Chapter 298: End-of-Term Achievement Checkup
Many things in the real world can't be undone just because you want them to be. One wrong step often means there's no turning back.
As Dylan was thinking about these endless things, Dumbledore on the High Table had moved on to the changes in the Ravenclaw House Ghost.
"I am delighted to inform you that Lady Grey has decided to continue her unfinished journey and will therefore no longer be serving as the Ravenclaw House Ghost."
"The individual taking over this position is the Grey Lady, who is also from Ravenclaw House."
Dylan nodded subtly upon hearing this. Helena was indeed leaving soon. He planned to meticulously record the relevant data during her departure and then, incidentally, spirit Helena away for good.
At this moment, under the starry ceiling of the Great Hall, the clamor at the long tables slowly subsided as Dumbledore spoke. When he mentioned that "Lady Grey has decided to continue her unfinished journey," the Ravenclaw table first fell silent, then erupted in small gasps. A few younger girls instinctively covered their mouths, while older students exchanged astonished glances. Someone couldn't help but whisper, "Lady Grey is leaving? She's been in the Tower for so long..." "Goodness, where is she going to travel? Do ghosts need to travel?"
When the name "Grey Lady" was announced, all eyes swiveled toward the empty space in the center of the hall. The Ravenclaw students looked expectant and curious. A few Gryffindor boys even leaned forward. Hufflepuff girls quietly speculated, "She's also a Ravenclaw ghost? I wonder if she'll be as brilliant as Lady Grey?"
The Grey Lady's appearance was quieter than expected. Her pale gray dress seemed woven from morning mist, making no sound as the hem swept the floor. The shadow of her wide-brimmed hat perfectly obscured her eyes, revealing only a segment of her pale jawline. When she slowly rose from the floor, the whispers at the long tables instantly stopped; even the most mischievous students held their breath. Her movement was as light as a dead leaf caught by the wind, carrying an otherworldly aloofness, as if she might dissipate into the air at any moment.
"She looks... so quiet," a Hufflepuff girl whispered to her companion.
"That hat is very distinctive." A nearby Ravenclaw boy pushed up his glasses, trying to see her face under the brim. "Her aura is completely different from Lady Grey's, yet somewhat similar. Lady Grey was like a scholar hiding a secret; she's like an unfinished poem—but both are very quiet."
At the Slytherin table, a few students exchanged glances. One murmured, "Another Ravenclaw ghost... seems this position is quite 'hereditary.'"
Dylan sat at the Gryffindor table, quietly observing the ghostly lady, detached from the surrounding commotion. He noticed the Grey Lady offer a slight bow—a gesture that was elegant yet aloof, like a person from the last century performing an ancient ritual.
When the Grey Lady silently faded away, the whispers surged back after a brief silence. "She didn't say anything!" "She seems even less willing to communicate than Lady Grey." "Did you see her hat? Was she hiding something? That hat was so strange." The Ravenclaw students were the most passionate in their debate. Some insisted that the Grey Lady's silence must hold wisdom. Others felt that compared to Lady Grey's sharpness, the new ghost seemed more mysterious, as they hadn't seen her around much before.
Only when Dumbledore's applause began did the clamor slowly subside. Students looked up, their faces still showing lingering curiosity. The Ravenclaw girls were still staring in the direction the Grey Lady had vanished. A few Gryffindors were already placing bets on whether they could randomly encounter the new ghost in the Tower. As Dumbledore's gentle gaze swept the hall, every eye sparkled with anticipation. Clearly, the change in the House Ghost had become the fresh topic of the day, equally worthy of discussion.
"After all that talk, I'm sure everyone's stomach is rumbling! So now—the feast officially begins!"
As Professor Dumbledore finished speaking, the previously empty long tables instantly filled with all kinds of dishes. The sheen of roast chicken, the aroma of stew, the sweetness of fruit... Various smells intermingled, filling the entire Great Hall.
A round of applause, mixed with the clatter of cutlery and sounds of swallowing, immediately followed. Though not fervent, it was full of genuine delight. After all, despite the excitement of the Ravenclaw Diadem's return and Professor Dumbledore's speech, the students had been starving since the afternoon. At this moment, the temptation of food clearly won out.
Harry and the others, who had intended to grab Dylan and ask him more questions, couldn't suppress their appetites when faced with the abundant food. They picked up their knives and forks and dove into their meals. They still had the night. Even if Dylan went to bed early as usual, they didn't have to bother him. They could simply ask on the train ride home tomorrow.
That evening, after returning to the dormitory, Dylan did exactly as Harry and the others had expected. He headed straight into his four-poster bed, drew the curtains, and isolated himself from the outside world. Harry, Neville, and the others who came specifically to talk found themselves disappointed.
Looking at the flimsy curtain that felt like an invisible barrier, Harry and the others exchanged glances. In the end, they could only sigh helplessly and give up on questioning him for the night.
Lying in the four-poster bed, Dylan was well aware of Harry's thoughts outside, but he truly didn't have the mental energy to deal with the overly curious Gryffindors right now. Anything they needed could wait until the train tomorrow. He briefly curled his lip and refocused his attention on the system interface before him, specifically the achievements displayed on the screen. This was what he was most concerned about right now.
[Achievement]: Grade Leader
[Description]: Your actions have completely cemented your position in the House.
[Requirement]: Single-handedly earn 1000 House Points!
[Achievement Reward]:Ravenclaw's Blessing
[Ravenclaw's Blessing]
[Effect One]: You can always easily gain the goodwill of wizards originating from Ravenclaw.
[Effect Two]: You possess the talent and aptitude of a good scholar. The more knowledge you acquire, the faster you will be able to learn new knowledge, as all knowledge is interconnected!
