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{From the greatest alchemist of the modern age, master of the Elaina Magic Workshop, the most gifted genius in history—Mr. Tom Riddle—comes a groundbreaking new creation!}
{The Codex has already transformed how wizards communicate. The 'Lume-Lens' lets you see the world without leaving home. Now that the two are combined… what kind of experience awaits?}
Every news program and newspaper went all out promoting it. Practically overnight, more than half the wizarding world had heard the news.
Tom even placed an ad in The Quibbler, counting it as payment to Luna for looking after his unicorns and pandas. Though… that ad might backfire. What normal person even reads The Quibbler?
Anyway, the new Lume-Lens was about the size of a palm. It combined all the functions of the old mirror and Codex, with a few extra features added on, like taking photos and recording audio.
At the same time, it could be enlarged with a special expansion charm—several times over, even dozens—transforming it from a handheld device into something closer to a full terminal.
In essence, this was the prototype of a modern mobile device. Its communication functions were already nearly complete. What it lacked were the broader features of an internet ecosystem—apps, services, and the like.
There were still technical hurdles to overcome. But Tom was confident that once he solved them and brought the Lume-Lens to the same level of popularity as smartphones in his previous life, the task would be fully complete.
For now, the most important thing was ensuring a smooth transition from the old product to the new.
Tom thoughtfully provided a data transfer service. As long as users supplied the corresponding runic code, their records could be transferred from their paper notebooks onto the new Lume-Lens.
The release didn't mean the paper version of the Codex would disappear overnight. Not yet, anyway.
After all… Tom still had a massive stockpile of specialized paper he hadn't sold. If the new version spread too quickly, wouldn't all that inventory just rot in his hands?
Not to mention, many of his biggest clients were sitting on large reserves too. They were probably even less eager than he was to rush into an upgrade.
So for now, the new Lume-Lens came with a steep price tag—299 Galleons in Britain. In other regions, it was marked up by several dozen Galleons, sometimes even more.
Compared to that, a lifetime's supply of Codex paper wouldn't come close to costing as much.
That massive price gap ensured that only the wealthy could enjoy it first, while the general public wouldn't feel too much left out.
At this stage, Tom had no intention of charging for data usage. Not out of kindness—because in the long run, free was the most expensive model of all.
After a few more product cycles, once every wizard owned a mobile terminal, he would introduce paid features. By then, even if they cursed him under their breath, they wouldn't be able to live without it.
After spending a full day distributing inventory to dealers across various countries, the task progress had reached forty-eight percent. Just the initial promotion had boosted it by three points. Once the product truly spread, the remaining two points would come quickly.
---
On Sunday afternoon, Tom went home to check on Nicolas, who was still pushing himself to the brink. He left behind a pile of restorative potions before heading back to Hogwarts.
Before leaving, he made a point of visiting the Golden Apple tree.
Its withered yellow leaves had long since fallen. Though it was deep winter outside, tiny green buds had begun sprouting along its branches, faintly pulsing with life.
Still, it was far from bearing fruit again.
Last time, without the immense energy provided by the Tear of Isis, even the first batch might not have matured successfully.
Now that most of the Inferi Lake had vanished, Tom had been worrying about where to find another powerful energy source like the Tear of Isis—for another overnight windfall.
Otherwise… he was genuinely afraid Nicolas might work himself to death.
And that wasn't even his biggest headache.
When he returned to Hogwarts, Daphne seemed to have been lying in wait. The moment he stepped into the Slytherin common room, the young lady pounced on him like a koala, clinging tightly and repeatedly begging him to reveal the details of the competition.
"Astoria, come here. Get your sister off me," Tom said helplessly.
The silver-haired girl stepped forward expressionlessly and, with one hand, lifted her sister off him.
The other Slytherins stared in stunned silence.
What the hell?
Astoria looked delicate, like she'd topple over in a strong breeze. Who would've thought she had that kind of strength?
