"Let's go back, Hagrid. I'm getting a little hungry."
Harley rubbed her flat abdomen, casting aside the unpleasant thoughts from earlier.
"I also want to take a bath. I seem to be covered in grass and unicorn hair."
"Ten Galleons a strand." Lynn reached out and plucked a fine white hair, about ten centimeters long, from the air.
"That expensive?" Slightly surprised, Harley and Cho looked at each other. Without even searching hard, they each found a strand of unicorn hair mixed into the other's hair.
"Unicorn tail hair is used to make wands because it's quite long, over a foot, usually. Every few years, Ollivander comes here to collect some. As for the body hair, it probably isn't worth much. I use it to spin yarn and knit sweaters, or to weave bedding mats for Fang. It keeps you warm, stays cool, and doesn't get dirty."
Hagrid waved his hand dismissively. He had absolutely no interest in these things that were commonplace to him. Although he collected them, it was just out of convenience for his own household use; he never thought about selling them for money.
"By the way, do you like unicorn horns? They shed their horns every ten years or so. I have a big bag of them at home; you can take a few to play with."
On the way out, Hagrid shared many more stories about the Forbidden Forest, and the trio listened with relish.
By the time they walked out of the Forbidden Forest, it was around 10:30 in the morning—a bit too early for lunch.
"Even though I want to go back, the thought of climbing up to the eighth floor makes me not want to go back at all."
Hogwarts, full of secrets, was fascinating, but having no elevators and needing to constantly climb up and down stairs was indeed quite exhausting.
"If we can't make it, let's just eat here. Then we can take a shower, go back to the dorm to change clothes and grab our books, and head to class."
"You know how to cook, Lynn?" Cho looked at Lynn with slight surprise. She didn't have much faith in Hagrid's culinary skills—the rock cakes were a cautionary tale, after all.
"We're having hotpot for lunch, though this is my first time trying to make it, so it might not be entirely authentic."
Lynn reached into his carry-on bag and fished around.
[Da-da-da-da, da-da-da!]
The background music that might exist, but no one could actually hear, played.
[Pocket Kitchen~]
"You just press this, and it unfolds into a very convenient portable kitchen that can assist you in cooking. The reason I didn't use it before is that the built-in fuel for this thing ran out, and it doesn't support burning firewood, so it's been sitting idle."
"Cho, can you use the Fire-Making Spell? Incendio."
"Oh, I know that one. They teach it in second year. I've already previewed it, so casting it shouldn't be a problem."
The spells recorded in The Standard Book of Spells actually weren't that difficult. The first few volumes taught introductory magic commonly used in daily life, and the difficulty was generally low, so Cho learned them easily.
"Hagrid, could I trouble you to cut some tender beef and get me a basin of beef tallow? Cut the tallow into small chunks."
"Of course, I have plenty," Hagrid agreed without hesitation, pointing to the vegetable garden on the side. "If you need vegetables, go there. I planted a lot. You guys are cooking, right?"
"Then Cho and I will go pick vegetables." Harley happily took Cho's hand; she felt this was actually quite fun.
"I'll make a trip to the kitchen to find some seasonings."
Lynn waved his hand. As Hagrid turned to go back into his hut, Lynn looked toward the distant castle. In the next instant, he arrived at the castle's main entrance.
The house-elves in the kitchen were extremely enthusiastic, bringing him almost every seasoning he could think of. Looking at this dazzling array of spices, Lynn found it hard to understand: Why did the British Empire, having obtained so many good ingredients for cooking from all over the world, produce dishes that were even worse than the mush the Indians stirred up with spices?
This should be listed as one of the world's unsolved mysteries, worthy of deep contemplation.
Cho used the Fire-Making Spell to ignite the stove. After rendering a pot of beef tallow, Lynn began making the hotpot base relying on memory and intuition. First came the minced ginger, leeks, scallions, and onions. After frying them until dry, he removed them. Then he added chopped chilies that had been soaked and drained, peppercorns, and spices. After mixing them, he used high-proof Polish vodka diluted with Greek ouzo to lower the alcohol content—substituting for Chinese white spirit—to soak the mixture and release the fragrance. Finally, he put it into the tallow pot to fry slowly over low heat.
In less than half an hour, a simplified version of spicy butter hotpot base was ready.
The frozen beef was sliced into thin sheets. The lean parts were mixed with fresh Irish woodland egg whites, starch, and water to coat them. The marbled parts were cut into fatty beef rolls. Lynn took a bucket of fresh cattle blood, added salt, water, and lemon juice to coagulate it, then added ginger slices and whisky to remove the gamey taste before steaming it into blood tofu.
Adding some fresh seasonal vegetables picked from the garden, the four of them sat in a circle in front of the hut and began their hotpot feast.
Hagrid's appetite was simply too massive, so Lynn prepared a separate large pot just for him. After all, a single mouthful of food Hagrid picked up with his tongs was almost enough for one of their entire meals.
