Chapter 145: Preliminary Research on Obsidian Restorative
"Once Christmas is over, and the next full moon arrives, I can make another trip to the Forbidden Forest. I'll complete my Animagus transformation and check if the unicorns are there."
Right now, Dylan has an Umbrage and a dragon.
Unicorns, it seems, can't directly become his pets, but getting some blood from them occasionally is still quite useful.
"It'd be nice to get a Niffler too, that black platypus. I was so interested in them in my past life, and since I'm here, why wouldn't I keep one?"
As for how Dylan plans to save Cedric later – naturally, he'll send in his alternate account.
However, this does raise a problem.
He can't be in two places at once; no matter what, when he becomes Kael'thas, Dylan will always be absent.
That's a bit troublesome.
Many times, he can't exactly perform a dazzling, perfect transformation right in front of people, can he?
—He's not a magical girl! Dylan briefly observed the scenery along the way. After organizing his thoughts, he pulled out the forbidden book he'd copied earlier again and reviewed it.
Initially, Dylan borrowed three books from the restricted section: The Origin of Ancient Magic and Analysis of Ultimate Spells, and Soul Comprehension and Forbidden Manipulation.
Some of the knowledge points in these two books are quite interesting. Even with repeated readings, Dylan doesn't find them dry or useless; instead, he always gains new insights.
Especially the book about souls, combined with the soul-based spells Dylan has already mastered, has brought him many new inspirations through their interaction.
Dylan even has a preliminary design idea for a new spell. Even if it's not yet complete, the power of this spell, if truly developed, would definitely not be weak.
Especially in terms of practicality, it would be extremely strong!
However, designing spells isn't child's play, something you can just come up with on a whim.
It's not just about simple spell design, nor is it about just reciting an incantation to make everything happen.
The operation and control of magic, the composition of spells, and casting methods, all need to be built and constructed from scratch, little by little.
And during the repeated attempts, even a slight deviation could not only cause the spell to fail but also lead to danger.
For example, it could cause magic to go out of control, leading to an explosion, or some other unpredictable magical effect.
Furthermore, Dylan's spell actually involves certain critical points of the soul and the physical body, so Dylan needs some living subjects for experimentation.
"My last trip to Knockturn Alley, the Aurors must have been checking for so long that they finally weren't around. Many dark wizards wanted to exchange things, but then I went and caused a huge disturbance, taking out so many dark wizards. They've probably all been taken away by the Aurors."
So, if he wants to go to Knockturn Alley to catch dark wizards, it might be a bit difficult.
—Everyone's gone.
The remaining ones are probably missing limbs, on their last legs, or too frail.
They wouldn't be able to withstand Dylan's spell attempts at all.
Maybe they'd scare themselves to death before he even released the spell, forcing him to use the "Corpseblight Bloom" spell to turn them into Obsidian Flowers.
—This is the name Dylan gave to the black flowers that grow on corpses.
After such a long period of research, Dylan also has a general understanding of the functions of these flowers.
First, the most mysterious aspect of the Obsidian Flowers, and one that Dylan hasn't fully analyzed yet, is that they seem to have the ability to regrow severed limbs, revive decaying souls, and rejuvenate rotting corpses.
This was discovered in Dylan's repeated experiments, but he hasn't been able to fully brew this ability into a potion with targeted effects.
Even using the flowers alone, the effect isn't very obvious—but they are very effective at healing injuries.
Dylan only realized that Obsidian Flowers might have some more extraordinary abilities when he noticed they could rapidly heal wounds—even just crushing the petals into a paste and applying it to a wound showed clear results.
Dylan has a premonition that if he can truly uncover the greatest secret of the Obsidian Flowers, he might be able to create a revolutionary potion that could rewrite fate and turn the world upside down!
Beyond that, Dylan has now simply developed a healing potion.
Fortunately, he now has not only an Umbrage, a dragon, but can even get unicorn hair and blood.
Plus, he occasionally collects things from rare magical creatures he encounters in the Forbidden Forest.
This means he has no shortage of materials.
Not to mention, Professor Snape occasionally sends him some potions, and he also buys many things himself.
The accumulation of materials allows his research to undergo repeated and numerous attempts.
The healing potion Dylan recently developed using Obsidian Flowers is quite potent.
Even if a leg is severed, as long as it hasn't been cut off for more than twenty-four hours (one day).
If you apply the potion to the wound and bandage the leg, after an hour, the leg will be partially reattached.
The next step is to apply the ointment around the wound; in just a few days, it should be mostly attached.
Of course, being attached doesn't mean it's healed; a long period of recuperation will definitely be needed afterward.
Since Dylan only recently brewed this potion, he's not yet sure how long the recuperation period needs to be for complete healing.
—A goblin is still lying in his suitcase.
