Ciel's heart pounded with excitement. If the Devil's Snare cultivation rewards could be further amplified by the small silver bucket, the benefits to him would be self-evident. Thinking this, he quickened his pace and immediately returned to the greenhouse.
He took out the mutated Devil's Snare root section from his chest. Ciel's gaze fell upon it. The cuts made by Sectumsempra were gradually beginning to heal. There were signs of new branches starting to grow from them. But this process was still quite lengthy. It would probably take at least half a month before he could actually see new branches growing out.
"I wonder if the small silver bucket can really work on Devil's Snare. It's about time to supplement the Devil's Snare with nutrients anyway. Might as well do it in the small silver bucket."
Then Ciel placed the Devil's Snare root section into the small silver bucket. He took out the potion. Using the familiar Levitation Charm, he dispersed several drops of potion into mist form, letting it spread throughout the entire small silver bucket.
Immediately, Ciel's eyes showed delight. The mist-form potion was absorbed by the Devil's Snare root like a rainbow drawing water. Especially at the cut areas. They almost formed mist-like whirlpools.
Ciel had previously irrigated with this misting method before. But never with such dramatic results. Both absorption efficiency and speed had clearly increased significantly. It was as if the Devil's Snare had suddenly developed a huge appetite.
"It seems the small silver bucket's effect of stimulating vitality really is extraordinary. It works on Devil's Snare too!"
Ciel added two more drops of potion. Only then was the Devil's Snare root finally satisfied. At this time, his gaze also fell on the system notifications. He wanted to see if there were any changes to the Devil's Snare root's reward information.
But after a moment, Ciel showed some disappointment. There were indeed changes. But far from as significant as he had hoped. The Binding Control Spell Enhancement reward had gained one or two scattered golden specks. The silver radiance on Fire-Resistant Skin had brightened slightly.
There was an effect. But it was far from achieving qualitative change. Could only say it was better than nothing.
"Fine. Having any effect is good enough. Accumulated over time, plus when planting quantities reach a certain level, this enhancement will become considerable."
Ciel consoled himself. Free benefits, however small, were still profit. And since the small silver bucket worked on Devil's Snare roots, it should also work on his other crops, right?
Then he acted immediately. He tried it on Piranha Algae and Guardian Trees. The effects were somewhat different from what he expected.
"Piranha Algae had no reaction at all, no difference whatsoever. But Guardian Trees reacted well, with rewards also strengthening slightly."
Ciel tried several common magical plant seeds. He also discovered a pattern. The small silver bucket's effectiveness was concentrated on land-growing plants. As for aquatic plants, they weren't affected by the small silver bucket.
"What principle is this?" Ciel's face was full of confusion. He looked at the remaining patterns and scattered ancient characters on the small silver bucket, trying to make sense of something. After staring for a moment, he didn't recognize them. They didn't recognize him either. So close, yet so far.
Ciel decisively gave up. "Fine. This isn't something a magical illiterate like me can understand. I'll ask professionals when I get the chance. For now, I'll just make do with using it."
Then he turned back to focus on the Devil's Snare root. Since it took considerable time from creating cuts to new branches growing out, this step should naturally be as fast as possible. Although the batch of potions from the Ministry hadn't arrived yet, what Ciel had on hand was enough to process some more first-level nodes.
Though dawn was breaking, there was still some time before class. Rather than eating breakfast or having fun, Ciel preferred to squeeze out a bit more time to cultivate Devil's Snare. Sometimes utilizing these scattered moments, accumulated over time, would yield rewards beyond imagination.
Ciel waved his wand repeatedly. Sectumsempra was cast continuously. During this process, his concentration was also highly focused. After all, Sectumsempra was too powerful. A slight mistake might not just cut open the Devil's Snare root's surface and magical nodes. The entire Devil's Snare root might be chopped to pieces.
Therefore, Ciel had to control it very carefully. This was extremely mentally draining. In just a moment, sweat had already appeared on his forehead. But in return, on the system panel, Sectumsempra's silver radiance was slowly becoming brighter.
Time passed minute by minute. Until Ciel had expanded the number of first-level nodes on the Devil's Snare root to over twenty in one go. The potion bottle in his hand emptied. The last drop of potion was completely consumed. Only then did he let out a light breath.
