Chapter 209 - 209. MAGIC!
Magnus turned to the old man. "What happened?"
Mountbatten directly addressed him, "Your Highness, I suggest that I take this letter. This matter is not small and there might be a need to negotiate with the King. And from what you described, the king knows about your other achievements and identity. So sending a normal diplomat who does not know about the magical world won\'t be helpful.
"What if Kind Faisal asked something related to magic? What if the king wants to talk to you more on the topic?"
This was a very good point and Magnus appreciated it. This old man here volunteered to go to the scorching hot middle-east right now.
"Weren\'t you retired?" Magnus wondered.
"I was, but then I learned about you. Forgive me for the impudence, Ma\'am," He said to the queen and turned back to Magnus.
"I was born in the year 1900. I have seen the world drastically change. I have seen two world wars and participated in both. Then many more small wars. During all that time, the royal family didn\'t do much. We just sat and looked at the world.
"After the war, we were so slow and sloppy in the post-war reconstruction that now, Japan, which was in a worse condition than us, has a higher GDP. Our sits at 192 and their\'s sit at 432 Billion. Even if we take into account their population that is double that of us, they are still far ahead.
"But how I saw your rise, your vision in terms of what the future holds and how to make money is exceptional. I know you will use it to strengthen this country, and I want to be a part of this history in the making." Lord Mountbatten said all this with a straight face but a confident voice.
[A/N: Lord Mountbatten looks like Charles Dance(Tywin Lannister from the Game of Thrones.). He played the role of Lord Mountbatten in \'The Crown\' series.]
Magnus felt so delighted. ~Arthur was right. If I make people believe I am strong and worthy, strong and wise people will flock to me to join me.~
He nodded, "I believe you have already left a mark on the history, Lord Mountbatten. But, I am not a fool to not welcome a well-learned and experienced person like you into my plans."
Magnus looked at Ragnar and asked him mentally, ~Did you bring your pouch?~
~Yeah, why?~ Ragnar asked back.
Magnus responded, ~Give me a rejuvenation potion. If I want him to be truly useful in the long run, I need him healthy and alive. He\'s already in his 70s. Can\'t have him die so soon now.~
Ragnar without replying took out a small vial from his pocket. It contained some shining blue liquid.
With a smile, Magnus raised it to Lord Mountbatten. "You are very old and have a frail body now. So, congratulations"
With a confused face, he took the vial and asked, "Congratulation? For what?"
"You\'re going to live beyond 100. This is a rejuvenation potion, nowhere can it be found in the world as it\'s our own invention. I only give it to those I consider valuable. And since you are old, I am going to need you in better shape if you truly want to see the country move forward with great strides." Magnus said proudly.
Many in the room felt jealous of this boon. The queen too felt it and knew why she didn\'t get it. The actions of her daughter had set some cracks in her relationship with Magnus again.
Lord Mountbatten was no monk to refuse such a gift. He drank it in one go and felt warmth spread throughout his body. He felt a few years younger already.
Magnus got up, "I will go now, gotta meet a very old wizard now. Call me if you need to ask anything."
He silently left the room and headed to his personal room in the palace. After he was gone, everyone started asking Mountbatten how he felt. But the old man kept a solemn attitude and just replied, "Rather good. I shall take my leave now."
...
Magnus and Ragnar called George to transport them to Ottery St Catchpole village in Devon county. The village had both a Muggle and a magical community. It was the home of the Weasley, Lovegood, Fawcett, and Diggory families. Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel made their home here as well since the place was very peaceful all year round.
George just left them in an empty farm field that had been harvested. From there they walked to the only house in their sight while talking with each other.
"Do you trust that old man?" Ragnar asked.
Magnus shook his head, "I don\'t trust most people so easily, let alone a strong political man like him. I gave him the potion by implying that it was all he needed to live long. Now, he believes he can live long, and he will either work very hard or become sloppy, proving he just came to me for benefits.
"He will die later, a few years older than he should have been, not knowing it takes hundreds of potions to really attain longevity. Ah, how much have mum and dad consumed?"
