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The recently concluded Advanced Firearms Course had given Harry a great deal of inspiration. His Ebony and Ivory were just as important to him as ever. Though, for a time, they had struggled to keep up with his progress, that wasn't their fault.
The real issue was that Harry hadn't yet mastered how to properly upgrade them.
Few spellcasting mediums could enhance the power of Awakened Wizards, but they weren't nonexistent. The best medium for an Awakened Wizard was one they had personally refined, piece by piece. Because their magic possessed the unique property of "Void Creation," they could reshape their tools—so long as they were willing to invest the time and effort.
Take, for example, the Lotus Sword Immortal's fabled sword case, valued at half the price of the Southern Heavenly Gate itself. It housed thousands of flying swords, each painstakingly refined over time. When Li Jiannan acquired this proper half-divine artifact, his combat strength nearly doubled. While his potential didn't surpass Harry's, the sheer power granted by his enchanted weapon allowed him to unleash destruction even greater than Harry's.
If Ebony and Ivory weren't fully transformed, Harry would eventually fall behind Li Jiannan. Equipment wasn't just an accessory—it was a genuine power boost. Otherwise, why would immortals in myths seek out divine materials to forge legendary weapons? Because those weapons made them stronger.
If Ebony and Ivory could be transformed, then so could the modern firearm attachments. It would just take Harry a bit more time.
That said, Harry still held an advantage over the wizards who had to start from scratch. Earlier, he had extracted a portion of the Elder Wand and crafted it into a silencer, then later modified it into a flash suppressor with even less material. Being a relic of a god, its quality was unquestionably superior. With a base magic amplification of fifty times, Harry's wand, in its firearm form, rivaled even artillery-class magical weapons—perhaps even surpassing them.
It was only the first day of official classes, yet the morning's lessons alone would take him a long time to fully digest.
Yesterday, Grindelwald had told Harry to visit him when he had time. So, after wolfing down a quick lunch, Harry hopped on his hoverboard and followed his map navigation to the Central Tower. His classes were held in the Eastern Twin Towers, while the Central Tower was Durmstrang's most advanced research center.
The nearly 500-meter-tall skyscraper wasn't as packed with floors as one might expect—at least, the highest level accessible by elevator was the 99th floor, where Grindelwald's office was located.
Unlike Hogwarts, which required a password to enter certain areas, Durmstrang's security relied on the badges worn on their chests, which served as identity verification. Along the way, Harry encountered several busy professors striding hastily past. They acknowledged him with polite nods but rarely engaged in casual conversation. Even those who were talking spoke only about ongoing experiments.
The magical elevator ascended swiftly, bringing Harry to the top floor in no time. After stepping through a magical veil that verified his identity, he entered the highest point of the Central Tower.
The entire floor was one vast open space—no walls, no support columns. Through the glass dome, the sun was clearly visible, hanging high in the sky. However, its light wasn't blinding—after passing through the transparent dome, it had been softened to a level comfortable for direct viewing.
Directly facing the elevator exit was Grindelwald's office, where he handled paperwork. The rest of the space was configured as a fully-equipped laboratory, filled with precision instruments arranged in an orderly manner. Some emitted rising smoke, while others bounced around like clumsy figures struggling to keep their oversized pants up.
Seated at his desk, Grindelwald wasn't holding a quill but was instead flipping through documents while leisurely enjoying an exquisite lunch. When he noticed the elevator doors opening, he waved at Harry and gestured to the chair opposite him.
"Sit. If you haven't had enough lunch, try this—
Salt-Baked Phoenix-Tail Golden Pheasant.
Fevrel, our resident expert in magical creatures, recently domesticated this new species for food production. I came up with the name on a whim—it doesn't have an official one yet. You won't find this on the menu in the dining hall."
Unlike Dumbledore, who had a sweet tooth, Grindelwald was an unapologetic salt enthusiast. How these two, with their completely opposite tastes, had ended up as close as two peas in a pod was a mystery. Perhaps Dumbledore ate too many sweets and needed a salty counterbalance?