"About right. The number of first-level nodes has reached the minimum standard for the next stage. Can start planting it in soil. Next is waiting for new branches to grow out, then processing the second-level and third-level nodes on them. Once they all reach certain quantities, it will enter the next stage of its growth period. Just waiting for the experimental plot allocation and Ministry potions. Should be soon, just these couple days..."
At this time, he checked the time. "Almost class time. What's the first class today? With Gryffindor, Transfiguration?"
While walking out, Ciel pondered the upcoming courses in his mind. After discovering today's class was Transfiguration, his eyes lit up slightly. Previously, his performance in Herbology and Charms had been good. But for Transfiguration, the subject that most demanded talent, Ciel could only say that when pushed to extremes, he could do anything. But if he didn't know Transfiguration, he really didn't know it.
After all, this could be seen from the trio's performance in the original story. Even by the final battle, neither Harry nor Ron from the trio had used Transfiguration in actual combat. Hermione only used it occasionally. All this showed its profound difficulty.
McGonagall's class had surprisingly simple requirements—just essay length and word count standards. Pass your regular written work and the final theory exam, and you'd pass the course. Nobody ever had to demonstrate actual spellcasting ability.
Moreover, throughout the entire first year, being able to turn a match into a needle would directly count as excellent. But so far, besides Hermione, who could achieve this, no other first-year students had managed it. Previously, when Ciel waved his wand, the match would only twitch and give him no other response.
But Ciel then, whether in spell mastery, magical perception, or magical strength, couldn't compare to his current self. His eyes showed some confidence.
"Now, if nothing else, operations like turning a match into a needle should be achievable. Transfiguration study should also be put on the agenda."
Ciel valued Transfiguration even more than Charms. This discipline was essential to magic, the very foundation of every spell. In the original story, the greatest wizards, including Dumbledore, Grindelwald and Voldemort, all excelled at Transfiguration.
Previously, Ciel lacked the talent and conditions to research it. Now that he had somewhat supplemented his talent, he needed to put some effort into Transfiguration too. Moreover, the Shadow Thorns sub-project of the Whomping Willow required casting the Disillusionment Charm. This also demanded Transfiguration mastery.
Various thoughts flashed through his mind. Ciel's steps toward the Transfiguration classroom quickened further.
Ring, ring, ring. The class bell rang. Professor McGonagall swept the classroom with an authoritative gaze.
"I know the first class after Christmas holidays is often very difficult. But since you're here for class, I hope you'll pay attention. No one is going to fall asleep in my class, are they?"
Her gaze moved around. Even Neville, who wanted to yawn, couldn't help but straighten up. This was Professor McGonagall's intimidating presence. No one dared show the slightest negligence in her classroom.
Seeing this scene, the dissatisfaction on Professor McGonagall's face finally faded slightly. She began explaining the basic Transfiguration theory she had taught many times before. There was no choice. The difficulty of this subject meant that even the most basic content was completely incomprehensible to most young wizards.
She could only repeat it like this over and over. Even if a few young wizards could understand a bit more content through this repetition, it would benefit their future magical studies immensely. Therefore, even though Professor McGonagall herself was getting tired of this knowledge, she continued patiently explaining.
At this time, Ciel, listening to the lesson, had some different feelings from when he attended classes before. The profound and subtle points that were previously completely bewildering, had no concept, and could only be memorized by rote... now he could finally understand somewhat.
What surprised Ciel was that this Transfiguration knowledge he was gradually beginning to understand actually had some similarities to the insights he had gained from several Platinum-tier spells.
"Microscopic." Ciel's expression was serious. His eyes showed thoughtful understanding.
"Transfiguration's entry point is using magic power to make changes to objects at the microscopic level. Why is turning a match into a needle so difficult? This isn't some illusion or sleight of hand, but truly changing the object's properties at the microscopic level."
"In terms of my past life, Transfiguration already involves changing an object's molecular and atomic structure. No wonder Transfiguration entry is difficult to this degree, with many wizards unable to master Transfiguration their entire lives. This entry difficulty is equivalent to several basic spells reaching Platinum-tier mastery!"
