The moment he saw the reward for planting the Divine Joy Flower, Char's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. All ritual magic-related rewards would be upgraded to another level? The ritual magic he currently possessed was the diamond-level Demeter ritual magic. The benefits this brought him were innumerable, including being able to ripen plants through Demeter's silver cup, and it could also bless plant seeds. To elevate its level, even the illusory Demeter Oracle, whose purpose was still unknown, was included. Just the [Skill of Demeter] obtained after upgrading to the Diamond level gave him abilities related to planting, all of which had received a level of blessing.
If he could successfully grow the Divine Joy Flower, then the Demeter ritual magic would be directly promoted from the diamond level to the epic level. All of the above capabilities would also be greatly enhanced. Even though the broken silver cup of Demeter limited some abilities, if that [Skill of Demeter] could be improved again, it would mean the rest of his planting capacity could also take a step further in an instant, reaching an epic level. It could save him a lot of time. There were many herbal medicine operations that he had originally been unable to perform, but this would make it entirely possible.
Even more, he had another, bolder idea in mind. "If I don't rely on the Divine Joy Flower first, but instead elevate the Demeter ritual magic to an epic level myself? Is it possible to then get the reward through the flower, making the ritual magic instantly legendary?!" Once the idea was born, he couldn't help but tighten his grip, his eyes full of heat. The process from the diamond level to the epic level was indeed much more difficult. But compared to the difficulty of upgrading from epic to legendary, that was not even worth mentioning. As for the direct rise from legend to myth, he wasn't that delusional. He felt that he could rely on the flower to cross this chasm. In this way, he could save the trouble of upgrading from epic to legendary. In his opinion, it was already a huge profit.
After all, that was what it meant. His planting-related magic was also likely to be driven by Demeter's ritual magic, directly upgrading to the legendary level. Then what about his ability in herbology? It would be comparable to, or even surpass, most of the masters of herbal medicine. How much this helped him went without saying. Although he was not sure whether he could use the flower to accomplish such an operation, and he didn't even know if he could grow it, at this moment, just the enticing prospect was worth his bet. Even if he failed, the only loss would be the contribution points from Borgin, which was not a big loss for him. And if it succeeded, it was not enough to describe it as making a profit with blood. He might be years ahead of his estimates, reaching the Master Herbologist level in Herbology ahead of time. This was just the beginning. It would enable him to start growing plants that he had never dared to think of before. Even ancient plants like the Whomping Willow, relying on the convenient conditions at hand, might be able to be planted in advance. That was an endless supply of epic and even legendary reward.
Therefore, even if this Divine Joy Flower seed was enough to deplete Borgin's remaining contribution points, he didn't hesitate at all. He made a decisive choice of exchange. And after he made this choice, more detailed information about the flower appeared on the crystal ball. "The conditions for growing the God's Joy Flower are still unclear, but what is certain is that it must have the participation of the gods in order for it to bloom to its most beautiful form. After the mythological era ended, the legendary gods disappeared, and we never heard of it blooming again. This plant was once fought over by heroes in mythological times, hoping to please the gods. No one has ever asked about it since. This seed is probably the last one in the magic world."
Seeing this information, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. "A flower must have participation in order to bloom? This plant is truly related to God in every way." But about this, he was not regretful but happy. After all, he was now someone who could receive Demeter's oracle. Although he didn't understand it, he was sure that the goddess of fertility, Demeter, was still alive, but was "imprisoned" in that dead land. He would wait until he was no longer so "illiterate" and was able to have a brief conversation with her the next time he received an oracle. Maybe he could ask for some advice on how to grow the flower. For the former goddess of abundance, this should be a piece of cake.
In addition, what if no one else could be trusted? He himself also bore the mark of the God-King's authority. Never mind whether it worked or not. Was it possible for him to have some relationship with the God King? Maybe he could rely on himself. They could all meet the special conditions for growing the flowers. Then, he breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did Borgin put the crystal ball away. "Tomorrow at the earliest, the day after tomorrow at the latest, all these things can be sent here via owl parcel."
