This second assessment tested willpower.
Edward led the more than one thousand people who passed the first assessment into an empty room.
Under everyone's confused and nervous gazes, he took out a bottle of dark purple Potion and smashed it directly onto the ground.
The bottle shattered, and the liquid within, under the effect of a magic spell, rose into a purple mist, quickly filling the entire room.
Everyone was caught off guard and enveloped by the purple mist, inevitably inhaling the purple vapor.
Some reacted quickly, covering their mouths and noses, but even if the purple mist didn't enter through their mouths and noses, it seeped in through exposed skin.
All the assessed personnel in the room quickly fell into illusions, and they forgot that they were undergoing an assessment.
Everyone felt as if they were immersed, having arrived at a castle and entered a large cauldron for a Wizard transformation.
The scalding, lava-like blood-red Potion made everyone feel excruciating pain, as if their bodies were melting, and the hot Potion drilled into their bodies, burning their internal organs.
Such pain caused countless people to scream, even though Lord Luke had said that as long as they persevered, they could transform into a Wizard.
But still, many people could not bear such pain, struggling to escape the cauldron or simply falling into a coma.
The next second, those who didn't persevere regained their conscious awareness.
Only then did they realize they were still in the room for the assessment, and the incredibly painful sensation instantly disappeared, like a very real dream.
"Assessment failed, you may leave," Edward's calm and clear voice broke through to those who had not yet recovered from the illusion.
Regardless of their unwillingness or thoughts, those who failed the assessment could only walk out of the room with their heads down.
For a time, the number of people in the room became fewer and fewer, with only a small portion still struggling in the illusion.
Butler Edward and Mayor Latch were also in the room, but they had used protective spells in advance, so they were not affected by the Potion.
Mayor Latch looked at those people with pained expressions, immersed in illusions, and asked curiously, "Mr. Edward, what Potion did you just use? Did Luke give it to you?"
Edward shook his head, his tone somewhat self-satisfied, "This is a confusing Potion I made myself. Of course, Luke also gave me a lot of guidance. It was specially prepared for this assessment, allowing people to experience firsthand the process we went through when we became Wizards."
Mayor Latch immediately took a sharp breath, unable to help but feel sympathy for these people for a few seconds.
The pain of transforming into a Wizard still made him shudder when he recalled it, and he even lacked the courage to try it a second time.
And these people being assessed were now going to experience this pain firsthand.
Isn't that too cruel? Aren't you afraid of leaving psychological trauma on these assessed personnel?
As if knowing what Mayor Latch was thinking, Edward explained again, "Don't worry about them, the confusing Potion will not leave them with side effects. After they wake up, they will be like they had a dream, and they will quickly forget, not remembering the pain at all."
Hearing this, Mayor Latch also breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, after the confusing Potion wore off, only two hundred and forty people successfully passed the assessment.
Upon receiving this result, Mayor Latch was clearly not satisfied.
This was only the second round of assessment, and only two hundred and forty people remained.
After the third round of elimination, how many people would be left?
He wanted to increase the number of slots for his city's personnel, but the person in charge of the screening was Butler Edward, so he couldn't show favoritism.
Edward, ignoring Mayor Latch's thoughts, immediately started the third round of assessment.
Just as everyone who passed the first two rounds of assessment waited nervously for what the third round of assessment would be.
Edward didn't make them go through any more trials. Instead, he took out a glass spinning top and slowly walked past the assessment personnel in the first row.
Just as everyone, including Mayor Latch, was puzzled, Edward paused in front of one man in the first row.
He looked at the slightly glowing spinning top in his hand and announced expressionlessly, "You, eliminated!"
The eliminated person was startled, then showed unwillingness, wanting to say something, but fearing Edward's status, he dared not argue and could only walk out of the line with his head down, heading towards the door.
Mayor Latch, however, became anxious. Every person from Bree City eliminated meant Amon Sul profited!
If Bree's Wizard slots were fewer than Amon Sul's by then, his old rival Luke would definitely seize the opportunity to mock him.
He quickly grabbed Edward, "Hey, hey, Mr. Edward, give me a hint. What exactly is this third round of assessment? He didn't do anything, so why is Hal being eliminated? He's a good young man in our Bree City and usually very excellent."
The eliminated young man, who had walked to the door, heard the Mayor's words, paused, and turned around, also wanting an explanation.
Edward glanced at Mayor Latch, then swept his gaze over everyone present, explaining calmly, "This third round of assessment tests loyalty."
He held up the glass spinning top in his hand, "This is a scrying mirror made by Lord Luke, capable of discerning people's hearts. Only those most loyal to Lord Luke can pass the third round and obtain a slot to become a Wizard."
Hearing Edward's words, everyone stirred, looking at the glass spinning top, their thoughts varied.
Mayor Latch also had no objections now; otherwise, wouldn't they be choosing disloyal people to become Wizards?
And the eliminated person at the door now looked guilty, no longer daring to be disobedient, and quickly lowered his head and fled.
People's hearts vary; even Luke's subjects are not all loyal and devoted. At most, they are ordinary people who want to cling to the protection of the strong.
If one day Weathertop faced an insurmountable crisis, these people would not have the determination to fight to the death, but rather scatter like monkeys when a tree falls.
And such people actually accounted for a significant proportion.
