Deep within the Forbidden Forest.
The full moon's glow illuminated the ground.
Not long after Lucien and the Qilin apparated, a sudden intuition made Lucien turn his head toward a particular direction.
He activated his Eye of Peering Magic, causing a black vortex to appear in each pupil.
Mm, he could just barely catch sight of a Unicorn.
However, the Unicorn's speed was still too fast; even with the Eye of Peering Magic enhancing his dynamic vision, he could only see its afterimage as it ran.
Still, this was already an improvement. Before, he couldn't see its movements at all—back then, the Unicorn truly came and went like the wind.
When the pair of Unicorns, Asterion and Seleneia, finally stopped before him, Lucien nodded lightly and drew a small crystal vial from his robes.
After twisting open the cap, he extracted a drop of Qilin saliva and guided it into Seleneia's mouth with his wand.
During this process, Lucien pondered another matter—intuition.
The core content of the book Inspiration and Divination, which Malfoy had given him, was a mind arts meditation method.
First, one would use the spells described in the book to create an interference-free environment, then consume a specific Potion, maintaining a state of calm and tranquility for over an hour.
According to the book's description, this meditation method could enhance intuition, granting the wizard a kind of special inspiration.
For instance, just now, his intuition had told him the direction from which Seleneia and the others would appear.
And indeed, the two Unicorns had stopped at that exact spot.
However, Lucien hadn't practiced this meditation method for long, so while he could sense the feedback, it wasn't particularly strong.
Mm, this kind of intuition—or inspiration—could later be applied to divination.
But it also seemed to be very helpful in the process of study and research.
It couldn't change his magical talent, but it could help him maintain a better state of mind for thinking.
When solving problems or practicing magic, he would find it easier to come up with good ideas and discover better methods.
"Whinny—" Seleneia let out a few soft calls, drawing Lucien's attention.
"What's wrong?"
"Master, Seleneia says that in another forty to sixty cycles of day and night, her child will be born," Lumen translated.
Hearing this, Lucien understood.
That meant about one and a half to two months, which was roughly correct.
Mm, but that time frame seemed to coincide with when Tom would need his blood supply.
He should still warn these two Unicorns.
"Lumen, tell them not to leave the depths of the Forbidden Forest before giving birth."
"And when it's time, come find me. I'll move them to a safe place."
Lucien gave the reminder because Lord Voldemort would later force Quirrell to hunt Unicorns and use their blood to prolong his life.
He had actually considered placing Seleneia and the others directly into the gourd space until the danger passed, but it seemed that Unicorns, by nature, disliked confinement and preferred to roam freely.
Since even the Qilin's persuasion hadn't worked, Lucien chose not to force them.
He activated his Eye of Peering Magic and observed the Unicorns' magic circuits.
It had to be said—the magic circuits of magical creatures were completely different from those of wizards.
If a wizard's magic circuit resembled a great tree, then a Unicorn's was more like a closed loop, with its beginning and end connected.
Magic flowed continuously within it, while a wizard's magic only circulated when casting spells—the two were entirely distinct.
At the same time, Lucien noticed a small circular circuit within Seleneia's abdomen, expanding and contracting.
Mm, this must be the Unicorn fetus developing inside.
For magical creatures, are magic circuits innate?
He wondered whether human wizards were the same, or if their circuits only appeared after experiencing a magical outburst—when they first awakened their magic.
Lucien also recalled the Acromantula and Mooncalf he had observed before, both of which he kept as pets.
Their magic circuits were equally varied and peculiar.
No wonder some of a wizard's spells became somewhat weakened when cast on magical creatures.
And Transfiguration was even harder to use on them—the differences in magic circuits were simply too great!
To develop Transfiguration for magical creatures, the issue of magic circuits would have to be resolved first. One would need to construct circuits that were truly functional…
Suddenly, as Lucien pondered this, a long horn waved in front of him.
"Master, Asterion says he has something he wants to give you," Little Qilin's voice echoed directly in Lucien's mind.
"He wants us to go with him."
With Lumen carrying him, he followed the two Unicorns.
They arrived at a cave formed by intertwined trees, its entrance covered with vegetation.
Lucien glanced at it, guessing this was the Unicorns' lair.
Asterion and Seleneia entered the lair together.
Before long, they emerged again—each carrying something in their mouths.
Asterion held a lock of hair, while Seleneia carried a long, spiraled horn.
"Master, these are what they wish to give you," Lumen relayed.
Lucien looked at the two items and immediately recognized them—Unicorn tail hair and a Unicorn horn.
"Master, they said they want to thank you for the… uh, treasure you gave them."
Halfway through speaking, Little Qilin sounded a little awkward.
The "treasure" Asterion and Seleneia mentioned was, after all, its own saliva.
But Little Qilin still dutifully translated, "They said it made their child grow stronger, and he will surely become a healthy and beautiful Unicorn in the future."
Lucien nodded slightly, not surprised by their words.
Unicorns possessed high intelligence; if not for the language barrier, they could easily communicate with humans.
He reached out and took the Unicorn tail hair and the Unicorn horn.
Both shimmered faintly, speckled with starlight-like radiance.
These were fine items indeed.
They could be used in Potions and Alchemy—both extremely rare and precious materials.
Moreover, Unicorn tail hair was one of the most common and respected wand cores, proving its authority and value.
Lucien carefully placed them into his pocket.
Whether he kept them for himself or used them for trade, they were both excellent choices.
"Oh, Master," Lumen added quickly, "Asterion specifically told me these were shed from his own body—because he didn't want to give away his mate's."
Hearing Lumen's translation, Lucien couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
This Unicorn was quite something.
Watching Asterion affectionately nuzzle Seleneia's cheek again—for what felt like the umpteenth time that night—Lucien shook his head. He was certainly devoted to his wife.
After bidding farewell to the two Unicorns, Lucien and Lumen apparated away.
They arrived at a wide clearing.
Coincidentally, a group of Mooncalves were basking in the moonlight, performing their strange yet graceful dance.
Lucien chuckled and took out a white gourd.
Several Mooncalves hopped out from the gourd's mouth one after another.
Faced with the sudden appearance of their kind, the original group of Mooncalves curiously observed them.
Within seconds, the two groups began dancing together under the moonlight.
This was the Mooncalves' way of socializing—no matter what, they danced first!
Looking up at the perfectly round full moon, Lucien took out a single Mandrake leaf and placed it in his mouth.
"Let's begin—the first step of becoming an Animagus."
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