Dylan needs to observe it further.
However, this is still the initial version. As he continues to experiment, carefully considering the quantities and substitutions of materials, as well as the brewing methods.
—Dylan believes that the effect of the Obsidian Restorative will become stronger and stronger!
At that time, he can directly cooperate with major businesses, either by supplying the finished product or by directly providing raw materials for distribution and sale.
No matter what, the most crucial ingredient for the Obsidian Restorative is the Obsidian Flower.
Without Obsidian Flowers, no matter how precious the other materials are, they're useless.
"However, I'd better make the ingredients needed for brewing the potion more common. Otherwise, if the medicinal herbs are too precious, while the price could go up, it wouldn't be possible to sell it on a large scale."
Of course, he could also create a beginner's version, an intermediate version, an advanced version, a potent version, a precious version, a supreme version, an invincible version...
Each version would have a different potion effect.
That works too.
Dylan flipped through the book while pondering the raw materials for the Obsidian Restorative.
As he thought, he couldn't help but feel eager to dive into his suitcase and do some research.
But it wasn't suitable right now, so he could only continue to theoretically consider whether the raw materials for the Obsidian Restorative could be replaced with other things to ensure the potion's efficacy improved further.
"The current version doesn't require many Obsidian Flowers; five petals grown from a goblin corpse are enough."
—As for cockroaches, there are even more.
But that doesn't matter.
After all, other materials might be plentiful or scarce, but the quantity of Obsidian Flowers will certainly not be scarce; there will never be a shortage.
"Besides, since I only have one Mandrake, and it's still a seedling, I'm completely afraid to use too much. Once I get more later, I can try adding more Mandrake roots."
Obsidian Flowers and Mandrake roots are essential ingredients for the Obsidian Restorative.
In addition, Dylan also added ten grams of pearl powder, three unicorn hairs, five grams of moonstone powder, and a small half of a Dragon's Blood flower.
Dragon's Blood flowers are also hard to obtain; what Dylan has now was given to him by Professor Snape before.
The materials listed above can generally be considered quite expensive.
However, the Dragon's Blood flower was given to him by Professor Snape, the Mandrake by Neville, the unicorn hair by a unicorn, and the Obsidian Flowers grew on corpses...
So, if you really ask what Dylan spent, it seems like nothing.
Moreover, the wizarding world isn't particularly peaceful.
Even though the era of Voldemort seems to have ended and the Ministry of Magic has re-established order in the British wizarding community, fighting and killing among wizards are still common. Someone always "croaks" silently in some corner.
If these wizards had mortgaged their properties to Gringotts, and then they died, the magical contract would become void, and Gringotts would reluctantly seize the property.
Later, they'd put up a "for sale" sign. While the initial loaned money might be gone, at least they wouldn't lose everything.
Especially when selling the house, Gringotts would charge an additional "maintenance and management fee."
The goblins would say, "Gringotts has been diligently maintaining and managing this property, which is why it's been preserved so well until now. Naturally, you must pay a management fee if you want to buy it."
As for not wanting to buy it?
"Buy it or don't, the house will just sit there. Gringotts will simply wait to collect its share."
Additionally, some wizards entrust their properties to Gringotts for maintenance and management. When these people die, a significant portion of their properties also falls into Gringotts' hands.
In fact, for the goblins, Galleons themselves are forged by them. Exchanging what they already possess for external assets doesn't actually result in any loss for them.
Not to mention, they can control how much gold is consumed in making Galleons, and whether to add other metals.
There's a lot of intricate business here, but Dylan doesn't need to delve too deeply into it. As he grows, the entire world might become his, and once everything belongs to him, he won't care whose hands it's currently in.
Upon entering Gringotts, Dylan didn't seek out the goblin who served him last time. Instead, he found an elderly goblin specializing in real estate.
—This type of business is usually not handled by young or inexperienced goblins at Gringotts.
—After all, it's essentially free money and commission.
"Hello, I heard Gringotts also handles real estate matters. I'd like to buy a house, and I believe you're the one who handles property, correct?"
Dylan stood in front of a counter, looking at the old goblin behind it.
The goblin raised an eyebrow. Upon hearing Dylan's words, a glint of shrewdness flashed in its eyes, then it showed a gentle yet enthusiastic smile, stopping its writing.
After putting down its quill, the old goblin didn't stand up. "Ah, so you're looking to purchase a property? If I may be so bold, this is a significant undertaking. I'm surprised someone your age is already considering such matters?"
Dylan looked at the goblin, knowing it was questioning his financial standing, but Dylan wasn't surprised.
Goblins are all like that.
And this particular old goblin was clearly old enough to know that appearances can be deceiving. Instead of directly questioning him, it subtly inquired, maintaining an eager expression that didn't feel offensive at all.