But it cannot be said that they were wrong, after all, this is the philosophy of survival for many ordinary people.
So, even when Edward used Luke's special scrying mirror to detect that the person was disloyal, he didn't dwell on it.
After explaining, Edward continued to use the scrying mirror to test each person.
Each assessed person watched the scrying mirror nervously and uneasily, deeply afraid of being found disloyal in their hearts and being eliminated.
Even the most loyal people were somewhat insecure, worrying that their loyalty was not enough.
And Edward was like an emotionless elimination machine. When the scrying mirror in his hand lit up, he mercilessly eliminated a person.
The brightness of each person's scrying mirror was different; some were brighter, some just glowed faintly, barely noticeable if not looked at carefully.
These all depended on their loyalty to Lord Luke. The less loyal they were, the brighter the glow.
But no matter how faint the glow from the scrying mirror, as long as it glowed, Edward eliminated them without hesitation.
As Luke's most loyal butler, he would not allow anyone with even a hint of disloyalty to receive Lord Luke's grace.
And watching the number of people dwindle, Mayor Latch's face was also filled with worry.
Edward continued to detect. When he came before a middle-aged man, the scrying mirror suddenly became very bright, automatically spun, and emitted a piercing shriek.
Seeing this, Edward's calm eyes instantly turned cold, revealing a sharp edge.
The others also looked over in surprise and curiosity, wondering why the scrying mirror was making noise.
When the middle-aged man saw this, his face immediately changed, and he fled towards the door without a word.
But before he could escape a few steps, Edward directly froze him with a Petrificus Totalus.
As the man remained in a rigid posture, his face filled with terror, Edward snorted coldly, then turned to Mayor Lachi and said, "This person harbors ill intentions and is very suspicious. I'll leave him to you, Mayor Lachi, for interrogation."
"Uh… alright!" Mayor Lachi was also taken aback by this scene, but he quickly nodded.
He had also noticed that for those who were eliminated earlier, even if they were disloyal, the scrying mirror only emitted a glow.
However, this person not only made the scrying mirror incredibly dazzling but also caused it to emit frantic warning cries. This indicated that he was not only disloyal but also full of malice, which caused the scrying mirror to warn in such a way.
The appearance of such a malevolent person in Bree City, and his success in passing the first two rounds of assessment, was clearly out of the ordinary.
As the Mayor of Bree City, Ratch naturally had a duty to take responsibility.
So, he temporarily put aside watching the assessment, pulled out his wand, waved it to conjure chains to bind the man, then floated him out of the room to be handed over to the militia for detention and later interrogation.
By the time he finished handling the matter and returned to the assessment site, the assessment had just concluded.
Among the remaining people, no one else caused the scrying mirror to give frantic warnings like before.
But looking at the dwindling number of successful candidates, Mayor Lachi felt even more depressed.
Because out of the original two hundred and forty people, only one hundred and twenty-two remained after the third round of elimination, nearly half were eliminated.
For the five hundred Wizard slots, their Bree City only accounted for one hundred and twenty-two, which was too great a disparity.
He could already imagine how Luke that fellow would mock him.
He could only hope that the number of people in Amon Sul would not be too different from Bree, otherwise he wouldn't know how to face the Lord.
After the three rounds of assessment were completed, Edward declined Mayor Lachi's invitation and went to Amon Sul through the fireplace to conduct three rounds of assessment there as well.
As for the one hundred and twenty-two people who passed all assessments, they were informed that they had secured a Wizard slot and would proceed to the castle on a chosen day to acquire magic abilities.
Among these people, a large portion were militia, as well as elders like Butterbur, the owner of the Leaping Horse Inn, and more than a dozen women and young girls.
Especially those dozen or so women, who were particularly eye-catching.
In Middle-earth, especially in human society, the status of women was not high; they were dependent on men for their existence, similar to medieval society.
And these women, who were able to stand out from tens of thousands of people in Bree City and become one of the final one hundred and twenty-two, were enough to make many people look at them sideways.
Mayor Lachi even treated these successful candidates with equal respect in his tone and attitude.
After all, although these people were currently ordinary, they would all become Wizards without exception, which was enough for him to treat them seriously.
Now, let's turn our attention to Amon Sul.
Edward also set up three trials in Amon Sul to select Wizard candidates.
Perhaps it was because it was at the foot of Weathertop, close to the castle and the Lord, and they could witness more of the wonders of magic.
Compared to the residents of Bree City, the residents of Amon Sul yearned for magic even more.
Therefore, the number of people participating in the assessment was also greater and more enthusiastic.
In the first round of the fire wall trial, nearly three thousand people successfully passed the fire wall, which was double the number in Bree City.
In the second round, the willpower trial, more than five hundred people successfully passed.
In the third round, the loyalty test, 287 people passed.
Mayor Luke already knew the number of successful candidates from Bree City. Now that his own city had more than double the number of successful candidates than Bree, and his daughter was also one of them, he burst into laughter.
This time, their Amon Sul had taken the lion's share of the numbers; they had won big.
The total number of Wizard slots from both cities was 409, still short of the five hundred Wizard slots by 91.
However, don't forget that under Luke's command, besides these two cities, there were also the Wild Men of Isengard.
