— — — — — —
Late at night, Tom left Gringotts with a smile on his face, escorted out by a group of goblins who looked as though they were attending a funeral.
"That little brat's too damn sharp!"
It wasn't until Tom's figure had long vanished into the dark that one of the goblins finally spat out his frustration.
The profit split had been finalized, but there were still plenty of details to hammer out. Except Tom had already thought of everything. Every bit of his commission would be recorded and stored separately—untouchable by goblin hands—and settled weekly into his own Gringotts vault.
That left the goblins with no room for their usual tricks.
"Enough, Tolson," came the calm, gravelly voice of the eldest goblin director. "Stop whining. We lost fair and square. Riddle beat us in business, not by deceit. You've got no right to complain."
"On the contrary—you should learn from him. Use Riddle's methods against those damn Ministry wizards. Wouldn't that make us more money?"
For all the countless goblin uprisings in history, Gringotts still held control of the wizarding world's economy. Why? Because the goblins who worked there were the greediest of their kind—so obsessed with gold that the mere sight of it made their blood sing. They had no interest in rebellion; as long as their greed was fed, their ambitions were… relatively harmless.
And more importantly, they were born traders. Business ran in their veins. The wizarding world had no tax system, and each Ministry's funding was… complicated. But a huge portion came from the "protection fees" paid annually by their local Gringotts branch.
Keep the Ministry happy, and the rest was profit.
So Gringotts' relationship with the Ministry was always a mix of cooperation and competition. Every galleon they could keep out of the Ministry's hands was one more for themselves.
Hearing the old goblin's words, the others began to calm down.
One goblin said thoughtfully, "The Muggles' financial systems are far beyond what we imagined. I say we send someone to infiltrate their institutions and study them."
"Impossible," another shot back immediately. "You know how closely the wizards monitor us. Without a wizard casting a Confundus Charm to cover us, we'll never blend in."
"Then pay a few wizards off. There are plenty of broke ones out there."
"Not safe. Poor wizards are usually weak in magic. If we're exposed, we're done for."
"You'll never accomplish anything if you're scared of every risk!"
Tom had no idea that his negotiation had just convinced the goblins to take Muggle economics more seriously. And even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
Power was all that mattered. Let the goblins keep their piles of gold—he'd stockpile wands instead.
And if things ever got serious, a small "peacekeeping force" would drop by Gringotts for some "friendly hands-on cooperation," and leave with a generous "compensation package."
That wasn't just Tom's view—it was how most of the Ministry saw things too.
...
Newt's home
"Judging by that grin, I take it everything went well?" Fleur asked the moment Tom walked in.
The corners of Tom's mouth just wouldn't stay down, which made the answer obvious.
"Mm, couldn't have gone better."
Tom leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, smiling. "You'd better start getting used to being a rich lady."
"Ugh, you're all saliva," she complained, though she didn't push him away. Instead, she retaliated with a quick kiss on his cheek and murmured, "Want to celebrate tonight?"
Tom shook his head, running a hand through her silky hair. "Tomorrow. I'm beat. Gonna take a bath and crash early."
He hadn't forgotten—the system update was finishing later tonight. Seven whole days without the Study Space. Seven days! He was practically itching for it.
He still had no idea what the update would bring, but it must've been big to take this long.
Fleur, ever understanding, hugged him once more before heading back to her room.
...
Later that night, Tom sat staring at the upgrade countdown on his system panel, watching it tick away like it might suddenly jump to zero early.
(Spoiler: it didn't. He just wasted half an hour of his life.)
Finally, when the last second vanished, the screen flickered black like a computer rebooting, then lit up again after a few seconds—making his heart skip a beat.
The interface itself looked the same, but a glowing update notice popped up. Tom straightened immediately and began to read carefully.
[Thank you for your patience! The Study System upgrade is complete — current version 1.1.]
[Update details below:
1. Following the host's suggestions, private tutors will now be selected excluding candidates from the current era. The host's subconscious evaluations will partially influence recruitment results.
2. Study Space upgrade: previous version realism 98.9%. New version: 99.99%. Enjoy a nearly perfect simulation environment for more authentic study experiences.
3. New Study Space feature — Time Flow Adjustment! To help the host make better use of real-world hours, you can now speed up time within the space. Each doubled speed consumes 1 Credit per minute.
(Note: time acceleration does not cause mental or spiritual aging or fatigue. Safe for use.)
(Talent detected: Power of Time. Maximum acceleration multiplier unlocked: [3x].)
4. Due to repeated positive feedback on "Turbo Mode," a new advanced option—Claircognition Mode—is now available.
In this mode, the host's logical reasoning and information integration abilities are vastly enhanced, with a chance to trigger the Eureka Insight effect, allowing instinctive selection of the optimal improvement path beyond rational limits.
(Note: Both old and new modes coexist. Turbo Mode cost remains unchanged; Claircognition Mode costs 500 Credits per 10 minutes.)
5. When a private tutor's approval reaches 100%, they will unlock one Salary Settlement opportunity (click to view compatibility).
Future updates will add more ways to earn these settlements—stay tuned!
[For more info, click here]
...
Tom read through the update notes, absorbing every line.
