"But what if I do this?"
Lynn did not doubt what Ollivander had said before, but he wasn't one to give up so simply.
With a tap of his wand, a small block of wood on the table transformed into a glimmering golden bullet.
"If I inscribe runes on it and use alchemical methods to craft the bullet, can I achieve rapid casting without the need to write out runes in the moment?"
"My biggest shortcoming is my lack of sensitivity to spells; it limits my possibility of using charms as flexibly as other wizards."
"If you put it that way, then it is indeed feasible."
Since the vast majority of wizards did not suffer from a defect like Lynn's, they would never consider such things. Ollivander nodded in understanding. "Doing so would indeed grant you the ability to cast spells rapidly."
"But it would be very rigid, wouldn't it?"
Ollivander pointed out the greatest flaw in this approach. "If you use the method of writing runes to cast spells, at least while you are writing, you can customize the magic's effect according to your needs—such as how high to make something float, or where it drifts."
"But if you adopt the method of inscribed runes, the magic is unchangeable once it is set. The side effect of rapid casting is that it becomes even more rigid; you would lose almost all control over the spell."
"Then what if I add Transfiguration?"
Lynn proposed a new solution. "Using Transfiguration to quickly modify the runes before activating the magic, so that every cast meets the specific requirements I want."
"That involves even more considerations. Although the plan sounds feasible, the difficulties are numerous."
Ollivander shook his head slightly. "Such casting is not simple; one might even say it is super troublesome. Furthermore, you would need to solve a problem—the magical interference caused when you deform the material."
"Transfiguration is also a type of spell. Its effects will impact your subsequent charms. After all, your spell is triggered based on a carrier transformed by Transfiguration. This problem is quite fatal."
The experienced wandmaker shrewdly pointed out the flaws in the method; he had considered things much more deeply than Lynn.
"Perhaps I can find a way to solve it in the future." Lynn frowned in thought, though he couldn't come up with an effective solution at the moment.
"Maybe one day inspiration will strike, and you'll solve the problem just like that."
Ollivander did not dampen Lynn's enthusiasm. "But for now, I believe you need to strengthen your reserve of knowledge again. Come, I'll get you some new books; they will be of help to you."
He beckoned Lynn toward his workroom, which also served as a massive library.
It wasn't until evening that Lynn walked out of Ollivanders.
His four-dimensional pocket now held twenty-some thick books—this would be his "food" for the next month or so.
Trying to reproduce the "gun" from the Mirror of Erised involved more difficulties than Lynn had imagined. The more he discussed it with Ollivander, the more he understood why this seemingly interesting avenue of research had remained untouched until now.
Using alchemy to cast spells was simply too clumsy for normal wizards. It was like a person with healthy hands insisting on eating with a spoon clenched between their feet. Only someone with special needs like Lynn would choose this path out of necessity.
"The future is bright, the road ahead is grand!"
Having given himself a pep talk, Lynn pulled himself together.
"Since it's come to this, I'll take a bath and have dinner first."
Passing through the Leaky Cauldron and leaving Diagon Alley, Lynn familiarly found a small nearby park. He pitched his Universal Tent, and the tempting aroma of food soon wafted from the Gourmet Tablecloth, which hadn't been used in a long time.
"Why is there curry pilaf? Is the true orthodoxy of Great Britain really in India?"
In the days leading up to Christmas, Lynn holed up alone in his tent. He earnestly studied the books Ollivander had given him, and when he got tired of reading, he organized data for his cards and Auto Chess to relax his brain. Such a dull life would have been a nightmare for other children, but Lynn didn't find it boring at all.
He had plenty of patience.
He also recorded some newly born ideas regarding his exclusive wand—for instance, using magical gemstones to create bullets. However, without actual experimentation, these conjectures could not be established as fact.
Two or three days passed in a flash. Realizing that tonight was Christmas Eve, Lynn put down his book, packed up the tent, and hailed a dark burgundy taxi to South Kensington, where Cho lived.
