When the system's voice sounded, Aris's heart trembled slightly.
Subconsciously, he opened the system panel in his mind.
A mission system?
Completing missions could earn Academic Points.
But another question quickly appeared in his mind.
"What are Academic Points used for?"
As if sensing his thoughts, the system responded immediately.
[Academic Points can be used for exchanges and lucky draws. Please check the system instructions for details.]
Just as the explanation finished, Luna's voice came from beside him.
"The nature of magic?"
"I didn't expect you to be interested in something like that."
The little girl looked slightly surprised.
But soon, a bright smile appeared on her face, as if she had found someone who shared her curiosity.
"I asked my father that question once."
"He said magic was a gift from God, a special talent given to certain people."
"But I think it might actually be some kind of strange energy, and wizards simply have the ability to communicate with it."
Luna clearly had her own thoughts on the subject.
This alone showed how different she was from most young witches and wizards.
Ordinary children who weren't even eleven yet would never think about such deep questions, let alone discuss them so seriously.
"You know..."
Aris waved his hand gently.
The floating blades of grass in front of him began forming a series of strange symbols that Luna couldn't understand.
They looked almost like mathematical equations.
"While wandering in the Muggle world, I learned some things."
"For example… the air we breathe is actually made up of many elements."
"Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide… and others."
"In the Muggle world, every type of energy can be described using formulas."
"People study these elements to understand things like molecules, atoms, and even microscopic worlds."
Aris paused slightly before continuing.
"So I was thinking…"
"Maybe magic energy also has some kind of elemental structure."
"But the wizarding world has never studied it deeply."
"Maybe no one has ever truly researched it at all."
As he spoke, Aris's thoughts continued racing.
His eyes slowly brightened.
If magical energy truly existed as a real substance, rather than something purely mystical—
Then perhaps it could be analyzed and understood.
And if that happened…
The entire wizarding world could change.
No.
Not just the wizarding world.
Perhaps even ordinary people could learn magic someday.
The whole world would undergo earth-shaking changes.
"Your idea is really bold."
Luna turned to look at him, surprise shining in her silver eyes.
"But it's also very interesting."
"And the meaning behind it is… kind of fascinating."
"If you really want to research something like that, maybe you can ask the professors when you get to Hogwarts."
"I think so too."
Aris smiled slightly.
Now that the mission system had been activated, he could earn Academic Points simply by asking questions every day.
It seemed the professors of Hogwarts were going to have a very troublesome student in the future.
However…
Aris still had some doubts about the system's mission rules.
Did the "teacher" in the mission mean actual teachers only?
Or could it be anyone who answered his questions?
Just as this thought appeared—
The system notification sounded again.
[Congratulations to the host for completing 1/3 of the Daily Mission.]
[Reward: 100 Academic Points.]
Aris blinked slightly.
Although Luna hadn't given a very complete answer about the nature of magic, the system still considered the task partially completed.
The mission progress had become 1/3.
Interesting.
Aris fell into thought.
It seemed the system only required useful answers, not perfect ones.
Further testing would be needed.
He turned to Luna again.
"Luna, do you know how a wizard can increase their magical power?"
Luna tilted her head slightly, thinking.
After a moment, she answered.
"I heard from my father that a wizard's magical power usually grows naturally with age."
"It normally reaches its peak in middle age, and then slowly begins to weaken."
"Of course, there are exceptions."
"For example… Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts."
"As for increasing magical power through other methods…"
She paused slightly.
"It's extremely difficult."
"Maybe certain potions or alchemical items could do it, but my father doesn't seem to know much about those advanced subjects."
Aris nodded thoughtfully.
Then the system notification sounded again.
[Congratulations to the host for completing 2/3 of the Daily Mission.]
[Reward: 200 Academic Points.]
Just as he suspected.
The previous result had not been a coincidence.
As long as the person being asked gave a useful answer, the task counted as completed.
And the difference in rewards probably depended on how detailed the answer was.
The more useful the information…
The greater the reward.
Aris smiled.
The ancient saying suddenly came to mind.
"When three people walk together, one of them can always be my teacher."
The ancients truly were wise.
But he still had one more test to perform.
This time, he needed to change his approach.
"Luna..."
"If you have any questions, you can ask me too."
The little girl seemed quite happy about the idea of sharing knowledge.
Her expression looked eager.
"Okay!"
Aris smiled warmly.
What a kind girl.
Then an idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Luna… what is inside your father's left pocket right now?"
"Eh?"
Luna froze in confusion.
She looked at Aris strangely.
"Aris… why are you asking that?"
"Oh, nothing."
"I'm just a little curious."
Aris scratched his nose awkwardly.
In truth, he simply wanted to test whether any random question could trigger the daily mission.
Luna hesitated for a moment.
But eventually she nodded.
"Wait here."
"I'll go check."
With that, she stood up and ran back toward the house.
It looked like she intended to confirm the answer personally.
Aris watched her leave and nodded in approval.
Very rigorous.
No wonder she would become a Ravenclaw student in the future.
Her thirst for knowledge was impressive.
Aris stretched slightly and looked toward the horizon.
At that moment—
A small black dot appeared in the distance.
It was getting closer and closer.
An owl.
Soon, the owl flew down and dropped a letter into Aris's hands.
Another letter from Hogwarts.
Aris opened the parchment envelope and began reading.
Dear Mr. Shafik,
Since this is your first time enrolling and your circumstances are somewhat special, Hogwarts will send a professor tomorrow to meet with you personally.
They will explain the school and help you understand the necessary arrangements.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Aris lowered the letter slowly and fell into thought.
His expression became slightly strange.
It seemed Hogwarts was paying special attention to him.
Ordinary students rarely received home visits from professors.
Such treatment usually happened only to students with special backgrounds.
For example—
Children from Muggle families.
Or someone like Harry Potter, the famous savior.
But after thinking about it, Aris smiled slightly.
"I heard Professor McGonagall is extremely knowledgeable."
"I should ask her a few questions tomorrow…"
"Especially about the nature of magic."
"Maybe I can learn something even before arriving at Hogwarts."
His quiet murmur drifted softly through the evening breeze as the sunset slowly faded over the hills.