Chapter 291 Unexpected Events
Although Draco Malfoy failed the trial, the young wizards still rushed to enter the trial classroom one after another.
Now everyone knew that the key to passing the second stage lay in seizing the time to complete the tasks of the first and second acts.
The earlier the completion time, the more villagers saved, the stronger the repaired defenses, and the greater the possibility of passing the third act!
Just like getting a game guide, even though Ginny Weasleyand Draco Malfoy both failed, these young wizards still felt, "If I go up there, I can do it too."
Then, they learned that they really couldn't!
The Werewolf and Banshee that appeared in the third act of the second stage were truly terrifying!
Needless to say much about the Werewolf, the malnourished Werewolf Lupin had already taught Harley a harsh lesson when Harry Potter was in his third year!
It was just that the Werewolf golem designed and forged by Levi, besides being able to transform into a Werewolf, did not possess infectivity.
Otherwise, every single one of these young wizards coming to take the trial would be infected with the Werewolf blood-source Curse and go squat in the sewers with Lupin!
Moreover, the Werewolf designed by Levi had a thoroughly sneaky tactic.
Before launching an attack, it would even deliberately maintain the form of an ordinary person, blend into the village, approach the young wizards, and when launching the attack, transform instantly and burst forth with sudden violence!
As for the Banshee, which had only made a few brief appearances in the original work, it was even more terrifying to the extreme!
This dark spiritual magical creature native to Ireland and Scotland had a hazard rating as high as XXXX in the Ministry of Magic!
It belonged to the category of extreme high risk, a terrifying dark spiritual magical creature that required professional Wizards to handle.
The Banshee looked much like a female ghost, with its distinctive features being pitch-black long hair reaching the ground, a skull-like face, skin with a sickly greenish tint, and tattered clothes, flying back and forth in the air and howling to launch pounces!
Moreover, they were not ordinary ghosts, but dark spirits with self-awareness, not the wandering souls of the dead.
Its core ability, the Death Shriek, was a terrifying sonic magic sufficient to be fatal; hearing the howl could directly cause death, with an effect similar to the scream of an adult Mandrake!
The wailing golem refined by Levi was of course similar in attack power to the Banshee.
However, this was ultimately just a trial; of course it was impossible for Levi to let his golem go on a killing spree inside Hogwarts!
After power adjustment, all young wizards who heard the Banshee's wail would fall unconscious and be judged as having failed the trial.
Once teleported out, they would wake up immediately, the whole process approximating Stupefy.
Even so, an accident happened in the end:
The second-year demolition expert, Gryffindor's Seamus Finnigan, had faced a Boggart head-on during his first year and knew that the thing he feared most was a Banshee.
He had also learned the Spell to deal with the Boggart—Riddikulus, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten past the first stage.
But when he truly faced the Banshee head-on, the Riddikulus Spell failed, and he simply didn't know how to cope.
Intense fear made him lose his footing, and when the Banshee pounced over, he actually rolled his eyes and was scared unconscious right on the spot!
A student was sent to the Hospital Wing because of the trial matter!!!
The matter of Seamus Finnigan fainting instantly caused an uproar in Hogwarts!
Many people were whispering and discussing, especially that Old Bat who coveted the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor position, who was even secretly clamoring:
"Shouldn't the trial classroom be shut down and Levi Keynes stripped of his Professor position?!"
Fortunately, at this time, Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall both expressed strong support for Levi.
And Seamus Finnigan had just been startled; as soon as he was sent into the Hospital Wing, he woke up under the treatment of Madam Pomfrey.
As the person involved in the fainting incident, Seamusvery responsibly stated that all of this was not the trial classroom's fault, but rather that his courage was too small, and he had actually been scared unconscious by a Banshee!
In the future, he would definitely study magic carefully, find the Banshee's weak point, and strive to pass Professor Keens's trial!
With Seamus's statement, plus the fact that the person involved was only scared unconscious, along with the support of the two Headmasters, no matter how much others clamored and wagged their tongues, the whole matter ended up fizzling out.
Levi had not appeared to make a statement throughout the entire incident; he knew that the more he said, the more trouble there would be.
Furthermore, he didn't care about this trivial matter at all.
He knew the trial he designed himself; it was simply impossible for any casualties or accidents to occur. Apart from being frightened into a frenzy, the young wizards would at most jump into the water and get all wet!
"Truly, ugly people make a fuss over nothing, and the emperor isn't anxious, but the eunuchs are!"
After the whole incident ended, Levi appeared and gave a sarcastic reply. Although he didn't mention any names, everyone guessed who he was talking about.
Even if someone couldn't guess who that person was, the livid face of Professor Severus Snape at the staff table told everyone the answer.
It was absolutely impossible for Levi to let the trial classroom be abolished. Even when this school year ended, he was prepared to propose to Headmaster Dumbledore to keep the trial classroom and continuously train the young wizards' practical combat abilities.
This was not only for the young wizards' own good, but more importantly because Levi discovered that as long as the trial classroom continued to exist, every time a young wizard completed a trial run, he would reap Academic Credits through the professor mod.
In this way, how could the trial classroom still be just a place to train practical combat?
It was clearly a laying hen that continuously produced golden eggs of Academic Credits!
It made Levi even want to set up another trial classroom, but when he thought about the Academic Credits and Galleons required to set up a trial venue,
coupled with the fact that there were only so many young wizards in Hogwarts, and once everyone finished testing, only the first-year young wizards would actively participate each year, Levi gave up the idea of setting up another trial venue.
"However, after these young wizards defeat the Snake Monster, subsequent plot expansions can be carried out on this basis, preferably presenting the entire King of Heroesstory game!"
Levi already had an overall plan in his heart. The only pity was that in his past life, he had never played IP games adapted from Harry Potter.
Otherwise, where would he need to make up any King of Heroes? He could just copy the Harry Potter story directly and update the version once a year!
After planning things out regarding the trial classroom, Levi kept it in mind and stopped paying further attention to it.
Serving as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professorand setting up the trial classroom—the whole matter had already entered the right track, and Levi didn't need to worry too much about it anymore.
He was ready to shift his attention to other matters. Although the good times were long, he still had many things to be busy with!
Chapter 292: The Crypt Caves
In the Compendium Space, Levi slowly ended a round of meditation.
Just moments ago, Levi had re-recorded the Zero-circle Cantrip—Forced Calm.
After Tower Spirit One and tower spirit no. 2 synthesized and deduced data from various sources,
the Zero-circle Cantrip—Forced Calm—re-recorded by Levi was not only more powerful but also consumed less mana.
Furthermore, once the spell's effect wore off, there were no side effects of emotional backlash. It could be said to have perfectly achieved the effect Levi desired.
"This is only the beginning. In the future, about every seven days, the Tower Spirit will be able to help me deduce and perfect a Spell Template for a Zero-circle Cantrip."
"With twenty Spell Slots for Zero-circle Cantrips, it will take about half a year. That means by the end of this school year, I can perfect all of my Zero-circle Cantrips."
Levi calculated the time needed to perfect the Spell Templates and suddenly felt it was still too slow!
"If it were only Zero-circle Cantrips, this timeframe would be acceptable. But I also have First-circle Arcane Spells, which are far more complex than Zero-circle Cantrips."
"To deduce and perfect a single First-circle Arcane SpellTemplate, even with both Tower Spirits computing in tandem, it would take at least a month!"
"At this rate, a year and a half will pass, and the good times will slip away with it!"
"It's ultimately still too slow. Besides, I also want to break through to become a Second-circle Arcanist, and I still need to conduct research and transition into a Bloodline Warlock."
"So, should I create another Tower Spirit?"
After thinking it over, Levi decided to give up on the idea. Slow was fine, but making another Tower Spirit right now was simply not cost-effective!
The most critical material for creating a Tower Spirit is a soul crystal, and it has to be at least a top-grade soul crystal.
Tower Spirit One and tower spirit no. 2 were both made from top-grade soul crystals.
If not for Teacher Voldemort's generous contribution, the soul crystals alone would have cost two hundred thousand Academic Credits.
Within the Shop MOD, the highest grade of soul crystalavailable for exchange was Epic-grade.
A single Epic-grade soul crystal cost a whopping five hundred thousand Academic Credits, but a Tower Spirit created with an Epic-grade soul crystal would have a computing capacity at least ten times that of Tower Spirit One!
