Chapter 186: Detect Magic
The Zero-circle Cantrip—Detect Magic, was the only Spell Template Levi had bought from the arcanist mod.
He valued the spell effect of Detect Magic because it was extremely similar to the effect of the Trace that troubled him.
After spending one hundred Academic Credits to buy the Spell Template and completing the branding, Levi entered his Source View to conduct some research, and finally he breathed a sigh of relief!
His hundred Academic Credits hadn't been spent in vain after all!
After casting Detect Magic, Levi entered a strange magical perspective.
In this perspective, he could see Traces of magic:
Wherever magic had been applied, spots of light of different colors would be left behind;
Any alchemical item would shimmer with varying degrees of light;
Levi even saw some mysteries of the Source View through Detect Magic, but he didn't follow this path to conduct further research.
Instead, he chose to concentrate his power on completely resolving the extremely annoying Trace in his body first!
By studying the Spell Template of Detect Magic, Levireverse-engineered a way to cast magic without being detected.
Now, as long as he applied this method to the Trace inside him, he could successfully deceive it and then cast spells freely!
"The only difficulty lies in finding the Trace!"
"I refuse to believe I can't find you, you little thing!"
Levi thought fiercely, all sorts of inspirations and methods flashing through his mind rapidly, being quickly dismissed or tested.
"Ah! There it is! Maybe I can do it this way!"
Levi's eyes suddenly lit up after much thought, and he finally found a way.
He opened the Shop and quickly purchased various medicinal ingredients, preparing to brew a special Staining Potion!
"Let me think, let me think! moonlight grass, Star-pattern Flower, firefly wings, Mist Water..."
Levi purchased one ingredient after another in the Shop, his Grade O excellent Potions Talent playing a strong role.
Following unprecedented inspiration, combined with the various Potion knowledge he had learned from Professor Snape.
A Potion recipe that had never appeared before surfaced in Levi's mind.
"Yes! That's it, exactly!"
Levi's eyes sparkled in the Moonlight Forest. Without hesitation, he bought a set of Potion-making equipment from the Shop and, under the influence of the overflowing inspiration in his heart, began refining it as if aided by the gods.
Mist rose and the Potion bubbled. As Levi finished the final stir, a pot of pale gold Potion appeared before him.
"Inhale... exhale..."
Levi smelled it; there was no strong irritation, so it should be a success!
He immediately caught a few rats in the forest and fed one of them a bit of the Potion.
"Come on, little baby, let's see if it worked."
Levi said in a raspy voice like a terrifying Wizard. With a wave of his wand, a wisp of magic was injected into the rat's body.
Immediately afterward, he entered the Source View and looked at the rat that had been injected with magic.
In the Source View, the rat's external form was stripped away, leaving only the symbols representing its soul and the magic he had just injected.
Golden magic, I succeeded!
When Levi saw the pale gold magic constantly dissipating within the rat's body, he knew he had succeeded!
Deactivating the Source View, Levi observed the rat for a while longer and conducted experiments on the other rats as well.
Finally, he could confirm that the Potion he named the Staining Potion had actually been invented and brewed successfully on the first try!
Dismissing the poor rats he had caught, Levi also drank the Staining Potion. He immediately entered the Source Viewand began constantly casting magic in the compendium world!
With every cast, Levi observed himself, meticulously watching every tiny change within his body!
In the Source View, his entire body's magic was dyed gold. Whenever he cast a spell, a portion of the magic would change and leave his body.
But besides the changes caused by casting magic, there was actually a tiny, indiscernible point of light that also changed as he cast magic, as if it were breathing or having a heartbeat!
"It's you! You're the Trace!"
Levi was overjoyed. He firmly used Lock-On on this little point of light and began to perform the method he had devised to deceive the Trace!
Picking up his wand, Levi aimed at the tiny point of light and began casting spells on the Trace, much like alchemical enchanting.
One after another, Ancient Runes representing sealing, shielding, and isolation were woven by Levi into an extremely exquisite cage, firmly trapping the Trace inside, covering it completely like an airtight net.
Try it again!
Before the effects of the Staining Potion had faded, Levionce again began to constantly cast Spells.
But this time, the Trace, shielded by Levi's Ancient Runes, stayed obediently in the cage, as if it were asleep, showing no reaction!
It finally worked!
I've finally gotten rid of this damned Trace!
Extremely excited, Levi immediately pushed open the gate of light and walked out of the compendium world, casually casting a Scourgify in the castle!
After casting the cleaning spell, Levi stood at the castleentrance, quietly waiting for the Ministry of Magic's owl to deliver a written warning!
But after waiting and waiting, Levi didn't see any owlcoming. Instead, the smile on his face grew wider and wider, his mouth almost stretching from ear to ear!
I knew it! Heaven doesn't fail the diligent. With my magical attainment, how could I not succeed!
Levi thought with self-satisfaction, feeling as if his whole body had become much lighter!
Having rid himself of the trouble of the Trace, Levi became even more unscrupulous in casting magic; he wanted to isolate his home from the world!
The land he had purchased spanned a thousand hectares. By right, the entire thousand-hectare area should be covered with a Muggle-Repelling Charm!
However, the Soviet Union's Wizarding Federation had not managed or maintained this land for a long time, and the Muggle-Repelling Charm cast back then had long since expired!
So, to prevent ordinary people from suddenly stumbling into his home and being accidentally injured by those alchemical golems, Levi prepared to cast the Muggle-Repelling Charm over his entire home territory again!
This was a massive project. Levi estimated that by the time he finished casting spells over the entire land, the Muggle-Repelling Charm level should be able to reach Lv.7 or higher.
No sooner said than done. Levi planned to take a good tour of his home territory, casting spells as he toured—truly killing two birds with one stone!
Chapter 187: Home Renovation
The thousand hectares of land Levi purchased could be described as having mountains, waters, and forests!
First, the high mountains to the north of the home territory are part of a branch of the Cairngorms mountain range in the Scottish Highlands.
Though the mountains are not tall, they are covered with lush, green, towering trees. The dilapidated castle of the manor sits on the mountainside, hidden by the forest.
Winding down from the mountainside is a wide, abandoned stone path. Originally, the mountain land on both sides of the path should have been filled with various flowers, crops, and medicinal herbs.
However, the manor had been left fallow for half a century. The land that was once cultivated had long since been overgrown with various shrubs and weeds, making its original appearance completely unrecognizable.
"Muggle-Repelling!"
"Confringo"
Levi held his +3 reinforced Elderwood and Phoenix Feather Wand with phoenix feather core, standing by the stone path. With a casual wave of his hand, he cast three spells simultaneously!
The Muggle-Repelling Charm was invisibly branded onto this land.
Immediately following, two Confringo blasts instantly blew the weeds and shrubs on the land into powder, which then fell onto the soil as fertilizer!
As for whether any mice, wild rabbits, or insects in those weeds and bushes were accidentally injured during the process, it wasn't within Levi's scope of consideration at all.
In Levi's eyes, these were all just fertilizer!
He actually only occasionally cast Confringo or Reducto-like spells; most of the time, he was casting the Muggle-Repelling Charm.
As for the weeds, shrubs, and various insects and beasts on the land, Levi had actually already thought of a solution.
That was to refine another batch of magic puppetss specifically for land reclamation.
Levi had already conceived the refining blueprints for this kind of magic puppets in his mind.
It was a magic puppets that closely resembled a pumpkin. Its entire body could cast Reducto as it constantly performed a Rollout on the ground, reclaiming land everywhere.
Wherever it rolled, wild grass, shrubs, snakes, insects, rats, and ants would be completely pulverized in an instant, turning into fertilizer to be scattered on the land.
"Hmm! This kind of magic puppets shall be called a smashing pumpkin!"
Levi finished designing the magic puppets for tilling and clearing the land, and he had also finished touring almost all of his home territory.
Overall, the land he bought was about the same size as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, not counting the Forbidden Forest.
Particularly around the lake at the foot of the mountain, there was a large area of flat land where a vast amount of crops could be planted.
In terms of usable land, it even surpassed Hogwarts.
The lake, covering an area of over a hundred hectares, was also about the same size as Hogwarts' Black Lake and was bound to have rich fishing resources.
"When I'm free, I can come here to tour the lake, go boating, and fish. But I hope there aren't any of those ugly Merpeople in here!"
Levi cast the Muggle-Repelling Charm around the lake, thinking prayerfully to himself.
If they were like the mermaids in fairy tales, he wouldn't mind keeping a few.
But those Merpeople in the Black Lake were just too ugly; he couldn't stand sharing a home with them!
Appearance is justice; sorry, but I reject the ugly ones!
Touring the entire home territory and casting the Muggle-Repelling Charm again took Levi a full two days!
Returning to the castle, Levi stroked his Pokémon cat Purrloin, teased the three-headed dog Fluffy, drank juice, and lay on the sofa, finally breathing a sigh of relief:
"Phew~ I'm never casting the Muggle-Repelling Charmagain! I've cast it so much I'm about to vomit!"