Following Luke's instructions, Edward again went to Isengard through the fireplace to conduct three rounds of assessment for the Wild Men.
Finally, 131 Wild Men passed the assessment.
Thus, the total number reached 540, which already exceeded the previously stipulated quantity.
Edward returned to the castle and informed Luke of this matter.
Luke didn't mind the excess number, and he was very satisfied with Edward's selection this time. After three rounds of screening, the remaining personnel were all elites, not only possessing courage and strong willpower but also extremely loyal to him.
Such elites, after undergoing transformation, would all become Wizards loyal to him.
So he simply waved his hand, gathered all those who passed the three rounds of assessment, brought them all to Hogwarts Castle, and then performed bloodline fusion to transform them into Wizards.
As for the issue of exceeding the number and not having enough dragon blood.
Luke stated that there was still the blood of a Gram that hadn't been used up, and if push came to shove, he could also go to the Dragon Farm to draw blood from the group of Dragons there, and then feed them blood-replenishing Potions.
Moreover, besides dragon blood, Luke also considered using other parts of the Dragon's body as substitutes, such as Dragon meat. Although the magic power contained in it was not as potent as dragon blood, it could be compensated by quantity.
Anyway, he had so many Dragon corpses that he couldn't possibly finish them all.
When over five hundred people gathered at Hogwarts Castle, Luke was responsible for the men, while the women were entrusted to Arwen.
Following the principle of ladies first, Luke had Arwen lead the women to the "Witchcraft Pool" to fuse with dragon blood.
The women from Bree City, Amon Sul, and the Wild Men who passed the three rounds of assessment numbered nearly a hundred.
Facing the beautiful and gentle Lord's wife, the women found it difficult to feel even a hint of jealousy.
Arwen was like a kind and gentle mistress, treating everyone equally, not leaving anyone out, radiating a soft glow that made people feel at ease involuntarily.
Under Arwen's guidance, they shed their fears, removed their clothes, and all jumped into the scalding, churning blood pool.
Although they had experienced the pain once in a hallucination during the previous assessment.
But now, truly immersed in the magma-like blood-red Potion, the pain of cramping and marrow extraction made them wish for death.
But even with immense pain, these women gritted their teeth and persevered, refusing to give up even if it meant death.
Almost all of these women had endured countless hardships, so their willpower was incredibly resilient, surpassing even many men.
They only wanted to desperately seize this opportunity; if they could become noble "Wizards," they would no longer be oppressed or discriminated against, escape misfortune and hardship, and even learn wondrous magic.
Arwen stood by the blood pool, feeling the willpower of these women, deeply moved. A soft light, like stars and moon, emanated from her, as if she was praying or chanting ancient elven spells.
"May the Valar bless you… and dispel your pain!"
Bathed in the soft light, the women seemed to have their pain blocked. Their expressions of agony gradually eased, and with their eyes closed, they appeared to be in a deep sleep.
Finally, they were enveloped in thick blood cocoons, as if undergoing metamorphosis.
As time passed little by little, the room was quiet.
Arwen showed no impatience, her gaze gentle and compassionate as she watched the blood cocoons in the blood pool, waiting for them to emerge as butterflies.
Finally, one by one, the blood cocoons broke open, and the women inside emerged.
They were reborn, with completely new appearances, successfully transforming into Witches.
After the women completed their transformation, these Witches, reborn as if, gradually adapted to their physical changes under Arwen's guidance.
Arwen also prepared to personally teach these new Witches to learn and master magic.
Meanwhile, Luke was also having the men enter the blood pool in succession to merge with the dragon blood and gain magical abilities.
Because the number of people exceeded the quota, and the existing dragon blood was not enough for everyone to complete the transformation.
Luke specifically selected the hundred most outstanding and loyal among them, setting aside another group to wait.
After the first group absorbed the power of the dragon blood and completed the bloodline fusion, Luke once again used an enlarged "cauldron pool" to create a bloodline fusion Potion sufficient for the remaining personnel to transform.
Since there was no more dragon blood in stock, Luke directly chose to use Gram blood instead.
The Gram is an ancient Dragon, and the magic it contains is thousands of times that of a Dragon. Therefore, while one barrel of dragon blood could only allow one person to complete the transformation, one barrel of Gram blood was enough to turn ten people into Wizards.
The Gram was enormous, and Luke had collected hundreds of barrels of its dragon blood.
He took out ten barrels of Gram blood and poured them into the pool.
Unlike the previous bloodline fusion Potion that was like boiling magma, this Potion, after adding Gram blood, turned ice-blue and emitted an extremely cold aura.
The entire room's temperature plummeted due to the Potion in the pool, as if winter had arrived with falling snow.
Looking at the pool, which hadn't frozen but was emitting cold air, everyone suspected they would turn into ice sculptures the moment they entered.
Leading them was Black Country Leader Brog, who directly jumped into the pool first.
The next second, he felt as if his entire body was frozen, his consciousness and thoughts became stiff and slow, and the bone-chilling cold that penetrated his soul made him unable to even utter a sound.
The rest of the people were all chosen by Luke for their highest courage, willpower, and loyalty, so they didn't hesitate and all leaped into the icy pool.
Everyone in the pool became frozen. The icy, stinging cold, along with the dragon blood, drilled into their bodies, freezing their blood vessels, hearts, and slowing their brain activity, yet the pain was incredibly clear.