Spending five times the Academic Credits to get ten times the computing power—if he had a choice, Levi would naturally prefer to use an Epic-grade soul crystal to make a Tower Spirit.
But the problem was, Levi couldn't produce five hundred thousand Academic Credits right now!
If he used a top-grade soul crystal worth one hundred thousand Academic Credits to make a Tower Spirit, it would be highly uneconomical.
"I'll just have to trouble Teacher Voldemort a bit more, while I take all the credit!"
Giving up on the idea of making a Tower Spirit, Levi turned his attention back to Teacher Voldemort's Horcruxes.
Teacher Voldemort's remnant souls were of extremely high quality. Basically, every Horcrux could be used to produce a top-grade soul crystal.
Currently, Headmaster Dumbledore had tom riddles diaryin his possession. Levi only needed to ask for it back to make another soul crystal.
"But how should I bring this up with Headmaster Dumbledore?"
Levi fell into deep thought. After pondering for a long time, he still couldn't decide whether to tell a small lie or just speak the truth.
"Forget it, I won't think about it. Headmaster Dumbledorewill have to find me sooner or later to continue destroying Horcruxes anyway. There will always be an opportunity then!"
Putting aside what he couldn't figure out, Levi simply busied himself with other matters.
Leaving the Radiant Forest, Levi traversed through the Compendium Space and finally arrived at the edge of a large lake.
By the shore of the large lake was a raised mound. After searching around the mound, he found a massive cave that was taller than a person.
The entrance of the cave was sealed shut by a giant boulder. With a wave of Levi's hand, the boulder was pushed aside, and he walked inside with practiced familiarity.
*Snap!*
With a gentle snap of his fingers, a sphere of Dancing Lights illuminated, floating around Levi to light his path ahead.
The narrow, rugged dirt path of the cave sloped further and further downward. The deep darkness felt as though a giant beast were lurking, ready to devour all living things.
Yet Levi didn't feel the slightest bit of fear; instead, he hummed a tune in a very good mood.
*Thud!*
Casually kicking the petrified corpse of a giant rat aside, Levi couldn't help but frown slightly and mutter:
"Should I emphasize hygiene to the Basilisk?"
"Even if there are too many giant rats to finish eating, they shouldn't be left here blocking my path!"
That's right. The place Levi was heading to now was the underground cave specially created in the Compendium Space for the Basilisk to live in.
Inside the cave, dark tunnels branched out in all directions, inhabited by plump giant rats that served as food for the Basilisk.
However, the Basilisk possessed a lethal petrifying gaze, which inadvertently turned these rats completely to stone.
There were too many petrified rats for the Basilisk to eat, but leaving them scattered everywhere blocked Levi's way in and out of the cave.
Deep within the Crypt Caves, in the center of the sprawling tunnels, the Basilisk was coiled up, digesting its food.
It had never expected that after changing masters, it would live such a blissful life. There was simply too much food to finish!
Those fat, plump giant rats that burst with juice at a single bite were absolutely delicious to it!
The Basilisk was even too lazy to go into the large lake above the cave to catch fish. Just the endless supply of giant rats had made the entire Basilisk quite fat.
Fortunately, Levi had specifically cleared out a massive cavern in the center of the underground cave for the Basilisk to live in. Otherwise, the chubby Basilisk might have gotten stuck in a tunnel one day.
*Rustle, rustle.* In the dark and silent cave, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed.
The Basilisk instantly grew alert, but quickly relaxed, lowering its massive head perfectly as if bowing in obedience, and asked:
"Master, is that you?"
Because it often chatted with Levi, the Basilisk had even learned to use honorifics!
"It's me," Levi hissed in Parseltongue, his eyes scanning the Basilisk with the help of the Dancing Lights.
"You've gotten fat!?"
The pronunciation of Parseltongue was truly awkward, and Levi found it quite uncomfortable. When speaking to the Basilisk, he tried to be as concise as possible.
"Master, here is good! Rats, can't finish!"
The Basilisk replied blissfully. With the dark and damp environment and the endless supply of plump rats, it felt like this place was absolute heaven!
Though it didn't actually know what heaven was!
Levi looked at the fat snake before him, his lips twitching slightly, his expression exceedingly bizarre.
No wonder there were so many rat corpses left behind. Looking at the fat snake in front of him, it was almost as round as a giant wax gourd. Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a mutated Basilisk!
"I need your blood!"
Levi stated his purpose for visiting the Basilisk as concisely as possible, while simultaneously raising his guard.
Even though he possessed Parseltongue, even though his Magical Creature Affinity had reached maximum level, and even though he could ignore the Basilisk's petrifying gaze,
Levi still didn't dare lower his guard in the slightest when facing a Dark Magical Creature like the Basilisk, let alone when doing something like drawing its blood, which could harm it.
"Okay, Master!"
To his surprise, the Basilisk was incredibly cooperative. Like an obedient puppy, it closed its eyes submissively and exposed the area with the least scale protection to Levi.
In truth, the Basilisk was also a little scared, as it didn't know how much blood its master wanted to draw. However, its master's command was absolute, and it wouldn't resist in the slightest!
Looking at the puppy-like snake in front of him, Levi smiled and relaxed.
Taking out a prepared syringe, he lifted a scale, pricked the skin, and drew a vial of blood.
"Alright, I've finished drawing the blood. You can open your eyes now!"
Facing the obedient, fat snake, Levi's tone softened a bit, and he was willing to use the awkward Parseltongue to chat with the Basilisk.
"Master, are you finished?"
Opening its eyes, the Basilisk couldn't help but ask curiously.
With its massive size, it hadn't even had time to feel any pain before it was over!
"Yeah," Levi nodded. He reached out to stroke the Basilisk's massive, scaly head, saying as he patted it:
"Ah Guai, I have to say, you really need to pay attention to hygiene!"
"As the saying goes, 'the cave is my home, keeping it clean depends on everyone.' Look at your own home—you don't even keep it clean!"
"If another Basilisk saw this, wouldn't they laugh at you? It would be so embarrassing!"
"I'm talking to you, did you hear me? Next time I come, if you..."
Perhaps because he had become a teacher, or perhaps because he viewed himself as the Basilisk's parent,
Levi's nagging went on and on. The Basilisk enjoyed its master's petting, listening intently at first, but before long, its eyes began to spin like dizzy spirals!
What on earth is Master talking about? I don't understand at all!
Chapter 293: Blood of the Basilisk
After nagging the Basilisk to pay attention to its hygiene and satisfying his urge to talk, Levi left the underground cave in high spirits, carrying the Basilisk's blood with him.
Over the past period of time, Tower Spirit One and tower spirit no. 2 had collaborated to collect data on bloodlines and genes to a level sufficient to support experiments.
For his research on bloodlines, he also had Slytherin's bloodline experiments available for reference.
"The research into bloodlines and class advancement to a Bloodline Warlock can finally begin!"
Levi entered the small alchemy laboratory he had specially built inside the Compendium Space, preparing to analyze the Basilisk's blood first.
"With both science and magic working together, I refuse to believe I can't crack the secrets hidden within magical bloodlines!"
Levi muttered to himself as he mixed his pre-prepared Potion with the Basilisk's blood and placed it inside a centrifuge.
As the centrifuge began to spin, anticipation shone in Levi's eyes.
The Potion mixed with the Basilisk's blood was a special type of Potion Levi had personally developed.
Its sole effect was to gently dissolve the Basilisk's blood, making it easier to separate its different components upon dissolution.
By layering the blood through the centrifuge, Levi hoped to explore the secrets of the Basilisk by studying the distinct layers of its blood.
He even planned to take his research on Basilisk blood a step further by attempting to hatch a Basilisk himself. He wanted to investigate how a Basilisk is born during the process of a toad hatching a rooster's egg, and how its petrifying magic comes into being.
The bloodline transformations involved would undoubtedly provide him with extraordinary inspiration!
"My working conditions have certainly improved. How could Slytherin have ever possessed a centrifuge as advanced as mine?"
Watching the centrifuge spin, Levi reviewed Slytherin's bloodline research in his mind.
By reading the memories of Voldemort's remnant soul, Levi had obtained manuscripts of part of Slytherin's bloodline research.
In his view, Slytherin's bloodline research experiments could be divided into two main parts.
The first part was a delusion of instant mastery: by fusing the bloodlines of various Magical Creatures, he hoped to grant Wizards immense power, allowing them to freely use the innate magical talents of these Magical Creaturesat will!