Char looked a little regretful. "It's a pity that Borgin's contribution points are still too few. I exchanged for the Divine Joy Flower seeds, a book on ancient herbal medicine, and a set of alchemy tools. There are only a few bits and pieces left. Basically, nothing can be exchanged. Also, his status is too low; he's just a peripheral member. Almost all the really good stuff on this list requires full membership." As for how to become a formal member, he had heard about it from Borgin. Either the accumulated contribution points had reached a certain level, or he had to complete a difficult task of the Mosa Club. Or if you won the championship in the duel competition, you could directly receive an invitation from them and become an official member. Either way, the difficulty was extremely high. Borgin had tried to gain official membership by completing tasks, but that mission had nearly cost him his life. It had scared him straight. He had never dared to try again.
A strange look flashed across Char's eyes. "Never mind. Until you have enough strength, it's better to stay away from this unfathomable ancient force. The harvest this time is enough for me to digest for a long time. There's no need to rush." Then, he let Borgin stay at his shop, pretending nothing had happened. He didn't want anyone to know that he was dead. Although the Mosa Club didn't seem to care about these things—as long as the goods were delivered on time, the formal members didn't care about the life and death of the peripheral members—but it was better to be safe than sorry. He didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble. As for the current abnormality in his appearance and speech, the store itself was quite dim and difficult to notice. Plus, the wizards who would come here basically came and went in a hurry. Just a little cover-up was needed. No one should care what happened to Borgin. Even if someone really found out, at worst, Borgin could just claim he'd undergone a transformation through the Dark Arts. It was normal for this thing to have any problem. No wizard in Knockturn Alley would have dared to get to the bottom of this.
All these details had been arranged. Even the traces of the fight just now had been cleaned up. He finally left Knockturn Alley. Sinking into a shadow, he appeared again in the room of Malfoy Manor silently. Throughout the entire process, none of it had touched the family's protective magic. In the huge manor, no one had noticed that he had ever left. This made him even more satisfied with the ancient shadow magic. Compared to the ancient weather magic that was used purely for combat, this one took all aspects into consideration. It was indeed more practical. But then, he frowned slightly. There was no perfect magic in the world. Ancient shadow magic was indeed very practical. But the more lives that fell into his magic, the larger the number of the shadow legion, and the greater the mental burden. Especially if the members were to be released, and if he also wanted to control them from a distance, the mental burden would increase several times, or even ten times. Considering the distance between him and Borgin at this moment, he could already feel this clearly. Although the mental burden brought by Borgin alone was nothing to him, later on, as the number of troops increased, this burden would probably be impossible to ignore. If he couldn't bear it mentally, it was very likely that the corps would have a complete mess of coordination and would not be able to form any combat effectiveness at all. Even the worst possible scenario was that he would no longer be able to control the ancient shadow magic, and there was a possibility of a magic backlash.
"So in the process of acquiring more shadow will and increasing the number of shadow troops, don't be too blinded by the joy of magical growth. Always be mindful of your mental burden. If you want to be like the Titan I saw, and master the shadow magic that can drown the world, the mental strength required is probably appalling." But this was for him, not really a big trouble. Because he had spent a lot of land on Sprout Island to plant a batch of bronze-grade Dittany. In addition to being a precious luxury, similar to cigars in the Muggle world, this plant was loved by nobility and the upper class. The planting reward that could be brought to him was spiritual strengthening. Now this batch of Dittany was not far from being mature and ready for harvest. The spiritual enhancement rewards he would get at that time would be enough to significantly increase his mental strength. Not only would he not have to worry about the mental burden of ancient shadow magic for a long time, but this was a situation of excessive mental exhaustion that had occurred many times before. It could also be eliminated from now on.
Besides, this batch of Dittany was a carefully selected variety sent by the Malfoys. Compared to ordinary Dittany, which could only provide a black iron-level mental enhancement, except for the rewards being at a higher level, there was also an additional reward for the purification process. This made his eyes flash with a strange color. Dittany had become a luxury item favored by the upper class. Any random draw would give you close to one gold galleon. If you didn't have some money, you really couldn't afford this thing. But if it had undergone a purification process, that value was really exaggerated; it would be easy to increase it tenfold or a hundredfold. It was said that at the gathering of those pure-blood nobles, if there was no such purified Dittany, it wouldn't be considered a truly high-end banquet. That was why the purified Dittany was in short supply. Every estate that had the technology to purify it, its value was so high that it was hard to imagine. It was not an exaggeration to describe it as a money-printing machine. Think about the original book, where Harry Potter had a huge pile of gold coins in his vault. Those were all accumulated by his family through their specialty shampoo. But the speed at which shampoo accumulated money could not be compared with that of Dittany. The savings of several generations of the Potter family might not even be as good as the monthly turnover of a Dittany farm that had the purification technology.