It was as if countless ice blades were slowly carving their bodies, or every inch of their flesh was pierced with ice needles; the pain was no less than, and perhaps even greater than, those who had previously merged with dragon blood.
But the benefits were also relative.
The previous people had absorbed the dragon blood of a Dragon.
This time, however, they absorbed the blood of a Gram.
After the transformation, those who absorbed Gram blood would have stronger magic than the previous group.
As time passed, the dragon blood in the pool was absorbed, and everyone broke out of their ice shells.
Not only did their physical constitution change, but their eyes also carried a hint of ice blue, and a faint chill emanated from their bodies.
Everyone looked at their changes with surprise.
And Black Country Leader Brog, with the best aptitude, even sensed the magic within him without instruction, gently touching the pool water with his finger, and a small layer of ice instantly formed on the water.
Such an ability made Luke show surprise.
This Brog truly made him look at him in a new light; he had only just gained magic and was already able to explore some of his abilities.
He could be called a genius.
When all 540 people had completed their transformation, Luke waved his hand to clear the remaining liquid and residue from the pool, then led everyone back to the banquet hall.
However, looking at these people, Luke felt another headache coming on.
It seemed he would have to specifically train a wandmaker, otherwise, he alone wouldn't have time to make wands for so many people.
However, a wand is a Wizard's personal casting weapon. Without a suitable wand, a Wizard finds it difficult to cast magic accurately and efficiently, and may even be unable to cast powerful spells.
One could say that whoever mastered wand making was equivalent to a weapon manufacturer.
Luke naturally couldn't casually hand over such an important thing.
So he needed to select someone with a talent for wand making and who would be eternally loyal to him, to train as a wandmaker.
Furthermore, he would need to use multiple magical oaths and contracts to ensure that the trained wandmaker would always serve him and would not betray him.
Thinking this, Luke looked at the hundreds of new Wizards present.
He immediately announced that he would choose one among them to teach the art of wand making.
This news instantly stirred everyone's hearts.
After all, they had all personally seen the wands in the hands of the Lord, the Butler, and the Mayor, and knew that those objects were the tools that allowed them to cast magic.
They also understood that with so many of them, it was impossible for the Lord to make wands for each of them individually.
But if they could learn to make wands themselves, they would not only have their own wands but also be highly valued by the Lord and make wands for others.
So everyone looked on with anticipation, hoping the Lord would favor them.
However, Luke did not choose immediately, as wand making required talent, and to know whose talent was good, one had to practice it personally to assess their ability.
So Luke waved his hand, conjuring a pile of wood and wand-making tools, then began to teach them how to make wands.
Of course, he only taught the most basic and superficial techniques, such as carving and polishing the wand shaft, retaining only the core wand technology.
As long as the core technology was in hand, even in the magical world, many people knew what materials were suitable for making wand shafts and cores, yet they couldn't even make a wand that could barely cast spells, let alone compare to wands made by Ollivander.
After Luke taught the basic wand-making craft, everyone picked up wood and carving knives, working hard to impress and gain the Lord's favor.
Even Butler Edward, after receiving Luke's permission, joined in the competition.
But everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and not everyone has a talent for wand making.
Some clumsy people couldn't even hold the wood steady, and couldn't even carve the shape of a wand, let alone more delicate work.
Luke looked at the oddly shaped creations in their hands and simply shook his head.
From his perspective as a wandmaker, these people could be described as 'rotten wood that cannot be carved'.
And these people clearly knew their limitations, and awkwardly put down their wood and carving knives, giving up the competition.
As for Butler Edward, Luke nodded after seeing his work.
Though not exceptionally talented, it was still quite good; at the very least, he could carve the wood into the shape of a wand.
He was worth considering.
However, when Luke's gaze fell on the hands of a young man, he showed surprise.
It was a young man in his early twenties, with red hair and freckles. The carving knife in his hand moved continuously, gradually carving a piece of wood into the shape of a wand, which looked smooth, well-made, and had a sense of beauty.
Luke walked up to him, picked up the nascent wand, and after examining it, showed a hint of admiration.
Then he looked at the red-haired young man and asked gently, "Young man, what is your name?"
The red-haired young man was a bit nervous and answered awkwardly, "Bill, my name is Bill, my Lord."
"Alright, Bill, don't be nervous," Luke said with a reassuring smile, "I see you're very skilled at wood carving. Are you a carpenter?"
Bill was nervous and excited, shaking his head, "My Lord, I am not a carpenter. I am currently a militiaman in Amon Sul. But my father was a carpenter, and I learned wood carving from him, so I am quite familiar with carving wood."
Luke nodded, playing with the wand wood in his hand, and said admiringly to Bill, "Your craftsmanship is good, and you also have a talent for wand making. Would you be willing to learn wand making from me?"
Amidst the envious glances of others, Bill excitedly nodded repeatedly, "Yes! I am willing!"
Luke smiled, "Alright, then you will stay in the castle and learn wand making from me. Once you make your own wand, you will have completed your apprenticeship. At that time, you will be responsible for making wands for everyone else. Can you do that?"
"I can!"
The others, who had been envious of Bill, quickly became anxious and impatient.
