Chapter 156: Cassandra's Astonishment and the Terrifying Number of Galleons!
Because in front of these windows, people were packed in long lines.
It was a sea of people.
All of these people were here to apply for cards.
After waiting in line for half an hour, it was finally their turn.
Arthur placed his money pouch on the counter.
"Hello, I'd like to apply for an Energy Card."
The staff member behind the counter nodded. "Please wait a moment."
Then the staff member began to count the Galleons. "They've been counted. Are you sure you want to store one hundred Galleons?"
Arthur nodded.
The staff member handed over a card. "Please input your magic into the card. Your magic will serve as your identity authentication. When using it, the card reader will recognize both the magic and the Energy Card. If they don't match, it cannot be used. A maximum of three magical auras can be stored."
Molly was somewhat surprised.
"It has a feature like this?"
The staff member smiled and said, "Of course. This is also to protect the security of your property. Only those who leave a magical imprint can use this card. This is the rule."
Moreover, the Energy Card needs to be used in conjunction with a card reader. Inside the card reader, there is a very special magical authentication process.
There is no possibility of theft or unauthorized swiping hazards; it is extremely safe."
Arthur looked at the card reader placed beside the counter.
His eyes were shining brightly.
This thing was interesting; he had never seen it before, nor did he know how it worked.
This gadget was also created by Darwin by combining Muggle technology and wizarding magic.
To be honest, making this thing really took a lot of effort on his part.
In this era, the development of technology had not yet reached its peak, so many things were actually imperfect. If placed in later generations, many things would be much easier to realize.
But in this era, it was truly exhausting.
For this reason, Darwin even acquired several technology companies in the Muggle world.
Just to manufacture these things.
Fortunately, for those researchers engaged in high-tech research,
in fact, many technical bottlenecks had already been overcome.
They just lacked an idea.
Darwin outlined this idea for them, and they only needed to work hard towards it.
That really saved a lot of trouble.
Wizards from the Rosier family and Wizards from the Worley family were transporting bag after bag of Galleons into the basement of the building.
Those were today's wealth, and they were busy having a blast.
These wandering Wizards were completely dumbfounded.
There were too many, truly too many. These Galleons were flowing into the vault like running water.
Where had they ever seen so many Galleons?
On the top floor, Cassandra was reporting to Darwin.
In just an hour's time, even Cassandra was shocked by the number of Galleons.
Cassandra stared with wide eyes at the compiled figures.
Her face was full of disbelief.
Darwin smiled and said, "What? Shocked?"
Cassandra nodded. "It's indeed a bit terrifying. In just one hour, over one hundred thousand Galleons have already been brought in. If things keep up at this momentum, our vault might not even be able to hold them all."
Darwin said, "It's not that exaggerated. The subsequent income will gradually slow down.
Applying for cards is just one wave. Afterward, with money already inside the cards, it won't come in this fast.
Besides, this is what we deserve in the first place.
Think about how much we paid to get to this step.
In three months, we laid out so many plans.
Furthermore, this is supported by the reputations of our two families plus the Saints.
Cassandra, remember one thing: sometimes, reputation is more valuable than commodities."
Cassandra nodded.
She hadn't fully understood this sentence before, but after this incident, she understood it as well.
Indeed, to be able to create such a massive commotion,
the reputations of the Rosier family and the Saints played a crucial role.
More accurately, it was Darwin.
Darwin held the moral high ground, so among ordinary Wizards, he was now the absolute the Savior.
Harry Potter was the Savior, true, but his title as the Saviorwas merely a legend.
Had he ever done anything?
Not really, but Darwin was different.
The persona Darwin had established and the things he was doing were meant to consider all Wizards and seek benefits for all Wizards.
If a person like this isn't the Savior, tell me, who is?
Therefore, it was precisely because of everything Darwinhad done beforehand that today's overwhelming popularity existed.
One could only say that every cause and effect is predestined.
Of course, what is meant to be in one's life will eventually be there; even if it wasn't meant to be, for Darwin, he would make it happen anyway.
Otherwise, wouldn't all those plans he laid out have been in vain?
Darwin drained the black tea in his cup in one gulp.
He smacked his lips.
"I'm tired of drinking this, Cassandra. Take some time to arrange for someone to make a trip to Great Xia and buy some Pu'er tea from Great Xia. I feel like I've put on some weight recently.
I need to clear out the grease, and buy some other teas from Great Xia as well.
By the way, check out the market in Great Xia and see if there's a way to establish some trade relations with them.
If possible, it paves a smooth path; if not, don't force it.
We can't afford to provoke Great Xia. Don't let Daniel go."
Cassandra nodded. "Understood, Your Grace."
Darwin put down his teacup. "Alright, it's time for us to go meet the heads of those pure-blood families. I suppose they must be getting impatient."
The corners of Darwin's mouth curled up.
Inside the fourth-floor VIP lounge,
just as Darwin had imagined,
the heads of these pure-blood families had long been unable to wait.
"Why hasn't Darwin come over yet?"
"Yeah, so many of us are waiting for him. What is he doing?"
Lucius took a sip of red wine and said, "Everyone, calm down. What thoughts you currently have—others might not know, but don't you yourselves know clearly?
If you''re anxious, you can leave first, but I suppose no one will actually leave, right?"
As Lucius's voice fell,
everyone went quiet.
Leave?
Only a madman would leave at a time like this.
This building and such huge profits—it wasn't like they couldn't see them.
Are you kidding? Leaving at this time would make someone a complete fool, wouldn't it?
They wanted a share of the pie.
At the very least, they had to get Darwin to let them play along.
After all, anyone could see by now that Darwin had pioneered a completely new business model.
This building was simply too comprehensive.
Who knows if other things will be added later?
By then, their businesses would all be impacted.
If someone else did this, these pure-blood families would teach that person how to behave.
But as for Darwin—let alone the constraints of the covenant, even if there were no covenant,
they wouldn't dare make a move against Darwin either.
They might dare to squeeze Darwin out or find ways to drive him out of Britain,
but they absolutely wouldn't dare act recklessly.
Ever since Darwin took over, the Saints had proven their strength. Truly, it was terrifying!
Chapter 157: Dimensional Reduction Strike, Countrybumpkin Wizards.
Lucius looked at these silenced pure-blood family heads.
He let out a cold, disdainful snort.
They were all pure-blood families, after all; who didn't know who?
Interests came above all else, and when they saw benefits, they ran faster than anyone else.
Yet when the benefits weren't enough, they suddenly remembered Slytherin's motto of protecting oneself wisely.
Therefore, for the pure-blood families, the Slytherin code they supposedly practiced had long since been wrong.
What Slytherin actually meant was to protect oneself wisely in the face of danger, and strive for interests while ensuring one's own safety.
But for today's pure-blood families, there were only interests in their eyes.
Most crucially, they still used protecting oneself wisely as an excuse.
That was to say, there was a reason why these pure-blood families were declining.
Shaking his head, Lucius couldn't be bothered to think about these things anymore.
What he was thinking about now was how much money he could make.
That is right, making money.
Lucius had made a massive gamble, buying up all the dragon blood from the dragon breeding farm, and even going to acquire dragon blood from other dragon farms.
Furthermore, he had signed a contract with a term of thirty years.
These thirty years were also pre-arranged between him and Darwin.
Thirty years of time was enough for Darwin to set up a large-scale dragon breeding farm and become self-sufficient.
After all, the dragons that could be used as materials actually had a much shorter lifespan than wild dragons.
Lucius had staked everything, just wanting Darwin to include him in the venture.
And now facts proved that Lucius's vision truly had not the slightest problem.