After this incident of acquiring dark magic items, he also realized it. Galleons were indeed of no use to him, but the resources it could bring in return might not be the same. What if he needed a lot of resources in the future? He couldn't always ask the Malfoys for help for free. Even if he didn't read the original, just by relying on his past life experience, he knew that a good cooperative relationship must be mutually beneficial and win-win. Always owing someone a favor, this kind of relationship was neither long-lasting nor stable. Fortunately, after this batch of Dittany was harvested, then by relying on the purification process, it would allow Sprout Island to produce wealth continuously.
So he also took a step forward, left the room, and went to the living room to find Lucius. Before he could speak, a hint of excitement appeared on Lucius's tired face. "Young Mr. Sprout, I don't think there are many dark magic items left in the British wizarding world. Even if there are any, they are probably just some low-quality products. But in the wizarding world of other countries, there are still many. The French wizarding world has a long history, and there are many ancient and powerful ones. Although the history of the American wizarding world is relatively short, the earliest wizards who went there were basically all dark wizards. Many people also made a fortune in the European wizarding world before leaving. So there are quite a few there. But it can't compare to the Scandinavian wizarding world. There's Durmstrang there, a school known for its Dark Arts. That place is home to the wizarding worlds of more than a dozen small countries, and it's also a paradise for dark wizards. Many things that would have put them in Azkaban and left them to die in the British wizarding world are surprisingly common there. So, a lot of dark wizards go there. The number of dark magic items there is probably dozens of times more than that in the British wizarding world. It just so happens that our family has connections with all of the above places. If you need it, Mr. Sprout, you should be able to receive some regularly. The main problem is that it would be troublesome to smuggle them in, so we can't send too large quantities at once."
Char heard what he said. A look of joy appeared on his face. He was still thinking about it. Even if it meant taking out all the dark magic treasures that Borgin had left in the Gringotts vault, he was afraid it would be difficult to upgrade the guardian tree seed from the epic level to the legendary level. After all, the gap was indeed huge. But if it was really as Lucius said, if dark magic items were smuggled from the wizarding worlds of France, the United States, Scandinavia, Bulgaria, etc., then there was great hope. At the same time, he was happy. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. What did it mean to be able to do things? Lucius was a man who knew how to get things done. He hadn't even mentioned it himself. He had already taken care of the follow-up. Excluding the dimension of wizards, it was just about the ability to get things done. In the entire magical world, there were probably few people who could compare with him in this regard. It was a pity that he had stains on him. Although he had not been sent to Azkaban, running for Minister of Magic was out of the question. Otherwise, he should be able to achieve more than Fudge, the minister who put all his skills into political struggle. After sighing for a moment, he said to Lucius, "Mr. Malfoy, I'm sorry to trouble you again with this matter. How many gold Galleons were spent this time, and what are the subsequent expenses for purchasing items from other magical circles and arranging smuggling? Let's discuss it. The Dittany on Sprout Island is about to mature. Whether it's paying you with goods, or I sell this batch of goods and then pay you back, we can work out a deal."
His words really made Lucius stunned. He waved his hands quickly. "Young Mr. Sprout, this is not necessary. It's just a small favor; there's no need to pay any fees. Our family is not that poor."
Char shook his head. "As for contacting the other pure-blood families, no one else can do this except the Malfoys. Not to mention the processes of acquisition and smuggling. Which link doesn't rely on connections and real money? I'm asking for your help, Mr. Malfoy. There's no reason for me to keep asking you to spend money. After all, we are in a cooperative relationship. I have always believed that cooperation is mutually beneficial, and such cooperation is more long-term."
