"Which hand do you favor?"
"My left hand."
"What did the Talent Hat say about your test?"
"The Talent Hat suggested I major in white magic and minor in potion-making."
"Oh?"
Sebastian's eyes lit up. It had been half a month since he crafted the Talent Hat. During that time, he'd been using Asgard's Rainbow Bridge to travel across the Nine Realms, gathering materials while crafting a substantial number of wands. After half a month of grinding non-stop, he had finally produced a significant batch of wands.
So, early this morning, Sebastian began equipping his school's future teachers with wands. He had already fitted twelve people with wands suited to them. The young man before him, with his frail frame, greasy hair, large nose, and pale skin, was the only one so far with a talent for potion-making, which couldn't help but delight Sebastian.
Just as he was about to fetch a suitable wand, Sebastian paused, looking at the young man with a peculiar expression. Did all potion-making mages look like this?
He stared for a moment, until the young man began to wonder if something was wrong with himself. Sebastian shook his head, casting out those jumbled thoughts, and retrieved a slender wooden box. From it, he took a wand that resembled a tree branch, adorned with delicate green patterns, exuding the fresh scent of wood and grass.
"Try this one. Made from a branch of Alfheim's Light Elves' ancient tree, with elf dragon hair. It enhances white magic and nature-based spells and can assist in potion brewing and herb care. It should be the most suitable for you."
The young man carefully took the wand. The moment his left hand grasped it, a pure surge of vitality flowed into his body, turning his pale complexion rosy. His skin and hair quality improved noticeably, and even his overall health strengthened under the vitality's influence.
Seeing his transformation, Sebastian smiled and said: "The result speaks for itself."
Fiddling with his wand, the young man broke into a heartfelt smile. He looked at Sebastian and immediately said: "Headmaster, thank you so much."
"No need for thanks. Introduce yourself."
"I'm Nolan, Nolan Gellman."
"Nolan, stay after. I'll personally tutor you. You're the only one among them with potion-making talent. The school's future potion classes will depend on you."
Hearing Sebastian's words, Nolan's face lit up with excitement. He nodded repeatedly and stepped aside to await Sebastian's call.
After Nolan, no one else, including Kaecilius, showed potion-making talent, which disappointed Sebastian. However, two individuals had alchemical talent, capable of learning wand-making and crafting magical artifacts. One had exceptional healing white magic talent, and another showed strong aptitude for transfiguration. Sebastian kept all five for special coaching.
These five weren't suited for combat, but they were indispensable talents for Hogwarts, and Sebastian valued them highly. To avoid upsetting the others, he gave Kaecilius some potions and tasked him with leading the rest to study deeper magic. If they lacked special talents, they could compensate with broader magical knowledge.
Sebastian stored the remaining hundred-plus wands in the wand storage room, placing each wand box on the racks according to labeled nameplates. Though he only filled the first and second racks, he figured that if he kept grinding non-stop as he had for the past half month, he'd eventually fill the entire storage room.
After storing the wands, he assigned ample coursework to the five and, while revising his magic textbooks, guided them through their difficulties and answered their questions.
Mages weren't like schoolchildren; they knew what they wanted and were highly motivated to learn. No one slacked off, and their learning ability was impressive. Unless they hit a true knowledge gap, the materials and textbooks Sebastian provided were sufficient to help them grasp what they needed to learn.
Of course, training fully qualified mages or magic teachers so quickly was impossible. Sebastian's current goal was to train these mages to a level where they could teach the first batch of students.
While teaching students, he'd enrich his own knowledge. By the time the first batch graduated, Hogwarts would have its own truly qualified mages and teachers.
Ding! Hearing his phone chime, Sebastian stepped out of the classroom into the corridor.
Hogwarts didn't ban electronic devices, but Sebastian had commissioned Tony to create equipment that blocked any information that could leak the school's secrets. These were managed by a new intelligent assistant Tony designed for Sebastian, sophisticated enough to handle tasks humanely.
Sebastian checked his phone, which displayed a message asking him to call Tony back.
He dialed Tony's number, and Tony picked up quickly.
"Sebastian, we've located those guys and are gearing up to strike again. Can you make time?"
"Of course. Where are you now?"
"We're already on the move. Head straight to the destination."
"Where?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new headquarters, the New World Sky Fortress!"
The New World Sky Fortress was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ultimate sky base, built using technologies from the Helicarrier and the Raft submarine prison, incorporating Dark Elf spaceship designs, and constructed with help from Tony and, later, Reed. Designed as the first near-Earth defense line against extraterrestrial invaders—second only to the off-world Zeus defense line, still under redesign from a Dark Elf ship—it had just been commissioned recently, only to face an imminent Inhuman attack. Sebastian could almost foresee its troubled fate.
"Where's that thing now?"
"Above New Zealand. Bring the contact lens I gave you. I'll guide you through it."
"Got it. I'll be there in ten minutes!"