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In addition to the potion, Ivan obtained a significant gain in the form of a skull from Borgin's Black Magic Store. Initially, Ivan's purpose for acquiring this skull was to deceive Dumbledore. However, as Ivan delved into it he found a sealed soul fragment within, and he became increasingly fascinated by the concept of understanding the soul.
At first, comprehending the nature of the soul confounded Ivan. He had always believed that memories and emotions were carried within the human brain and that once a person died, their brain ceased to function, and all was lost. The emergence of the soul challenged Ivan's common sense, introducing the idea that an entity could store human memories and exist between the realms of the virtual and the real.
Ivan struggled to determine the state of his soul. He even went without eating for several days, until he recalled from a book that souls could be sealed within a skeleton, which created a curse, generating an abnormal magnetic field within individuals and causing physical illnesses. Could it be, Ivan wondered, that the soul itself was a form of a magnetic field?
Moreover, after a person's death, this magnetic field did not dissipate. Instead, the memories and emotions of the deceased were transformed into information, eventually coalescing into a soul. This theory offered a plausible explanation.
With this idea in mind, Ivan extracted the remaining soul from the skull and employed various methods to enhance its magnetic field. Slowly, the damaged soul was restored and eventually transformed into a complete, faint black mist that was visible to the naked eye and could fly.
This newly-formed soul resembled a man in his thirties, possessing an ordinary appearance, neither attractive nor ugly. However, the prior soul had been so fragmented that it had lost all its memories. Nevertheless, it seemed to recognize that Ivan had restored its form and approached him with a sense of intimacy.
This success further fueled Ivan's excitement, leading him to conduct various experiments on the soul.
However, there's a saying that goes, "If you walk too much at night, you will run into ghosts." Once, while Ivan was subjecting his soul to powerful light waves during an experiment, the soul suffered severe injuries and started to slowly dissipate.
Even though Ivan promptly stopped the experiment, the soul had been severely damaged. To his surprise, the dying soul didn't hold any grudge against Ivan for the mistake. This made Ivan feel deeply uncomfortable. Though the soul had lost its memories, it was far from being a fool. During the experiments, it cooperated with all its strength in whatever Ivan asked it to do. Now, it has faced its demise due to its actions. Well, it was already dead. Ivan was not ready to let the soul perish.
Ivan's mind raced to find a solution. Ultimately, he resorted to a last-ditch effort, using his spiritual power to activate the reality gem he had been wearing around his neck. A red light emanated from the gem, enveloping the soul. An unexpected occurrence unfolded as the strong light from the previous experiment, combined with the red light from the reality gem, fused, transforming the soul into a radiant, ethereal creature composed of countless light particles. This new soul seemed almost invisible, moving swiftly and with great agility.
Nonetheless, there were drawbacks. In this form, it couldn't fly like before and could only move on the ground. At first, Ivan felt a tinge of disappointment, but then the soul surprised him once more. It could revert to its previous black mist form. This newfound soul could seamlessly shift between these two forms.
Ivan quickly realized that both forms had unique advantages. In its radiant state, the soul could temporarily materialize its body, execute physical attacks, and exhibit remarkable speed. It could easily lift a car and pierce a two-meter steel plate. In its black mist form, it couldn't attack effectively but was almost impervious to harm.
With this soul, Ivan had essentially gained an extra, super-powered bodyguard. When you have a bodyguard, it needs a name. Ivan gave it a straightforward name—Ghost.
Another aspect of Ivan's research involved magical creatures. He had purchased a litter of mice and a poodle from a magical pet store and studied them during his spare time. This yielded substantial insights.
These magical animals shared a common trait—they possessed magic power within their bodies. Although they lacked the human intellect for complex magic, they exhibited various innate magical abilities, such as basilisks' petrifying gaze, Vela's enchanting allure, phoenixes' ability to be reborn from ashes, and dragons' fiery breath.
However, Ivan also noticed a discrepancy. These creatures, in their current state, seemed less formidable than historical accounts depicted. Fire dragons, for instance, were said to be over 100 meters long and could melt gold and iron with their fiery breath, performing intricate dragon language magic. Phoenixes, too, had lost some of their luster and power, now a far cry from their ancient descriptions.
This led Ivan to conclude that these creatures had undergone a decline. Changes in the environment had caused a decrease in available magic energy, which, in turn, limited these creatures' abilities. In response, they had adapted by diminishing their powers.
Ivan contemplated whether it might be possible to provide these creatures with an environment reminiscent of ancient times, allowing them to evolve into more potent forms. He realized that Skull Island, due to the presence of the star whale, preserved the environment of the dinosaur era. Transferring some of these creatures to the island might yield intriguing results.
To test this hypothesis, Ivan requested the Red Devil to send a litter of mice to Skull Island for observation. After a month, he noticed subtle changes in the mice. Their magnetic fields had become more pronounced, and there was a trace of something special in their blood.
Satisfied with these results, Ivan enlisted Borgin's help in acquiring more magical creatures. With the assistance of nano-robots, they secretly gained control over high-level individuals in the Ministry of Magic and a prominent magical family, purchasing dozens of magical animals, including fire dragons, dragon eggs, and other creatures. These were all transported to Skull Island for further study.
In other research endeavors, Ivan crafted various magical items, such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, and pendants, using magic materials. These items possessed unique effects, like improving concentration or providing protection. The necklace, for example, could slow down the aging process, allowing someone to maintain a youthful appearance well into old age.
However, as time flew by, Ivan realized that he had exhausted all available resources and had read all the magic books in the library. Feeling that he had overstayed his welcome, he decided it was time to depart. When he bid farewell to Dumbledore, the headmaster surprised him with unexpected news.
"What! King George VI wishes to meet me and bestow upon me the title of an earl. Do I get to choose my domain? Are you sure there's no mistake?" Ivan had initially suspected that the British government sought to enlist his services, but the offer was beyond his expectations, leaving him stunned.
As the saying goes, one man's surprise is another man's amusement. Dumbledore had been well aware of the British government's intentions from the start, and they planned to have him convince Ivan to conduct scientific research for them. But Ivan had offered only partial information on nuclear weapons, with crucial data being promised in stages. Fearing that they might not be able to build nuclear weapons themselves, the British government wanted Dumbledore to persuade Ivan. However, Dumbledore had categorically refused. He understood that Ivan was an unparalleled and immensely powerful individual, and he had no intention of angering such a formidable man.
Dumbledore had resisted the pressure, but the British government was determined to find another way. Realizing that the high-ranking officials in Britain were both stubborn and self-righteous, Dumbledore chose to remain silent, allowing them to face the consequences of their decisions.