Such handwriting… this was the first time Char had seen it on his system panel in over a decade. A look of realization appeared on his face. "Yes, the difference between legend and myth is as vast as heaven and earth. It can be said to be a sublimation of the essence of life. In the system's rating, this stage is divided into many different levels. Is it determined by the number of sublimations? So today, I have achieved the first sublimation of legendary life, and I am one step closer to mythical life."
He felt his body for a moment, an unprecedented vitality brewing within him. Compared to before, his vitality was more than twice as strong. This alone would allow him to recover quickly from more serious injuries; his ability to survive was much higher than before. His gaze fell on the additional sublimation characteristic: [The Unburnt].
A thought flashed through his mind. "Since it's a sublimation trait, then every legendary ability should gain one after each sublimation. As for the source of this characteristic, it's probably related to the puzzle pieces I acquired during the process. For example, this time, the sublimation of my legendary life was due to the absorption of the two abilities of legendary drought resistance and legendary heat resistance. This [Unburnt] trait, whether from its origin or its name, should be related to resisting fire."
As he focused his gaze, a short line of words appeared behind the new trait: "Immune to fire damage up to your legendary health level. Fire damage you are not immune to will be greatly reduced." Seeing this, Char just stood there in a daze, a huge wave of shock washing over him.
"My legendary life ability has been sublimated once," he thought, his mind reeling. "Looking across the magic world, how many people can achieve this level of fire magic? Grindelwald's Fiendfyre is a possibility, and Dumbledore's Vulcan Clearance should count. The rest, even Voldemort's Fiendfyre curse, may not reach this level. Does that mean I am immune to all wizards' fire magic except for them? And even if Dumbledore or Grindelwald use their most powerful fire spells, the damage they cause me will be greatly reduced."
Was this the reward for taking a single step from legend to myth? It was outrageous. What if he continued to sublimate? He estimated the progress. There were at least three more upgrades before a legendary life reached the mythical level. If each one could grant him a sublimation characteristic like the Unburnt One, then he would be able to ignore most of the magic in the wizarding world. As for a mythical life… he might really be "immune to magic."
"No wonder mortals in mythology are simply unable to resist the gods," he murmured. "This gap is indeed too big." He took a deep breath, his surging emotions gradually calming down. An idea came to his mind. "It looks like next, I need to collect more rewards and stack them up to the legendary level. In this way, using them as puzzle pieces, perhaps I can induce a certain type of sublimation in a targeted manner and obtain the properties I need."
Then, his gaze fell on the flames that had not yet gone out in front of him. A hint of pity appeared in his eyes. It seemed that the troll priest's fire magic had not reached the system's legendary level sublimation rating. Therefore, it no longer posed any threat to him at all, and it also no longer had the effect of promoting his legendary abilities to the mythical level. He felt quite regretful about this. The first sublimation of his legendary life had taken an unknown amount of effort. The second sublimation would probably be even more difficult. It would have been nice if he could have made some more progress this way. A pity.
However, since this fire magic no longer had any promoting effect on him, he no longer stayed there. Instead, he walked straight forward. The flames that had burned his entire body just now were now like nothing in front of him. He couldn't feel even a trace of burning heat. The next moment, he walked out of the sea of fire and appeared in front of the troll priest.
And after seeing this scene, there was no fear on the priest's face. Instead, it showed an unprecedented excitement. "The Unburnt One is truly the Unburnt One. The flames dodged, and no one was hurt. This is exactly the scene mentioned in the prophecy. It's you! It is you that the Centaur prophecy mentioned. You are the trolls' hope!" The troll priest's face was filled with ecstasy. It knelt down before Char.
"The supreme king of trolls. The Unburnt One. Heir of the Titans. Sirius bows to you. The Forbidden Forest Troll Tribe has been waiting for your appearance for too long—"
Char frowned. He did not forget that the priest had just fought him to the death. Was it kneeling down now? Then, the priest raised the long staff in its hand amid Char's vigilant look. But no attack was launched. Instead, it placed it respectfully on the ground in front of him. "Sirius's eyes were blurry, and he didn't even recognize you. He even dared to fight you. Please, noble Troll King, slay me and hang my head upon this war staff, and I will play my final part. With this staff, the king will be invincible. I only ask my king to let me see the troll tribe walk out of the Forbidden Forest and restore the glory of their ancestors!"
Char saw the troll priest, named Sirius. A look of confusion flashed in his eyes. The other party had just fought a life-and-death battle with him. And even if he was immune to its fire magic, its power, which far exceeded that of ordinary trolls, could still cause him damage. Logically speaking, he should be killed to prevent future troubles. But as a troll priest, Sirius had some Titan blood and probably knew quite a few secrets. Not to mention anything else, the ancient fire magic it mastered alone had a profound effect on him. With its guidance, he might not only be able to create another fire magic but also draw inferences from it and speed up his progress in mastering ancient weather magic. Not to mention Sirius's strength. If it hadn't been completely defeated by him, few wizards would be its match.
