Chapter 166: Death Will Bless You - Now Hand Over the Galleons

Had dinner with Mum and Dad.

Dylan did absolutely nothing all night but get a solid night's sleep.

—A sleep that left Dylan completely refreshed.

He felt his energy and spirit had reached their peak.

"It's been ages since I felt this relaxed," Dylan murmured, gazing at the brilliant sunshine outside the villa and the meticulously manicured garden. His expression was serene.

He thought back to the beginning, when he diligently studied all sorts of knowledge and spells. One reason was for self-defense, and the other was to delve into the truth behind magic.

Now, with the ever-increasing number of spells he knew, his power had also grown significantly.

Dylan gradually no longer considered self-preservation as the sole purpose of his relentless pursuit of knowledge.

To some extent, even if Voldemort returned in his full glory and swept through the land once more, Dylan would have the courage to stand against him.

After all, even if all the other professors combined couldn't defeat You-Know-Who, Dylan had held back considerably during his duels with them.

If he truly unleashed his full power, those professors would be taken down before they even knew what hit them.

So, Dylan wasn't overly worried about his own survival these days.

—However, the safety of his parents was something Dylan absolutely had to prioritize.

But even regarding this matter, while Dylan certainly kept it in mind, he didn't need to be overly anxious.

Dylan simply wanted to maintain a stable environment conducive to learning, which was why he had some concerns.

If he didn't care about anything and completely revealed his full power, he could simply take his Mum and Dad and travel to the ends of the earth.

No one could threaten them.

Therefore, after the initial period of high-intensity and somewhat difficult-to-adapt-to learning, as Dylan's accumulated achievements continued to grow, his various insights and talents also piled up with the achievement rewards.

Dylan gradually discovered, or rather, he began to be more inclined to autonomously explore all sorts of unknown knowledge.

Whether it was obtained from books or discovered through his own investigations—these were things that could spontaneously excite Dylan.

Exploring the mysteries of magic, combining existing knowledge to seek out more unknowns—this was Dylan's current motivation for continuous learning!

"Lots to do today, let's go!"

After having breakfast with his parents, Dylan headed out.

He had several things to accomplish in the next few days.

First, Dylan was going to muggle flea markets and similar stores to buy some strange plants and creatures.

Dylan planned to plant all of these in his enchanted trunk space. After all, it had a self-sustaining ecosystem, and the space would automatically adjust to make these plants adapt to the environment.

This way, Dylan would have more materials to use for experiments.

Whether it was trying to study life, or those experiments that seemed a bit on the dark side, or what kind of impact muggle creatures might have on potion-making…

These were all areas Dylan wanted to explore.

What kind of sparks would fly if muggle things came into contact with magic—just like Mr. Weasley's research?

Moreover, the sparks he was referring to represented the changes in ordinary muggle creatures after coming into contact with magic.

Ron's dad was more interested in studying muggle artifacts.

Besides being available for his research, some of these creatures and plants, especially the fruit trees that could blossom and bear fruit, Dylan could also ponder how to use magic to make them even more delicious—like with magical fertilizer.

And the second thing.

Dylan needed to make a trip to Knockturn Alley.

Among his recently completed achievements, Dylan saw one that particularly interested him. It wasn't completed by him, but by one of his followers.

The achievement was titled—Don't want to be a follower of the Lord? Then get beaten!

Dylan glanced at the lit-up achievement and knew who had completed it for him.

Delphini!

It seemed that after so much time, the Ministry of Magic had released the dark wizards who caused trouble back then.

Unexpectedly, the other dark wizards, even those who were fanatical about "Carthus," had obediently slipped away and gone into hiding as soon as they were released.

But this Delphini was incorrigible and even dared to openly provoke the Ministry of Magic.

Dylan had seen several achievements completed by her.

And the reason this particular achievement was special and caught Dylan's attention wasn't because the reward was particularly generous.

It was because…

Delphini had actually brainwashed the owner of Borgin and Burkes—Mr. Borgin, also known as Caractacus Burke!—into becoming one of her followers!

What did this signify?

This showed that—

While Dylan was usually at school studying magic, asking questions, brewing potions, and practicing experiments, this Delphini was out there drumming up business for him…

呸! Spreading the faith of the Fool for him!

You know, even Tom Riddle himself had worked in that shop back in the day!

Who was Mr. Borgin?

A direct descendant of the Burke family!

And what was the Burke family?

The Burke family was one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families in the wizarding world!

Especially this Mr. Borgin, a rather greedy and cunning dark wizard.

He had even employed Voldemort before. After experiencing so much, he could still be brainwashed by Delphini and turn around to become her follower.

Although the follower's level wasn't too high, it still made Dylan feel somewhat incredulous.

This made him even more interested in this Delphini, whom he had never met but whose name he occasionally saw in the achievements.

So, Dylan planned to go to Borgin and Burkes in Diagon Alley this time.

Why could Mr. Borgin be so easily swayed by Delphini?