To this end, Slytherin conducted various sickening bloodline fusion experiments, creating all kinds of twisted and tragic test subjects, all of which ended in failure without exception!
After failing, Slytherin turned his sights to the bloodline research of the Basilisk, using the Basilisk's blood to undergo dangerous transformations to gain even stronger and more terrifying magic power.
Yet this could only be considered a minor success in Slytherin's bloodline research.
And even this small result was drawn upon by Voldemort, turning him into a hairless, noseless egg-headed monster while gaining even more fearsome dark magic power.
Levi, of course, would not walk the old path of these two failures, Slytherin and Voldemort.
However, the conceptual framework of Slytherin's bloodline experiments and Voldemort's successful practice still provided Levi with valuable ideas.
Namely, fusing the bloodline of only one type of Magical Creature and obtaining power through that single bloodline to attempt a class advancement to a Bloodline Warlock.
In Levi's eyes, this was a perfectly sound line of reasoning.
After all, isn't a Bloodline Warlock simply someone who delves deeply into an alien bloodline within themselves to gain power?
However, with the appearance of the Magical Creature Transformation MOD, especially the ability to transform into a magical dragon—the Silver Dragon—Levi changed his mind.
Fusing an external bloodline ultimately carried immense risk!
But if he extracted Silver Dragon blood while in the Magical Creature Transformation state and became a Silver Dragon Bloodline Warlock, wouldn't that be far easier and safer?
If he could actually accomplish this, he wouldn't even need to worry about organ rejection, because the blood possessing the Silver Dragon bloodline was ultimately his own blood!
The magical dragon he transformed into, the Silver Dragon, was far more terrifying than other Magical Creatures!
This was undoubtedly an extremely safe and highly promising approach, and everything Levi was doing now was in preparation to proceed along this path.
Realizing a class advancement into a Silver DragonBloodline Warlock was, in truth, far from easy.
Levi's plan was to first study the Basilisk's blood to figure out the magical principles behind the Basilisk's birth and locate the essence of its petrifying gaze, then attempt bloodline fusion experiments by combining Basilisk blood with the Dark Wizards he had captured.
Even if it failed, he wouldn't care in the slightest; his main purpose was to learn from the potential problems that could arise during bloodline fusion through this experiment.
Once he had a rough understanding of the difficulties in bloodline fusion experiments, Levi would transform into a Silver Dragon and draw blood from his Silver Dragon form.
Then, he would perform a fusion experiment between his Silver Dragon blood and human blood to observe how two bloodlines of the same origin fused together.
Both bloodlines shared the same origin, coming from Levi's own body—in fact, on a fundamental level, they were the exact same blood.
One blood type manifesting in two distinct states—Levi felt such a peculiar experimental subject would surely bring immense inspiration to his research, ultimately allowing him to complete the bloodline fusion experiment.
"Using my own blood (Silver Dragon) to fuse with my own blood (human), yet ultimately achieving a class advancement to a Silver Dragon Bloodline Warlock... I really am a genius!"
Levi thought to himself with delight.
He also knew that the beauty of a conceptual experiment was, in the end, merely a concept.
The experiment to advance class into a Silver DragonBloodline Warlock could not possibly go completely smoothly.
For example, right now, whether he could figure out safe steps for bloodline fusion experiments through the Basilisk's blood was a monumental hurdle in itself!
Fusing Silver Dragon blood with his human blood also had an uncertain future; what if the two bloodlines, due to sharing the same origin, produced no effect at all after fusing?
Wouldn't he have labored for nothing and ended up with nothing in the end?
Although this possibility was slim, it still raised Levi's vigilance, and he recorded it among the experimental precautions.
After the high-speed spinning of the centrifuge, the Basilisk blood Levi had extracted quickly began to layer under the action of the Potion's hemolytic agent.
Levi used different test tubes to collect each layer separately and injected a stabilizer into them to prevent changes in the different blood layers after separation.
"Everything is ready; all that's missing is the crucial final touch!"
"Let's see what differences these distinct blood layers show under a high-power microscope!"
Levi took a drop of Basilisk blood with a dropper and placed it under the high-power microscope he had spent a fortune to acquire.
Chapter 294: Secret of the Bloodline
To Levi's disappointment, under the high-power microscope, the stratified blood of the Basilisk showed only a pool of damaged cellular fluid.
It did not even look any different from ordinary cellular fluid!
"How can this be?"
Levi moved his eyes away from the microscope, unable to help frowning as he thought to himself.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, he observed the Basilisk's cells through the microscope once more and chanted in Parseltongue:
"Reveal your secrets to me!"
As the words fell, the stratified blood of the Basilisk under the microscope seemed to receive an order, emitting a faint glow. Patterns woven from strange textures manifested within the Basilisk's blood!
"These... these are all ancient runes!"
Levi stared in astonishment at the ancient runes revealed in the Basilisk's blood, feeling an itch in his brain as if he had caught a glimpse of a monumental secret!
As everyone knew, the Basilisk was an artificial dark Magical Creature created by the ancient Wizard Herpo the Foul!
In other words, the Basilisk was an alchemical creature created by Herpo the Foul through Life Alchemy!
Everyone knew this, which was evident from the fact that Basilisks could not reproduce naturally!
But if he shifted his perspective from the Basilisk to other Magical Creatures, or even Wizards, could the same apply?
Could Magical Creatures, or even Wizards, be the products of Life Alchemy created by some higher entity, or nature itself?!
With this doubt in mind, Levi immediately went to the Moonlight Forest. Relying on his extraordinary Magical Creature Affinity, he extracted a bit of blood from a Mooncalf and performed the same procedure.
But when Levi observed the Mooncalf's blood through the microscope, he was dumbfounded!
He had forgotten that it was only through Parseltonguethat he had made the ancient runes manifest in the Basilisk's blood before him!
Parseltongue could command all snakes, including magical serpent creatures, but a Mooncalf was clearly outside the scope of Parseltongue's influence.
"I really was confused from being so busy! If I wanted to draw blood, I should have drawn it from other serpentine Magical Creatures, or from Norbert!"
Relying on Parseltongue and the Dragon King's Crown, Levi could achieve total control over serpentine Magical Creatures and draconian Magical Creatures.
In other words, he could only cause the blood of these two types of Magical Creatures to reveal the essence of their bloodlines and manifest ancient runes before him.
Coincidentally, the bloodline research experiments he was conducting happened to focus on Basilisk blood and Silver Dragon blood.
Levi picked up a Firebolt and headed straight for the island where Norbert lived. Under the control of the DragonKing's Crown, he ignored Norbert's aggrieved eyes and extracted a large vial of Dragon blood.
That was the great thing about the Compendium Space; whatever Magical Creature's blood he wanted, he could just go there and draw it!
Returning to the alchemy laboratory, Levi performed the same procedure once more. With a Dragon roar, Norbert's blood revealed the secrets hidden within Dragon blood to Levi.
Unlike the ancient runes in the Basilisk's blood, which were clear and filled with artificial traces,
the ancient runes within Dragon blood were completely natural and exceedingly difficult to fathom.
Comparing the two, the ancient runes in the Basilisk's blood looked like a clear chain woven from runes; Levi even felt he could replicate it.
But the ancient runes in Dragon blood were all entangled together, yet weirdly harmonious, making it impossible to distinguish them, let alone replicate them!
"Is this the difference between something artificial and something formed naturally?"
Levi recorded his discovery in his experiment log and decided to temporarily abandon researching the natural runes of Dragon blood, turning instead to study the artificial runes of the Basilisk.
Still, he would not completely give up on the natural runes in Dragon blood, as this was a major discovery related to changing class into a Silver-Blooded Silver Dragon Bloodline Warlock!
He planned to hand the natural runes over to tower spirit no. 2 for analysis. Tasks involving repetitive computations to analyze complex structures were perfect for a tower spirit.
In the alchemy laboratory, Levi stripped the artificial ancient runes from the Basilisk's bloodline bit by bit.
To ensure the stripped artificial runes were complete enough, Levi extracted the Basilisk's blood multiple times to check for gaps and fill them in.
After repeating this several times, a complete chain composed of ancient runes appeared before Levi.
Fortunately, Levi had inherited the Ancient Rune knowledge of his teacher, Nicolas Flamel; otherwise, he might not have been able to recognize and decipher such a complex and lengthy rune chain!
"So that's how it is!"
