Extricating his thoughts from the messy affairs over in Albania, Kyle shifted his gaze to the small potted plant sitting directly before him.
After countless modifications and experiments, Kyle had finally managed to construct a tree species capable of satisfying his needs—from wandmaking to casting Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees.
It was precisely this plant sitting on his desk, looking very much like a miniature bonsai tree.
Unremarkable though it appeared, Kyle possessed absolute confidence in his creation. He had even bestowed a remarkably imposing name upon this tree—Adam, the Treasure Tree.
Picking up the small pot containing Adam, the Treasure Tree, Kyle unhurriedly made his way out of the castle.
Strolling along the cobblestone path winding through the mountains, Kyle quickly arrived at the edge of a trial grounds he frequently used to practice Wood Release.
With a wave of his wand, the soil parted naturally to form a shallow hole, into which Kyle transplanted the tree from its pot.
Clap!
Standing beside the hole, Kyle brought his hands together into a standard Shinobi hand seal—which, in truth, was simply clapping both palms together heavily in a firmly clasped position.
"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
Surging magic power mixed with life energy poured forth from his body as Kyle quietly maintained the energy supply.
The newly transplanted sapling grew taller at a speed visible to the naked eye, transforming in mere moments into a towering, colossal tree dozens of meters high—so thick that it would take three or four people joining hands to fully encircle it.
Only now did this magnificent specimen carry the true aura of Adam, the Treasure Tree.
The stronger the tree species one wished to cultivate, the greater the consumption of magic power.
Seeing that the tree's size roughly met his standards, Kyle separated his clasped hands, instantly cutting off the roaring surge of magic power.
In that brief span of time, a fine sheen of sweat had already beaded across Kyle's forehead.
Gazing up at the towering giant tree, Kyle raised his hand and summoned Susanoo on the spot, demonstrating a sheer feat of unrooting the massive willow tree whole.
This very tree was the material he intended to use for crafting his new wand.
Not every portion of a tree could be used to manufacture a wand—only its heartwood could serve that purpose. This was precisely why Kyle had gone through so much trouble to grow Adam, the Treasure Tree, to such immense proportions.
He had already envisioned what his new wand would look like.
Since he was pursuing thrill...
No—since he intended to become the Ghost of the Wizarding World and the Rose of the Battlefield, he had to carry it through to the end.
Indeed, the weapon Kyle intended to fashion was the Gunbai fan.
Ever since becoming an Obscurial, Kyle had nearly completely abandoned the idea of acting as a melee battle-mage.
During combat, attempting to charge straight into an opponent's face to wipe out crowds not only required overcoming endless hardships, but because of Disapparition, success was never guaranteed.
Furthermore, if one set up an Anti-Disapparition Jinx, it might well turn into a binding chain that restricted one's own escape route.
The mainstream mode of combat in the wizarding world ultimately remained magical dueling—beam-clashing. Thus, Kyle still leaned toward fighting like a true wizard.
Regardless of the circumstances, simply crushing opponents under the sheer weight of an Obscurial's colossal magic power was the correct way to go.
Under these circumstances, an exotic wand in the shape of a sword was no longer of much use to Kyle. Crafting a Gunbai fan instead was far better—a wand of this shape could even elevate the power of his gas stove to a whole new level.
What's more, such a broad wand body could serve as a formidable shield at critical moments. Given the toughness of Adam, the Treasure Tree, blocking a Killing Curse with it would be a breeze.
Looking at the felled giant tree before him, Kyle contentedly manipulated Susanoo to condense a longsword, shaving away the outer timber in a few swift strokes to reveal the inner heartwood.
The rest of the process was much like sharpening a pencil; Susanoo quickly carved out the rough prototype of the Gunbai fan.
Seeing that the Gunbai fan before him already had seventy to eighty percent of its finished appearance, Kyle dismissed Susanoo.
Floating gently down from the air to the ground, Kyle hoisted the semi-finished Gunbai fan over his shoulder and strolled nonchalantly back toward the castle.
Next, he would need to enlist the all-powerful Butler Alfred to step in, approach Gregorovitch on his behalf, and help craft this semi-finished Gunbai fan into a complete, finished product.
Professional tasks were best left to professionals; Kyle certainly didn't know how to manufacture wands.
In the castle study, Grindelwald sat before an antique desk, listening to Alfred's report.
Ever since Grindelwald had high-profilely announced his return to the world, the Alliance hiding across various corners of the wizarding world had grown increasingly active following his comeback.
The direct consequence of this shift was that whereas Grindelwald had previously resided in Nurmengard like an idle retired official—his sole daily task being walking the dog and teasing the cat—he now had to spend several hours every day sitting in his study processing mountains of documents.
A brisk knock sounded at the door. Before Grindelwald could speak, an uninvited guest opened the door with complete lack of self-awareness and slipped inside.
"Dad." After offering Grindelwald a casual greeting, Kyle's eyes caught sight of the Butler-man standing before the desk, instantly lighting up.
"Alfred, you're here too." Kyle glanced at the old butler's demeanor—it seemed he was reporting work to his old man?
"Well..."
Grindelwald waved his hand with complete nonchalance. "It's fine. We've already finished our discussion."
Hearing Grindelwald say this, Kyle felt at ease. He pulled the semi-finished Gunbai fan from his pocket. "Alfred, I need your help with something."
"It is my honor to be of service to you, Young Master." The old butler respectfully received the oversized fan from Kyle's hands.
Handed over to him alongside the fan was a sheet of parchment.
Drawn upon it was the complete, finished appearance of the Gunbai fan.
Glancing at the items in his hands, he roughly guessed what Kyle needed help with.
Sure enough, Kyle's next words confirmed Alfred's suspicion.
"I want to commission another custom wand from Gregorovitch."
"Understood. Do you have any further instructions?" Alfred asked as he stowed the parchment away.
"None." Kyle waved his hand.
Noticing that Kyle appeared to have something to discuss with Grindelwald, the old butler tactfully turned and exited the room, leaving space for the pair of Dark Lord father and son to talk.
Seeing Alfred leave, Kyle reached into his pocket once more, pulling out another sheet of parchment and placing it on the desk in front of Grindelwald.
"What is this?" Grindelwald picked up the parchment with great interest.
With just a single glance, Grindelwald burst into hearty laughter.
"That old bumblebee really is a handful."
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