Dylan nodded. "It's just that I exchanged several hundred thousand Galleons here last time and wasn't sure what to buy, so I thought I'd come and look at houses."
As he spoke, Dylan waved gently at the younger goblin who had served him last time, smiling.
The younger goblin, seeing Dylan enter and head for an older goblin instead of him, wiggled his pointed ears and bared his teeth, eager to know why Dylan was there.
But seeing Dylan suddenly wave at him, he paused, then quickly put on a somewhat fawning smile and bowed slightly to Dylan.
—Last time, Dylan had given him thousands of Galleons in tips! As a goblin, one cannot lose one's manners in front of a client; otherwise, wouldn't they be a laughingstock to wizards? The old goblin's eyes twitched slightly at the sight, then it averted its gaze, its smile becoming even more enthusiastic.
"Sir, since you wish to acquire property, why don't we discuss it elsewhere? Please follow me."
The old goblin finally moved its old backside off the stool, stood up, and gestured for Dylan to follow.
Dylan nodded slightly and followed the old goblin into a private room.
The room was filled with the scent of magical ink, not acrid, but subtly mixed with a faint woody fragrance, which made one involuntarily relax.
Once they were seated, the old goblin took a stack of parchment from a desk drawer and spread it out before Dylan.
As the parchment slowly unfurled on the oak table, tiny magical dust motes danced in the orange sunlight.
Dylan looked – they were rough addresses for properties.
"We have quite a variety of houses available," the old goblin cleared its throat, its withered fingers tracing the property map. Its nails scraped against the yellowed parchment with a rustling sound, a bit like ants gnawing on decaying wood.
He pointed to the first map and said, "Here's a traditional English country magical cottage, hidden at the edge of an ancient forest. If you're interested in purchasing it, we'll even give you a very powerful magical amulet."
Dylan asked, "What does it do?"
The light from the wall lamp, combined with the evening sun streaming through the small window, flowed across the old goblin's deeply lined face, coating each of its ugly wrinkles with a greedy bronze-green hue.
The old goblin paused slightly, but its expression didn't change, and a smile still played on its lips. "It will make your house completely undetectable to Muggles."
That's it? And "very powerful"?
Isn't that just a Muggle-Repelling Charm?! Dylan's mouth twitched.
"Additionally, we'll give you a house-elf that automatically cleans, and a magical garden whose scenery changes with the seasons – it's quite beautiful, and I think you'll love it."
Dylan nodded. "How many Galleons?"
The old goblin's smile widened. "Only ninety thousand Galleons, quite a bargain."
Dylan was noncommittal.
A house on the edge of a forest—how remote must that be?
It sounded so good, but it was probably about as humble as the Weasleys' Burrow in reality.
"Do you have anything else? I'd prefer somewhere a bit livelier, or perhaps a manor. I don't really like magical cottages."
The old goblin's eyes lit up, and he pulled a sheet from the parchment rolls beneath. "Take a look at this. If you're looking for a manor, I think this one would be perfect."
"This is a medium-sized manor, neither too big nor too small, and its location is superb – situated between a magical village and a bustling market. It's both far from the market's noise and allows quick access to crowds."
"The manor grounds are spacious, a full eighty-two acres, with well-kept lawns and a huge Quidditch practice pitch. The main building has three floors with plenty of rooms."
"The basement has been converted into a potions lab with excellent lighting and ventilation, perfectly suited for you and your family to delve into potion-making in your leisure time."
"The manor also has powerful magical protection; Muggles can't see it, making it safe and private."
"And the price is quite cheap... only five hundred thousand Galleons!"
The old goblin's description was very detailed, and Dylan was quite satisfied with the manor.
It was just the price.
"Legilimency."
The old goblin eagerly watched Dylan, and Dylan met its gaze.
In an instant, he completely understood the old goblin's thoughts.
"This human little wizard actually came to buy a house himself. I wonder if he's too foolish."
"He's still so young, won't I be able to fool him easily?"
"If a two hundred thousand Galleon manor can be sold at this price, I can earn double the money!"
Dylan smiled, saying nothing.
The old goblin was completely unaware that its thoughts had been seen through by the "foolish, young, and easily fooled" little wizard it perceived. It continued to stretch its lips, showing an eager smile.
"If you're concerned about the closing procedures after purchasing the property, I can assure you that once you complete the full payment, senior Gringotts wizards will immediately cast powerful Obliviate charms on every goblin involved in the property transaction process and privy to the details."
"And your property deed will be carefully placed in a crystal ball, then solemnly stored in Gringotts' deep underground records hall, protected by layers of magical enchantments."
"As long as the contract is in effect, any information about this property will be completely hidden, as if it never existed in this magical world. No one will be able to find a trace of it."
This meant that if a "silencing fee" wasn't paid before the contract expired, the property Dylan purchased would become common knowledge.