After resting for a while, Levi didn't completely slack off. To transform his manor castle into the way he wanted it, he still had many things to do.
The first magic puppets he wanted to refine was the already designed smashing pumpkin!
In an empty room of the castle, Levi set it up as his alchemy room and began refining smashing pumpkins.
Actually, although the smashing pumpkin was powerfully terrifying, there were no real difficulties in refining it. The only thing to watch out for was that the Reducto spell was too powerful!
When refining the smashing pumpkin, he needed to strengthen the environmental detection and judgment capabilities of this alchemical puppet.
When encountering humanoid objects or working around the castle, the smashing pumpkin must be made to stop working immediately or precisely control the power of Reducto.
"It's just that there's no such thing as a Tower Spirit; otherwise, why would I need to worry about this?"
Levi thought helplessly. He had the idea of refining a Tower Spirit as soon as he entered school, but unfortunately, even now, he didn't have the ability to start on it.
"Still, this thing is much more terrifying than a Chinese Chomping Cabbage!"
"It's just that because of the magic supply issue, it can't trigger Reducto every second. Otherwise, refining a couple more wouldn't be more terrifying than any landmine!"
Levi said as he touched the large, pumpkin-like alchemical puppet.
The smashing pumpkin immediately detected Levi's presence and stopped triggering Reducto.
Although the smashing pumpkin was full of destructive power in its working mode, its mechanism for detecting humanoid presence made it not the least bit threatening, appearing quite harmless.
But once Levi lifted this restriction, the smashing pumpkinwould become the most terrifying killing machine in Levi's castle manor!
It would pursue enemies relentlessly, constantly releasing Reducto until the enemy was truly blown to pieces!
After setting the smashing pumpkins' working range, Levireleased ten of them from the alchemy room.
"Gardener Crabs, trim the vegetation around the castle; smashing pumpkins, level the land within the castlemanor; then what's left is..."
Levi muttered, remembering the badly damaged outer walls of the castle.
The next magic puppets he wanted to refine was the 'Bricklayer' used to repair the castle's outer walls. For the spells to be enchanted, Levi prepared to use the Mending Charm and the Adhesive Charm.
It's just that the transformation effects of Transfigurationare not permanent; otherwise, Levi and Professor McGonagall would have used Transfiguration long ago to return the castle's outer walls to a pristine state.
However, while Transfiguration wouldn't work, the Mending Charm and Adhesive Charm could.
On the alchemical puppet Levi named the octopus bricklayer, he prepared to enchant the Mending Charm and Adhesive Charm respectively.
The two spells he wanted to enchant had already been researched and converted into Spell Templates by him.
The Mending Charm, as mentioned before, was modified from Reparo.
The Adhesive Charm was a Zero-circle Cantrip Levimodified from the original version. Its effect was stronger than the original, even surpassing the stickiest glue in the world; once bonded, it would never break free.
With magic, why use cement and steel bars?
Thinking this, Levi began the design and refinement of the octopus bricklayer.
Soon after, ten eight-legged octopuses crawled all over the castle's outer walls.
Six of their octopus tentacles fixed them firmly to the castle's outer walls. Of the other two tentacles, one could cast the Mending Charm to fix small fractures and defects on the walls.
Or it could pick up broken bricks from the ground, repair them, and with the help of the sticking spell, re-bond them to the castle's outer walls.
After bonding, it would add another Mending Charm, and the castle's outer wall would look as good as new!
With these three types of alchemical puppets—the Gardener Crab, the smashing pumpkin, and the octopus bricklayer—the entire castle manor was restored to its original, perfect state at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Levi stood on the castle's viewing terrace, looking over the castle and nodding with satisfaction.
The current castle manor was still a long way from the perfect home in his mind, but it already looked like a place where people could live!
Chapter 188: A Dark and Windy Night
The night was deep. The moon hid itself behind a bank of dark clouds, the stars vanished from sight, and the wilderness beneath the sky was pitch black.
On the desolate plain, wild grasses and shrubs swayed in the wind. Only Levi's castle still emitted a hazy, warm yellow light.
But combined with the desolate surroundings, it looked more like a legendary haunted castle.
An ordinary person stumbling upon it might even think a Vampire lived inside!
In the side hall on the castle's first floor, Levi sat in a recliner before the fireplace, holding Purrloin in his arms. By the light of the fire and candles, he sipped coffee and read a novel.
So what if he couldn't connect to the Floo Network?
The special Floo Powder sold within his Spatial MODallowed him to perform long-distance spatial travel through fireplaces without needing the Floo Network.
However, Levi wasn't fond of using fireplace travel for long-distance movement.
In his opinion, having Portkeys and Apparition available, yet still getting covered in soot and grime, was just plain stupid!
Even if Levi's current Apparition level wasn't high enough to allow him to Apparate directly to Hogwarts,
he could still travel freely within Britain by Apparating multiple times, completely without needing a fireplace!
Where he was truly lacking was in communication methods.
For other Wizards, the most common means of communication were owls and enchanted paper airplanes.
owls could handle long-distance communication and even deliver packages.
Enchanted paper airplanes worked for short-range communication; inside buildings, Wizards preferred using the simpler and quicker enchanted paper airplanes.
Levi didn't need short-range communication; what he lacked was a method for long-distance communication.
But he didn't want to go to Diagon Alley to buy an ordinary owl. Instead, he opened the Pokémon mod!
The most important function of the Pokémon mod was allowing Levi to obtain Pokémon through a lottery-style draw.
The first Pokémon draw was free, and Levi obtained the Nami the Cat Thief, who was currently snuggling in his arms.
The second Pokémon draw required one hundred Academic Credits, and specifying a category doubled the cost!
"Merlin, bless me!"
"Consuming two hundred Academic Credits, I want to specify a draw for a Flying-type Pokémon!"
Levi pressed the draw button on the Pokémon draw panel. Two hundred Academic Credits were instantly consumed.
A cute Pokémon fluttered out on wings and landed in front of Levi.
"Hoo hoo~"
The round Rowlet tilted its adorable, round head, examining the trainer who had summoned her—Levi.
Levi also examined the Rowlet in front of him, which looked like a ball of cotton candy.
The little thing was utterly adorable, just like a cotton ball. The most striking feature was the pair of leaf-like, emerald-green feathers on her chest!
Rowlet was a Grass Quill Pokémon: round, soft, and fluffy like a little cloud, with a green back, white belly, a brown "mask" on its head, and large, round black eyes.
Her wings were broad, allowing for silent gliding. She slept during the day and was active at night, storing energy through Photosynthesis.
Her personality was soft, cute, prone to daydreaming, and loved sleeping. When shy, she would bury her face in her wings. She was super loyal to her trainer!
"Hello, Rowlet! I'm your trainer, Levi, and this is my partner, Purrloin! I hope we can become good friends in the future!"
Levi offered a welcoming smile. From the Shop, he bought Rowlet's favorite Roll Beans and Bountiful Grains, placing them before her.
"Purin~"
Little Purrloin also stood up like a little adult, waving her tiny cat paw to greet Rowlet.
"Hoo hoo~"
Rowlet also called out, greeting Levi and Purrloin. Unable to resist the delicious food in Levi's hand, she picked up a Roll Bean and ate it.
As soon as the round bean entered her mouth, Rowlet's eyes widened. What was this incredibly tasty thing?!
Foodies have foodie souls; those who eat well are the elite!
Watching Rowlet bury her head in her meal, not even wanting to look up, Levi smiled.
He knew that with his Magical Creature Affinity and Pokémon food, winning over Pokémon was always successful!
With Rowlet as his messenger, he could now write letters to Hermione, Harley, Anthony, Michael, and others in the future without needing to borrow the school's owls.
However, since he had given the little Purrloin the name Purrloin, he couldn't play favorites with the newly arrived Rowlet. He had to give her a name too!
What should it be?
For a moment, Levi really couldn't think of a good name for her.
Just as Levi was stuck in the dilemma of naming, furious barking from the Three-headed dog Fluffy suddenly echoed from the castle's main hall:
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
The three barks, reaching Levi's ears, immediately translated into a warning from the Three-headed dog:
They had caught the scent of strangers!
"Protego!"
Levi instantly heightened his alertness. With a wave of his wand, a single spell was cast three times, landing on himself, the Purrloin, Purrloin, and Rowlet.
After casting the Shield Charm, Levi cautiously made his way to the main hall, one hand holding his enhanced wand, the other holding Quirrell's wand taken from Voldemort.
"Vera Verto!"
Levi waved his wand, making the castle's main door enormous. If enemies really attacked, the castle's relatively narrow entrance would hinder the Three-headed dog Fluffy's effectiveness!
While Levi was enlarging the door, the Gardener Crabs, octopus bricklayers, and even the smashing pumpkins outside had already sensed the intruders and charged forward!
"What's going on? Isn't this supposed to be the dilapidated old Soviet Union castle?"
