The castle stood on a highland about twenty kilometers from the inn, its silhouette visible from afar.
When the cars finally approached, Loren realized that the so-called castle was nothing more than a massive pile of stone ruins. The grayish-white blocks, cold and lifeless, were stacked together in a vague rectangular shape—barely recognizable as once having been a fortress.
Mr. Angus led everyone to an open clearing beside the highland, the same spot where he always stopped when bringing tourists.
Mrs. Angus and the Grangers began unloading the food, laying it out neatly on the picnic blanket in preparation for lunch.
Meanwhile, Mr. Angus, in his element, launched into a spirited retelling of the castle's history. Hermione and Loren sat close to him, listening like eager pupils—or at least Hermione did.
Loren, on the other hand, only appeared attentive. In truth, his system had already triggered an alert, and he was busy conversing silently with it.
"Ding! World projection detected."
"Ding! Projection confirmed as 'Xiling World.'"
"System, isn't this supposed to be the Harry Potter world?"
"Ding! The system never claimed this world was solely Harry Potter. This reality contains major projections from the Harry Potter world, among others."
"System, if this is the Xiling World, isn't that way too vast? I feel completely lost—I don't think I ever even read 'Xiling Empire.'"
"Ding! No need to worry. Scans confirm this projection is extremely small and won't cause complications."
"Ding! Congratulations to host for discovering a projection of the Xiling World. Would you like to accept the world's gift?"
"Yes." "No."
"Yes."
"Ding! Talent reward activated."
"Ding! Projection detected as architectural only, no special artifacts. Host may select one ability or talent from projection-related characters."
1. Hao Ren
– Demolition Maniac: Explosives are your passion; everything is a target, from goddesses to cow dung. Explosions never cause you physical harm. (PS: Mental trauma not covered—don't stand too close when blowing up dung.)
– Godslayer: Once in a past life you stabbed a goddess and carry her blood. You're immune to non-physical attacks from her kind and can wound gods of the same nature.
– Body Modification: Standard augmentation program for Xiling Inspectors. At first only balances your endocrine system, but with time can grant rigid shields, soul-linked storage space, and more.
– Xiling Theurgy: Candidate saint/priest/prophet/street officer under Raven 12345. Access to divine arts she developed. (PS: Casting "Mom's Shield" works as long as you're not embarrassed.)
2. Liu Lili
– Werewolf Bloodline: Grants immense vitality, raw strength, minor dark magic, and the ability to transform into a colossal wolf—city-level destructive power with lifespans spanning millennia. (PS: Includes 1/16th Pekingese husky heritage—expect some quirky intelligence debuffs.)
– Mighty Brick Throw (Advanced): Hurl anything with immense force and tracking accuracy. Attack power depends on strength. (PS: A ten-ton "brick" is only scary if you can lift it.)
– Treasure of the Woof: Compulsive stone-collecting habit, from pebbles to goddess temple tiles.
3. Vivian Ancesta
– Divinity\*Poverty: Grants godhood traits, long life, and great power… at the cost of perpetual poverty. (PS: Widely known that "divinity" here is a debuff.)
– Magic Apparel: Blood magic that prevents clothing from being damaged, invented to save money.
– Red Moon Descends: Awakens the Creator Goddess' power, plunging all beneath the crimson moon into confusion.
4. Nangong 38
– Witcher Bloodline (Half): Extends life and allows crafting/using Witcher tools. (PS: Half-trained Witcher, expert at babysitting.)
– Spell Card Creation (Basic): Craft mystical talismans with strength proportional to skill and bloodline.
5. Izakhs
– Demon Bloodline: From a near-world-conquering demon lord, granting vast strength, longevity, and heightened magical aptitude. (PS: Comes at the price of looks.)
– Meteor Spell (Advanced): Summon meteors from space to annihilate cities.
– Teleportation Magic (Mastery): Draw liquid-based sigils to teleport within range. (PS: Doesn't have to be blood—soy sauce works fine.)
Reading the options the system listed, Loren breathed easier. It turned out to be from "Abnormal," a book he had at least skimmed before, so he wasn't completely lost.
"System, why are the rewards so much better than last time?"
"Ding! Eighty percent of one is still less than a tiny fraction of a billion."
Loren instantly understood. Harry Potter was only a small fairy tale set in one country, while the Xiling Empire's world-view was boundless—naturally the rewards reflected that scale.
The real issue now was which ability to choose. These options solved his biggest headache: lifespan.
In Harry Potter, even Nicolas Flamel with the Philosopher's Stone only lasted a little over six centuries, frail and decrepit. Yet several of these choices offered millennia of vitality plus immense power.
Weighing them carefully, Loren quickly found only one true choice. Without knowledge of "Abnormal," he might have hesitated, but with it the answer was clear: Body Modification.
Inspector augmentations might start small, but with growth they promised rigid shields, soul-linked storage spaces, and more. By comparison, the others were traps.
Divinity\*Poverty doomed one ancient to eternal bankruptcy, nearly starving several times and playing roles in disasters from Olympus to Rome's fall.
The half Witcher bloodline required a mentor—without training, useless.
The Demon bloodline was powerful but hideous. Life wouldn't be worth living.
The Werewolf bloodline was the second-best option, boasting raw strength and near-endless life, but that 1/16th husky trait hinted at lowered intelligence.
The rest were situational. Demolition Maniac required an artist's heart he didn't have. Godslayer was too niche. Xiling Theurgy relied on whether Raven 12345 could even hear prayers here—if she could, the outcome depended on the strength of the entity behind Loren's system.
Everything else could be substituted within Harry Potter's world anyway.
"System, I choose Body Modification."
"Ding! Choice confirmed. Begin augmentation now? Warning: procedure causes several seconds of unconsciousness. Recommended to activate during sleep."
"Not now."
By the time Loren's inner dialogue ended, Mrs. Angus had finished laying out lunch.
Hermione tugged him along, her face glowing with excitement.
"Come on, Loren, let's eat first. After lunch, we'll explore the castle!"
"Sure, I want to take a closer look too."
He already planned to investigate the projection more carefully—to confirm its nature and make sure it posed no threat.
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