Having understood the meaning of the rune chain, Levifinally comprehended how the Basilisk was created and how petrification magic came about.
He even felt that with this magical chain, he could easily replicate it and hatch a Basilisk with his own hands.
But that was not the point. The point was that if Levi could do it so easily, then back then, Slytherin—as one of the the Four Founders—must have also been able to use Parseltongue to obtain this bloodline essence hidden within the Basilisk's blood.
"In that case, why didn't Slytherin complete the Basiliskbloodline fusion experiment back then and become a Basilisk Bloodline Warlock?"
"Instead, why did he research performing a dangerous transformation through the Basilisk bloodline to gain stronger dark magic power?"
"Was he unable to, or did he not want to?"
Levi speculated in his mind; Slytherin's frequent failures in bloodline fusion experiments cast a shadow over his own upcoming experiments.
But even if the future was uncertain, the experiment still had to go on. Levi would never be held back by temporary difficulties and flinch from moving forward.
Since he had already mastered the essential runes within the Basilisk's bloodline,
then Levi's next experiment would be the most cruel, terrible bloodline fusion experiment—one that, if discovered, would force him to become a "rogue ninja"!
The rituals, Potions, spells, and so forth required for the bloodline fusion experiment did not require Levi to design or ponder.
He was crossing the river by feeling the stones; Slytherin's bloodline research experiment manuscripts had already laid out a clear train of thought for him.
He only needed to re-calculate and deduce with the tower spirit before he could replicate the bloodline fusion experiment.
"However," Levi hesitated when he reached this step.
A failed experiment meant a Dark Wizard would turn into a deformed monster at his hands and then be destroyed!
That meant he was going to kill someone!
Moreover, Levi was extremely curious: Slytherin had very likely mastered the essence of the Basilisk's bloodline, so why did he still fail in the bloodline fusion experiment?
Or had he actually succeeded, but hid the key step to success in the experiment manuscript?
"Regardless, I still need to conduct one experiment. Just one experiment might yield clues to the answer!"
Levi cast Forced Calm on himself and began preparing for the bloodline fusion experiment.
Chapter 295: Blood Fusion Experiment
According to Slytherin's experimental manuscripts, Levihad completed the preparations required for the bloodline fusion experiment.
He left the alchemy laboratory and came to the dark dungeon once reserved for the three-headed hellhound.
Three-headed dog Fluffy had been left by him at the Castle Manor as a big watchdog; the underground vault it was previously responsible for guarding had been converted by Levi into a dark dungeon.
The entire dungeon had been rebuilt by Levi using Magic-suppressing Stone. With the properties of Magic-suppressing Stone, it was suitable for imprisoning Magical Creatures, especially powerless Wizards who had lost their wands!
"Master!" x4
As soon as Levi walked into the dark dungeon, Umbridge, along with the three Dark Wizards she had previously sent to the Castle Manor to attack Levi—only to be counter-killed and captured by him—all shrank back, stood up, and greeted Levi.
These four Wizards were all under Levi's Imperius Curse, and due to their psychological trauma, they feared Levi to the extreme.
"Hmm," Levi swept his eyes over them, inspecting the four of them back and forth like one would choose piglets.
Who would be the best choice for the first test subject?
Considering that the first experiment was highly likely to fail, Levi's eyes lit up, and he simply picked Umbridge, with whom he had the deepest grudge!
"You! Come with me!"
Levi opened Umbridge's Magic-suppressing Stone cell door, letting Umbridge follow him out of the dark dungeon and toward the alchemy laboratory.
In the center of the laboratory, the Bloodline Fusion Magic Circle had already been carved onto the floor by Levi. Levidirectly ordered Umbridge to lie flat on the magic circle and not move no matter what happened.
"Yes, Master!"
Controlled by the Imperius Curse, Umbridge had absolutely no thought of resisting. Even though she was on a very eerie magic circle and about to face a miserable fate, she was incredibly submissive!
A trace of pity and hesitation couldn't help but flash in Levi's eyes. In truth, this was not the first time he had set out to kill someone.
During his first year in the Forbidden Forest, he had used a disguised Killing Curse to send Quirrell, who was possessed by Voldemort, fleeing in wailing agony.
But killing someone with the Dark Arts, and using forbidden Bloodline Modification to make someone's bloodline twist and die in painful struggles, were two completely different experiences!
Furthermore, Voldemort's life was incredibly resilient; without destroying all of his Horcruxes, Voldemort simply could not die!
This made Levi, who was killing someone for the first time across his two lifetimes, unable to suppress a physiological revulsion in his heart!
This kind of behavior—torturing his own kind to gain power—made Levi unable to help but ask himself:
"Is this right?"
By acting like this, what difference was there between him and those Dark Wizards who fell from grace for the sake of power?
As he thought, Levi suddenly smiled. He laughed at himself for being far too sentimental!
He used the three Unforgivable Curses smoother than anyone, and his heart never lacked the negative emotions needed to kill and torture. Yet now, he was flinching before killing Umbridge, this annoying pink toad?!
He was truly being too dramatic, too ridiculous!
To obtain the power of a Bloodline Warlock, to become stronger, was he really willing to give up his exploration of bloodline power?
Would he rather give up on the bloodline fusion experiment, refusing to take this shortcut, and choose a much more difficult path—even experimenting directly on himself?
Was he willing?
Levi was absolutely unwilling. At this point, it was merely killing someone!
Having made up his mind, there was not a shred of hesitation in his execution.
He picked up a knife and began carving strange patterns on Umbridge's body. These were receiving incisions made on the recipient to facilitate better bloodline fusion.
From head to toe, from chest to back, Levi's expression was incredibly focused, focused to the point of cold indifference.
Those silver-gray eyes, like cold metal, stared at Umbridge, as if he were not killing someone, but completing a perfect ritual, creating a perfect work of art!
After finishing the carving, Levi threw the knife aside and had Umbridge lie flat on the magic circle once more.
"M... Master, what... what are you going to do?"
Even under the control of the Imperius Curse, the instinct for survival still made Umbridge feel a trace of fear.
But Levi had no intention of answering. With just a single glance, Umbridge, who feared Levi from the bottom of her heart, dared not speak another word and obediently lay flat on the magic circle.
"Drink this Potion!"
Levi brought over a bottle of blood-red Potion and had Umbridge drink it.
This Potion also came from Slytherin's bloodline fusion experiment, and its main effect was to eliminate the conflict between the bloodlines of Magical Creatures and Wizards.
Even bloodlines between humans cannot be easily fused, let alone two vastly different bloodlines like those of Magical Creatures and Wizards.
According to the records in Slytherin's bloodline fusion experiment manuscripts, the inspiration for this Potion was the instantaneous bloodline change when a Wizardundergoes an Animagus Transformation, developed by mimicking the magical principles involved.
Levi, relying on his personal experience with Magical Creature Transformation, had improved this Potion.
His talent in Potions had reached the pinnacle of the current era. Coupled with modern medical research on rejection and blood fusion, improving this Potion was not particularly difficult.
After taking it, Umbridge would be able to fuse the Basilisk's bloodline much more easily in the subsequent bloodline fusion process, rather than dying from bloodline conflict.
Having Umbridge lie spread-eagled inside the inverted pentagram Bloodline Fusion Magic Circle, Levi poured the processed Basilisk blood onto the five points of the pentagram.
With a wave of his wand, magic power fell onto the magiccircle, and it instantly activated.
"It has begun, do not move!"
Levi ordered Umbridge. To be safe, five chains simultaneously emerged from the floor of the magic circle, locking Umbridge's neck, hands, and feet.
"Yes, Master!"
Umbridge had not yet realized what was about to happen to her, and was curiously watching the Basilisk blood slowly flowing toward her along the magic circle.
Levi, on the other hand, activated his Source View, observing the entire bloodline fusion experiment with a gaze that perceived the essence of the world.
The most critical part of the bloodline fusion experiment was the Bloodline Fusion Magic Circle carved on the floor.
The magic circle was also not Levi's sole creation, but a product he had adapted from Slytherin's experimental manuscripts.
However, Levi had also conducted research and secondary optimization, which further increased the success rate of the experiment.
By studying the Bloodline Fusion Magic Circle, Levi also discovered one thing: Slytherin had absolutely also found the ancient runes within the bloodline.
The function of the magic circle was to fuse the two ancient runes into one, achieving an essential interlocking of the runes, so as not to cause the bloodline fusion experiment to fail due to a conflict between the runes in the two bloodlines.