In the grass under the cover of dark night, three Black-Robed Wizards silently approached the castle where Levilived. The sights along the way prompted one of them to ask.
According to the mission intelligence they received, shouldn't this place be a crumbling castle abandoned for half a century?
Why was the land now leveled, the castle intact, and even the gardens around the castle trimmed, looking completely lived-in?
"Don't forget our mission. The castle looking like this now is normal!
Since the mission target intends to live here, of course he'd fix up his home properly!"
Another Black-Robed Wizard whispered, lowering his voice.
"But... he's just a first-year young wizard, right?"
"I remember first-year young wizards aren't allowed to perform magic outside of school!"
The last Black-Robed Wizard spotted the flaw. The other two fell silent upon hearing this.
Damn it, I knew this mission felt a bit off!
Scaring off a first-year young wizard, driving him out of some abandoned estate... how could anyone be willing to pay a high price of one hundred Galleons for that?!
"What do we do now? Abandon the mission and leave?"
The first Dark Wizard to speak gripped his wand tightly, scanning the surroundings nervously.
Under the shroud of night, even the tall trees and swaying grass now seemed like places where enemies might be lurking!
"What's there to fear? He's just a first-year young wizard. Even if he dares to use magic to resist, so what? Don't forget the one hundred Galleons!"
The second Black-Robed Wizard who had spoken earlier sharply rebuked the other two Dark Wizards to boost morale.
"But why do I hear a lot of chaotic noises all around us?"
The last Black-Robed Wizard to speak spotted another flaw, asking the other two.
"What?"
The other two Black-Robed Wizards were stunned. Coincidentally, the moon broke through the clouds, casting a sliver of moonlight that illuminated the Gardener Crabs, octopus bricklayers, and smashing pumpkins that had already surrounded them!
"What the hell are those things?!!!"
The three Dark Wizards screamed in terror. Their frightened cries startled a flock of wild ducks from the lake at the foot of the hill!
Their "quack quack quack" cries carried far into the distance!
Chapter 189: Unrepentant Villainy
"Stupefy!" x3
Riding the Three-headed dog Fluffy, who was also under a Disillusionment Charm, Levi launched a triple-casting sneak attack, knocking out three uninvited guests!
"Alright, everyone stop!"
Levi spoke up to stop the magical puppets from continuing to attack the three Black-Robed Wizards.
Long before his arrival, the three types of magical puppets had already given the three Black-Robed Wizards a thorough thrashing!
These three Black-Robed Wizards could be said to have been dealt with by the puppets in the most wretched manner!
Even if they dodged the Shattering Pumpkin's 'Reducto', they couldn't avoid the Gardener Crab's 'Aguamenti' and magical shears!
The black robes on the three of them were either soaked wet or had been cut into tattered rags!
Even more amusing was the Octopus Mason; the powerful adhesive effect of the Sticking Spell glued these people's clothes and shoes firmly to the ground.
They couldn't move or escape, forced to passively endure the beating!
If it weren't for their decently cast Shield Charms, they would have been truly 'reduced' to pieces by the Shattering Pumpkin long ago!
Given the circumstances, the three Dark Wizards could only desperately try to save their lives against the magical puppet army, which is also why Levi's sneak attack succeeded so easily!
Casting spells on stationary, immobile living targets was as easy as taking candy from a baby!
Levi summoned the magical shears and cut to shreds the clothes and shoes of the three Dark Wizards stuck to the spot.
He then hit the three with another Sleeping Spell and a Petrification Spell, using Mage Hand to haul them back to the castle.
As for their wands, of course, they became Levi's trophies!
Including these three wands, Levi now had four second-hand wands in his possession.
Even though each one didn't cast spells very smoothly,
each wand could serve as a disguise, usable when Levineeded to conceal his identity.
Controlling the Mage Hand, carrying the three halfway, Levi couldn't help but smack his own head!
What was the point of bringing these three to the castle?
He should put them into the Tome's Pocket Dimension, completely isolating them from the outside world.
Levi immediately opened the Tome's light gate, stored the three inside the pocket world, and locked them in the cave where the Three-headed dog Fluffy used to live.
Having confiscated the three wands, Levi still felt somewhat uneasy.
He casually forged three sets of handcuffs and shackles, stripped the three Wizards down to their underwear, cuffed them, and stuck the cuffs and shackles to the stone wall.
"Finite Incantatem! Aguamenti!"
The effect of the Sleeping Spell was dispelled, and icy cold water sprayed from Levi's wand tip, splashing onto the three Wizards' faces.
He certainly knew that 'Finite Incantatem' could easily nullify the Sleeping Spell's effect.
The reason for the extra step, adding 'Aguamenti', was to humiliate the three Wizards, making them realize they were now his prisoners!
"Ugh!"
Stimulated by the icy water, the three Wizards jolted awake. Instinctively trying to struggle, they found they couldn't break free, only managing to make the shackles clatter.
By the light of the torches on the cave wall, the three discovered that after being knocked out, they had been captured by their mission target and shackled to the stone wall.
"You!"
The first Dark Wizard to wake up, upon realizing his predicament, immediately showed an expression of fury on his face.
He was just about to threaten Levi when he saw Levi raise his wand and mercilessly cast an Unforgivable Curse at him:
"Cruciatus Curse!"
"Ah!"
The Dark Wizard hit by the Unforgivable Curse let out a cry of extreme agony!
Then, as if struck by a seizure, his whole body stiffened against the wall, his face turning pale, twitching uncontrollably!
The other two Dark Wizards were terrified out of their wits!
They both thought they must be having a nightmare, still dreaming!
How could a simple mission to scare off a young Wizardpossibly lead to encountering a Dark Wizard who dared to use Unforgivable Curses!
They themselves didn't know how, or rather, didn't dare to use Unforgivable Curses!
After all, they were Dark Wizards who frequented Knockturn Alley and often used dark magic, yet even they didn't know Unforgivable Curses!
No, this can't be real!
"Imperius Curse!"
Seizing the moment when the remaining two Wizards were stunned and their mental defenses were down, Levidecisively cast the Imperius Curse!
As Voldemort personally recommended, Unforgivable Curses are just that effective!
"Speak, who sent you?"
Levi conjured a chair, sat in the center of the cave, and questioned the two controlled Dark Wizards.
In his heart, he already had a vague answer:
Besides that damned pink toad Umbridge, no other loathsome person would send people to attack him!
Even the Malfoy father and son didn't know his current residence.
However, the answers from the two Dark Wizards, completely under the Imperius Curse and now Levi's loyal hounds, failed to confirm his suspicion.
According to these two Dark Wizards, they had taken the task on the Knockturn Alley black market, requiring them to scare off and drive away the young Wizard living here!
It was purely a job for money. Besides the task reward being one hundred Galleons, they knew nothing more about the mission!
"So none of you three knows who actually issued the task?"
Levi asked with a frown.
"That's correct, Master, we do not know!"
"To have acted against you! We truly deserve to die ten thousand deaths. Please punish us, Master!"
The two Dark Wizards, completely controlled by Levi, spoke to him with faces full of fanaticism and guilt.
"Enough, now recite all the spells and valuable knowledge you possess!"
Levi paid no attention to the Dark Wizards' fervent display. He casually took out two notebooks and quills and commanded.
While listening to the two Dark Wizards pour out the dark magic they knew, Levi sat in the chair, thinking.
It was certain that Umbridge, or the people behind Umbridge, had posted the task on the black market, wanting to drive him out of this castle.
As for why they did this?
It was probably the influence of Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore's connections at work!
This castle estate, which originally belonged to him, should soon be nominally transferred into his possession.
Originally, being able to legally own this residence would be a good thing, but this matter was definitely not over!
"Umbridge, and Fudge, right?"
"You two have quite the nerve. The Dark Lord Grindelwaldis active out there!"
"Voldemort isn't completely dead either!"
"You two dare to act so recklessly. Are you truly not afraid of a Dark Lord coming to your door?"
Levi said sinisterly; he had already thought of how to get back at Umbridge!
Turning around, with a wave of his wand, the Wizardtortured into unconsciousness by the Cruciatus Curse was also forcibly awakened by Levi.
No sleeping allowed here!
He also used the Imperius Curse to control the last Dark Wizard, ordering him to write down all the spells and knowledge he possessed.
Levi wouldn't easily use Avada Kedavra on these three Dark Wizards.
If he didn't squeeze out every last bit of value from the three of them, like wringing oil, then his efforts in reversely practicing Marxist philosophy would have been in vain!
Chapter 190: Holiday Plans
"Flap flap flap~"
Before Levi was fully awake, still in a drowsy state, he heard the sound of flapping wings.
Looking up, he saw his Rowlet blocking an owl outside the window, eyeing it with full alertness.
Beside his pillow, Nami the Cat Thief was also baring her teeth, warily watching the owl outside the window.
Last night, three Dark Wizards had suddenly attacked, and the two adorable Pokémon hadn't been able to help, leaving them both feeling guilty.
This morning, as soon as this suspicious-looking owlappeared, it was immediately intercepted by Rowlet and Little Nami outside the window.
