The flames roared like an apocalyptic inferno, its intensity overwhelming.
The atmosphere was chaotic, shaking violently. The flower fairy and the unicorn fled in panic, while the bees and butterflies lost all sense of direction, flying wildly in all directions.
As soon as Zhao Lun entered, the two small creatures noticed him and ran towards him as if they had found a savior.
Unaware of the situation, Zhao Lun saw what appeared to be the end of the world. Before he could even be afraid, a massive firestorm engulfed him.
Boom! A deafening explosion sounded in his ears, and flames surged before him, as though he had been plunged into a sea of fire.
The flames raged, but their heat did not harm him. The overwhelming force in front of him felt like a gentle breeze, without a trace of damage.
The two terrified little spirits stood stunned in the fire, watching in amazement.
The bees and butterflies, flying recklessly, also danced within the flames, yet they remained unharmed.
On the ground, the flames flickered, occasionally revealing some verdant plants that were unaffected by the fire, appearing even more vibrant.
Zhao Lun recovered from his shock and stood amidst the fire, observing the sudden changes.
The scene was grand, but there was no harm. In less than half a minute, the inferno quickly faded, and the world before him returned to normal. However, when he looked again, he sensed a profound change in the world.
Zhao Lun communicated with this realm, carefully feeling its transformation. After a while, he sighed in relief, a smile of joy spreading across his face.
As expected, the divine kingdom had expanded!
Under normal circumstances, the divine kingdom expanded slowly, and the process was never swift. But this time, it had doubled in size, taking on the appearance of a small world.
This did not simply fill Zhao Lun with joy because, with the passage of time, the divine kingdom was bound to expand to this scale. What truly delighted him was that the blazing inferno had burned away some of the obstacles between him and the divine kingdom.
The divine kingdom was divine because of its extraordinary nature. Even Zhao Lun, after obtaining it, could feel its wondrousness. But this wondrousness had limits; outside the divine kingdom, its power could only be used for self-preservation.
Now, Zhao Lun felt closely connected to the divine kingdom. He could control it, harness some of its power, and most importantly, extend this power beyond its boundaries.
Within a yard of his body, nothing could harm him!
Though only a yard, it was more than sufficient as a defense.
Could he continue to absorb this "mist" to accelerate the expansion of the divine kingdom? Zhao Lun pondered.
"Aaron, Aaron..."
The flower fairy finally arrived, dragging the unicorn along, and without waiting for Zhao Lun to speak, she grabbed his collar and burrowed inside.
"Hey! Hey! Little one, don't squirm around..."
Zhao Lun quickly withdrew from the divine kingdom, preparing to try again, but alas, the "mist" seemed to have been completely used up, and there was no response around him.
Gone? Zhao Lun was slightly disappointed, but he didn't give up. He felt that the phenomena would return again.
A new day arrived.
Zhao Lun woke earlier than usual, arranged things, and after breakfast, he didn't head to the laboratory. Instead, he set up tables and chairs, prepared some drinks, and sat quietly in the yard with Maria and the pets, waiting for something.
Half the time before noon, two dark figures appeared in the distance. As they neared, their shapes became clearer, and Zhao Lun could see two boys riding flying broomsticks, dressed almost identically, coming from afar.
"Guests are here."
As soon as they entered the range, Zhao Lun noticed them.
"Wow!"
Before they even arrived, strange cries echoed, followed by a swift approach, and they suddenly halted in the yard.
"Whoosh!"
They arrived at breakneck speed, suddenly stopping, sending a gust of wind through the air.
"Hey! Aaron!"
"Wow! Is this your house? It's beautiful."
The two waved enthusiastically at Zhao Lun and rushed toward him for a hug.
"Woof!—"
The dogs were not having it. With a loud bark, they leaped forward, pouncing on the two boys.
"Oh my god!"
"Aaron! Help!"
"Stinky dog! Go away!"
The two were caught off guard, surrounded by the dogs and knocked to the ground, while the dogs happily licked their faces.
The two tumbled on the ground, trying to dodge the tongues, but to no avail.
"..." Zhao Lun watched, dumbfounded, wondering why the dogs were so enthusiastic.
"Hee hee..."
A smug laugh snapped Zhao Lun out of his stupor.
"Avery, Grey Shadow, stop it right now! And you, Prince White Snow!"
Zhao Lun quickly called off the dogs.
Maria covered her mouth, unable to suppress her laughter.