"Since Slytherin had already realized this and provided a solution, why did the first half of his experiments still always fail?"
Levi was completely baffled; he could only conduct the experiment in person and observe the entire process to find the reason.
Chapter 296: Experiment Failure
The processed Basilisk blood flowed along the bloodline fusion magic circle.
The moment it approached Umbridge, like crimson tentacles, it connected to the patterns of her scars.
In Levi's Source View, the streams of Basilisk blood seemed to come alive; the ancient magic rune chains within them, like little snakes, burrowed into Umbridge's body.
The runes representing the essence of Umbridge's soul, as if stimulated by something, began to distort wildly, frantically rubbing against and even tangling with the ancient magic rune chains of the Basilisk bloodline!
"Aargh~"
Umbridge atop the magic circle let out an extremely shrill howl, looking as though possessed by an evil spirit. Her body arched like a bow as she struggled violently upon the array!
"Silencio!"
Frowning, Levi waved his wand, silencing the painfully howling Umbridge, and continued to observe the bloodline fusion process with his Source View.
He could clearly see that the external Basilisk bloodline was fiercely clashing with Umbridge's own Wizardbloodline.
The various preparations made earlier for the bloodline fusion merely acted as a slight buffer amidst this violent confrontation.
By now, however, he could no longer call off the experiment, nor could he intervene in its progress. He could only intently observe the conflict and fusion between the two bloodlines.
As for the rest, it could only be left to providence and Umbridge's own luck!
To Levi's delight, as the two bloodlines clashed, the ancient magic runes representing the bloodline's essence gradually fitted together with Umbridge's own soul symbol during the struggle, slowly fusing into one!
"Looks like the experiment is close to success?"
"This bloodline fusion experiment isn't that hard, is it? Why did Slytherin keep failing?"
Levi, prematurely celebrating, thought delightfully to himself with a smile breaking across his face, beginning to imagine the scene of his own class change into a Silver Dragon Bloodline Warlock.
But immediately, Levi's smile froze on his face; he couldn't laugh anymore!
He saw that after the ancient magic runes of the Basiliskbloodline and Umbridge's soul symbol fused into one, they actually hadn't stabilized!
On the contrary, the Basilisk bloodline began devouring Umbridge's Wizard bloodline!
The ancient magic runes of the Basilisk bloodline gradually dissolved Umbridge's soul symbol as well, devouring and replacing it like a snake swallowing a mouse!
The terrifying turn of events startled Levi into taking a step back. He involuntarily withdrew from his Source View, only to see a horrifying monster appear before his eyes!
Umbridge atop the magic circle was gone. In her place was a monster covered in snake scales, with a snakelike face and a flicking crimson fork tongue, yet possessing humanlike limbs and facial features!
That horrific appearance—seventy percent snake, thirty percent human—was utterly terrifying and sickening!
It didn't look like something that should exist in a fairy-tale world like Harry Potter at all, but rather like a twisted monster from Cthulhu Mythos!
Levi couldn't help turning his head away, unable to bear watching any longer. He knew his experiment had failed, and he now understood why Slytherin's experimental manuscripts recorded so many failed attempts and the creation of so many twisted monsters!
Even though the Basilisk blood had completed its fusion with Umbridge's blood, the animality of the Basilisk blood instinctively devoured Umbridge's Wizard bloodline post-fusion.
The consequence was that the Basilisk blood distorted Umbridge, turning her into a twisted monster filled with bestial nature!
Such an outcome was certainly not the Bloodline WizardSlytherin had longed for, nor was it the Basilisk Bloodline Warlock Levi desired!
And so, Levi's first experiment ended in failure!
"Hiss, hiss, hiss~"
The Basilisk-ified Umbridge was now completely dominated by the animality of the Basilisk blood, and her soul symbol had been replaced by the ancient rune essence within the Basilisk blood.
Even the Imperius Curse spell Levi had cast on her had broken with this terrifying transformation!
"Good grief, even her psychological trauma disappeared, and now this gal actually wants to eat me?!"
Although Levi didn't want to see the Basilisk-ified Umbridge any longer, he didn't want to waste the results of an experiment either.
Helpless, he squatted down and carefully examined the Basilisk-ified Umbridge.
The pink toad had turned into an even more horrific snake monster; her human eyes were gone, replaced by slit pupils characteristic of snakes.
And in those slit pupils, there wasn't a trace of human emotion—only a snake's desire to feed and kill!
After a moment's thought, Levi fetched a pup of a giant rat and tossed it in front of the Basilisk-ified Umbridge.
When the rat pup's eyes met Umbridge's, the rat indeed began to undergo petrification.
With a wave of his wand, he tossed the dead rat away, standing in place as he watched the struggling, squirming Umbridge and fell into deep thought.
In a sense, the bloodline fusion experiment could be considered a success; Umbridge had indeed gained the power of the Basilisk bloodline, as her gaze now possessed the Basilisk's petrifying magic!
However, the experiment had truly failed as well!
If the animality within the Basilisk bloodline couldn't be resolved, and the Basilisk bloodline couldn't be prevented from consuming the Wizard bloodline, then the result of the experiment would only ever be a monster!
No matter how many times it was tested, this would be the only outcome.
Slytherin's bloodline research experiments had probably also undergone many attempts like this before he had no choice but to give up!
And this had nothing to do with how much Basilisk blood was fused; in essence, once Basilisk blood fused with a Wizard, it would consume the Wizard's soul essence!
"But how do I solve this problem?"
Ignoring the monsterized Umbridge, Levi stood in place, deep in thought.
Moreover, he was pondering another question:
"If I extract my Silver Dragon blood from my body and fuse it with my own Wizard bloodline, will the Silver Dragonblood devour my Wizard bloodline and my soul essence?"
"If I rush into experimenting, will I turn into a monster like Umbridge too? A dragon monster?"
Of course, without solving the issue of bloodline devouring, Levi would never experiment on himself; he was no mad scientist who disregarded everything for results.
"But how do I solve the bloodline devouring issue? There are no leads in Slytherin's bloodline experiment manuscripts, so I can only find the answer myself!"
Levi thought helplessly, yet felt thrilled inside—an experiment was an experiment, and being able to identify a problem was always better than failing to notice one!
Chapter 297: Failure Analysis
Levi waved his wand, knocked out the Basilisk-ified Umbridge, unfastened the binding chains, threw her into the underground dungeon, and locked her up again.
He extracted a large amount of blood from Umbridge, another Dark Wizard's blood, and the Basilisk's blood, bringing them to the alchemy laboratory for analysis.
Under the microscope, Umbridge's blood actually yielded to the control of Parseltongue, and even revealed ancient runes within the bloodline.
However, these ancient runes had merged with the soul symbols in the Wizard bloodline, tangled together like a ball of yarn, no longer clear and distinct as before.
Such a rune structure was indeed powerful, but it was like a building constructed from a haphazard pile of random building materials—it could collapse at any time due to an unknown reason.
Once it collapsed, for the Basilisk-ified Umbridge, it meant a total bloodline collapse; her body would turn into a puddle of mushy flesh, unable to even remain a monster!
"What on earth is causing the Basilisk bloodline to devour the Wizard bloodline?"
Levi stared at the bloodline after "fusion", sensing the dire consequences, and constantly pondered the reason in his mind.
Thinking it over and over, he couldn't figure it out, so he decided to conduct another experiment.
This time, however, he didn't intend to waste a valuable test subject, but prepared to use Basilisk blood and Wizardblood for a simple experiment.
Levi replicated the previous bloodline fusion experiment once again.
But this time, he placed the Basilisk blood and Wizardblood prepared for fusion under a high-power microscope, using his Source View and Parseltongue to make meticulous observations.
This experiment started out just like the previous one: with the help of the Bloodline Fusion Potion and the fusion array, everything went smoothly, and the two bloodlines began to fuse amid intense friction.
But soon, the ancient runes in the Basilisk bloodline and the soul symbols in the Wizard blood actually began to devour each other!
Moreover, for some unknown reason this time, the Wizardbloodline gained the upper hand and completely devoured the Basilisk bloodline!
Seeing this, Levi showed a look of wild joy, thinking he had found a possibility for the experiment to succeed.
But soon, just like in the last experiment, his smile froze on his face and he couldn't laugh anymore!
Under the Source View, the soul symbol that had devoured the ancient runes of the Basilisk bloodline seemed to be overloaded; after twisting and twitching wildly, it shattered with a bang.
