"I heard you've taken a position at the Ministry of Magic, specifically in charge of what you're currently researching."
"But it feels like you're not exactly thrilled about it?"
The Hogwarts courtyard in the early morning was deserted. The persistent drizzle discouraged students from leaving the castle for their weekend break.
The rain wasn't heavy, but most people disliked getting wet in the cold, damp weather.
"Because there's really nothing to be happy about," Roger said, gazing at the rainy Hogwarts morning with Professor McGonagall. His face was devoid of expression.
Today, Roger was uncharacteristically without a book for studying, nor was he toiling away day and night in the laboratory.
After receiving his appointment letter from the Ministry of Magic, Roger had visited the Ministry once more.
The political struggle was over, but the atmosphere at the Ministry remained unpleasant: solemn, oppressive, lifeless, and everyone was on edge.
His office wasn't an empty shell but fully staffed. It was clear at a glance that his subordinates were connected to the Board of Governors, and they treated him with great respect.
Unlike others he encountered at the Ministry, they didn't carry that oppressive aura. Instead, there was a light in their eyes…
This light in their eyes wasn't from their background, nor was it because their faction had won the recent struggle.
Those who won political battles would only become more cautious in dealing with external affairs, lest they fall to the wayside one day.
But the people under Roger's command believed they were engaged in a grand undertaking. They felt that under the leadership of the Seer, they could accomplish deeds that would immortalize them.
It was this hope, the chance to see their life's ambition fulfilled, that made their mental state so different from everyone else.
…Just like himself before.
"The power of the Ministry of Magic is merely a frivolous thing granted by others. It exists because wizards decided to cede a portion of their power to make wizarding society more efficient. And my power is the result of certain factions making a snap decision."
Roger was clear-headed. He knew that what others lent him wasn't truly his, nor did he believe that having this so-called 'power' could influence the path he intended to take.
For Roger, becoming the Director of the Virtual Reality Industry Office had less impact than meeting his staff for the first time.
"Compared to this sudden position, my magical path is more worth paying attention to," Roger said softly.
Roger's words, mingling with the sound of spring rain hitting the ground, reached Professor McGonagall's ears. She withdrew her gaze from the rain curtain and turned her head to look at Roger.
"So, your magical path has encountered problems?" With Roger's undisguised emotions, Professor McGonagall could easily sense that he wasn't in high spirits.
Roger shook his head. "There are no problems at all. Everything is progressing, it's just…"
"Compared to the past, the pace of everything has changed."
When he first delved into magic, reading the books Professor McGonagall had lent him, Roger felt his understanding of magic being refreshed daily.
After entering Hogwarts, Roger received meticulous, all-encompassing instruction from Professor McGonagall. He gained access to a vast amount of knowledge from the Hogwarts library, and his strength advanced by leaps and bounds, crossing a new threshold almost every few days.
In just three months, Roger had progressed to the point where he needed to choose his magical path, earning him an entry ticket to the world of top wizards.
Once his path was firmly set, Roger smoothly achieved a new breakthrough, attaining the fruit of immortality.
But after that, the pace of Roger's journey slowed down.
As the person involved, Roger knew the reason clearly.
He had reached the boundary between himself and others; he had already stood on the shoulders of everyone who came before him.
In this world, besides himself, others had also achieved immortality, such as Nicolas Flamel, Voldemort, and even the creator of the Horcruxes from earlier times.
Although immortality didn't mean invincibility, and many immortal beings died prematurely long before reaching their natural lifespan, it didn't change the fact that this was a path previously trodden.
In the process of achieving immortality, Roger had countless predecessors to learn from. Whether they succeeded or failed, their ideas could provide him with assistance.
More importantly than assistance, however, was a sense of direction.
To reiterate, the greatest secret of a nuclear bomb is the bomb's very existence. If someone had succeeded, Roger knew which direction to strive for.
But after achieving immortality, everything changed.
Throughout wizarding history, those who achieved immortality were already few and far between. Roger recalled only Voldemort as someone who had further explored agelessness and had concrete data.
And in Roger's eyes, Voldemort's approach was the complete opposite of his own, lacking any reference value.
The path paved by predecessors had ended here. Every step forward required Roger to forge his own way.
Walking versus building a road – the difficulty was worlds apart. Roger's progress inevitably began to slow down.
He was still advancing, but it was difficult to achieve explosive breakthroughs in key technologies. When one stood too high, ordinary technological innovations held little significance for Roger.
It was like the magical ring, the Second Heart, in Roger's 'alchemical scrap heap.' To Muggles, it would be a miracle that could completely solve heart problems, but to Roger, it wasn't even worth calling a toy.
