Chapter 346: Catch and Release, Flintlock Pistol
Not long after Gines was taken away, Cornelius received the news.
The Minister for Magic was startled and immediately rushed back to the Ministry of Magic with his men.
He looked at Gines, who was waiting for interrogation in a chair, and while embarrassed, he didn't forget to glare fiercely at Amos Diggory.
Can't you have some foresight? Of all people, why did you arrest him?
Amos felt extremely guilty under the gaze of his superior, but he still bravely said, "Minister, he was found at the crime scene and is very suspicious."
"Shut up, Amos," Cornelius said coldly. "Mr. Ginesabsolutely couldn't have done such a thing. He has no suspicion whatsoever, understand?"
"Minister Cornelius, since this is a misunderstanding, may I leave now?" Gines asked unhurriedly. "My young master is still waiting for me there!"
"Of course, of course you can."
Amos was still a bit unwilling, but a higher-ranking official trumps all, so he could only watch the suspect Apparate away.
"Whew!" Cornelius wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a sigh of relief. "He's finally gone.
Sit down, Amos. I know you have many questions, and I also need to calm down."
"Cornelius, what is his status? Is he worth you treating him so seriously?"
"No particular status, but you should be glad he didn't pursue your responsibility, otherwise no one could protect you," Cornelius said meaningfully. "When I was still a Ministry of Magic employee, he was already chatting and laughing with the previous Minister."
"Are you referring to Minister Millicent Bagnold?" A look of shock appeared on Amos's face. This Minister served for ten years and enjoyed considerable popularity in the Magical World until her retirement.
"Yes! Who else could it be?
But it's definitely not just her. The Grand Master of the Order of Merlin, the President of the Wizengamot, the renowned Alchemist Nicolas Flamel, and so on and so forth. It can be said that all the elders of the Magical World give Mr. Gines some face.
'They will not interfere in any disputes in the Magical World, but their contributions are unmatched, and this contribution began thousands of years ago' – those were former Minister Bagnold's original words.
But what impressed me most was her reverent tone when she said this. Before I took office, she specifically warned me to show utmost respect to those few families."
Upon hearing this, Amos Diggory's back was drenched in cold sweat. "Minister, do you think I should go and apologize to him?"
"There's no need for that," Cornelius waved his hand. "His willingness to cooperate and come here indicates that he hasn't taken this matter to heart. Just be careful in the future."
...Meanwhile, in the Weasley's tent.
Arthur had his sons make room for Aaron so he could rest properly.
But just as they began making the beds, a figure suddenly appeared inside the tent.
"Mr. Gines, you've returned so quickly?" Arthur asked incredulously. "It hasn't even been half an hour."
"Just a simple inquiry, it wouldn't take much time anyway," Gines explained casually, then looked at Aaron. "Did I disappoint the young master?"
"From the moment you willingly cooperated, I knew you'd be back soon," Aaron sighed, shaking his head. "But this speed is even more incredible than I imagined."
"Where are Young Master Leon and Miss Adrian?"
"They Apparated back, of course," Aaron said.
Gines didn't doubt it and, after a simple thank you to Arthur Weasley, took Aaron back to their own tent.
The next day, Aaron was woken by his biological clock.
After breakfast, Gines packed up the tent.
"Young Master, I suggest we Apparate back."
"No Portkey?" Aaron raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
"The situation has changed. The Wizards at the venue have surrounded the Portkey administrators, and everyone is desperate to leave here.
If we queue, it will probably be until sunset."
"Understood," Aaron said indifferently, then picked up Abeyand Apparated.
Upon returning to the Castle, the House-elf delivered two copies of today's The Daily Prophet to Aaron and Gines.
"Terrifying Scenes at the Quidditch World Cup." Aaroncouldn't help but curl his lip, looking at the black and white illustration of the dark mark on the newspaper. "Wizardjournalists are really professional, aren't they? Did they do interviews all night?
The newspaper mentions the Ministry of Magic's dereliction of duty, Dark Wizards getting away with it, bringing shame to the country. Cornelius would probably be very angry if he saw it!"
"It's an article written by Rita Skeeter," Gines said with disdain. "Among all journalists, she has the least professional integrity."
"But what she writes is also the most attention-grabbing," Aaron said with a smile, putting down the newspaper. "Unless there's bigger news, the Ministry of Magic will probably be very busy next!"
"There will be bigger news," Gines said with a confident smile. "It just needs some time."
"Have you received any news?"
"More or less! Miss Adrian mentioned it, but she told me not to tell you."
"Gines," Aaron said, looking at him unhappily, "Please clarify, Adrian is at most a distinguished guest. I am your young master."