"Then I'll give it a try."
Harry helped himself without hesitation, tearing off a chicken leg as thick as his forearm. There was no way Grindelwald could finish this super-sized bird, which was several times larger than a turkey. Besides, a second lunch never hurt anyone.
"Not bad." Harry raised an eyebrow. "This would go perfectly with a drink."
"If you like it, take some back with you later.
Right now, production is still in the experimental phase, so supply is limited. But having it every now and then isn't an issue. Just remember to write a taste evaluation and send it to Professor Fevrel's inbox—he's currently looking for people to test it."
The two of them ate their meal in silence, steering clear of any work-related topics. Even the documents—Grindelwald merely skimmed through them but never made notes or signed anything.
Fifteen minutes passed quickly. By then, the massive salt-baked bird, weighing no less than 40 to 50 pounds, had mostly found its way into Harry's stomach. After waving his hand to clear the dishes, Grindelwald stood up.
"Young people sure have great appetites. Let's take a walk—good for digestion."
As Grindelwald led Harry through his office-laboratory hybrid, Harry's understanding of magic expanded yet again.
Aside from his profound mastery of Dark Magic, Grindelwald had also made significant advancements in Alchemy. This deep and intricate discipline was interwoven with nearly every aspect of the magical world. It was no surprise that most top-tier wizards had at least some knowledge of Alchemy.
According to Grindelwald, Alchemy was the pathway to the essence of magic itself. Yet, even Nicolas Flamel, who had lived for over six centuries, had failed to achieve true omniscience and mastery in the field.
At the very center of the experimental zone, a familiar-looking object hovered in a sealed container, suspended by magic.
"You remember this, don't you?" Grindelwald unsealed the container and retrieved the object, holding it in his hand. "The Spear of Longinus. More precisely, this is a trophy brought back over eleven hundred years ago by a wizard who ventured into the Abyss after the war and slew a Demon God. It's similar to the magical core of a Demon Lord, possessing an extremely potent magic amplification effect."
"Not long ago, I visited Hogwarts and had a conversation with Mr. Slytherin's remnant projection. I must admit, Awakened Wizards are truly a fascinating group. Without his explanations, I still wouldn't fully understand what you people really are."
"Before that, I tried every method I could find or think of to refine this object, but the results were far from ideal. I did discover a technique from the Taishi Celestial Dynasty, but… it's far too crude."
"Perhaps there exists a better refinement method, but I lack the resources necessary to trade for it. I must admit that, in the field of magical research, we are lagging behind the world. Even though we are now making efforts to catch up, that takes time."
Grindelwald placed the Spear of Longinus on the table in front of them.
"This is crucial to a very important future strategic plan of mine. But I'm sorry, Harry—I can't tell you about it just yet. It's too important… I'd even say—"
"It concerns the entire future of the European magical world."
"Please allow me to keep this confidential for now. If everything proceeds smoothly, perhaps in a few years, you will witness its creation with your own eyes."
"The Riddler should get out of Gotham."
Grindelwald's habit of dangling bait without revealing anything was truly frustrating. But what could Harry do? The man had already stated his reasons for keeping it a secret. It wasn't like Harry could just blurt out, "Am I not more important than the future of the European magical world?"
"Only an Awakened Wizard's magic can properly refine it. I obtained the correct refinement method from Mr. Slytherin."
Of course, Slytherin, in his current state, was nothing more than a memory projection, sustained solely by the lingering Awakened magic he had left behind. Such magic consumed his very existence, so Grindelwald wouldn't have had the nerve to ask him for help.
That left only one Awakened Wizard he could reach out to—Harry.
There were indeed people in the world who knew about Awakened Wizards, but their whereabouts were known only to recognized members of their kind. If Harry had failed the test arranged by Senior Seti, he wouldn't have gained entry to the Graveyard either.
Whether Slytherin would offer further assistance was uncertain. That was why Grindelwald was pinning his hopes on Harry.
"Of course, Professor. I have no problem with it at all. Professor Dumbledore gave me his Elder Wand, and I've already tried refining it. But it's obvious that my technique was far too crude."