Tom, however, wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Did they really think those potions worth hundreds of thousands of Galleons were just for show?
Sure, most of them were meant to boost her vitality and suppress the blood curse, but strengthening potions also helped draw out a person's latent potential and toughen the body.
Picking up a useless older sister was nothing.
"Daphne, I really can't tell you what the first task is."
"The results of this round affect all the rankings that come after, so this one has to rely on your own ability."
Seeing the young lady's displeased expression, Tom smiled and reached out to pat her head. His usual foolproof head-pat failed this time.
"You're terrible at keeping secrets," Daphne huffed. "Tom, stop lying. You're definitely planning something."
"I seriously suspect you designed this task just to mess with me… and that veela."
"How could that be?"
Tom's heart skipped a beat, but his face stayed perfectly calm. "This was actually Dumbledore's idea. He thought it wouldn't be appropriate for me, as the organizer, not to contribute a task."
So she'd seen right through his little scheme. Still, it didn't matter. As long as he denied it, Daphne had no proof.
Seeing that she still didn't believe him, Tom decided to offer a little incentive. "How about this? Starting tomorrow, I'll give you and Fleur some special training in the evenings. Help you boost your strength."
But that clearly wasn't enough to satisfy her.
It wasn't until Tom promised to take her to Paris to see the latest fashion show after the first round that Daphne's mood flipped instantly. Her eyes curved into crescents as she beamed, slipping her arm through his with a grin.
---
Monday evening, after dinner, Tom brought Daphne and Fleur to the Room of Requirement.
The room had already transformed according to his wishes. It was completely empty, save for three cushions on the floor. No tables, no chairs.
As for this so-called "special training," Tom called it meditation.
In reality, it was just sitting there doing nothing.
"This is mental training," Tom said with complete confidence when they questioned him. "I need you to empty your minds and think carefully about your goals in this competition. Only with a stable mindset can you fully bring out your strength."
It sounded… somewhat reasonable.
Half convinced, half skeptical, Fleur and Daphne followed his instructions.
More importantly, neither of them wanted to lose face in front of the other.
That was exactly why Tom had dragged them here together. If it were just Daphne or Fleur alone with him, this "meditation" would've turned into flirting within minutes.
The three of them sat facing each other, zoning out from seven to ten in the evening. Tom didn't say a word the whole time, sitting there like an old monk with his eyes closed.
By eight o'clock, both girls were already getting restless, fidgeting and swaying just to pass the time. When they were finally dismissed, they practically bounced out of the room.
For the next two days, Tom kept dragging them back to the Room of Requirement to "train" like this.
Meanwhile, shipments of the new Lume-Lenses began arriving around the world. Each country only received a limited supply, and they were snapped up almost instantly by wizards with enough money.
Expensive? Definitely. It was roughly three to four months of Mr. Weasley's salary.
But cheap? In a way, yes. It cost about the same as a Nimbus 2003 broom, yet its usefulness completely blew the broom out of the water.
Those who got their hands on one couldn't resist showing it off to their friends. Word spread rapidly over the next few days.
By Thursday, Tom finally heard the system notification he'd been waiting for.
He'd originally planned to head back to the Room of Requirement, but now he had no interest in that.
"There are only two days left before the competition starts. Focus on adjusting your condition. I've got something to take care of."
After a quick word to Daphne and Fleur, Tom hurried back to his private world.
[Congratulations, Host. "Creator of a New World" task progress has reached 50%.]
[Reward: 1000 achievement points, and one Special Gacha.]
Tom raised an eyebrow at the notification.
Previously, each stage had only rewarded 100 points. Now at fifty percent, it had jumped straight to a thousand?
Then what about one hundred percent? Two thousand? Or even more?
And that Special Gacha—on par with rewards tied to legendary figures and Wizard Kings—was an unexpected bonus.
Entering the study space with a thought, Tom didn't call the others over to welcome a new arrival this time. He planned to use the Special Gacha first and test his luck.
.
.
.