Chapter 220: Annihilation, Bloodline Potion Debut
"Xavier?" Ethan felt the name was somewhat familiar. After searching his memory, he recalled the person. "Grandfather, isn't that your cousin?" he asked in surprise. Ethan had met Cyril's cousin, Xavier, only once, during last summer's trip to the Parisian magical street, outside a wand shop. At the time, Xavier, who looked middle-aged, had a boy with him, a year younger than Ethan, who was preparing to buy a wand. "Because he wanted his own son to inherit the Shafiq family estate, he gave a warning that seemed well-intentioned but was actually a threat," Ethan remembered. After Cyril explained the relationship, Ethan had made sure to memorize that name and face. But as time passed, Xavier never appeared again, so he had all but forgotten him. However, when the name did reappear, it caused a big mess.
Well, you never give up, do you? Because of me, you can't wait for Grandfather to die naturally so you can inherit. So you switched to hiring people to kill us both and forcibly inherit the Shafiq estate? You've got some nerve, Ethan thought angrily.
"It's him," Cyril said, nodding slowly, his expression complex. He had known that Xavier coveted his property, but he hadn't expected his own cousin to go this far for the inheritance. Raising his hand, Cyril pointed at the wizard lying on the ground and said, "This is Xavier's nephew. Before you were born, when my relationship with Xavier hadn't yet deteriorated, I once saw him at a family gathering. But later, after Jenny and the others died and you disappeared, our relationship worsened. After that, I never attended any of his gatherings again."
"So, what did Xavier promise you to make you betray me without hesitation?" Cyril stopped interrogating the relative of a relative whose name he couldn't remember and turned to Isaac. Isaac did not answer; his closed eyelids twitched, clearly unsettled. "Never mind, I don't want to know. I'll just see you off," Cyril said wearily, waving his hand.
"Wait, I'll talk! Don't kill me!" Isaac's eyes snapped open.
"No need. Rest in peace," Cyril said, a black fire appearing in his hand.
"I was wrong! After all my years at the dragon farm, spare my life!" Isaac begged.
"Wrong? You don't know you're wrong; you just know you're about to die." Cyril shook his head and threw a fireball at Isaac. With a scream, Isaac disappeared completely from the world.
"Your turn." As Cyril prepared to end the man's life, Xavier's relative spoke: "Don't you want to know why he betrayed you? I'll tell you."
"Oh? Go ahead, why?" The fireball dissipated as Cyril listened.
"Hahaha! I'm not telling you!" The blond wizard grinned.
"Fine, don't tell me. You didn't think I'd spare your life for that answer, did you? That's naive, Erik," Cyril said with a helpless smile. Erik's face twitched; this wasn't what he expected. "I didn't expect you to still be so naive after all these years. As cannon fodder, you were the first to rush into the tomb chamber, hoping that would make me spare you. Seems like the same person I remember." Perhaps recalling memories, Cyril hesitated. "Besides, even if you and Isaac didn't tell me, I can guess what Xavier promised him. It's the dragon farm, isn't it?" He saw the answer in Erik's surprise. "During his years working for me, Isaac repeatedly asked to buy into the dragon farm. But since it's family-owned, I refused. I knew of his dream of opening a dragon farm, and I even agreed to help him set up a small one elsewhere. I really don't understand why he betrayed me. Did he want the Shafiq dragon farm that badly? Promising my things to my people while contributing nothing. That's Xavier's style." Cyril, disheartened, ignored Erik's open mouth and threw a fireball, finishing him off.
After finishing off Nadeem, the last murderer of Eno, the group left the lower tomb chamber. They cleaned up signs of battle before leaving. Walking toward the pyramid entrance, Ethan saw charred remains from his hellfire. Although your souls are incinerated, if there is an afterlife, be good people, he thought. He felt some turmoil from his first kills, but not strongly; it was life or death, nothing to feel guilty about. He was no longer the Ethan from last summer who would have nightmares. Killing so many people, I wonder if my soul has split, he mused while cleaning up. He had tried to observe his own soul but mirrors couldn't reflect souls, so he never saw it.
