At the thought of the Golden Cup, Char's heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate. While Hufflepuff's golden cup was merely a replica of the fabled Cup of Demeter, it was widely acknowledged as the creation that came closest to the original's power. Long ago, a Hufflepuff witch had used the golden cup to brew a special nectar, successfully cultivating a Whomping Willow from a mere sapling, a feat no master herbalist had managed to replicate in a thousand years.
This alone was enough to prove that the golden cup's benefits to the art of herbalism were absolutely extraordinary. It might even be significantly more potent than the battered silver cup that Char currently possessed. If he could obtain the golden cup, the boon to his own herbalism skills would be immeasurable. This didn't even take into account the cup's immense symbolic importance to Hufflepuff House. The Heads of House for generations had all attempted to retrieve the lost treasure, but unfortunately, none had ever succeeded. This was a particular point of sorrow for Professor Sprout.
"If I could only find the golden cup," Char mused, "I'm sure my aunt would be so overjoyed she wouldn't care if we lost the House Cup for the next ten years.
"A speculative look flashed across Char's eyes. The idea of taking advantage of this opportunity to sneak into Gringotts and retrieve the cup began to grow uncontrollably in his mind. A moment later, however, he took a deep breath, and the powerful impulse gradually cooled."It's not the right time," he reasoned with himself. "Voldemort made the Golden Cup into one of his Horcruxes. To destroy it, I know of methods like basilisk venom or Fiendfyre. But if I do that, the cup itself will be damaged. After all that effort, it wouldn't be worth it if the artifact is destroyed in the process.
Instead, I'd just be dragging myself into the messy business of destroying Horcruxes ahead of schedule. At the very least, I must find a way to isolate the cup from the fragment of Voldemort's soul, so that it can truly regain its effectiveness in my hands. Otherwise, it's just a dangerous decoration carrying a huge risk."After a moment of calm reflection, Char's thoughts became clearer. He abandoned the idea of stealing the golden cup in the near future.
"In the original story, the cup remained untouched in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault for years. I still have plenty of time. Once I find a way to separate the soul fragment from the Horcrux without destroying the object, then I'll make my move."
Furthermore, it wasn't just the golden cup. Char had no plans to rashly raid old Borgin's vault either, at least not in the short term. The goblins at Gringotts were all notoriously clever. In the original story, when Harry and his friends snuck into Gringotts, the goblin who received them had already sensed that something was amiss. It was only because the entire wizarding world was shrouded in the terror of Voldemort and the Death Eaters that he didn't dare to question the disguised Bellatrix Lestrange. Plus, Harry had the crucial help of another goblin, Griphook, which allowed them to slip through security.But right now, the wizarding world was not yet in chaos. Gringotts, vigilantly guarded by the goblins, had not been trampled by the fear of the Death Eaters and still upheld its formidable rules. If anything seemed out of place, these greedy and shrewd creatures would not be so easily deceived.
Borgin's pale face and dark, hollow eyes might not be too conspicuous in the dim, grimy environment of his own shop, but at Gringotts, it would be nearly impossible to hide from the sharp eyes of the goblins, even with concealment spells. Moreover, Borgin's speech was now sluggish and monotone. A few sentences would be enough to reveal the truth.
Char didn't believe he possessed the same kind of protagonist's luck that Harry had. Besides, if Harry and his friends had any other choice, they likely wouldn't have attempted such a life-threatening heist. Char had plenty of time; there was no need to take such a monumental risk.
"I'll wait until my ancient shadow magic improves," he decided. "Borgin's appearance should become more normal then, or at least not as lifeless as he is now. When that happens, I'll go to Gringotts and get those treasures out."
Letting out a slow breath, Char temporarily set aside the matter of Gringotts and turned his attention back to the interior of Borgin & Burke's. Although most of Borgin's most valuable treasures were kept in his Gringotts vault, this shop still held many dark magic items, including a few rare artifacts placed on display to showcase the store's unsavory reputation. One such item was the infamous Hand of Glory, which had played a key role in the assassination attempt on Dumbledore. Char had no intention of leaving it for others to use.
As Char brought out the guardian tree seed, it immediately sensed the strong aura of dark magic permeating the store. A soft, silvery light sprinkled from the seed. Soon, several dark treasures, including the Hand of Glory, and most of the other dark magic items in the shop were purified by the seed's power. Even the hidden dark magic traps Borgin had set were neutralized. Only then did Char feel completely at ease. He walked behind the counter and began to search.
A moment later, a crystal ball in a drawer caught his eye. He glanced at the shadow-Borgin, who, without being asked, explained the object's function.
"This is the crystal ball I use to receive missions from the Mossa Club," Borgin's hollow voice intoned. "It also allows me to check my contribution points and use them to exchange for special items from the club."Char raised an eyebrow and motioned for Borgin to approach the crystal ball. As Borgin's wand touched the crystal, a densely packed list of items appeared within the glowing sphere. These were the items Borgin was required to hand over to the Mossa Club in three years. The sheer number and rarity of the items was so immense that even Char was stunned. No wonder Borgin was so desperate to acquire more dark magic artifacts. The Mossa Club's quota was truly demanding.