Eating two pounds of meat in one bite—when it came to Hagrid, that wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.
The chef's skills were average, and the flavor of the soup base was standard, but nothing could beat the quality of the ingredients. The meat of magical creatures was indeed more delicious than that of ordinary creatures. Even the vegetables from the garden, likely due to the abundance of magic in the soil, were not only huge but also incredibly crisp, tender, and sweet.
"I never thought it could be cooked this way." Hagrid, who let out a full burp, had also drunk a large barrel of strong whisky during the meal and was now feeling a bit tipsy.
"I can give you the recipe for the soup base, Hagrid. You saw how to make it just now; it's not hard, right?"
"Yeah. I feel like I can get some spices from the centaurs. Their spices are superb for stewing meat and such. Using them for this might be really good too. Come by later to get some."
"No problem. Maybe I can come up with something even tastier than this."
Harley and Cho, who had eaten until they were stuffed, were lying flat on the grass to the side, looking up at the sky with satisfied expressions.
"I'm so full, so full. I can't eat this much meat next time; I'll definitely get fat."
Cho touched her slightly bulging tummy, having absolutely no desire to move.
"Lynn, did you hear that? You made Cho's belly get big."
"Huh?"
A somewhat bewildered Lynn turned his head, only to see Harley patting her belly like a drum.
"And mine too."
"You kid, you're so stuffed you're starting to talk nonsense."
Compared to the two who were too lazy to move, Lynn was full of energy at the moment. The reason being that he had eaten basically that entire large plate of beef blood tofu. The blood of the Re'em was extremely nourishing. Although one bite wouldn't turn someone into a muscular giant, it did have a special effect of enhancing strength and constitution. Lynn, feeling sweat pouring from his whole body, pitched the Universal Tent.
"I'm going inside to swim and cool down. Tell me when you've rested enough."
The indoor pool in the tent wasn't large; it was a five-by-three-meter specification, which at best counted as a children's pool. But for splashing around and burning off excess energy, it was no problem.
After tossing and turning for nearly half an hour, the restless heat finally dissipated completely.
"Dietary supplements in the wizarding world really need to be taken in moderation. If I had eaten a bit more today, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle it right now."
Lynn, whose physical constitution wasn't much different from an ordinary person's, hadn't turned into Superman just because he learned superpowers. However, he did have the heart to exercise his body. Wandology was a subject requiring high focus. Don't let Ollivander's elderly appearance fool you; in his youth, he was a handsome man with eight-pack abs and a strong physique.
To do good research, you couldn't go without a good body. Whether crafting wands, brewing potions, or studying alchemy, wizards generally cared a lot about their physical health. Without enough stamina, it was hard to complete an entire experiment in one go. If the body was too weak, even chugging Invigoration Draughts wouldn't help.
"Lynn, we're coming in. Do you have your pants on?"
Harley knocked knock-knock-knock on the tent door and asked from the entrance.
"Are we going back to the castle?"
Lynn turned his head and shouted, preparing to get up from the water.
"We're here to swim!"
The two, who had finished digesting their food, squeezed into the tent. Their eyes lit up when they saw the pool.
"Do you have swimsuits?"
Cho crouched down and tested the slightly cool pool water.
"I do, but I don't know if they'll fit you."
Lynn pointed to the wardrobe next to the pool, where two blue cat-head inflatable swim rings were hanging.
"Great!"
Harley cheered and ran quickly to the wardrobe, pulling the door open.
"There are so many in here! Cho, come look!"
"There's even a place to change."
Harley reached out and pulled a curtain in front of the wardrobe, creating a simple changing room.
"Lynn, do you want to take a peek?"
Harley poked her head out from behind the curtain. "Cho's skin is really, really white."
"Harley!" Cho grabbed Harley's shoulder and pulled her back in.
"It's fine. Lynn told me before that he only likes big chests and long legs. We're safe."
A burst of playful noise came from the changing room. After about three to five minutes, the curtain was pulled open again.
"See, he didn't even look at us once. Did we pick these swimsuits for nothing?"
"That's because Lynn is polite." Cho reached out and flicked Harley's forehead. "That's called being a gentleman."
"But Lynn also said that whether they are eight or eighty, boys always like eighteen-year-old girls. I think that makes a lot of sense. I used to like pretty eighteen-year-old sisters too."
"So you don't like twelve-year-old sisters?"
Cho put on a fierce look and pinched Harley's cheek, kneading and squishing it in her hand.
"I like them, I like them! I like them, okay..."
"By the way, Lynn, do I look good? I picked this swimsuit specifically for her."
"Well, I really... thank you," Lynn turned his head slightly. Whether it was Cho or Harley, right now they could only be described as "cute"—they had absolutely nothing to do with sexy.
"It looks nice. It suits you very well."
Even though it was a 22nd-century style, a children's one-piece was just a children's one-piece. Lynn, who had seen much of the world, felt absolutely no ripples in his heart. He had no interest in little lolis; at most, he found them cute and wanted to pat their heads, the same mindset as seeing a cute cat and wanting to reach out to catch it.