"No wonder Transfiguration's upper limit is ridiculously high. A basic attack equivalent to other magic's ultimate moves... isn't that exactly this?!"
When thinking of this level, countless sparks of inspiration surged through Ciel's mind. Professor McGonagall's current explanation. Essays written after each Transfiguration class. Content from the Half-Blood Prince's textbook. And the discussions about magic from various masters at the hearing.
At this moment, they all erupted like volcanic lava, churning in his mind. Inspiration. Countless inspirations. Surging emotions rolled through his heart.
At this time, Professor McGonagall reached another subtle point. This made Ciel unable to contain himself completely... he suddenly stood up and joyfully exclaimed.
"Wonderful. How wonderful!"
Ciel's sudden movement made everyone in the classroom look at each other. The little Hufflepuffs who had been daydreaming immediately returned to reality. Hannah quickly whispered a reminder.
"Ciel?"
He also came to his senses at this time. He quickly said, "Sorry, Professor. What you just explained was so exquisite. I was so absorbed in listening that I involuntarily stood up."
Professor McGonagall's expression was strange. Her gaze also became uncertain. "Ciel. What did you find so wonderful about what I just said?"
After pondering for a moment, Ciel explained the points that had made him feel enlightened, adding some understanding he had gained from Platinum-tier spells.
Whether little Hufflepuffs or little Gryffindors, they all looked completely bewildered. "What's Ciel talking about?"
Harry and Ron couldn't help but ask Hermione in low voices. Hermione said uncertainly, "It seems... very profound Transfiguration problems. I can't fully understand either."
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Both looked like they'd seen a ghost. They accepted Ciel's spell level. But in Transfiguration, wasn't he the same as them... understanding nothing at all? How had he suddenly advanced by leaps and bounds to a level even Hermione couldn't reach?
At this time, after listening to Ciel's explanation, Professor McGonagall's eyes suddenly brightened. She took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in her heart, and said to him with full encouragement.
"Ciel. Take out your wand and try turning a match into a needle. Or any transformation will do."
Ciel nodded. He gripped his hawthorn wand. In his mind, he recalled the countless subtleties that had just enlightened him. Then, under countless gazes, his wand lightly tapped.
A surge of magic flowed from the wand tip into the match in his hand. "Microscopic. Change from the microscopic level. Need this strong will to change the object to drive the magic."
The next moment, the match in his hand suddenly flashed. A gleaming silver needle appeared in his hand!
The surrounding Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors nearly had their eyes pop out seeing this scene. Previously, only Hermione could do this. Everyone was guessing who would be next to complete this transformation. It would definitely be a Ravenclaw student, right?
They hadn't expected it to be Hufflepuff's Ciel! For a moment, the little Hufflepuffs were excited, as if inspired, unable to help wanting to cheer aloud.
But at this time, Ciel, looking at the needle in his hand, was like someone who had just pushed open the door to a treasure vault, his eyes full of rare treasures. Strange experiences fed back from the wand. He murmured to himself.
"It's not just this. I can do even more."
He raised his wand again. Professor McGonagall also immediately signaled everyone to be quiet. The next second, Ciel's wand kept tapping. Each time it tapped, the things before him underwent various transformations.
A lighter. A teapot. A birdcage. Even intricately carved, exquisitely beautiful vases. Even figurines from anime he'd seen in his past life. All appeared one by one as he waved his wand.
Ciel was completely immersed. Until the dismissal bell rang, he was suddenly awakened. And from all directions came gazes as if looking at an immortal.
Then Professor McGonagall couldn't help but applaud him. She praised loudly, "Perfect Transfiguration performance! Ciel, your understanding of Transfiguration has already far surpassed all first-years. For this, twenty points to Hufflepuff!"
Deafening cheers and applause immediately flooded the entire classroom. Ciel's heartbeat also began pounding rapidly. Not because of the points. But because dramatic changes had occurred on his system panel.
All Platinum-tier spells had reached unprecedented brilliance in their platinum radiance. The breakthrough in Transfiguration understanding had given his spell mastery tremendous advancement! Not only that, Ciel also saw a new line of text in his abilities section.
[Transfiguration (Black Iron Tier)!]
[Chapter Complete]
***
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