Or was it…

As a dark wizard who not only ran all sorts of shady and dirty businesses, but also, being essentially from a pure-blood family, the Burke family…

Or rather, weren't most pure-blood families Death Eaters?

Not to mention that Burke's shop was already located in Knockturn Alley.

So, Mr. Borgin being so easily swayed by Delphini…

Was it because Mr. Borgin also wanted to see someone who could replace Voldemort appear and lead them to rule the entire wizarding world, and even the whole world?

Or was it because of Delphini's identity?

After all…

Even Voldemort's own daughter had directly joined this wizard who dared to use the Unforgivable Curses in broad daylight and repeatedly mocked the Ministry of Magic, yet had still not been captured, and who had the potential to become the next Dark Lord.

—Why couldn't his former subordinate, a one-time associate of Voldemort, contribute his own easily replaceable faith?

Dylan had a general idea about this and just wanted to confirm it.

—And also see if he could rake in some more Galleons.

"Based on the last time, this Mr. Borgin is slick-tongued, craven, and definitely a good weathercock of a follower, easily willing to contribute his faith," Dylan muttered, stroking his chin. He boarded the bus, sat in the window seat at the back, and looked at the scenery receding outside, his mind racing.

Besides these two things, since he was going to Knockturn Alley, he definitely had to make another trip to Diagon Alley to inspect the manor he had bought.

These were the three main things Dylan needed to do in the next few days.

Of course, the most troublesome part was acquiring the animals and plants.

In fact, Dylan could have his dad directly handle it. Whether it was through company procurement or private shipping, his dad could solve this for him.

However, firstly, Dylan's trunk space wasn't that large yet and couldn't accommodate too many creatures, so there was no need for large-scale purchases.

Secondly, if there really was such a large-scale operation, Dylan wasn't sure if anyone from the Ministry of Magic was watching him.

It was even uncertain whether this matter would reach Dumbledore's ears.

Dylan didn't want to take that risk.

If the Hogwarts professors knew he was buying a large number of creatures, who knew what kind of trouble it would stir up.

It was too troublesome, so Dylan naturally wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

"I wonder if Carthus appearing almost exclusively during holidays will arouse Dumbledore's suspicion," Dylan mused, leaning back in his seat and opening the bus window wider to dispel the stuffy air.

It was already late morning, and the day was starting to heat up.

"But this time, as Carthus, I directly appeared inside Hogwarts, not only snatching Voldemort's Horcrux but also capturing the Basilisk that threatened the school—and Dumbledore didn't make any major moves?"

Dylan clicked his tongue.

"No, it can't be said that there were no major moves. Using the Mirror of Erised and Veela to test me clearly shows that Dumbledore suspects something, but he doesn't have any evidence."

Moreover…

Recalling his last chat with Harry, when the boy mentioned Dumbledore telling him to watch out for Dylan, Dylan couldn't help but scoff softly. "What exactly does that old codger suspect me of?"

Surely he couldn't be questioning whether Dylan was Carthus, could he?

How could that be possible?

He was just a little wizard who had just finished a terrifying second year and was about to enter his third!

A dark wizard who could casually unleash highly skilled Unforgivable Curses—how could that possibly be related to a child like him?

"Dumbledore would have to have bats in his belfry to connect me with Carthus!"

Even if Carthus appeared more often during holidays, what did that prove?

Absolutely nothing!

"Compared to Dumbledore suspecting that I might be Carthus, from an outsider's perspective, the Fool who appears every holiday would probably be more likely to simply suspect whether this Carthus might have some connection to Hogwarts."

For example, the Ministry of Magic might be very willing to consider this possibility.

Otherwise, why would they send Aurors to search Hogwarts?

As for the other dark wizards…

Firstly, they would never imagine that the Fool they believed in, the one who was supposed to replace Voldemort in their hearts and become the next Dark Lord, was actually a student about to enter his third year.

Secondly, these dark wizards would also never think that Carthus would have any connection to Hogwarts.

—Wouldn't those two seem completely unrelated?

—Except for Voldemort, who came from Hogwarts.

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But precisely because Hogwarts had already produced one Voldemort, how could a new Dark Lord possibly arise under Dumbledore's watchful eye?

—Not to mention that it took Riddle decades to become Voldemort.

Was it possible for Hogwarts to suddenly produce a powerful wizard with a profound understanding of dark magic?

Impossible!

Dylan first took the bus to the nearest flower and bird market.

In the restroom, he directly transformed into an adult and began buying some small animals everywhere.

Every time he bought something, he would silently put it into his trunk.

This made it seem like he was always carrying things, but the quantity never seemed to change.

After Browse for a while, Dylan picked a secluded spot, put everything away, and then transformed into someone else before leaving the flower and bird market.

This time, Dylan directly hailed a taxi and headed straight for the farmers' market.

There were many fruit seedlings there, including vegetable seedlings and aquatic products.