"Alright, Nami, Rowlet! Let it in! It's not dangerous!"
Levi sat up in bed and said to the two Pokémon.
He guessed this was the school owl used by Professor McGonagall to deliver letters, so of course, it couldn't be dangerous.
Unless some Dark Wizard had used Animagus to turn into an owl and attack him, what was there to worry about from a mere owl?
"Hoot!"
The owl landed on the table beside the bed, fixed its large, round eyes on Purrloin and Rowlet, angrily hooted once, and extended a small claw, gesturing for Levi to take the letter.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Levi fed the owl a strip of meat, took the note, opened it, and sure enough, it was a letter from Professor McGonagall:
"[Levi, I hope this letter finds you well:
I will visit promptly at 12 noon today!
Please prepare accordingly to accompany me to the Ministry of Magic to handle the property transfer and patent registration matters. Minerva McGonagall]"
"I knew it! The Dark Wizards last night must have been a dirty trick played by Umbridge, unable to resist the connections and influence of Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, trying to target me!"
Levi put away the note, thinking to himself.
Unfortunately, Umbridge had completely underestimated him, Levi. Three foolish Dark Wizards hadn't even gotten to see his face before being easily subdued by magic puppets.
If Levi hadn't arrived in time, they might have died under the Reducto of the smashing pumpkin!
Levi had already made up his mind to take severe revenge on Umbridge, but he wouldn't act immediately.
The conflict between them had just happened, and matters involving property were probably no secret even within the Ministry of Magic.
If Levi were to attack Umbridge now, it would be like loudly announcing to everyone that he was the mastermind!
There was plenty of time. He had even dared to cast the Killing Curse at Voldemort; for a hateful pink toad, he had plenty of ways to deal with her!
After giving Purrloin and Rowlet, who had been vying to prove themselves early in the morning, two servings of Pokémon treats, Levi wrote a reply and had the owl, which had finished the dried meat, deliver it back.
At the same time, he also sent an invitation to Hermione, asking her to meet at Diagon Alley and visit his home.
Watching Rowlet fly away into the distance with the envelope in its beak, Levi couldn't help but wonder about the mechanics of owl post in the Harry Potter world.
In reality, the magical owls of the Harry Potter world, though possessing a trace of magical bloodline that makes them much cleverer than ordinary owls,
could not easily find Wizards scattered across the world and accurately deliver letters to them.
The reason the addresses on those letters are so precise is that these magical letters are infused with magic and enchanted before being written and sealed with wax.
The owls delivering the letters are completely guided by the magic of the letters, as if equipped with navigation, accurately delivering them to addresses that change in real-time.
At noon, Professor McGonagall arrived as promised. After exchanging pleasantries, the two headed to the Ministry of Magic.
This trip to the Ministry of Magic proceeded without any hitches. All the Wizards they encountered were very polite, acting like public servants of the Wizarding World!
"Professor, if the Ministry building hadn't remained completely unchanged, I'd almost think the Ministry we visited before and the one we're in now are two different places!"
Levi said with a hint of sarcasm. Such a shift from arrogance to deference was truly laughable!
"The Ministry of Magic is a melting pot, involving too much power, profit, self-interest, public virtue, and the like!"
"Some people get stained black without realizing it, while others manage to maintain their integrity."
"Levi, not all Ministry officials are as power-hungry and corrupt as Umbridge. There are also upright and reliable Wizards who adhere to their principles and maintain the order of the wizarding world!"
"For example, the Auror squad at the Ministry..."
Professor McGonagall spoke earnestly to Levi, even citing Mad-Eye Moody from the Aurors as an example!
"Professor, of course I know not all Ministry officials are corrupt! There are Wizards who uphold justice, enforce the law impartially, and fulfill their duties!"
"But what I don't understand is, why do you and Headmaster Dumbledore, who have such extraordinary influence over the entire Ministry, still tolerate officials like Umbridge?"
"Not to mention you, Headmaster Dumbledore alone, hailed as the greatest Wizard of this century, could probably easily kick Umbridge out of the Ministry!"
"Yet, from what I understand, Headmaster Dumbledoreseems unwilling to interfere in Ministry affairs! Why is that?"
Levi asked a question he already knew the answer to. Of course, he knew why Headmaster Dumbledore was reluctant to interfere with the Ministry.
But posing this question was, in itself, an expression of his own thoughts:
He disliked this kind of Ministry; he wanted to change it!
"Levi, Headmaster Dumbledore is indeed the greatest Wizard, but he is not the Minister of magic!"
"Though he possesses powerful magic, he does not have the right to interfere with the Ministry's operations."
"Even if we possess great power, we cannot use magicarbitrarily and act recklessly just because we are dissatisfied!"
"I believe that is the lesson Headmaster Dumbledorewants to teach us."
Professor McGonagall patiently and meticulously answered Levi's question. She had pondered this very question before, and her answer now was the one she had arrived at then.
"I understand, Professor! We shouldn't just complain; we should actively seek change!"
"If I think the Ministry of Magic is bad, then I should find a way to become the Minister of magic and change it!"
"If I see something unreasonable or unfair in the wizarding world, then I should step forward and change the wizarding world!"
"Don't you think I'm right?"
Hearing Levi's response, Professor McGonagall was taken aback for a moment, but upon carefully considering his words, she felt he was quite right.
Although his words made her somewhat uneasy, Professor McGonagall still nodded:
"That's right. When faced with injustice and error in this world, we must bravely step forward, point it out, and correct it!"
As a Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall said this to Levi.
Levi nodded, inwardly overjoyed. Some of the thoughts he had long kept hidden had finally found an opportunity to be voiced.
With the property transfer and patent registration matters settled,
his Summer Holiday Plans could officially begin.
First was the preliminary construction of the basement and first floor of the wizard tower. Levi had already chosen the location: on the mountaintop behind the castle.
Next would be attempting to break through to become a First Circle Arcanist.
The ten Spell Slots for the Chain of Cantrips were already filled. Every night before sleeping, he would meditate along the Spell Templates of the ten cantrips.
The ten Spell Slots were like ten reservoirs, continuously drawing magic from the Source of Tempering, storing it within the slots, raising Levi's Magic Capacity, and nourishing his soul.
Levi's active meditation would also accelerate the accumulation of tempering and the nourishment of his soul. Once he saw his magic reservoir full and his soul sufficiently nourished, he believed he would naturally advance to become a First Circle Arcanist.
What he needed to do was to analyze related Spells in advance, prepare the Spell Templates for First-Circle Spells, and get ready for the Circle Advancement.
Lastly was modifying the hero king game console. The previous console could only be considered a crude prototype.
Levi planned to add a Remote Battle Function to the original hero king game, which would also allow him to incorporate a remote communication feature.
The hero king game wasn't the main focus; this Remote Communication Function was what Levi most wanted to load onto the game console.
As mentioned before, communication in the wizarding world is very rudimentary.
According to Levi's estimation, if his game console could add a Text Messaging + Group Chat function, it would absolutely take the entire Wizarding World by storm!
Although, before this, the hero king game, which he considered rudimentary, had already swept through the entire British wizarding world and showed signs of spreading across Europe.
However, if Levi didn't continue to improve it, the hero king game console would remain just an entertainment device.
But before implementing the summer plans in detail, he had to go to Diagon Alley first to meet the little witchHermione, who had accepted his invitation!
This was something agreed upon before the holidays!
Chapter 191: Seeing the Grangers Again
As soon as Levi and Professor McGonagall stepped into the Leaky Cauldron, they saw Hermione waving at him with a beaming smile.
"Levi, how was your holiday? How's the settling-in process going?"
Hermione asked Levi with concern.
Even now, she found it a bit hard to believe that Levi, who was the same age as her, could actually settle down in the Wizarding World on his own!
"Same as usual! But don't worry, everything's been sorted out!"
"Otherwise, how would I dare write to you and invite you to come play at my house?"
"If you don't believe me, ask Professor McGonagall! And Uncle, Auntie, it's perfect that you two are here—why don't you come have a look at my place as well?"
Levi replied to Hermione, shifting his gaze toward Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
He said this not just to answer Hermione, but also to put Mr. and Mrs. Granger at ease.
After all, even though Hermione could use magic, she was still only a twelve- or thirteen-year-old little witch. To invite her to stay at his home for an extended period, he had to make sure the Grangers felt comfortable with it.
So, taking advantage of the opportunity where Professor McGonagall was taking him to the Ministry of Magic for business, he extended the invitation to the Granger family.
His goal was to have Professor McGonagall act as his witness and help him persuade Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
Hearing Levi say this, Hermione naturally believed him!
She knew that although Levi often liked to stir up trouble, he would absolutely never lie to her about certain matters.
Hearing Levi's invitation, Mr. and Mrs. Granger were also somewhat moved; they were, of course, aware that Levihad invited Hermione to visit.
Letting their daughter go all the way to the Scottish Highlands as a guest—if it hadn't been Levi's invitation, the two of them would have declined long ago out of worry.
