Chapter 231: Drinking the Fake Fuling Potion
Late at night, Aaron sat alone by the window, toying with the wand in his hand.
A sliver of moonlight shone through the window onto his face, making his already complicated mood even more so.
"I'm leaving tomorrow. What's meant to come can't be avoided after all," Aaron thought with a hint of melancholy, then lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Actually, the risk he bore wasn't that great. Although his talent might not compare to some predecessors, he had a system, and in a way, he wasn't alone.
Secondly, he had some confidence in himself because his true strength was that of a Middle-Level Mage, which was not a low starting point.
Finally, and most reassuringly, he had a Resurrection Potion.
Even if he truly had the worst luck and died in another world, he would have one chance to get back up. If he was lucky, he might even be able to exploit a loophole in the family rules.
Thinking of this, Aaron felt a little relieved and slowly closed his eyes.
The next morning, the alarm clock rang on time.
Aaron got up, washed up quickly, and changed into a smart outfit.
Downstairs, Mr. Vico and Lisanna were both waiting for him.
"Don't be so serious. Your son is going on a trip, not to war."
"If only it were war, then we could help you. But you might be going to a completely unknown world."
"Mr. Vico, have a little faith in me.
I'm at least the most promising Gaius in three generations."
"Yes, yes, my son will definitely come back safe and sound." Lisanna gave Aaron an encouraging look and then called him over to eat.
The family of three sat around the dining table, each enjoying their breakfast. The dining atmosphere was especially warm. Mr. Vico and Lisanna said nothing extra, fearing they might add pressure to their son.
Abey was also much more restrained than usual. Its intelligence was not low, and it didn't want to disrupt the atmosphere.
After breakfast, Aaron stood up very consciously, "It's almost time. Let's go!"
"Why don't we wait a little longer?" Lisanna said hesitantly, "Your father might remember some important details."
"Forget it! He doesn't have this experience.
Besides, the ancestors have told me everything I need to know." Aaron stretched, then walked towards the Chamber of Secrets, "You just wait for me to come back with peace of mind."
Mr. Vico nodded to his wife, took her arm, and followed behind Aaron.
As the door to the Chamber of Secrets opened, the group once again arrived before the giant tree.
"What should I do?" Aaron asked.
"No rush." Mr. Vico took out a money bag. "This is your travel expenses, ten gold coins. This is all I can give you."
"And this." Lisanna draped a cloak over Aaron. "You're going to an unknown environment. Its value might not be lower than gold coins."
Abey also pulled a package from its pocket, "Compressed rations."
"You guys..." Aaron was touched, but his eye twitched involuntarily. "I suddenly have the illusion that I'm going to war."
"To accomplish great things, one must be prepared for the unexpected," Mr. Vico said solemnly. "It's always good to make more preparations."
"Alright! So how do I depart?"
"Wait a moment. The most important item hasn't been brought yet."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the Chamber of Secrets opened again, and Gines walked in with a 100ml glass bottle. "Young Master, Felix Felicis.
Take a swig before you go; your safety is absolutely guaranteed."
"How thoughtful."
Aaron was very satisfied with the arrangement. He took the Felix Felicis and gulped it down.
Luck is also a part of strength. To some extent, Felix Feliciscan avoid the embarrassment of 'landing in a box'.
"The taste seems a bit different." Aaron smacked his lips. "Now, it's foolproof, right?"
Mr. Vico nodded, then pulled Aaron to the giant tree. "The method to open the portal is Gaius's blood."
"Blood?" Aaron frowned, took out his wand, and was about to cut his left hand.
Mr. Vico immediately stopped him. "You don't need that much, one drop is enough."
Aaron paused, touched his left index finger with his wand, and a drop of bright red blood flowed out, automatically floating towards the base of the giant tree.
In an instant, the giant tree began to shake, and all its leaves burst forth with brilliant light, illuminating the entire space.
At the same time, the history book rapidly flipped, and Aaron Gaius's name appeared on a blank page.
Creak!
A colorful doorway appeared in front of the giant tree, with a sentence on its frame: Born to shine.
