Chapter 174: The Quiet Arrival of Halloween
Chapter 174: The Quiet Arrival of Halloween (Please subscribe, favorite, and vote)
Bookstores in the wizarding world often have Magic Arrays to control temperature and humidity, and this bookstore was no exception. Liam and Hermione enjoyed a cool afternoon breeze inside, and before they knew it, it was already half past three.
Fortunately, Liam and Hermione each spent a few Galleons on several books, which kept the clerk from glaring at them for freeloading on the air conditioning.
Liam, laden with several bags, made another trip to the Post Office to send off the gifts he had picked out for his friends in the morning.
On their way to the pier, Liam curiously asked Hermione, "Most of the books you bought are in Spanish, and one is in Portuguese. Are you sure you can understand them?"
"Well", Hermione smiled, "we’ll be trading books anyway, so I can always ask you if there’s something I don’t understand."
Amidst their banter, they arrived at the pier, where Professor Sprout was already waiting. Her smiling face suggested she had found many good things in town. By four o'clock, everyone had gathered. After a headcount, they all boarded the boat back to the school.
Under the influence of magic, the boat moved at a high speed, occasionally rising slightly above the water as it hit waves. If someone were watching from the riverbank, they would see the boat, like salmon returning upstream each year, leaping and surging against the current.
However, this mode of travel was not very friendly to the passengers. When they reached the school pier, many people disembarked with pale faces and wobbly legs. One fourth-year Hufflepuff boy even leaned against a pillar and vomited as soon as he stepped off, but Liam helped him from behind, preventing him from falling to the ground.
As the boats docked one by one, the returning students brought new life to the campus, laughing and showing off their purchases while sharing their experiences with friends.
Liam and his friends were no exception. While the boys dealt with personal hygiene by freshening up, the girls went back to their dorms to shower. Thus, only a few boys were left chatting in the Common Room. It was from these classmates that Liam unexpectedly learned their field trip class would be collectively scheduled the week before Christmas.
It seemed there was still plenty of time to prepare. After all, the shopkeeper’s arrangements earlier today had been a bit strange, leaving him feeling uneasy. In such a situation, it was always better to be over-prepared.
That night, before bedtime, Liam made another trip to Uncle Kiu’s place. After their conversation, Liam learned that the overall situation in this world had stopped deteriorating and was beginning to improve. With the abundant supply of Sunlight Crystals, cultivators were once again gaining the upper hand in battles against demons. The abundance of cultivation resources also allowed various sects to open their doors and recruit new disciples, and Uncle Kiu’s position in the Maoshan Sect had risen accordingly.
Before Liam left last time, Uncle Kiu had asked if Liam could show them what the Western sects were studying. So this time, Liam brought translated versions of all the textbooks from Hogwarts and Castrobrusso, as well as a large notebook containing explanations and usage methods of Ancient Nordic Runes. Since translating these materials required considerable effort, Liam had only just finished them.
When Liam handed over the books, he curiously asked Uncle Kiu why he wanted to understand supernatural powers that were completely different from Taoist techniques. Uncle Kiu solemnly replied that knowledge from other systems could be useful. He would have the Immortal Crane deliver these books to Maoshan to see what insights they could gain.
Indeed, maintaining a humble heart and a lifelong commitment to learning is the true mindset of a cultivator. With this thought, Liam's sense of pride after obtaining the Thunder Art gradually dissipated.
Over the next couple of days, Liam stayed at the Mortuary, consulting Uncle Kiu about various cultivation issues. Only after resolving all his recent problems did Liam bid Uncle Kiu farewell and return to the Multiverse General Store.
Upon returning to the Multiverse General Store, Liam received messages from the Plants vs. Zombies World and the Radiation World, informing him that they had prepared the items they had agreed to exchange.
Taking advantage of his presence at the Multiverse General Store, Liam facilitated the transaction: he handed over the newly cultivated Marigolds, which could selectively absorb metals, to the Radiation World to accelerate the recycling of the wastelands. In return, he delivered a batch of mechanical and electronic products from the Radiation World to the Plants vs. Zombies World, which, due to its increasing population, urgently needed these items but could not produce them in large quantities yet.
After a full day of busy work, Liam finally finished all his tasks and returned to his dormitory bed. The recent flurry of activity left him feeling quite exhausted, but it wasn't without its rewards: he felt that his Merit had significantly increased.
At this moment, Liam couldn't help but feel a bit envious of others' Systems, where doing a little bit of work would immediately grant them resources and power. Unlike them, he had to toil tirelessly to gain any benefits, making his System seem almost useless by comparison.
After grumbling for a while, Liam was pleasantly surprised to realize that some cultivation hurdles that would have taken him three to four months to overcome had been resolved with Uncle Kiu's guidance. This meant that his strength would see a small but significant improvement this week.
It seemed that sometimes, merely focusing on one's own efforts was not enough; one needed to be adept at leveraging all available resources. Having Uncle Kiu as a mentor was a valuable asset, and it would be a waste not to seek his advice when encountering difficulties in cultivation.
After reflecting on his recent gains and lessons, the weary Liam quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, Liam awoke to find a large pile of gifts at the foot of his bed. He realized that it was already the end of his second month in South America, and Halloween was just around the corner. These gifts were likely sent by his friends from Britain, as the Trans-Atlantic Owl Post could sometimes be unreliable.
Since Castrobrusso, deep in the Amazon Rainforest, maintained an average temperature above 25°C year-round, and the surrounding plants were evergreen, unlike Hogwarts, which was now covered in snow. The heavy academic workload of his exchange program also made Liam feel that this year lacked the usual Halloween atmosphere. It wasn't until he saw the pile of gifts this morning that he truly felt Halloween was approaching.
This year's Halloween gifts were not much different from previous years, with the notable exception of the Weasley Twins' contribution. They had sent a large assortment of candies and pastries, clearly marked as prototypes. It seemed that the data Liam had provided them last time had significantly advanced their research.
With this in mind, Liam sent the items to the Radiation World, where there were enough people and equipment to analyze the effects of consuming these treats.
After taking care of everything, Liam, freshly washed and dressed, joined his classmates for breakfast in the Great Hall.
(End of Chapter)
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