"Levi, how will we get there? By train or by plane?"
Mr. Granger asked Levi curiously.
The Scottish Highlands were quite far from London; if their family were to drive themselves, it would take nearly ten hours.
At such a distance, in their impression, taking a train would take a whole day, making flying the most convenient and fastest mode of transportation.
They had also heard from their daughter Hermione that she took a train to school, so they assumed they'd take a train and then perhaps ride horses or take a carriage the rest of the way!
Mr. and Mrs. Granger speculated to themselves, worrying that if they didn't know how to ride a horse, they might not be able to go!
"Uncle, it's not that much trouble!"
Levi explained to Mr. Granger:
"I have a small prop enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. When the time comes, you and Auntie can go inside to rest; it's like entering a small, secluded forest."
"I guarantee that in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, you and Auntie will have arrived at my home!"
Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at each other, not quite understanding; they had no idea what an Undetectable Extension Charm was.
It was even harder to imagine being shut inside a small box and carried around!
"Dad, Mum, don't worry!"
"I've experienced the method Levi is talking about before. It can definitely bring you to Levi's house easily!"
Hermione explained quietly to Mr. and Mrs. Granger. She noticed that when Levi mentioned the Undetectable Extension Charm earlier, he had cast a spell to block the sound.
She then remembered, as if waking from a dream, that although the Professors always tacitly allowed it, individuals were forbidden from using the Undetectable Extension Charm to create spatial items.
Professor McGonagall remained silent on the side; she had known for a long time that Levi possessed a spatial item enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
But she had never known exactly how large the internal space of that item was!
She didn't particularly mind; the law prohibiting individuals from using the Undetectable Extension Charm to create spatial items had been established for specific reasons.
First, to prevent smuggling; second, to prevent the abuse of carrying Magical Creatures around; and finally, because it involved the monopoly interests of certain powers.
As for Levi, she was completely at ease and could turn a blind eye, ignoring the fact that he owned a spatial item.
"Rest assured, Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger, we will deliver you both safely to Levi's home."
She also put in a good word for Levi and Hermione, allowing Mr. and Mrs. Granger to relax completely.
"Then shall we set off now? Levi, do you need to go to Diagon Alley to buy some things to decorate the rooms?"
After Professor McGonagall reassured Mr. and Mrs. Granger, she asked Levi.
Although Levi's castle was already connected to the Floo Network, it was a rare visit to Diagon Alley, and Levi's home still lacked decor and furniture, so he should probably look around.
"There's no rush on buying furniture," to Professor McGonagall's surprise, Levi shook his head and said,
"I also have an appointment with Mr. Greve Sanchez; I need to discuss some business matters with him in a moment. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you all to wait for a bit!"
Hearing Levi say this, the Granger family was actually somewhat used to it. After all, during the Christmasholidays, they had also waited for Levi for a while at the Leaky Cauldron.
Furthermore, they had witnessed the game's popularity during the Hero King Game Championship.
They all understood that despite Levi's young age, he already had his own career to attend to!
"Then go ahead, Levi," Mrs. Granger said considerately.
"It's a rare chance to meet Professor McGonagall; we'll just wander around Diagon Alley and ask the Professor about Hermione's situation at school."
Professor McGonagall nodded with a smile. Sometimes she felt Levi didn't seem like a twelve-year-old young wizard at all.
What other young wizard could be like Levi, already having purchased his own property and owning his own industry at this age?
Levi's excellence was something Professor McGonagallhad rarely seen in all her years of teaching. She truly found it hard to imagine what kind of monumental achievements this child would reach in the future.
"That's good then, thank you for your understanding, Uncle and Auntie! Professor, and Hermione, I'll take my leave for now!"
"I'll regroup with you later, and then I'll host you all properly!"
Levi said to Hermione and the others with a slightly apologetic tone.
As elders, Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Professor McGonagall naturally didn't feel at all that Levi was being neglectful.
Hermione, on the other hand, was very curious about what business Levi was going to discuss, but she also knew her words carried little weight, so she didn't speak up to ask to follow along.
Levi bid everyone farewell and also greeted Tom, the landlord.
He entered Diagon Alley through the courtyard's archway and headed straight for Greve Sanchez's Used Bookstore.
The Used Bookstore had long since stopped selling old books. As soon as Levi walked into the shop where he had once worked, he found that more than half of the shelves that used to be crammed with old books had been cleared out.
In their place were the game consoles and cards that Leviknew all too well.
Thanks to the King of Heroes Championship, the sales of game consoles and cards were booming, and the shop was packed with customers who had come to purchase them.
Levi was inside for a good while, and not only did he fail to find Greve Sanchez, but he was instead recognized by the Wizards who had come to buy game consoles. He was forced to start "working" like a celebrity.
"...Alright, here's your signature. I wish you a happy time at Hogwarts in the future!"
After signing the game console of a young wizard who hadn't yet started school and remembering to offer a blessing, Levi was cornered by a reporter from The Daily Prophet.
"Mr. Levi Keynes, some people have questioned that your hero king game console is extremely similar to game consoles in the Muggle world and is an abuse of Muggleartifacts. Do you have any explanation for this?"
The reporter, whom Levi didn't recognize, asked while waving a wand to summon parchment and an Quick-Quotes Quill.
Fortunately, this guy wasn't Rita Skeeter and wasn't making things up, which put Levi in a good enough mood to answer his question:
"I'm afraid your question isn't quite correct!"
"I won't even bother explaining the difference between the game consoles Muggles use and my hero king game console."
"After all, anyone who isn't a fool knows that Muggleelectronic devices will short-circuit and explode the moment they come into contact with magic in the Wizarding World!"
"What I want to say is, Wizards use knives and forks to eat, and Muggles also use knives and forks to eat, but why has no one ever said that Wizards are abusing Muggleartifacts?"
"We Wizards are not inferior to Muggles; we also invent and progress. Do not stop doing what is necessary for fear of a slight risk, and certainly do not say that a new invention in the Wizarding World is an abuse of Muggleartifacts just because its function is similar to a Muggleinvention!"
"In fact, this is a manifestation of hindering the progress of the wizarding world, and even more so, a manifestation of Muggles progressing while Wizards remain stuck in their old ways!"
The reporter opened his mouth but didn't continue asking.
He hadn't expected Levi to look so young yet answer questions so flawlessly, directly using the honor of Wizards to block the trap in his question.
Just after Levi finished answering the reporter's question, Greve Sanchez rushed over in a hurry:
"By Merlin, I'm nearly busy to death!"
"Why isn't there a duplication spell in this world?"
"Levi, what are you here to see me for—never mind, you'd better just come with me quickly!"
Seeing the Wizards crowding around again, Greve Sanchezhastily dragged Levi into the office next to the shop.
Chapter 192: Acquiring the Firebolt
Escaping into the office and closing the door, the clamor from outside was instantly shut out.
Levi and Graves Sanchez both breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously and smiled at each other.
"I really didn't expect business to be this booming!"
"Levi, you truly are a genius! Back when you first came to my Shop for a part-time job, I knew you, this young wizard, were destined for extraordinary achievements!"
Graves Sanchez spoke with a face full of emotion, much like an elder would.
He truly hadn't expected that a young wizard who needed to work before even starting school could invent such a popular game.
While sighing with admiration, Graves suddenly seemed to snap out of a dream, pulled a key from his pocket, and handed it to Levi, saying:
"Tom, Valentin, and I discussed it. Relying on owls to send profits from selling game consoles and cards back and forth is just too unsafe!"
"So, we opened a vault for you at Gringotts!"
"This is the vault key! It's Vault number 1024!"
Levi took the glittering golden key, his face showing surprise, and asked:
"Is the money earned that much? Why open a dedicated vault?"
Up until now, he had more than tens of thousands of Galleons on him, but as long as they were topped up into the system Shop, they were just a string of numbers and took up no space at all, so he had never thought about opening a vault at Gringotts.
Gringotts didn't have a savings interest business; on the contrary, opening a vault and storing Galleons with the Fairies cost money!
"Levi, you're underestimating your hero king game, especially after the tournament held at Hogwarts!"
"This game, which has taken the British wizarding worldby storm, is already showing signs of spreading across all of Europe, and even the global wizarding world because of the three of us."
"Valentin's location in Ukraine allows him to sell game consoles to the fifteen countries following the collapse of the Soviet Union."
"My Shop in France can likewise sell the hero king game to the wizarding world in Africa."
"Never mind this Shop here in Diagon Alley; Tom and I have opened up channels in the Commonwealth, and the consoles have already been sold to North America!"
"How much money do you think we've made from these game consoles?"
"When the time comes for you to open that vault, don't be shocked!"
Levi was indeed taken aback by Graves Sanchez's words!
Hearing Graves put it that way, he realized that by a stroke of luck, the three partners he had chosen were simply perfect!
"If that's the case, then there's no need to worry about the sales of the hero king game console in the future!"
