Inside the gourd space.
Lucien Grafton stood to the side, his gaze calm as he watched the massive figure pacing through the clearing—Norbert.
In just two or three months, Norbert's length had already approached four metres, its build sleek and powerful from its head to its thick, long tail.
From time to time, Norbert spread its wings, casting a vast shadow. With a wingspan of six or seven metres, it already possessed the ability to soar through the sky.
This space was no longer big enough.
The dragon was growing too fast and needed further expansion. Yet, Lucien felt a trace of unease.
With his current mastery of the Undetectable Extension Charm, the expansion of the space was already nearing its limit. When he went to Arizona with Newt, he would ask him for guidance and learn more.
If it involved the Scamander family's legacy, then he would forget it. Alternatively, he could ask Newt to help with the expansion, but what kind of compensation should he offer?
Suddenly, a low growl sounded above Lucien's head, carrying a faint sense of pressure. Only then did he realise that he had been enveloped in Norbert's shadow. He looked up, meeting the orange-red dragon eyes that resembled molten lava, and couldn't help but smile.
Lucien clearly sensed that Norbert's seemingly intimidating posture was, in fact, nothing more than a clumsy attempt to seek affection. As for why the roar sounded so deep and frightening, it was simply because the child could not control it yet.
No matter how docile a dragon might appear, it was still, at its core, one of the most dangerous creatures in the wizarding world—a predator at the top of the food chain. And Lucien, blessed by the unicorn, clearly understood what Norbert was trying to say.
"Mommy, I'm hungry."
"Hasn't it been long enough? Haven't I taught you to call me Daddy?"
Lucien shook his head helplessly while pulling out various cuts of beef and lamb, along with many kinds of seafood.
The Norwegian Ridgeback was one of the few dragons that hunted aquatic creatures; there had even been eyewitness accounts of a Norwegian Ridgeback snatching a whale calf.
As he fed Norbert, Lucien observed it carefully. Its scales were predominantly deep black, with dark golden patterns interwoven across their surface. These golden lines were not static; they subtly flowed along Norbert's back, neck, and wing membranes with its breathing and muscle movements.
Lucien had compared this with records in books and consulted Newt. Norwegian Ridgebacks did not possess such golden markings.
Therefore, it was inferred that this change had been brought about by hatching the dragon egg with Lumen's Pure Net Fire. No other unusual characteristics had been observed so far, and perhaps Norbert needed to grow larger for them to manifest.
It was a pity that Norbert could not use the pet growth loan provided by the system. It seemed that only creatures produced by the system could make use of it.
Hmm, I wonder if methods like potions could achieve similar effects, promoting dragon growth or strengthening their physical fitness.
After all, to repay the Magic Weaving Technique loan and cultivate Norbert into the Dragon King of the Norwegian Ridgeback species, the stronger it became, the better.
Lucien summoned the system and checked the loan projects to see whether there had been any updates since last time. His consciousness skimmed through the information like flowing water.
"Got it!"
Lucien's spirits lifted as he opened a new loan entry.
Loan: Bone and Blood Baptism Fluid (Monthly Loan)
Repayment Period: 30 days
Loan Content: A potion. Immersion in it can strengthen bones and muscles.
P.S.: This potion is only suitable for magical creatures. The bodies of human wizards are too fragile to withstand its potency.
Good. Very suitable.
Whether humans could use it did not matter. For now, the priority was nurturing Norbert, and a dragon's physical strength could certainly withstand it.
Norbert was currently in a rapid growth phase, so using this potion was perfect. Otherwise, once it reached adulthood and its body stabilised, the effects would no longer be as significant.
Moreover, once Norbert became stronger, the Magic Weaving Technique could be used to slightly improve the dragon's magical circuits.
Lucien had considered this before; if used properly, adjustments to magical circuits could enhance the power of magical creatures.
He had also asked the system whether this approach was feasible, and the system's reply had been:
The host's idea is brilliant. This aligns with cultivating the Dragon Task, but the premise is that the dragon's essence must not be altered.
After a series of questions and answers, Lucien understood that he could optimise the details of the magical circuit, but not change it beyond recognition.
But that was enough.
Details could determine success or failure, and advantages accumulated bit by bit would eventually lead to victory.
In addition, another reason Lucien chose this loan was the description of the loan task:
Loan Task: Dance with a Thunderbird for one hundred kilometres without relying on external objects (wands may be used).
This task was extremely difficult for ordinary wizards. On the one hand, without external objects such as flying brooms, most wizards were simply unable to fly. On the other hand, there was the inherent danger of Thunderbirds.
They were XXXX-class magical creatures that could stir up storms and summon lightning while flying, possessing extraordinarily powerful destructive capabilities.
Moreover, Thunderbirds were extremely sensitive and highly wary of other creatures, rarely allowing anyone to approach them.
However, both of these difficulties could be resolved for Lucien.
With the animal affinity granted by being the Lord of Lumen, combined with the unicorn's blessing, his communication with magical creatures should be exceptional.
It was only flying with a Thunderbird for a while, not plucking its feathers; it shouldn't be a major problem.
As for flying on one's own, aside from Lord Voldemort's unique flight magic, the only way was to become an Animagus and hope that one's animal form could fly.
And Lucien was already an Animagus, one who could transform freely. He could choose any flying animal he wanted, couldn't he?
"But to dance with a Thunderbird, the Thunderbird's flying speed…"
No matter how fast an ordinary bird could fly, it was impossible to keep up with a Thunderbird that could weave through storms. Moreover, flying for one hundred kilometres while maintaining high speed—the difficulty of that was immense.
Lucien's eyes flickered. He had recently gained some new insights into Transfiguration. Since his Animagus form had no restrictions, could he attempt transformations beyond ordinary creatures?
Directly transforming into a magical creature would be far too risky; reshaping magical circuits was no trivial matter.
But what if he only made changes at the level of flesh and bone? Perhaps it could be similar to the Chimera transformation from before…
"Thunderbird… anyway, I've already agreed with Newt to go to Arizona. I might as well accomplish it there."
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