Thud!
An owl crashed into the window. Without even looking, John knew it was the Weasleys' old owl.
Opening the window, John grabbed the owl and took the letter from its beak.
"Going on a trip to Egypt, right?"
Ron wrote in the letter to tell John that his whole family was going on a trip to Egypt and to apologize for having to postpone the invitation to the Burrow.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten about this."
Back in their second year, Ron had invited John to the Burrow, but John had forgotten about it after returning home.
He thought Ron wouldn't invite him anymore, especially since he was thinking of using Scabbers for an experiment.
Percy also sent a letter, thanking John for helping him get the position of Head Boy and subtly mentioning that he wanted to work at the Ministry of Magic in the future.
"Looks like he succeeded. The Ministry of Magic—I remember he did quite well there."
As the Weasley family's odd one out, Percy could be said to have maxed out his bureaucratic skills.
From prefect to Head Boy, and then later on to working at the Ministry of Magic.
Each step had a clear goal.
John chuckled, "In that case, why not give you a little help?"
He took out a quill and wrote a letter to Bartemius Crouch Sr. After observing and learning more about him, John knew he was someone worth forming a close relationship with.
If nothing else, Bartemius Crouch Sr.'s act of delivering justice to his own son was something John greatly admired.
With Percy's remarkable talent, Bartemius would likely be very interested in him.
After handling his daily correspondence, John picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet.
The commotion surrounding Lord Johnny Silverhand was gradually dying down. The opening of a museum dedicated to vigilance against the Dark Arts seemed to suggest that Johnny Silverhand wasn't the kind of extremely greedy dark wizard people feared.
Now, the newspaper's front page featured a familiar face: Gilderoy Lockhart.
He had won Witch Weekly's "Most Charming Smile" award for the sixth time, and the newspaper also covered Lockhart's new book.
<"My Adventures with a Great Sword at Hogwarts"> became a sensation in the wizarding world upon release and has topped the bestseller list for three consecutive weeks. Gilderoy Lockhart's time at Hogwarts has added a brilliant chapter to his legendary life.
John had to admit that Lockhart was quite a talent. As long as his secrets remained hidden, Lockhart was undeniably the top celebrity in the wizarding world.
This book quickly became a hit throughout the magical community. Although it was a bit exaggerated in parts, Lockhart was very clever this time; he chose a dual protagonist approach.
One protagonist was a handsome and powerful wizarding professor, paired with a prodigiously talented, legendary student of Hogwarts.
The events in the book were also based on true stories: the teaching moments, the basilisk, and finally, the big reveal at the end.
The plot progression was excellent—a masterpiece, even.
"I, John Wick, am willing to call it the strongest of his works!"
"Maybe I could do a little more to promote him."
Not using such a cash cow would be a waste of the top celebrity status.
John stroked his chin, thinking he should give this a little nudge.
He took out paper and pen and sent a letter to Rita Skeeter.
With the Daily Prophet's influence, Lockhart could continue creating miracles.
Of course, he wasn't helping out of pure goodwill. John was earning money from Lockhart's book, after all.
Johnny Silverhand had secured the rights, and John and Lockhart split the profits 60-40.
Properly managing this book would be quite a lucrative income for John.
He headed to the basement.
This place had completely become John's domain. Many dangerous objects were stored inside, so he would always lock it up whenever he left.
After a day of absorbing knowledge and practice, John's proficiency in runes had successfully leveled up.
Runes [Level 4]!
John reopened Goblin Forging Studies; now he could understand everything inside.
It had to be said, the goblins' ability to thrive in the wizarding world was largely due to their unique and magical forging techniques.
"Goblin magic..."
Looking at the goblin magic described in the book, John fell into deep thought.
This type of magic, also known as ancient magic, has a very old origin.
It dates back to before the time of the Four Founders when goblins were not yet under the jurisdiction of wizards.
Goblin magic does not rely on wands; it's like an innate form of magic.
"Ancient runes are also a form of ancient magic; no wonder it requires knowledge of Runes."
Carefully reading through the knowledge in the book, John attempted to use the goblin methods for forging.
"Channel elements into objects to construct natural magic circuits... Hmm.."
Wearing a magic crystal, John extended his hands forward.
