Bruno floated in mid-air, carefully looking at the basilisk's head. Especially when he saw the basilisk looking at him with its eyes, its snake tongue flickering as if it was testing how he might taste, coupled with the hissing sound, his hair stood on end. He felt most of his strength drain away, and he quickly looked elsewhere.
But Bruno was stunned. What did he see? The gray trees, the gray streets, the gray houses—everything was gray and white, with no one in sight. It seemed like hell. Only his alchemy hut, along with the basilisk and the wizard in front of him, retained their realistic colors. Seeing this, after a moment's thought, Bruno looked at Lockhart with even more fear. He had heard that powerful wizards could create temporary spaces for fighting. Although he didn't know what a temporary space was, he thought it must be similar to what he saw. No wonder the portkey didn't work.
Then, he heard Lockhart's command. Seeing this, Bruno, who always valued his life, accepted the magic contract very obediently. Lockhart nodded with satisfaction. He couldn't keep casting the Imperius Curse, and for a goblin, being under the Imperius Curse was more trouble than it was worth. Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Lockhart said in a cold voice, "Bruno, after signing the magic contract, you will be my subordinate. You just have to remember one thing: What I say, you do. Understand?"
"Understood, sir," Bruno nodded very firmly, indicating that he understood everything. Then, like a submissive dog, he said in a flattering tone, "Sir, why don't you come back to my alchemy hut first? I have collected a lot of magic items. Take a look and see if any are useful."
Seeing Bruno's sincere expression, Lockhart nodded slightly. He looked at the nearly half-collapsed alchemy hut below and waved his wand. "Repario!" As the spell was recited, powerful magic power surged from the wand, enveloping the entire alchemy hut. Soon, under Bruno's gaze, the fragments of the house, mostly ruins, seemed to flow backward in time, re-floating and assembling into their original form. Even the magical lines and runes on the house returned to their original state, as if it hadn't been broken at all.
Seeing this, Bruno became even more attentive, his eyebrows lowered, acting like a servant at Lockhart's call. He had seen restoration spells before and had used them himself, but this was the first time he had seen a restoration spell that could restore magical lines and runes to their original state. It was enough to show how strong this wizard was. Lockhart saw the alchemy hut restored to its original appearance, nodded slightly, and called the basilisk, which shrank in size and slowly landed on the ground.
Seeing this, Bruno also began to land. After Lockhart landed, he looked at the basilisk, which had returned to the size of an ordinary snake, and stretched out his hand. The basilisk climbed up skillfully until it reached Lockhart's shoulder and rubbed his cheek intimately. Lockhart kissed the basilisk's head, then stepped into the alchemy hut, releasing the Mirror Dimension.
Bruno followed. In an instant, he found that the original black and white color quietly disappeared. The sound of rustling leaves in the wind and the calls of birds and animals reached his ears again, making Bruno feel relaxed. God knows how much of a psychological impact it had on him to see the world turn gray. Looking at Lockhart walking in front, Bruno quickly increased his speed, ran ahead, and opened the door for his future master. He was afraid that some of his actions might offend this powerful dark wizard. Although he felt that his master's face was somewhat familiar, he didn't think much about it. After all, who else but a dark wizard could raise such a large basilisk?
"Bruno, there's no need to take these out. They're of no use to me," Lockhart said, seeing the scattered magic items in front of him and ordering Bruno to stand aside. As an alchemist himself, and as he absorbed the essence of both worlds, his level wasn't bad. Plus, he had just ransacked Bella's vault, which contained many top-notch magic items. Bruno's items, though they looked good, were of no help to him.
After hearing Lockhart's instructions, Bruno's eyes flashed with surprise, and he quickly packed up the items, putting them into a space extension bag. If he could reduce losses, he naturally would. He had worked hard to refine these magic items, and if it weren't for seeking good treatment in the future, he wouldn't have been willing to take them out.
Then Bruno heard, "Bruno, you're a master goblin alchemist, right?" Lockhart asked.
"Sir, if you mean a certified alchemist master, then I'm not," Bruno quickly replied. However, seeing Lockhart's confused expression, he continued to explain, "My lord, the thing is, alchemy masters recognized in the wizarding world have published papers in 'The Philosopher's Stone' or made breakthrough research results. As for me, because I have no tangible results, I can't be called a master of alchemy."
Seeing Lockhart frown after hearing this, Bruno immediately added, "However, sir, my personal alchemy level is definitely not lower than those of the alchemy masters. I'm even sure I'm higher than the average alchemist master. Besides, I'm very experienced in imitating certain magic items or making fake ones."
In the end, Bruno felt uneasy, fearing that the dark wizard would give up on him because he wasn't valuable enough. Lockhart was a little disappointed to hear that Bruno wasn't a certified alchemy master. However, when he heard Bruno talk about his alchemy level, especially his expertise, his eyes lit up. After thinking for a while, Lockhart asked, "In that case, tell me, how much do you know about Gold Galleons? What effect can you achieve if you imitate them?"
"Ah, Gold Galleons?" Bruno was surprised, then thought about it and said with a wry smile, "My lord, let me tell you. I've thought about imitating Gold Galleons before. The problem is, although I know the ingredients and formulas, the refining techniques, and can even imitate the anti-counterfeiting technology well, there's a catch."
Speaking of this, Bruno said helplessly, "If the materials are substituted, the refined Galleons will look similar, but ordinary wizards can detect clues through the touch of magic if they're careful. As for the goblins of Gringotts, they're more familiar with this and can easily identify problems. If you want to avoid this, you need to use the original materials to refine Gold Galleons."
