Chapter 291 Early Retirement, a Murderer Escapes from Prison
Algol tossed the Heart of the Lonely Mountain into the furnace. At over a thousand degrees, the arkenstoneremained unchanged.
"Hmm… it might take a bit longer. You can use this time to gather other materials."
Aaron nodded slowly, then headed to the seventh Chamber of Secrets.
As soon as he stepped into the Chamber of Secrets, Wehertfloated before him, his face filled with relief. "I knew you'd return safely."
"I almost didn't make it back alive."
"That I'm rather interested in." Wehert looked at Aaronthoughtfully. "You've grown much stronger."
"Can you tell my current strength?" Aaron was a bit nervous. This time, he hadn't brought his Ring of Sealing magic, nor had he split off a thought form. He had, in essence, made no attempt to conceal himself.
Wehert hesitated for a moment, then nodded, looking stunned.
"If you don't look closely, you really wouldn't notice. High-level Magister, just a step away from Grand Magister.
What exactly did you experience in that other world?"
"That's my own secret. I don't want to talk about it."
"If you don't want to, then don't." Wehert pouted, saying playfully, "Are you interested in fighting me again? I can suppress my strength to Middle-Level Mage."
Aaron decisively waved his hand in refusal. Having been thoroughly beaten once, he had learned enough lessons and would absolutely not fall into the same trap twice.
"What a pity! I was going to teach you some more advanced magic!"
"Heh heh!" Aaron rolled his eyes, speechless. "I can't even cast advanced elemental magic instantly right now, and I've barely used ultimate magic arrays a few times. Even if you taught me, I might not have the time to learn!"
"Good." Wehert raised an eyebrow, pleased. "You still know not to bite off more than you can chew."
Aaron shrugged. He always preferred to be down-to-earth.
That was also the reason why he hadn't immediately used magic points to raise his strength to Grand Magister; no matter how good the hardware, if the software couldn't keep up, it would just be an empty shell.
"Ancestor, do you think Dumbledore can see through my current strength?"
"Without avoiding your attitude, he can if he senses you up close, unless you break through to the Grand Magisterlevel."
Hearing this, a ripple stirred in Aaron's heart, and he silently made a decision: when not using his thought form, he would have to wear the Ring of Sealing magic.
I need to develop cautiously and then astound that old immortal.
"Understood. I'll go talk to Ancestor Flo first. If nothing unexpected happens, I won't be coming here before school starts."
"I understand." Wehert gave him a look that only those who had been through it would understand. "I recommend you go to Diat's Library. Some of our predecessors recorded their stories there.
You can look them up; it's good for broadening your horizons and relaxing your mind."
"I'm more interested in the magic recorded there." Aarongave an awkward laugh and turned to walk into the twenty-eighth Chamber of Secrets.
"Ancestor Flo, your dear descendant has returned."
Flo's memory was summoned. He looked Aaron up and down, a satisfied smile on his lips. "It seems you've had a good harvest."
"I guess so! I fought a major war that concerned the safety of the world.
I helped the side of justice win this war." Aaron scratched his head sheepishly. "Although I don't think they would have lost without me."
"But with you, many fewer people would have died," Flosaid meaningfully. "Wouldn't they?"
Aaron paused, then gave Flo a thumbs-up. "No wonder they say Ancestor, you're a psychology expert. I hadn't even said anything, and you've already poured a bowl of chicken soup down my throat."
"It seems your mental state is very healthy." Flo gave a self-deprecating smile. "That puts my mind at ease."
"If nothing unexpected happens, I won't be coming to see you before school starts."
"Right now, what you most want is to relax your mind, and staying with us teachers isn't really suitable.
If you feel bored, you can go check out Diat's Library. Many interesting things are recorded there, which might be of some help to you."
Aaron frowned slightly, feeling that Wehert and Flo's words had a hidden meaning.
But he didn't pay much attention; living in the present was the most important thing… After leaving the Chamber of Secrets, Aaron took Abey to his small shop in Diagon Alley.
Gines followed closely behind him, and two other bodyguards also followed in the shadows. He understood, though; after several consecutive runaways, these people were now like startled birds.
It was just that his strength was still a bit lacking, but in another year or so, these people wouldn't be able to control him.
For a whole week, Aaron seemed to have entered retirement early.
Aside from collecting money when closing the shop at night, the rest of his time was spent either strolling around or chatting and laughing with other shop owners, occasionally going to Ollivander's Wand Shop to play chess with his Uncle.
The place he visited most was the Leaky Cauldron. It was a mixed bag of people, but news from the Wizarding Worldcould usually be found in this pub.
"Lying flat truly makes one happy!" Aaron leisurely read the newspaper in his shop. Beside him was a neatly dressed baby dragon, but surprisingly, the baby dragon had a straw in its mouth, and a large bottle of milk was visibly diminishing as it sucked.
