The two elders who have helped Roger the most are Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall had the grace of teaching and guiding Roger. Once Roger chose his magical path and achieved longevity, Professor McGonagall could no longer assist him much in his magical research.
At this point, Dumbledore took over Professor McGonagall's role, continuing to walk with Roger on his path forward.
However, Dumbledore and McGonagall were entirely different presences for Roger.
In Dumbledore's eyes, Roger was initially a reflection similar to many of his old acquaintances, then a talented young wizard, and finally evolved into a pioneer of civilization who required constant attention, capable of causing world-class disasters or turning the next page of world history.
But in Minerva McGonagall's eyes, Roger was a lonely child, estranged from his family at a funeral, as if there were some barrier in this world. He was a young wizard who would be happy for days after learning a novel magic, a normal person who could feel sorrow, fear, and sadness.
Roger always repaid those who had helped him.
Just as Harry, who facilitated Roger's cooperation with Hagrid, Roger returned his neural modifications to him.
With the Three-Dimensional Law, Second Brain, and Transfiguration modifications, gaining new strength and new talents, Professor McGonagall's magical strength entered a period of rapid growth again after many years.
But as his foundation manifested and he progressed higher on the magical path, Professor McGonagall increasingly felt that Roger's state was not right.
"Roger, you say the path you and Voldemort are taking is not the same, but I feel you are becoming more and more like him." Professor McGonagall knew exactly how to communicate with Roger to bring their hearts closer.
Although Professor McGonagall could no longer help Roger with his magical research, Roger, as always, frequently shared his latest progress and his thoughts on the direction of his future path with her.
Therefore, Professor McGonagall knew that while Roger found Voldemort's 'Super-ego Time Gu Technique' novel, he wasn't particularly interested in it.
On one hand, there was the issue of self-continuity in the Ship of Theseus, and on the other hand, Roger's ideal path to immortality was based on the 'self,' not the instinctual 'id' or the ideal 'super-ego.'
Returning to Professor McGonagall's earlier question, 'Do you remember what you were like before the Gulf War?'
Beneath the surface of the question, Professor McGonagall's real question was: 'Is the current 'you,' your 'self,' or the 'super-ego' that emerged and grew stronger due to the stress of war?'
"This..." Roger was momentarily speechless. With the tacit understanding between him and Professor McGonagall, he naturally understood her deeper meaning.
In reality, ordinary wizards didn't need to concern themselves with such questions. Humans are inherently complex, and as long as the proportions of personality traits weren't drastically unbalanced, it was normal.
But Roger was different.
He intended to walk the path of immortal consciousness, and he had set the 'self' as the primary foundation.
Therefore, if he wanted to traverse this path, he had to answer this question well.
One could deceive outsiders with their inner thoughts, but one could not deceive oneself.
Professor McGonagall, from an observer's perspective, had been watching Roger, noticing the crux of the issue that Roger had overlooked due to being "too close to the mountain to see its true form."
Seeing Roger's silence, Professor McGonagall continued, "What you are doing now may not be wrong, but it conflicts with the path of immortality you have chosen. Either change your methods or change your path, otherwise, you may fall into prolonged self-consumption in the future."
The fundamental difference between the path of immortality and the path of longevity lay here.
Longevity was a modification of the life cycle pattern. If it went wrong and the cycle was interrupted, it could lead to death, which would trigger Roger's precognitive crisis sense.
However, changes in one's thoughts were not a crisis unless they led to self-destruction. It would not trigger Roger's abilities.
This meant Roger could no longer use himself as a mirror. He could only try to use virtual reality as a foothold, reflecting himself through the myriad of beings as mirrors.
But if Professor McGonagall hadn't pointed out this issue at this moment, even if Roger used all beings as mirrors, he would likely only realize this route conflict much later.
It is difficult for a doctor to cure himself, and it is difficult to save others.
"You seek eternal life, and this path is very long. You have only just begun. All the setbacks, sorrows, and frustrations you have encountered are merely insignificant appetizers," Professor McGonagall said with a gentle smile.
"I know you always have a very strong sense of insecurity, but the more urgent you are, the more likely you are to deviate from your path."
Although Minerva McGonagall did not know all of Roger's secrets, her judgment was accurate.
How could a normal person, even after transmigrating, plan their growth trajectory by considering hypothetical enemies like outer-universe celestial lords, immortal emperors, multiverse creators, or high-dimensional beings from the outset of their supernatural journey?
A normal person from a peaceful nation, suddenly finding themselves a child without preparation and struggling to survive in the Gulf War, had an almost lifelong impact on Roger, who was not a Seer from the beginning.
"You gave Harry a long vacation, letting him relax fully before you started teaching him Time Magic."
"Then why not give yourself a long vacation? Your will is strong, and a taut bowstring can hold for a long time, perhaps longer than an ordinary person's lifetime. But that's no reason to keep it constantly taut."
Professor McGonagall smiled and patted Roger's shoulder, "Balance is key to better cultivation. Taking a detour is sometimes a shortcut... The principles you spoke of, they don't only apply to others, do they?"
"...Thank you, Professor McGonagall," Roger said with a serious expression.
If it were merely advice, Roger would have been grateful for the concern but wouldn't have acted.
But Professor McGonagall's words were different.
She had indeed pointed out a significant flaw in his cultivation, unknowingly saving Roger a tremendous amount of energy and time. In the worst-case scenario, it even prevented Roger from straying onto an irreversible path.
This led Roger to reflect on his past journey.
His thoughts, guided by Professor McGonagall's words, returned to his past self and his self immediately after transmigration.
Compared to his current self, Roger back then was like night and day.
Setting aside strength, even just in terms of execution and willpower, there was a world of difference.
His mindset was also completely unlike that of the same person.
Only scattered fragments of the distant past remained within his current self.
"Perhaps I really should take a long break and sort myself out," Roger said sincerely, extending his hand and looking at his familiar yet strange palm, feeling the terrifying power flowing within it, enough to break the sound barrier with his physical body.
As Roger watched, a ray of sunlight suddenly pierced through the clouds and appeared in his palm.
"It's cleared up," Professor McGonagall said, looking up at the sky. The golden sun peeked out from behind a cloud, revealing a sliver of its edge. The rain had stopped.
The students, sensing the rain had ceased, began to emerge from Hogwarts Castle in twos and threes, seeking fresh air.
The courtyard was no longer just Roger and Professor McGonagall; they melted into the crowd.
Snap.
With a snap of his fingers, Roger dispelled the magic that had enveloped the area, clearing away the rain and mist.
"Yes... it has cleared up."
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------