His foresight was truly formidable.
Although the gamble was huge, he had won.
From the moment Darwin's new energy appeared, he knew that this thing must be related to dragon blood.
Although on the energy cards, there wasn't the slightest trace of dragon blood's aura.
But Lucius just knew that this thing had to be related to dragon blood.
Otherwise, you couldn't explain where so much dragon blood had gone.
Nor could you explain where the source of this new energy actually was.
Of course, these matters had nothing to do with Luciuseither.
Lucius had no intention of investigating where the source of this energy was.
He only cared about how much money he could get a share of.
Sure enough, following Darwin could make money.
Just at this moment, the door to the VIP room was pushed open.
Darwin and Cassandra walked in.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting, there are quite a few things to handle."
A gentle smile was on Darwin's face.
All the pure-blood family heads hurriedly said, "We haven't waited long; Mr. Rosier is busy, and we can understand."
From this posture, one couldn't tell at all that just moments ago they were still cursing Darwin for making them wait too long.
Look at that, this world was just like this.
When you grasped things that everyone else coveted, they would become very amiable.
No matter how many problems there were, they were no longer problems here with them.
Darwin sat at the head seat.
He waved his hand and said, "Everyone, please take a seat."
After everyone sat down, Darwin said, "Everyone, I have never been a person who doesn't understand gratitude."
"When I first arrived in Britain, many matters could not have been done without everyone's help."
"I also know everyone's purpose today, and I am willing to cooperate with you all."
Darwin's voice fell.
The eyes of the pure-blood family heads present all lit up.
However, Darwin's tone immediately shifted right after.
"However, since we are cooperating, some rules must also be established."
Everyone furrowed their brows slightly, but no one spoke out, quietly waiting for what came next.
They were all slick old foxes; naturally, they knew when they should speak and when to keep silent.
They had also long passed the age of reacting intensely upon hearing just a few words.
Darwin said, "Everyone must have also noticed that this building is actually not quite complete right now."
"I still have some visions, it's just that they need some time."
"I am not afraid to tell everyone my true thoughts, or rather, my ultimate thoughts."
"I want to build a large-scale market, a market belonging to Wizards."
"Or more accurately, a shopping mall."
After Darwin finished speaking, Cassandra behind him distributed documents one by one to the pure-blood family heads.
These pure-blood family heads curiously flipped through them.
Then they were dumbfounded.
When had they ever seen such a thing?
Watching the reactions of the pure-blood family heads, the corners of Darwin's mouth curved upward.
Look at that, countrybumpkins.
How could these Wizards understand what a blueprint or a business plan was?
Lucius flipped through the document in his hands, astonished in his heart.
This thing was recorded clearly at a glance, and there were also pictures, various visions, and arrangements.
It could be said that with just one glance, one could understand the meaning Darwin wanted to express.
Darwin said, "The current Diagon Alley is too chaotic."
"The shops are chaotic, the arrangements are chaotic, and the internal environment of the shops is also chaotic."
"Therefore, it needs to be integrated. As everyone has also seen, the current location of the building is right in the central position."
"I am already negotiating with the Ministry of Magic and the Muggle government."
"To enclose a piece of land, Diagon Alley, and those surrounding Muggle-used lands."
"I am also contacting other shops within Diagon Alley."
"I will integrate all the shops into the shopping mall."
"Afterwards, the shopping mall will be expanded and its scale will be enlarged."
"By then, Diagon Alley will completely change its current predicament of not even being able to turn around when the school term starts."
"And this is a massive project, a major event that will affect every Wizard in Britain."
Davis Greengrass frowned and said, "However, will the Ministry of Magic agree?"
"And other Wizards, will they agree?"
"After all, those two streets, Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, are products of the Four Founders era."
"Will this cause opposition from some of the Four Founders' crazy fans?"
Darwin said, "I naturally know the history of Diagon Alleyand Knockturn Alley."
"At that time, Wizards had just gathered together."
"the Four Founders felt that they should give Wizards a place to trade to facilitate the circulation of resources."
"Thus, Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley appeared; Diagon Alley sold ordinary goods, and Knockturn Alleysold Dark Arts goods."
"This is a tradition, and even more so, the continuation of a spirit."
"However, the era of the Four Founders has passed for too long, hasn't it?"
"How many Wizards were there at that time, and what about now?"
"Everyone has seen the scene of Diagon Alley during the school term start season."
"People crowding against people, there isn't even a place to set foot."
"We must remember the contributions of the Four Founders, and we must keep the Four Founders' spirit in mind."
"Similarly, we must also abide by some traditions left behind by the Four Founders."
"However, tradition is tradition, but the times have changed."
"We need to change, the Wizarding World needs to change, everyone needs to change."
"This is not a betrayal of the Four Founders, it is simply an inevitability of the times."
"When the giant wheels of the times roll over, all we can do is change, or be crushed and eliminated by the times."
Chapter 158: Legalization of the Dark Arts?
The heads of the various pure-blood families fell silent.
Darwin continued, "Moreover, I have never said that I want to abolish Diagon Alley or anything like that.
Diagon Alley has the Confundus magic laid down by the Four Founders, and even after so many years, this Confundus magic has not weakened in the slightest.
This is something modern Wizards cannot achieve—an absolute zero-error Confundus Charm that guarantees Muggles can never set foot there.
Even Dumbledore cannot do it.
Therefore, Diagon Alley needs to be preserved, and the same goes for Knockturn Alley.
We are simply giving these run-down houses that have existed since the era of the Four Founders a more spacious and brighter location.
Do you know what parents from Muggle families worry about the most after sending their children into the Wizarding World?"
Everyone shook their heads, and Darwin paused and said,
"They worry whether their children, after returning to the Muggle world, will still know how to turn on the radio and the television.
Because in Diagon Alley, they saw the backwardness of the Wizarding World.
Well, someone might say this is the mark of the times.
However, no matter how good the modifiers are, it still cannot change its essence—it is very dilapidated, isn't it?
For many half-bloods and all Wizards from Mugglefamilies,
their first impression of the Wizarding World is Diagon Alley.
This is the face of the Wizarding World.
Everyone, imagine this.
You are dressed in a dazzling suit, attending various high-end balls.
You are dressed appropriately and are courteous.
However, your proud Wizarding World's core commercial street, Diagon Alley, doesn't even have a single decent-looking house.
I think this is a disgrace.
Therefore, this is one of the reasons why I decided to change Diagon Alley.
Secondly, it is for convenience.
Putting all the shops together and putting all the businesses together.
Whether for consumers or sellers, it is actually not a bad thing.
Because this can save a lot of trouble.
Moreover, everyone, why not turn the materials in your hands to the last page?"
Hearing this, everyone flipped through the materials in their hands, and soon turned to what Darwin wanted them to see.
Darwin said, "Although these survey results are all from the Muggle world, they are equally applicable in the Wizarding World.
Because we are all human beings.
According to the survey, people tend to get used to frequently going to places where certain shops are particularly concentrated so they can buy everything they need in one go.
Moreover, one shop can easily drive consumption in other shops.
According to the data, this drive will increase turnover by about thirty percent."
The eyes of the heads of the various pure-blood families lit up instantly.
Thirty percent.
They might not understand things like data, but they knew that was thirty percent more Galleons, and that was enough.
Darwin continued, "Furthermore, the existence of a shopping mall has another benefit.
That is, reputation.
Everyone must have seen the situation here today.
This is reputation; they trust me, and they feel that I won't cheat them.
Therefore, they are willing to exchange Galleons for energy cards.
And this is reputation, this is credibility.
If all the shops are integrated together, then this credibility and reputation will be shared.
