Chapter 157: Palm-Sized Magical Puppet Pet
Chapter 157: Palm-Sized Magical Puppet Pet
With a smile, Victor remained silent, but a voice suddenly emanated from beside him.
"The greatest distance in the world is not between life and death, but when I stand before you, and you fail to see me, meow."
Marconi looked on in surprise as a small cat with white fur, aquamarine eyes, and a long, slender tail emerged from behind Victor and perched on his shoulder, licking its paw.
Slightly larger than an egg, the cat had curly white fur that framed its head, and eyes like sapphires, giving it an adorable appearance.
Marconi's gaze shifted from Victor to the cat, and he asked, "Is this it?"
"How rude! It's me, Alice, meow, Victor's newest creation. I'm a palm-sized magical puppet pet, and I'll be the latest trend worldwide, meow." The cat hopped down from Victor's shoulder and strolled on the table. "I don't need baths or food, and I'll always stay clean and pretty. Plus, I can offer heartfelt companionship. Isn't that paws-itively fantastic, meow?"
"Well... er..."
Marconi's eyes darted between the cat and Victor before finally addressing Alice, "Why are you the one introducing yourself?"
"Victor is practicing Animagus, meow!" Alice explained, patting Victor's arm with her paw. "He can't talk right now, so I'm here to speak for him, meow."
Alice meowed after each sentence, tugging at Marconi's sleeve with her claws as she spoke.
"So, what you're saying now, is it what Victor wants you to say, or your own thoughts?" Marconi inquired.
"The owner can manipulate me to a certain extent, meow~" Alice replied. "But the initial inputted characteristics can influence my expression and behavior, meow~"
"What else can you do?" Marconi asked, intrigued.
"There's so much I can do, meow! I can tell you slowly, meow..." Alice offered.
Victor pressed his finger on the cat's head, and its proud posture instantly vanished, replaced by a dignified stance as it sat on the table, its tail swaying gently.
Victor withdrew his wand, and strings of words appeared in the air.
【For some reason, I didn't input a chatty personality when I was making it, but it sure does talk a lot.】
【This little furball is too noisy. I'll explain it myself.】
【The palm-sized magical puppet pet can be considered an upgraded version of Wizard's Chess. Its main purpose is to provide companionship. It can converse with its owner and even check for typos in documents. For this, I drew inspiration from the self-correcting quill.】
【My ideal magical puppet should also provide weather updates, route guidance, schedule reminders, time notifications, assist with sending and receiving messages via the Floo Network, play music, and more.】
【This is still an unfinished version, primarily focused on chatting. I hope these puppets can offer emotional value to their owners, like a family member or friend. However, due to the subtleties of magic, each puppet's personality turns out uniquely different.】
"I know I've said this many times, but I'll say it again, Victor!" Marconi exclaimed excitedly. "Your ideas are always so extraordinary! This will undoubtedly bring us unimaginable wealth!"
Victor: 【I want to remind you that the cost of making these puppets is very high, and so is the difficulty of production.】
"As long as buyers love it, those are not problems." Marconi smiled. "There will always be people willing to pay for our costs... Have you made any other magical puppets?"
Victor: 【Yes.】
"Alice is a proud and well-behaved little princess. What about the personalities of the other magical puppets?" Marconi asked curiously.
Victor retrieved a dragon-hide bag from his backpack, and Marconi noticed the bag squirming as if something inside was moving.
As Victor opened the bag, he took out the magical puppets one by one.
A fiery-red fox proudly raised its head. "How dare you put me in such a dirty bag, unworthy of my noble status?"
Its fluffy tail fanned out behind it, and its slender, seductive eyes held a haughty gaze.
A silver-gray hamster quietly moved to the edge of the table and began nibbling on a biscuit, although it didn't actually have a feeding function, as crumbs scattered across the table.
Next was a golden lion.
It stretched its graceful body and asked Marconi, "Do you have any sorrows? Share them with me, and I'll be happy to cheer you up!"