Hearing Harry agree so readily, Grindelwald smiled—not surprised, but visibly pleased.
Neither of them mentioned anything about compensation, and Harry wasn't concerned about it either. Compared to Dumbledore, he found Grindelwald to be far more reliable. At the very least, Grindelwald never shortchanged those he deemed valuable.
Spiritually, he was the ideological pillar of the Wizard Supremacy Party, both a mentor and a guiding light.
Materially, he rewarded individuals according to their talents and abilities.
With both of these factors in place, it was no wonder that the Wizard Supremacy Party had become one of the most cohesive organizations in the modern world.
This wasn't about slandering Dumbledore to praise Grindelwald—if Dumbledore stood by Grindelwald's side, he would undoubtedly be an outstanding second-in-command. In any role except leader, Dumbledore was one of the best.
Grindelwald brought out a stack of blueprints—hand-drawn and meticulously detailed. The stack was so thick that it nearly reached Harry's height.
Harry couldn't decipher what the diagrams depicted, but he could tell they were components of some kind of alchemical device. Each piece was so precisely designed that it was breathtaking.
These were undoubtedly the work of a master alchemist. Even as individual blueprints, they had the allure of artworks—impossible to look away from.
"I'm really, really curious… but even if I ask, you won't tell me, right, Professor?"
After scanning the blueprints, Harry let out a helpless sigh.
"This is going to be even harder than I imagined. This level of precision… I'm not confident in my abilities just yet. But I can practice using the Elder Wand's materials first. As long as I get more time, that shouldn't interfere with your plans, right, Professor?"
"We're still in the early preparatory stage. There's about a year before we officially begin, so you'll have plenty of time to get ready. Rushing things rarely yields good results—I've been preparing for this for fifteen years. A little more time won't make a difference."
"So, Professor Grindelwald, you foresaw this… fifteen years ago?"
Harry raised two fingers—a gesture only those in the know would understand.
"The Abyssal disturbance… and the civilization on the other side of it, right?"
Grindelwald gave a slight nod. "Yes. That night, I had a very, very long dream."
"Merlin could glimpse fragments of the world a thousand years into the future. It shouldn't be surprising that I can see a little ahead too, right?"
"So you're saying… bullets were actually a surprise gift left to us by Merlin across time?"
"Exactly. However, since the magic of that era was vastly different from ours, what he left behind was only a half-finished prototype. Even so, it was an incredibly valuable gift—it saved us at least three to five years of research."
"Manufacturing them in a lab isn't difficult. The real challenge is mass production, since bullets are consumables. And right now… time is not on our side."
"By the way, you and your little friends should start preparing in these few months before Christmas."
Just as Harry was about to leave, Grindelwald spoke up again.
"After Christmas, there will be slots available for a trial mission to the Abyssal battlefield. The top magical schools around the world will be sending students. All except Hogwarts, of course—Albus is moving too slowly. If not for Slytherin…"
Grindelwald shrugged. "Albus is still too soft-hearted. If it were up to me, I'd send all those old traditionalists straight to meet Merlin. Negotiation and compromise achieve nothing. If solving a problem is too troublesome, then just eliminate everyone causing the problem."
Cold, ruthless, and utterly dominant—the Emperor of Grindelwald let his true colors show. If certain people had witnessed this moment, they probably wouldn't sleep soundly for nights.
"Oh, right, Harry. There's something quite interesting—do you want to hear about it?"
"What interesting thing?"
"A certain island nation in the South Pacific recently experienced a coup."
"…What's that supposed to mean?" Harry scratched his head in confusion. He really had no idea what kind of riddle Grindelwald was playing this time.
"Well, interesting things are best discovered on your own. Life is dull when it's spoiled for you."
"Riddler, get out of Durmstrang!"
"I'm the Headmaster, Harry."
"You'll regret this, Headmaster."
Grindelwald burst into laughter, pointing toward the elevator. "Get lost. And don't forget to take your packaged goods with you."
"Got it!"
(End of Chapter)