Dylan nodded, then suddenly stood up.
"It's a decent house, but I need to consider it. Thank you for your time."
The old goblin watched Dylan stand up and couldn't help but freeze. Hearing Dylan's words, its eager expression stiffened, then quickly turned indifferent.
This damn little wizard!
He was practically wasting its life! But being an old hand, although the old goblin was cursing Dylan internally, it didn't prevent it from giving one last effort to keep the customer.
"The price is high. If you genuinely want it, I can take the liberty of applying a discount for you."
"Alright, I'll consider it seriously."
"...Understood."
The old goblin simply got up and left.
Dylan paid no attention to it.
He only had a few tens of thousands of Galleons on hand, so he naturally couldn't afford it.
Unless he directly used Soul-Stealing Charm to pocket all the money from the old goblin.
However, this could bring hidden dangers and tarnish his identity as Dylan along with Kael'thas.
No matter what, his true identity must never be exposed. He still needs a stable learning environment.
—At the very least, he needs to plunder the entire Hogwarts library.
—And the little treasures in the Forbidden Forest can't be missed either.
"Wait, why does this path feel so familiar? Hiding in an academy, constantly learning, then, after graduating, immediately ditching the alma mater that painstakingly nurtured him to embrace other knowledge institutions?"
Dylan walked along, suddenly feeling a bit puzzled.
But he quickly shrugged, recalling the old goblin's description of the manor.
He had to admit, that manor was indeed quite nice, and Dylan liked it very much.
—Especially the Quidditch pitch.
Although not planned to be extremely large, it was enough for a small match.
While Dylan himself wouldn't play, if he wanted to invite guests over in the future, he'd have an activity to host.
Of course, if Dylan bought the house now, he probably wouldn't invite Harry and the others to play early on.
What Dylan liked most was that the manor had a separate garden and vegetable patch—very spacious.
Dylan could set up some permanent weather spells, and in the future, he wouldn't even need to buy vegetables; he could just grow them himself, whatever he wanted to eat. He wouldn't have to worry about climate issues either; the spells could simulate it.
Eighty-two acres—around three hundred thousand square meters, excluding the mere ten thousand square meters, or two-plus acres, of the Quidditch pitch, still left nearly eighty acres.
"It seems the original owner of this manor is no longer among the living, otherwise, how could Gringotts put such a fine house up for sale?"
But two hundred thousand pounds is still a bit expensive.
In reality, this figure, as the old goblin's bottom line, couldn't be lowered further, because the magical contract was set up that way. Gringotts put the manor up for sale at two hundred thousand pounds; whatever extra the goblin could sell it for would be its own reward.
But if it sold for two hundred thousand, the goblin would only get a tiny commission.
"I'll just wait until that old goblin gets off work. He wants me to buy a house so badly, lending me some money—oh no, lending Kael'thas a bit of money wouldn't be too much, would it?"
Dylan left Gringotts, not rushing off, but instead strolled around Diagon Alley.
Numerous Aurors were stationed everywhere, but Dylan walked along as if oblivious.
—It seemed the Ministry of Magic was truly angry after his two tricks.
Although he hadn't killed those Aurors, both the last time and the time before, the Aurors who came to apprehend him had all been more or less significantly injured.
Especially the first wave wasn't too many, but last time, dozens of Aurors came directly.
How many people does the Ministry of Magic even have?
Dozens of Aurors deployed—if not a full deployment, then certainly a significant force.
Yet Dylan still escaped, and almost every one of them ended up injured.
Tsk, tsk~
Dylan made a trip to Flourish and Blotts, buying several more books and subscribing to some daily newspapers.
Then he went to various material shops, looking for anything scarce or useful, including but not limited to everyday items or potion-making ingredients.
He ended up buying a large bag, which Dylan stored in his inventory.
Strolling along, he saw Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour ahead. Even though it was getting cold again, he didn't mind going in for some sweets and chatting with Fortescue about the current situation at the Ministry of Magic.
—Fortescue had told Dylan last time that his daughter was an Auror at the Ministry.
And a freshly graduated student from the magic academy at that.
However, Dylan hadn't heard his daughter's name last time, so this was a good chance to ask and see if he recognized it.
"I remember Fortescue being a lone wolf. I wonder where this daughter popped out from."
Ding-a-ling~
When Dylan pushed open the ice cream parlor door, the wind chimes on the eaves suddenly froze mid-air, then quivered slightly, emitting a soft, clear sound.
Dylan looked inside but didn't see Fortescue.
"Hmm? Not here?"
His gaze shifted, and he looked down.
The frost on the counter slowly writhed, outlining the silhouette of Kael'thas from the Ministry's wanted poster, then was steamed into mist by a sudden burst of stove fire.
(End of Chapter)
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