The Wizard blood that had fused with the Basilisk blood also seemed to spoil, decaying into a puddle of foul-smelling liquid that made Levi sneeze from the stench!
"Achoo!"
Levi stepped back, waved his wand to clean up the spoiled fusion blood, and his expression couldn't help but turn ugly.
Such tragic experimental results were also recorded in Slytherin's bloodline fusion experiment manuscripts.
Slytherin had used live humans for experiments, and the results recorded in the manuscripts were far more tragic than what he saw now!
The person captured by Slytherin for the experiment directly turned into a puddle of rotten flesh and foul liquid, and throughout the process, the subject kept screaming and wailing!
Even Slytherin wrote in his experiment manuscript:
"Even though I am sufficiently cold-hearted and as indifferent as a snake, the screams and tragic state of Subject No. 73 still make me unable to help but feel pity!
Perhaps I should stop this sinful experiment of mine!"
Levi now shared the same thought as Slytherin, but this was only temporary.
Although the experiment was paused, Levi did not intend to stop thinking about the reasons for its failure.
He scribbled on paper, constantly recording possible reasons and various hypotheses that might have caused the experiment to fail.
These hypotheses did not come out of thin air; many were well-founded ideas he formed by combining the bloodline experiment manuscripts, modern medicine, and genetics.
Was it a hemolysis reaction?
Or was it a lack of magic intervention?
Could there be a Spell or Potion that could achieve peaceful coexistence between the two?
Or was bloodline fusion something that could only occur under the manipulation of Nature, whereas artificial execution would only bring adverse reactions?
No, this thought was completely wrong. If this thought were true, wouldn't Nature be equivalent to some metaphysical God?!
Levi's thoughts drifted far away. He thought of several successful "half-breed" cases in the modern wizarding world.
For example, the Half-Giant Hagrid, the half-Veela Fleur, the half-Fairy Professor Flitwick...
Although Giants and Fairies were both intelligent creatures, Veela were completely classified as Magical Creatures in magical categorization.
Human Wizards effortlessly and naturally gained the power within the Veela bloodline by combining with Veela, without any adverse reaction whatsoever.
Under the law of nature, mating and reproduction—such a simple act—could effortlessly complete the combination of bloodlines.
In contrast, Levi's bloodline fusion experiment required preparing Potions and drawing arrays, yet couldn't compare to natural mating. This left Levi deeply distressed.
But amid his distress, Levi felt that this was also a line of thought!
Of course, he didn't want to gain the power of Magical Creatures by crossbreeding with some creature.
Instead, he thought of the combination of sperm and egg—this cellular combination that allowed a fetus to be born and inherit the bloodlines of both parents might be something he could borrow for his bloodline fusion experiment!
"Two cells carrying the chromosomes of both parents fuse into a brand-new cell."
"Two bloodlines carrying ancient runes and soul symbols respectively fuse into a brand-new bloodline."
"But why is the combination of sperm and egg in the natural process so natural and smooth, while the combination of two bloodlines devours each other and ultimately leads to collapse?"
"Is it reproductive isolation, or a rejection reaction?"
Scientific knowledge gave Levi a different train of thought, but applying it to bloodline fusion in the magical field produced the opposite result.
This distressed Levi greatly; he couldn't think of the reason.
But he understood that as long as he solved this difficulty and found something that allowed the two bloodlines to combine like sperm and egg, his experiment would definitely succeed, allowing him to change class to a Silver Dragon Bloodline Warlock!
"However, combining my own Silver Dragon blood with my own Wizard blood, wouldn't that be equivalent to..."
Levi's expression turned odd at this thought. No wonder scientific experiments had ethical and moral constraints.
Even magical bloodline fusion experiments, if one thought deeply about them, were truly taboo and felt far too dark and twisted!
Nevertheless, the bloodline fusion experiment could be paused for now, and Levi would do more scientific learning and research next!
He felt that this might bring him more ideas and methods—perhaps a certain idea or method could allow the two bloodlines to fuse and enable his successful class transfer!
Chapter 298: I'm a teacher
"Levi, what book are you reading recently?"
In the Library, the little witch Hermione looked at the thick book Levi was carefully studying and asked curiously.
Levi closed "Reproduction and Embryo" in his hand, not wanting Hermione to see such adult knowledge, and replied casually:
"Researching some medical and genetic knowledge."
After hearing this, Hermione's face showed a look of surprise, and she asked strangely:
"Then are you preparing to be a doctor? Didn't you say you want to be an Alchemist in the future?"
Hearing this, Levi smiled and decided to chat with Hermione to relax himself:
"There is no contradiction between the two. Learning medical and genetic knowledge helps me better master Alchemy, such as life Alchemy and bloodline Alchemy!"
"Hermione, the reason why the servile thoughts and instincts of the House-elf you want to liberate are so deeply rooted—"
"It is precisely because ancient Wizards used life Alchemyand bloodline Alchemy to plant servile thoughts into the bloodline instincts of the House-elf, making them so difficult to change!"
After hearing this, Hermione's expression turned ugly, and she couldn't help asking:
"Then, does that mean to completely liberate the House-elf, one must undo the bloodline modification on them?"
"Levi, is it still possible to do this with current Alchemy?"
But Levi's answer made Hermione's expression change, because his next words were simply too cold and realistic:
"Why undo it, Hermione!"
"First of all, you must understand that even if current Alchemy can achieve this, once you do so, the first to oppose you will be the deeply servile House-elf!"
"They strongly resist the state of not having a master, and might even resent you because you want to lift their enslaved state!"
"This is a completely thankless task!"
Hermione certainly listened to Levi's words, but the little witch also had her distinct personality traits—unbending and daring to point out where mistakes lay:
"But being enslaved is not what the House-elf wants at all! What I mean is that they are now in a state of blinded thoughts, completely unaware that they are being enslaved, and need others to provide a help to them!"
As soon as Hermione said this, it had a bit of a naive progressive savior vibe, but Levi knew that Hermione truly wanted to offer a help to the House-elf.
Therefore, he patiently explained: "Listen to me finish, and then think about whether you should do this!"
"For so many years, the House-elf race has always existed as a vassal race of Wizards, and there is actually no room left for the House-elf to survive in the entire wizarding world."
"If they shake off the enslaved thoughts and lose their attachment relationship with Wizards, then how can the penniless House-elves, who are destitute and possess not the slightest bit of property, survive in the wizarding world?"
"Don't talk about finding a place to be self-reliant; Wizards cannot possibly allow a group of creatures wielding magicto break away from control and freely multiply in the wizarding world!"
"This is indeed a difficult problem," Hermione heard this, also closed the book in front of her, pondered for a moment, came up with a method, and said:
"But the House-elf has been enslaved by Wizards for so many years, shouldn't Wizards give some compensation to the House-elf?"
"With these compensations, the House-elf can become self-reliant and buy a piece of land to survive?!"
When she said this, she was also a bit uncertain. As someone from Britain, how could she not know about colonial history?
She certainly knew that if the House-elf wanted to survive in the wizarding world controlled by Wizards, they would have no choice but to accept the disguised enslavement of Wizards.
This was no different from the colonial people under the former rule of Great Britain; what was left for them was either to accept enslavement or to resist.
"Hehe~"
Hearing Hermione's words, Levi sneered and said with utter disdain:
"Hermione, I'm afraid you haven't been to the Ministry of Magic and seen the magical fountain in the hall!"
"You simply don't understand how arrogant the group of Wizards is. Have Wizards compensate the House-elves?"
"I can be certain that rather than giving compensation, they would rather start a war with the House-elf and fight until rivers of blood flow!"
"Wars involve bloodshed, Hermione. Can you accept how many people on both sides would die in a war between Wizards and the House-elf?"
Hermione imagined the possible outbreak of war and no longer argued. She couldn't accept even a single death, whether it was a Wizard or a House-elf.
Seeing that Hermione stopped talking, Levi then brought out the plan they had discussed before and said:
"That's why I proposed to you: rather than liberating the House-elf, it is better to change the enslavement relationship into an employment relationship."
"Advocate for Wizards to give the House-elf good treatment, stop arbitrarily beating and killing House-elves, and treat them as true lives."
"At the same time, without changing the House-elf's attachment to Wizards, the House-elf will still have room to survive in the wizarding world."
