Chapter 18: Little Merlin
The Burrow
Ronald Bilius Weasley
July 15, 1989, Saturday
Ron woke up feeling as rested as usual on a new Saturday morning.
Normally, someone who slept that much would feel some muscle fatigue, as their muscles were starting to weaken, but thanks to his dueling training at Workshop Town, his body was getting stronger instead of weaker.
As Ron got out of bed, he asked Alfred in his mind, 'Alfred, what's my current magic power scale?'
[Your current magic power scale is 478 units, Master Ronald.]
'Hmm... 478 units. That means I gained 107 units over the past week. Not bad considering I've been focusing mainly on my other projects. I guess using the Levitation Charm constantly has paid off,' Ron thought.
478 units meant he had about the same magical power as an average fourth-level Hogwarts student.
Ron wasn't at the level he wanted yet, but he was slowly getting there. At least now he could perform higher-level spells more easily. Without sufficient magical power, casting high-level spells was truly challenging.
Ron's morning was uneventful. As usual, after having breakfast with his family, everyone dispersed to their own activities or to play Hightower (Jenga), but Ron managed to catch up with Bill on the stairs.
"Bill, wait a minute, please," Ron said as he climbed the stairs.
"Ron? What's wrong?" Bill said, stopping on the stairs and looking back.
"Do you have time for me? There's something I want to talk to you about," Ron said after reaching Bill's side on the stairs.
"Uh... Sure?" Bill said, surprised by Ron's unexpected request.
"Excellent. Let's go to my room. We can talk more comfortably there," Ron said, stepping ahead of Bill and starting to climb the stairs towards his room.
"Right... That would definitely be more comfortable," Bill said in a low voice, but Ron could hear footsteps following him.
After reaching his room, Ron opened the door and went inside, then turned to Bill and said, "Please come in."
After Bill entered the room, Ron closed the door behind them and then turned to Bill. However, realizing the room wasn't ideal for them to sit comfortably and talk, he conjured a table and two chairs with a wave of his hand.
"Please sit down and make yourself comfortable," Ron said, gesturing to one chair before walking to the other and taking a seat.
Meanwhile, Bill stared at the table and chairs opposite him, frozen in place.
"Ron, you can conjure objects now? With nonverbal and wandless magic?" Bill asked.
"Yeah. I learned that from a book. Is that weird?" Ron said innocently.
"I guess the healer at St. Mungo's wasn't wrong when he diagnosed you as a genius," Bill said, recovering from his surprise, and then he sat down in the empty chair opposite Ron.
"So... what do you want to talk to me about?" Bill asked.
"I need your help with something. And if possible, some advice would be appreciated," Ron said.
"Help? Advice? I'll do my best. What's the problem?" Bill said.
"You know the Hightower game, right? The one I made to play with Ginny," Ron said.
"Yeah. I know. The twins, Charlie, and I play it often. It's a fun game. What's wrong with it?" Bill asked curiously, still trying to understand why he was here.
"I'm glad you find it fun. Actually, I want to sell this game and make some money. And I need your help with that," Ron said.
"Sell the game?" Bill said in surprise. Then, as if he understood something, he smiled half-heartedly and added, "Ron, don't get me wrong, the Hightower game you made is fun to play, but I don't think it's very suitable for sale."
"Hmm? Why?" Ron asked.
"Ron, you need to understand that business isn't something you can just jump into easily. I don't have much experience in this either, so I can't give you much advice, but the game you made is very easy to copy. That's why other wizards and witches, after seeing the game, will make it themselves instead of buying it." Bill said.
And at that moment, Ron realized Bill had misunderstood him. Or rather, he hadn't explained the situation to Bill properly. For a moment, Ron had forgotten that all his plans were just in his head and that he was only a nine-year-old boy.
Bill probably saw him as a child who dreamed of making money without understanding the business.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Bill. That wasn't exactly what I meant. I know that the version of Hightower you're playing can't be sold. I've spent the last week working on Hightower and other games, making them ready for sale," Ron said.
Then, with another wave of his hand, the lid of a wooden chest he had made himself, standing in the corner of the room, opened, and three objects floated out and landed gently on the table in front of them.
