Chapter 147: Blood Jade, Bubble-Head Charm, and the Restricted Section

In the little greenhouse, on a plot of land Ciel had reserved, the mycelium of luminescent mushrooms danced joyfully, emitting dots of fluorescent light. Above them floated some tiny reward orbs. Seeing this scene, he felt somewhat sentimental. When school first started, the rewards provided by luminescent mushrooms had helped him tremendously. Even in the recent battle in the Forbidden Forest, his improved Lumos charm had played a crucial role. Unfortunately, the luminescent mushrooms now only provided Black Iron-tier rewards. Compared to other plants, they paled in comparison. Using precious greenhouse space to grow luminescent mushrooms was truly wasteful. But if he could successfully replicate his long-ago accidental achievement... inducing luminescent mushrooms to become Blood Jade... then this plant could still provide him enormous help. And the key to completing the induction was already in his hands. His gaze fell on the two bottles in his hands. One bottle contained green, viscous liquid. Even through the bottle, he could faintly smell that fishy stench. This was Acromantula blood. The other bottle contained bright red liquid... freshly drawn Hungarian Horntail blood. Both blood samples were recently obtained and couldn't be fresher. According to Professor Sprout's previous research conclusions, this was extremely important for inducing luminescent mushrooms to become Blood Jade. Then he wasted not a single second. He divided the blood at hand into three groups. One group was pure dragon blood. One group was pure Acromantula blood. The third group was a mixture of both blood types. He looked at the third group with curiosity and anticipation. Simultaneously using fresh blood from two Class 5X magical creatures for induction... even Professor Sprout had never conceived of such a situation. After all, in the wizarding world, every Class 5X magical creature was extremely dangerous and rare. Blood Jade induction also required fresh blood. Except for that legendary magizoologist, who could obtain fresh blood from multiple Class 5X magical creatures in a short time? Even he himself hadn't thought he'd have such an opportunity. "I wonder if this will bring any new changes." Then he collected his wandering thoughts. Acromantula blood was precious, and dragon blood couldn't be drawn daily. He couldn't waste a single drop. His wand moved, casting the Hovering Charm once more. The three different blood groups all transformed into clusters of mist under his control. Blood mist lingered, separately covering the designated areas, spreading toward the luminescent mushroom mycelium. Throughout the process, he operated with complete focus, ensuring every strand of mycelium was evenly covered in blood mist. Then, under his observation, he saw the blood mist being slowly absorbed by the luminescent mushrooms. This speed was accelerating. The luminescent mushrooms, which originally only needed light, suddenly seemed to taste something different. Strand after strand of mycelium danced joyfully, greedily absorbing the surrounding blood mist. At the same time, he could see the reward orbs above the luminescent mushrooms beginning to pulse violently, flickering unpredictably. The text in the reward information also became blurred, as if profound transformation was brewing. Both groups using pure dragon blood and pure Acromantula blood showed the same reaction. This reassured him. From these signs, the transformation from luminescent mushrooms to Blood Jade should be underway. According to Professor Sprout's previous research, using Class 5X magical creature fresh blood would shorten the entire transformation process to three to five days. Moreover, after Blood Jade formed, as long as it was supplied with blood containing sufficient vitality, it could mature at an extremely fast speed. All told, it wouldn't exceed one month! He estimated that if he fed them with his own blood, the speed would be even faster. Thinking this, his heartbeat accelerated. Though he had planted many plants with high reward tiers, the harvest timeline was somewhat long. Patronus Trees and Devil's Snare would probably have to wait until the end of term. Shadow Thorns would definitely have to wait until summer vacation for harvest. Piranha Algae would be somewhat earlier, but this batch would still need another month and a half. But once Blood Jade cultivation succeeded, he could harvest a batch of Silver-tier reward plants every month. The benefits needn't be elaborated. Then his gaze fell on the third group, his expression becoming somewhat confused. Clearly, the luminescent mushroom mycelium in this group had also absorbed all the blood mist. But unlike the other two groups, this group showed almost no change, as if nothing had happened. "Is the mixed blood cultivation concept invalid? Magical conflict? Or is it accumulating changes?" After a moment, he shook his head, not dwelling on it. Anyway, this third group was just experimental. The amount of blood he used was also the least of the three groups. The other two groups succeeding would be enough. He'd observe the third group's changes later. If necessary, he'd ask Aunt Sprout to examine it. Thinking of Professor Sprout, his eyes lit up. He had just thought that he needed to learn the Bubble-Head Charm to compensate for the weakness that Aquatic Enhancement couldn't be activated anytime. This spell appeared twice in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament in the original story. Both Fleur and Cedric used this magic to dive into the Black Lake. Since Cedric knew this spell then, Professor Sprout most likely would too. Or rather, she should know where to learn this spell. He could just ask directly. With his current Transfiguration mastery, his spell-learning speed was incomparable to before. Besides, he didn't need to learn