"By the way, Harley, do you know how to swim?"
Sitting by the pool edge, Cho kicked the water and asked Harley.
"I learned it in school before. I learned it in one go. Unlike Dudley—he was like a drowning pig back then. By the way, Dudley is my cousin; we went to the same school."
"Then can you teach me?"
"How am I supposed to teach this?" Harley was a bit stumped. She just knew how to swim but had no idea how to teach it.
"Lynn, can you... Oh, you definitely can. You read so much, I know."
"Congratulations, you've learned to answer before the question is finished."
"Actually, swimming isn't hard." Lynn paddled over to Cho's side. "I'll teach you."
"Okay."
Cho nodded with a smile. "So, what's the first step?"
"Letting you adapt, or rather, forget the fear that water brings you."
Lynn climbed out of the pool, went to his backpack on the side, and fished out a gadget that looked like a toy water gun.
[Da-da-da-da, da~ da-da]
The mysterious BGM played.
[Adaptation Light]
"It is said that in the 22nd century, humans can live on various different planets. Those planets often have temperatures of thousands of degrees or are frozen by temperatures hundreds of degrees below zero. But as long as you are illuminated by the light of this thing, for 24 hours, you can adapt to any environment."
"Whether it's volcanic magma, extreme cold, a vacuum, or underwater, there will be absolutely no problem."
"Although I don't quite understand..." Cho stared blankly at the toy gun. "But it feels very impressive."
"However, the one in my hand has been used for a bit too long. It's second-hand goods, after all; as long as it works, it's fine. Its effect only lasts for half an hour."
Pressing the switch to shine it on Cho and himself, Lynn put the Adaptation Light away.
"Now it's fine. When you can't drown, learning to swim is a very simple matter."
"It's fine now?"
Cho was still a bit uneasy. After all, this thing didn't look very magical... although technically it wasn't magic; this stuff was, in a sense, future technology.
"Give me your hand."
Seeing this, Lynn stepped forward and held out his hand, grasping Cho's.
"I'll count three, two, one, and we jump right in. Even if it doesn't work, I'm here, aren't I?"
"Mhm." Cho, feeling slightly more reassured, nodded and then squeezed her eyes shut.
"3... 2... 1..."
With a splash, the two jumped into the pool ahead. Cho, stimulated by the water which felt slightly cool to the touch, panicked in an instant and subconsciously grabbed the nearest object tightly.
"Help—huh?"
Realizing she could actually speak underwater, Cho was stunned. "It's so magical!"
"Lynn, where are you?"
Cho, looking left and right and not seeing Lynn, looked down, only to see Lynn, whom she was hugging tightly with her arms, pressed against her chest.
"Are girls' strength always this great?"
Lynn, whose face was squeezed out of shape, spat out two bubbles. He felt his head buzzing right now.
"Pervert."
Cho let go and covered her chest, looking at Lynn with narrowed eyes. But a second later, she burst out laughing herself. "Alright, I was careless. Did I hurt you?"
"I'm a bit dizzy from hitting the steel plate."
"Hmph!" Cho pouted, crossing her arms forcefully. "I clearly have some; the swimsuit is just too tight."
"Let's just assume you have some."
"What do you mean 'assume'!" Cho glared sideways at Lynn. "Just you wait!!"
When one could breathe freely in the water, swimming really wasn't a difficult task. After kicking the water a few times, Cho popped her head out of the surface and quickly climbed ashore.
"Did you make Cho angry?"
Harley, who was floating on the water surface practicing the frog style, kicked her legs and drifted over. From Lynn's perspective, she was completely a steel plate floating on the water, extremely flat.
Swish. The curtain of the changing room was pulled shut. The rustling sound of rummaging rang out. A minute or two later, the tightly closed curtain was pulled open. Cho, who had thrown the children's swimsuit directly away, had changed into a proper two-piece beach bikini.
"See now?"
Looking somewhat fierce, Cho bent down and stared at Lynn.
"Cho, when did you secretly turn into this?"
The one staring dumbfounded from the side wasn't Lynn, but Harley. She covered her chest in horror. "Clearly, it wasn't like this just now."
"Because I needed..." Cho reached out and cupped herself, "...a little bit of magic. But having it is having it." Saying this, she glared at Lynn again. "Hurry up and apologize to your big sister."
"I'm sorry, Sister Apple."
Lynn apologized earnestly, but his gaze remained clear without shifting the slightest bit.
"Apple..." Cho subconsciously looked down, then fell silent for two seconds. "Apples are good too!"
"But they hurt quite a bit when they hit your head. For example, Newton was enlightened by an apple smashing him."
"Lynn! Pay with your life!"
Lynn, who was chased scurrying around the bottom of the pool, managed to run with the urgency of a PUBG escape, but at the same time, the task of teaching Cho to swim was successfully completed.
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