Chapter 199: Ancient and Modern
Hermione seemed to recall something, "Professor, was it this magical script you used inst year''s public ss?"
"No, in the public ss, I demonstrated genuine ancient magic. It just had this magical script at its core," Felix Harp exined.
He nced at the time and gently added, "We''re almost done for today. As for delving into the power of individual magical scripts, I''ve scheduled that part for tomorrow. You can try it on your own after you return. There''s no danger, though it might pose some challenges."
"Challenges?"
Felix Harp''s lips curled into a slight smile, "If I remember correctly, the effect of one magical script I taught you is quite intriguing. I wonder if you can discover it?"
Hermione felt a hint of resentment. The professor''s mischievous streak was showing again...
By this point, Hermione had a grasp of the logic behind the practical ancient magical script system—akin to the dismantled radios she had worked on.
Magical scripts formed the foundation, equivalent to the electronicponents within a radio; both single magical scripts and electronic parts were rtively independent, capable of showcasing their own characteristics. For instance, the heat generated by a resistor, the light emitted by a small bulb, and the illuminating magical script the professor had disyed.
These characteristics inherently held no concept of superiority or inferiority, but once subjective judgment entered the picture, distinctions arose. Luminescent characteristics were undeniably more valuable than heating characteristics...
And magical script circuits corresponded to the circuits within a radio. By now, magical scripts werebined to form circuits, possessing specific magical functions. Like the burst magical script circuit the professor had demonstrated early on.
She still remembered his description of it as "extremely unstable," indicating that even single magical script circuits were challenging to stabilize.
Only when multiple magical script circuits coborated could a fully functional magical script creation be crafted, much like her beadwork bag.
As for ancient magic, her exposure to information was limited, but she tentatively believed it followed a simr rtionship.
Hermione thought that drawing this analogy made understanding easier. She shared her thoughts with the professor, looking at him with an expectant gaze, "What do you think?"
Felix Harp returned an approving look, "You''ve summarized it vividly, Miss Granger. For your current level, this interpretation suits well."
The young witch nodded; she had encountered a wealth of new knowledge today and needed to reorganize her thoughts once she returned.
...
Once Hermione had left, Felix Harp sat on the couch, his harvest from tonight leading him to deeper contemtion on the differences and simrities between ancient and simplified magic.
His prior assumption was that ancient magic was immensely powerful but difficult to control, while simplified magic, although not overwhelmingly potent, was entirely adequate. Its greatest advantagey in its simplicity and ease of learning, with a lower probability of going awry.
Yet, in truth, the recement of ancient magic with simplified magic was almost inevitable—
Simplified magic could essentially be seen as an amalgamation of incantations + spellcasting motions + maniption of magical power.
''Incantations'' represented the power of the mind and could be omitted once proficiency was achieved, leading to nonverbal spellcasting;
As for thetter two—''spellcasting motions'' and ''maniption of magical power''—in most cases, they could be conted.
This was because, in the system of simplified magic, spellcasting motions and maniption of magical power were intricately linked. Each spellcasting motion corresponded to a method of manipting magical power, which was the essence of the entire simplified magic system.
This approach brought about remarkable benefits:
Wizards need not invest extensive time in learning how to manipte and harness their magical power; this knowledge was naturally integrated into the Hogwarts curriculum.
In theory, once you learned the standard spellcasting motions, you were eligible to master most spells within the same system.
The reason not all spells are included is that some obscure spellcasting motions have been omitted from the current Hogwarts curriculum. This means young wizards cannot master the magical power maniption behind these motions.
However, if a professor wishes to provide extra instruction, they could spend more time on new spellcasting motions while exining spells. Young wizards might find these spells slightly more challenging, but they would still manage.
It''s precisely because spellcasting motions and magical power maniption are closely intertwined that many young wizards are only familiar with the former, while thetter remains elusive. However, this doesn''t hinder their use of magic in the slightest.
An extreme example would be: some exceptionally talented wizards can grasp corresponding spells by observing them just once, memorizing both the incantation and the motion.