Lord Luke had said that their wands would be made by Bill. So they only prayed that Bill would learn quickly and help them make wands as soon as possible.
Afterward, witnessed by Arwen, Luke and Bill signed a magic contract: in the future, Bill would become the designated wandmaker for Hogwarts, responsible for making more wands for Luke to provide to the many Wizards.
It could be said that Bill was the weapon manufacturer Luke was cultivating for himself.
In the future, they could even consider establishing the only wand supply shop in Middle-earth, similar to Ollivander's wand shop.
Bill stayed in the castle, learning wand-making techniques from Luke.
The other new Wizards also received Luke's permission to stay in the castle. Although they currently had no wands to cast spells, they could learn magic knowledge and theory in advance.
Luke specially opened up a large classroom, hung his portrait on the blackboard, and copied many first-year textbooks from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for these people to read.
These new Wizards eagerly absorbed the new magic knowledge, and even without wands, they didn't find it boring.
Furthermore, Luke placed a wand suitable for everyone on the podium, allowing these magic rookies to try it out one by one.
Thus, this wand became the most popular object, with people lining up every day to cast the spells they had learned with it.
Regardless of success or failure, each person only had one chance to cast a spell.
Some succeeded in casting a spell with the wand, and even a simple Lumos Charm made them very excited and happy.
Those who failed could only put down the wand dispiritedly and continue to study hard, waiting for their next turn to cast spells with the wand.
Among them, some with outstanding magic talent, such as Black Country Leader Brog, even managed to figure out a few magic tricks without a wand.
For example, solidifying water into ice or exhaling mist. Although the area was small, it was enough to make others envious and amazed.
While teaching Bill the wand-making process, Luke also took the opportunity to make a wand for Black Country Leader Brog.
After all, both were under Luke's command, and both mayors had wands made by Luke, so he couldn't show favoritism.
Thus, a wand with a poplar wood shaft and a Thunderbird feather core was born.
Luke was somewhat surprised that Brog was compatible with this wand.
Because he originally thought that all these people had integrated dragon blood, so the most suitable wand core for them should be Dragon heartstring.
He was even worried that there wouldn't be enough Dragon heartstrings for so many people.
After all, the dead Dragons and Grams combined only amounted to over fifty, while there were over five hundred people waiting for wands.
Even if each Dragon's heartstring was divided into several sections, it probably wouldn't be enough.
However, Brog's wand material finally made Luke breathe a sigh of relief.
This wand was powerful and very suitable for combat, casting spells incredibly fast, like lightning.
As soon as Brog got his wand, he treasured it immensely, keeping it by his side, as if afraid of losing it.
Bill, who was studying wand-making with Luke, also progressed rapidly.
With his foundation in wood carving, Bill was able to independently carve a complete wand shaft in just a few months, and even engrave and construct magic circuits inside the wand.
Now he was learning the properties and knowledge of wand wood and cores, because a mature wandmaker needs to be very familiar with every wand-making material and know how to combine them to achieve the maximum effect.
For this, Luke took Bill to the Old Forest for practical experience, to 'shear the wool' of the Huorns in the forest.
With Luke's current strength, these Huorns could no longer pose a threat to him.
So when the Huorns tried to attack him, he directly froze all the surrounding trees, then broke off a branch from each tree, explaining to Bill the properties of each wood and what kind of Wizard it was suitable for.
Bill looked at his teacher with admiration. Any of these surrounding trees could crush him into a pulp, but the teacher moved as if in an unpopulated land, casually waving his hand to freeze the surrounding trees, completely unhindered.
Ever since he started learning wand-making with Luke, Bill had regarded him as his mentor, so he no longer called him 'Lord,' but the more intimate 'Teacher.'
Luke did not refuse this title and accepted it.
Thus, Bill became Luke's first official student.
As more and more trees were frozen, the Huorns seemed to realize they couldn't do anything to the two of them, so they stopped attacking and became quiet again, just like ordinary trees that no longer moved.
They allowed Luke to break off a section of branch from them.
These branches were like hair to the Huorns; breaking off a few sections had no effect.
But in the eyes of a wandmaker, these magical woods were suitable materials for making wands.
Looking at the surrounding magical wood everywhere, Bill, who had just become a wandmaker, said with pleasant surprise, "Teacher, this place is simply a treasure trove, a paradise for wandmakers! With this Old Forest, there will be no shortage of materials for making wands in the future!"
Luke also nodded in agreement.
The Old Forest was home to a large number of Huorns. The branches of these Huorns had magical properties and could be used to make wands, and it was not far from Weathertop.
For Luke and Bill, both wandmakers, it was a treasure trove of wand materials.
Luke smiled and said to Bill, "Next time you choose wand wood, you'll need to come and collect it yourself. These trees don't have very good tempers. After you go back, you still need to learn some defensive magic, otherwise, you'll be the one who suffers."
Upon hearing this, Bill looked at the ferocious trees around him, and recalling their frantic attacks just now, he shivered.
He decided that after making his own wand, he would diligently study spells, so that when he came to collect wand materials again, he wouldn't be crushed into pulp by these trees.
After almost all the largest trees had been 'sheared,' Luke and Bill returned to Hogwarts Castle with enough materials to make over a thousand wands.