After listening to his words, Lucius took a deep breath. His heart was filled with emotion. One could even say that there was a feeling of having met a close friend and regretting that they had not met earlier. When he had worked for Voldemort in the past, he had never received any praise for the things he did. The Death Eater camp only looked at bloodline and magic. Most of those lunatics only knew how to kill and torture people. Even Voldemort himself had never praised him much for what he did, as if it were a matter of course. Not to mention giving any reward to the family for their efforts. It was all empty talk. It was as if he wanted to suck the marrow out of the Malfoy family. On the contrary, it was Char who was still so young. Compared with Voldemort's attitude, this was completely different. So kind! This was exactly what Lucius valued most. He had suffered at the hands of Voldemort. If he wanted to find a strong backer for Draco in the future, he must not repeat the same mistakes. Now let's take a look. It would undoubtedly be much more comfortable to work with Char.
As for what he had said about using Dittany to repay the money, Lucius didn't care. After all, although Dittany was considered a luxury that ordinary wizards could not afford, it was just the daily life of a pure-blooded noble. Those dark magic collections were the heritage of a family. To be honest, if the Ministry of Magic hadn't been a bit ruthless this time, it would be almost impossible to collect so many dark magic items at such a low price in the British wizarding world. And they had to go to other magical circles to acquire it. The price would be outrageous. All the Dittany produced on an island being sold would also be difficult to fill this gap. Unless it was purified Dittany. But this thought only flashed through his mind. He subconsciously denied it. There was no other reason. The purification process of Dittany was the biggest secret of the pure-blood family that mastered it. The various forces involved behind those Dittany estates were unimaginable. Even because it provided huge tax revenue, the Ministry of Magic had issued various magical patent regulations to protect the interests of the manors. Even the Malfoy family, though they were jealous of this business, could no longer get a share of it. The few farms they had only produced some high-quality Dittany and made a little money. No matter how strong Char's talent for herbalism was, it wasn't possible for him to develop the purification process single-handedly, right?
Therefore, this thought flashed through Lucius's mind. He looked at Char's expression. Compared with before, there was undoubtedly a lot more sincerity in the details. A moment later, he said, "In that case, then save yourself some trouble and just use the Dittany to offset the market price. But I have a suggestion. Until you graduate, Char, we will be given a maximum of fifty percent of the Dittany produced on Sprout Island each year as a tax deduction. The remaining amount will be paid off slowly after you graduate. Believe me, when you're at Hogwarts, it's the best time to build your network. A wizard who has a lot of Dittany production means he has wealth and can arrange work. Although the young students in the academy are very supportive of you now, as they grow older, such admiration will eventually fade away, and every young wizard will come into contact with reality. Gold Galleons are the best way to maintain support."
Char nodded gratefully. Although maintaining connections was not what he pursued, Lucius could say this. It was absolutely sincere advice given to him. He was not an ignorant little wizard. Having experience from a past life, of course he knew that it was a rare opportunity to have a successful person willing to open his heart and give effective advice. It was no exaggeration to say that even an ordinary person might be able to change the trajectory of his life if he grasped this advice. He didn't need this advice, but this kindness must be appreciated.
Then, Lucius took him with him again. He came to a magnificent room. "This is our family collection room. But the collection inside is not dark magic items, but mostly some ancient treasures. To commemorate the further development of our partnership today, I have a gift for you." Before he could wave his hand to refuse, Lucius said rather mysteriously, "Don't be quick to refuse. I guarantee it will be useful to you."
Hearing this, he also showed a curious expression. He still recognized it as the Malfoy family's collection. He just didn't know what made Lucius so mysterious. What exactly was it? He dripped blood on the doorknob again and opened this magnificent door. Oncoming, it was the ancient, mysterious magic that filled the room. He took Char through a wide variety of ancient collections. Finally, it stopped in front of a collection hanging on the wall. When he saw it, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Appeared before his eyes was an exaggeratedly large giant sword. Its length was probably close to three meters. The silver light above flickered along with the cold light. Sharpness and magnificence were combined in one weapon. It was a typical feature of fairy weapons. He smiled. "This is—"
Lucius said with pride, "The Goblin King's treasures captured by wizards during the First Goblin War. Once hung on the wall of the Goblin King's palace to demonstrate his royal power. It is said that it embodies the highest craftsmanship of goblin weapons and can easily cut through a dragon's body. It is even more powerful than Gryffindor's sword. Its name is—Gronir."
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