These three objects were boxes made entirely of polished white wood with red motifs.
The first box was 20 centimeters wide and 70 centimeters long, and only 6 centimeters high.
The box had a slit running lengthwise down the middle, where the top lids could be opened by turning it to two sides. Ron had secured these top sections to the bottom of the box with wooden hinges.
Because the box and its parts had unbreakable runes on them, he wasn't afraid of them wearing down or breaking over time.
This was the box Ron had prepared for Hightower (Jenga). He hadn't forgotten to write "Hightower" in red letters on it. There wasn't yet a company logo or his own name, but he would add that after talking to a Solicitor and setting up his business.
Instead of the classic vertical Jenga box, Ron had opted for a long, horizontal box.
In Muggle Jenga, rebuilding the tower before putting it back in the box eliminated the need to stack the blocks before starting the next game. However, Ron's magical version, the Hightower, didn't have this problem.
The Hightower had the ability to quickly build a tower by stacking its own blocks.
"Ron, what are these?" Bill asked, looking in amazement at the three meticulously crafted and finely carved boxes on the table.
Besides the Hightower box, there was another white, polished, finely carved box measuring 9 centimeters by 15 centimeters and 4 centimeters high, with red motifs and the word "Bazinga" written in red.
This box was a wooden one Ron had made based on the Uno Deluxe metal box, and like the metal box, it opened by separating the top from the bottom.
The last box, while identical to the others, measured 40 centimeters by 40 centimeters and 10 centimeters high, and had "Check & Checkers" written on it.
Unlike the other two boxes, this one had to be slid open. Sliding and turning the top back onto the box revealed the playing area for chess and checkers.
"These are the ready-to-sell versions of three games I made, Bill," Ron said. Then tapped the Hightower (Jenga) box three times with his fingers and said, "Merlin."
Upon this, the lids of the box opened, and the blue orb in the center of the box glowed. A magic spell emerged from the orb, conjuring a plush toy resembling an old wizard, about 50 centimeters tall, onto the table.
This was Ron's mascot, which he called Chibi or Little Merlin. He had based it on Gandalf, but made it cuter and more adorable. Additionally, it was huggable because it was a plush toy.
Its wizard robe and hat were predominantly white with red embroidery, and he held a wand made of white wood with a red stone.
This Little Merlin was the project that Ron had been working on for a long time.
Bill was surprised when a plush toy suddenly appeared before him after opening the box, but what truly shocked him was that this old, short wizard toy began to move and talk to them.
"Hello, young wizards. How about a game of Hightower?" said Little Merlin.
"Ron, what's going on? Why is this toy talking?" Bill said, leaning back slightly.
If Arthur Weasley had taught them anything, it was never to trust objects that thought and spoke for themselves.
"This is a mascot I've named Little Merlin, Bill. I created him to explain the rules of the game and talk to the players. And thanks to Little Merlin, players can play these games even alone," Ron said.
"Ron, that's not important. How can he think and talk on his own?" Bill asked, his voice clearly strained.
"Hmm? He can talk, but he can't think for himself," Ron said.
"Huh? If he can't think, how can he talk?" Bill asked, puzzled.
"Hmm... I don't know how to explain it, but Little Merlin can only talk and answer about things I've taught him. He can't talk about things I haven't taught him," Ron said.
And that was true. The Rune Core and AMROS (Advanced Magical Rune Operation System) that Ron was working on were essentially just a chatbot system.
Ron wanted to give it artificial intelligence capabilities, but he quickly realized he couldn't do so in a short time. Instead, Little Merlin had limited machine-learning capabilities.
This allowed Little Merlin to gather information about those who bought the game and act according to their personal preferences and aptitudes.
It could also adjust the game's difficulty based on players' ages and skill levels, ensuring it remains consistently fun for everyone.
However, he operated within the limits and protocols of the AMROS database that Ron had uploaded, and its information was essentially limited to what Ron had uploaded.
"Ron, are you sure about that? It seems quite intelligent to me," said Bill, keeping his eyes on Little Merlin, who was now observing and listening to their conversation.
Ron could even see that one of Bill's hands was on his wand.