This piqued Char's curiosity. What benefits could the Mossa Club possibly offer to make Borgin work so willingly for them for decades? A thought came to him, and he had Borgin touch the crystal ball again. This time, a reward list appeared, similar in format to the Hogwarts school supply list, but infinitely more extensive. At first glance, it was a dizzying, endless sea of items. At the very top, one entry immediately caught Char's attention: Blood of the Titan.His pupils contracted. He had heard Borgin mention it before, that the Mossa Club claimed to possess the blood of real Titans, but Char never expected it to be listed as an actual reward. When he saw the conditions for redemption marked behind it, he understood.
"Requires full membership to redeem," he read. "And the contribution points required are simply astronomical. Even if Borgin worked for another thousand years, he probably couldn't afford a single drop of Titan blood. This must be a carrot on a stick, an unattainable prize to keep members motivated. It might not even truly exist.
"Char's gaze moved down a few lines and landed on something called the Imitation Elixir of Life. The description stated that each dose could extend a person's life by ten years. However, it came with side effects far more severe than the true elixir. The user's body would become progressively less human, their rationality would distort, and after taking it once, they would have to take it again every ten years or transform into a mindless, ghoulish creature.
Despite these horrific side effects, Char knew this would be a treasure that aging dark wizards would dream of. What did it matter if their bodies decayed, so long as they could cling to life? These dark wizards would do anything to survive. Char could now understand why Borgin had been so devoted. He had never used his contribution points for anything other than the obsidian gargoyle, obviously saving up for this imitation elixir.At that moment, another thought struck Char.
"The Mossa Club must know that dark wizards like Borgin would secretly keep some treasures for themselves. But they seem completely oblivious to Borgin's hoarding. Perhaps it's because they don't need to care. As long as Borgin wants to live, he must continue to hand over rare items in exchange for the elixir. No matter how many treasures he hides, they will all eventually be traded back to the Mossa Club. It's just a matter of time.
"Figuring this out, Char felt a growing sense of apprehension. It was a brilliant, cruel scheme, an open trap that dark wizards willingly walked into out of their fear of death. He wondered just how many wizards like Borgin were secretly working for the Mossa Club across the globe. The power of this organization was becoming more and more unfathomable.Spending the PointsA strange look flashed across Char's eyes. Whatever purpose this ancient organization had was beyond his control for now. He had no interest in their grand schemes. He only cared about what benefits he could gain from this situation.
"Borgin, you're already dead anyway," Char said, looking at the shadow figure. "All those points and no way to spend them. Isn't that a painful thought? You don't need any imitation elixirs anymore. I'll help you spend the rest of your contribution points. What do you think?"Borgin's shadowed face turned towards him, his expression one of adoring enthusiasm. "My Lord, please feel free to use my contribution points. It would be my greatest pleasure.
"Char nodded in satisfaction and began scrolling through the long list of items in the crystal ball, stopping at the herbalism section. This surprised him. Compared to other categories, the contribution points required here were significantly lower. After a moment, he understood why.
"Most of the club's peripheral members are probably like Borgin," Char deduced. "They are profiteers who need to acquire magical items to exchange for the fake elixir. They might spend points on things that help them plunder, like the gargoyle or powerful dark magic. But the return on investment for herbalism is far too long. Dark wizards are known for seeking shortcuts and rapid progress. Having to take that elixir every ten years makes them even less likely to devote time and energy to a slow art like herbalism."Char's eyes lit up.
"That's a bargain for me."Although this was just the reward list for peripheral members, and it contained many strange items, there were quite a few good things hidden within. The first thing Char chose was a set of alchemical gardening tools, including a hoe, gloves, and a shovel. The description stated that the tool set was lightweight, impossibly durable, and would never wear out. It also had adaptive functions, molding itself to the user's hands and habits to become the most convenient tool they would ever use.A smile played on Char's lips as he exchanged the points for it without hesitation.
"Aunt's birthday is coming up. I was wondering what to get her. This set of alchemical tools is perfect."Next, Char saw an extremely ancient book on herbal medicine, estimated to have been created near the end of the Olympian era. According to the description, it documented ancient plants that were now almost completely extinct. The other dark wizards would have no interest in such a book, but Char looked at it as if he had found a treasure. The modern herbalism community knew very little about ancient plants. This book could be invaluable in helping him identify the ancient seeds he possessed, like the one he'd received from Porgy Charmain, whose identity was still a mystery. The contribution points it required were also very cheap.
Char exchanged for it immediately.Just these two items left Char feeling quite satisfied. According to Borgin, redeemed items were delivered by owl, disguised as ordinary packages, which reminded Char of online shopping. He glanced over the rest of the list, not seeing anything else he desperately needed. He was about to stop, but then his eyes caught a strange plant seed he had never seen before.
"Is this another ancient plant seed?" he wondered.His eyes fell on the item's description, and his pupils shrank slightly."God's Delight Flower: A flower that was quite rare even in the time of Olympus, used by priests to please the gods during sacred ceremonies. Legend has it that its otherworldly fragrance and beauty so pleased the gods that they would often bestow divine blessings upon the priests who offered it. It's a pity that after the fall of the Olympian era, this flower lost its divine luster and has never bloomed again."
At the same time, a line of purple reward information materialized in front of Char, hovering over the image of the seed.
[Cultivate the God's Delight Flower to maturity and receive a special reward.]
[Your ritual magic and all its related derivatives will be elevated to another level.]
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