As the saying goes, 'the master leads the way, but the disciple's practice depends on himself.' After teaching most of the wand-making knowledge, Luke simply let go and focused on other matters.
Bill also began to try making wands on his own.
He processed all the branches brought back from the Old Forest, turning them into prototypes of wands.
There were also core materials, including Dragon heartstring, Thunderbird feathers, giant eagle feathers, elf hair, Acromantula nerves, and Troll heartstrings.
These were all materials Luke had screened as having the most magic properties and being suitable for wand cores.
Especially Dragon heartstring, giant eagle feathers, elf hair, and Thunderbird feathers were most suitable as cores.
wands with Dragon heartstring were the most powerful and reacted the quickest, capable of casting more explosive magic;
wands with giant eagle feathers were extremely loyal and suitable for casting powerful and creative magic.
wands with elf hair were the most stable and least likely to backfire, capable of producing the most consistent magic effects, but their drawback was a strong resistance to Dark Arts.
As for wands with Thunderbird feathers, they possessed extremely strong magical adaptability, cast spells extremely quickly, and were incredibly powerful.
Luke used these four magic materials as the main choices for wand cores, combining them with various woods to create different wands.
Bill also inherited Luke's philosophy, using the wood brought back from the Old Forest and these four materials to create suitable wands for himself and others who didn't yet have wands.
wand-making was not easy, and Bill, as expected, failed at first, with a small mountain of discarded wands piling up.
While Bill was busy, Luke was also busy building with wood.
He cut down a section of a maolong tree branch, as thick as a bucket, sliced it into planks, and after a series of processing, crafted two pure solid wood wardrobes.
This time, he intended to create the magical world's vanishing cabinets, a long-distance teleportation cabinet that could ignore distance and anti-magic.
As a tool for long-distance teleportation, vanishing cabinets offer a greater range than Apparition, arguably with no distance limit.
They are also more stable than Portkeys. While Portkeys can transport over longer distances than Apparition, they cannot simultaneously transport a large number of people or excessively heavy items.
Nor do vanishing cabinets require prior connection to the Floo Network like fireplaces, or Floo powder for targeted teleportation.
The biggest advantage of vanishing cabinets over other magical means of transportation is their ability to continuously transport people between two vanishing cabinets, with absolutely no limit on the number of individuals.
It can be said that with the existence of vanishing cabinets, a large number of personnel can be assembled and transported in a short amount of time.
Therefore, Luke intends to first attempt to create and restore a vanishing cabinet, then thoroughly understand its magical principles, and subsequently develop and expand upon them.
At that time, he plans to establish vanishing cabinets between Bree City and Amon Sul, and also with Isengard, to completely integrate these places into a single entity.
Then, whether for transmitting decrees or for situations like the previous barrow-wight attack on Bree, rapid aid or retreat would be possible.
Unlike now, even the journey between Bree and Amon Sul takes a full day, let alone Isengard, which is thousands of miles away.
As for the Floo Network, due to the limited production of Floo powder, it has still not become widespread and cannot serve as a common means of transport for Wizards, unlike in the magical world.
The production of Floo powder has always been in Luke's hands; previously, he was the sole producer.
But now, with a group of Wizards under his command, Luke is considering selecting some individuals to establish a magic factory specifically for producing Floo powder.
If production increases, public fireplaces could be established in Bree, Amon Sul, Isengard, and other locations, and Floo powder could be sold to the public, allowing all citizens in the territory to use it.
Getting back to the main topic, Luke cut a section of maolong tree branch, about the thickness of a bucket.
This section of branch was merely a minor offshoot for the incredibly tall maolong tree and had no impact on it whatsoever.
Luke took the maolong tree branch and processed it, cutting it into planks, sanding, measuring, polishing... Then he took out a mithril carving knife and meticulously carved mysterious patterns and runes onto each plank, ensuring not a single mistake.
By the time the carving was finished, a week had already passed.
Luke, like a carpenter, assembled the carved planks, fashioning them into a wooden cabinet shaped like an obelisk, nearly three meters tall.
The maolong tree bark was silver-gray, but the inner wood was golden yellow, as if made of gold.
Even though the cabinet's design was very simple, it exuded an air of luxury, with mysterious patterns and runes covering its exterior.
After making one cabinet, Luke used the remaining wood to craft another identical cabinet.
At this point, the vanishing cabinets were still only semi-finished and completely unusable.
Inside the vanishing cabinets, Luke began to draw intricate Runic runes with mithril; thousands of runes interconnected to form a mysterious, array-like pattern.
Another month passed by the time he had finished drawing the runes on both vanishing cabinets.
Looking at the two vanishing cabinets before him, Luke couldn't help but sigh, realizing why vanishing cabinets were so expensive in the magical world.
Besides the lost manufacturing process, the complexity of their creation was likely also a factor.
It took him over a month to build a pair of vanishing cabinets, and although the primary reason was his unfamiliarity with making them for the first time, the creation process was indeed not easy.
Luke placed the two vanishing cabinets back to back, then stood before one of them, inserting his wand into the lock position. He chanted a spell while continuously channeling magic power.
As magic power flowed into the vanishing cabinet, its runes lit up one by one. Subsequently, the entire cabinet emitted a mysterious aura, becoming profoundly recondite, as if some secret lay hidden within it.