Marconi: "..."
Lastly, a handsome black panther emerged, a fresh red rose between its teeth, which it gently placed before Marconi.
"Before I met you, my life was like a black-and-white movie. But when you appeared, you brought color to my world. I want to protect you, care for you, make you happy, and only do what you want me to do."
Marconi was stunned for a moment before asking Victor, "Is it... a casanova?"
Victor's face wore an expression that said a thousand words, and words appeared in the air: 【Go ahead and laugh if you want to, these guys are quite the oddballs.】
"No, it's not funny at all, Victor." Marconi's eyes glinted with a familiar, money-hungry gleam. "The diverse personalities of these magical pets are precisely what will make them more marketable!"
Focusing on the black panther, Marconi asked, "What influenced their personalities?"
Victor pondered for a moment before replying, 【I'm not sure... Maybe it's a subconscious thought that crept in when infusing the thoughts, or perhaps it's influenced by the materials and appearance...】
【Without extensive experiments and comparisons, it's challenging to pinpoint the exact cause.】
Marconi nodded. "It's a pity that we can't mass-produce the same type of magical puppet, but this uncertainty can also become a new selling point... Every magical puppet is unique, and that's a great marketing angle..."
As he contemplated ways to maximize profits from the magical puppets, Marconi conjured paper and a quill and swiftly jotted down his ideas.
"Even if they don't need to be fed, people who own pets won't just stop at one."
"If they love their magical puppet pet, they'll surely want to build a cozy nest for it... No, it should be a luxurious mansion, and we can sell matching furniture and gardens..."
"That means we can also create clothing and accessories... The magical puppets can make friends with each other, and owners can even host weddings and form families for their puppets..."
"There should be special outfits for holidays... Providing miniature flying carpets or toy broomsticks for the puppets is a must... We can also make a mini Hogwarts Express... Muggle cars and airplanes could be interesting too..."
"Hmm... If we make them humanoid, do you think people will fall in love with the magical puppets?"
And a lover who will never betray..."
Victor watched as Marconi's parchment grew longer and longer, filled with more and more words...
Someone once told him that the cheapest pet is often the most expensive in the long run.
He could almost envision the day when all wizards would have their pockets emptied by Marconi's creations.
Victor had not taken out the conjured puppet imbued with the combination spell, but perhaps... when the technology matured, he could prepare a few well-behaved and clever little creatures for his parents?
...
Victor left the method for creating the magical puppet pets with Marconi, and subsequent issues regarding contract details and production processes would naturally be handled by Lupin and Aslan's Magic Workshop.
Victor spent most of his time on his studies.
Currently, his focus was on improving his alchemy for the puppets, practicing Animagus with Transfiguration, and learning the Blasting Curse.
Although Lupin had agreed to teach him the Blasting Curse, he remained cautious in his instruction. Victor had learned a lot in theory and had written three papers on the subject, but he had not yet started practical training.
In this regard, Victor was not in a hurry. He had ample time and patience.
Every now and then, Victor would use the Disguising Spell to venture into the Restricted Section of the library, and he had almost browsed through all the books that recorded the Blasting Curse.
After the end of their Charms class, Victor also sought advice from Professor Flitwick on the incantations and control methods of different fire spells.
Even though Professor Flitwick didn't have the experience of "burning down half the town," his understanding and extension of spells were unparalleled.
After a few consultations, Victor could make the flames dance on his fingertips without burning himself.
As the days passed with the Mandrake leaf in his mouth, Victor gradually learned how to speak and eat normally.
In his previous life, he had heard of people who could eat and speak normally even with a sharp knife in their mouth.
While Victor had not yet reached that level of skill, he had picked up a few tricks that allowed him to go about his daily activities without damaging the fragile leaf.
At night, before sleeping, he would use a spell to glue his teeth together. As long as he didn't chew, the size of the leaf was such that he wouldn't accidentally swallow it.