He didn't care too much about how much money was made; regardless of the amount, he would find a way to spend it once he started building his wizard tower.
"Exactly," Greve Sanchez nodded with an eager expression.
Although he only received a small portion of the profits as a distributor, he had already made a fortune just from selling the hero king game console.
"Levi, the problem now is that there are still too few hero king game characters!"
"Many people have been asking me about the prizes for the hero king game Championship—those particularly exquisite and beautiful cards called 'Glory Collections.' Are there any more? Can they be sold?"
Graves asked Levi with a face full of concern.
He didn't care at all about the used book business or the black market business now; he only cared about matters concerning the hero king game console.
"No problem, I'll refine a batch of Glory Collection cards when I get back, and design and refine some new character cards!"
"However, this time we won't sell them directly. Instead, we'll mix in some other funny toys, various candies, and other treasures, and sell them along with these two types of cards in a lottery-style format!"
"As long as the costs and probabilities are calculated correctly, the speed of making money through a lottery-style sales method is much faster!"
As someone who had reverse-studied Marxist philosophy, how could Levi not understand how to earn Galleons faster and more aggressively!
Graves Sanchez's eyes lit up as soon as he heard this!
"Levi, you truly are a business genius!"
He couldn't help but praise Levi, pacing back and forth in the office for a few steps. He couldn't resist wanting to find Boss Tom and Valentin to discuss business immediately.
"There's one more thing: I'm preparing to upgrade and renovate the hero king game console!
But seeing how popular your sales are right now, I'm wondering if I should temporarily postpone the release of the new game console?"
Levi looked at the bustling Shop outside the office, rubbed his chin with his finger, and said after some thought.
"Why is that? Shouldn't the new game console sell even better?"
Graves Sanchez looked puzzled; he felt Levi's statement was completely contrary to common sense.
"Mr. Sanchez, you still don't understand. We've already sold a large number of the first-generation game consoles!"
"If we launch the second version immediately, the first version will be stuck in the warehouse and difficult to sell!"
"Moreover, many people who bought the first version will complain. They just bought the first one and soon after, a product update arrived. Even if there's a trade-in program, some people will feel they wasted their money!"
Levi explained to Graves. After thinking it over carefully, he decided:
"So I've decided that the second game console won't be released until Christmas. The first version I provided you will also cease production starting today. We will only update character cards and Glory Collection cards!"
Graves Sanchez had a moment of realization after hearing Levi's words. Putting himself in the customer's shoes based on Levi's explanation, he felt that the situation Levidescribed would indeed occur.
"Alright, I agree with your decision," Graves said with a nod, then asked Levi:
"We were so focused on talking about the hero king game. Did you come to the Shop suddenly because of the matter you asked me to handle before?"
Levi nodded and asked Graves:
"Exactly! How is it? Did you find the broomstick Alchemy Workshop I was looking for?"
"Of course I found it," Graves said proudly. Even with his connections, finding the Alchemy Workshop Levirequested hadn't been easy.
But there was no helping it; who told him to have such high hopes for Levi!
Ever since Levi took him to Moscow during the Christmasholidays to make a fortune, Graves knew his future retirement fund would depend on this young fellow.
He was naturally extremely attentive to the matters Levientrusted to him.
After much searching, he finally found the Alchemy Workshop that refined broomsticks, employed Fairies to refine metal parts, and had designed a broomstick called the 'Firebolt,' just as Levi had requested.
"So, does the other party have any intention of selling or seeking cooperation?"
Hearing this, Levi quickly asked Graves Sanchez.
That's right, the Alchemy Workshop he had asked Graves Sanchez to find was the place that refined the Fireboltbroomstick.
The Firebolt would only officially hit the market as the fastest broomstick in history during Harry Potter's third year.
Before that, it was just an obscure, perhaps even nearly bankrupt, small Alchemy Workshop.
Levi's flight MOD had the complete design blueprints for the Firebolt, but to avoid being accused of plagiarism, he planned to cooperate with that small Alchemy Workshop.
"They're certainly willing," Greve Sanchez said with a look of wonder:
"Randolph Spudmore's Black Forest Broom Company is on the verge of bankruptcy due to developing new products!"
"But that broomstick you mentioned, the Firebolt, is truly extraordinary!
Even though I haven't seen the finished product yet, based on the data provided by Randolph, this is likely the fastest broomstick in history!"
"Once it's on the market, it will probably take the entire wizarding world by storm!"
"Levi, are you planning to invest in them?"
Levi nodded. Rather than calling it an investment, it was more like getting ahead of the curve.
Someone was bound to invest in the Firebolt; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to hit the market next year.
"Exactly. Since you say he agreed to the investment, let's go meet this Mr. Randolph Spudmore!"
Levi said with great interest. As an alchemist, he also wanted to see if the Ancient Runes and Fairy Alchemy Skills applied to the Firebolt would give him any inspiration.
"Then follow me," Graves led Levi out of the Used Bookstore through another small door in the office.
The two followed a twisted alleyway and arrived at the entrance of a small Alchemy Workshop named the Black Forest Broom Company.
Before they could even walk in, a short, stout middle-aged man with a kind face and a shy expression pushed open the door and came to greet them.
"Mr. Greve Sanchez, you've finally arrived!"
"Oh, and this must be Mr. Levi Keynes? The famous inventor of the hero king game console! Truly young and promising, young and promising indeed!"
The middle-aged man, with a shy smile, shook hands somewhat awkwardly with Graves and then Levi.
Feeling the nervous strength in the middle-aged man's handshake, Levi guessed to himself that this man must be a technical geek!
"Alright, Randolph, I can tell you clearly that Levi is here to invest!"
"You also have to let Levi see if your Firebolt actually has investment value!"
Greve Sanchez stopped Randolph's pleasantries. This guy got nervous as soon as he dealt with people; he had just squeezed his hand until it hurt during the handshake.
He was a bit worried that Levi's hand might be crushed by Randolph!
"Yes, yes, please come in, both of you," Randolph hurried to invite Levi and Graves into the workshop.
Walking into this small workshop called the Black Forest Broom Company, Levi couldn't help but frown. It was called a company, but this company was far too small!
Counting Randolph, there were only four people in this company: one was Randolph's wife and assistant, and the other two were Fairy Alchemists.
When Levi walked into the Alchemy Workshop, the two Fairy Alchemists were still demanding their wages from Randolph's wife.
"Pay up now, or I'm quitting!"
"Exactly! Pay up! Pay up!"
The two Fairies were jumping up and down, surrounding Randolph's wife and demanding money with faces full of impatience, looking as if they might leave for good at any moment.
"This... sorry to let you see this!"
Randolph said to Levi and Graves with a look of embarrassment.
He hadn't expected that even though he had just told the two Fairy Alchemists before leaving that he would pay them their wages immediately,
the moment he returned, these two Fairies would start acting up and demanding their pay!
Levi ignored the two Fairies. His eyes flickered with silver light as he entered Source View and looked at the semi-finished Firebolt on the table.
Although it hadn't been waxed, oiled, or lacquered yet, the current semi-finished Firebolt was already similar to the Firebolt in his memory!
Only in Source View, many runes were not yet stably connected. If one really rode such a broomstick, it would probably explode in the sky!
"...So the current problem with the Firebolt is the conflict between the speed control runes and the magic power source runes, right?"
Levi suddenly asked Randolph. As soon as the words left his mouth, not only Randolph but even the two FairyAlchemists demanding their wages were stunned!
Graves looked at these people with a face full of pride, shouting in his heart:
Haha! Scared you, didn't he!
Popped your eyes out, didn't he!
This is Levi Keynes, the great inventor of the hero king game console!
Whatever fastest broomstick in history, the Firebolt, is just a matter of a glance in front of Levi!
Chapter 193: Technology and Management
"Mr. Levi Keynes, do you mean to say you have a solution to this problem?"
Randolph, the designer of the Firebolt, widened his eyes and asked Levi with a hint of urgency in his voice.
"Of course," Levi nodded. He hadn't expected the Fireboltto be so close to completion.
As long as this crucial problem was solved, it would be nearly ready for production and market release!
"Then..." Randolph wanted to ask Levi how to solve it, but felt it might involve trade secrets and didn't know how to broach the subject.
"Let's step aside and talk!"
Levi smiled and exchanged a look with Graves Sanchez. Hearing Randolph's words, he knew that the subsequent investment talk wouldn't be difficult at all.
"Alright," Randolph said, nodding. Even with his social anxiety, he could sense the atmosphere. He glanced at the two debt-collecting Goblin Alchemists and finally agreed.
The three entered Randolph's office. Without much effort, Levi convinced the socially anxious Randolph to accept his investment.
For thirty thousand Galleons, plus serving as a Technical Consultant to solve the Firebolt's technical issues, Leviacquired a sixty percent stake in the Black Forest Companyand its products as his investment.
The wizarding world didn't have complex shareholding mechanisms; simply put, for every Firebolt sold in the future, Levi would receive sixty percent of the profit.
