Fresh from her bath and lying in bed, Kate gazed up at the ceiling that mimicked a starry night sky and whispered softly, "System, open personal interface."
[The Delicious Maiden System is at your service.]
[Host: Kate Shafiq]
[Profession: Wizard]
[Title: Lord of the Manor]
[Charisma: 25]
[Strength: 21]
[Agility: 23]
[Spirit: 23]
[Vitality: 61]
[Luck: 26]
[Mana: 53]
[Overlay Ability 1: Gifted Student Talent - Level 7]
[Overlay Ability 2: Magic Resistance - Level 6]
[Overlay Ability 3: Legendary Magic - Level 5]
[Overlay Ability 4: Animal Affinity - Level 5 (Buff currently disabled)]
[Overlay Ability 5: Draconic Protection - Level 3]
According to the System's calculations, as long as her Mana did not exceed 1.5 times her Vitality, there would be no significant risk. This meant that with her current Vitality, her theoretical Mana cap could be increased to 91, leaving plenty of room for growth.
In the past year, during the days when the System played dead, she had only gained a meager 20 Attribute Points through diligent study. Three months ago, before the news of the escaped Hungarian Horntail hatchling arrived, Kate had been agonizing over how to earn more points.
Then, Newt took on a big job.
During the tracking and capture operation, which lasted over two months, she ventured to activate the 'Animal Affinity' buff with the help of Newt and professional dragon keepers. It was only at the moment when her affinity with the Horntail hatchling spiked to Level 10 that they managed to safely secure the whelp into the breeding cage.
Because of this, the motherless Hungarian Horntail hatchling, under the influence of the buff, identified her as its mother. For this honor, her neck was nearly gnawed halfway off by the little dragon.
During the process of escorting it back to the dragon reserve, the young Horntail bestowed upon her the Overlay Ability: Draconic Protection.
For every level raised, Vitality +10.
Among all dragon species, the Hungarian Horntail was the most aggressive, and its defensive capabilities were considered upper-middle tier. However, since the hatchling was simply too young and its own level wasn't high, the blessing it granted her was correspondingly lower.
Fortunately, even Level 3 Draconic Protection was enough to solve her crisis of insufficient Vitality at the time.
After this incident, Newt, worried that she might encounter further danger, sent her home to prepare for her entry into Hogwarts. Thus, on the very day Hermione received her acceptance letter, Kate had just arrived home, having spent the better part of the day working as unpaid child labor.
She had merely taken a shower and rested for a short while, but the sky outside had already darkened.
After checking the System interface, Kate got up and left her room. Greeting the portraits of her ancestors along the corridor as she went, she headed toward the dining room located behind the drawing room.
By then, Rand had already instructed the house-elves to prepare dinner. Seeing Kate appear, he hurriedly welcomed her in.
However, when Kate saw the steaming Clear Broth Hotpot on the table—a dish that seemed completely out of place with the surrounding decor—her expression turned a bit strange.
"Grandpa Rand, this hotpot is..."
"I heard from Newt that you once used a cauldron to boil food in the middle of the night. I asked around, and this seems to be called Chaoshan Hotpot," Rand replied respectfully, standing by her side.
The more serious his tone, the redder Kate's face became.
Once upon a time, she had been practicing spells late into the night and was so starving that she secretly whipped up some Clear Broth Hotpot to swish some meat in. She hadn't even dared to make a spicy red soup, fearing the smell would drift next door.
But she couldn't account for how much Newt and Tina doted on their little apprentice; they had thought to get up in the middle of the night just to tuck her in.
As luck would have it, they walked right in on her.
Kate felt she would never have the face to recall the chaotic scene of that night. Afterward, Tina had gently comforted her, telling her to go to the kitchen if she was hungry and not to light fires in her room as it was too dangerous.
Then... Kate had stuffed her extra-large cauldron into the deepest recesses of her bag, never to take it out again.
Now that it was suddenly brought up again, her thick skin—which evidently hadn't been cultivated enough—couldn't quite handle it. It wasn't until the clear soup in the pot before her began to bubble that she barely managed to stabilize her embarrassed and indignant state of mind to speak.
"Grandpa Rand."
"Do you require other ingredients?"
"No. Next time, make it Red Soup. Extra spicy!"
"Very well. I shall have the elves plant chili peppers immediately."
...
After finishing the somewhat awkward hotpot meal, Rand waved his wand, casting a Scouring Charm to remove the scent of food from Kate's body.
According to her usual schedule, the time after dinner was reserved for homework or Astronomy lessons. Although school hadn't started yet, proper habits could not be abandoned.
Kate and Rand took a long walk around the main castle building to digest their food before she requested to visit the library.
The Shafiq family was said to have risen during the same period as the four founders of Hogwarts, boasting a history of nearly a thousand years. The collection of books and artifacts represented the inner heritage of such a family. Kate estimated that her family's library must contain many unique treasures that couldn't be found even in the Forbidden Section of Hogwarts.
"Oh, the library is in the East Wing. Because it occupies the entire side building and the books within are extremely precious, I did not allow the Muggles to enter for renovations."
Rand stopped in his tracks, looking at Kate with some hesitation.
In his impression, Kate was still the child who was accustomed to sleeping with the lights on and had always feared the dark.
"It is already dark now. Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow when the light is better?" he suggested tentatively.
If he knew that Kate had once nearly lost her life capturing a dangerous Horntail hatchling, he might have jumped up in anxiety. Kate rejoiced inwardly once again for asking her teacher to keep his mouth shut.
"It's fine. This is my home. The heroic spirits of the Shafiq family are all here; what is there for me to fear?" she said gently.
Although Rand heard her words, he was clearly still uneasy. However, unable to sway her, he finally extended his hand.
Kate placed her hand on his. Her vision shifted in a blur, and after her heart raced for a moment, they finally arrived at their destination.
The East Wing, the Shafiq Family Library.
The massive gates, cast from mottled bronze and black iron, were tightly shut. Flanking the entrance were two bronze armored guards holding swords, standing as tall as the castle itself.
Due to the importance of this location, the entire East Wing was shrouded in shielding magic. Aside from the Head of the House, no one else could Apparate here.
However, since the current heir, Kate, had not yet learned Apparition, there was currently no one in the world who could ignore the bronze gates before them and enter directly.
Rand walked to the side and lit the candle stands at the feet of the armored giants. In an instant, the entire East Wing was encircled by a sudden ring of rising fire.
"This is your first time entering here," Rand switched to using honorifics again. "Little Master, please follow me closely."
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