Chapter 181: The Black Technology of the Magical World?

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Early the next morning, Harry was woken up by the persistent sound of knocking at his door.

"Fawkes? What are you doing knocking on my forehead?"

Harry opened his blurry eyes and, somewhat helplessly, addressed the phoenix standing by his pillow. "No wonder I dreamt someone was kicking down my door telling me to update. Turns out it was you."

"Chirp chirp chirp~~ chirp!!!"

Fawkes let out a panicked squawk as Harry pulled him into his arms and gave him a vigorous rub. Despite being a phoenix, the term was a translation issue—his true name should be "Immortal Bird," closely related to the Thunderbird. Phoenixes, in Eastern mythology, are legendary creatures with the most stunning, radiant tail feathers in the world. While Fawkes' golden-red appearance wasn't bad, compared to the majestic Phoenix, the Immortal Bird lacked some of its grandeur. After all, the true Phoenix is known as a divine beast, revered and worshipped with offerings.

The noisy commotion from Fawkes woke the other students in the dormitory, who rubbed their eyes and got out of bed, followed by a series of exclamations.

"Harry!"

Rolf threw off his blankets and rushed to Harry's bedside. "Is this Fawkes? It is, right? It's Fawkes!"

"This is the first time I've seen a live one, one that actually moves—ow, ow, ow!"

Rolf, intending to cheekily pet Fawkes' rear end, was pecked sharply, causing him to pull back, fuming. Meanwhile, Fawkes turned to Harry and began fiercely flapping his wings, delivering a series of gentle taps on Harry's head. However, the tough and resilient boy didn't even flinch. After knocking off a few of his feathers, Fawkes had no choice but to start preening his ruffled plumage.

"Yeah, it's the one Professor Dumbledore had. Feel free to take a look, and if it involves any magical flames, Fawkes should be happy to let you touch them."

"Chirp chirp!" Fawkes gave Harry another peck, his gaze seemingly saying, "Do you think I'm that kind of bird?"

"Magical flames?" Rolf paused for a moment, then sighed with mild frustration. "I have some at home, but I didn't bring any. If I had a Thunderbird instead of an Immortal Bird, I would definitely have brought some with me."

"You can pay on credit. After all, we're leaving for home today, right? You can bring it after the Christmas break."

After changing out of his pajamas into regular clothes—no robes needed today—Harry and his friends could head to the Hogwarts Express after breakfast.

"Credit?" Rolf, previously looking disappointed, suddenly perked up. His eyes gleamed as he turned to Fawkes. "When I get back, I'll bring you magical flames in every flavor! There are hundreds of fire-breathing magical creatures in my grandfather's zoo—there's every flavor imaginable!"

Fawkes paused mid-preen, then tilted his little head to look at Rolf. He hopped a little closer to him.

"Hahahaha, Fawkes, you really are a greedy little thing."

Harry laughed out loud, but Fawkes paid him no attention. Under Rolf's expert hand, Fawkes relaxed, squinting in contentment. As someone from the Scamander family, Rolf was skilled at handling magical creatures, and this was no different, though this was his first time petting an Immortal Bird.

It took Harry about ten minutes to get dressed and freshened up. When he finally finished, Rolf released his hands, and Fawkes, now with his feathers neatly preened, looked satisfied.

"I'm done, let's go, Fawkes."

Harry extended his arm, and Fawkes hopped onto his shoulder, his claws digging into Harry's skin.

"Wow, you're a stingy bird. If I hadn't said anything, where would you have gotten your free massage and free snacks?"

Fawkes shot Harry a glance, then turned his head away haughtily. Free? The snacks were earned by flaunting his charms. Though he thought this, his claws relaxed slightly.

"See you later, I hope I can make it for breakfast."

Waving at his friends, Harry was whisked away by the flames, leaving the dormitory.

But this time, the destination wasn't Dumbledore's office. Fawkes carried him to an unfamiliar room.

"Welcome, Harry!"

Grindelwald greeted him enthusiastically. "Welcome to Nurmengard."

"This is my laboratory. Did you bring Tom along? Quick, let me experiment… uh, I mean, research, the soul that can preserve the body and maintain physical perception! This is a rare thing."

"Professor Grindelwald, I didn't expect you to be back so soon."

"If I'd come back any later, I'm afraid little Tom would've been completely ruined. This is a rare material. You may not realize its value."

"Alright, give him to me." Grindelwald stretched out his hand, and Harry passed him the little ball of Tom, who had been squished by Harry's touch.

"Wrapped in your Awakener magic?" Grindelwald sensed something was off as soon as he touched Tom. He couldn't feel any magic from the ball in his hand.

