97. Prepare.

Once more, there was nothing to do until the third task, which was going to be a hedge maze. Ludo Bagman had already informed us about it after the second task was complete. A hedge maze filled with magical creatures and obstacles was no threat to me at all.

Classes were also incredibly easy, as we were far ahead of normal fourth-year students. Of course, there was still plenty to learn at Hogwarts, and we weren't rushing to graduate. Hogwarts housed one of the biggest magical libraries in the world, and there were plenty of things I still wanted to uncover.

For example, I wanted to make my own Room of Requirement. We were working on that project together, and, of course, Rowena Ravenclaw had left details on how she created the original room inside of it. All one needed to do was ask the room for a way to learn how to make it, and the necessary materials and knowledge would appear. Rowena didn't believe in hoarding knowledge, after all. However, creating something like the Room of Requirement was incredibly advanced magic and would require time and resources.

I also wanted to prepare for future worlds we would visit. For example, Danmachi held a unique appeal. Hermione and Luna weren't in my peerage, meaning they wouldn't gain benefits like Haki from One Piece or chakra from Naruto. However, in Danmachi, a god could bless a person with falna, allowing them to grow stronger without the need for a peerage piece. Should they choose to follow me, this would be a good way for them to develop their abilities.

Beyond that, I had a strong desire to unlock the ability to cultivate. With two cultivation-based treasures—the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal and the Ancient Stone Talisman—I was wasting their potential by not being able to use them properly.

Several cultivation-based worlds came to mind: Against the Gods, Douluo Dalu, Tales of Demons and Gods, Battle Through the Heavens, and more. However, I couldn't just jump into a world blindly—I needed to be smart about it.

Tales of Demons and Gods relied heavily on cultivation chants, and unless I was Nie Li, I wouldn't have access to those. Additionally, the world itself had significant threats, such as the Sage Emperor, whom I had no interest in dealing with. The only girl I found appealing from that story was Xiao Ning'er due to her fierce devotion and loyalty.

Battle Through the Heavens was another option, but it also required cultivation manuals. That world revolved around elemental affinities and heavenly flames, which could be useful. While there were interesting characters like Medusa and Little Fairy Doctor, none of them had left a strong impression on me when I read the story.

Against the Gods had its advantages, as it didn't require cultivation manuals and had a high ceiling for power. However, its protagonist, Yun Che—better known as Scum Che—was trash. While the world had some powerful artifacts, most of them were tied to Yun Che's soul, making them difficult to acquire.

Douluo Dalu was appealing, as it revolved around martial spirits and soul rings, and there wasn't a strict need for cultivation manuals. I knew where to obtain a top-tier one, though. The protagonist, Tang San, was a hypocritical piece of work, so I wouldn't mind eliminating him to save the world a few times over. That world also contained immortal herbs, heavenly treasures, and soul beasts that could grant incredible power. Additionally, there were a few girls there who fit my style.

Of course, my decisions weren't just based on power acquisition. If a world's problem was easily solvable, like Voldemort, I had no issue handling it. But if it required extensive effort—such as breaking into Gringotts for Helga Hufflepuff's cup—I would rather pass the responsibility onto someone else or just not go there.

Some may call me lazy, others heartless, but I just say that it's not my problem. If I can help, sure, and if someone tries to slap me in the face, I'll make it my problem. But I'm not some bleeding-heart hero. If I see something I don't like happening in front of me, then I'll step in, but don't expect me to go out of my way to solve everyone's problems.

I like Harry. As a character from one of my favorite books who had a shit life, I was more than willing to help him on the sly to have a better life. I like Sirius; he was a good guy who was also dealt a shit hand due to stupid decisions, so I didn't mind helping him. He had paid the price for his mistakes enough. I didn't really like Remus—I thought he was a crybaby bitch about his whole werewolf thing. I had no intentions of going out of my way to see if I could cure him or something, and I didn't intentionally help him out. He just benefited from some of the decisions I made. I didn't like Snape, so I got rid of him. I didn't like Lucius Malfoy, so I got rid of him. I didn't like Peter Pettigrew, so I got rid of him while helping someone I did like.

Hell, if Draco Malfoy so much as breathed wrong in my direction, he would find his way out of Hogwarts in a wooden box back to his mother.

Point is, I do what the fuck I want.

Besides it was just visiting a world and maybe laying a small bit of groundwork, not like I would miss anything due to time stopping here.

I considered my options for a moment and my peerage pieces appeared in my hand. I had used my King, 2 Bishops and 2 Pawns, that left me with a Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Knights and 6 Pawns.

11 worlds and peerage members left to pick. I had access to One Piece, Arifureta, Fate, DC, and Harry Potter.

"Choices, choices, so many choices." I considered what piece to use.