Early morning!
As the soft sunlight shone on his face, William Li slowly opened his eyes.
After stretching, he murmured, "It's so comfortable to sleep!"
While muttering, he didn't wash up immediately. Instead, he opened the system panel and looked at it.
He hadn't forgotten that Hermione had been contributing farming value to him last night!
Since he had gone to bed early, he hadn't checked how much farming value Hermione contributed by the end of the night. Now that he was awake, he naturally wanted to see how much she had added.
And in the next second—
215!
This number appeared before William Li's eyes.
Get rich overnight!!!
This was William Li's first thought.
Previously, he had worked tirelessly for ten days just to save a little over a hundred points. And now?
Just one night, over 200 points! If this wasn't getting rich overnight, what was?
Immediately!
It's time to upgrade!!!
This was William Li's second thought.
Two hundred points were exactly what he needed to upgrade his Transfiguration spell!
What was there to wait for?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, William Li didn't hesitate and focused on the farming system to upgrade the Transfiguration spell.
200!
150!
100!
Suddenly, the farming value in the system panel dropped rapidly.
At the same time, the values for the Transfiguration spell increased quickly.
After a moment!
The Transfiguration spell changed from [Transfiguration LV1 - 0/200] to [Transfiguration LV2 - 0/400].
A flood of information surged into William Li's mind.
Deeper insights into the intricacies of the Transfiguration spell, techniques for casting it, precautions while using it—all of this knowledge entered his brain. It was as if he had been studying Transfiguration for over a decade.
And most importantly—
"I can cast spells without a wand!" A glint of excitement flashed in William Li's eyes.
Casting spells without a wand was something he had always desired.
Because it meant he now had the initial power to protect himself in this magical world.
Even though this power wasn't very strong, at least it provided some means of defense if he encountered danger!
As this thought took hold, William Li became excited. "I need to find a place to try Transfiguration later!"
Now that the spell could be used, it was only natural to test it out.
In fact, this would be his first time using magic. Just thinking about it made him feel a rush of excitement!
As for why he wanted to go out?
Because Mary was at home!
If he cast a spell at home and Mary noticed, he would definitely get into trouble.
After all, magic could be dangerous. And for someone as young as him, no matter how skillful he seemed, Mary would certainly get angry.
It was like sneaking off to fish in a river as a child. Even if you brought back a big catch, the adults would scold you—not because of the fish but because rivers were dangerous!
——
Soon!
"I'm going out for a walk!"
After finishing breakfast, William Li said this to Mary and left home.
He planned to find a secluded spot in a nearby park to test his spell.
However, just as he stepped outside, he ran into Hermione!
At this moment...
Hermione's pale face was marked with visible dark circles, and her overall condition seemed poor. Her eyes were half-closed, and she yawned constantly.
It was obvious—she was sleep-deprived.
And just as William Li saw her, she noticed him too.
Immediately!
She steeled herself, stepped forward, and said in a calm tone, "You studied very late last night. You didn't go to bed until midnight!"
Hearing this, William Li instantly understood the hidden meaning in her words.
She was showing off!
Showing off that she studied later than him.
Though her tone seemed plain, as if stating a fact, the truth was clear. How would she know he went to bed at midnight unless she herself stayed up later?
But!
While her boastful remark sounded impressive, William Li nearly burst out laughing.
Studied late? Him?
Not at all. His flashlight had simply run out of batteries early!
Having watched the Harry Potter movies, William Li knew Hermione's character well.
She was smart but also extremely competitive.
Knowing this, William Li was 100% certain that if Hermione thought he was staying up to study, she would push herself to stay up even later.
And so!
Last night, before going to bed, he had set his little "trap."
Using a flashlight and a paper-cut silhouette, he had created a shadow that looked like someone bent over studying hard. This shadow was projected onto the window, giving Hermione the impression that he was burning the midnight oil.
Of course!
Due to the limitations of the era, flashlights weren't as advanced as they are today. Modern flashlights could easily last for half a day, but the ones he used relied on batteries that barely lasted an hour or two!
That was why Hermione had only contributed over 200 farming points last night.
If the flashlight had lasted longer, Hermione's competitive nature might have pushed her to study even later, earning him even more farming value!
"You actually know I went to bed at midnight?" William Li pretended to be surprised.
He knew exactly what Hermione was doing. She just wanted to show off that she studied later than him.
So he decided to humor her!
After all, Hermione had contributed so much farming value. The least he could do was reward her by letting her feel triumphant for a moment.
Looking at William Li's surprised expression, Hermione's eyes flashed with a hint of pride. But she maintained her composure and said in a calm tone, "I usually study just a little."
"A little?"
William Li feigned shock. "It seems you're really working hard to surpass me!"
Then, narrowing his eyes, he stared at Hermione and said coldly, "But I won't give you the chance. Starting tonight, I'll study until 2 a.m.!"
Well, I'll buy two more batteries on my way back! he thought silently.
And as soon as these words left his mouth—
Hermione wasn't one to back down. "No matter how hard you work, I'll work harder! Tonight, I'll study until 3 a.m.!"
Perfect! Just what I wanted!
William Li was ecstatic inside, but on the surface, he glared at Hermione as if preparing for a duel. "If you study until 3 a.m., then I'll study until 4 a.m. I'll make sure I stay up later than you!"
"Hah! We'll see!!!"
Hermione sneered, said this sharply, and walked away.
As he watched her figure disappear into the distance, William Li's feigned frown melted into a grin. He sighed, "Hermione is so easy to trick right now. Just a little guidance, and she's completely fooled!"
But!
It made sense if you thought about it.
In the original plot, Hermione had always been a brilliant girl. But no matter how smart she was, at the end of the day, she was only six years old right now!
How clever could a six-year-old be?
She wasn't like William Li, who appeared six on the outside but carried the scheming mind of someone several decades older.
With these thoughts, William Li smiled and left, heading to the park to test his Transfiguration spell!