[Effect Three]: You will always find it easier to gain sudden inspiration when studying or conducting experiments.
Dylan blinked at the system notification. Good grief. The real Rowena Ravenclaw couldn't bestow such a blessing on him. At best, the old Ravenclaw Diadem had a certain learning enhancement effect. And now you're directly granting the blessing in Ravenclaw's stead, are you?
Well, well, well!
Looking at the string of magnificent attribute entries on the system panel, Dylan could hardly hide his surprise. Not only had Ravenclaw now given him a blessing, but it contained a full three effects! Even more remarkable, not a single one of these three attributes was useless.
Even the first effect, [Effect One]: You can always easily gain the goodwill of wizards originating from Ravenclaw, which at first glance seemed redundant after the news of him recovering the Diadem spread, was crucial. This effect covers all wizards originating from Ravenclaw. Even if some Ravenclaw-educated wizards didn't care about his deed (not everyone cares about a diadem), this effect ensures that others' goodwill towards him reaches at least Friendly. At the very least, they won't be immediately hostile.
Everyone knows the ranking of Dark Wizards among the four Hogwarts Houses: Slytherin > Ravenclaw ≈ Gryffindor > Hufflepuff. You can't expect all Dark Wizards to hold sufficient respect for the House Founder. Therefore, this attribute's role in filling in the gaps is quite crucial. It ensures that even Ravenclaw-educated Dark Wizards won't proactively attack Dylan upon encountering him. This clearly offers significant protection.
—Well, regardless of who it protects, it saves Dylan a lot of trouble, and that's enough.
[Achievement]: Listening to the Stars
[Description]: Your results in Divination class swept all the students, making you the undisputed first!
[Achievement Reward]: Certified number one in Divination by a professor.
[Achievement Reward]:Professor Trelawney's Overnight Tea.
[Professor Trelawney's Overnight Tea]
[Effect]: After drinking, there is an extremely low probability of entering a divination state at night and making a prophecy that is guaranteed to come true.
"Huh?" Dylan was taken aback by this achievement reward. For Dylan, who was already proficient in divination, this reward was not only useless but, in some ways, actively negative. Because with something like a "prophecy that is guaranteed to come true," no one can guarantee whether the content is good or bad. Dylan's current smooth sailing owes much to his ability to make prophecies that can be altered.
What's more, "What kind of thing is Overnight Tea?" He certainly wouldn't drink it. He could, however, keep it for now. Since it's already "overnight," it probably won't spoil.
Dylan continued to the next achievement reward.
[Achievement]: Professor Flitwick Went Mad with Joy
[Description]: Because of your actions, Flitwick suffered from diarrhea for three days straight! He was simply too happy, so happy he couldn't even control his sphincter.
[Requirement]: Give Professor Flitwick an immense shock of joy.
[Achievement Reward]:Spell Fluidity +22%
Finally, a useful achievement reward. Dylan's mouth twitched slightly at the achievement involving Professor Flitwick. He wasn't sure if the Professor actually suffered from diarrhea, or if this was just the system's exaggeration. After all, even if a wizard's body couldn't be controlled by their own will, they should be able to control it with magic... But this line of questioning was too disgusting. The mere thought made Dylan's head hurt, so he decided not to dwell on it.
Looking at the achievement reward again, Dylan nodded inwardly. So, what is Spell Fluidity? To put it simply, after you cast one spell, and then need to cast a different spell immediately after, the speed and accuracy of switching to the next spell is known as Spell Fluidity.
Fluidity is relatively less fundamental than power and stability. For wizards who repeatedly use the same spell or who intentionally pause before using the next spell, this attribute is not very useful. However, if a wizard needs to cast different spells in rapid succession, this attribute becomes quite important. When a wizard is casting a large number of different spells continuously and non-verbally, a 22% increase in fluidity is remarkably significant. It can make the speed at which the wizard casts the next spell astonishingly fast! In such a scenario, the role of fluidity can even surpass that of power and stability—though, of course, those two attributes remain highly useful and important in this situation as well.
This achievement reward is Fluidity... Not bad. It fits both the Ravenclaw style and Professor Flitwick's characteristics.
He accepted the reward and moved on to the next achievement.
[Achievement]: Professor Snape's Accomplice
[Description]: With the cooperation of the evil you and the vile old bat, you finally managed to jointly expel a common enemy!
[Requirement]: Work with Snape to drive the damned werewolf out of the school!
[Achievement Reward]:Half-Blood Prince's Occasional Inspiration
[Half-Blood Prince's Occasional Inspiration]
[Effect]: When brewing potions, there is a probability of generating inspiration for improving the potion.
"Ugh—" Dylan clicked his tongue at this achievement, sighing softly with a hint of disappointment. It wasn't that the achievement reward was useless; after all, he often brews potions and even attempts various experiments to improve them. But regardless, this reward only offers him a probabilistic change. It's useful, but it doesn't seem too useful. Still, it's something.
This is useful for Dylan. Although it might not seem like Dylan brews many potions, he is actually secretly brewing various concoctions in his trunk every day. Things like potions for toothaches, digestion, acne, hair care... After all, Dylan's daily life is anything but healthy and routine. Even with his enhanced body, he still needs to take care of it. Besides these daily-use potions, Dylan currently has a cauldron of Felix Felicis that has been brewing for nearly half a month in his trunk.
After organizing these gains, Dylan closed his eyes, preparing to sleep.
Just then, however, he suddenly heard a nearly inaudible cry from outside the window—or rather, from outside the castle, in the Dark Forest.
Dylan paused and opened his eyes again.
.......
AN: Check out my P@treon For +80 extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
👉 Join now: patreon.com/Chaos_God