Of course, most importantly, Char also remembered Sirius's sad expression when it looked at the troll settlement. If not for that, if Sirius didn't even have any attachment to the troll tribe, there would be no need to even consider it. It was impossible for him to keep around someone who possessed advanced intelligence, formidable strength, and yet whom he did not understand well enough and who harbored remorse.
After pondering for a moment, Char grasped the long staff. The priest closed its eyes, ready to die. The surrounding giants were all in a commotion at this time. But the next moment, the death that Sirius expected did not come. It opened its eyes and saw that the long staff had been handed back to it by Char. Then came his words.
"A war staff is useless to me. But if you're alive, you'll be more useful to the troll tribe and to me. Sirius, I don't understand your prophecies. I only know one thing. The future of a people must ultimately be created with one's own hands, rather than waiting for vague prophecies to come true. I'm giving you two choices now. First, take the trolls who are willing to follow you and continue to stay in the Forbidden Forest. Second, follow me to the territory I have opened up, cultivate the fields, and use your labor in exchange for the opportunity to build a home for the trolls. Your war staff was left to rot and die in the Forbidden Forest. We still have to expand our territory and protect the trolls' home. You choose."
Sirius stared at him blankly. It seemed that it didn't expect that it still had a choice. It was even more unexpected that, from what Char said, he had come here for the troll tribe, wanting to migrate them to a new home. This little wizard in front of him had his own territory and was willing to accept trolls? This news plunged Sirius into complete confusion.
A moment later, it asked hesitantly, "My king. Can all the Forbidden Forest trolls go? We are numerous, so we need a lot of shelter and a lot of food."
To this, Char only had four words to answer: "Food and accommodation provided." At the same time, he looked at the troll that had followed him. "You can ask it for the specific situation."
It concerned the future of his people. Sirius didn't dare to be careless. It immediately asked the other troll in detail. The answer it got was something it had never expected. A vast island, with protective magic, and even connected to the Floo Network. In such a place where every inch of land was valuable, Char was actually willing to let trolls and house-elves live there. He had even given them land. There was enough food grown on the island to feed them all. What's even more exaggerated was that this little wizard also had the authority to continue expanding the island.
Hearing this, Sirius took the war staff without any hesitation and lowered his head towards Char again, until his head was level with the ground. "My king. Sirius will fight for the trolls' new home! I will protect that land until the end of my life."
Char then nodded in satisfaction. He took out the Portkey. "I brought a Portkey with me, but I can only transport five trolls at a time. And then we'll need to expand the caves for you on Sprout Island. These things take time. But no matter how much preparation we make, all the trolls will be able to be moved to Sprout Island within half a month. Sirius, I'll take you to the island first. You'll have to prepare for the relocation later."
Sirius swallowed with a gulp. The Portkey before him was unremarkable, but in its eyes, it was as heavy as a mountain. It represented the future of the Forbidden Forest trolls. The next moment, Sirius carefully grasped the Portkey. Accompanied by a dizzying feeling, it followed Char to Sprout Island.
What came into view was not the tall trees that blocked out the sun in the Forbidden Forest, but a blue sky, a blue sea, and broad, rolling hills. Sirius saw the trolls that already lived on the island. In addition to the one that had followed him, there were two adult trolls lying there, smelling the fragrance of the Chalati grass fields. Two other underage trolls were playing in the water on the rocks, occasionally making cheerful roars.
Seeing the scene before his eyes, Sirius's eyes felt hot. At this moment, it no longer had any worries. The conditions on this land were much better than those in the Forbidden Forest. Living here marked a new chapter for the Forbidden Forest trolls, stepping out of darkness and into light.
Suddenly, a surge of blood boiled in Sirius's heart. He didn't know where his originally old and frail body had squeezed out such infinite passion. It seemed like he could still do this for a few more years. At least, he could watch the new generation of trolls grow up. Perhaps by then, the name "troll" would have become a thing of the past.
Then, Sirius, his heart pounding, suddenly seemed to remember something. He quickly opened his palm, took out something, and handed it to Char. "My king. This is something you are entitled to hold. Sirius will now hand it back to you."
Looking at the flickering flame in Sirius's hand, Char took a deep breath. His heartbeat couldn't help but speed up. There might not be a second active mythical seed in the magic world. And now, it was in his hands.
His gaze immediately focused on the seed. His pupils shrank slightly, revealing extreme horror.
"This is…?"