The night was as black as ink.
The gentle moonlight penetrated through the window, bathing the silent bedroom. Ian's long eyelashes slowly opened under the caress of the moonlight, his gem-like green eyes sparkling with a bright luster.
From bewilderment to focused eyes, returning to the present world, Ian instinctively glanced at the bedroom clock — unsurprisingly, the hands of the old-fashioned clock stopped at 12:07.
It's been like this over the years.
Upon returning from the Misty Illusion Realm, the time is always this time. The hour hand might point to different numbers, but the minutes always point to that magical number.
Seven.
Ian didn't know what secret this number held; he only knew that he would inevitably have a very similar experience every week.
In the past, the ones Ian met in the Misty Illusion Realm were only Ariana and occasionally Pandro. This time, however, there was an added mysterious noble witch.
"She wants me to help her find the mirror she left behind in the present world..."
Ian didn't know whether the noble witch was good or bad. Perhaps judging a soul purely by good and evil was too shallow. He was actually just very curious about the identity of the mysterious witch.
A witch living in a mysterious castle within the Misty Illusion Realm.
Was she a renowned figure in the Wizarding World? After all, that kind of noble and elegant aura was obviously not something an ordinary witch could possess.
"Is she a wizard from the last century or an active presence in the Middle Ages?"
Regarding the fantasy world he found himself in, Ian's only understanding came from a few movies with not-so-impressive special effects and a few fanfiction novels filled with conspiracy theories.
That's why.
Regarding the many secrets hidden in this world, Ian only had a vague understanding. The only mirror he could think of was the Mirror of Erised, which hid the Magic Stone at the start of the story.
Golden frame.
It shows a person their deepest and strongest desires.
If the mirror the mysterious witch wanted was indeed the magic mirror destined to appear at Hogwarts, perhaps Ian indeed had the opportunity to bring it into the Misty Illusion Realm.
"I just don't know if I can bring such a large item there like candy," Ian was uncertain, having never attempted something similar before.
Honestly speaking.
Despite having this magical talent from a young age, Ian was quite perplexed by it to this day. He hadn't even figured out why candy could be taken in while his sleeping bed could not.
Of course.
Being able to enter the Misty Illusion Realm in dreams is undoubtedly a very special talent, just as the mysterious witch in the Misty Illusion Realm had said.
Ian... is unique enough.
But what exactly this uniqueness signifies, perhaps only that witch could provide an answer. Ian could clearly sense that the mysterious witch in the Misty Illusion Realm cared very much about this point.
"To learn magic from her..."
Needless to say.
Ian was indeed tempted by this proposal, but he couldn't figure out whether such kindness from the other party was merely a guise to achieve a certain goal or if it was related to his uniqueness.
If she were really a former owner of the Mirror of Erised, then she must be an old ghost who has lived for countless years. An old witch's thinking might be even more difficult to fathom than that of a living woman.
"She's still a very beautiful ghost, to which Zhang Wuji's mother had an opinion."
"I don't need to take this risk... Magic, I can learn at school as well. Those professors at school may not necessarily be weaker than the old witch in the dream."
Rationality triumphs over greed.
Ian suppressed his inner stirring.
Just as he has the experience passed down by his ancestors.
The Da Ying Empire also has a long-standing tradition — besides customs and habits of boldness, this place's copper refining obsession is also a long-established special culture.
What if the other party really is an old witch who enjoys playing with little boys?
Or what if their version of playing is different from what Ian enjoys? This is something Ian does not want to gamble on.
"Phew~ Namo Gatling Merlin Bodhisattva... This is indeed not something to risk."
After weighing the pros and cons.
Ian also repositioned his pillow, closed his eyes, and drifted back into real slumber.
In the years without opportunities to learn magic spells, the greatest benefit of having a wizard's bloodline for Ian was probably that he could easily learn how to create lucid dreams.
...
A night of dreams.
The next day Ian felt refreshed.
With every gesture.
It seemed he exuded a bit more of a confident and carefree air — nobody knew what kind of beautiful dream he concocted for himself last night.
[Successfully read Roman Language, Language Skill +1]
[Successfully read Roman Language, Language Skill +1]
[Successfully read Roman Language, Language Skill +1]
When the morning sun had yet to rise, Ian already began his daily learning. He always took the enhancement of the [Language Mastery] skill seriously.
After all.
In Ian's mind, there was always an expectation. He hoped to use the extraordinary traits obtained from this skill to touch upon unique talents that only a few possess in the Magic Realm.
Communicating with animals.
He didn't hope to become a cross-species communicator like a Snake-man; at least being able to understand the emotions and meanings expressed by animals like Newt Scamander was enough.
"Of course, if I could listen to the voice of all things, I wouldn't mind." Forgive Ian for having read a wide range of literary works in his previous life, and last night, he even played the role of a mountain bandit king in his dreams.
[Successfully read Roman Language, Language Skill +1]
[Successfully read Roman Language, Language Skill +1]
...
Just as Ian occasionally let his mind wander, roughly gaining ten points in [Language Mastery], hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from the hallway outside the door.
Along with the sounds of clattering.
It was hard to tell which unlucky little fellow knocked over something in the hallway this time.
"Ian! Ian! They're here! The... school's teacher has come again!"
Catherine's voice sounded outside the door, breathless, with several little hands tapping urgently against the door. It seemed these children cared about schooling more than Ian did.
"Someone from Hogwarts came?"
Ian felt a bit puzzled and surprised. He walked to the doorway and opened the door, then with a clatter of sounds, a group of children who were pressed against the door tumbled into the room.
"Ian! Ian! Lady Yelena is calling for you! Are you going to school?"
"Will you come back? Could you bring us back a teacher too?"
"You could use your charm to seduce those female teachers!"
...
The children surrounded Ian, chattering away, some of their comments even a bit precocious — orphans always mature faster in some ways than their peers.
"Will you come back to teach us?"
Knowing the true essence of Hogwarts, Catherine was now looking at Ian with eyes full of expectation. What she meant was obviously the wondrous magic.
"If there is a chance, if I can... then of course."
Ian patted the heads of the children around him, not daring to make any real promises to these children. Perhaps Catherine had the chance to study at Hogwarts.
But most people would ultimately find it difficult to step through that threshold.
"I'll take you to Lady Yelena!"
Catherine was extremely excited, pulling Ian along as they ran outside. The other children, although only half-understanding the situation, still followed along cheerfully.
"Ian, I don't want to go to that school anymore. I'm just going to wait for you to teach me how to conjure candy. The teacher who came today looks just like Gargamel as you described!"
On the way.
Catherine leaned close to Ian, lowered her voice, and spoke with some fear. Her words made Ian, who was already curious about which professor had arrived, feel a twinge of tension.
Looks like Gargamel?
Scary?
Ian had a bad premonition.
Now, surrounded by many children, he also arrived outside the headmaster's office.
The door was not closed.
So.
Ian directly saw, sitting opposite the headmaster, a figure seemingly shrouded in a cloud of gloom, whose mere silhouette filled the very air with tension and oppression.
Somewhat reminiscent of... the dark wizard he encountered earlier.
"Why is it him!?"
Ian showed an expression of bewilderment.
Where was that large, furry Dumbledore I was expecting?!
Why is it this black bat who arrived!!