Then, consumers will no longer have to worry about whether they will be scammed or whether they will buy inferior things.
After-sales service will also be guaranteed, so invisibly, sales will naturally rise again, and so will turnover."
The heads of the various pure-blood families had long been listening in a daze.
When had they ever heard of such things?
Everything Darwin said was brand new knowledge they had never encountered before.
They all felt like their brains were growing.
However, only three people in the room truly understood Darwin's actual meaning.
Lucius, Davis, and Hector.
Not to mention, younger brains simply work better than these old fogies.
They were able to extract useful information from Darwin's words.
And they could understand the true meaning Darwinwanted to express.
Furthermore, they could also know just how huge the profits in the middle were.
Hector Parkinson asked, "What do we need to pay?"
Hector asked the question everyone cared about.
Darwin snapped his fingers.
"Very simple, as I said before, I need rules—unified rules.
All shop merchandise will be supervised by the Rosier family, or rather, supervised by the mall.
In addition, the mall will also set prices, and the items sold must absolutely not exceed the prices set by the Rosier family."
The brows of the heads of the various pure-blood families furrowed instantly.
Unified pricing?
How can this control costs and profits?
Darwin naturally understood what they were considering.
He took the lead to say, "I understand your worries, but I can guarantee that you will definitely not lose money, and you might even earn more than you do now.
We can sign an agreement on this point.
A magical agreement!"
Everyone looked at each other in dismay. They had to admit that Darwin's words were truly seductive.
And they were indeed attracted.
Davis said, "Is that all?"
Davis always felt that Darwin's conditions were excessively generous.
Sure enough, Darwin continued, "There is another point, or rather, this point is the most important one."
Everyone pricked up their ears.
A flash of sharp light crossed Darwin's eyes.
"I want Dark Arts items to be legalized!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
"Legalize Dark Arts items? That's impossible."
"Yeah, apart from Germany, no country can legalize Dark Arts items.
This is set down by the Ministry of Magic."
"That's right, the legalization of Dark Arts items has too great an impact.
The Ministry of Magic won't agree to it."
Darwin's words instantly made everyone explode.
Darwin didn't speak, just quietly waiting for them to finish arguing.
Also not speaking, just like Darwin, was Lucius.
Lucius was currently thinking about the feasibility of this matter.
After thinking for a long time, he discovered a problem with surprise.
It seemed that this matter was not completely impossible.
Darwin said, "Everyone, why not continue listening to me."
Everyone quieted down.
Darwin said, "Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley are inherently one body.
The Ministry of Magic ordered strict investigations into Dark Arts products, but Knockturn Alley still exists—what does this explain?
This world has never been a single color.
Black and white are forever intertwined.
Moreover, whether it is the Dark Arts or white magic,
are the Dark Arts absolutely evil? Ask yourselves, whose home doesn't have some Dark Arts products?
The Dark Arts are evil and destructive, but are there no destructive things in white magic?
As for the problem everyone is worried about—the problem of the Ministry of Magic—
I think for us, this isn't actually a problem, is it?"
Chapter 159: Renovating Hogwarts?
"With numerous pure-blood families applying joint pressure, that Minister at the Ministry of Magic right now won't be able to hold out.
His eyes only hold his own power, nothing more.
Furthermore, everyone, think about it, if Dark Arts items were legalized, how much revenue would that bring to all of you?"
Darwin's tone was filled with enticement.
The crowd fell silent.
But their eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Because Darwin's words truly spoke to their hearts.
Dark Arts items were simply too lucrative.
Darwin said, "Everyone can go back and think it over first, because no matter what the plan is, it requires preliminary arrangements, doesn't it?"
After the group of pure-blood patriarchs left.
Cassandra finally couldn't help herself.
"Your Grace, I don't understand."
Darwin stood by the window.
Watching the retreating figures of those pure-blood family patriarchs.
Casually said, "What?"
Cassandra said, "These matters are actually things we can do ourselves.
Why bring them along? They should all be people ruled by us. Your Grace, you are too merciful to them."
This time, Darwin did not say Cassandra's thoughts were radical.
Instead, he said, "Cassandra, what you said is not wrong.
However, Cassandra, you need to think about one question.
We can indeed accomplish these things.
However, if our family truly accomplishes this matter, then what about afterward?
If any problems arise, we will become the target of public criticism.
Do you really think that the legalization of Dark Arts items has not a shred of risk?
Along the way, there are too many things that could happen.
To us, all of these are risks.
Therefore, we need someone to step forward and bear this risk.
But this person must absolutely not be us.
As for the conquest you mentioned, Cassandra, force has never been the most correct choice, nor is it ever the optimal solution.
We must use a more brilliant method, for instance, grasping the things they care about.
There is a saying in Daxia: winning hearts is paramount.
Do not overly rely on violence; that is the absolute worst choice."
Cassandra pondered Darwin's words.
Having followed Darwin for so long, she had actually improved greatly.
At least for now, there were some things she couldn't react to in the moment.
But after Darwin gave her a hint.
She could quickly understand.
Darwin stretched lazily.
"Alright, Cassandra, if you can't figure it out, think about it slowly.
Still the same saying, we still have plenty of time."
Darwin patted Cassandra's shoulder.
Cassandra nodded: "I understand, Your Grace. I will study hard."
Darwin smiled.
In fact, Cassandra's mindset had changed a lot.
This is a good thing.
At least for Darwin, this was a good thing.
You didn't have to guard every day against Cassandrasuddenly dropping an Weather Charm onto someone's head.
Darwin said, "Take the things we prepared and let's go back to Hogwarts. Since we asked for leave to come out, we should always bring some gifts for the Professors."
Cassandra nodded: "Everything is prepared, in the bag."
...
Evening, Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office.
Darwin sat on one side of the desk, with Dumbledoresitting opposite him.
Dumbledore wore glasses and carefully examined the desk lamp in his hand.
"What an exquisite design, Darwin.
You incorporated Alchemy in the middle, right?
And there is also Muggle technology. Most importantly, the energy source.
You seem to have created an extraordinary energy source that even I have never seen before.
It seems like a magic circle, but magic circles have already been lost to history."
Darwin's mouth twitched.
As expected, that old Dumbledore knew way too many things.
However, when he took it out, he actually wasn't afraid of Dumbledore seeing through it.
Slytherin had said that the defensive forces within Hogwarts were actually constructed using magic circles.
Darwin didn't believe that someone like Dumbledorewouldn't research it.
Therefore, being able to see the traces of the magic circle was completely normal.
Darwin said, "Professor Dumbledore, everyone has secrets.
Furthermore, this is a trade secret; inquiring about this isn't very appropriate, is it?"
Dumbledore smiled and said: "You are right, Darwin, I apologize.
But please forgive an old man's curiosity."
Darwin said: "Since you put it that way, I do feel that it really should be forgiven."
Dumbledore smiled and put down the desk lamp in his hand.
"So, Mr. Darwin, let's continue our previous topic. I want to install lamps everywhere in Hogwarts; what do you think?"
Darwin said: "A very nice proposal, but there is a new problem."
Dumbledore asked in confusion: "What is it?"
"Does Hogwarts have money?"
Dumbledore's expression froze.
Does Hogwarts have money? Naturally, it does.
The Board of Governors would allocate funds to be used as Hogwarts' food expenses and daily repairs.
These were all Hogwarts' money.
But this money was all budgeted out.
As for extra money, Hogwarts didn't seem to have any at all.
Darwin said: "I can help you calculate. According to what you said, installing them everywhere in Hogwarts:
corridors, the common rooms of the four Houses, as well as all classrooms, study rooms, Professor's offices, and so on.
Counting everything up, it would probably cost around seven thousand Galleons.
I suppose it wouldn't be so simple for Hogwarts to pull out this sum of money, right?"
Dumbledore said: "However, Darwin, you are a student of Hogwarts."
Darwin nodded: "Yes, I have never denied this point.
However, you wouldn't think that because I am a student of Hogwarts, I should install them for Hogwarts for free, right? That's not realistic, is it?"
Dumbledore fell silent.
It indeed didn't seem very realistic.
Dumbledore rubbed his nose.
"Alright, I suppose I need to contact the board of directors.
And have the board allocate some more funds."
Darwin said: "Then I shall await your good news. Of course, I will install some things for the Slytherin area for free.
After all, I am the leader of Slytherin, aren't I?"
Hearing these words.
A sharp glint flashed in Dumbledore's eyes.
"You are truly generous, Darwin.
I heard that you have frequently been going to the Ravenclaw common room recently.
It seems, Darwin, that you want to become the head of Hogwarts."
Darwin said: "I indeed have this thought."
Dumbledore smiled: "I feel that sometimes, if a path doesn't work out, it's better to put it aside for a moment.
Try taking another path first; for example, you could go take a look at the Gryffindor common room.
Perhaps you will find that this path is much easier to walk than you imagined?"
Darwin's expression remained unchanged.
But inwardly, he rejoiced.
As expected, Dumbledore knew about the Gryffindorleader trial.
Since he said that, it meant this trial held no difficulty for him.
Darwin said: "Alright, Headmaster, I will go take a look. Thank you for your guidance; you truly are a wonderful Headmaster."
Chapter 160 Gift!
Walking out of the Headmaster's office, the smile on Darwin's face gradually faded.
So, Dumbledore knew what the Gryffindor Chief's test was.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have hinted at himself like that.
Since he said so, this trial must be suitable for him.
Then, a new question arose: How did Dumbledore know?
Did he pass through it himself?
If Dumbledore had passed through it, he should have had no reason not to make it through.
After all, Dumbledore's strength back when he was in school had already surpassed too many people.
Or rather, he was already a chief back in that era.
It's just that no one knew, no one publicized it, and Dumbledore himself had never mentioned it.
Darwin felt that the possibility of this guess was very high.
But why?
Why wouldn't Dumbledore say it?
Why choose to hide it?
Darwin was puzzled; he really needed to go and see what the Gryffindor chief challenge was like.
Only in this way could he judge.
But before that.
Darwin still had some gifts to deliver.
At the door of Snape's office.
Darwin raised his hand and knocked on the door.
The office door opened.
The black bat Snape stood in the room, blending in very well with the environment.
If it weren't for Darwin's good eyesight, he really wouldn't have been able to see him.
Snape said: "Look who this is, the famous Lord of the Acolytes. Aren't you in Diagon Alley making your Galleons?"
What are you doing in my office?
"Oh right, you're still a student. I really hope you can remember that you are a student."
Obviously, Snape's offensive power was still as usual.
It made people angry and broke their defenses!
Darwin took a deep breath. Don't be angry, don't be angry.
That's his persona, don't blame him, don't blame him.
He was just a bullied Half-Blood Prince.
Half-Blood Prince, a somewhat funny title.
Thinking of this, Darwin wasn't angry anymore, and even wanted to laugh a bit.
Snape looked at Darwin, his brows gradually furrowing.
He felt that this student must be sick in the head.
Why did he seem quite happy even when he scolded him?
Darwin said: "Sorry to disturb you, Professor, I'm here just to bring you something."
As Darwin spoke, he took out the gift he had prepared for Snape from his bag.
And placed it on the workbench.
Snape glanced at it: "A cauldron? Do you think a PotionMaster can't afford a cauldron?"
Darwin said: "No, no, no, Professor, you misunderstood.
This cauldron can be considered the most comprehensive product we've researched.
It has a motherboard on top, allowing you to set the temperature, and it has a great seal. When processing certain materials that require special treatment,
it can completely seal the pot to achieve a high-pressure state, allowing for better material processing!
Besides that, it also has a timer function, so you can set it to brew automatically, and there is a stirrer inside.
It can perfectly replace a stirring rod.
I think this cauldron might save you a lot of trouble."
Snape was initially disdainful.
But listening to Darwin's introduction, he had to admit.
This pot was truly very useful for brewing Potions.
But who was Snape?
The representative of sharp tongue.
Would he say nice things?
Obviously he wouldn't!
Snape sneered: "What? Mr. Rosier, are you planning to expand your business to Hogwarts?"
Darwin said: "Think whatever you want, Professor. Maybe I just thought that giving this cauldron to you could serve as an advertisement.
I suppose Professor won't refuse me either. After all, I'm also your student, aren't I?"
After saying that, Darwin bowed slightly.
Then, he turned around and left directly.
Behind him, Snape looked at Darwin's retreating back.
And then looked at the smart cauldron on the desk.
The corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
But he quickly suppressed it.
He thought no one knew his mood at that moment.
In fact, Darwin really didn't see it.
However, Darwin never relied on observation.
[Ding, Severus Snape's favorability has increased. Current favorability: 24.]
Look, the system is more useful than observation.
What a tsundere Snape.
After leaving Snape's office.
Darwin went to Professor McGonagall's office.
What he gave to Professor McGonagall was a portable massager.
Professor McGonagall declined.
Darwin said: "Professor, accept it. Perhaps you can treat it as a Christmas gift I'm giving you in advance.
Christmas is almost here, isn't it?"
Helplessly, Professor McGonagall had to accept it.
Darwin personally taught her how to use it.
It had pretty much the same functions as those massagers of later generations.
However, Darwin integrated Alchemy into this massager.
Therefore, this massager had one more function than later ones.
When the massager's protrusions pressed down, the energy would be converted into magic power to stimulate the acupoints.
Darwin had tried it himself; it felt amazing.
It was similar to electrotherapy, but not as intensely shocking.
Professor McGonagall's favorability also increased, and the current favorability reached 38.
After that was Professor Flitwick's side.
Darwin hadn't really farmed favorability with this GoblinProfessor.
After farming it this time, the favorability only reached 16.
But Darwin was not in a hurry either.
For the last stop, Darwin went to find Professor Sprout.
Professor Sprout's favorability was stuck at 59.
And it had been stuck for a while.
Therefore, Darwin had truly prepared carefully for this person's gift.
There was no one in the office.
Darwin knew that since she couldn't be found in the office,
Professor Sprout must be in the greenhouse.
She truly loved her plants too much.
Arriving at the greenhouse, sure enough, Professor Sproutwas busy inside.
Her somewhat plump body was squatting among the plots.
With her head lowered, she carefully loosened the soil and watered the plants.
Every step was very slow, very light, and exceptionally meticulous.
Perhaps it was precisely because of Professor Sprout's attitude towards these plants that she could become a Herbology Master.
Seeing Darwin coming over,
Professor Sprout said: "Darwin? Why are you coming over at this time?"
Darwin said: "I came to take a look, Professor. Are you busy?"
Professor Sprout said: "Not really busy. You know, many herbs have strict requirements for temperature and humidity.
I need to come and take care of them often, otherwise, they will die.
This is meticulous work, and besides being meticulous, it's also a bit troublesome.
As I get older, my energy is obviously not as good as it was when I was young.
When I was young, I could take care of these plants all the time without feeling tired.
Let's not talk about that. Darwin, is there something you need me for?"
Chapter 161: Setting off, the Eighth-Floor GryffindorCommon Room!
Darwin said, "Originally, I wanted to give you a gift as an early Christmas present, but I kept wondering if it was appropriate. After listening to you finish talking about this, I feel that this gift of mine should suit you very well!"
Professor Sprout was taken aback.
"A gift? What is it?"
Darwin said, "I had my research team develop a bionic ecosystem. To be honest, it's not quite complete."
"Its only function is that it can store some simple magicspells within the system."
"For example, making it rain or drying the ground a bit, things like that."
"And it can regularly monitor humidity, temperature, and other such elements."
"And automatically adjust according to pre-arranged settings."
Professor Sprout was stunned for a moment, but then overjoyed.
"Really? Darwin, is it really as magical as you say?"
Darwin said, "Yes, Professor, but its functions are not yet completely perfected."
"You know, any product coming to market requires countless trials."
"It also requires data collection. Obviously, in this Wizarding World, besides you, there probably isn't anyone who can make this product collect the correct data one hundred percent of the time."
"This has been troubling me."
"So, rather than saying I am giving you a gift, it's more like asking you to help me perfect my product."
"I know this request is rather presumptuous, but I must ask you to accept this system."
"Consider it helping your student."
Hearing this,
a smile appeared on Professor Sprout's face.
"Darwin, you still have such a way with words. Since you've put it that way, I can only go along with you."
"So, Darwin, when do you plan to let me help you perfect your new product?"
Darwin smiled, "How about right now?"
Professor Sprout was taken aback: "Right now? Don't you need to prepare?"
Darwin shook his head, "No need, I've brought everything with me."
As he spoke, Darwin took out items one by one from a bag specially prepared with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
It was a masterpiece combining magic and Muggletechnology.
There were many things, very trivial and scattered.
Darwin began to install them. Although there were many things, installing them wasn't actually that troublesome.
After all, this is a magical world, isn't it?
One thing you have to admit is that magic is really useful.
At the very least, it can help you avoid a lot of trouble.
Soon, Darwin set up the new product.
Darwin began to introduce the usage method to Professor Sprout.
This thing wasn't difficult.
Therefore, Professor Sprout quickly figured it out.
Professor Sprout tried it out.
Her eyes lit up.
"Merlin, Darwin, you've come up with an extraordinary thing. For herbology planting, this thing is simply a miracle."
Obviously, this thing fit Professor Sprout's preferences far too well.
A smile also appeared on Darwin's face.
Because Professor Sprout's favorability rating had increased.
And it went up by several points, now reaching 63.
It seemed his efforts hadn't been in vain.
In fact, this thing was quite expensive to manufacture, and most importantly, it wasn't very easy to sell.
Therefore, when Darwin made this thing, it was purely to farm favorability.
Now it seemed his direction of effort was extremely correct.
Darwin said, "Professor, I'll be leaving first. I have other things to do. If there's anything inappropriate with this gadget or if any problems arise, you can find me anytime."
"I said before, this thing is not yet complete."
"Thank you for your hard work in helping me perfect it."
Professor Sprout smiled: "I will, Darwin, I really like this gift."
Darwin smiled and turned to leave.
Looking at the draw count x1 behind Professor Sprout's favorability on his system panel,
Darwin was very satisfied; his efforts hadn't been in vain.
Darwin wasn't in a rush to go back and do the lucky draw.
He intended to go do another thing first.
The Gryffindor Chief Challenge.
He wanted to go take a look.
He was simply too curious.
He really wanted to know what the challenge Dumbledorespoke of actually was.
Darwin walked directly towards the Gryffindor common room.
Inside Dumbledore's office,
Dumbledore stood beside the shelf, holding jerky in his hand and feeding Fawkes.
"Fawkes, do you think he can pass?"
Fawkes gave a soft chirp.
Dumbledore said, "Not really, Fawkes, actually I don't know either."
"Because I failed back then."
"Gryffindor requires courage."
"And I always felt that I had plenty of courage, but when undergoing the test, I realized that perhaps I was a coward."
"This is the reason for my failure, but do you know, Fawkes?"
"I feel that he might be able to do it."
"He has ambition, and a terrifying ambition at that."
"Precisely because of his ambition, he needs courage."
"Without courage, it wouldn't even be enough to support his ambition."
"However, even so, I still don't know whether he can pass."
"After all, that test is different..."
Dumbledore's voice grew quieter and quieter.
Not knowing whether he was reminiscing, sighing with emotion, or perhaps finding a reason for himself.
The eighth floor of the Gryffindor Tower.
Darwin's breathing was a bit hurried as he looked at the portrait of the Fat Lady in front of him.
No, what the hell, is Hogwarts poisonous or something?
Putting a common room on the eighth floor—
aren't you guys deliberately messing with people?
Moreover, the most crucial problem has arrived.
No wonder Gryffindor students like staying outside and rarely return to the common room unless it's to sleep.
If it were Darwin, he wouldn't want to come back either.
Isn't this just sick?
No wonder in the later stages of Hogwarts—
even that little fatty Neville slimmed down and became a lot more robust.
Climbing like this every day, it would be strange if he didn't lose weight.
Darwin was now beginning to understand the saying that Gryffindor students eat the most.
They really should eat more.
After all, climbing like this every day
takes quite a lot of effort.
Darwin took a deep breath, adjusting his breathing rhythm.
The Fat Lady said, "Child, don't rush, are you lost?"
"As a Slytherin student, how did you end up at the door of the Gryffindor common room?"
Darwin said, "Obviously, Madam, I need to go in."
The Fat Lady shook her head: "Obviously, child, I cannot let you in."
Darwin said, "But I know the password, pig's snout, right?"
The Fat Lady fell silent.
She spread her hands: "Please enter!"
Darwin didn't stand on ceremony either and walked right in.
The password to the Gryffindor common room was just too familiar.
This thing was written about way too much in the original work.
Passwords like the early dragon dung, the later pig's snout, subsequent honey-eaters, fortunes shining bright, and so on.
Darwin knew all of them.
Chapter 162: The Deity Projection, Gryffindor's Trial.
Therefore, for Darwin, Gryffindor's common room was completely undefended.
Gryffindor's common room and Slytherin's were simply two completely different styles.
The main color scheme of red and gold looked very cheerful and bright.
It didn't look like Slytherin.
As expected of mortal enemies, these two houses truly gave off a feeling of light-and-dark opposition.
The inside of the common room was also different.
Because of the high floor, it could often bask in the sunlight.
I don't know if it was just a psychological factor.
Anyway, after coming in, it felt warm.
Moreover, this warmth didn't come from the fireplace.
Darwin glanced around the room.
There were no students in the common room.
He didn't know if they had all gone to sleep or went to do other things.
In short, it was very quiet.
This also happened to be convenient for Darwin.
Darwin, as a Slytherin top student, coming to Gryffindor's common room, to be honest, still felt quite out of place.
Darwin saw the throne belonging to Gryffindor's top student at a two-step platform position.
There was already a layer of dust on the throne.
Obviously, no one had challenged it for a long time.
This actually surprised Darwin a bit.
After all, would reckless lions miss this kind of thing? It seemed quite rare.
Darwin did not know that although there was the concept of top students among the Four Houses.
But before Darwin came, the top student challenges of the Four Houses hadn't actually been opened for a long time.
The reason was very simple.
Not just anyone could challenge the throne.
The restriction on Slytherin's side was that one must be the strongest, which was the cream of the crop among the hidden prefects.
As for the other three houses, the three founders set some minor restrictions.
The throne would test the students' strength.
If their strength was insufficient, they didn't even have the chance to challenge.
Obviously, students with sufficient strength hadn't appeared for many years.
Darwin came to the side of the throne.
Observed it for a moment.
It was the same material as Slytherin's and Ravenclaw's thrones.
Even the stripes and such on it were the same.
The only difference was the pattern on the back of the chair.
On the back of Gryffindor's throne was a male lion.
It was quite capable of formalism.
Darwin smiled.
Finally, he raised his hand to directly grab the throne's armrest, and smoothly sat upon the throne.
He was familiar with this whole routine...
In the throne space.
Gryffindor, who was chatting with the other three, suddenly stood up.
"That kid went to challenge Gryffindor's top student."
Slytherin said: "I thought he would put Gryffindor's top student as the last one. After all, everyone who understands knows the relationship between Gryffindorand Slytherin."
Gryffindor snorted coldly.
Ravenclaw said: "Obviously, in his eyes, the differences between houses are not that big. He only does things that serve his own interests."
Hufflepuff said: "Can he pass?"
Slytherin said: "If the person we are waiting for is him, then he will definitely be able to pass. Put bluntly, that challenge doesn't have an ounce of substance."
Gryffindor said: "However, you failed."
Slytherin immediately became anxious: "That's because I needed to consider gains and losses, and maximize benefits."
Gryffindor said: "No matter how you put it, it can't change the fact that you were hesitating and overthinking."
Slytherin stopped talking.
Because this remark could not be refuted!
Inside the throne space.
Darwin's body slowly solidified.
He and the Four Founders were not in the same area.
Therefore, he didn't know that the Four Founders actually gossiped behind his back every day.
Darwin stood in place and didn't move.
He knew the trial was about to begin.
After all, this wasn't his first time experiencing it.
In Ravenclaw's throne, he had experienced it several times.
A moment later, a phantom formed opposite him.
That figure became increasingly solid.
Its facial features could not be seen, but terrifying fluctuations emanated from its entire body.
The phantom slowly raised its hand, and a planet was plucked down from the sky. What was terrifying was...
That planet in the phantom's hand was just like a small ball.
Being played with in the phantom's hand.
By Darwin's ear.
A voice sounded.
"In front of you is a projection of a deity. Although it is a projection, it is still a true deity. What you need to do is defeat him."
The voice dissipated.
The next moment, that phantom abruptly looked towards Darwin.
A sharp aura from its whole body pressed toward Darwin.
Darwin was startled.
"You must be kidding."
"Defeat a deity?"
"No, to be precise, it was a projection of a deity."
"But even if it was a projection, that was still a deity's projection."
"This oppressive force."
Darwin clenched his teeth tightly.
"Is this fucking something a human can win against?"
At this moment, on the phantom's face whose facial features could not be seen, its eyes suddenly opened. Within its eyes...
Stars revolved, as if a galaxy was flowing.
And as if a starry sky was shining.
The moment he touched those eyes, every hair on Darwin's body seemed to stand on end.
Danger, extreme danger.
At this time, the place where the Four Founders were located.
Slytherin's original lazy expression disappeared.
Replaced by an icy killing intent all over his body.
That killing intent seemed capable of freezing everything around.
Seeing this, Ravenclaw hurried to Slytherin's side.
Raised a hand and pressed it on Slytherin's shoulder.
"Calm down, Salazar, we are already dead, that is fake."
Slytherin took a deep breath: "I know, these are all fake. But I can't control it. When I see him, when I see those eyes, I think of what he did back then. Thinking of our encounter, I simply can't hold back."
After Slytherin finished speaking, the other three fell silent.
After a long while.
Gryffindor said: "Salazar, it's all in the past, everything will end. We will see this day; we will always wait for the moment when the high and mighty deities are dragged down from their altars. This day is not far away; what he did to us will eventually be repaid."
Slytherin took a deep breath.
Adjusting his own state, the surrounding killing intent gradually dissipated.
Hufflepuff said: "Don't think about those unhappy things anymore, it's all in the past. Do you guys think that child dares to make a move?"
Slytherin said: "He dares, his ambition is terrifying. Although he is a pure Slytherin who knows how to protect himself. But I can tell that in his heart, there is courage. It's just that his courage will only be used when he thinks it is profitable. Although this is only a trial, he will not cower before his enemies. As long as someone is identified by him as an enemy, he will not have the slightest fear. This is his essence, a complex essence, but at certain times, it is exceptionally useful."
Ravenclaw said: "I share the same view as Salazar; he will definitely not shrink from battle!"
Chapter 163 Gryffindor Favorability Unlocked!
Meanwhile, Darwin.
He had to admit that he was truly frightened.
A god, this was the mighty power of a god.
This was the power belonging to a god!
This kind of fear stemming from the depths of one's heart, that feeling of being utterly unable to contend against it.
Was this the might of a god?
Truly terrifying!
Just as Darwin was lamenting this,
that phantom spoke.
"Ant, kneel!"
The voice transformed into sound waves, rushing toward Darwin in wave after wave.
Darwin's expression changed instantly.
What did he just say?
Kneel?
A hint of murderous intent flashed in Darwin's eyes.
But suddenly, Darwin smiled.
"A god? Impossible to contend against? Interesting, truly too interesting."
Darwin licked the corner of his mouth.
His gaze gradually turned icy cold.
I do not know when, but the Thestral-sinew elder wand had already appeared in his hand.
"Not to mention that you are merely a phantom.
Even if you truly are a god, the moment you stand before me, you are the enemy.
Being the enemy, you deserve to die.
I have never feared death, but I will never grovel simply out of fear of death."
As Darwin's voice fell, one blue flame lotus after another condensed beneath his feet.
Red Fiendfyre gathered atop the wand, and a Dragonslithered out from within the wand.
Not a Western Dragon.
Instead, it was an Eastern divine Dragon.
The Dragon form coiled, and the Dragon's roar echoed through the entire space.
The Dragon's body shifted, and the blue flame lotuses floated up.
They drifted onto the Dragon's body.
The lotuses burst open, and the petals fell, resembling scales sticking to the divine Dragon's body.
Seeing Darwin's actions,
that phantom seemed to grow angry.
"Ant, you dare."
A terrifying aura pressed down toward Darwin,
causing Darwin's magic output to experience a brief stagnation.
However, Darwin smiled even more happily.
"So that's how it is. I was wondering, it's merely a chief challenge;
how could it possibly conjure up something like a god?
No matter how strong the Four Founders are, they couldn't possibly pull off this thing.
Turns out you are all flash and no substance.
You are fake, or rather, you are merely a materialized spell.
You have an aura, but you have no offensive capability.
Outwardly strong but inwardly weak. Gryffindor takes courage as its enrollment standard.
Therefore, this test has never been about my combat ability,
but rather whether I dare to draw my wand when facing you.
To be honest, I did hesitate just now.
To submit to you, and then wait until I accumulate enough strength in the future to kill you.
But, I am not quite resigned to that.
To be honest, I even feel quite regretful.
If I could truly draw my wand against a god, it would also be a rare experience for me.
What a pity, you are a fake!
A counterfeit! Since you are a counterfeit, then hurry up and die."
Darwin's tone was icy cold.
The next moment, the fiery divine Dragon let out a roar, and then, carrying both red and blue flames, directly charged toward that phantom.
The instant the Dragon touched the phantom, the phantom burst apart directly.
Over at the Four Founders' side,
all four of their faces revealed smiles.
"Look, I said he wouldn't be afraid."
Slytherin said with a hint of complacency.
The gaze looking toward Darwin became even softer.
Ravenclaw said, "Unexpected courage, unexpected resilience."
Gryffindor stood up.
"Alright, I can go meet this kid now. To be honest, I've wanted to chat with him for a while.
After all, I have never seen someone so interesting."
Finishing speaking, Gryffindor's figure directly dissipated in place.
Hufflepuff looked toward Ravenclaw at the side.
"Sister Rowena, do you think that child will go to Hufflepuff's throne next?"
Ravenclaw smiled and said, "What? Anxious? Wanting to talk to that child?"
Hufflepuff nodded, "Mm, I like him very much. He possesses all the traits a Wizard should have.
If he had been born in our era, I think he would be the most suitable leader."
Ravenclaw nodded, "Indeed, but fortunately he was not born in our era."
Hufflepuff and Slytherin fell silent.
They knew what Ravenclaw meant.
If Darwin had been born in that era,
perhaps Darwin by this time would have already turned into soul fragments just like them.
Meanwhile,
Darwin stood in place,
his expression normal, but towering waves of astonishment arose in his heart.
Just moments ago, the system's prompt tone rang out.
Salazar Slytherin's favorability had increased.
A ridiculously sudden increase.
It had now reached 43.
Why did it suddenly increase?
An inexplicable guess arose in Darwin's heart.
Is it possible that within this throne space,
they are connected, and Slytherin could see all of his performance?
Otherwise, it doesn't make sense.
Slytherin's favorability suddenly increased.
There's no logic to it.
Just as Darwin was thinking,
a phantom appeared before him.
The moment the phantom appeared, the system's prompt tone sounded.
[Ding, Godric Gryffindor's favorability unlocked.
Current favorability, 22. Conditions for the first lucky draw are met, would you like to start the draw immediately?]
Darwin was slightly stunned.
What's the situation, starting right off the bat with 22?
The phantom slowly solidified.
Gryffindor appeared, his eyes filled with curiosity and appreciation.
Darwin's gaze narrowed slightly, confirming his guess once again in his heart.
Gryffindor smiled, "Darwin Rosier, not bad, quite good.
Congratulations on passing Gryffindor's chief test."
Darwin said, "Thank you, Your Grace."
Gryffindor said, "Your reaction was calm enough to surprise me."
Darwin said, "Your test was also direct enough to surprise me."
Gryffindor's expression turned a bit more solemn.
"It is very direct, but very useful, isn't it? In my view, or rather, in our era,
courage is very important, because you will face various enemies.
If you don't even dare to draw your wand when facing an enemy,
then your upper limit is already locked."
Darwin said, "Understandable."
Gryffindor said, "Before you, others have also tried to pass this trial, but they all failed.
They did not dare to make a move; when facing a god, they didn't dare to have the slightest unusual movement at all.
True courage should be having the courage to draw one's wand no matter who one is facing.
This is the code a Wizard should truly practice."
Darwin said, "I recognize this point, but perhaps it's not that they lacked courage, but rather because in the hearts of mortals, a god is inherently an insurmountable mountain?
When facing an insurmountable mountain, walking around it is actually not necessarily an incorrect choice."
Gryffindor fell silent.
This statement seemed to have no flaws either.
Chapter 164: Oblivious to One's Own Incompetence, Weighing Pros and Cons!
With Gryffindor, Darwin actually didn't have much worth talking about.
Primarily because this fellow Gryffindor was a bit different from what Darwin had imagined.
This fellow was a bit of a chatterbox.
However, compared to Slytherin, he was quite down-to-earth.
Yes, very down-to-earth.
If Slytherin was a towering mountain and a cold, venomous snake,
then Gryffindor was like the sun—very warm and making people feel very comfortable.
But Darwin didn't like this kind of comfort.
How should one describe this feeling? It was like being accustomed to the dark when suddenly a ray of light shines upon you; truly, it was very uncomfortable.
Therefore, Darwin didn't chat much with Gryffindor.
After chatting for a bit, Darwin left.
After Darwin left the Throne Space,
the Four Founders gathered.
Gryffindor said, "That child doesn't seem to like me much."
Slytherin said, "A snake will not like the sunlight."
Gryffindor frowned, "What do you mean?"
Ravenclaw laughed, "Godric, this has nothing to do with you.
Salazar means you are too enthusiastic."
Gryffindor said, "Is being too enthusiastic wrong?"
Ravenclaw said, "There is nothing wrong with being too enthusiastic, but what is wrong is that your enthusiasm was used in the wrong place and given to the wrong person.
He grew up in the darkness and is a snake in the shadows.
Just as Salazar said, no snake likes the sunlight, because for others, comfortable sunlight is a weapon that can expose them!"
Gryffindor thought for a moment, "Fine, it is my fault; I didn't consider these things.
I was just a bit excited; we waited for so long just to get to him!"
Ravenclaw said, "Not only are you excited, we are excited too, but what you need to understand is that child is accustomed to being on guard.
No matter who it is, in his eyes, they all need to be guarded against. Do you understand?"
Gryffindor sighed and said, "Sigh, how exhausting that must be."
Hufflepuff suddenly spoke, "However, if it weren't like this, he wouldn't have survived until now."
As soon as Hufflepuff's words were spoken,
the others fell silent.
Indeed, in this world, a child in his teens able to survive until now and pull off such big matters—
being able to attain his current status, how much did he need to pay, and how much did he need to experience?
Slytherin said, "I can tolerate everything else, but Godric, are you a pig?
Do you know how many things you exposed just now?"
Gryffindor's eyes widened.
Looking completely unconvinced, Gryffindor said, "What did I expose? I didn't say anything, Salazar, stop yapping here."
Slytherin gave a disdainful cold snort.
Ravenclaw said, "Godric, you really did say quite a bit.
For instance, you called out his name directly."
Gryffindor was stunned.
"Just this? I feel it's no big deal."
Ravenclaw said, "No, if it were someone else, perhaps that single sentence of yours really wouldn't matter.
But for that child, you practically explicitly told him that we have actually been observing him all along."
Gryffindor fell silent.
He wanted to refute, but there was no way to refute.
Because, judging by Darwin's intelligence, he really could figure it out.
Ravenclaw said, "Figured out is figured out; actually, we never intended to hide it from him anyway.
It's just that this child's guard is too heavy.
He never asks, nor does he listen to what we say.
In his world, what he sees and what he thinks is the truth.
What anyone else says is useless.
It's fine now; since he has already figured it out, things will be much easier from here on.
He doesn't say it, and we don't say it either. Like this, everyone knowing it tacitly is for the best.
This is also more convenient; letting him find out some things on his own is better than us telling him and him not believing it."
The other three nodded upon hearing this.
...
Inside the Chief's dormitory.
Darwin lay on the bed after washing up.
He wasn't in a hurry to draw a prize.
Even though today's prize draw was very important—Sprout, Gryffindor, one being a Head of House level and the other a the Four Founders level prize draw—he still didn't go draw them.
He needed to first consider all the information he obtained today.
The things he found out today were actually quite a lot.
First of all, the Throne Space might be a very magical magic item.
This space was the gathering place of the Four Founders.
Currently, the status of the Four Founders was that of remnant souls.
The remnant souls resided within the Throne Space.
However, even as remnant souls, they were still able to observe the outside.
At the very least, what happened when Darwin was clearing the trials—
they could observe all of it.
From this point, the Four Founders might be brewing some kind of plan.
This selection for the Chief was actually them selecting someone capable of completing their plan.
If following this speculation, Darwin had to seriously consider whether to continue from here on.
Darwin was a confident person, but he wasn't blindly confident.
He was very clear that compared to the Four Founders, he was still too green.
This was true for both strength and scheming.
Therefore, if the Four Founders truly had any calculations,
he wouldn't be able to fight against the Four Founders; this was unquestionable.
Don't look at them as just souls right now.
However, wanting to play him into a fool with just a soul wouldn't be a problem at all.
Are you kidding, those were the Four Founders!
So now, whether to continue was the question Darwinneeded to consider the most.
Although Darwin had some suspicions in his heart,
he could never bypass one issue.
The Chief's authority was truly tempting.
Hogwarts was a weapon.
That's right, this was the news Darwin obtained from Slytherin.
In the original work, the defense system of Hogwartsmobilized by Professor McGonagall and the others didn't even count as scratching the surface.
Hogwarts was a terrifying magic creation.
Back in the era of the Four Founders, in order to protect all Wizards,
how powerful Hogwarts's strength was, no one knew.
Perhaps only the Four Founders were clear on what it would look like if Hogwarts fired at full firepower.
If this thing wasn't controlled in his own hands, he truly didn't feel entirely at ease.
Darwin was also human; he also had human flaws.
Towards power that he couldn't control, he would feel dread.
And now there was an opportunity to master this power; should he really give it up?
Darwin quickly thought over the pros and cons in his mind.
After a moment, Darwin gently clenched his fist.
Forget all that; whatever plots the Four Founders had, at the very least they didn't want his life.
Even if they really wanted his life, it wasn't right now.
Since that was the case, he had to get all the benefits into his hands first before talking!
Chapter 165: God-Tier Talent Fragment? Gryffindor Draw!
Moreover, the most crucial point is...
He still had to draw, the draw for the Four Founders. Darwin really felt this thing was too awesome.
The system's favorability could only be unlocked by coming into contact with the corresponding character.
Therefore, if he wanted to farm the favorability of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, he had to pass the trials and see them in person.
The favorability of Slytherin and Gryffindor also needed to be farmed.
Darwin didn't even dare to imagine how many treasures the Four Founders had on them.
Therefore, Darwin was absolutely not going to miss the matter of drawing from the Four Founders.
It was impossible in this lifetime.
However, for now, let's just do the draw first.
Thinking of the draw, Darwin's eyes lit up again.
the Four Founders.
How exciting!
Darwin first chose Professor Sprout's draw counts.
To draw a grand prize, one definitely needed a buffer.
That's right, the favorability Darwin had painstakingly farmed was directly used by him as a buffer.
After all, compared to Gryffindor, Professor Sprout's gold content seemed to be just a little bit lacking.
Darwin rubbed his hands together and tapped his finger on the draw button.
The next moment.
The familiar draw animation appeared.
[Ding, congratulations to the host, copying Pomona Sprout successful.]
[Received reward: Special talent, Max-level Intelligent Plant Affinity.]
[Ding, this talent is a special talent, which is a branch talent of the special God-tier talent Druid Talent. Gathering all the talents can synthesize the God-tier Druid Talent.]
Darwin was stunned.
Won something good?
No, that wasn't winning something good.
It was... a fragment dropped?
That wasn't right either; the system's copying had never had the concept of copying fragments.
In other words, Professor Sprout's talent was inherently an incomplete talent.
Darwin asked: "System, tell me about this Druid Talent."
[Ding, the Druid Talent is divided into: Max-level Intelligent Plant Affinity Talent, Max-level Magical Animal Affinity Talent.]
[Max-level Intelligent Magical Creature Communication Talent, Max-level Plant magic Talent.]
[The four talents combined into one form the God-tier Druid Talent.]
Darwin rubbed his chin.
"You mean the Druid Talent is a God-tier talent?"
[Yes, host!]
Darwin said: "According to what you told me, a God-tier talent is a necessity for becoming a god, right?"
[That's right, host.]
"So, the limit of a Druid is actually a god?"
[The highest evolution of a Druid is the God of Nature.]
Darwin's eyes widened: "Wait a minute, let me process this. If we follow this setting..."
"In Merlin's era, or rather, in the ancient magic era, the Druid was a God-tier talent that could become a god."
"What about King Arthur? Did she also have the potential to become a god?"
"What about Merlin? Was his Dragon Speaker talent also a kind of path to becoming a god?"
[Ding, yes, host. In the ancient magic period, in the most brilliant era of this world...]
Many talents were talents that led directly to gods.
But most of the talents were not preserved.
Only some fragments trickled out, such as Pomona Sprout's talent.]
Darwin didn't speak.
In his mind, he was sorting out the cause and effect.
By the way, he also mixed in some of his own speculations.
It was known that these talents were all stepping stones to becoming a god.
However, these people were all dead.
Take the Druids for example; if following normal development, they would be able to become gods.
The key was that the Druid was a bloodline.
It wasn't just a specific person's talent, but a bloodline that could be passed down.
In other words, the entire Druid clan could become gods.
But later on, this race was wiped out by Merlin and King Arthur.
The last Druid bloodline was also personally slain by King Arthur.
And King Arthur and Merlin could both become gods.
So, could this be seen as a war between god-candidates?
Was the intensity of the ancient magic period this high?
Also, Gryffindor's challenge—the projections of gods.
Being able to materialize gods.
That meant Gryffindor had genuinely seen gods before.
If that was the case...
A guess suddenly arose in Darwin's heart.
Could he make an assumption?
Gods might be the enemies of the Four Founders, or even, according to the Four Founders' settings...
Could gods be the enemies of all Wizards!
Darwin quickly stopped his thoughts.
He couldn't continue thinking about it; it was too dangerous.
At least for the current Darwin, it was too dangerous.
This kind of thing was simply not something he could touch at present.
Besides, who knew if he was just overthinking it.
Shaking his head, Darwin adjusted his breathing.
Instead of having time for wild imaginations, he might as well quickly improve his own strength.
Darwin looked at the draw counts behind Gryffindor's favorability.
His eyes flashed with brilliant light.
Gryffindor.
He was really curious about what kind of thing it could draw for him.
Darwin's finger tapped directly on the draw interface.
The next moment, the draw animation began to play.
Darwin's breathing gradually became heavy.
Even though he was suppressing and adjusting it.
However, he simply couldn't control it.
As the playback of the draw animation ended.
The system's prompt sound rang out!
[Ding, congratulations to the host, copying GodricGryffindor successful.]
[Received reward: Max-level mastery of magic Body Refining Technique!]
The system's voice disappeared, and Darwin was stunned.
What?
He felt that he might have misheard.
Was he sure he was still in the Harry Potter world?
Was he sure he hadn't transmigrated again?
It was indeed true that he had just drawn a prize from Gryffindor, rather than from Hagrid, right?
But what on earth was this body refining technique?
This was Western magic fantasy, not Eastern xuanhuan, bro.
What even is all this?
The corners of Darwin's mouth twitched.
"System, open the detailed introduction of this whatever body refining technique for me."
[magic Body Refining Technique: A self-created spell by Gryffindor, inspired by the Daxia body refining technique, stimulating one's own body through magic.]
Making one's body stronger and tougher, enhancing one's own physical fitness, with an extremely high upper limit.]
Darwin rubbed his chin.
Daxia again?
No, just how much wool did the Four Founders shear from the East?
The Soul Division Spell was like this, and this body refining technique was also like this.
However, being able to make one's body stronger?
It seemed quite useful.
Wizards actually didn't care much about physical fitness.
But in fact, physical fitness was still quite important for Wizards.
For example, the restriction on a Wizard's Apparition was partly due to magic power; magic power determined the distance of a Wizard's Apparition.
But physical fitness was also a restriction.
Why did the Ministry of Magic restrict the age for learning Apparition?
It was very simple; on one hand, young Wizards were not old enough and lacked concentration, making it easy for young Wizards to fall into danger when casting spells.