And the boundary between himself and others…
"Professor McGonagall, I have a feeling of being very crowded," Roger said, also withdrawing his gaze and turning to meet Professor McGonagall's eyes.
"This world is like a small glass jar, and I, along with others, are confined within it."
"It's very full. My body is large. If I move, I will crowd others, and inadvertently crush many lives."
"If I move too violently, I might break the jar, and the shattered glass might even injure myself… But I cannot change the current situation or break free from this predicament for now. This feeling is so stifling."
While researching immortality, Roger only needed to use himself as an experimental subject and unleash his magic freely. He could advance by 'consuming himself' as fuel.
But after achieving immortality, things were different. Simply experimenting with new magic was no longer enough to support the exploration of his path to agelessness.
Roger had reached the stage where he needed to 'consume all living beings.'
However, he didn't have that ability, and rash action might lead to many problems. It would not only put himself in danger but also many others.
Before his power broke through to a new stage, Roger, like Dumbledore, had to refrain from arbitrarily disrupting the existing social order.
Many of Roger's research projects were as dangerous as Skynet from the Terminator. To widely disseminate them before he had the capacity to handle the consequences of opening Pandora's Box would be irresponsible to others and himself.
From learning magic to achieving immortality on December 26th, Roger took about four months.
And from the end of December to the end of April, still four months, Roger hadn't even touched the edge of immortality. He had only developed virtual reality and completed the preliminary preparation phase.
Having lost two "accelerators," Roger's cultivation entered a period of consolidation after a period of rapid growth.
And based on the current progress, this consolidation period would not be short.
"This is something almost every powerful wizard has experienced." Hearing Roger's sigh, Professor McGonagall probably understood why Roger's mood had suddenly soured.
"Magic is closely related to the mind, and a person's mind is basically fully formed around the age of 30, with little room for significant growth."
"The rapid progress of mental power in youth, followed by stagnation, or even regression, in middle age, where advancement is only sought in the mastery of skills and the breadth of knowledge, is the norm for almost all wizards."
This state of no positive feedback was also one of the main reasons why many wizards largely gave up on further refining their magic after graduation.
The road ahead was not only difficult but also almost entirely visible.
The psychological gap from fast to slow, the bitterness of struggling without making progress... Professor McGonagall had experienced these things, as had Snape and Dumbledore, even Voldemort and Grindelwald.
It was common to achieve breakthrough progress after more than ten or even decades of effort.
"There are peaks and valleys, and sometimes you need to stop and even look back at the path you've taken to confirm you haven't lost your way. These are all things you need to go through."
Roger sighed lightly, "I understand the principles, and they won't shake my resolve for eternal life, but it's inevitable that I'll feel restless, disappointed, and even anxious."
"Restlessness isn't always a bad thing," Professor McGonagall's lips curved into a slight arc.
In Professor McGonagall's opinion, the past Roger was too lofty and ethereal.
From Roger's growth experience, the Gulf War had undoubtedly had a huge impact on his personality development.
During the war, on one hand, he had to play the role of a divine Seer who was powerful and flawless in every aspect. This was his protective guise and the spiritual pillar for everyone around him.
People needed to feel that their leader was a mythical figure who was invincible, so they could have the courage to face tomorrow.
The constant, excessive acting made him averse to lies and always subconsciously think about problems from a higher, more transcendent perspective.
On the other hand, the complex situation on the battlefield forced him to keep moving forward, to advance, and to advance relentlessly. If he slowed down, death would follow closely.
"You said before that Harry is like a bowstring that's always taut, but aren't you the same?" Professor McGonagall gazed at Roger.
His golden hair swayed in the gentle breeze of the rain. His delicate and tender fair face was expressionless. Like other 11-year-old first-year students, his height was still below her chest.
His achievements always made people subconsciously overlook his age, overlook that he was also human. He wasn't a cold machine, nor an emotionless celestial being.
After experiencing the Gulf War, Professor McGonagall could sense that Roger always held himself to the standard of a "god."
He wouldn't be confused, wouldn't hesitate, would be unbreakable, and could overcome all difficulties. On the surface, this wasn't a bad thing, but the "human" aspect of Roger was gradually fading.
Only now, when Roger was forced to slow down, did Professor McGonagall feel the things that still belonged to Roger as a human.
"Roger, do you remember what you were like before the war?"
"You said Voldemort was unrecognizable compared to his original self, but what about you?" Professor McGonagall asked very seriously and earnestly.
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