Continuing on, they found a mummified corpse. "What's this?" They exchanged glances. Eno recognized it as Thomas. "This is Safir's accomplice. He wanted gold from the mural, got poisoned or cursed, and they left him here," he explained, pointing to dried bloodstains. "His soul is gone. It must have entered the world of the dead," Ethan observed, seeing no other souls.
"Should we leave it as is?" Ethan suggested, wary of curses. "Yes, let's leave it to avoid accidents," Cyril agreed. After gathering Thomas's body, they left the pyramid and buried it under sand. But they didn't know that afterward, the dark-shrouded, shriveled corpse stood up, staggering through the passages, waiting to surprise the next entrants.
Unable to find their buried flying carpet, Cyril's group rode with Musa and went to his village. Eno, unable to travel by transport, drifted toward Britain alone, hoping to arrive before summer's end.
"Amr, I'm back!" Musa called at the door. "Coming!" a cheerful voice called out as a boy approached. "Grandpa, did you bring me anything good?" he asked excitedly, then became shy at the sight of the crowd. "Let's go inside first," Musa said with a smile, patting his head.
They had learned about Musa's family on the way. Like the Shafiqs, it was just an old man and a young boy. The son died on a trip; the daughter-in-law remarried, leaving Amr, a Squib. "Amr, these are guests. Go play while we talk," Musa said. After tea was served, Amr glanced at Ethan and went to the backyard. Once he left, Musa cast a muffling spell and asked excitedly, "Ethan, you said you invented a potion that can turn a Squib into a wizard?"
"Yes, I just made it this summer." Ethan nodded. He had heard about Amr on the carpet and decided to share. He glanced at Snape and took out a set of potions. "Tell me about it," Snape said, casting Scarpin's Revelaspell. "Well, it's like this..." Ethan omitted the inheritance parts and described the invention process.
"You used basilisk venom?" Snape raised an eyebrow. "Yes, it activates wizard bloodlines," Ethan explained. Snape glanced at him, certain Ethan was hiding something. They had only obtained the venom shortly before Christmas, and Ethan had no way to test it over half a year at school. But Snape didn't mind; he just wanted to know if the potion could turn a Squib or Muggle into a wizard.
"But I must emphasize, this potion was brewed less than a week ago, untested, so I can't guarantee it," Ethan reminded the excited Musa. Musa looked at Snape. Even a Potions Master couldn't determine the effect without the formula. "Wait, I need to talk to Ethan," Snape said, taking him to a corner.
"You invented this for your adoptive parents, right?" Snape asked. "Yes. After they saw the magical world, they were eager. I got research materials and invented this potion to make them wizards. I made it as a set to avoid too-strong single doses and side effects." "Good idea. Can you tell me the formula?" Snape asked. "Of course," Ethan readily agreed, explaining each bottle's formula and effect, hoping for advice.
After hearing this, Snape pondered. "Based on the formula, there are no problems or serious consequences. Even if it fails, it won't harm the user. As for improvements, I'll think it over. You've done very well." He gave a rare smile. "Being able to invent such a potion on your own means you're ready to graduate." He patted Ethan's shoulder, clearly moved. Even when he was Ethan's age, he himself couldn't have invented something so important. A flicker of loneliness crossed his face.
"It's all thanks to your teaching. Without your lessons, I'd be at an ordinary second-year level," Ethan comforted him. Though pleased, Snape resumed his cold expression. "Alright, no flattery. Let's talk about the application of this Bloodline Potion. At present, it has no adverse effects, but we can't be sure without verification. It's up to Musa. If he chooses to use it, given his grandson's age, the bloodline shouldn't be fully settled. He might not need the last bottle to trigger a magical outburst."
Ethan's eyes lit up. "Can I stay a few more days to see the result?" "That's up to you. I'll make it clear to Musa," Snape said, preparing to dispel the spell. Ethan stopped him. "Wait, Professor. If I want to apply to test on Muggles in Britain, how do I do that?" "Simple. I'll teach you after we leave. Let's talk to Musa first," Snape said, glancing at the eager old wizard. "Okay." Ethan nodded.
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