Levi even held sixty percent ownership of the Fireboltitself, the fastest broomstick in history.
After signing a magically binding contract, the relationship between Levi and Randolph became much closer.
This was evidenced by the fact that Randolph was no longer as nervous when speaking to Levi.
"Levi, then I'll have to trouble you to explain to me how to resolve the conflict between the speed control and the magic power source runes!"
Randolph, the technical geek, asked Levi with a face full of eagerness.
"Alright," Levi replied without hesitation. He took out paper and pen and immediately began demonstrating how to resolve the conflict right in front of Randolph.
As soon as Graves Sanchez heard the explanation, he felt like he was listening to a book written in a foreign language. After a thought, he didn't stay in the office; instead, he went with Randolph's wife to deal with the Goblin Alchemists who were threatening to resign.
"...So that's how it is! I see! Why didn't I think of that!
Levi, you truly are a genius! No wonder you could refine the hero king game console! What a brilliant idea!"
Randolph solemnly put away Levi's lecture notes, having reached a sudden realization, and spoke with excitement.
Through Levi's explanation, the manufacturing of the Firebolt no longer held any mysteries for him.
The fastest broomstick with the best performance in history would soon be released to the world!
"That's good," Levi put down his quill and smiled.
He truly was a technical geek capable of inventing the Firebolt—he was smart enough. If it were an ordinary person, Levi would have had to expend much more effort explaining the technology.
With the technical problem solved, Randolph finally remembered he hadn't even served tea to Levi.
However, Levi stopped Randolph's fussing and brought up another matter.
"Those two Goblin Alchemists want to resign?"
Levi looked into Randolph's eyes and asked, "Can you tell me what's going on?"
Randolph's old face turned red. He sputtered for a long time before explaining to Levi:
"...The original budget was sufficient, but I didn't expect the Fairies to be so insatiable!"
"The two of them repeatedly demanded raises. Unfortunately, the metal components for refining the Firebolt cannot be made without Fairy Alchemy Skills!"
"So the expenses exceeded the income, and I couldn't pay the two Fairies their exorbitant wages!"
"But don't worry, Levi. With your investment and technical support, I can guarantee the Firebolt will be out very soon!"
"Once we have the product, we'll have a steady stream of profit!"
Randolph said a great deal to Levi, which was quite a feat for a socially anxious technical geek.
If he weren't worried about Levi withdrawing his investment, he probably wouldn't have used up a whole month's worth of words today.
Levi became thoughtful after hearing this.
When he observed the Firebolt prototype earlier, he found that even with his Alchemy Talent, he couldn't see through the specially encrypted Fairy Alchemy.
This was a special barrier between races; it wasn't a problem that could be solved simply by having enough talent or powerful technology.
But where talent and technology fell short, management could solve the problem. Levi stopped his musing and asked Randolph:
"Randolph, for the subsequent production of the Firebolt, will you need to hire more Fairies?"
"And are you planning to pay all these Fairies the same high wages?"
Hearing this, Randolph fell silent for a moment. He didn't answer but nodded.
He had just calculated that if he hired ten Fairies to produce the metal parts of the Firebolt, it would likely consume a large portion of the costs. To prevent the price from being too high for the Firebolt to sell, the profit margins would be squeezed very thin.
Although he was a technical geek, he was equally sensitive to numbers concerning money and profit.
"In my opinion, how about this," a mischievous smirk appeared on Levi's face as he began to explain to Randolph:
What is meant by Tiered Wages, what is meant by Competitive Placement, what is meant by Bottom-out Elimination, what is meant by KPI, what is meant by using management to deal with ordinary employees, and what is meant by Using Barbarians to Control Barbarians!
Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged Fairies are everywhere in the wizarding world!
Levi hadn't read those business management books at Hermione's house for nothing; he had now practically evolved into a qualified capitalist!
It was lucky the two Fairies outside couldn't hear Levi's words, or they would be wondering how to hang him from a lamppost!
"Yes, yes, exactly! Levi, you truly are a genius!"
Randolph once again uttered the words that Levi was getting tired of hearing!
He jumped three feet high in excitement, his face flushed red, and a wide grin stretched from ear to ear!
Randolph was naturally full of resentment and anger toward those two Goblin Alchemists who kept demanding raises and caused his capital chain to break.
But he had no choice. The Firebolt's metal components required Fairy Alchemy Skills, so he had to repeatedly swallow his pride and agree to their unreasonable demands for higher wages.
Now, hearing Levi's "extremely advanced" management methods, he felt as if a weight had been lifted, and his mind suddenly cleared!
"Levi, I didn't expect that besides being an inventive genius, you would also know so much about management!"
"How about you stop being just a Technical Consultantand become the General Manager of our company!"
Randolph invited Levi with sincere words, completely oblivious to the fact that Levi was only a twelve-year-old young wizard.
"I'm afraid not, I still have to attend school!"
Levi shook his head with a smile, declining Randolph. His new partner was clearly lightheaded with excitement!
Chapter 194: Hosting the Grangers
"Alright, your wages will be issued to you immediately, but the method of payment will have to change in the future!"
With the experience shared by Levi, Randolph immediately applied it to the two Goblin Alchemists.
Unfortunately, Levi could no longer see this scene; he had already left the Black Forest Broom Company with Graves Sanchez and found the Grangers and Professor McGonagall in Diagon Alley.
"Let's go! Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger, Hermione, and Professor!"
Levi said to the Grangers and Professor McGonagall.
"What do we need to do?" Mr. Granger looked around nervously; he was both curious and fearful of all kinds of strange magic.
"Don't worry, Mr. Granger! It's very simple, please follow me!"
Levi said with a reassuring smile to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, leading them to a deserted corner and opening the Bestiary's gate of light.
"Mom, Dad, look, it's like this, just come inside!"
Hermione also demonstrated personally, stepping into the gate of light and appearing inside the Radiant Forest, then waving from the other side of the gate to signal Mr. and Mrs. Granger to enter.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger glanced at Levi, then at Professor McGonagall, and walked in under their encouraging smiles.
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, please stay inside with Hermionefor a while; you'll be able to come out soon!"
Levi signaled them to relax, and after putting away the Bestiary, he and Professor McGonagall immediately performed Apparition.
A Wizard's method of spatial movement, no matter which kind, is not very friendly to ordinary people.
When Levi first followed Professor McGonagall in Apparition, he vomited uncontrollably.
If Mr. and Mrs. Granger were to Apparate with them, they would probably vomit up even their bile!
A moment later, Levi and Professor McGonagall returned to the Castle Manor. Once the gate of light opened, Mr. and Mrs. Granger followed Hermione out.
"Are we here already? Is this your home, Levi?"
Mrs. Granger asked with a look of wonder.
She felt as though their family had just chatted for a while in that beautiful forest, and they had already arrived!
"That's right, welcome to my home, Mrs. Granger!" Levisaid with a welcoming smile.
Hermione and Mr. Granger, who had just stepped out, were also curiously sizing up Levi's castle and the recently renovated estate.
"Such a large piece of land, and the scenery is beautiful, but it's a bit sparsely populated!"
Mr. Granger looked at the shimmering lake at the foot of the mountain and felt that this was a picturesque place, perfect for a vacation.
However, looking left and right, he couldn't see any other buildings besides the castle in front of him, which led to his comment about it being sparsely populated.
"Merlin's magic house! Levi, you're actually living in a castle!"
Hermione said in amazement; if she didn't know Levi's background, she would have thought he was some kind of aristocrat!
"Of course! After all, to host our Highness Hermione, nothing less than a castle would do!"
Levi said with a laugh, only to be met with a playful roll of the eyes from Hermione.
While chatting, the group entered the castle under Levi's lead. The Three-headed dog Fluffy had long been recalled into the Bestiary by Levi to guard the three Dark Wizards.
So when they entered the castle, besides the magic puppets crawling and rolling around, there were no other living creatures in the Castle Manor.
Actually, that wasn't quite right. The cat-lover Hermionejoyfully hugged her feline master—little Purrloin—and, despite Purrloin's helpless expression, rubbed against her like a fanatic, absorbing cat energy!
"Little Purrloin, it's been a long time. Did you miss me?"
Hermione held little Purrloin up high and asked like an obsessed fan.
Purrloin couldn't help but roll her eyes. It hadn't been that long; she had clearly seen Hermione just before Levi's holiday started.
She still remembered Hermione suggesting she go stay at her house; if she hadn't slipped away quickly, she might have been carried off!
Seeing little Purrloin's helpless expression, Levi, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Professor McGonagall, and the others all smiled.
Entering the castle, although the Grangers had heard Levimention that this was a dilapidated castle he had renovated, they couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed seeing the unfinished state of the interior!
They had thought the interior of the castle would be magnificent and elegantly decorated!
"It's perfect that you're here, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. You can give me some suggestions. How do you think the interior of the castle should be decorated?"
Levi asked Mr. and Mrs. Granger, his eyes glancing at Hermione, who was playing with Purrloin.
