Hogwarts: My Yorozuya has no taboos!

Chapter 79 Golden Soul and Girl

Chapter 80 The Golden Soul and the Maiden (Seeking First Subscription!)

"Do I really not need slippers, Madame Lemaître... This is gold, after all, and I think I should show it some respect."

.

"It's really okay, child. Just treat it like an ordinary stone."

So Ares overcame his psychological barriers and stepped into the golden house.

Aside from the glittering gold, the overall style of this room is actually quite similar to Dumbledore's office.

The large room was filled with shelves, which were filled with strange and unusual alchemical tools of unknown purpose.

Alchemy is an important branch of magic, and Ares naturally wouldn't overlook it while studying at Hogwarts.

But for alchemy, talent and knowledge accumulation are equally important.

Ares's expertise in this ancient subject was naturally inferior to that of Dumbledore, who was over a hundred years old, and even less comparable to that of Flamel, who was over six hundred years old.

The gold artifacts lying before him—some shaped like Muggle drum kits, constantly clanging; others like steam engines, always emitting thin, milky-white smoke; still others like bronze trees with sprawling branches, their shapes exuding antiquity and vicissitude.

There are many things that Ares doesn't understand the purpose of, and can only admire their unusual shapes like an outsider.

Of course, at least one thing he could see was that each of these gold artifacts was priceless, far exceeding the value of gold... but for Flamel, who possessed endless wealth, they were merely toys.

Pong!

Most of the alchemical artifacts seemed to be entertaining themselves as if they were alive, and they did not react when Ares passed by them.

But there is a mirror—

Although the mirror and the intricate patterns on the frame appear to be made of gold, the overall design is indeed that of a full-length mirror.

It was the first alchemical artifact to react to Ares—its simple design went unnoticed by Ares, but as he passed by, a sound, as if on fire, emanated from its orange-yellow mirrored space.

"Madam, what is this mirror?"

"Naturally, it was also Lemaître's doing—"

Madame Lemaître smiled and said that she also looked at the mirror, but could only recognize this object; her cloudy eyes could not see the blurry image reflected in the mirror. "Lemaître said it could reflect the state of a person's soul... isn't that a bit mystical?"

In silence, Ares stared intently at the image in the mirror—a very blurry human figure reflected in the mirror, its body scorched by raging flames. And perhaps due to the material, both the human figure and the bone-worm-like flames in the mirror were golden.

"Very fitting, madam."

After a long pause, Ares nodded and said softly.

It's unclear whether it acknowledges the function of the mirror or Madame Lemaître's evaluation of her husband.

Ares stared at the mirror for a while, then looked away and glanced around.

Priceless gold artifacts are like fast food on a Muggle supermarket shelf; once you see them enough, they become boring.

But one thing still caught Ares's attention.

Without thinking, Ares abandoned Madame Lemaître and quickly walked around the two shelves to the item.

Ares noticed it not because it was priceless or because it possessed extraordinary magic, but rather because it was an ordinary object that seemed dull and unremarkable compared to everything else there.

A painting.

It was displayed on a worn-out wooden frame, and the drawing paper, made of the most ordinary parchment, even had some wormholes.

Ares, equally lacking in artistic taste, was interested in it purely because it didn't look like an antique made by a famous artist, and wondered why it deserved to be displayed in such a room.

The content of the painting also lacks depth and philosophical thought.

A young woman whose back is visible... Of course, from her profile halfway down the road, one can see that this woman is beautiful and otherworldly.

She wore a linen robe that might have been fashionable among commoners hundreds of years ago, with her jade-like skin exposed. She walked along the ridges of a field surrounded by golden wheat fields under a clear blue sky.

Ares gazed at the young woman on the drawing paper, gradually discerning a certain charm within it.

Across the vast expanse of time, he seemed to sense the helplessness and bewilderment of the woman who walked along the bright Danube River, her black hair lifted by the breeze.

He reached out his hand without realizing it.

"Oh, child, you'd better not touch that painting."

Suddenly, a hoarse voice tinged with laughter startled Ares: "That's Flamel's favorite."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Madam."

Ares abruptly withdrew his hand. He calmed his racing heart in a brief silence, offering Madame Lemaître an apologetic smile. "You were so beautiful when you were young... Ah, of course, even now, the wisdom and charm you've acquired with age remain captivating."

Madame Lemaître laughed. "What a good child... but that's not me in the painting."

"Uh, cough cough—"

Ares pursed his lips, looking somewhat embarrassed... Could this be one of Nicolas Flamel's dozens of divorces...?

"I suspect she was one of Lemaître's lovers."

Madame Lemaître said with a smile and frankly, "But this painting wasn't painted by Lemaître. It was probably at... oh, I can't remember the exact time, so don't be hard on me, child... Lemaître and I acquired it at a Muggle auction in Paris. Lemaître paid a high price for it... I don't understand it at all... The Muggle who sold it to him didn't understand why Lemaître was willing to pay such a price either... but after he bought it, he wouldn't let me touch it."

How so?

In Ares's view, the relationship between the elderly Lemaîtres and Lemaîtres was... quite peculiar, completely unlike that of ordinary Muggle couples or wizard couples.

At least, Ares couldn't imagine that one day he would have a lover, and the two of them would divorce and marry dozens of times, each having children outside of marriage... and still be able to live together for hundreds of years... Just hearing about it made him feel very abstract!

"Well, didn't you bother to ask Mr. Lemaître later?"

Ares meant no harm; he was simply curious. "Ask him why he likes...this painting so much?"

"Why would I do something so foolish, child?"

Madame Lemaître seemed amused; her laughter sounded like a hoarse gasp. "You're still too young, child. In...maybe forty years from now, you might understand that the most important secret to a good marriage is not to try to uncover all the secrets in your partner's heart..."

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