Zhao Lun nonchalantly tapped her on the head, then led her over to the now-standing Weasley brothers and brushed off the dirt on them.
"Fred, George, are you okay?"
"Sorry, I haven't been keeping an eye on my sister. After not spending a semester together, I didn't realize she had become so mischievous. Of course, Avery and the others..."
Zhao Lun apologized, while Maria hid behind him, sticking her tongue out at the Weasley brothers.
The Weasley brothers were momentarily stunned, unsure of how to react. They hadn't expected to be the ones on the receiving end of a prank.
"Maria, you should apologize."
Zhao Lun explained briefly and then made Maria apologize.
"Sorry. I didn't mean it. I hope you forgive me."
Maria stepped forward and, at a spot where Zhao Lun couldn't see, imitated a movie-style apology with exaggerated seriousness.
Her face remained stiff, eyes glaring, silently conveying: Hmph! I'm not really apologizing!
The Weasley brothers understood, but were at a loss for words.
"Fred, George, are you really okay?"
Zhao Lun approached, checking them over.
Both looked slightly uncomfortable, and Zhao Lun was a bit worried. Had the dogs left some psychological scars?
"Hehe, we're fine."
"Yes, we're just a bit surprised. Yes, very surprised."
That was the truth. They were indeed surprised.
When they were at Hogwarts, Zhao Lun had told them about his home situation, so they were aware of Maria's existence.
They had seen photos, though Muggle photos that didn't move. They thought the girl in the picture was beautiful and had an air of the legendary, well-behaved princess. Since Aaron had said she was well-behaved, they believed him.
But seeing her in person was a completely different experience—a real "surprise."
"Hello, Maria. I'm Fred."
"Hi! George, stop pretending to be me! I'm Fred!"
"George is your name, Fred is mine! Why do you always try to be me?"
The two began to bicker, while Maria, completely confused, couldn't tell who was Fred and who was George.
Seeing them argue, she tried to see if she could figure it out.
Unfortunately, the brothers were too alike; even their mother couldn't tell them apart. What hope did Maria have?
Maria, dizzy from their antics, couldn't tell them apart either.
"Fred, George, you two are at it again."
"Let's go, first clean yourselves up. What's on your faces?"
Zhao Lun stepped forward, easily distinguishing the two.
"Aaron, how come you can always tell us apart so easily?"
"Yeah, it's no fun."
The two deflated like punctured balloons, looking wounded.
"Stop fooling around. Go wash your faces."
Zhao Lun had already seen through them and didn't mind.
Maria admired her brother, thinking to herself, "He's so impressive."
"Fine, fine."
The two followed Zhao Lun to a nearby bathroom, cleaned up, and finally returned to a more presentable state.
After emerging from the bathroom, they were all smiles, looking around at the architecture. Whenever something caught their eye, they reached out to touch it.
"Hey, I said, is this necessary?"
Zhao Lun facepalmed.
"Fine, fine. Hello, Maria, I'm George. I'm the older brother, and this is Fred, my younger brother."
"George, I'm the older one! You're the younger brother!"
They started arguing again over who was the older one.
"Older brother?" Maria seemed to think of something amusing and laughed as she watched them.
"They look so much alike that Mrs. Weasley can't tell them apart. No one knows who the older brother is and who the younger brother is."
Zhao Lun explained to her.
"Hey, Maria, this is my gift for you."
"And mine. I'm sure you'll love it."
The two brothers pulled out gifts and winked at her.
"Hey, I said, don't give Maria your weird stuff."
"Those childish toys are not suitable for her. They're bound to cause trouble."
Zhao Lun could tell just by their actions what kind of gifts they were—mischievous prank items. It seemed the Weasley brothers were already on their future path.
"It's okay, they're just harmless little trinkets, at most they'll spray some water..."
Splash! A bucket of water fell from the sky, drenching them thoroughly.
Hiss! The two sucked in a breath, their camaraderie instantly shattered. It felt like they could never relate to this brat again.
"You, you're really too annoying!"
"..." Zhao Lun was speechless. What else could he say?
"Fine, you have to change clothes now."
Unable to use magic, they could only dry off naturally, so Zhao Lun suggested they change clothes.
He had plenty of clothes here, so he found them a nice set of summer clothes. They looked much more natural now, unlike when they arrived in their full wizard attire, which had been quite a spectacle. Now, they looked much more normal.