"This is also the wish of the Patriarch and Madam," Ginesadded lightly.
Aaron paused, then gave an awkward laugh. "It seems I'm at the bottom of the food chain, but don't you dare use them to pressure me."
"Your subordinate can only tell you that this is another grand event, and it's related to Hogwarts.
Also, a small hint for the young master: the item list from Hogwarts includes a dress robe."
Upon hearing this, Aaron frowned slightly. It sounded like it was related to some formal gathering.
However, he didn't pay much attention to it. Gines could easily handle these minor matters... Aaron began his leisurely vacation life before school started. He no longer attended remedial classes. Aside from daily check-ins, he focused on studying the defensive magic Wehert had taught him.
Algol's forge was a place he visited daily, as each time he could see the progress bar for the forging of his divine weapon advance a little. It wasn't until close to the start of school that Aaron had the chance to witness the birth of his first divine weapon.
Inside the forge, countless intricate parts floated in mid-air, each emitting a dazzling light.
"How is it?" Algol asked proudly. "I spent over two months crafting these parts, and then asked Wehert to enchant them. Every part is covered in enchanting arrays, and each array complements the others, maximizing its power."
"It's an eye-opener!" Aaron exclaimed. "But they are still just parts right now."
"They can be assembled now, but I think one last material should be added.
It also needs your blood, so it will be bound to you and will only recognize you as its master from now on."
"No problem."
Aaron decisively took out his wand and drew it across his palm.
It's just bleeding, isn't it? I'm very familiar with it.
Crimson blood gushed from the wound, automatically flying into the air and transforming into countless blood threads.
The blood threads slowly integrated into the enchanting arrays, and the light emitted by the parts also took on a crimson hue.
Algol extended his right hand towards the parts, chanting a spell, and countless parts began to assemble themselves.
Gradually, a silver-black flintlock pistol, over thirty centimeters long, appeared before Aaron, smooth as a mirror from barrel to grip, with exquisite golden patterns on each side.
Gulp!
Aaron involuntarily swallowed, nervously taking it into his hand.
Neither too light nor too heavy, it felt excellent.
"I made significant improvements: breech-loading, eight-round capacity.
As for the specific rate of fire and range, you can test it yourself!" Saying this, Algol lightly stomped the ground, and red lava formed a thick wall.
Aaron nodded and aimed at the wall, pulling the trigger.
Bang!
A huge roar echoed, and a deep, bowl-sized pit appeared in the wall.
"This..." Aaron frowned. The power was much stronger than an ordinary gun, but it was far from what he had envisioned.
"Try injecting magic," Algol reminded him.
Aaron suddenly understood and injected his own magic into the gun body. The golden patterns on the flintlock's surface quickly lit up.
As the trigger was pulled again, a crimson ball of light shot out from the muzzle, and a powerful blast of air, mixed with countless shattered stones, flew in all directions.
A large hole was blasted through the wall, and through the opening, the door to the second Chamber of Secrets could be seen.
"Not bad."
"It seems you're not entirely satisfied!" Algol teased. "The power of this gun depends on how much magic you inject. You just now didn't even unleash a tenth of its power."
"I can feel that," Aaron said, looking at the flintlock pistol in his hand. "The magic it can absorb is also limited, right?"
"Nonsense. Even artifacts have limitations, let alone a mere divine weapon."
"Ancestor, if this gun's power is maximized, can it kill a dragon?"
"Unfortunately, it can hurt a dragon, even injure one, but killing it is far from possible.
Even injuring a dragon requires a large amount of magic. With your current power as a Archmage, ten shots would be your limit."
"Acceptable. At least I can fight a dragon with it."
"You absolutely must not think that way," Algol warned. "A dragon's vitality is incredibly strong. If you anger it, you might not even get a chance to fire a second shot."
"I know, I'm not stupid," Aaron said with a smile, shaking his head. "Is there any other way to increase this gun's power?"
"Firearms have reached their limit at this stage. To improve further, you can only work on the bullets. There's a significant difference between ordinary bullets and enchanted bullets."
"Understood. So, if paired with enchanted bullets, can it kill a dragon?"
Algol stumbled slightly, his eyelids twitching incessantly, not understanding why this child had such a fondness for dragons.
"That depends on the materials used and the level of enchantment.
A bullet capable of killing a dragon, such a single-use consumable, would probably not be cheaper than the gun in your hand."
Aaron nodded thoughtfully. If the firearm was compared to a wind crossbow, then the bullet would need to be of Black Arrow caliber. Only by using both in conjunction could they pierce dragon armor.