After finishing lunch and resting for a while, Hermione pulled Loren along to explore the ruins of the castle.
Mr. Angus didn't feel comfortable letting two children explore the ruins on their own, so he followed as well.
At first, Hermione was full of excitement, searching around in hopes of finding traces of the buildings Mr. Angus had described in his stories. But all that met her eyes was devastation; the structures on the surface had mostly collapsed.
"Uncle York, was the castle really like in your stories?" Hermione finally asked, turning her head toward Mr. Angus.
"Of course," Mr. Angus replied. "Although the above-ground buildings have fallen, the underground labyrinth still exists."
Saying that, he led them toward the underground entrance he had discovered.
The moment Loren heard about the underground labyrinth, he quickly followed, with Hermione close on his heels.
For Loren, the labyrinth was the real goal. If it was anything like in "Abnormal," and a Demon Stone had been left beneath, then all it would take was some demon knocking on the door for him to be completely doomed.
When they reached the entrance, Loren was about to go down when Mr. Angus grabbed him firmly.
"Loren, you can't go down there."
"And you too, Hermione."
He held both children tightly and explained, "A large portion has already collapsed. It's full of rubble. It's too dangerous for you to go in."
Hearing this, Hermione gave up on the idea, though she crouched at the edge of the entrance, stretching her head as far as she could in hopes of glimpsing something. But it was pitch-black—nothing could be seen.
Loren stood silently nearby, quickly losing interest in the labyrinth.
From his past life's memories, Loren knew that in "Abnormal," when the protagonist arrived, Mr. Angus was already a man in his forties. Now he was barely in his twenties, so the timeline was nearly twenty years off.
And in "Abnormal," the labyrinth was described as vast and sprawling, while according to Mr. Angus, it had already collapsed. That meant the projection only recreated the castle structure itself; the seal below had not been projected.
Relieved, Loren realized he didn't need to worry about demons knocking on doors or skeleton armies rising.
From there, Mr. Angus took on the role of a tour guide, leading the children around the ruins, pointing to piles of stone or half-collapsed walls and weaving stories about them. His professionalism was impeccable—no wonder this was his way of earning a living.
If Loren didn't already know from his past memories that these stories were fabrications meant to entertain tourists, he might have suspected Mr. Angus was a true descendant of the nobles who once owned this castle.
Hermione listened with great interest, and Loren simply kept her company.
Meanwhile, the two ladies enjoyed their tea and conversation, leaving Mr. Granger thoroughly ignored. Bored, he eventually joined Mr. Angus's little "tour group," listening to the stories as well.
Time flew by as Mr. Angus told his tales. By the time he paused to take his fifth sip of water, the ladies had finished their tea and called everyone back.
Mr. Angus let out a sigh of relief. Telling stories all afternoon was exhausting—especially since Hermione kept asking questions about inconsistencies in the tales, forcing him to rack his brain to cover up the flaws.
Mr. Granger noticed his embarrassment and helped smooth things over so that Mr. Angus wouldn't lose face in front of the children.
…
As night fell, the group returned to the inn. The two ladies prepared dinner while the two men chatted at the table. Loren and Hermione were also speaking quietly together.
"Hermione, do you know what it means to see through something but not point it out?" Loren asked.
"What do you mean, Loren?"
"Well, didn't you realize this afternoon that my father made up those stories to entertain tourists?"
"What? Those amazing stories were fake? But that's lying!"
"Actually, everyone can tell. But no one calls it out."
"Why not? Lying is wrong!"
"Hermione, you have to understand—no one really cares whether the stories are true or false. As long as the castle stands here, and the stories bring them joy, then their trip is worth it.
"Some things are best left unsaid. If everyone already knows but you point it out, they'll dislike you for it.
"You saw my father today—your father even helped smooth things over. That's because they're friends and can understand and forgive each other. But if it were strangers, they'd probably be offended."
As they spoke, dinner was ready. Everyone set aside their conversations and enjoyed the meal together.
At one point, Hermione even apologized to Mr. Angus for pressing him earlier, making his face flush crimson, much to everyone's amusement. Laughter filled the air, making the evening bright and warm.
After dinner, the Grangers said their goodbyes and left. Loren, claiming he was tired from the day's exploring, went to his room early.
"System, begin enhancement."
As Loren lay down, ready to receive the world's gift, the system's voice echoed.
"Ding! Enhancement beginning."
A flash of light passed before his eyes, then everything fell into darkness—cold, endless chaos where even space itself seemed meaningless.
For a brief moment, Loren felt his soul detach from his body, drifting in an ethereal, indescribable dimension. He strained to find even a trace of his familiar senses, but there was nothing—no sound, no light, no warmth or touch. It was like a spirit sealed in a tiny bottle.
Alone, he drifted… perhaps for only ten seconds, before his vision gradually returned.
With a start, Loren sat up in bed and opened his system panel.
"System Panel:
Name: Loren Angus
Class: Wizard Apprentice
Life Skills: … (click to expand)
Professional Skills: … (click to expand)
Talents:
1. Strange Knowledge (abridged)
2. Chaotic Thinking (abridged)
3. Universal Language Mastery (abridged)
4. World Feedback (abridged)
5. Disciplined (abridged)
6. First-generation Wizard Talent (abridged)
7. Reader (abridged)
8. Body Modification: An occupational modification for the Xiling Empire's Inspectors, the foundation of their future power. As Inspectors grow, their lifespan expands along with their soul, and various abilities will awaken, such as enhanced vision, rigid shields, and more. (ps: Growth also requires energy. How much can you provide? A word of advice—get plenty of sunlight.)
System Evaluation: A wizard apprentice whose future has no visible end."
Reading this, Loren realized the body modification came with hidden pitfalls.
He had only thought about the incredible powers gained by "Bombman" Haoren after his modifications—forgetting just how much divine food he had eaten to fuel them.
In "Abnormal," the protagonist often freeloaded snacks from the gods, received golden apples as year-end rewards, and dined on countless divine fruits. Even a cat that ate one of those golden apples could take human form.
Without such energy, Loren had only one option—time. Like Superman, he'd have to bathe in sunlight for years, slowly developing.
Lying back down, he carefully considered his future plans:
1. Educate Hermione—her future is unclear, but his happiness depends on it. That impulsive, proud, insecure little lion must fade away, and in her place, a gentle, thoughtful, beautiful young woman will stand by him.
2. Explore London for other possible projections to gain rewards. Worlds like Sherlock Holmes, Assassin's Creed, or Type-Moon all had London scenes—worth investigating in his spare time.
3. Avoid contact with the magical world for now. His development was progressing smoothly, so no need for unnecessary risks. He would lay low, grow strong, and patiently wait for the day the round-faced boy arrived.
4. Improve his professional skills whenever possible, especially magic control—the core of any wizard. He would practice diligently, and later, when his level was higher, use his past-life knowledge to develop new magic. Doing it too early could be dangerous.
5. Read more books, learn more life skills, raise skill levels, study skill fusion, and prepare fuel for future breakthroughs in professional skills.
These were the immediate priorities. The ultimate goal could wait. With his extended lifespan, he had plenty of time to explore life and death's mysteries.
Still, prolonging the lives of his loved ones was something to work on. While he was now long-lived, his family and the Grangers were not.
But there was no rush. Time was abundant. He could first explore whether the world's gifts could solve the problem. If not, then once he reached the magical world, he could create his own Elixir of Life. With his system panel as support, he believed he could succeed.
With his plans set, Loren tidied up and prepared for sleep—after all, he never carried fatigue into the next day.
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