After learning about the Ministry of Magic's outrageous maneuver, Rhys was left speechless for quite a while.
Those people at the Ministry had actually told the Prime Minister about the existence of the magical world…
He immediately wrote a letter, asking Jamison to rein in Minister Bones and make sure she never did something so foolish again. At the same time, he attached his own proposal: it was time for the Ministry of Magic to station a few wizards inside the Muggle government.
If they wanted to take root within the civil service system and gain advance knowledge of Muggle policies, an acceptance letter from a top-tier university was indispensable.
Although civil servants did not require scientific expertise, the demands on humanities literacy were extremely high—at the very least, they needed to be proficient in using long and complex sentences. All of this required careful, long-term planning.
After finishing his reply to Jamison, Rhys shifted his focus back to his new invention.
The seeds had already been planted. What kind of flowers they would eventually bloom into would require time to reveal.
Speaking of seeds, after the holiday ended, Rhys took the compass grass Helga had given him and went to Professor Sprout.
He hoped that this professor, who was highly accomplished in Herbology, could try to revive the precious plant in his possession.
Well, he would first see whether modern wizards had any methods. If they did, there would be no need to trouble Helga.
As for Rhys, Professor Sprout did not have a particularly deep impression of him. In every class, he stayed tucked away in a corner of the classroom with classmates he was familiar with, never causing trouble or making a fuss.
He didn't rush to answer questions like Hermione Granger did, but when she called on him, he always gave the correct answer. And then there was the fact that his grades were excellent.
In Professor Sprout's view, that was probably because he was always with Daphne and had absorbed some of the positive influence of a top student.
More importantly, over the course of three years, Professor Sprout had never heard of Rhys Lint having any conflicts with students from Hufflepuff House. That alone was hardly like a Slytherin, and it also left him with a rather good impression in Professor Sprout's eyes.
However, the moment Rhys displayed his "collection" to Professor Sprout, her impression of this student became unforgettable.
"Compass grass?" Professor Sprout sprang up from her seat, practically wanting to pounce on it.
A plant believed to have gone extinct as early as the first century AD, one that the Romans had searched for extensively and found only a single specimen of, which was ultimately presented to Emperor Nero—now appearing right in front of her. The shock of it was beyond words.
As far back as ancient Rome, compass grass had been an extremely important ingredient in potions. There were dozens of potion recipes that used it as a main ingredient or an auxiliary one.
It could be used to treat coughs, hernias, lethargy, and it could even give beef and mutton a distinctive flavor. Combined with modern potion-making formulas, there was no telling how many sparks it might create.
The reappearance of this plant held enormous significance for both Herbology and Potions.
Professor Sprout carefully examined the specimen Rhys had brought. In the end, she confirmed that it perfectly matched the ancient Roman descriptions of compass grass.
"Where did you get this?" After confirming that the specimen in front of her really was compass grass, Professor Sprout asked eagerly.
Judging from the condition of the specimen, it still seemed to retain a trace of vitality, and its medicinal properties showed no signs of deterioration at all. This was definitely not an ancient Roman remnant, but something produced in more recent times.
So could it be that some compass grass had truly escaped the Romans' search and continued to propagate in some hidden corner all the way to the present day?
"Professor White gave it to me."
The moment she heard its source, Professor Sprout's heart sank by half.
Professor White? That antique from several hundred years ago? Sprout's hopes were instantly dashed. Only Merlin knew where Professor White had obtained that compass grass back then. With so much time having passed, the plant's origin was probably long lost.
"Professor, do you think there's still any hope of reviving this specimen?" Rhys asked with a trace of hope.
In a world with magic, nothing was truly impossible, such as restoring vitality to a withered specimen. Of course, Muggles could also achieve seemingly magical feats through the power of science.
Looking at the compass grass lying quietly in its box, Professor Sprout suddenly recalled an obscure formula that could indeed bring dead plants back to life, though it was extremely complicated and took a very long time.
She wasn't sure whether the Rhys before her had the patience for it.
"I do happen to have a recipe that works very well in situations like this." Professor Sprout did not hesitate and directly wrote down a plant resurrection formula on parchment, one she had acquired years ago during her travels abroad in South America.
"However, this recipe is extremely complicated, and very few people have the patience to see it through," Professor Sprout cautioned him before handing it over.
Rhys did not take this so-called complexity to heart. As a master of potions, what kind of complicated brews hadn't he made before? Even something as time-consuming as Polyjuice Potion was something he could prepare with ease.
Why would he fear a cumbersome recipe?
However, after actually seeing the "recipe" placed in his hands, Rhys's first reaction was: Professor, are you pulling my leg? Is this really something a human could write?
Professor Sprout's recipe was for preparing a nutrient solution known as Resurrection Water.
This Resurrection Water required the cultivation of seven specific herbs: Sunflower Blossom, Moonleaf, Styx Vine, Eagle's Kiss Flower, Wind-Between-Reeds Aoi, Swamp Pulsing Bulb, and Fire-Breath Dragon Agave.
Each of these seven herbs had its own characteristics and needed to be cultivated in different environments. They had to be watered and fertilized at specific times every day. Even more troublesome was the extremely short window after harvesting.
They had to be processed immediately once picked. After the extracts of the seven herbs were combined, the blood of the person who cultivated those plants had to be added for the Resurrection Water to be considered complete.
Once prepared, it had to be used within fifteen minutes, otherwise it would lose its vitality. To revive a dead plant, this Resurrection Water had to be applied once every four days, for a total of thirteen applications before the plant could be brought back from death.
Rhys did a quick calculation and realized that, not counting the time needed to cultivate the herbs, just applying the Resurrection Water alone would take fifty-two days.
That was far too time-consuming!
If he did it this way, he might as well forget about doing anything else and spend every day "growing vegetables."
"Mm, I'll go back and study it carefully," Rhys said politely. After putting away Professor Sprout's formula, he left her office.
Compass grass was precious, but was it really worth going to such lengths? Rhys hesitated a little. Deep down, he was truly unwilling to do such repetitive and labor-intensive work himself.
"Huh? I could make a puppet and have it cultivate and harvest the herbs for me!" A flash of inspiration crossed Rhys's mind, instantly clearing things up for him.
What era was this already, that he still had to personally grow herbs?
His good friend Helga Hufflepuff was one of the world's top puppet-making masters. All he needed to do was say, "Help me out, Professor White," and the problem would be solved.
With that thought, Rhys strode quickly toward Helga's office.
Outside her office, Rhys ran into someone familiar yet unfamiliar.
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI