"What? Mr. Potter has slain a god before?" Audrey covered her mouth in disbelief. Her eyes went wide, her face full of shock.
In the potion world, gods were powerful and mysterious, like mountains no one could cross. The Seven Orthodox Churches stood at the very peak of worldly power. Even secular royal authority couldn't stand against any single church.
And at the top of those churches were, without question, the seven lofty Orthodox Gods.
They were like eternal, undying suns—dazzling, ruling over order and fate itself.
Without a doubt, in this vast world, gods held a status so exalted it could not be higher.
Unless a divine war erupted between gods, there was absolutely no possibility of a god falling!
But what had Mr. Potter just said?
He had slain gods!
Seeing Audrey's astonishment, Harry's tone remained calm as he explained patiently, "No need to be so surprised. Different worlds have vastly different rules. The number of powerhouses and their energy levels can differ enormously as well.
"In the world I'm from, there are plenty of gods—so many it's beyond imagining. Only some extremely powerful dimensional demon-gods can be considered true powerhouses.
"While the Orthodox Gods of your world… their range of activity is still limited to this single planet. They haven't even set foot in the cosmos.
"In the boundless multiverse, gods like that are nothing more than the weakest of existences.
"As for those [censored] watching from beyond your planet in the shadows… that's what ordinary gods are really like, but even then, that's all there is!"
Audrey: "!!!"
Audrey had only just come of age. She'd thought she was about to knock open the door to the extraordinary world—only to suddenly realize the gap between worlds could be this immense.
The supreme beings of her world—gods—were, in the multiverse Mr. Potter described, merely ordinary minor roles.
"Waaah… how can this be?" Audrey looked utterly dejected.
But soon, she noticed the part at the end of Harry's sentence that had been blurred out by a "beep" sound. Her curiosity was instantly hooked, and she couldn't help asking, "Mr. Potter, what did you say at the end? I didn't hear it clearly."
"Outside your planet, there are many indescribable, terrifying entities circling it. What I said just now was their true names.
"Those names carry power that can twist the mind. If you were to learn them, you would likely be corrupted instantly and fall into madness, so I blocked them out.
"But if you really need a concept to hold onto, you can call them Outer Deities."
"Outer Deities?"
Audrey shuddered violently, as if an endless chill had wrapped around her.
She had indeed heard the term Outer Deities before. She knew it represented something profoundly evil—something so powerful it was terrifying.
Even… stronger than the Seven Orthodox Gods.
Audrey was full of questions, but she didn't dare ask rashly again. Yet her curiosity about Harry rose sharply.
Could it be that Mr. Potter's strength surpassed even those horrifying Outer Deities?
Reason told Audrey not to dig deeper, but she was young—curiosity like a wild horse that simply wouldn't be reined in.
After hesitating again and again, she still asked timidly, "Mr. Potter, if I may be so bold… compared to the Outer Deities, who is stronger? You, or them?"
From Audrey's past behavior, Harry already knew she was a lively, curious girl, so he wasn't surprised by the question.
His expression was open, with no intent to hide anything, and he answered bluntly, "My strength isn't constant. It fluctuates a lot.
"If I'm facing those Outer Deities, for me, under normal circumstances, I can't beat any of them. Under special circumstances… I still can't beat any of them."
Audrey: "???"
What does that mean?
Audrey's small head filled with huge question marks. It took her a while before she finally understood what Harry meant.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and a bit of embarrassed indignation rose in her heart.
"How awful. Mr. Potter is great in every way… but he really likes teasing people. What a nasty sense of humor!"
At the same time, her curiosity only grew stronger. What was Mr. Potter like in private?
His voice was crisp and decisive, and he sounded young. Could he be a young and handsome gentleman?
No, no, no!
At that thought, Audrey hurriedly shook her head hard, warning herself that for beings like gods, time was a meaningless measurement that couldn't affect them at all.
And Mr. Potter's strength was far beyond gods—perhaps he'd already lived through hundreds of thousands of years, a weathered old man!
Audrey's thoughts grew wilder and wilder, until she even started wondering about Harry's gender.
In her imagination, Mr. Potter might not even be male. Maybe he was a beautiful girl… or perhaps an adorable femboy!
Harry, of course, had no idea what Audrey was thinking. He had just disconnected from her.
After confirming Audrey was safe, his consciousness slowly withdrew from the potion world, crossing an unimaginably vast distance and returning to the wizarding world once more.
Quite a bit of time had passed since Audrey's plea for help.
All the students had already assembled, and the professors were in their places.
Now, Hogwarts' annual end-of-year feast officially began!
At the High Table, Dumbledore extended a hand slightly forward, and the previously noisy Great Hall fell instantly silent.
He looked around. When his gaze swept past Harry's position, it paused briefly, and then his face broke into a delighted grin.
"Another year has passed. Before we all enjoy these delicious dishes, I must trouble you to listen to an old man's tired little speech.
"What a marvelous year this has been! Once term ends, your little heads will surely be filled with a great deal of knowledge. And you'll have the entire summer holiday ahead of you, so you can digest it all properly before next term begins…
"Now, first, we shall proceed with the House Cup presentation. The scores for the four Houses are as follows: in fourth place, Hufflepuff with 352 points; in third, Ravenclaw with 426 points; in second, Slytherin with 472 points; and in first place—Gryffindor with 657 points!"
At the Gryffindor table, a deafening cheer erupted instantly.
Plates, knives, and forks clattered loudly as students jumped to their feet, shouting in excitement.
Even Professor McGonagall, usually so stern, had lost her usual severity—her face was lit with an unstoppable smile.
When the cheering eased slightly, Dumbledore looked toward Harry warmly, his expression full of satisfaction, and said loudly, "Yes, this is Gryffindor's first House Cup win in years. But I'm sure everyone here knows whose contribution it was, don't you?!"
The Great Hall instantly boiled over again!
Aside from some Slytherins who unwillingly turned their heads away, students from every other House shouted and cheered, voices weaving together in surging waves through the hall:
"Harry Potter!"
"Harry Potter!"
"Harry Potter!"
"That's right—Harry Potter!" Dumbledore's tone rose higher and higher. "He displayed fearless courage and remarkable bravery, along with outstanding ability. He even defeated the Dark Lord, and therefore I awarded Gryffindor 200 points!"
"Wooooo! I knew Potter was the best!"
"Potter, I love you!"
"Long live the savior!"
Gryffindor's students burst into thunderous roaring cheers, overwhelming the other three Houses for a moment.
Dumbledore raised his hand again, gently pressing his palm downward.
With that motion, the noisy hall gradually quieted once more.
A kindly smile spread across Dumbledore's face. His gaze slowly swept the room as he announced solemnly, "Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord and made an extraordinary contribution to the wizarding world. So today, besides announcing the House Cup result, there is another important matter to declare!"
He paused deliberately, letting the suspense hang, and then raised his voice:
"The Ministry of Magic has decided to award Harry Potter the Order of Merlin, First Class, here and now!
"This honor is the highest commendation bestowed upon those who have made outstanding contributions to the wizarding world.
"And Harry will become, in the history of the wizarding world, the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class—after the youngest Potions Master!"
As the words fell, the hall erupted again—gasps, applause, and astonished murmurs intertwined.
Dumbledore turned slightly to the side, lifted his hand in an inviting gesture, and called out, "Now, let us welcome Harry Potter to the stage to receive his award!"
Beside Harry, Hermione was so excited she could barely sit still. She nudged his shoulder, her face glowing as she urged, "Harry, go on! Dumbledore's calling you!"
Harry nodded. Under everyone's gaze, he walked toward the front of the hall.
On the dais at the front, Dumbledore stood shoulder to shoulder with a middle-aged wizard.
That middle-aged wizard was slightly plump. He wore a well-tailored black robe and held an exquisite medal in his hand, looking at Harry with friendly eyes.
When Harry approached, the middle-aged wizard extended his hand first and shook Harry's, flashing a bright smile.
"Hello, Mr. Potter. I am the current Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. I will be the one to present you with the Order of Merlin, First Class."
Hearing Fudge's words, Harry's eyebrow lifted slightly as he looked him over with interest.
So this slightly aged-looking middle-aged wizard was the current Minister for Magic!
And, of course, his future enemy.
If Harry wanted to overthrow the rotten wizarding regime as it stood, then he would inevitably face the Ministry of Magic—and Minister Fudge would be his most important opponent.
A storm of thoughts passed through Harry's mind in an instant, but his expression didn't change. He returned a friendly smile and said, "Hello, Minister Fudge. It's an honor to have you personally present the Order of Merlin, First Class to me."
Seeing Harry's respectful, friendly attitude, the smile on Fudge's face became even warmer—more genuine.
And yet, even so, for some reason, he felt something off about the way Harry looked at him. It sent a chill through him, and even gave him a strange illusion…
I can't shake the feeling Harry wants to kill me.
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