"Why are you here?"
Looking at the familiar old man before him, Link asked somewhat surprised.
And upon hearing that, Professor Kettleburn directly tossed the Forktail Hound in his hand casually to the side, saying, "I've already retired, and I was just idling around anyway. Since Mr. Scamander happened to invite me, I thought I'd come along and have a look."
After speaking, Kettleburn bent down and helped the little boy up, patting off the leaves and dirt stuck on him, asking,
"You're not hurt, are you, child?"
"I… I'm not hurt." The boy said timidly.
The boy had a head of dark brown hair extremely similar to Mr. Newt's, and a pair of blue eyes. These two features, combined with his current pitiful little expression, made him completely the image of a weak little boy.
Emily had no particular feelings toward this kind of shota, but Link paused slightly.
Of course, he had no strange thoughts. It's just that he suddenly realized, this little boy seemed to be a junior schoolmate who had only just enrolled last year.
"You… you're Senior Flamel?"
The little boy looked at Link and Emily, who were standing not far away, and asked somewhat uncertainly.
And after getting Link's confirmation, the boy touched his face full of dog drool and his clothes wrinkled from rubbing, and his mental state instantly collapsed.
"Merlin! You saw it all just now! Waaa!"
The boy cried out and ran far away, yelling as he ran, "I hate magical creatures! I hate Grandpa the most too!"
Watching Rolf's figure get farther and farther away, Link and Emily both looked a bit awkward.
Newt, at the side, coughed once and explained,
"That's my little grandson, Rolf Scamander. Uh, he's just saying that in anger, you understand? He actually really likes magical creatures and me."
Hearing this, Link's expression was a bit speechless.
He still somewhat understood this junior schoolmate Rolf.
This was a very shy and honest child. As the grandson of Newt Scamander, he was originally expected to become the darling of the entire Hufflepuff house.
After all, his grandfather was the most legendary hero figure in Hufflepuff in recent decades.
However, he had never once mentioned his family to anyone.
This kind of extreme low-profile behavior meant that many people in Hufflepuff, including Link, didn't even know his identity.
Like many other little badgers, he also greatly admired Link, the senior who had saved Hogwarts and also helped Hufflepuff win the House Cup.
And now, thanks to his grandfather, he'd made a huge fool of himself in front of his idol.
Thinking of this, Rolf reacting that way was completely understandable.
Sighing, Link frowned and said to Newt, "Mr. Scamander, I think it's best if you go after Rolf now. After all, his emotions are really unstable right now, and this place looks quite dangerous too."
Hearing that, Newt finally came back to his senses, and hurriedly ran after the already almost invisible figure of Rolf.
And once Newt ran off, Professor Kettleburn came closer with a smile and said,
"Pretty ridiculous, isn't it? Who would've thought that guy once caught Grindelwald and is the greatest Magizoologist of this century?"
Link also nodded in agreement. He had watched the movie series about Newt in his previous life, and back then he'd noticed that this guy definitely had ability, and a good heart, just a bit silly.
That this guy could achieve what he did in the end, aside from the support of Dumbledore, Link could only say he was a lucky fool.
At the same time, unlike Link, Emily's mind wasn't on Newt or Rolf at all.
She held onto Link's arm and looked at Professor Kettleburn with some anticipation, asking,
"Professor, do you know what we're going to do in Greenland this time?"
"Do what? Just a mission from the Ministry of Magic."
Professor Kettleburn said carelessly.
"Seems there are dark wizards doing illegal research related to magical creature hybrid synthesis and breeding on that godforsaken island. We're just going for a preliminary investigation."
"Hybrid? Synthesis?"
Both Link and Emily showed surprised expressions.
"That's right. Just what you're thinking." Professor Kettleburn continued, "This kind of breeding method combines various magical creatures, regular animals, even plants and inanimate materials through hybridization and magical synthesis to form entirely new magical creatures."
"But this breeding method is extremely cruel and goes against human ethics. Some insane wizards even use Muggles as materials for experimentation, producing a large number of grotesque and disgusting monsters."
"The most typical example is the Siren."
"This bird-bodied, human-headed ancient creature is still believed to be a result of a misused human transfiguration spell, but in fact, it's a mass-produced synthetic monster."
"Of course, nowadays there are very few wizards who dare to do this kind of thing. After all, back in 1965, the Ministry of Magic formally passed the 'Prohibition on Animal Breeding Experiments' Act, completely banning this kind of magical creature breeding method."
"By the way, that very law was initiated by Mr. Newt Scamander himself!"
After saying that, Professor Kettleburn took out a metal flask and took a hearty swig.
Link and Emily were stunned into stone.
Emily was simply disgusted by those synthetic creatures, while Link was pulled into some bad memories by Kettleburn's words.
In that moment, Link felt his DNA activate.
"No! Don't, big brother!"
"Link! What's wrong?" Seeing Link suddenly shout out, Emily looked worried.
"I'm fine… just feeling a little nauseous."
"Using Muggles for experiments and such… that really is disgusting."
Professor Kettleburn put away his flask and said, "But as long as it's handled properly, this breeding technology is actually quite good."
"For example, through breeding, you could make ordinary bird feathers possess the properties of Demiguise feathers. That way, not only would Demiguise feather prices go down, but the Demiguise itself wouldn't be endangered anymore."
"Precisely because of this, and due to the increasing scarcity of various natural resources in the wizarding world, the Ministry's enforcement of the Animal Breeding Ban Act in recent years has been… ambiguous."
"Strictly speaking, as long as you don't go overboard, the Ministry won't interfere."
"So, this trip to Greenland probably won't be that thrilling either. After all, in this day and age, there are few people who dare to defy the world like that."
Hearing this, Link nodded. His own viewpoint was similar to Professor Kettleburn's.
As long as the ethical line of humanity wasn't crossed, this kind of experimentation was actually more beneficial than harmful.
After all, in his past life, weren't there hybrid rice, and various meats and produce selectively bred over generations?
Even those adorable pet cats and dogs were genetically shaped by humans through the same means, to match human aesthetics.
And at that moment, Newt finally returned with Rolf.
But looking at Rolf's tear-filled eyes, it was clear he still hadn't recovered emotionally.
Professor Kettleburn didn't care about that at all. He simply glanced up at the magical clock hanging on the doorway, then picked up a slightly shriveled tin bucket from the side and said, "Alright everyone! Time for us to get going!"
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