On the night of the full moon, Victor made all the necessary preparations. Sprout helped him choose the right leaves, and as Victor placed the leaf in his mouth, the professor said, "I've asked the kitchen to prepare some soft foods for you. Try to endure during this period and avoid eating food that requires chewing. It's best to drink less water, too."
"Although you can attempt this repeatedly, the first time should be approached with the belief that you will succeed. Pay attention at all times. This process is torturous, and most people are reluctant to try again after failing the first time."
"While I am confident in your willpower, I still hope that everything goes smoothly for you and that you won't have to go through too much agony."
Victor smiled, his eyes curving gently, and said softly, "Thank you, Professor."
"Hmm, you're welcome," Professor Sprout patted his shoulder. "Also, if you can avoid speaking during this month, it would be best."
...
In the blink of an eye, it was Friday again.
As usual, Victor woke up and first checked on the Mandrake leaf in his mouth.
The absence of bitterness indicated that the leaf was still intact.
Relieved, he got up to wash and dress. When he emerged from the bathroom, a bowl of fragrant meat porridge and a cup of oddly-colored vegetable and fruit juice were already waiting for him on the table.
Victor closed his eyes and finished the drink in a few gulps before mounting his broom and flying to the Room of Requirement, where Fred and George had already started their busy morning in the alchemy room.
Ever since Victor borrowed the Marauder's Map from them, the three of them had begun to study alchemy together.
Michael and the others had originally wanted to join in, but after studying Runes for a few days, they gave up and promptly struck the subject from their elective list without hesitation.
"Thanks for the warning, Victor," Michael said seriously. "I will definitely not be taking this subject next year!"
Harry, Neville, and Theo all nodded in agreement.
Only Hermione glared at them before continuing to diligently memorize the Runes dictionary.
The Weasley twins' proficiency in Runes was not impressive either, but they were passionate about alchemy and had unique techniques to bypass difficulties. Sometimes, they would achieve their goals using more basic spells and more complex processes, and Victor would occasionally gain insights from their methods.
A few days ago, Victor had returned the Marauder's Map to the twins, but they insisted that the map shouldn't belong solely to them, so they left it in the umbrella room.
Fred had also announced to everyone, "If anyone wants to go for a night stroll or an adventure, feel free to use it! But remember our principle—"
"—I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!" the twins chorused.
Harry and Michael applauded enthusiastically.
Hermione glared at them angrily. "If you get caught by a teacher, your house will lose points. I hope you remember that!"
The twins started calling Hermione "Mini McGonagall" behind her back.
They didn't tell anyone else, but somehow, the nickname spread.
Hermione heard about it, but instead of feeling angry, she considered it a compliment.
...
Victor and the Weasley twins had temporarily set aside their research on the Marauder's Map because, in addition to the advanced spells on the map, it was also intimately connected to Hogwarts, a condition that couldn't be replicated elsewhere.
Victor suspected that the original foursome had used extremely precious materials on the map, and the ink was also unusual. However, without destructive research, it was impossible to decipher the detailed components.
Even Lupin wasn't entirely sure, as most of the materials had come from James Potter and Sirius Black.
Those two had once possessed the secret vaults of two ancient pure-blood families, and Lupin had little knowledge of what rare and ancient substances they might have used on the map.
What he could offer was assistance with spells, such as the Human-Presence Spell.
However, Victor had no immediate need to learn that particular spell.
Therefore, their recent research focus had shifted to repairing the two-way mirror.
After two hours of research, Victor checked the time and bid the twins farewell before heading to Professor McGonagall's office, where Lupin and Harry were already waiting.
The two of them usually had a rather casual appearance, but today, they were both dressed up.
Their hats, ties, and cufflinks were impeccable, and their wizard's robes were spotless, not a speck of dust in sight.
Today was the day of Sirius Black's trial, and they were about to depart for the Ministry of Magic.
(End of Chapter)
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