With his concentrated thought, a whirlwind suddenly formed in the enclosed basement.
"Wind elements."
Fixing his gaze on the whirlwind, John continued to hold his breath in concentration. Under his control, the wind spiraled continuously, moving toward a magical ring on the table.
At the moment of contact, the magic ring was triggered, and a Petrification Curse narrowly grazed John's cheek.
The wind element dissipated.
"Looks like I need a few more tests."
John frowned deeply. This Goblin Forging involved ancient magic, and it was incredibly difficult.
Did he have to follow Gryffindor's lead and directly find goblins to forge a sword?
Even if he wanted to, all the goblins were in Gringotts now, and whether they even had the craftsmanship was a big question.
Gryffindor back then had sought the Goblin King to create his sword, and that level of craftsmanship was certainly not something an ordinary goblin could possess.
Thinking of this, John couldn't help but sigh, feeling a bit weary. "Still have to rely on myself."
He summoned the panel to check and saw there were two remaining skill points yet to be used.
"Oh!?"
A new skill had also appeared in the skills section.
"Mastery of Ancient Magic?"
The newly appeared skill was only at level 1, and upgrading it further was not yet possible.
The skill was grayed out, indicating that John needed to accumulate more knowledge.
"To level up again, I need to gather more ancient magic knowledge."
John stared at this skill; it delved into a knowledge area he was not yet familiar with.
After all, he didn't even know what counted as ancient magic, so asking him to learn it was quite a tall order.
Putting this matter aside for now, John finished reading Goblin Forging in its entirety.
The book wasn't too difficult for him anymore. In terms of alchemy and runes, he could certainly be considered an expert.
"Although this book records some knowledge of goblin forging, it's not comprehensive."
Closing the book, John rubbed his brow.
"Sigh.."
It seemed he had to change direction once again.
Hopefully, there would be books in the Restricted Section that could help him.
Regarding ancient magic, he could visit the chambers of the two founders. They were the oldest figures John knew of. If nothing was there, he would have to trace back to the era of the Peverell brothers, the Wealders, and probably the real creators of the Deathly Hallows.
Over the next few days, John spent all his time in the basement.
He gradually mastered three other elemental magics besides wind: fog magic, water magic, and fire magic.
Wind magic could enhance perception, fog magic could obscure one's form, water magic could summon streams, and fire magic could conjure flames.
The application of all four magics could be performed without a wand, which was a great achievement for John.
...
"Tom, do a backflip. Good boy!"
"Oh my God! That's amazing! How did you train this dog?"
"Oh, it was nothing special, just some casual training."
Some guests were visiting the house—friends from his dad's business circle. To make a better impression, the guest brought along a kid who was about the same age as John.
However, when John saw the arrogant, self-important look on the kid's face, he felt like he was babysitting. It was so unbearable that he used Tom as a distraction and quickly slipped away.
"Ah, fresh air," John sighed, standing by the roadside and breathing in the freedom. He swore he'd never want to entertain any more spoiled brats.
It was almost worse than negotiating money matters with a Mundungus.
He muttered to himself, "Compared to that kid, even Draco seems well-behaved."
Spoiled children were everywhere, and John had no interest in dealing with them.
As he wandered aimlessly along the roadside, he noticed a black dog.
The dog looked like it hadn't eaten in days. Even through its thick fur, John could see how emaciated it was.
He admitted the dog wasn't exactly a looker, but being a sucker for fluffy little ones, John pulled out a pack of dried fish snacks.
"Hi, Buddy Buddy~ Been hungry for a while, huh?"
The black dog was staring off in a particular direction and seemed a bit startled when it heard John's voice.
A black-haired boy had brought him some dried fish snacks. Although these treats didn't exactly seem like dog food, being a big dog that hadn't eaten for a long time, he devoured them without hesitation.
Seeing the way the dog ate, John felt a bit of sympathy.
As he petted the dog's head, John muttered to himself, "I wonder where you came from. Stray dogs aren't usually allowed around here."
The big black dog looked rather shabby, but its fur was surprisingly nice.
John kept rubbing its head, getting a little addicted to the sensation.
Completely unaware of the bewildered expression in the dog's eyes...
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