[Ding! Task completed! Reward: Talent "Primal Resonance" has been distributed!]
As the system notification sounded, the fishing rod in Lynn's hand—a fusion of Walnut wood, Mithril, Dragon heartstring, Spider silk, and many other materials—was finally declared complete.
It flowed with a warm luster throughout, feeling light yet tough in the hand; every detail seemed natural, perfectly matching the "perfect fishing rod" in Lynn's imagination.
"Success!"
Lynn stroked the fishing rod lovingly. "Fishing! I must go fishing right now, immediately!"
---
...By the Black Lake, the sun was just right, and a gentle breeze brushed over the lake's surface, creating shimmering ripples.
A Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor sat side by side on the shore.
"Are you sure this... well, Alchemical fishing rod you made will actually work?"
Hermione had run into Lynn, who was excitedly carrying his new fishing rod, on her way to the library today. Out of concern for her friend's academic achievements, she temporarily changed her plans and followed him to witness it for herself.
"Of course it'll work!"
Lynn's confidence overflowed as he patted his beloved creation. "I'm not bragging, but with this divine weapon and my years of hard-earned, profound fishing skills, if the King of Fish in the Black Lake doesn't come to bite the hook personally today, it'll be considered disrespectful!"
Seeing Lynn's smug expression, Hermione couldn't help but think of her father. She curled her lip.
"My dad often says that too, calling himself some kind of 'God of Riverside Fishing.'"
"Oh? And then?" Lynn became interested; personal experience told him this story had a twist.
Hermione's face turned slightly red as she said sheepishly,
"Then I followed him to fish for a whole afternoon, and he didn't catch a single scale. In the end... we had to go to the supermarket and buy one to make up the numbers."
Lynn suppressed a laugh. "Hmm... I understand. Sometimes luck is just a bit bad. What happened after that?"
"After that..." Hermione's voice grew even quieter.
"We bought a sea bass and took it back. I told Mum that I caught it 'personally'..."
"Pfft—" Lynn finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. But after receiving Hermione's "kind" gaze, he quickly forced himself to stop, pretentiously fiddling with the fishing rod and coughing twice. "Ahem~ anyway, I mean, this fishing rod of mine is truly a fine fishing rod!"
Time passed slowly as they waited.
Hermione was already getting a bit restless. She took out Simple Alchemy Crafting from her bag and began to flip through it, while Lynn remained fully focused on his motionless float.
Suddenly, Lynn's float sank violently! The force was far greater than usual!
"Huh? Something's on!"
Lynn let out a low cry and entered battle mode.
Hermione also put down her book and looked over curiously.
The fishing rod in Lynn's hand bent at an incredible angle, making a tooth-aching "creak," but thanks to the superior materials and Alchemy, it stubbornly refused to break.
Lynn exerted force with both arms, carefully maneuvering against the "giant creature" underwater.
"It's a big one! Definitely a big one!"
Lynn's cheeks flushed with excitement. "It's coming up! Hermione, the net! Quick, get the landing net ready!"
Hermione quickly picked up the landing net nearby, walked to the water's edge, and held her breath, ready to assist.
The lake water was churned into a muddy mess, and a blurry, square outline gradually emerged... Hermione leaned over, looked closely into the water, and then fell silent, an extremely speechless expression appearing on her face.
"What's wrong? Scoop it up! Don't let it get away!" Lynn was still urging her on.
"Lynn," Hermione straightened up, looking at him with an indescribable gaze. "Do you want to... see for yourself exactly what you've fished up?"
Lynn turned his head in confusion and looked in the direction Hermione was pointing—only to see that what had been scooped into the landing net wasn't a big fish at all, but a soggy, algae-covered old trunk that looked quite ancient!
Lynn: "..."
Hermione: "..."
The scene was very awkward for a moment.
"Ahem..." Lynn coughed a few times, trying to save face.
"An accident, purely an accident! How can there be everything at the bottom of the Black Lake? But the point is my fishing rod! Look how sturdy it is! It withstood such a great pull and remained intact! This shows that my Alchemy was very successful!"
Looking at the fishing rod, which remained as straight as ever after the "Battle of the Trunk," Hermione had to admit, "Well... the fishing rod itself is indeed very impressive."
---
...Inside the Hufflepuff Dormitory, a familiar conversation played out once again.
William looked at Lynn, who had returned empty-handed but with a strange sense of excitement on his face, and asked habitually, "Where's the fish?"
Before Lynn could answer, he continued, "Alright, never mind. I can tell from your face that you didn't catch anything again."
Lynn: "..."
It was hard to even find an excuse this time. Should he say he fished up a trunk?
He decided to force a change of subject to reclaim his dignity as an "Alchemy Master":
"Ahem! The fish aren't important! The process is! And, my dear roommates, is there anything you want? Just say the word!"
"I feel that with my current 'pinnacle' and 'supernatural' level of Alchemy, there's nothing I can't make!"
"Really?!" Edgar was the first to jump up, his eyes shining. "I want the latest Nimbus 2000! A flying broomstick!"
[Ding! Task issued: Craft a flying broomstick. Reward: Sonic Flight]
[Effect: After casting, you can fly at the speed of sound. Each casting is extremely physically taxing.]
[Very useful for running away.]
The task came at a quite convenient time.
William immediately doused him with cold water. "Wake up, Edgar. School rules clearly state that first-year students are not allowed to bring their own flying broomsticks."
"So what?"
Lynn stroked his chin. "As long as we don't get caught, it's fine. We can make the appearance low-key—for example... disguise it as one of those old 'Cleansweep Seven' models used in Flying Class. How's that? Isn't my suggestion great?"
William was stunned for a moment, pushed up his glasses, and began to think carefully. "An appearance disguise... it seems feasible."
"Lynn, do you have enough Alchemical materials left? Making a flying broomstick involves quite a lot; it's no small project."
"I have money."
Ollie, who usually only nodded, suddenly spoke up, his tone calm yet firm. "The materials—I'll buy them."
He expressed great interest in participating in the creation of a flying broomstick and showed his support through practical action.
Lynn suddenly remembered, "That's right! Ollie, your dad is a big boss! I almost forgot we had a tycoon hiding in our dormitory!"
He immediately threw his arm enthusiastically around Ollie's shoulder, a "dishonest merchant" smile appearing on his face:
"Great! I'll provide the technology, you provide the funding—a powerful alliance! Don't worry, it'll definitely be worth it! Our goal is—to go big, go strong, and create more glory!"
"I'll go look up information today and give you the material list tonight. Just wait." With that, Lynn scurried off to the library.
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