"This evaluation...it's spot on, perfectly apt," Aaronexclaimed, then turned around and walked to his mother, giving her a big hug. "I love you, Mother."
"You must come back safely," Lisanna said, choking back tears.
"Don't worry." Aaron patted Abey's head, then looked at Gines. "Take good care of it while I'm gone. Don't let it get thin."
"Yes, Young Master."
"What about me?" Mr. Vico pointed to himself with a hint of sadness. "Aren't you going to say anything to your beloved father?"
"Hmm..." Aaron was silent for a moment. "Mr. Vico, please hold back your tears. You're the head of the family, after all, don't act like a woman."
Mr. Vico:... Aaron took a deep breath in front of the portal and walked in with a carefree stride.
Seeing this, Abey instantly sped up to its fastest, transforming into a white shadow and chasing after him.
But it went straight through the portal, crashing into the giant tree at an extremely high speed.
Bang!
Mr. Vico and the other two closed their eyes simultaneously, unable to watch.
They weren't worried about the tree being damaged; the medium connecting countless worlds was unusually indestructible. Even if the universe was destroyed, it wouldn't be affected much.
It was also fortunate that Abey was a dragon; otherwise, that action would have been no different from suicide.
Lisanna looked at Abey, who was clutching its head and teary-eyed, and tenderly wiped away its tears. "Does it hurt a lot!"
Abey nodded dejectedly, but what made it even more heartbroken was that the portal was gone. There was no way for it to chase its master.
"Don't do that again. The World Tree was created by the first ancestor to connect to the dimensional universe. It has no offensive capabilities, but its defensive capabilities are almost limitless.
Moreover, that door can only be passed through by those with the Gaius bloodline, and they must meet the conditions, otherwise we would have gone with him." Lisanna patiently explained, "But you don't have to worry, it's only like this the first time. Next time, you might be able to go with him."
Abey's eyes instantly lit up, and the pain on its head seemed to disappear.
"I hope everything goes smoothly!" Mr. Vico looked at the disappearing name in the history book with a complex expression. "If all goes well, he might be back in a few days."
...Ah! Ah! Ah!
Aaron let out a piercing scream because he was currently in free fall.
Who knew he had clearly walked through the portal, but when he opened his eyes, he saw white clouds, and then he was uncontrollably falling downwards.
He seriously suspected he had drunk fake medicine. That was definitely not Felix Felicis, otherwise he should now be in a comfortable house, being warmly entertained by a kind host, and... without having to pay.
As the green below became clearer and clearer, Aaronrealized he was about to hit the ground. In his panic, he pulled out his wand, but before he could cast a spell, the wand was blown away by the strong wind.
Damn!
Aaron cursed loudly, immediately stretched out his right hand, and etched a green magic circle in mid-air, using the power of the wind to slow his descent.
Then he pointed his finger downwards, preparing to cast a spell that could soften the ground.
The magic was cast successfully, but unfortunately, he landed in a pond, where the softening spell had no effect, only creating ripples on the water's surface and nourishing the surrounding grass.
"Well!
This is tragic now."
Splash!
Aaron sank more than ten meters in the pond before he could barely open his eyes. He instinctively wanted to use the Water-Repelling Charm, but the next moment, Flo's reminder echoed in his mind: do not use magic unless absolutely necessary.
Aaron gritted his teeth in indignation and swam upwards with all his might.
Fortunately, he had received professional training, so a mere pond was no different from a swimming pool. In a short while, he surfaced.
At the same time, in the original world's Hogwarts.
Under the cover of the Disillusionment Charm, the thought form clone walking by the Black Lake suddenly felt a huge pulling force. The power within it was rapidly draining away. At this rate, it would disappear in a few minutes.
"Something's wrong. This isn't the normal recall procedure!" The thought form frowned. He wouldn't actively contact the main body unless it was a major issue, but he was aware of the main body's safety.
However, the current situation left him baffled. In his perception, the main body was safe and had no intention of recalling this clone, yet he was uncontrollably returning to the main body.