"Yes, it helps preserve him and prevents him from committing suicide. Awakener magic is much stronger than an ordinary wizard's magic. Crushing the quality is the simplest and most effective method."

"Smart thinking," Grindelwald nodded in approval, then illuminated the alchemical array on the alchemy platform. "You can release him now, I'll give him a body."

"Oh, okay." Harry snapped his fingers, and the magic surrounding Tom dissipated. "By the way, why haven't I seen Professor Dumbledore?"

"Albus is covering for me. Otherwise, how do you think I got back so quickly? Someone needs to stay on that side—someone with weight and authority."

"I see. Do you have any food here? I skipped breakfast to get here, and now I'm starving."

"Take the knife. Cut it yourself, but don't burn anything else when you make a fire. The only seasoning is salt."

Grindelwald waved his hand without looking back, and a small knife and a jar of salt flew over. Following his finger, Harry saw a young Peruvian Vipertooth dragon, no older than two or three months, fixed to a rack. It was one of the smallest dragon species, growing to just over three meters as an adult.

"By the way, while you're at it, take twenty milliliters of venom from it. Its venom sac is located on the right side of its chest, near its heart. Be careful not to puncture it."

"Doesn't Nurmengard, such a massive place, have a food delivery service? Isn't this the headquarters of the Pureblood faction? No kitchen or anything?"

Harry asked in surprise, casually stabbing the unconscious Vipertooth dragon with the knife Grindelwald had given him. The blade, a finely crafted alchemical tool, was exceptionally sharp.

"S7-level laboratory. Apart from Albus and me, no one else has access. Of course, there's a kitchen, and yes, there's the German-style pork knuckle you like, but no delivery service."

Harry's lips twitched slightly, and with practiced speed, he began eviscerating and skinning the creature. Although this was his first time preparing a whole dragon, the goat-sized creature was easy enough to handle.

As the aroma of roasting meat filled the air, Grindelwald wiped his hands and walked over, tossing the small Tom into a device that looked like a pressure cooker, adding ingredients for a stew.

"It'll be ready in about half an hour. Just wait."

"Oh! Here, Professor Grindelwald, you should try the best part—the dragon's backside."

"Can't you give me a leg instead? You're so stingy, you little brat. This dragon's mine!"

"Dragon legs are tough. You should have some tender meat, old man, to avoid getting it stuck in your teeth."

"Old? You're really asking for it," Grindelwald growled, his beard bristling as he glared at Harry. "Children should respect their elders."

"Not when they're not old enough," Harry grinned, taking half a rack of ribs and chewing on the bones.

Grindelwald slapped Harry on the back of his head, his teeth gritted as he rubbed his hand. The brat's head was as hard as a turtle's shell—his hand hurt from the strike.

By the time half an hour had passed, Harry and Grindelwald had devoured the Vipertooth dragon. Despite Grindelwald being over a hundred years old, his appetite was impressive. However, compared to the human garbage disposal sitting next to him, he had only managed to finish half a rack of ribs.

Full and content, Harry lazily sat on the ground. "Professor," he said, picking at his teeth with a small bone while looking up at Grindelwald. "Can I ask what exactly you're researching? I'm quite curious, especially since we had to come all the way to the other side of the world."

"The lead researchers are over there. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have gone so far. But as for the research, it's not a secret."

Grindelwald casually sat down on the floor next to Harry. "You know, we're about to go to war with the Abyss, right? We've only got a few years, maybe a decade at most. We discovered this a bit too late. Altogether, we've had less than twenty years to prepare. The magical world has been at peace for so long that most wizards don't even know what battle is like."

"The research is related to this. Over the past decade, we've basically solved the technical difficulties. We're now in the testing phase. We should be able to start small-scale trials next year. In no more than two years, it will become the best tool for training new recruits."

"It's a deep-immersion ultra-realistic simulation war system. Using a precise alchemical matrix and artificial life forms, we create large-scale virtual realms. Wizards can connect to the core of the illusion by wearing a magical network terminal and casting the Overdream spell, allowing part of their consciousness to be projected into the simulation."

"The framework for this technology has already been built. What's left to solve are the necessary details, like the sensory conduction threshold. If we can't resolve this issue, it could result in a wizard's death in the dream, affecting their real-life body. If they die in the dream, they might die for real."

"Brain death?" Harry hesitantly muttered, his mind spinning in confusion. "What is happening in this world? How far behind is England compared to this world? Am I really living in late 1992? Or is it 2992?"

"You know about that?" Grindelwald glanced at Harry with mild surprise. "That's right, brain death. You believe you're dead, so you die. A person can trick themselves into death, which is why we need to suppress sensory conduction."