Hadn't he intentionally left the interior decoration unfinished just to wait for Hermione's arrival?
"Then you've found the right person!"
Hearing this, Mr. Granger immediately broke into a smile and said:
"When your aunt and I got married, the decoration of our home was designed by her!"
"Although it's not quite her profession, don't worry, Levi. Your aunt and I will definitely design your castle to be beautiful!"
Mrs. Granger was also very excited. Decorating such a large castle was a rare challenge and incredibly thrilling!
"That's great. I'll leave it to you and Mrs. Granger then!"
Levi nodded, glanced at the sky outside the window, and said casually:
"It's almost noon. Let me prepare lunch for everyone!"
As soon as he said this, everyone looked at Levi, their eyes clearly conveying the same thought: Can you even cook? It won't be some kind of dark cuisine, will it?
Levi immediately felt underestimated. Rolling up his sleeves, he said with full energy and confidence to Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Professor McGonagall:
"Just you wait and see! Prepare to be amazed; it'll be so delicious you'll want to swallow your tongues!"
"Hermione, stop holding little Purrloin and come give me a hand!"
Hearing this, Hermione also thought cooking sounded interesting. She agreed, put down Purrloin, and followed Levi into the castle's kitchen.
Seeing this, Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Professor McGonagall couldn't help but look at each other. As elders, they couldn't help but worry that they might go hungry at noon!
The same concern appeared in Hermione. Although she only knew how to bake cookies, she had seen a pig run even if she hadn't eaten pork, so she naturally knew what a kitchen should look like.
But the kitchen in Levi's castle could only be described as utterly bare; besides the four stone walls, there was nothing!
"Levi, is this the kitchen? You didn't lead me to the wrong place, did you?"
Hermione asked Levi in shock.
Had she known Levi's kitchen looked like this, she and her parents should have finished lunch at the Leaky Cauldron!
"Hermione, how can you look at me, a magic chef god, with the eyes of an ordinary person! With a wave of a wand, won't the food just appear!"
Levi puffed out his chest, a look of feigned smugness on his face.
"Setting aside when you got the title of magic chef god, Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration states that magic cannot create food out of thin air!"
Hermione said expressionlessly, holding back a retort. She knew that if this guy Levi didn't cause trouble for a day, he'd feel uncomfortable all over!
She would be happy even just gnawing on dry bread with Levi, but her parents and Professor McGonagall were still waiting in the castle's main hall for the meal to start!
She wanted to see exactly where Levi, this magic chef god, was going to conjure food from!
"Underestimating me, aren't you! Tell me, what delicious food do you want to eat? I'll conjure it for you right now!"
As he spoke, Levi opened the System Shop. Today, he was going to show little Hermione what a magic chef god was!
"Give me a charcoal-grilled Tyrannosaurus Rex!"
Seeing Levi's confident look, Hermione knew he must have some preparation she didn't know about.
Her clear eyes darted around, and a playful smile appeared on her face as she suddenly said to Levi.
"Uh..." Levi's confident smile instantly froze on his face.
Chapter 195: Cultivating Hermione
In the end, Hermione didn't get to eat the Charcoal-grilled Tyrannosaurus Rex she had been longing for!
However, Levi bought a whole roasted lamb from the Shopas the main course.
He also bought various regional specialties from around the world, setting up a large table of dishes to warmly host Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Professor McGonagall.
"Levi, what dish is this? It's so crispy, sweet, and sour—delicious! It's clearly made of pork, yet it has such a unique flavor!"
Mrs. Granger asked Levi while picking up a piece of Guo Bao Rou with her fork.
"Auntie, this is French-style Syrup-infused Soft-fried Fragrant Pork Chop!"
Levi made up a name on the spot, speaking with a smile he could barely suppress.
Mrs. Granger took him at his word, nodding and praising him.
"Levi, you're such a clever and skillful child; you even know how to cook French cuisine!"
"It's alright, I just happened to learn it by chance!"
Levi was all smiles, accepting Mrs. Granger's praise without reservation.
But as soon as Hermione saw Levi's expression, she knew he was talking nonsense and couldn't help but reach out and pinch his waist.
Feeling the pain, Levi quickly turned to look at Hermione, asking with his eyes: 'What are you pinching me for?'
Hermione replied with her eyes as well: 'What do you think? You're not allowed to lie to my mom! Tell me quickly, where did you get all this food?'
Levi understood Hermione's look, and a smug smile immediately appeared on his face as he replied with his eyes again:
'I told you I'm a magic chef god, of course I conjured it with magic!'
Hermione understood Levi's look and was instantly speechless.
Professor McGonagall tried a Snowy Cotton Bean Paste; its wonderful texture and deliciousness made her nod repeatedly.
She was also wondering where Levi had learned his cooking skills, to be able to make such unheard-of and unseen delicacies!
However, with such culinary skills, there was no need to worry that Levi would go hungry living alone in the castle.
"Hoo-hoo~"
A strange cry came, and Professor McGonagall looked toward the sound, noticing Rowlet, whose appearance was quite different from other owls.
"Levi, is that your owl?"
Professor McGonagall asked, pointing at Rowlet.
Before Levi could answer, Hermione spoke up first:
"Yes, Professor, that's Levi's owl. It gave me a real fright when it delivered a letter to me this morning!"
"It looks so unique and exceptionally cute. I don't know where Levi found it, but I suspect it might have some Magical Creatures blood!"
Hearing people discussing it, Rowlet raised its round head and tilted it, letting out a hoot:
"Hoo-hoo~"
"Listen, even its cry is different from other owls!"
Hermione said happily to Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall glanced at Rowlet and then at Nami the Cat Thief, and couldn't help but say to Levi:
"Levi, I won't ask you where these two little animals came from!"
"However, I must remind you that when using your owl to send letters, you must be careful about the impact. Such a unique owl is very likely to attract the attention of Muggles!"
Upon hearing Professor McGonagall's words, Levi nodded quickly; he hadn't thought of that before.
However, it wasn't much of a problem. He rarely sent letters to contact people, so Rowlet's work wasn't frequent and was mostly limited to flying within the magical world.
Once he loaded the communication function onto the hero king game console, Rowlet's role would be like Purrloin's, returning to being a Pokémon itself.
After a lunch that could be called a gluttonous feast, Leviand the Grangers saw off Professor McGonagall.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger began touring Levi's castle, while Levi took Hermione to practice magic.
"Levi, those magic puppets I saw earlier, did you refine all of them?"
Hermione asked Levi curiously.
"That's right," Levi nodded, leading Hermione into the Alchemy Room and saying,
"Hermione, since you're here, why don't you learn Alchemywith me?"
Hermione's eyes lit up instantly. She never refused when it came to learning; even if Levi hadn't mentioned it, she had been planning to ask him.
"That's great! I mean, of course! So, do we start now?"
Hermione looked around here and there, finding everything novel. She had long wanted to learn Alchemy with Levi.
"If you're ready, we can start now!"
Levi said to Hermione, leading her to the Alchemy Table.
"I promised Professor McGonagall before that I would refine a cat-sized lion puppet for her. You can observe and learn from the process!"
"Refining through Alchemy is divided into four steps: Black, White, Red, and Yellow. Black is the Black Preparation Stage, where you prepare the Alchemy materials..."
Levi entered teaching mode, and Hermione lived up to her reputation as a top Gryffindor student.
Even though her Alchemy talent was only an A-grade in Levi's eyes, she could quickly master any knowledge he explained.
The reason Levi went to such lengths to invite Hermione to his home was not just to build a relationship with the little Hermione.
Before the holidays, he had decided to train Hermione and guide her toward becoming an Arcanist as well.
But Hermione wasn't a 'cheater' like him. With his talent and system, he had successfully completed all preparations and become an Arcanist in just one school year.
While refining his Spell Template and becoming an Arcanist had been easy for him, for Hermione, being able to complete the transition before graduation would already be the result of her intelligence and hard work.
Becoming an Arcanist requires meeting several conditions. Because there is no basic magic Web, Wizards in the Harry Potter world who want to become Arcanists often need to start from zero and climb up bit by bit.
Mastering advanced Alchemy is one of the conditions for transitioning to an Arcanist.
In addition, Levi planned to gradually teach Hermione how to control highly emotional magic and learn the Ancient Magic he developed, Forced Calm.
By using cold, mechanical logic and wisdom to drive magicthat normally relied on emotional triggers, she would gradually gain complete control over it, thereby entering the Source View.
He also wanted the little witch to accept the worldview that the world is an alchemical object, thoroughly realizing that the world itself is composed of magic, runes, and soul emotions.
Levi thought to himself as he watched Hermione study seriously.
Only by gaining this irreversible perception could one truly accept the extraordinary profession of Arcanist.
"I guess I've officially taken on an apprentice, even though I'm still just an Arcane Apprentice myself!"
Levi thought self-deprecatingly.
Besides training Hermione, he also had to renovate his home and try to establish the prototype of a wizard tower!
That would be a massive project, and knowledge regarding the wizard tower was not cheap!