"Boss, you've got another new idea?" Andrews was already getting used to it.
"That's right, a new idea!" Wade said. "This levitation device relies solely on a runic circuit formed from Ancient Runes to provide the lifting force, but that power has its limits. It can't support anything too heavy."
"That's true. That's why carriages are usually made as light and simple as possible... This one carries quite a lot already, so it's actually considered rather heavy. The Thestrals have to pull much harder, and they're much slower because of it," Andrews explained.
"That's because your levitation core isn't good enough. I'll make you a better one..." Wade excitedly ran off with the levitation core in hand.
Andrews couldn't help scratching his head.
"Didn't we agree this was supposed to be a holiday? Why's he tinkering again..."
Ten minutes later...
The Thestrals were pulling the carriage through the air at high speed, leaving Andrews, seated at the front, drenched in cold sweat.
"Too fast... way too fast..."
Only after a long while did Andrews finally bring the carriage down. The two Thestrals, however, still looked completely relaxed.
"Hmm... it seems the new energy core can completely replace the runic circuits made from Ancient Runes."
Sitting to one side, Wade drew up a blueprint of the levitation core, added some notes and ideas, then summoned an owl and sent the manuscript off to Nicolas Flamel.
No one could match Nicolas Flamel in alchemy, and he was also completely trustworthy. He could help Wade refine many of his ideas.
Watching the owl disappear into the distance, a bold idea slowly began to form in Wade's mind...
...
Night fell.
The carriage stood beside the tents.
Wade sat in a rocking chair, admiring the countless stars overhead while his mind delved into deeper thoughts.
After spending the entire day playing wildly, Tom Cat was exhausted and lay asleep at Wade's feet, snoring softly.
Alduin, having shrunk back down, stood atop one of the tents, his deep gaze fixed on the dark horizon in the distance...
From inside the carriage came the quiet sounds of Andrews teaching Elena about magic.
Standing beside the campfire, Toby was trying to balance a huge kettle over the flames to boil some water.
Everything seemed peaceful.
Suddenly, Wade leapt to his feet and dashed into the tent.
Tom Cat's tail was accidentally stepped on, causing him to yowl and spring into the air.
"Yowwww!"
Toby jumped in fright, and the entire kettle fell into the campfire.
"Oh dear! Toby worked so hard to secure it!"
The carriage door swung open, and Elena curiously poked her head out.
Alduin merely glanced down at them from the top of the tent before turning his attention back to the distant sea, continuing to ponder the meaning of dragon life.
After quite some time, the commotion subsided and peace returned once more.
Apart from the absence of one person from the rocking chair, everything seemed unchanged.
...
Early the next morning, Wade burst out of the tent looking exceptionally energetic.
Elena and Andrews were already outside eating breakfast.
Tom Cat was riding a broomstick with a plate piled high with meat, flying up to the top of the tent before placing it in front of Alduin.
"Success!" Wade pushed his breakfast aside and placed a castle model on the table.
"What's that? A little castle?" Elena asked curiously.
Without saying a word, Wade snapped his fingers lightly. The little castle suddenly floated into the air and drifted about according to his commands.
"Well? Pretty amazing, right?" Wade said cheerfully.
"Er... a nice little toy?" Andrews replied after some thought.
"What are you talking about? A toy? This is an invention that will shock the world!" Wade protested.
"But... isn't the little castle just a toy?" Elena asked in confusion.
"Of course the little castle is a toy. But what if it were a gigantic castle? That would be the greatest wonder of this century!" Wade said happily.
"If you could build such a castle, it would certainly be spectacular, but... what would it actually be used for?" Elena blurted out. It was only after speaking that she noticed Andrews tugging on her sleeve and frantically winking at her.
Wade was speechless for a moment, but eventually coughed lightly and said, "I don't care. It would be incredibly cool, and that's enough. Isn't it cool?"
"Young Master Wade! It's absolutely amazing! You're a genius!" Toby cried excitedly, tears streaming down his face.
Andrews was at a loss for words. When it came to flattery, house-elves truly were in a league of their own.
"Ahem, yes, it's certainly very cool! I've never seen anything like it before," Andrews praised awkwardly.
Tom Cat curiously watched the castle as it floated over to him and couldn't resist batting it with a paw.
Whoosh!
The little castle shot straight into the sky, frightening Tom Cat into hiding behind the back of a chair. Only after quite some time did he cautiously peek out with a pair of eyes.
Watching the castle's absurd speed, Andrews suddenly had a revelation.