At this point, Bruno's eyes flashed with pity as he said, "The goblins at Gringotts not only monopolize the raw materials, but also with the large amount of goblin labor and the refining factory, their costs are greatly reduced. If I were to do it, I would need at least three Gold Galleons' worth of materials to make one. It's such a shame. Moreover, Gringotts' Gold Galleons anti-counterfeiting technology is quite good too. So, I gave up."
Hearing this, Lockhart was thoughtful and said calmly, "Bruno, if I can provide raw materials at a very low cost, can you refine Gold Galleons in large quantities?"
As he spoke, Lockhart emphasized, "What I'm asking for are Galleons that can fool the goblins of Gringotts."
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[Up to 50+ Chapter available and 10 chapter Weakly Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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Hogsmeade, Bruno's Alchemy Hut.
"Bruno, gather some materials for refining gold galleons over the next few days. Practice one or two and show them to me," Lockhart instructed the goblin alchemist. "In 10 days, you'll come with me to a place and do something for me."
Lockhart looked at Bruno and spoke in a deep voice. Then, he waved his wand to create a spatial extension bag, which floated in front of Bruno. "Since you're working under my command, you'll be rewarded if you do well and punished if you don't," he continued. "Here are 100 gold galleons. Do what I tell you, and the rest will be your reward. If it doesn't work out, you can play with this little snake."
Bruno shivered as he recalled the huge basilisk from earlier. He quickly nodded and promised, "Don't worry, sir. I will definitely handle it for you. I always do things safely."
Lockhart suddenly thought of something and warned, "Also, watch your mouth. Don't mention anything about me, especially in front of other goblins."
Lockhart didn't specify the consequences of disobedience, but Bruno understood and nodded quickly. Seeing this, Lockhart nodded slightly. He hadn't forgotten how he obtained Bruno's information—through Bruno's bragging in bed. If not warned in advance, Bruno might cause trouble later.
"Bruno, read this book carefully and master the runes mentioned in it," Lockhart said, handing over a book of his own runic experiences. "You've experienced it before with the magic boots you use. Research slowly by yourself. If you do your research well, you'll have a bright future."
Bruno's eyes lit up. "Sir, so you refined these magic boots? No wonder they're so wonderful. They're simply masterpieces of craftsmanship."
Lockhart was a little speechless and interrupted Bruno's flattery. "Alright, I've given you your task. Do it well. If you have any questions, contact Coffy. Coffy will communicate for us."
"Understood, sir. After I finish what you asked, I'll contact the house-elf Coffy," Bruno nodded quickly.
Lockhart nodded slightly, waved his wand to open a space portal, and stepped into it, disappearing instantly. After Lockhart vanished, Bruno collapsed to the ground. The psychological pressure of facing a typical dark wizard was immense. He feared that if he said the wrong thing, he would be fed to the basilisk.
After a long time, Bruno gradually regained his strength, stood up, and opened the space extension bag in his hand. Looking at the familiar golden light, he murmured to himself, "It seems this gentleman is quite generous. But the more I think about it, the more familiar he looks. Where have I seen him recently?"
Suddenly, Bruno's pupils shrank. He remembered—the person just now was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.
Hogwarts, Defense Against the Dark Arts Office.
After dealing with Bruno the goblin, Lockhart returned directly to his office. Sitting in his chair, he thought about the arrangements for the next period. There were only 10 days until he returned to the Marvel world. By then, he would have to get busy. He needed to find opportunities to improve his strength and deal with future crises. Now, he and the pure-blood families were on par. The struggle ahead would only become more intense. Strength was the prerequisite to ensure everything.
As for his current strength, it was not weak, but in terms of power, he was still far behind those old monsters behind the pure-blood families. Lockhart thought, constantly refining his inner plan.
The next day, Lockhart's office was filled with a thick stack of envelopes. These were letters from his fans. Recently, the number of letters had increased significantly because their favorite idol, Lockhart, had been slandered. This made many witches feel indignant and write letters to express their support for Lockhart while condemning Rita Skeeter.
Lockhart thought the reading experience would be better without some love potion in the middle. He picked up a letter, opened it, and read the contents. It was another letter of comfort and condemnation. He controlled the quill and wrote quickly: "Dear Ms. Blossom, thank you for your concern. Although I feel uncomfortable being slandered for nothing, I believe that many wizards have sharp eyesight, and a good person won't become bad just because of slander. I am confident in my research, and I believe the Daily Prophet won't allow reporters like Rita Skeeter to make unfounded reports. As for the hands-on lesson you mentioned, I personally don't think it's necessary."
Lockhart positioned himself as an innocent man, slandered unjustly, and replied with a gentle attitude, comforting his readers to be broad-minded and not angry because of a villain's casual slander. In reality, Lockhart knew that if he wanted to use his fan base to cause a war, the effect would be significant. Rita Skeeter might not even be able to leave her house for a while. But Lockhart wouldn't do this, as it would waste his reputation and influence.
Instead, his reply supported his hope and prepared for future plans. Since Rita Skeeter was now his subordinate, it would be a waste not to use her well.
Daily Prophet, Editor-in-Chief Cotton's Office.
"Editor, Rita Skeeter has written another manuscript. How should we deal with it? Will it still be on the headlines like last time?" Editor Bobby asked, raising the manuscript.
"I'll take a look first," Cotton said, taking the manuscript and reading it slowly. After reading it, he fell into deep thought. Suddenly, he raised his head and asked Bobby, "Is there anything going on at Hogwarts? Any letters to the Daily Prophet or announcements?"
Bobby thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, nothing happened at Hogwarts. Professor Lockhart seems unaffected by the news and continues to teach."
"In that case," Cotton hesitated for a moment, "let's publish it and give it the headline position."
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[Up to 50+ Chapter available and 10 chapter Weakly Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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