"And Wizards will only feel that they have acted out of kindness, without feeling that the House-elf has slipped out of control."
Hearing this, Hermione nodded earnestly after listening to the terrible consequences that completely liberating the House-elf might lead to, as recounted by Levi.
No matter how stubborn her personality was, she knew that the method proposed by Levi was the most appropriate middle-way approach.
"Thank you, Levi. Thank you for telling me these things. Otherwise, I wouldn't have realized that striving for good treatment for the House-elf is already the best degree of what can be done!"
Hermione looked at Levi with admiration in her eyes and said gratefully.
"No need to thank me, aren't we good friends? Besides, I am a teacher!"
Levi smiled smugly, his exercise book flickered and turned into a fan, and he fanned himself triumphantly as he spoke.
Harley and Ron were also finishing their homework along with Levi and Hermione. Hearing Levi call himself a teacher, Harley couldn't help smiling and correcting him:
"Levi, you are not a Teacher right now, you are a Professor! Our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor!"
"Never mind whether I am a teacher or a Professor," ignoring Harley's correction, Levi rolled his eyes in annoyance and asked the three of them:
"I want to ask the three of you why you haven't gone to challenge my test classroom all this time?"
"Are you not giving me, old Li, any face?"
Back when Draco Malfoy challenged the test classroom, Levi had already needled the trio with sarcastic remarks.
He still remembered that the three of them were emotional at the time, wishing they could immediately rush into the test classroom; why were they completely motionless now instead?
"Professor Keens, just wait and see. Me, Harley, and Granger will give you a surprise!"
Hearing this, Ron looked left and right, stretched his neck close to Levi, lowered his voice, and deliberately addressed Levi very formally as Professor Keens.
Hearing this, Levi immediately cast a suspicious glance at the trio. Being busy with research and experiments these days, he really hadn't paid much attention to the trio's actions.
It seemed that these three little lions adventuring through the plot together were secretly gathering intelligence, preparing to pull off a big one for him. He truly looked forward to it!
"All right then, I'll wait for your good news!"
Levi said with anticipation in his tone.
Chapter 299: Harley Takes on the Challenge
"That's all for today's class!"
"For the next class, you are to hand in a one-foot-long essay on how to identify a Werewolf, treat Werewolf bites, and defend against Werewolf attacks to consolidate your knowledge. Alright, class dismissed!"
Levi finished teaching the third-year young wizards their Defense Against the Dark Arts class and dismissed them.
Surrounded by the young wizards, just as he stepped out of the classroom, he was met with a crowd of second-year young wizards gathered outside the entrance of the trial classroom.
"What are you all doing here? Is someone taking on the trial?"
Seeing that there were many Gryffindor Wizards in the crowd, Levi asked Neville Longbottom, with whom he was quite familiar.
"Li... Professor Keens, it's Harley. He said he wants to take on the trial!"
Hearing Levi address him in front of everyone, Neville Longbottom stammered nervously. Remembering to address Levi formally, he replied stiffly.
"Don't be nervous," Levi said with a gentle smile to Neville. The Gryffindor Swordmaster never lacked true courage; he just lacked the proper guidance.
"Where is Harley? Since he's taking on the trial, why hasn't he stepped forward?"
Levi looked into the crowd. Right now, the second and third-year young wizards were packed together, tall and short, chattering incessantly, making it impossible to spot where Harley was standing.
"Harley, how are your preparations? Do you have the Alchemical Amulet and the Invisibility Cloak on you?"
In a corner of the crowd, Ron, like a knight's squire, was checking Harry Potter's equipment.
"How is your memory of the Potion brewing steps, Spells, and other knowledge I asked you to memorize?"
"Especially the Potion. If you can't brew it when the time comes, you won't be able to quickly complete the first act of the second stage!"
Hermione was also helping Harley prepare before he took on the trial.
If Ron was responsible for Harley's tactical training before the trial, then Hermione was responsible for his knowledge preparation.
"Don't worry, I've prepared everything!"
Harley replied to Hermione and Ron. The three of them had agreed to support each other and take turns challenging the trial. As the one with the strongest combat ability, Harley was to lead the way.
Seeing that Hermione and Ron wanted to say more, he quickly interrupted them:
"You two, stop asking. I think I heard Levi calling me!"
"Harley is here!"
The lively Weasley Twins spotted the trio just in time. The two of them, like a pair of tongs, hauled Harley out of the crowd:
"the Boy Who Lived has arrived, everyone make way!"
George and Fred, never ones to miss out on excitement, cleared the way like door gods and brought Harry Potterbefore Levi!
"My word, you've prepared quite thoroughly. To keep things fair, I won't say much. Have fun with the trial, Harley!"
Levi smiled as he sized up the somewhat nervous and awkward Harry Potter, stepping aside to clear the path into the trial classroom.
"O-okay," Harley replied somewhat awkwardly, but his attention was not on Levi at all.
He turned sideways, his eyes scanning the third-year Ravenclaw Wizards behind Levi in an extremely unnatural manner.
The location couldn't be changed, and the reason he chose this specific time was because of Harley's persistent insistence.
He was looking for the figure that haunted his dreams, that beautiful witch with a unique, exotic Spell!
Cho Chang was chatting with her two roommates when she looked up and saw the school's famous savior, Harry Potter, staring at her with a nervous expression.
"Isn't he about to take on the trial?"
"Why is he looking at me like that?"
Cho Chang, who was only a year older than Harry Potterand had barely any interaction with him, returned his gaze with a somewhat puzzled look.
"She noticed me!"
Harry Potter smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.
"Why is he still looking at me? Does he want me to encourage him?"
"Probably? Oh well, he is Junior Levi's friend, after all!"
Though Cho Chang was somewhat puzzled by Harry Potter's staring, she still took her roommate's hand and cheered for Harry Potter together:
"Good luck, Harry Potter! I hope you pass Professor Keens's trial!"
"She spoke to me! She actually wished me luck!"
A massive wave of happiness almost made Harry Potterfaint on the spot!
He grinned awkwardly, even forgetting to thank Cho Chang, chuckling like a silly boy.
Ruffling his messy hair, Harry Potter nodded vigorously, let out a loud nasal "Mhm," and dashed into the trial classroom without looking back.
Watching Harry Potter's departing figure, Cho Chang, as a girl who matured earlier than boys, also sensed a different kind of vibe.
"Do you think he likes you?"
Cho Chang's roommate and best friend, Marietta Edgecombe, suddenly put her arm around Cho Chang and whispered.
"Don't talk nonsense," Cho Chang's face instantly flushed red upon hearing this. She quickly covered Marietta Edgecombe's mouth, looking thoughtfully at the back of Harry Potter as he disappeared into the classroom doorway.
Stepping through the classroom door, Harry Potter felt as though he had entered another world.
He quickly gripped his wand and looked around nervously, even though the riverbank, which served as the opening of the trial, had never been dangerous.
Harry Potter was just afraid that Levi wouldn't play by the rules. If he got eliminated right at the start, he would become a laughingstock, and he would let down Hermioneand Ron's support!
Besides, the beautiful Cho Chang was watching him from outside the classroom. He absolutely had to pass Levi's trial!
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened. Harry Pottersuddenly felt his mood improve significantly, to the point where he couldn't help but want to laugh and Sing!
"According to the intelligence records, at the very beginning, the air is filled with Elixir of Euphoria, but that's not a big problem!"
Recalling the intelligence Hermione had summarized, Harley felt a sudden surge of joy, but also calmed down slightly.
Gripping his wand tightly, Harley walked forward briskly, not resisting the increasingly joyful emotion in his heart.
Although the Elixir of Euphoria could make one arrogant and conceited, the young wizards of Hogwarts across all seven years viewed it as a trap, but also as an aid.
The trap aspect went without saying—the contrast of facing one's greatest fear in a state of extreme happiness was enough to scare someone out of their wits.
However, the joy brought by the Elixir of Euphoria also made it easier for people to summon happy emotions and cast the Riddikulus Spell to deal with the Fear Golem that would appear next.
"This is the brilliance of the first stage designed by Levi. It's both a trap and a benefit!"
Recalling Hermione's strategy analysis of the first stage, Harley walked rapidly along the mountain path while summoning happy emotions in his heart, ready to cast Riddikulus at any moment.
Turning a corner, Harley indeed saw a "beautiful girl" lying unconscious in the grass by the roadside. If this were his first time taking on the trial, he might have been fooled like Wols.