Could someone like Wade really spend so much effort simply creating an interesting toy?
No! Impossible!
Someone like him was destined to accomplish great things! Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken about having Andrews become Minister for Magic of the Soviet Union one day!
And if he intended to establish his own power, he would certainly need a base of operations.
Just like Grindelwald, whose stronghold was Nurmengard.
Then what about Wade?
Watching the castle model weaving nimbly through the sky, Andrews sucked in a sharp breath.
Wade was serious.
He truly intended to build such a castle!
And when that day came, his headquarters would be mobile. It would have no fixed location at all.
Even if someone launched an attack against his organisation, they would have no idea where its base was.
And if terrifying weapons were mounted upon the castle, then when Wade wanted to attack others, he would simply send the entire castle bearing down upon them!
A horrifying image immediately formed in Andrews' mind.
An enormous castle large enough to blot out the sky slowly descended. Countless magical weapons mounted upon its walls pointed toward the ground. Endless wizards poured out of its entrances on new broomsticks like a swarm of locusts. At the same time, numerous Thestral-drawn carriages and dragons, equally armed and incredibly fast, circled overhead...
"Woah..."
Andrews couldn't help drawing another sharp breath.
"Andrews, are you cold?" Wade's voice came from beside him.
"No... I was merely struck by the extraordinary craftsmanship of your castle model. Before long, you'll definitely be able to build a real castle like this!" Andrews said with complete sincerity.
"Naturally!" Wade replied with a smile. "With the new energy core, achieving that won't be difficult. It's just that many details still need to be designed carefully. For example, what materials should be used for the castle, and how the runic circuits for controlling and concealing it should be arranged..."
Andrews nodded repeatedly.
Just as he'd thought. Wade had already planned everything!
"But building a castle would cost an awful lot of money, wouldn't it?" Elena asked with a frown. "And you'd need lots of people to help build it."
"Elena, we're wizards," Wade said with a smile. "As long as I have the proper blueprints, I can build the castle myself."
"Right..." Elena scratched her head. "Transfiguration would come in handy. But... are you really going to build something like that?"
"Of course. The plans are already being drawn up. It will be a magnificent structure, Elena."
Meanwhile, Andrews silently chewed on his dry bread, the image of that sky-covering fortress once again appearing in his mind.
Smack!
Tom Cat suddenly leapt up and grabbed his broomstick, charging furiously towards the side of the tent!
Everyone turned to look and saw a brown mouse frantically running ahead with a breadcrumb in its mouth.
Oh, it was just a cat chasing a mouse. Nothing unusual.
Andrews and the others resumed eating breakfast.
Unlike the others, however, Wade was watching the little mouse with great interest as it deftly evaded Tom Cat's pursuit.
Not just any mouse could escape Tom Cat!
Seeing the look in Wade's eyes, Toby suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Trembling, he approached and tried to persuade him.
"Young Master Wade... cats and mice can never be friends..."
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong!" Wade patted Toby on the shoulder. "Isn't it normal for friends to roughhouse? Look at me and Tom. We're always roughhousing, and our friendship is still rock solid."
"No... that's different, Young Master Wade..." Toby looked at the chaos being created in the distance by the cat and mouse and was almost in tears. "Toby is worried they'll tear your house apart..."
"How about Jerry?"
"What?" Toby asked in horror, his eyes widening.
"Tom Cat's good friend. How about calling it Jerry?"
Toby was still trying to talk him out of it, and his master had already come up with a name?
Thinking of how the entire house might one day be destroyed by those two, the diligent house-elf Toby fainted on the spot.
Thus, from that day onward, Tom Cat gained a new friend, a little mouse named Jerry.
Jerry was very intelligent, and after drinking a nutritional potion, he became even smarter.
This made Wade rather curious, because unlike Tom Cat, Jerry had never been possessed by his senior.
After investigating with Nightmare Magic, Wade ultimately reached only one conclusion...
This mouse was a genius.
Humans had geniuses whose intelligence far surpassed their peers, so naturally mice could have them too.
"This is fate, Tom," Wade said with a smile as he patted Tom Cat on the head.
Tom Cat turned his head away in annoyance, unwilling to look at the hateful little mouse.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
Jerry let out a shrill taunt at Tom.
Bang!
Tom Cat grabbed a wooden club nearby and charged forward!
A new round of battle had begun.
"Oh... no..." Toby covered his eyes sorrowfully.
_______
Yo boys! Collect the new book, please; it's a COTE fic with the same MC as Wade and a lot of fun♥
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