Chapter 134: Two Variants! Legendary Potential!

As the little greenhouse door closed, Bozo Chalman was first startled. Then he heard Ciel's voice coming muffled from outside. "Master Bozo, maintaining the greenhouse is very resource-intensive. Keeping the door open all the time is too wasteful, so I closed it. Master, if you can't handle the Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns inside, just call out and I'll open the door to save you." Bozo Chalman snorted coldly, showing an expression of seeing through everything. Ciel suddenly closing the door was definitely trying to scare him into quickly coming out of the little greenhouse. This little scheme... hah, laughable! His eyes then showed excitement. This time, he would thoroughly find faults with the little greenhouse. The article he'd write would definitely be popular with readers. He might even step on Professor Sprout's reputation to advance his own "prestige" in academia. Those idiots at the Herbology Association... he should be the master! So the next moment, Bozo Chalman shouted loudly. "No need! How could I possibly not handle mere Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns?!" Looking at the Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns stirring restlessly in the soil before him, Bozo looked confident. "Whether Devil's Snare or Shadow Thorns, they're all plants that fear bright light. And what's planted here are all just beginning cultivation stages. Easy to deal with." But then, looking at these dangerous plants, his gaze flashed with deep jealousy and hatred. He had also tried planting these plants back in the day, but all ended in failure. Facts proved he had no talent for Herbology cultivation. Because of this, over the years, Bozo Chalman felt uncomfortable whenever he saw young Herbology geniuses and would inevitably write articles viciously attacking them. Only then would he feel better. Now seeing that Ciel could already cultivate Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns as a first-year, plus his earlier mockery, made Bozo even more uncomfortable. Then anger rose in his heart, and he changed his mind. "Perhaps I shouldn't use Lumos to drive them away. Should use Incendio instead." While Bozo was lost in wild thoughts, behind him, shadows on the ground seemed to come alive, writhing silently. Then a shadow suddenly shot up from the ground like a living thing, wrapping around the wand in Bozo's hand. The next second, his aspen wand with gaudy golden patterns shattered with a crack. Bozo, who had lived comfortably for years only wielding a pen, didn't react at all. Immediately after, several Devil's Snare tendrils wrapped around his body. A powerful force tightened, making Bozo barely able to breathe, feeling like his bones might break. It was like being coiled by several pythons in a strangling attack! Only after several seconds did Bozo realize his situation. He stared wide-eyed, hardly believing what he saw. What was that shadow that crushed his wand? What magical plant had such eerie abilities? Unheard-of magic! And what was with these Devil's Snare tendrils? Clearly still far from maturity, this strangling force wasn't what Devil's Snare at this stage should have. Then, no matter how ignorant he was, Bozo's mind formed a hypothesis. "Variants... These are all variants stronger than ordinary Devil's Snare! And that shadow is also a variant plant!" But before he could think further, clusters of Shadow Thorns tendrils entangled toward Bozo. Seeing the spikes covering the tendrils, his eyes filled with terror. Wounds from Shadow Thorns were hard to heal, extremely painful, and might take a whole year or even several years. If pierced by so many Shadow Thorns, just imagining that feeling nearly made him faint. "No... No... Help!" Bozo turned to shout toward outside the greenhouse. But after barely two calls, several Devil's Snare tendrils tightly sealed his mouth, leaving him only able to make muffled whimpering sounds. Then the shadows also writhed, weaving Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns together into spike-covered whips. Then, with a vicious crack, they lashed Bozo's body. Instantly, unprecedented agony struck. Bozo screamed, but the sound was blocked by Devil's Snare. Only miserable, muffled whimpering echoed in the little greenhouse. Outside the door, Board of Governors and review committee members showed suspicious expressions. "Did you hear any sounds?" "Did you?" "Seems like there were some." "That sound... was it screaming?" Ciel showed a confident expression, shaking his head repeatedly. "How could it be screaming? The little greenhouse only has some Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns. All just planted in the soil; who knows how long until maturity? They're simply pitiful, small, and helpless. What in the little greenhouse could make Master Bozo scream?" Then he seemed to understand, saying with realization. "It must be Master Bozo talking to himself. Thinking about how to reform the little greenhouse. Speaking louder while organizing thoughts is normal, right? We shouldn't disturb him... what if we interfere?" Everyone listened and, though still suspicious, thought Ciel made sense. Bozo shouldn't be unable to handle Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns at this stage, right? At this time, Bozo had already been viciously lashed five or six times by the thorn whips, leaving deep bloody marks. They were also tainted with magical power from Shadow Thorns, making wounds feel torn, continuously bleeding and very difficult to heal. Just these few lashes already made him wish for death. He stared at the little greenhouse door, trying to send a rescue signal. "Help... Save me!" But what came from his mouth were only urgent whimpers and muffled screams when the thorn whips lashed him again. People outside found it increasingly