But the first stage had been cleared too many times by others; the Fear Golem's disguise could no longer fool anyone.
Previously, some challengers simply ignored the "unconscious" Fear Golem.
But in doing so, the Fear Golem would follow the challenger from behind like a malevolent spirit, tapping them on the shoulder to entice them to look back!
Harry Potter had no desire to experience the terror of turning around only to find his greatest fear standing right behind him!
He directly cast a Levitation Charm, lifting the collapsed Fear Golem into the air.
Immediately after, he saw the Fear Golem transform from a girl who looked beautiful from behind into the black-robed Dark Wizard he feared most!
"Avada..."
"Riddikulus!"
The Fear Golem wanted to cast a fake Killing Curse to frighten Harry Potter, but Harry Potter used a Riddikulusto turn it into a clown riding a unicycle, which hilariously did a somersault and fell into the grass.
"Voldemort, you can't scare me anymore!"
Having defeated the Fear Golem, Harley couldn't help but think with excitement.
In his first year, facing the Boggart, Harry Potter still didn't understand who the black-robed Wizard he feared in his heart actually was.
But now, how could he not understand? The person he feared was none other than Voldemort, whom he had seen murdering his parents in his infancy!
The terrifying memory had always been hidden deep within his childhood memories, only to be awakened when he faced the Boggart.
But after his life-and-death struggle with Voldemortbefore Christmas last school year, Harley was no longer afraid of Voldemort!
Now, he only wanted to protect his peaceful magical life and safeguard his family and friends. Even if he had to face Voldemort again, he would have the courage and firm conviction to bravely charge forward!
Chapter 300: Chapter Three Hundred Already, Hurrah!
Having defeated the Fear Golem, Harry Potter passed Act One.
Checking the Alchemical Amulets on his body, Harry Potter walked along the mountain path toward Acts Two and Three.
"The pouncing Cornish Pixies don't do much damage; their main goal is to snatch the wand from your hand."
"What you need to be careful of are the iron clubs held by the Red Caps. If they actually hit you, even though Levi's restrictions prevent them from causing real damage, it will still count as a failure in the trial."
"In this stage, Levi is mainly testing the Shield Charm, but because of the presence of Alchemical Amulets, one can skip the hard work using Mage Armor."
Hermione's strategy analysis echoed once more in Harry Potter's mind, leaving him fully prepared for the upcoming stages.
As a heir to multi-generational wealth, Harry Potter could, of course, hang Alchemical Amulets all over himself like Draco Malfoy, forcing his way through Act Three with layers upon layers of Mage Armor.
However, Harley refused to do so. As the first person in the secret society to master the Shield Charm, he had practiced it to sheer perfection and had no need to rely on tricks.
"Besides, the trials were set up by Levi in the first place to improve the combat skills of us young wizards. Taking shortcuts would be wasting Levi's good intentions!"
"Even if it's just to defeat Voldemort in the future, I must face Levi's trials seriously!"
Grasping his wand tightly, Harley looked firmly at the Cornish Pixies and Red Caps flying out from both sides of the road, thinking resolutely in his heart.
By now, the young wizards of Hogwarts had also figured out Levi's purpose in setting up these trials.
There was no way it was just to give them a chance to skip homework, right?!
Just thinking about it made it obvious—as a Professor, Levi Keynes couldn't possibly have such a simple objective or go through so much trouble to set up a trial classroom!
"Protego!"
"Impedimenta!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Stupefy!"
Recalling Levi's purpose for creating the trials, Harley was filled with fighting spirit. Like a dueling swordsman, he stepped lightly and dodged skillfully, casting Spells effortlessly at the Cornish Pixies and Red Caps.
As a member of Gryffindor's house-point-losing trio, Harry Potter's most prominent talent was his combat instinct!
He walked as casually as if taking a stroll in a courtyard, holding up Mage Armor and Shield Charms while casting various spells effortlessly, repelling the Cornish Pixies and Red Caps with ease!
So smooth as if he had cleared the stage countless times, he passed the final act of the first stage with supreme ease!
"Awesome! Harley passed the first stage!"
Watching Harley pass the first stage on the large screen outside the classroom, Ron, who had previously served as a sparring partner, shouted excitedly.
Hermione was also all smiles. As the chief planner and walkthrough provider for Harley's trial, seeing her strategic ideas put into practice correctly by the challenger brought a deep sense of achievement to her heart!
"Tch, what's the big deal? When Scarhead faces the Werewolves and Banshees, he'll realize what true terror is!"
Draco Malfoy spoke disdainfully from the crowd. He was the one who had fallen at Act Three of the second stage, almost getting bitten by the Werewolf golem!
Inside the trial classroom, Harry Potter stepped onto the wooden bridge, tilted his head to dodge a flying arrow, and then, under the village chief's arrangements, began gathering herbs, brewing Potions, and treating the villagers.
"Harley, can he pull it off?"
Outside the classroom, Neville Longbottom stood beside Levi, looking at Harry Potter with worry.
As fellow sufferers in Potions Class, Neville was unable to study Potions properly due to his lack of self-confidence coupled with Professor Snape's abnormal teaching style.
On the other hand, Harry Potter was intentionally targeted and harassed by Snape, causing him to subjectively resist learning Potions.
It was no wonder Neville Longbottom was so worried. In his eyes, Harry Potter, who suffered so much trouble, probably hadn't mastered much Potion-brewing technique, just like him!
"Neville, don't let the Professor's attitude affect your own studies. Learning Potions knowledge is for yourself!"
"Although Professor Snape's teaching style leaves much to be desired, you shouldn't resist studying Potions!"
"Look, even though Harley gets targeted by Professor Snape, clearing this stage doesn't seem difficult for him at all!"
Levi stood right next to Neville, so he naturally heard Neville's concern.
Logically speaking, Herbology and Potions Class are like twin sisters; doing well in one course naturally boosts performance in the other.
However, the contrasting teaching methods of Professor Sprout and Professor Snape led to very different academic results for Neville.
When facing the warm and amiable Professor Sprout, Neville's grades in Herbology consistently stayed at the top!
When facing the hideous and repulsive Professor Snape, Neville's grades in Potions Class were a complete mess. During practicals, he was like a frightened little beast, constantly making mistakes!
As Neville's friend, Levi naturally hoped that Neville could stand tall and pull himself together in Potions Class.
Now with Harry Potter as an example, as fellow sufferers, Neville might be able to summon his courage, lessen his fear of Professor Snape, and improve his grades in Potions Class.
Gazing at the screen showing Harley brewing Potions and treating one villager after another, Neville's face couldn't help but show a complex expression as he said with a hint of longing:
"Yeah, Harley is so brave! Even brewing Potions can't stop him. I..."
The remaining words were as quiet as a mosquito's buzz, unheard even by Levi.
Levi couldn't help but turn his head to look at Neville, whose expression had turned resolute.
He didn't know how big an impact Harley's performance and his own words had on Neville, but he knew Nevilleseemed a little different now!
The trial continued. After healing the villagers, Harleyimmediately waved his wand and began casting various Mending Charms and Transfiguration Spells.
Houses turned to ruins were rebuilt, and low wooden fences transformed into stone walls under the effect of the Transfiguration Spells.
The entire village wasn't very large to begin with. As Harley walked along casting Transfiguration, he easily turned the whole village into a walled town!
"Phew... gasp..."
Casting continuous spells left Harley panting from exertion, but after drinking a large bowl of water, he still didn't forget to put on his Invisibility Cloak and hide himself.
"In Act Three of the second stage, the hardest part is the sudden attack of the Werewolf!"
"The Banshee can be completely dealt with using the Silencing Charm!"
"However, the Werewolves hiding among the villagers, who suddenly spring up during the chaos, are really hard to guard against."
"So to deal with the Werewolves, Harley, you'd better put on your Invisibility Cloak and hide yourself. While searching for the Werewolves in secret, you'll also prevent them from finding you!"
"That way, you can pass Act Three of the second stage!"
"I think in this stage, the spells being tested on Wizards should be the Disillusionment Charm and the Tongue-Tying Curse. The golems don't have the frightening contagiousness of real Werewolves or the lethal screech of Banshees, so it's actually quite easy to pass!"
Harley, hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, recalled Hermione's strategy analysis in his mind.
Recalling how Hermione had looked so relaxed, drinking tea while talking big, the sweat-drenched Harley only wanted to say four words:
"You do it then!"