Ling wandered around the banquet, chatting and getting to know them from time to time, and gradually integrated into this group of arrogant pharmacists.

He first found Hector Dagworth-Granger, the founder of the Extraordinary Apothecary Association, an old gentleman with neatly combed silver hair. He was holding a glass of precious French red wine and talking with others about the association's recent research on the duration of potions. Schelling seized the opportunity to interrupt the topic, briefly analyzing the influence of variables on the duration of certain potions, and quoted the adjustment method in the classical formula, which made Hector raise his eyebrows slightly and reveal a smile of approval.

"Young man, your insights are quite profound." Hector raised his glass and gently touched the rim of Xie Ling's glass. "Perhaps, we should have a more in-depth discussion within the association."

Then, Schelling talked to Damocles Belby, the inventor of the wolfsbane potion, who was discussing with several researchers whether the wolfsbane potion could be further optimized to reduce side effects. Schelling proposed adding some short-term blinding herbal ingredients to prevent werewolves from witnessing the full moon night, thereby reducing the possibility of werewolves transforming, which attracted Damocles's interest in asking for details.

"You mean 'Bay Essence'?" Belby narrowed his eyes. "That's an interesting idea... But how do you solve the problem of it inhibiting the visual nerve? I don't want my patients to go blind because of this."

Xie Ling smiled slightly and told about his research on the stability of potion molecules in the experiment, which made several potion scholars present listen attentively.

As the dinner progressed, Schelling talked with Ms. Montmorency, the inventor of the Eros Locking Potion, Tilden Toots, a researcher of plantation potions, Libasho Pollach, the author of Advanced Potion Making, and Gorbarot, the creator of Gorbarot's Law, to share their research experiences. He was neither humble nor overbearing, and won the recognition of these senior pharmacists with his solid theoretical foundation and innovative ideas. Several older scholars even invited Schelling to visit their laboratories or conduct joint research projects if he had the opportunity.

(Note: Laverne de Montmorency in the Chocolate Frog card celebrity lived from 1823 to 1893. She invented many love potions, but here we are talking about her granddaughter, the inventor of the "Eros Lock Potion", which is also the strongest version of the love potion.)
(Note: Tilden Toots, a famous herbalist, pharmacist and radio personality. He has three famous green thumbs and hosts a radio show called "Toots's Rooting Show" on Wizard Radio. He invented the "Resurrection Agent" and "Regreening Agent" used in growing flowers and plants.)
Xie Ling accepted everyone who came and exchanged letters with every potion master to build friendships, successfully expanding his own network in the field of potions. These arrogant pharmacists basically recognized Xie Ling's strength. Xie Ling had successfully entered this pharmacist circle, which had always been somewhat exclusive.

However, another focus of the banquet hall was not Schelling’s academic conversation, but the three girls around him.

Fleur, Selena and Nayes are of Veela descent and naturally exude a fatal attraction, especially under the lights. They seem to be bathed in a soft halo. Every smile and every gentle movement attracts the guests around them involuntarily.

Furong was wearing a light silver dress, which was exquisitely tailored, making her look even more noble and elegant. She held a glass of crystal champagne in her hand, sometimes taking a sip gracefully, sometimes leaning over to whisper, her blue eyes revealing a bit of confidence. Her presence already raised the brilliance of the entire banquet to a higher level.

Selena's dress was light blue, gentle and a bit dreamy, her smile was soft and her tone was gentle, making people feel like spring breeze. In contrast, Nayes's dark blue dress was a bit more mysterious, her eyes were moving, with a hint of cunning and playfulness that was unique to Veela.

The most striking thing is that these three extremely beautiful girls always surround Xie Ling, talking to him, laughing with him, and even occasionally whispering to him about some topic. This scene, in the eyes of everyone, almost forms an enviable picture.

At the banquet, many young new pharmacists were already dissatisfied with Xie Ling's outstanding performance. After all, this banquet was the top gathering of potion masters in Europe, and many of them tried their best to get an invitation. However, Xie Ling not only successfully integrated into the circle of potion masters, but also easily won the favor of three peerless beauties.

In a corner, several young pharmacists gathered together and whispered, "Who is he? Why would a young man from England attract the interest of both Ms. Montmorency and Dagworth-Granger?"

"More importantly, Fleur Delacour has always been very proud, how could she be so close to him?"

"Those two girls too, are they from the Effler family?"

"It's really enviable..."

At this moment, a blond man who thought he was very elegant walked towards Furong and the other two. He was the son of a noble pharmacist. He was wearing a gold-rimmed dress. He raised his chin confidently, smiled and asked Furong, "Miss Furong, may I have the honor of inviting you to dance with me?"

His voice was gentle, with the elegance of a French aristocrat, and he was clearly confident in his own charm. However, Fleur didn't even look at him, but casually raised her finger to indicate that he was not interested.

Selena just smiled faintly and didn't respond.

Nayis didn't even bother to change her expression, and her eyes didn't linger on him at all.

The air froze for a second, and the smile on the blond man's face froze, as if he had been slapped in public. He thought that his elegant demeanor would at least earn him a polite response, but he was completely ignored, which made him lose face in front of the many guests around him.

Seeing this, Xie Lin couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly, picked up the wine glass, and looked at the scene in front of him meaningfully. Judging from the man's appearance, clothing, speech and behavior, he should be from a very powerful potion family. If he offended him in front of so many people, I'm afraid it would be difficult to settle the matter peacefully -

But, who cares!

The current Schelling is not the Schelling in the first three volumes of this book. Just a few days ago, at the trial of Harry Potter, he even dared to openly oppose Dumbledore. In his eyes, the so-called noble son of the potion family in front of him was not even worthy of his name being remembered.

The blond man's face turned blue and red, and he finally coughed awkwardly, forcing himself to maintain his composure and turned away. But after he walked away, his eyes were filled with resentment and anger.

The banquet was still going on, but some people's eyes had already quietly focused on Xie Ling, either with envy, jealousy, or secretly thinking about something.

The protagonist is so strong that the author has no mood to design plots to show off and then get slapped in the face.