"Young Master, don't you two get bored resting like this?" Gines said, laughing wryly. "You're still young; this is a great time to study hard."
"Heh heh! I'm only fourteen this year—no, thirteen, that's right.
What were you doing at thirteen?"
"The Old Master had me study Muggle knowledge and the history of the Magical World's development."
Aaron: …Damn! An elite of the butler world!
"Ahem! It's not that I don't know how to be proper.
I killed at least a four-digit number of enemies in another world, and I need a lively and peaceful environment to resolve the hostility in my heart." Aaron said seriously, "Besides, lying flat isn't just being lazy. Starting tomorrow, normal training will resume."
Gines's mind immediately settled. "I'll prepare the timetable right away."
"No need at all." Aaron quickly said, "I'll arrange it myself."
"Are you sure, Young Master?"
"Of course, but there's no need to trouble the ancestors.
I'll go to Diat's Library myself, and I'll also refresh my proficiency with magic arrays myself.
As for swordsmanship, I probably don't need to train it now, but I'm still a bit interested in firearms.
Besides these, I'll also visit the other Chambers of Secrets in the family, fishing, painting, skiing, music, flower arranging, and so on, just for leisure and entertainment."
"Ah, well… it's not impossible." Gines stammered, "It just feels a bit unsuitable."
"What's unsuitable about it?" Aaron said seriously, "My parents both said that the holiday before school starts is mine to arrange. Even if I just slept in bed all day, you couldn't control me."
"Alright! As the Young Master says."
"You should always listen to me." Aaron pouted, turning a page of the newspaper. A photo came into view.
Looking at the haggard, dirty, and disheveled man inside, with a savage expression, Aaron couldn't help but gasp.
"Holy cow! Hasn't this guy been caught and sent back to Azkaban yet?"
"Although Sirius Black has been imprisoned for twelve years, his foundation is still there.
If a Wizard is determined to evade the Ministry of Magic's pursuit, it's truly difficult to catch him quickly."
"What a talent!" Aaron said with a faint smile, "How did he suddenly think of escaping?"
"Are you interested, Young Master?"
"This is a current hot topic; everyone's interested." Aaronlooked at the photo in the newspaper, focusing on Sirius Black's melancholic eyes. "His mental state isn't stable, but his goal is very clear.
Logically, if he was locked in Azkaban, he would have escaped earlier. There's no reason to drag it out for twelve years.
And how did he escape? Did anyone help him? All of this is unknown."
"Perhaps it has something to do with Lord Voldemort." Gines speculated, "There's a rumor that Sirius Black was Lord Voldemort's most loyal servant, and this escape is specifically to seek revenge on Harry Potter."
"I don't think so." Aaron picked up Abey, waved his hand to close the shop door, and said as he walked, "If he wanted revenge on Harry, he could have acted when Harry hadn't even touched magic. There was no need to suffer for those twelve years, let alone that he didn't resist at all when he was caught."
"Young Master is truly quick-witted; I hadn't even thought of that."
Aaron stopped and gave Gines an eye-roll.
He knew his all-rounder butler too well; it was impossible for Gines not to have thought of what he had, and even more, Gines could probably think two or three layers deeper. He just wasn't willing to think about such unimportant matters.
The two didn't use Floo powder to go home but instead planned to enter Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron. There was a car there for transportation, which Aaron had acquired on a whim, intending to practice his driving skills.
However, as soon as he walked into the Leaky Cauldron, a short, stout man approached, a genial smile on his face.
"Mr. Gines, I didn't expect to see you here; what a coincidence." Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge said with some excitement, "And of course, Aaron Gaius. Dumbledorehas mentioned to me more than once that Hogwarts has a very excellent student.
I thought, isn't that obvious? The heirs of the Gaius Familyhave always been synonymous with excellence."
Aaron and Gines exchanged glances. Neither of them cared for the Minister for Magic, but you don't hit a smiling face, so they couldn't really say anything to send him away.
"Minister, why are you here?" Gines asked politely.
"Looking for someone." Fudge lowered his voice. "Harry Potter."
"What are you looking for him for?" Aaron frowned slightly. "And if you're looking for him, you should be on Privet Drive."
"Uh… Mr. Gaius, your classmate here committed a slight infraction." Fudge said, somewhat awkwardly, "He blew up his aunt's sister into a balloon, and many people saw it."
"This matter isn't big, nor is it small, but it certainly doesn't seem to require you, the Minister for Magic, to personally intervene, does it?" Aaron hinted, "Not many people related to Harry Potter could make the Minister for Magic appear. Dumbledore or Lord Voldemort?"
Hearing the name Lord Voldemort, Fudge couldn't help but shiver. He forced a smile. "It has no direct connection with that person, but a murderer has escaped."
Aaron: …