Chapter 421: The Tradition of Early Marriage, Weapon Gift Pack
At Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the Hogwarts Expresscame to a stop in the evening.
Aaron, with his trolley and pet, emerged from the partition wall. Gaines, as usual, was waiting for him and took his suitcase.
"Uncle Gaines, do I have to travel again this holiday?" Aaron asked somewhat reservedly after getting into the car.
"Miss Adrian told you?" Gaines immediately thought of this, his expression complex as he nodded, "The third crystal in the Chamber of Secrets has lit up, which means Young Master, you need to embark on your next journey within a year."
"It's only been two years!" Aaron said with a look of despair, "I haven't even recovered from the trauma of the last trip, and now another one is coming."
"This timing is normal," Gaines explained seriously. "According to the historical records of the Gaius family, on average, excellent descendants need to travel to other worlds every two to three years to gain experience and leave behind the Gaius name.
Of course, if Young Master is unwilling, he can also choose to marry and have children, become a god of magic, or inherit the position of clan leader. Any one of these will suffice.
Becoming a god of magic requires a lot of time, and inheriting the position of clan leader is impossible right now. The simplest is to marry and have children, but unfortunately, Young Master's arranged marriage with Miss Clea has been postponed."
Aaron's mouth twitched violently, and he waved his hand, saying, "It's not unfortunate, not at all.
Fifteen years old for an arranged marriage, how could you even think of such a thing?"
"Early marriage is almost a tradition in the Gaius family, and besides, an arranged marriage is not marriage.
Arranged marriage, engagement, marriage, and having children, that's the correct process."
"Enough," Aaron rolled his eyes speechlessly. "Don't talk to me about traditions. My ancestors before me were indecisive and entered the tomb of marriage so early.
Don't compare me to them. In other aspects, I might not be able to surpass them, but in this aspect, they definitely can't compare to me."
Hearing this, Gaines revealed a meaningful smile, "Many people initially had the same thoughts as Young Master, but then..."
"But then they couldn't hold out, right?" Aaron interjected, a hint of disdain in his tone. "They obediently came back to accept the family's arranged marriages."
"That's only a very small portion. More often, they pursue their own love and complete the task of marrying and having children in other worlds."
"What the f—"
Aaron suddenly felt like he had discovered a new continent. He seemed to know the reason why the family's genealogy was so messy; no wonder many of the wives' surnames were unheard of.
"They... surely not?"
"The flow of time is different," Gaines explained casually. "Staying in other worlds for a year or two is fine, but if you stay for seven or eight years, a decade, several decades, or even a century, it's quite normal to meet someone you like."
Aaron forced a smile, speechless.
He might be able to endure a decade or so, but a century... he wasn't a monk, so marrying and having children was inevitable.
For a moment, he suddenly felt that accepting an arranged marriage wasn't out of the question. His parents' judgment was always good, and he could avoid many detours.
But then he thought again and stifled that idea.
He was still young and didn't want to fast-forward his life. He would let nature take its course!
...Returning to Gaius Castle, it was already completely dark.
Vico and Lisana still had things to do, so they didn't come home, which Aaron was already used to.
"Uncle Gaines, if I may ask, when am I leaving this time?"
"It's up to Young Master to decide, but you can't delay too long," Gaines said very humanely. "Your subordinate suggests it would be better to wait for the clan leader and the others to return, and for you to meet them before departing."
"Alright," Aaron nodded. "When will they be back?"
"In three days."
Aaron blinked blankly, then sneered, "Uncle Gaines, you're really humorous.
You might as well just say let me rest for three days and then depart."
Gaines's expression froze, and he gave an awkward laugh, "It seems the time is a bit tight."
"Is it just a bit?" Aaron retorted unhappily. "The Triwizard Tournament ended less than a week ago. You should know what I went through; it wasn't just ordinary fatigue.
You're only letting me rest for three days. Is that how you treat your own Young Master?"
"My apologies, Young Master. Your subordinate was rash.
How about a month?" Gaines tentatively suggested, "A month should be enough for Young Master to rest well. Any longer really won't do; the family's mission still needs to be completed."
"That's more like it. I can barely accept that."
"Good, then your subordinate will immediately arrange Young Master's schedule for the next month."
"Lessons? Schedule?" Aaron was momentarily stunned, his face twitching slightly. "You mean I have to attend a month of tutoring before I travel?"
"Yes," Gaines said bluntly. "Young Master can rest for a few days after returning, but it's better not to waste time before departing.
Your subordinate observed Young Master's battle with those Death Eaters up close. The application of various magic was quite good, but the level of combat was still a bit worse than I expected.