"Including Voldemort—" Grindelwald gestured toward the pressure cooker, "his soul's physical manifestation doesn't matter. That's been done in the East for centuries. But the ability to fully simulate the sensory experience of the body is worth researching. It could greatly benefit the dream project, helping eliminate the illusory feel of the simulation. Real sensory experience is a key part of the system."

"You think I hurried back just to play with your little toy?" Grindelwald lifted his chin in a pompous manner, showing off his old-man attitude. "I'm a serious person. How could I be as childish as you, you little brat?"

However, Grindelwald didn't receive the response he expected from Harry. Upon hearing this, Harry fell into a deep state of disbelief and self-doubt. He fell silent, staring blankly, unable to say a word.

"Did I scare you, kid?"

Grindelwald stretched out his hand, then hesitated before grabbing a steel pipe that seemed to have appeared from nowhere and swung it at Harry's head.

"DUANG~~~"

Harry scratched his head indifferently, effortlessly knocking the steel pipe out of Grindelwald's hand with a swift motion, causing it to bend and fall to the ground.

"."

Grindelwald stared at the twisted pipe in his hand, momentarily stunned. After a pause, he muttered, "Is this really a human? Maybe I should dissect you to find out?"

He eagerly pulled out a massive hammer that could probably make a lot of noise, but after rolling up his sleeves and realizing he wasn't confident about knocking Harry out, he put it down.

"I'm a wizard!"

Suddenly enlightened, Grindelwald drew his wand and transformed it into a German chainsaw, resembling the battlefield MG42 machine gun. However, in this world, the Germans had used electric, laser, and plasma rifles (EG/LG/PG series) instead of the MG series during World War II.

"Professor Grindelwald!"

Harry shouted so loudly that it startled Grindelwald, who quickly transformed his wand back into a handgun shape and shoved it behind his back.

"Cough cough cough…" Grindelwald cleared his throat multiple times, clearly embarrassed. "Nothing happened just now."

"?" Harry raised an eyebrow, eyeing Grindelwald suspiciously, but he didn't press the matter. "Do you need any test subjects? The kind that doesn't get paid? I'm available!"

"Huh?"

"Oh!" Grindelwald nodded, now understanding what Harry was referring to. "We'll talk about it later, but right now, the system's not live yet. We're still in the testing phase, and we're using death row inmates. The death rate is about ninety-three percent. It's a phase where we're just piling up bodies. You'll have to wait."

"Because of the death feedback in the dream?"

"No, it's more due to network fluctuations, disconnects, and all sorts of other issues. Like I said, we've only built the basic framework so far, the details still need fixing. Why are you so impatient? It'll only be a year or two at most."

"Do you think that's enough time?"

"Just pile up more bodies for testing. Maybe next month we'll fix half the issues. The magical world has plenty of miracles, and you, my friend, are one of them."

"How did I end up involved in this again?" Harry was left completely baffled by Grindelwald's words.

"When it comes to being unhuman, you are definitely a miracle of the magical world. Even the barbaric tribes in Africa, who paint themselves in random patterns, probably don't have your sturdy build."

"I really want to dissect you to see how you work." Grindelwald's eyes gleamed as he reached out to touch Harry's large arm.

Harry instinctively pulled back, narrowing his eyes and sidestepping a bit. "You're disgusting, old man. Are you lusting after my body?"

"Forget it, forget it," Grindelwald said dismissively. "I have no interest in muscle-bound fools. Little Tom should be ready soon. I'll dig into his brain, but this might ruin him. His mental shields are as strong as Albus's. It'll be hard to get anything out of him."

"What if he tells you willingly?" Harry smirked slightly, enjoying the idea of breaking someone's will. There were so many ways to make someone crack.

"Would you believe him if he did?" Grindelwald smirked in return.

"No, better to just do it by force. We've got plenty of Horcruxes anyway. If one breaks, we can just switch it out. Multiple layers of verification."

"A wise choice," Grindelwald nodded. "I'm very familiar with these kinds of bad eggs. Truth serum doesn't work on them. The real lies are harder to extract, not something you can get just by asking."

"You can check out the reports on the table. You have nothing else to do right now. It's about Black. This guy has stirred up a lot of trouble. The Magical Congress just issued a bounty on him."

"What's going on?"

"Your godfather killed some Aurors from the Magical Congress, along with several researchers. The official death toll is eleven, but I'm sure there's some padding in there. Seven of them were my people."

"North America's in chaos, absolute chaos."

Grindelwald patted Harry on the shoulder and then moved away to get busy.

"Is that so?"

Harry furrowed his brow, picking up the thick report from the table.

(End of chapter)