Chapter 329: Nijia Mask, Making Black Magic Props
Shenming Hall.
Aaron entered the main hall with Snape's notebook and placed it on a relatively empty bookshelf.
Abey flew over happily, rubbing Aaron's palm affectionately.
The thought form stopped its magic circle training, looked up at the notebook, and chuckled helplessly, "It seems I'll have to work overtime this summer."
"Cut it out!" Aaron rolled his eyes. "How about we switch?"
"No need," the thought form said with a wry smile. Spending summer vacation at Hogwarts was ten thousand times easier than at home; there was no need to even consider it.
Aaron pouted, sat down in a chair, and eagerly opened his quest panel.
Find Harry Potter's parents' killer; complete quest reward 500 magic points; completed.
Rescue Sirius Black; complete quest reward 800 magicpoints; completed.
"Claim all rewards."
"Congratulations to the host for acquiring 1300 magicpoints."
Phew!
Aaron breathed a long sigh of relief, a look of excitement blooming on his face.
Although the number was a bit small, adding it to his existing nineteen hundred-plus magic points, it was enough to buy the nija mask.
"System, open the store."
magic Category:
@Blank; @Airwalk (100 magic points, flight speed depends on personal strength); @Blank; @Charm (500 magic points, literal meaning, but ineffective against those with strong will); @Out-of-Body Experience (300 magic points).
Material Category:
@phoenix feather (30 magic points); @Mithril (100 magicpoints); @Mandrake (5 magic points); @Bezoar (1 magicpoint); @Rhinoceros Horn (3 magic points).
Item Category:
@nija mask (2500 magic points, wearer can summon the Black Shadow Legion ninjas, note: collecting ten masks grants control over the Black Shadow Kingdom); @meditation basin (500 magic points, preserves thoughts and memories from the mind); @Wizard Chess (1 magicpoint); @Jilani's Emerald (50 magic points, whoever obtains the gem will be plagued by bad luck); @Muggle Wand (50 magic points, inject magic into the magic Crystal, before the magic is depleted, even a Muggle can use the simplest Levitation Charm with it).
"Purchase nija mask."
Aaron decisively placed the order, spending two thousand five hundred magic points at once, but he felt no pain.
Looking at the reddish-brown ghost mask in his hand, he could clearly feel the powerful and eerie magic contained within it.
"Congratulations to the host for cumulative consumption of ten thousand magic points in the store, meeting the upgrade conditions.
Upgrading the store will unlock new features. Would the host like to upgrade?"
"Hmm..." Aaron blinked. "Didn't it used to give rewards directly?"
"If the host wishes, the upgrade opportunity can also be exchanged for one roulette draw."
"Then forget it. I can still tell the difference between one full meal and continuous full meals," Aaron said immediately.
The last roulette draw was still fresh in his memory; there were many god-level skills that even a Magister would covet.
But he hadn't forgotten that there were also many magicspells that were practically useless, offering him no help at all. Most importantly, the words 'Thank you for your patronage' were particularly jarring.
Drawing the Dragon Slaying Magic Crystal last time was already a stroke of luck; he dared not gamble this time.
If his luck was bad, he would get nothing.
"May I ask how long the upgrade will take?"
"Seven days. During this period, the system will only retain the check-in function, and the store will be closed."
"Then let's wait. Let's finish dealing with the nija mask first," Aaron shrugged, then asked, "How do I absorb the mask's energy?"
"Just silently say 'absorb'."
"Simple and brutal, I like it." Aaron raised an eyebrow, then silently said 'absorb'.
Countless black tendrils emerged from the surface of the nija mask, all surging into Aaron's body.
However, he didn't feel any discomfort; instead, he felt as if he had grasped some authority, and a boundless yet dark world appeared in his pupils.
"Is that the Black Shadow Kingdom?"
Aaron murmured thoughtfully. Collecting ten masks was necessary to fully control the Black Shadow Kingdom. He had only completed one-tenth, barely taking the first step.
The finish line was still incredibly far away. For now, he wanted to test the strength of the ninja group.
Snap!
Aaron snapped his fingers, and countless red eyes appeared in every shadowy place within the Shenming Hall. Dense Black Shadow Ninjas emerged from them, then knelt before Aaron in salute.
Roar!
Abey roared, baring his fangs at these shadows, expressing his displeasure.
Holy Dragons seemed to inherently dislike these dark creatures. If it weren't for the fact that they were summoned by Aaron, they would probably have been cleansed by dragon flames the moment they appeared.
"These are not enemies," Aaron quickly reminded, then began to observe the ninja group.
There were roughly over two hundred of them, occupying almost all the dark corners of the Shenming Hall, loyal and devoid of any emotion.
