novelraw Chapter 74 Automatic Quill Pen
Chapter 74 Automatic Quill Pen
Chapter 74 Automatic Quill Pen
The blue fire in the common room burned quietly in the fireplace. Karen didn't go straight back to her dormitory, but sat at a low table by the window, her eyes slightly narrowed, intently observing the flow of magic inside the pen.
"Although it consists of only three runes, it is surprisingly exquisite," Karen murmured to himself, observing the fine rune engravings inside the pen.
In the vision of the Eye of Truth, the three rune nodes were as clearly visible as stars in the night sky, connected by delicate magical threads to form a perfect triangular structure. He carefully wrote the word "magic" on the parchment with a quill, while observing the changes in magical power within the runes.
"The first rune lights up first, then the second—and finally the third coordinates," Karen murmured.
The quill pen traced smooth lines on the paper. He noticed that when he applied slightly more pressure, the second rune immediately brightened and adjusted the ink flow. This instant feedback fascinated him, so he tried it a few more times, deliberately varying the pressure he applied to the pen and observing the rune's response.
Then Karen began to try out its various functions. Although Mr. Castor said it was an automatic writing quill pen, this pen also had the function of a shorthand quill pen in addition to its original functions.
As the moonlight outside the window gradually slanted westward, the voices in the lounge thinned out. Karen was completely absorbed in his research, unaware that the flames in the fireplace were dying. It wasn't until a chill swept over him that he shivered and looked up to find only a few senior students still studying late into the night in the large lounge.
"Flickering light." Karen tapped his wand lightly, and a soft white light shone from its tip. Using this light, he turned to the second alchemical artifact—the small weather forecaster. The glass sphere gleamed mysteriously in the magical light, and the metal plate suspended inside cast a long, thin shadow.
Karen took a deep breath and held the glass sphere in her palm. In the Eye of Truth's vision, five rune nodes were distributed at the bottom of the sphere, forming a perfect pentagon. But unlike the simple triangular structure of the quill pen, its five main runes were not only connected by thick magical channels, but also by countless secondary connections as thin as hair, making it much more complex than the quill pen.
As Karen observed, her quill pen moved rapidly across the paper, replicating the network diagram. She would pause periodically, furrow her brow in thought, then continue adding details.
"Karen?" A low voice suddenly came from behind. Karen turned around abruptly and saw Fabian standing behind her in dark blue pajamas, without his glasses, yawning incessantly. "It's almost one in the morning, and you're still researching?"
Karen then realized how late it had been. He blinked his sore eyes and said, "It's already this late?"
He stretched his stiff shoulders and heard a slight cracking sound from his joints.
Fabian took a few steps closer, looking curiously at the laid-out alchemical artifacts and densely packed notes. He adjusted his glasses, his brown eyes widening behind the lenses: "These are the things Professor Victor lent you? What are you drawing in these notes?"
"Yes, some basic alchemy items. The ones in the notebook are replicas of their magic runes." Karen pointed to the automatic quill and the patterns in the notebook, suddenly feeling a surge of pride. "Although there are only three runes, the structure is exquisite."
Just as he was about to say something more, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over him, and Karen couldn't help but yawn. Seeing this, Fabian gently patted his shoulder: "Think about it tomorrow, you should rest. Don't forget you have Professor Sprout's herbalism class this morning."
Karen reluctantly put away the alchemical items and notes, carefully placing them into her dragon-skin satchel. The two tiptoed back to their dormitory, moonlight streaming through the window and casting dappled shadows on the floor.
The next morning, although he had gone to bed late, Karen woke up an hour earlier than usual. He dressed quietly, careful not to wake his still-sleeping roommates. Wesley lay sprawled on the bed, his reddish-brown hair a mess like a bird's nest; Ernesto's bed curtains were tightly closed, and the sound of even breathing could be faintly heard; Fabian was curled up under the covers, with only half his head showing.
Karen quietly retrieved his research notes and alchemical artifacts from the previous night and slipped out of his dormitory. The Ravenclaw Tower was quiet in the early morning; only the figures in the portraits cast curious glances at him.
Then, in the lounge, I finished drawing the rune pattern that I hadn't completed last night.
Karen let out a long sigh and stretched back in his chair. The sunlight outside the window had grown bright, and in the distance, he could hear the laughter and chatter of students heading to the Great Hall. He glanced at his pocket watch; there were still forty minutes until Herbology class, enough time for him to have breakfast.
In herbalism class, Professor Sprout led his students in continuing their study of mandrake cultivation in the third greenhouse. Although Karen was preparing to repot the young mandrake, the runic structure she had recorded that morning was still replaying in her mind.
"Mr. Hawthorne," Professor Sprout's kind voice brought him back to reality, "Although you haven't repotted the mandrake yet, did you forget to put on its protective cover?"
Karen then realized that his earmuffs had slipped down to his neck, which explained the ringing in his ears. He quickly adjusted them and gave the professor an apologetic smile: "Sorry, Professor, I was daydreaming."
"Too engrossed in your alchemy studies?" Professor Sprout blinked, lowering his voice. "Felius told me you've been studying advanced spells lately. Be careful not to overwork yourself. Concentrate, although the seedlings' cries won't cause much harm."
But safety should still be a priority.
Karen nodded and focused on finishing the rest of the work, which made him handle the fragile mandrake seedlings with even greater care.
After finishing his morning classes, Karen quickly ate lunch and declined his roommates' invitation to go for a walk by the lake. "I have to prepare for my afternoon metamorphosis class," he explained. "Professor McGonagall said she'd be checking our beetle-to-button transformation project."