Having activated one vanishing cabinet, Luke then moved to the other, similarly chanting and inputting magic power.
As this vanishing cabinet was also activated, an esoteric connection formed between the two, as if they were two sides of the same coin, emitting identical magical fluctuations.
After completing all this, Luke reached out and opened the double doors of the vanishing cabinet.
Inside, the vanishing cabinet was completely dark; the drawn runes had disappeared. From the outside, the cabinet appeared to be at most a meter deep.
But standing at the door and looking in, the back panel directly opposite the door had transformed into a bottomless, pitch-black passage.
That pitch-black passage was so dark that even light could not penetrate it, as if leading to an unknown place, or like a black hole.
Luke looked at this scene and smiled.
Because it meant the vanishing cabinet had been successfully created.
He then went to open the other vanishing cabinet; it too was bottomless inside, with a pitch-black, lightless passage stretching endlessly.
The vanishing cabinets were successfully made, but Luke did not immediately try them himself.
He waved his hand, summoned a small snake, and instructed it to enter one of the vanishing cabinets and crawl into the depths of the dark passage.
With the Parseltongue command, the small snake naturally complied. It crawled into the vanishing cabinet, its figure disappearing into the darkness.
The next moment, it crawled out of the other vanishing cabinet.
This initially proved that transportation between the two vanishing cabinets was safe, but the cautious Luke still tested it several more times. After all, he didn't want any accidents during his own teleportation, like being sent to another place or directly into spatial turbulence.
After all tests showed no problems, Luke finally walked into the vanishing cabinet himself, heading towards the deep, dark passage.
The next second, his vision plunged into darkness, and his whole being seemed to be swallowed by the dark; all sounds vanished.
But before any unease could surface, light and sound all returned.
He blinked, only to find himself in the other vanishing cabinet, directly facing its door.
Luke stepped out of the vanishing cabinet, very satisfied and surprised by its teleportation ability.
This vanishing cabinet's teleportation was far superior to Apparition, the Floo Network, or Portkeys; there was none of that disorienting,
being-squeezed-into-a-rubber-tube
sensation.
In just the blink of an eye, after a brief plunge into darkness, he appeared in the other vanishing cabinet.
Even Luke did not perceive the slightest magical fluctuation from the teleportation.
It was as if he had simply walked through a door.
Moreover, Luke discovered that this vanishing cabinet's method of teleportation was very similar to the passage into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters; both involved passing through a patch of darkness before appearing in another location.
It is highly probable that Platform Nine and Three-Quarters utilized the magical principles of the vanishing cabinet.
Having successfully created the vanishing cabinets, Luke began to consider how to place them.
Speaking of which, because of magical transportation methods like the Floo Network, Portkeys, and Apparition, the role of these vanishing cabinets was not that significant.
This might also be why vanishing cabinets were gradually phased out in the magical world, and even their manufacturing process was lost.
After all, compared to the complex and expensive manufacturing process of vanishing cabinets, Floo powder for the Floo Network is very cheap, usable by almost every Wizard family. For short distances, Apparition can be used, and for long distances, Portkeys serve as a substitute. It's no wonder that such an antique as the vanishing cabinet was eliminated.
However, Luke did not consider the vanishing cabinets useless for this reason.
Compared to the Floo Network, Apparition, and Portkeys, vanishing cabinets offer stable and comfortable transportation, and can transport a large number of people in a short time.
In this regard, they have an advantage over other transportation methods.
So Luke simply placed one of this pair of vanishing cabinets inside the castle, and took the other to Hildórien in the far east.
As the birthplace of humanity, Hildórien is not only an earthly paradise but also blessed with the divine power of the Creator Ilúvatar.
Luke regarded it as his personal backyard and ultimate sanctuary.
Although Portkeys could be used for teleportation, Portkeys have time limitations and are ultimately not as convenient or comfortable as vanishing cabinets.
With the existence of vanishing cabinets, traveling between Weathertop and Hildórien would be as convenient as visiting a neighbor.
After creating this pair of vanishing cabinets, Luke was not satisfied.
In his opinion, the current vanishing cabinets were made of wood, making them easily destructible. Even a single scratch on a vanishing cabinet could cause its teleportation ability to malfunction or fail completely.
Therefore, he considered replacing wood with other harder materials.
When it came to hard materials, metal was undoubtedly the answer.
However, ordinary metals, though hard, lacked magical conductivity, and the materials used to make vanishing cabinets required strong magical conductivity.
For example, the original wood for vanishing cabinets needed to come from trees with magical properties; ordinary wood simply wouldn't work.
Among metals with strong magical conductivity, Mithril was undoubtedly the best.
Conveniently, the one thing Luke had in abundance was Mithril. He had a one-tenth share in the Moria mines, and every year, Balin would send his portion of Mithril.
These Mithril ores were now piled in the treasury, serving as a cushion for Smaug.
Moreover, the Mother Lode of Mithril he had buried within Weathertop's mountain belly was gradually radiating and transforming the surrounding iron ore into Mithril.
Although the current output was small, it was a sustainable source of Mithril.
So, with Smaug's mournful gaze upon him, Luke directly took a pile of Mithril ore and threw it into a furnace for smelting.
Then, he cast it entirely into the shape of a vanishing cabinet and inscribed runes on the cabinet.