Another sweep.

Dylan's trunk space gained a lot more plants and animals.

Instructing Coal Ball (煤球) and Norberta to take good care of these muggle creatures and prevent them from being destroyed by the goblins and other creatures as soon as they were introduced, Dylan prepared to head to the Leaky Cauldron.

However, he had already dealt with most of the goblins. Dylan had kept a few for breeding purposes and decided not to use them for experiments for a while.

He hurried all the way to the Leaky Cauldron.

Dylan basically wore his Shadow Ring throughout the entire journey, remaining invisible.

Then, still invisible, Dylan put on his elevator shoes, donned his mask, and pulled on his black hat.

Following a wizard, he went from the Leaky Cauldron into Knockturn Alley.

He walked to the front of Borgin and Burkes.

Through the slightly old-fashioned shop window, Dylan saw Mr. Borgin busily working inside.

—Busy swindling fools.

Dylan watched Mr. Borgin pushing and pulling an ordinary little trinket of little value with the wizard inside.

Finally, the wizard took the item, and Mr. Borgin received a Galleon—a transaction that brought an irrepressible smile to his face.

After the wizard left, Dylan entered through the still-open door and casually sat down on a recliner placed in the corner of the shop.

Mr. Borgin put away the Galleon, then hummed a tuneless little song, picked up a tattered rag from the counter, and took out an object identical to the one the wizard had just taken from under the counter, slowly wiping it.

"Sold another one. These fools' money is so easy to trick."

Just then, a low and magnetic voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Looks like your business has been booming even more in my absence."

The sudden words were like a thunderclap in his ears.

Mr. Borgin shuddered violently, and the skull ring in his hand slipped and fell onto the counter.

He quickly turned around and saw Dylan shrouded in shadow.

After a moment of愣住, the fear on Mr. Borgin's face almost instantly transformed into a fawning expression.

His originally narrowed eyes were now squeezed even tighter.

"Oh! Lord Fool! I never expected your sudden arrival! It truly brings glory to my humble shop once again!"

Dylan looked at the fellow's expression and knew that although he seemed to have been brainwashed by Delphini and become his follower, he had no intention of being truly loyal to him.

But Dylan didn't care about this.

The more followers, the deeper the faith.

He could indeed unlock some achievements.

But whether these achievements would yield good rewards was uncertain.

So, Dylan's attitude towards this matter was simply to let nature take its course.

—As long as he himself was powerful and his reputation spread, would he still worry about followers not coming to his door?

Mr. Borgin?

One more wouldn't make a difference.

Dylan leaned back in the recliner, exuding an air of authority without anger.

"Don't be afraid, my follower. I've come to reward you."

Mr. Borgin愣住 again.

What?

Reward?

Had he heard correctly?

This Carthus, wanted by the Ministry of Magic, had not only dared to appear again, but… this time he wasn't here to ask for money?

Recalling what happened during their first meeting, a dark glint flashed in Mr. Borgin's eyes.

This fellow, who had caused such a ruckus in Knockturn Alley twice and proclaimed his intention to reshape the world—he was truly as mad as that other one.

However…

That other one never lacked money and would simply take whatever he wanted by force.

But during their first meeting, this Carthus, who called himself the Fool and the Singer of Death…

Had actually used Acromantula venom to trade for Galleons—although the venom was of high quality, it was far from worth the price he paid.

That time, he had suffered a loss.

A big loss!

But after selling all the Acromantula venom during this period, he had at least recovered some of his losses.

Even though he had lost money, this fellow who claimed to reshape the world and use everyone as his foundation hadn't directly robbed him—just like he had done to those dark wizards on the street last time.

On the contrary, he had given him Acromantula venom of genuinely good quality and in a considerable quantity.

Why was that?

Could it be that this Fool had taken a liking to him?

Otherwise, that mad woman wouldn't have come to him repeatedly spouting nonsense.

Or was it… perhaps this Fool, seemingly powerful, could actually be manipulated?

Dylan's gaze, hidden behind his mask, fixed on Mr. Borgin's shifting expression. A cold smile curled the corner of his lips.

"My follower, you seem to have many thoughts about me."

The fake smile on Mr. Borgin's face became even more radiant. "How could that be? Lord Fool, I am your most loyal follower!"

"Ever since your magnificent display of power last time, I've had a premonition that you will definitely achieve your goal! The world will bow at your feet!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Dylan's eyes flickered.

"In that case, before I reshape the entire world, hand over all your Galleons. Death—will bless you."

Mr. Borgin's expression froze.

"Lord Fool, I am your follower…"

Dylan nodded slowly. "So you should contribute something for me, shouldn't you?"

Mr. Borgin's expression became even more unpleasant.

—Somewhat like eating a lump of troll dung mixed with flies and fly larvae.

—The larvae were even fresh and wriggling.

Dylan snorted coldly. "It seems your faith in me isn't as devout as you claim. In that case…"

(End of this chapter)