Ragnar shrugged, "I don\'t know. I reckon the more the better. I don\'t want them to ever die."
Magnus totally agreed, "Yeah, I wish that too."
They were just a few hundred metres away from the house now. The house was big but didn\'t show any magical features.
"Mag, I had an idea," Ragnar said.
Magnus turned to him, "What?"
"I was wondering, can I also create an automated potion factory like that car factory? If we can use programmed robot arms, that will precisely move the spoon with the right intensity and the right direction at the right time, we can have very consistent potions in an amount unimaginable." Ragnar planned.
Magnus stopped in his tracks and took out a notebook, "Let\'s do it. I can smell a lot of gold from this plan. If we are successful, your company can become world-famous in an instant."
"Yeah, but I wonder how we can build all this without breaking the statute of secrecy?" Ragnar wondered.
Magnus also thought for a few seconds and immediately had an idea. He grinned, "HEHE... we don\'t need to do anything, Rag. Did you forget the room of requirements? As long as we provide real materials, we can build a real factory in there."
Ragnar\'s face became excited, "I can\'t wait to go back to school now."
"Well, let\'s meet the old legend Nicolas Flamel first." Magnus continued on.
"Ah, look, the doorbell is here." Magnus went to the gate and pressed it without thinking much.
*BAM*
The ground vanished from under their feet and both of them fell into the dark hole. There was no end to it as they screamed and slid in it.
"AAAAAA..."
"THAT OLD MAN!"
...
Inside the house,
The old, 660 years old, Perenelle Flamel, wife of Nicolas Flamel was setting up the breakfast table. She was humming some songs and working happily. It was rare for people to visit their home, even fewer kids.
She longed to have her own child. But, she and her husband made some stupid decisions when they were young.
"Dear, it\'s nearly 10 in the morning, when will they come? The breakfast will turn cold." She asked her loving husband. Sometimes, she even felt shocked that it\'s been more than 600 years and they still loved each other so much.
Nicolas was sitting at the table and reading a muggle newspaper. He liked reading news about Magnus nowadays since he was almost every day in it. He also liked reading about the muggle advancements. This always kept his ego stuck to the ground, as he understands the muggles are developing way faster than wizards.
"He sent a letter that he needs to drop by the palace. He should be here any minute now. *Koo-Ooo-Koo*
The clock on the wall suddenly started making bird sounds. It was not an alarm, but instead a signal for the upcoming guests.
"They are here, my love. Have a seat now." He said to his wife.
...
"AAAA..."
"RAG! I SEE A LIGHT!" Magnus shouted.
"I HOPE THERE\'S NO FLOOR!" Ragnar said.
Magnus had his wand ready in case he needed to cast a spell.
2 metre.
1 meter.
Magnus was prepared to come out. The white light was blinding him though. "AAAAAaaaaa..."
*THUD*
~Hmm? Soft?~ Magnus and Ragnar felt something soft under their butts but their faces were still panicking and they were screaming.
\(º □ º ")/ ヾ(>□<)シ
"Close your mouths or a fly might get in."
"HMM?" Magnus and Ragnar both looked at their surroundings clearly. There sat an old frail man and a woman. They looked so... zombie-ish.
"I\'M ALIVE!" Ragnar cheered.
Perenelle Flamel chuckled, "Congratulations, dear. Forgive Nicolas, he likes to play pranks sometimes."
"Huh, it was just a 10-foot tunnel anyway. At most, their hip-bones would have broken." Nicolas said in his hoarse old voice.
"HEY! you\'re the old one, why do I have to worry about my hip." Ragnar disputed.
But Magnus was stuck on something else, "10 feet? We felt it was many metres long. How did you do that?"
Nicolas\' response made Magnus realise how others felt when he did the same.
The old man coughed and slowly widened his arms as if presenting a grand revelation, "MAGIC..."
[You can see Lord Mountbatten, Clock and Nicolas Flamel on my Discord - https://discord.gg/DgHkrAn OR see them on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mister_immortal_novel]
GORILLA WANTS STONE!
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