Chapter 8: The Professor Lays a Hand Upon My Brow, Bestowing Eternal Life (Just Kidding)

Aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and supercomputers are all embodiments of the pinnacle of modern human science. However, if an outsider from another planet sought a comprehensive understanding of human civilization’s level of development, they would not look to these alone for answers.

Whether humans are aware of cells, atoms, the extent of their mathematical progress, their observational tools for the microscopic and quantum worlds, their understanding of the universe’s origin, or the proportion of the universe’s total mass that they can observe and utilize—these are the true measures of a civilization’s technological advancement.

The progress of fundamental science determines humanity’s grasp of the world, and in turn, this understanding propels technological progress within civilization.

Similarly, how deeply a wizard comprehends the source of their power—‘magic’—their worldview, and the limits of the forces they can wield, are the matters that truly piqued Roger’s curiosity.

Yet, whether it was the "Standard Spells, Beginner" or the "Guide to Elementary Transfiguration," what these texts detailed was merely the technique of casting spells. More profound insights were either barely touched upon or completely absent.

It was akin to a first-grade language textbook, which contained only basic phonetics and a few simple characters, at most hinting at their general meanings—without explaining the origins of writing, the evolution across generations, or the distinctions and merits of cuneiform, pictographs, phonetic, and ideographic scripts.

The contents of a first-grade spellbook could hardly be called a ‘Way’ or even a ‘Skill’; they were simply the techniques of incantation.

Of course, ordinary first-year Hogwarts students would complain bitterly even about this surface-level knowledge, let alone something more profound.

The truly gifted would seek out stronger spells themselves in the school library, sometimes even previewing second- and third-year material while still in their first year.

But Roger was different.

His goal was to become an immortal.

Not merely a technician skilled in a handful of spells or a combat wizard.

He did not want to stumble blindly through spellcasting.

He wanted, from the very beginning, to establish a complete conceptual framework of magic for himself.

This was the foundation of the great path; a slight misstep could lead to grave errors. Although remedies might exist later, the time and energy consumed, and the precious resources wasted on detours, would be unimaginable.

Much like in "Hunter x Hunter," where the protagonist Gon, trained by the Nen master Wing, and those who learned Nen through less orthodox means in the Sky Arena, were worlds apart. Without understanding the essence of Nen, some might train harder only to deviate further, ultimately realizing only thirty percent of their potential despite full effort.

Roger wanted to achieve longevity and eternal vision before his natural lifespan ended, and thus, he aimed to eliminate such interference as swiftly and thoroughly as possible.

Every day of life was precious. With some time before school started, Roger was determined not to waste it.

Roger disliked lies and candidly shared his thoughts with Professor McGonagall.

"So that’s how it is," she mused, her preconceived notions of the young seer deepening further.

This little prophet must have foreseen something with his precognitive abilities!

Magic was a profound discipline, and for various reasons, magical knowledge was riddled with technical black boxes and even contradictions.

Constructing one’s own magical framework was typically the pursuit of scholars who had studied a vast amount of magical knowledge.

Such a question should never come from a young wizard who had not yet been exposed to magic.

“You don’t need to look here,” Professor McGonagall said. “If you’re interested in these topics, I have some books at home that I think are well-written. I’ll send them to you in a little while.”

She did not think Roger was being overly ambitious.

Hogwarts’ house system and its various clubs, like the Transfiguration Club led by professors, demonstrated that Hogwarts valued tailored education.

Here, both joyful learning and elite education coexisted.

Wizards without particular talent would study only classroom material and graduate to work at wizarding enterprises such as the Magical Confectionery Factory or the Magical Creature Breeding Grounds.

Talented wizards would pursue knowledge beyond the curriculum, join clubs for extra lessons, and gain exposure to cutting-edge magic.

In Professor McGonagall’s view, since Roger could ask such questions, he was qualified to read those books.

Yet she had no intention of personally mentoring him.

As mentioned, magical knowledge contained technical black boxes and contradictions. Each researcher’s magical framework was unique, and no one dared claim their worldview was absolutely correct.

McGonagall had never taught a seer before, but she believed that a seer who could see the future and valued their life would not blindly walk into traps.

Knowing the future, his path was likely more ‘correct’ than her own.

Her role was simply to be his support and backing.

Hearing that Professor McGonagall was willing to share her ‘recommended reading list,’ Roger naturally complied, no longer wandering aimlessly in the bookstore.

With the textbooks loaded into a cart filled with various odds and ends like owl cages and cauldrons, the two headed back toward the Leaky Cauldron.

As the head of Gryffindor House and a professor of Transfiguration, McGonagall was usually quite busy, and the months before school started were especially hectic.

There were many children like Roger, whose parents were not wizards and who required guidance, so she could not spend every day with him.

After completing the shopping with Roger, Minerva McGonagall promptly resumed her other duties.

Fortunately, she did not forget her promise to Roger.

A few days later, several somewhat overburdened owls arrived at Roger’s window ledge, each clutching stacks of books.

Unwrapping the brown paper covers, dozens of books lay before Roger!

"The Evolution of Spells: The Interference of Muggle Thought and Spell Creation," written by a modern American wizard—Roger had no memory of this author from his movie recollections.

"Magic: A Portrait of the Mind’s Power," authored by Abe, dating to around the year 1000 during Japan’s Heian period.

"Zen and Magic: A Comparative Study of Spellcasting between Enlightened and Ordinary Wizards," penned by a monk from ancient India.

"The Study of Faith and Magic, Volume Five: Do Magical Creatures Receiving Devotional Worship Gain Greater Intelligence?" from China, though the author remained anonymous.

"The Connection Between Soul and Brain," from the British Ministry of Magic’s Department of Mysteries.

Beyond these, there were titles such as "Is Extreme Emotional Spellcasting a Mistaken Path?," "Ritual Magic Is Far More Than Blood Sacrifice," "Where Does the Great Path Begin?," "The Hypothesis of the Origin of Mind," "Is Magic Energy or a Universal Law?," "Dreams, the Subconscious, and Magic," "The Self, the Id, and the Superego: Which Is the Core of Spellcasting?," "The Ultimate Wizard’s Brain in a Vat," and "Bloodline Magic and Transfiguration—Speculations on the Future Era."

Among these towering piles of books, few addressed specific spells; they were primarily theoretical treatises.

In broad terms, the creation dates of these works spanned from the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors all the way to 1990, with authors hailing from all corners of the globe. Some theories had been somewhat validated, but most remained conjectures, filled with data yet lacking definitive conclusions.

Skimming through, Roger noticed some books held opposing, even contradictory viewpoints.

Looking at the stacks that nearly filled his room, only one thought crossed Roger’s mind:

“Has Professor McGonagall overestimated me a bit?”

“Will I be able to finish all of this before school starts?”