"That's right." Claire scooped a spoonful of soup to taste, nodding with satisfaction, "But first, you must use specific magic flames, add the right spices, and combine them with the appropriate spell..."
This statement left Ian somewhat stunned.
He realized.
Perhaps this was some kind of magic ceremony? The earliest version of ritual magic? Ian looked at Dumbledore, who didn't seem surprised, as if he had already deciphered this fact.
Seeing Ian's ever-changing expressions, Claire suddenly squinted her eyes.
"What? Do you want to learn?"
The female Titan seemed eager to try.
Fox poked its head out from Dumbledore's robe, letting out a frightened "caw"—it was intelligent enough to count the few phoenixes at Hogwarts that Ian could practice with.
"No!" Ian quickly waved his hand, "I'm just curious..."
Claire shrugged and continued focusing on her cooking.
At that moment.
Dumbledore walked to the window.
Standing in front of the window, Dumbledore gazed through the glass into the wondrous starry sky outside. He squinted slightly, seemingly observing something or perhaps pondering some deep question.
A moment later.
He slowly turned around to look at Ian sitting on the bed, still wearing his iconic gentle smile.
"Since you're alright now," he said in a light and pleasant tone, speaking softly to Ian, "then I shall go and collect what this Titan talked about."
Ian was taken aback: "You're going to help her collect something?"
Dumbledore smiled lightly, speaking as casually as discussing tomorrow's class schedule: "To ask for help, you must first offer something in return, mustn't you?"
No sooner had he finished speaking.
"Pop—!"
A soft yet decisive cracking sound echoed in the air, and Dumbledore's figure vanished instantly, leaving only a faint magical ripple lingering in the room.
His figure abruptly distorted.
The spatial ripple of Apparition left a slight ripple in the air.
His departure was quite abrupt.
Who knows if it was due to Fox's anxiety.
"No, my headmaster... he just left?" Ian muttered to himself, his gaze shifting to Claire, who was leisurely stirring the soup pot while sitting on the chair.
"What is he going to do? What is he helping you collect?"
Ian couldn't help but ask.
Claire didn't answer immediately; instead, she scooped up a ladle of steaming soup, blew on it gently, and nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, the timing is just right."
"Hey."
Ian frowned.
"Don't pretend you didn't hear."
He could see through the female Titan's poor acting skills.
"Oh, you're talking about Dumbledore?"
Claire finally looked up, speaking nonchalantly, "He's helping me collect some alchemy materials."
She stirred the soup.
Red steam formed a small vortex before her. Were it not for the fact that the female Titan was quite good-looking, one might think she was brewing poison like an old witch.
Good-looking people have this sort of privilege; even if they're brewing poison, it looks like they're making a tasty chicken soup. As someone who looked good, Ian could relate to this deeply.
"Alchemy materials?"
Ian raised an eyebrow, curious about the deal the female Titan and Dumbledore struck during his time in the Misty Illusion Realm. He believed there must be some reason behind it.
"What sort of alchemy materials?"
Ian's questioning seemed somewhat aggressive.
However.
The female Titan Claire didn't seem to care much about this.
"Alchemy materials that can make people grow taller."
Claire blinked, her tone light, leaving Ian somewhat bewildered.
"A potion that can make people grow taller?"
Ian's expression turned peculiar. He looked up and down at Claire—the three-meter-tall female Titan, her height nearly touching the ceiling, perhaps a height unattainable for humans.
However.
This height was indeed nothing in the Titan tribe.
"Is... are you trying to grow taller?"
He couldn't help but ask.
This was definitely the most reasonable speculation.
However.
"Who wants to grow taller!"
Claire's face changed slightly, and her voice rose half a tone.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
The spoon in Claire's hand clanged against the pot's edge.
"I am very satisfied with my height!" she glared at Ian with embarrassment and annoyance, her silvery hair moving without wind, "Those materials can be used for other things too!"
"Then why are you collecting them?"
Ian became even more puzzled.
He thought the female Titan might be trying to cover it up.
To be honest.
People who are not tall indeed try various ways to grow taller. Ian himself had once been a person of shorter stature, so he understood this mindset very well.
However.
This time, he might have miscalculated.
"Of course, there are other uses."
Claire waved her hand, her tone returning to calm, "Like enhancing physical strength, boosting spiritual power, delaying aging... and incidentally strengthening the Phoenix's rebirth ability."
"And in many other areas, like invigorating dead flesh, flesh growth activators, these are the core of the height-growing potion." She seemed very knowledgeable in potion-making.
This made sense. As an immortal prophet, Claire not only pondered potions herself but could also peek at future potions, gathering the wisdom of countless people.
With such life and abilities.
And part of the Creator's authority.
It would indeed be surprising to say that Claire, who liked peering into the future, was unfamiliar with potions.
"Wait,"
Ian suddenly realized something.
"Did you just say 'incidentally'? Are you planning to use these materials for some experiment?"