"Don't worry, Bill. I made it myself. How could it think for itself?" said Ron, then turning to Little Merlin, he spoke, "Little Merlin, what do you think of the current Minister for Magic and her policies?"
"Ahem, ahem... Unfortunately, Little Merlin is a little old, so his memory isn't quite right. But I still know a lot about Hightower. Do you want me to explain how the game is played?" said Little Merlin.
"See? He only knows about the game and the things I've taught him. He can't answer any other questions. Why don't you talk a little with it and see yourself?" Ron said to Bill.
"Oh..." said Bill, but Ron could see he was greatly relieved.
Then Bill began talking to Little Merlin and asking him questions about the game and many other things.
And Bill's doubts gradually gave way to admiration, and after a while, without realizing it, he began to chat with Little Merlin.
Although Ron had equipped Little Merlin with basic knowledge of the game, Little Merlin also possessed knowledge of everyday life and general culture.
Therefore, as long as he wasn't asked detailed questions or delved into sensitive/forbidden topics, he could comfortably maintain a conversation with those around him.
After all, when Ron designed Little Merlin, he intended him to be a teacher/referee as well as a friend to the players.
When Ron realized Bill wouldn't stop chatting with Little Merlin anytime soon, he had to intervene and said, "Bill, why don't you try out the new version of Hightower and tell me your opinion?"
"Huh?" Bill was momentarily surprised, then looked at the Hightower box on the table, now open, and the neatly arranged blocks inside.
"Right, we were going to look at the games, weren't we?" Bill said, and then added, "Then let's build the tower, Ron."
"There's no need," said Ron, then turned to Little Merlin. "Little Merlin, we want to play Hightower, two people."
"As you wish, young wizards," said Little Merlin, then waved his wand, and two wooden rings flew out of the box and stopped in front of Ron and Bill.
"Please put on your player rings first," said Little Merlin.
"Can Little Merlin do magic?" Bill asked in astonishment.
"What? Of course not. The magic comes from the game box. Little Merlin just pretends to do magic," said Ron.
"Oh... Haha," said Bill, then asked, "What exactly are these rings, Ron?"
"These are player rings. You'll understand when we start playing the game," said Ron, and put a ring on his finger.
Bill took the ring in front of him and put it on his finger, but then... what appeared before him... surprised him again.
"That's a screen made with illusion magic, Bill. Just follow the instructions on it," said Ron.
Bill read the text on the screen. It asked him to choose a player's name for the game.
After Ron said "Ron" to his screen, Bill said "Bill" to his screen, and the screen changed, this time asking him to choose a player color.
After hearing Ron say "Red," Bill said "Blue," and then both screens disappeared.
But this time, Bill noticed a larger screen appearing above Little Merlin. On this screen were Ron's and his own names.
This screen was split in two, with Ron's name on the red side and his own name on the blue side.
"While we play, Little Merlin will write down the game points and keep track of the score. That way, we can just focus on the game," said Ron.
Then, turning to Little Merlin, he said, "Little Merlin, tower please."
"As you wish, young Ron. Let the game begin," said Little Merlin, and with a wave of his wand, a small whirlwind instantly appeared.
Although Bill saw the whirlwind, he felt only a slight breeze, not a strong wind. At that moment, he realized that the whirlwind was mostly an illusion.
After the whirlwind appeared, the blocks inside the box were lifted into the air by it and began to spin.
A few seconds later, the whirlwind settled between Ron and Bill, then dispersed and disappeared. Now, in its place, stood a perfectly arranged Hightower tower.
"Which mode would you like to play, Bill?" asked Ron.
And then Bill spent perhaps the most enjoyable three hours of his life. He never thought a home game could be so fun.
But Ron's game kept surprising him with its different features and modes.
During those three hours playing Hightower, he'd completely forgotten he was there to review the game and was solely focused on having fun.
And that was exactly what Ron wanted. If Bill found his games entertaining, it meant he acknowledged their sales potential, and that would likely mean he'd help Ron with his plan.
End of Chapter 18.
[Author's Note: I know I didn't release a chapter this Monday, folks. But I wasn't feeling very well.
So, I'm releasing a slightly longer chapter than usual today.
If I find the time, I'll try to release another episode before Monday to catch up, but I can't promise anything.]