Although he had full control over the power of the nija mask, it didn't mean that the number of ninjas he could summon was infinite; it was determined by his strength.
With his current strength as a Great Archmage (early stage), he could summon five hundred Black Shadow Ninjas at once without any burden. Any more would consume his own magic.
Moreover, as the number of summoned ninjas increased, the magic consumption would multiply.
This setting was somewhat satisfactory, but it made sense; if he could truly summon without limit, one mask would be enough to rule the world.
Aaron shook his head, feeling as if he was being a bit greedy.
The thought form looked at the kneeling ninjas, a little exasperated, "With guards, servants, and a chef, it really looks a bit like a palace now.
Do you think we should get a crown or something? It would look grander."
"Don't joke. I still prefer a minimalist style.
Having you make a throne was just because that spot looked bad being empty, otherwise I would have had you dismantle it long ago."
"You can't blame me for that!" The thought form said, annoyed, "I originally wanted to make a chessboard, low-key luxury with substance.
But most of the time, I'm the only one here. Is it okay to entertain myself?"
Hearing this, Aaron rolled his eyes, speechless.
He looked at the nija mask in his hand, thought for a moment, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Black shadows emerged from his palm and flowed into the mask.
A red light flashed in the nija mask's pupils. The devoured power returned to the mask, but it was insignificant compared to before.
"Tsk!" The thought form clicked its tongue. "How much did you split off?"
"One-fifth, I guess!" Aaron said with a mysterious smile. "Now, an ordinary person wearing this mask also has the ability to summon a ninja group, but the number is only one-fifth of my current stage, which is one hundred.
Also, I have locked the upper limit of this mask. No matter who wears it, they can only summon a maximum of one hundred Black Shadow Ninjas.
Under normal circumstances, fifty Black Shadow Ninjas can be summoned without burden, but any more would require consuming magic. For ordinary people, it consumes stamina or life force."
"You've created an incredible Dark Arts artifact!" the thought form exclaimed. "But is it really necessary?"
"Perhaps not now, but who knows what the future holds!" Aaron said meaningfully, then placed the nija mask on the storage shelf. "It's always better to delegate some tasks than to do everything yourself.
And the power can be recalled at any time, so there's nothing to worry about."
"That's true."
After dealing with the nija mask, Aaron had seven hundred twenty magic points remaining.
Looking at the store interface, Aaron swept clean the 'Material Category' section.
He planned to give one piece of Mithril to Algol after returning, to be used as material for forging a divine artifact. The remaining phoenix feather, Mandrake, rhinoceros horn, and bezoar would be placed in the Shenming Hall, otherwise the storage shelf would look too empty.
He also didn't forget the meditation basin, Wizard Chess, and Muggle Wand, ordering all of them. As for Rajini's Emerald, he temporarily gave up on it, because after buying the previous items, he only had thirty magic points left, and he would need to check in at Hogwarts for two more days to buy that emerald.
The Black Shadow Ninjas neatly arranged these items on the storage shelf, while the meditation basin was placed in front of the throne in the main hall.
"It doesn't look so shabby now, but it's not very useful at the moment."
"That's only for now. Just accumulate slowly," Aaron said indifferently. "Later, I'll go to Professor Snape's office to 'borrow' some things, and then have Gines procure a batch of materials. The Potion room will then be complete, giving Professor Snape's notes a chance to be put into practice."
"In the end, it's still the clone's job!" the thought form said with a wry smile.
Aaron waved his hand, and all the ninja soldiers retreated into the shadows.
"I've given you two-fifths of the authority. You can summon two hundred Black Shadow Ninjas. With this manpower, your vacation will be much easier."
"But they can only serve as assistants. Some things I can only do myself."
"Be content!" Aaron shrugged. "System, you can upgrade the store now."
"Please wait seven days, host. New features are on their way."
Aaron:... Coming out of the secret passage, Aaron cleared his cluttered thoughts.
Too much had happened yesterday. He had saved Buckbeakand clarified the intricate case from twelve years ago, but Pettigrew had still escaped.
This meant that Lord Voldemort's servant would return to Lord Voldemort, and it was only a matter of time before the Dark Lord made his comeback.
However, Lord Voldemort was too severely injured; he wouldn't recover with simple recuperation. He surely had a series of plans, and the commotion might not be small.
By simply monitoring major events in the Magical World, he could easily predict Lord Voldemort's recovery progress. Coupled with his half-baked divination skills, avoiding Lord Voldemort's gaze might not be too difficult.
In truth, this was a last resort. After all, he still had a significant gap in power compared to the Dark Lord. Before he possessed the strength to directly confront Lord Voldemort, developing discreetly was the way to go.