Moreover, when one bes sufficiently familiar with an incantation, the need for the corresponding spellcasting motion can be eliminated. Everything seems to revert back to the maniption of magical power itself.
However, the majority of wizards never trulyprehend this process.
If unsatisfied with the school''s curriculum, the Hogwarts library holds a wealth of resources for young wizards to reference and delve deeper into learning, provided they choose the right books.
All of the aforementioned considerations are indeed advantages of simplified magic—easy to learn, self-contained, and with potential for further improvement.
This is far superior to ancient magic.
Remember, ancient wizardscked standardized spellcasting motions. Learning an ancient spell meant embarking on an adventure, so they naturally leaned towards mastering magic of a simr type to reduce the risk of learning new spells.
Furthermore, the ancient wizardry''s apprentice-master tradition,bined with theck of modernmunication, led to severe specialization. Many wizards only mastered a few fire spells in their entire lifetime.
Felix Harp''s spection indicated that only when he grasped the characteristics of numerous practical ancient magical scripts and theirbinations could he truly harness the might of ancient magic.
Even a few fire spells, in his hands, could ignite an inferno.
However, simplified magic isn''t without its drawbacks—
This approach resulted in an inevitable consequence: for present-day wizards, the older the magic, the harder it is to master.
This is because some ancient magic inherited the ancient wizards'' understanding of magic, an understanding that shes with the current magical system.
For instance, the Patronus Charm focuses more on the application of mental strength.
Furthermore, its method of magical power maniption isn''t epassed by the basic spellcasting motions taught at Hogwarts. This implies that one would have to relearn several, even a dozen, methods of manipting and harnessing magical power, which stumps over ny percent of wizards.
Felix Harp realized this early on and sought to break free from the constraints of simplified magic.
He started by delving into books in the library to learn more about manipting and harnessing magical power.
He even attempted to uncover potent spells from various ancient tomes, mastering and controlling them.
In truth, this was the path many wizards chose—pursuing powerful magic to enhance their mastery of magical power and understanding of magic.
Later, Felix Harp set his sights on practical ancient magical scripts, which he believed pointed directly to the essence of magic, and developed his skills to where he is today.
But now, looking at it, are magical scripts truly the essence of magic?
In just a year, he had witnessed Slytherin''s blood magic, Ravenw''s memory magic, and Dumbledore''stent talent in transfiguration.
Everyone was on the right path, though Felix Harp had no doubt that his chosen path held the greatest potential.
If he were to judge now, the essence of magic was one and only one thing—magical power, the innate magic within a wizard.
With magical power, the diverse and colorful world of magic flourished.
This chapter tied up some loose ends from the original text, though the writing was quiteplex. I''d like to hear your thoughts. If you''re not fond of this pure theoretical exposition, I''ll reduce it in the future.
Also, just two chapters today.
Unlock exclusive early ess to more than 100 chapters before anyone else by bing a valued member of my <b>Patreon</b>munity.
As a cherished member of our <b>Patreon</b>munity, here is what you''ll get:
<b>For just $5, you''ll receive:</b><ul><li>Early ess to 100s of chapters before they go public. (check all the novels I''m tranting from <b>HERE</b>, all the novels have 100s of exclusive early ess chapters and some areplete.)</li><li>Your name prominently featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".</li><li>The power to vote on which novel I should trante next.</li></ul>
<b>If you decide to pledge $10, you''ll get all the perks from the $5 tier, plus:</b><ul><li>You get to suggest a Novel (Chinese or Korean) for me to trante, It may take some time for me to do it but it will be done as soon as possible.</li><li>Your name prominently featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).</li></ul>
<b>And if you''re feeling generous with a $20 pledge, you''ll unlock all the perks from the $5 tier and $10 tier, plus:</b><ul><li>You get to rmend a Novel (Chinese or Korean) and I will immediately start tranting it.</li><li>You get to rmend an abandoned Novel (Chinese or Korean) and I will immediately start tranting it.</li><li>Your name featured at the top of the "Wall of Gratitude".</li></ul>
Don''t let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!