Aside from that, he tried to communicate with the main body, but received no response, as if the main body no longer existed in this world.
"What exactly is going on?
Could it be that those ancestors are up to something again?"
Thinking of this sole possibility, the thought form felt a little relieved. It was good that the main body was fine.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind, making him instinctively shiver, and his heart instantly jumped into his throat.
"Mr. Gaius, it doesn't seem to be time to return to school, does it?" Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Uh... Principal, I..."
The thought form dispelled the Disillusionment Charm, looking at the kindly Dumbledore, his brain working rapidly. He had to come up with a reasonable explanation in the shortest possible time, because he was about to disappear.
"Don't rush, speak slowly."
How could I not rush?
The thought form composed himself and began to spout nonsense with a straight face, "Sir, I just need to go to the dormitory to get something, and I'll be right back.
I don't think such a small matter needs to be reported to you!"
"Indeed, there's no need. However, Aaron, if you're just retrieving something, you could simply send a letter by owl.
Severus shouldn't mind helping you with this small favor."
"Uh... you know Professor Snape's temper. I don't want to be scolded by him after school starts." The thought formchuckled, "Principal, I'm in a hurry. The butler is still waiting for me outside the school."
"Alright!
But next time you return to Hogwarts, you'd best give me a heads-up."
The thought form nodded and quickly walked towards the Castle.
After turning a corner, the thought form looked at his body, which was beginning to turn into nothingness, and let out a heavy sigh of relief, "He shouldn't have realized I was a clone."
What he didn't know was that a hint of a smile also appeared on Dumbledore's lips. "Already a Magician? His growth rate is catching up to mine when I was young."
...As soon as Aaron climbed ashore, he felt a bit dizzy.
He felt the feedback from the thought form, having reclaimed half of his power, as well as the clone's proficiency with magic circles during that time.
However, he didn't feel joy, but rather a bit depressed.
He hadn't intended to recall the thought form so quickly. Although more strength meant more security, the thought form's work was also crucial. The later it was recalled, the greater his confidence in handling crises would be.
But now there was a feeling of giving up halfway. Although with the thought form's experience, he could instantly cast intermediate magic circles, simultaneously etching two magic circles was still a distant goal.
It was probably because the two worlds were too far apart, forcing the thought form to return.
But who could tell him what was going on with Dumbledorewho appeared at the end?
The thought form had overheard Dumbledore was going to a Ministry of Magic meeting at Hagrid's Hut, which was why he went for a walk outside. But this meeting was too short, wasn't it? He returned in less than two hours and happened to block the thought form.
Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't see through his thought form, otherwise his composure would have collapsed.
"Fake medicine, it's definitely fake medicine. Gines must have picked up the wrong Felix Felicis, otherwise I wouldn't be so unlucky," Aaron said indignantly. "If I can get back safely, I'll have to give him a good slap."
Whoosh!
A gentle breeze blew by.
Aaron, completely soaked, couldn't help but shiver, but remembering Flo's warning, he didn't use magic to dry his clothes.
It was only because his physical fitness far exceeded that of ordinary people, otherwise he would have caught a cold upon landing.
"Oh, right, my wand, my wand."
Aaron's expression changed slightly when he remembered he had lost his wand, and he immediately began to search.
If that thing fell into the hands of ordinary people, it would be fine, but if it fell into the hands of an evil Wizard, it could cause trouble, and then his sin would be great.
A few minutes later, Aaron searched the grassy area around the pond, but found nothing.
He was very sure that the wand had not fallen into the pond with him, but if it wasn't nearby, then he would have to expand his search area.
"What a hassle!
I didn't expect the first thing I'd have to do was look for a lost wand." Aaron sighed speechlessly, "It's practically dispensable, yet I still have to find it."
"Child, are you looking for this?"
A strange yet gentle voice came from behind a rock. Aaronimmediately turned around and saw a figure with his back to the sun, instinctively frowning.
An old man dressed in a gray robe and wearing a Wizard's hat slowly walked towards him.
He had blue eyes and a long gray beard. In his right hand, he held a long staff, and in his left hand, he held Aaron's black wand.