In fact, he went straight to the Eagle's Nest as soon as he left the auditorium; he couldn't wait to give it a try.
Upon arriving at Eagle's Nest, Karen laid out the materials on the long table: several polished copper coins, a set of fine engraving knives, a bottle of magical ink, and the "Basic Alchemy Rune Guide" borrowed from the library. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, gilding the copper coins with a golden hue.
"Let's start with copper coins," Karen muttered to himself, picking up a copper coin and the finest engraving knife. He took a deep breath, recalling the rune structure he had observed the night before, and began to replicate the first rune from the quill pen—the Sensing Rune—on the copper coin.
The engraving knife traced fine lines on the copper plate, producing a soft scraping sound. Karen was completely focused, controlling the depth and curve of each stroke, fine beads of sweat gradually forming on his forehead. His Eye of Truth allowed him to clearly see the flow of magic within the engravings, enabling him to promptly adjust any imperfections.
"The force must be even—the turns must be smooth—." Karen bit her lower lip, her hands moving with unwavering focus. Half an hour later, the first rune appeared perfectly on the copper coin, shimmering with a faint blue light in the Eye of Truth's vision.
"Success!" Karen looked at his work with delight, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his face. He stretched his aching fingers and pressed on, carving a second control rune and a third coordination rune. When all three runes were complete, a faint magical fluctuation flowed across the copper plate, forming a connection between the three nodes similar to that in a quill pen.
He took out the prepared swan feathers and magic ink from the materials bag. First, he used a knife to clean the feathers, clear the quills, and trim the barbs, and then he began to carefully carve runes.
"The first rune!" Karen held his breath, the engraving knife making the first stroke near the tip of the pen. With the experience of practicing with copper coins, this time it was much smoother. He occasionally checked the flow of magic through the Eye of Truth, ensuring that every transition was just right.
After carving all three runes, Karen inserted the swan quill pen into the handle and filled the rune grooves with magical ink. The ink was immediately absorbed upon contact with the carving, and the runes glowed blue one after another.
Karen held his breath, gently gripped the quill, and wrote his name on the parchment, the ink flowing smoothly into beautiful handwriting. He then tried the other functions, including shorthand, and succeeded in using them all.
"Success! All functions are complete! Now all that's left is to test the usage time." Karen couldn't help but cheer.
The sound echoed in the empty classroom. He quickly jotted down every detail of the process, including the choice of materials, the order in which the runes were inscribed, and the amount of ink used.
Looking at the clock, Karen realized it was almost time for class, so she hurriedly packed her things and ran towards the Transfiguration classroom.
In the Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall was explaining how to transform a beetle into a button with intricate patterns. Karen's newly crafted automatic quill was rapidly jotting down key points on parchment, occasionally pausing to wait while he pondered.
"Pay attention to the symmetry of the pattern," Professor McGonagall's stern voice echoed in the classroom. "Transformation is not just about changing the shape, but also about perfecting the details."
Karen stared intently at the beetle on her desk, then tapped her wand lightly: "Insect Transformation!" The beetle instantly transformed into a silver button with an exquisite eagle-shaped pattern.
"Beautiful patterns, Mr. Hawthorne," Professor McGonagall said, now standing beside him.
"Thank you, Professor." Karen nodded earnestly, then suddenly thought of something, "Professor, what do you think is the essential difference between Transfiguration and Alchemy in terms of changing the properties of matter?"
Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows slightly: "Very good question, Mr. Hawthorne. It seems you have indeed been studying that book diligently these past few days."
She pondered for a moment, then replied, "Transfiguration is a temporary change, maintained by the wizard's willpower; alchemy, on the other hand, seeks a fundamental transformation. However, a complete answer to this question might require an entire semester of research. Now..."
Please focus your attention on your buttons first.
Karen smiled sheepishly and continued practicing her Transfiguration.
After class, Karen was stopped by Fabian and his friends, who asked her where she was going. Karen showed them the automatic quill pen she had made and her previous actions.
"And you've already made this in just one day!" Wesley's eyes widened.
Karen smiled and explained his research process, omitting some details but enough for his roommates to understand the basic principles. "It's amazing!" Ernesto's gray eyes sparkled with great interest. "Can I try it?" He took the quill and wrote his name on the parchment. After writing a few words, the quill began to write according to Ernesto's ideas.
"Can we learn this too? Or can you make one for us?" Wesley asked eagerly, seeing the quill pen's amazing performance.
Karen nodded. "Of course. I need to familiarize myself with it too. As for learning, we have to take it one step at a time." He took out the prepared copper coin and engraving knife. "Practice individual runes on the copper coin first."
The four of them went to the Eagle's Nest together and studied until dinner time, with Karen patiently guiding her roommates on the basic techniques of inscribing runes. Although they didn't have the Eye of Truth, with Karen's detailed explanations and the help of the magic magnifying glass, Ernesto successfully inscribed a sensing rune that could faintly glow.
"This is amazing!" Ernesto stared at the runes he had carved, his gray eyes sparkling with excitement. "Although I've read some alchemy books, this is the first time I've ever carved runes myself!"
Wesley, though a bit rough around the edges, was enjoying himself; Fabian, on the other hand, displayed astonishing precision, his second rune already meeting the requirements.
While teaching his companions about runes, Karen also became more familiar with them.
When Karen finally lay in bed, she was physically exhausted but filled with a sense of accomplishment. In her hazy sleep, Karen thought about the more complex weather forecaster and wondered if she could replicate it as successfully as she had today.
With this question in mind, Karen fell into a deep sleep, his dreams filled with flowing runes and shimmering magical light. Tomorrow, he would challenge himself with a more complex weather forecaster and alchemical items based on a five-rune system.