The first change was straightforward—his will now partly influenced which tutors the system picked. Good. That meant no accidental summoning of a certain wizard like Voldy or Dumbles.
The second and third updates were both about the Study space. Higher realism? Excellent news. It reminded him of that simulated universe from Honkai Star Rail—where even the laws of reality could be trained within the simulation. What would 99.99% realism even feel like?
And time acceleration—finally. That'd save him hours in the real world.
More time to earn Credits and achievement points… well, only to hand them right back to the system.
Wait a second. Why did this sound suspiciously like working for the system?
Still, that Time Talent gift from old G turned out to be even better than expected—upgraded straight from 2x to 3x speed.
As for the fourth update… yet another Credit devourer.
Tom sighed. He used to be cautious with his spending, but ever since he'd stacked up tens of thousands of points, he'd gotten bold—using Turbo Mode every few days like it was nothing.
Now it looked like the system had found a new way to drain him dry.
Time acceleration. Claircognition. The system wasn't even subtle about it—it was flat-out telling him to work harder and stop slacking off.
The last update, though, clearly wasn't for him. It was meant for Andros, Grindelwald, and Ariana. Tom casually opened the details, skimmed a line, and froze. His eyes widened.
When he recovered from the shock, he immediately entered the Study Space.
The same misty expanse unfolded around him—unchanged in size or layout—but it felt real, far more than before. It was so lifelike that Tom almost forgot this was only a mental projection.
99.99% realism. At this point, it might as well be the real world.
Two figures materialized beside him—Andros and Ariana—while Grindelwald's spirit was automatically expelled from the space. He hadn't died yet, so the system must've locked him out. The other two, though, had been frozen for the entire seven-day update, their consciousness still stuck in the moment right after Ariana's victory.
As the new information from the system poured into their minds, silence fell.
It was Ariana who spoke first, her voice trembling with disbelief. "Tom… is this real?"
Tom nodded. "The system doesn't lie. If it can pull your soul in here, it's not going to trick you."
He turned to the two older men, who were still silent. "This wasn't my doing. The system upgraded on its own. Whether you accept what it's offering—that's up to you. I won't pressure you or use it against you."
He looked each of them in the eye. "You've known me long enough to judge my character. Sure, I can be ruthless with outsiders, but I treat my own right. You're more than just teachers or friends to me—I see you as family."
"But there's one thing I have to make clear. If you agree, then once you leave this space, you'll be working for me. Family or not, business should stay business."
The "reward" the system had given his tutors this time wasn't gold or freedom—it was a choice.
If they accepted, they would become Tom's subordinate souls.
In exchange for 1,000 Achievement Points and 5,000 Credits, Tom could summon them into the real world, their souls taking form outside the Study Space.
The catch: They couldn't reveal the existence of the space, couldn't share Tom's secrets, and couldn't act against him in any way.
In polite terms, it was a nondisclosure and service contract. Bluntly put—it was a master-servant bond.
And it came with one more… interesting clause.
Their existence would be tied to his. As long as Tom lived, they would live. If he died, they would vanish with him.
Which meant, if Tom managed to live long enough, they'd be effectively immortal.
Grindelwald's case was special, though. Since he still had a living body, his reward would be restoration—his soul and body both returning to their peak condition.
But as former legends—the so-called "kings of their centuries"—death itself mattered far less to them than dignity.
So even if Andros, Grindelwald, or even Ariana refused, Tom wouldn't be angry.
Ariana was the first to speak. "Tom, I'll do it. I'll become your subordinate soul."
To her, this wasn't even a difficult choice. Getting another chance to live again was a miracle beyond imagining. Why wouldn't she accept?
And those restrictions? They meant nothing to her. Even without them, she'd never betray him.
She pressed her palm against the glowing prompt before her. A faint light flared as she left a soul imprint. Instantly, Tom received a notification—he could now materialize Ariana's soul in the real world at any time, as long as he paid the required points.
But the system came with a warning: Due to the world's natural laws, a soul exposed to reality would burn rapidly. To remain stable, it would need a physical vessel.
The Hogwarts ghosts, the system clarified, weren't true souls at all—their existence worked under completely different rules.
Tom gently ruffled Ariana's hair, his voice soft. "Give me a bit more time. Once I summon my next tutor, I'll gather more Achievement Points and bring you back properly. I promise—I will resurrect you."
Ariana smiled sweetly and shook her head. "I'm not in a hurry."
Tom didn't believe that for a second.
She'd died at thirteen, long before she could experience the world's beauty. Of course she wanted to live again. She was just trying not to burden him with the pressure of it.
"I'll make you a new body," he said firmly. "Exactly like before."
In truth, he'd recently realized how valuable Grindelwald's old research notes were—full of soul vessel experiments and several methods for crafting physical anchors. He'd skimmed over them before, but now? He'd read every word.
Ariana blushed.
Maybe… it didn't have to be exactly like before. There were a few things that could be, well, adjusted.
After all, she'd only been thirteen when she died. Obviously, she would've… developed more if she'd lived.
As she shyly debated whether to bring that up with him, Tom suddenly stiffened. His head snapped up, eyes wide with shock as he turned toward Andros.
"Andros… you really did it..."
.
.
.