strange. "No? There really seem to be screams inside. I feel the sounds got louder. Am I hallucinating? I vaguely heard someone shouting for help?" Ciel shook his head firmly. "Help? How could Herbology master Bozo Chalman shout for help in such a little greenhouse? Absolutely impossible. Probably his inspiration is flowing like a spring right now, passionately criticizing. Since it's a crucial moment, better not disturb him." Board and review committee members looked half-believing. But Dumbledore and Professor Sprout, who knew the Devil's Snare situation inside, had different expressions. Dumbledore looked at Ciel with a peculiar gaze. This little Hufflepuff... usually avoided any trouble, but once family and friends were involved, he was truly ruthless. However, Dumbledore didn't dislike this... quite the opposite, he appreciated it more. Though current Ciel was unwilling to participate in any trouble, if the magical world truly faced great upheaval someday, given his bonds with Hufflepuff, he probably wouldn't just watch friends face mortal danger. Even if not standing up to resist Voldemort, he'd at least contribute secretly. That would be enough. Compared to Dumbledore's complex thoughts, Professor Sprout's were simpler. My Ciel is brave and intelligent, using a small scheme to make Bozo Chalman suffer thoroughly. Smart little one, so adorable! Just then, weak sounds like door banging came from inside the little greenhouse, drawing everyone's attention. On the other side, bloodied Bozo stumbled to the door, holding an alchemical flint. He felt extremely fortunate... good thing he usually smoked and got this flint to show off, which could shoot flames with a light finger rub. This allowed him to unexpectedly break free from Devil's Snare entanglement. He used his last strength to bang on the door. "Help! Let me out, quickly let me out!" Outside, Board and review committee members couldn't sit still, all looking shocked. "It's Bozo! He's knocking inside... it really is him calling for help! I heard his knocking and shouting!" Ciel also looked greatly shocked. "No way? How could Master Bozo be unable to handle such small dangers? I definitely don't think so. Perhaps he's testing the little greenhouse's safety protection procedures? So he's rehearsing? Acting so realistically... it seems Master Bozo is not only knowledgeable but also has superb acting skills. What's that saying? Oh right, both virtuous and artistic... a veteran actor!" While Ciel delayed time, inside, Shadow felt quite embarrassed that Bozo had broken free. The thorn whip rose again, viciously lashing Bozo three more times. His vision went black, and he collapsed unconscious. At this time, Dumbledore coughed twice, looking meaningfully at Ciel. "Ciel? Master Bozo's safety procedure rehearsal seems finished. I think he's probably completed his review work. You should open the door." He nodded with obvious regret, thinking privately... what a pity. Otherwise he could probably have whipped Bozo to his last breath. Now? He got off easy! Then the little greenhouse door slowly opened. Bozo was also bound by thorn whips and thrown outside, rolling on the ground like a gourd, leaving a shocking blood trail. At this moment, Board and review committee members, even including Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, were stunned, hardly believing what they saw. As for Snape, though he didn't know about Ciel's cultivated Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns situation, he had already anticipated Bozo's fate. Now with his guess confirmed, Snape curled his lips, showing an "as expected" smile. His understanding of Ciel's character was probably the deepest among everyone present. Even Professor Sprout didn't understand his other side as well as Snape. This little Hufflepuff held grudges and had rare intelligence and scheming for Hufflepuff. Bozo, that idiot, insulted Professor Sprout and dared enter Ciel's territory... simply didn't know how to spell "death"! But simultaneously, Snape also showed quite curious eyes. As a Potions master, he inevitably dealt with various magical herbs. He had used Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns several times in brewing and understood them somewhat. How did these two plants at this stage make Bozo end up so miserably? Though this guy was indeed a clown, he shouldn't be ignorant of Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns' weaknesses, right? Various thoughts arose in Snape's mind, finally locking onto a hypothesis he barely dared consider. "Unless..." His gaze suddenly fixed on the Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns that had retreated into the little greenhouse. He exclaimed in shock. "This Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns... Are they both mutated subspecies?!" Snape's pupils suddenly contracted, his heart roiling with shock. Though his understanding of the Herbology world wasn't that deep, he knew the significance of independently cultivating variant subspecies of magical plants. This was no less than improving a classic potion formula in Potions... a guaranteed top journal publication that might even spawn new research topics. Each such occurrence pushed academia forward. Of course, the difficulty was unimaginable. But now, if Snape remembered correctly, Ciel had previously cultivated mutated Piranha Algae. Now adding Devil's Snare and Shadow Thorns... independently cultivating three magical herb variant subspecies in about half a year since enrollment?! Even Snape, accustomed to geniuses and himself a notable Potions genius of this century, was stunned when realizing Ciel's Herbology achievements. Only one thought remained in his mind. "Sprout spoke truly. Ciel, he... Has legendary potential!" [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? 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