Furthermore, Luke, referencing the improved principle of the two-sided mirror (scrying mirror), felt that vanishing cabinets being limited to one-to-one teleportation was too wasteful.
So, he spent several months improving the vanishing cabinets, finally giving birth to a new type of vanishing cabinet.
Luke made a total of six of these new vanishing cabinets.
These vanishing cabinets, crafted from Mithril, were indestructible and incredibly hard, impossible to damage by ordinary means, and their teleportation ability was extremely stable.
More importantly, Luke designed a rotating pointer on the vanishing cabinet door. Around the pointer were various colored segments, labeled with names such as "Rivendell," "Lothlórien," and "Isengard."
By turning the pointer to the corresponding name, the vanishing cabinet would connect with the vanishing cabinet associated with that name, thereby allowing connection from one vanishing cabinet to others.
Subsequently, Luke sent the vanishing cabinets to Rivendell, Lothlórien, Isengard, Bree City, and Amon Sul, respectively.
The remaining vanishing cabinet was kept within the castle.
Elrond of Rivendell and Galadriel and Celeborn of Lothlórien were both amazed and praised this new invention, the vanishing cabinet.
They also regarded this gift from Luke as a strategic weapon; should Rivendell or Lothlórien face a crisis in the future, a large number of personnel could be rapidly evacuated via the vanishing cabinets.
Unlike the Elves, the vanishing cabinets for Bree City, Amon Sul, and Isengard were placed by Luke in their respective squares, serving as portals connecting the three locations.
Residents of Bree City could use the vanishing cabinets to reach Amon Sul, and residents of Amon Sul could travel to Bree City. The Dunlendings of Isengard could also use the vanishing cabinets to go to Bree or Amon Sul.
It could be said that the advent of the vanishing cabinets directly brought the residents of the three places into closer contact.
Of course, traveling to other places via the vanishing cabinets was not free.
The fee for ordinary people was not expensive, well within their means, while merchants wishing to conduct business through the vanishing cabinets were charged based on the value of their goods.
Luke entrusted these matters to the two mayors and Brog, the leader of the Dunlendings; the three of them would discuss and decide.
With Luke's current wealth, he wasn't greedy for such small sums.
However, he also didn't want his subjects to develop the idea of getting something for nothing.
After all, he understood the principle that great favors can breed resentment.
However, the residents of the three areas apparently had no objections, instead considering it a matter of course.
After all, their Lord had specially created such magical vanishing cabinets for them, allowing them to bypass long journeys and instantly arrive at another place—this was beyond their imagination.
To experience these magical vanishing cabinets, residents from all three areas crowded into the squares, waving coins and forming long queues to visit other places.
Especially the shrewd merchants, they were even more delighted.
Previously, they had to travel long distances to transport goods, which was not only arduous but also carried the risk of dangers on the road.
But now, by simply using the vanishing cabinets, they could save a significant amount of time and travel distance.
Merchants transported goods from Bree City to Amon Sul to sell via the vanishing cabinets.
Agricultural products and handicrafts from Amon Sul were also sold in Bree City through the vanishing cabinets.
The vanishing cabinet placed in Isengard also saw no less foot traffic than the previous two cities.
Luke did not place the vanishing cabinet in Isengard inside Orthanc, but rather in the Dunlending tribe.
Thus, some clever merchants directly used the vanishing cabinets in Bree City or Amon Sul to transport goods from those two places to Isengard to trade with the Dunlendings, and even to sell them in nearby Rohan and Gondor.
And there were also clever people among the Dunlendings who transported the cattle, sheep, and horses raised by their tribe to Bree or Amon Sul for sale via the vanishing cabinets.
Besides the residents of the three areas, itinerant merchants from outside also chose the vanishing cabinets in the three areas to shorten their journeys and save time.
Especially those merchants who previously traveled the North-South Road between the Eriador region and the southern lands of Gondor and Rohan, they were willing to pay even higher fees to transport goods via the vanishing cabinets.
Because previously, selling goods from the south to Eriador took at least over a month. Not only was the journey long, but they also had to constantly worry about encountering bandits and robbers along the way.
A single misstep could result in the loss of both goods and money, or even worse, their lives.
Now, with the vanishing cabinets providing teleportation, these risks were avoided.
Therefore, many merchants from Rohan and Gondor brought large quantities of goods to Isengard, traveled to Bree and Amon Sul via the vanishing cabinets, and then returned to Rohan and Gondor to sell the goods from those two places.
For a time, Amon Sul and Bree became even more prosperous.
The Dunlending tribe, moreover, developed rapidly. Not only did they earn a substantial amount of money by collecting fees for the vanishing cabinets, but they also started their own businesses, selling various livestock products to Eriador.
Just as the three regions under Luke's rule were bustling with activity, Hogwarts Castle also became lively.
Bill, who had received Luke's instruction in wand-making, had not only successfully crafted his own wand but had also made wands for over five hundred other people.
Having obtained the wands they had longed for, all the Wizards were overjoyed and eagerly began attempting to cast magic.
For the past six months, they had been studying magic theory and knowledge within the castle. In addition to receiving guidance from Luke's portrait, Arwen and Luke also frequently offered advice.
Aside from not having wands, they were no longer novices completely ignorant of magic.