Then, he adjusted the settings on the control panel, selecting a Protective Amulet as the test product. With the push of a button, the Arcana shaper whirred to life. The raw brass was fed into the pressing chamber, where metal rollers compressed it into thin, uniform sheets.
The drill bit spun rapidly, cutting out a round copper piece slightly larger than a coin from the metal plate. It clamped the piece tightly before transferring it to the grinding machine beside it. The machine hummed to life, polishing the surface of the copper disc.
Once both sides had been smoothed, the polished disc was guided by magic toward a precision micro-carving knife. The tiny blade, following a preset template, began engraving runes along the surface. This step took the longest. The carving knife didn’t just etch magical lines into the metal, it also infused magic into the engravings at a steady, controlled rate.
However, as Alex watched, he noticed a problem. The Arcana shaper produced slight vibrations while running, and since the carving knife was attached to the Arcana shaper, those vibrations transferred to it as well. This instability caused imperfections, small gaps in the inscribed runes.
After a long wait, the engraving was finally complete. The copper disc was then sent back to the grinding machine for final polishing. When it emerged, it was a gleaming, rune-etched talisman, slightly larger and thicker than a standard coin. Alex removed the finished piece and inspected it closely. As expected, the rune lines on the protective amulet were thicker than they should have been, and some lines varied in width. “I don’t know if this will still work properly, but I can definitely feel the magic in it.”
Deciding to test it, Alex carried the amulet to the testing range and secured it to a humanoid target in the distance. "Stupefy!" He cast a Stunning Spell at the amulet. As the spell shot forward, the metal disc reacted immediately, generating a circular shield that intercepted the attack.
The shield held for a moment before shattering. “The stress rune worked, the Shield Charm was activated, but the spell’s power was significantly weakened,” Alex mused. He frowned, thinking back to the issue. “I wonder if the Ripple-Repelling Charm could counteract the vibrations. If not, I’ll have to separate the micro-engraving knife from the Arcana shaper entirely. Otherwise, the precision will never improve.” Another issue nagged at him, production speed. “It took ten minutes just to make this one talisman. That means only three can be made per hour, or seventy-two in a full day.” He shook his head. “That’s not very efficient. And this was just a simple protective amulet. More complex enchantments will take even longer.”
The rune engraving process was the biggest bottleneck. If he wanted to improve production, he needed to upgrade the carving tool. “But to make a high-precision micro-engraving knife, I’d need to use Ulim steel… That stuff is rare, and I still need it for other projects.” After some thought, he decided on a temporary solution. “For now, I’ll just make another Arcana shaper and improve production speed that way.”
The most important thing was ensuring the Arcana shaper could function properly while connected to the magic-powered circuit. Determined to improve the magic Arcana shaper, Alex focused all his efforts on refining its functionality. He inscribed Ripple-Repelling Charms onto the Arcana shaper to counteract vibrations and installed a pair of automated micro-engraving knives.
After multiple rounds of testing and fine-tuning, he finally achieved stable production. While the quality of the mass-produced talismans didn’t match his personal craftsmanship, they were still reliable. For example, the defensive amulets could now withstand stupfy Spells with a power level of up to 80 points. Considering that the average Stunning Spell cast by a wizard had a standard strength of 40 points, each talisman could block roughly two spells before breaking. That was a solid result.
Just as Alex finished his final round of testing, a knock echoed through the house. Moody and Arthur had arrived. “Haha! Kid, your place isn’t bad at all,” Moody said as he stepped inside, leaning on his walking stick. His magical eye swiveled around, scanning the room. “Took you long enough to invite me over. You’ve been living here for a while now, haven’t you?”
Alex chuckled. “Yeah, that’s on me. I’ve been so busy ever since I moved in. You and Arthur are actually my first guests.” He walked over to a nearby cabinet. “By the way, what do you want to drink? I’ve got some unopened bottles of red currant rum.” As he grabbed a bottle, he added, “They were left here by the previous owner, by the way. I don’t really drink.”
Moody scoffed. “No need to justify it to me. You’re over sixteen now, practically an adult in the wizarding world.”
Taking the offered glass, he sniffed the rum with satisfaction before glancing toward Arthur. “Come on, Arthur, sit down! We’ve got good drinks, and you’re standing there like a stiff old man.” Then his magical eye flicked to the side, locking onto someone unexpected. “Hold on. Why’d you bring a kid with you?”
"Alex is Ginny’s godfather. We haven’t seen each other in a year, so I thought I’d bring her along," Arthur said casually, tilting his head before turning to his daughter. "Ginny, let go. Stop holding onto the dog’s tail."
Although Alex had only invited Arthur and Moody, Arthur had decided to bring Ginny along. The moment she arrived, she locked her sights onto Fang. And so, Fang’s peaceful day was ruined.
The large, shaggy dog had been planning to take it easy, lounging on the windowsill in the living room, soaking up the warm sunlight. But just as he drifted off, he was rudely awakened by a familiar presence. The moment his eyes flickered open and landed on Ginny, his very soul trembled. Of all people, her. In his nightmares, he had dreamt of this little red-haired menace. And now, she was here in the flesh.
To make matters worse, Ginny remembered him too. Just like last year, she grabbed onto his tail the moment she saw him. "Let go, Ginny," Arthur crouched beside her, sighing helplessly. "You’re going to pull the poor dog’s tail off."
"No!" Ginny pouted, her tiny hands holding on even tighter. "I want the dog! The dog has to play with me!" Arthur sighed again, trying to pry her fingers off, but she was relentless.
Alex, watching the scene unfold, chuckled. "It’s fine, Arthur. Let her play with Fang for a while. He’s big, but he won’t bite."
Fang, meanwhile, looked at Alex with a betrayed expression, his ears drooping as if to say, ‘How could you do this to me?’