This was an old, wealthy district of London. A ten-minute walk could cover the core campuses of four G5 universities; if you went for a morning run here, there was a 32% chance you'd bump into the president of Imperial College.
Wizards living in such a place needed not only sufficient financial resources but also sufficient ability. To live peacefully and undetected in such close proximity to Muggles, the protective magic on a house was a severe test of one's personal capability.
Following the note Cho had given him earlier, Lynn got out of the car and walked for two minutes until he arrived in front of a detached villa shrouded in magic, which Muggles would subconsciously ignore.
Before Lynn could even reach out to knock, a beautiful tabby cat darted in front of him. It waved at him in a very human-like manner and let out a few meows.
"Hello there."
Lynn crouched down and reached out to pet the big tabby that was greeting him.
"Meow~"
The cat, which was a size larger than an ordinary tabby, rubbed its small head against Lynn's palm. Just as it was snuggling with Lynn, the front door suddenly opened.
"Lynn, you're here!"
Cho called out happily to Lynn, a smile on her face. Immediately after, she spoke to the big tabby: "Modou, do a backflip."
"Meow~"
The big tabby obediently flipped backward in the air and landed steadily.
"See? Isn't my cat amazing at backflips!"
"This is a Kneazle, isn't it?"
Lynn scratched the little fellow's chin; he could tell this cat was extraordinary.
"I think so." Cho also crouched down, petting the cat at the doorway alongside Lynn. "Modou came here with Mom and Dad. He's been in our family for nearly thirty years. Technically, he's my elder. Mom says I was a bit naughty when I was little, and Modou was always the one keeping me company."
"Let's go, come inside. Mom and Dad are both home. Mom is making lots of delicious food today—it's definitely completely different from any Christmas you've had before. We don't eat turkey; that stuff tastes awful."
"But there's Mom's special Christmas pudding cake. It's super great!"
"Mmm, I really appreciate it."
"It's not like you didn't cheekily invite yourself over for a free meal."
Cho picked up Modou, humming a tune as she led the way.
Lynn took his prepared small gifts out of his pocket. One couldn't show up empty-handed to mooch a meal. He hadn't brought anything particularly expensive—a box of tea leaves, a bottle of red wine, and some fruit. One had to eat "peace apples" on Christmas Eve, after all.
After he entered the door, Cho's father happened to walk into the living room. His steps paused slightly as he locked eyes with Lynn.
"Hmm... Professor Zhang?"
Lynn looked at the gentle and refined middle-aged man before him with some hesitation.
"It is you! I was wondering why the name sounded so familiar!"
"Dad? You know him?"
Cho looked at her father with some surprise.
"Back at Oxford University, this kid was a legend. He finished six years of curriculum in three months. The professors from the History and Archaeology departments even got into a fight over who would take him as a student. Later, he was chased out by security and vanished. The commotion he caused nearly blew up the school."
"I met him a few times there back then. I was the one who taught this guy Old Norse. It only took him a week to learn it all. If I hadn't needed to rush off to excavate ancient ruins, I would have wanted to take him as a student myself."
"However, Cho," Professor Zhang looked at his daughter with a beaming smile, "this classmate of yours is no ordinary person. He's quite popular with the girls at school, isn't he? I remember when he was only eight or nine, he had already charmed who knows how many hundreds of pretty older sisters."
Professor Zhang looked at Lynn with a teasing gaze. If Lynn hadn't been genuinely young back then, he probably would have topped the Oxford male students' "Must Kill" list.
"Cough, cough..." Lynn coughed awkwardly, then hurriedly stepped forward to hand over the gifts. "I've come to disturb you this time, Professor. Just a small token of appreciation—and please, go easy on me."
"Hahaha! You rascal."
Professor Zhang unceremoniously accepted the gifts, then patted Lynn on the shoulder. "Don't stand on ceremony. Treat this like your own home. Come, have a seat—I want to test you."
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