So, the upcoming schedule will be modified to address this. Young Master should be prepared."
"Hmph! I was just stalling for time," Aaron glared fiercely at Gaines and continued, "to allow certain people to arrive in time after receiving my distress signal.
Fighting and acting at the same time was exhausting. Otherwise, I'm confident I could have killed over eighty percent of the Death Eaters.
But unexpectedly, I was ultimately mistaken.
Certain people clearly arrived early but only showed up when my life was in danger."
Gaines paused slightly, carefully recalling Aaron's battle that day. Amidst the danger, there indeed seemed to be a hint of perfunctoriness.
Realizing this, Gaines immediately changed his expression and said awkwardly but politely, "Young Master, that was a misunderstanding. Your schedule this holiday won't be that strict.
Besides some necessary courses, you can arrange the rest yourself."
Aaron rolled his eyes. If only he could fight back now, he would definitely find a way to resist... The alarm clock rang promptly at six in the morning.
Aaron sat up from bed, yawning lazily.
It was still most comfortable sleeping at home, without having to worry about so many troublesome things.
After a simple breakfast, Aaron took Abe and followed Gaines into the forge.
Alg was hammering a longsword that glowed with a milky white light. A low hum constantly resonated, yet it sounded vast and magnificent, echoing throughout the entire forge.
Crimson magma formed red patterns, and with each hammer strike, wisps of red light seeped into the sword's body.
After an unknown amount of time, Alg finally stopped his movements and cast the sword in his hand into the furnace.
"Huh? I thought it was finished?" Aaron said with a look of regret.
"You wish. That's just a sword blank; it's not even a semi-finished product," Alg immediately poured cold water on Aaron. "A divine artifact isn't just about being indestructible; it also needs special abilities... This piece I'm forging for you is almost a masterpiece, if not the pinnacle of my life's work, but it's still far from complete. It requires more rare materials."
Aaron nodded, then gave Abe a look.
The Sacred Dragon reluctantly pulled out heavy silver and fire elemental crystals from its pocket.
Alg's eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly took the two ores into his hands. "With these two, the sword blank can barely be completed."
"What else?" Aaron urged, looking at Abe. "Hurry up and take it out!"
The two white claws poked at each other, and after struggling for a while, it took out a glass bottle.
"Phoenix tears. I think this might be useful."
Alg pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded, "It is indeed useful, but the amount is too small. Otherwise, it could imbue this sword with certain properties."
"I'll find a way to get more," Aaron gritted his teeth, feeling that he shouldn't sympathize too much with Fawkes. For his divine artifact, it was only right for the Phoenix to shed a few more tears.
"No need," Alg laughed. "Lante has enough spiritual liquid that can replace Phoenix tears."
Phew!
Aaron secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, bullying Fawkes meant getting past Dumbledore. Once or twice was fine, but if it was too frequent, that old man would turn hostile.
"Ancestor, the firearms I requested should be ready, right?"
"Almost," Alg snapped his fingers, and countless precise parts floated in mid-air. "Everything you asked for is here, except for..."
"Blood, I know."
Aaron immediately cut his palm, and some crimson blood flew from the wound, absorbed by the magic circle on the parts.
Alg raised an eyebrow, waved his hand, and all the parts automatically assembled.
A moment later, a revolver, automatic pistol, light sniper rifle, and heavy sniper rifle floated before Aaron.
"The revolver has a six-round capacity. Its power is slightly weaker than a flintlock, but its advantage is that replacing ammunition is much easier.
I made other designs for the automatic pistol. It has a sixteen-round capacity, but the magic circle on it can convert magic into ammunition.
Theoretically, as long as there is enough magic, the bullets are infinite. Of course, this type of ammunition is definitely not as powerful as enchanted bullets.
The light sniper has a long range and is easy to operate. The heavy sniper has an even longer range, but it's not as easy to use.
You can slowly figure out the specifics yourself."
Aaron kept nodding, inspecting each firearm. The comfortable texture and exquisite appearance made him reluctant to put them down.
Conveniently, the family's Chamber of Secrets also had a shooting range. He would test the performance of these guns thoroughly later.
Having obtained the eagerly anticipated weapons, Aaron was in a great mood, a satisfied smile still on his face as he left the Chamber of Secrets.
Aaron proceeded to the other Chambers of Secrets in order, greeting more than twenty ancestors, allowing them to test whether their professional skills had regressed, and simultaneously began this year's study tasks.
magic circles were a compulsory course, and both Gaines and Aaron attached great importance to this type of magic. In addition, medicine and botany were also added to this year's curriculum.