the Bubble-Head Charm to any profound level... just being able to quickly form a water bubble around his head to trigger Aquatic Enhancement would suffice. With this thought, he immediately went to the Head of House office to find Professor Sprout. But when Professor Sprout heard his purpose was to learn the Bubble-Head Charm, she showed a somewhat embarrassed expression, her face slightly pale. "This spell? Sorry, Ciel, I don't know it either. If you really want to learn it, well, I can secretly give you a Restricted Section pass to look for it." Now it was his turn to be stunned. "??? Restricted Section? No, Aunt, you mean... the Bubble-Head Charm is in the Restricted Section?!" If he didn't know Professor Sprout wouldn't joke with him like this, he would have suspected this was a prank. Bubble-Head Charm? A spell that formed a water bubble around the head, letting people avoid toxic gases and foul air, allowing free breathing underwater for thirty minutes. In the Restricted Section? Was there some mistake? Seeing his expression, Professor Sprout's expression suddenly became serious. "Don't underestimate the Bubble-Head Charm. Every spell placed in the Restricted Section has its reasons. Indeed, it's not some offensive spell. But in history, it ranks among the spells that have killed the most people... possibly killing more than some infamous curses!" He still looked utterly confused. Bubble-Head Charm? Killing people? How were these related? Until after a moment, he suddenly paused, asking hesitantly. "Aunt. You're not saying that historically many wizards drowned while practicing the Bubble-Head Charm, are you?" After Professor Sprout nodded seriously, he was truly incredulous. "No way? Could people really choke on water in their own spell and drown themselves? And the Bubble-Head Charm's range is just that big water ball. Anyone who could swim a little wouldn't end up like that, right?" Professor Sprout said indignantly, "Not everyone can swim. Some people are naturally landlubbers who just can't learn! Getting panicked when submerged in water and choking on a few mouthfuls... isn't that normal? Nearly drowning from the Bubble-Head Charm... is that shameful? That's a lesson learned with many wizards' lives!" Looking at Professor Sprout anxiously defending the Bubble-Head Charm, he suddenly understood. "Aunt. You wouldn't happen to..." Professor Sprout paused, her face flushing red. "Ah. Yes, yes, yes. I was the most recent student in history who nearly drowned while practicing the Bubble-Head Charm. It was only after me that the Bubble-Head Charm was placed in the Restricted Section. Is this funny?!" He smiled awkwardly, his eyes rolling as he quickly said, "This is all the Bubble-Head Charm's fault. Wizards going to learn the Bubble-Head Charm definitely can't swim. Who would go through such trouble to learn the Bubble-Head Charm if they could swim? So this spell had design problems from the start... too inhuman." Hearing this, Professor Sprout finally showed a satisfied smile. Then she wrote him a Restricted Section pass. As he was about to leave, Professor Sprout suddenly gave serious instructions. "Ciel, Hogwarts' Restricted Section hides many ancient secrets. Many powerful, mysterious, even terrifying magics are collected in the Restricted Section. There are also numerous strange secrets. Many people become obsessed with these things, wasting their time. I believe you have such self-control, and I know you always have your own ideas when doing things... otherwise I wouldn't give you this pass. But promise Aunt... be careful." She pressed his hands. "Aunt will solve all problems for you. At any cost. So don't be deceived by some tempting magic. Trust me." He looked at Professor Sprout, his eyes showing gratitude. "Don't worry, Aunt. I won't become obsessed with those things." Then he left the Head of House office and headed to the library. With the Restricted Section pass, he moved through the library unimpeded, soon entering the Restricted Section. Before his very eyes, the sound of rustling pages suddenly arose from dust-covered bookshelves. He watched in amazement as books seemed to stir to life, shaking centuries of dust from their bindings. This revealed the inscriptions on their spines... some luxuriously gilded, some blood-red, some profoundly dark. Various magical names he had never heard appeared before his eyes. Just looking at the names, he could feel their profound mystery. Mastering any one of them would grant magical secrets beyond ordinary imagination. Invincible power. Eternal youth. Immortal life. Everything seemed contained within the Restricted Section. Mysterious allure emanated from these books, as if inviting him to read just a little. They seemed to say: "Come, you'll never regret it!" His gaze swept over these book titles with interest. But his steps never paused. These magics were certainly extremely powerful. But unfortunately, they weren't enough to tempt him. After all, no matter how strong magic was, it couldn't compare to his infinitely growing, reward-gaining cultivation system. Tree planting was already the path to invincibility... why borrow forbidden magic? He decisively ignored all temptations, walking straight to the bookshelf Professor Sprout had mentioned where the Bubble-Head Charm was located. Compared to those books radiating powerful allure, the magic textbook recording the Bubble-Head Charm mixed among them seemed to be trembling. He reached out to take it down, his face showing satisfaction. Once learned, his Aquatic Enhancement could be triggered anytime, anywhere. This would strengthen him considerably. Getting this book meant his purpose for coming to the Restricted Section was achieved. Then he prepared to turn and leave. Just then, his peripheral vision suddenly caught something quite familiar. It was a thick notebook-style book. The cover bore no text he recognized. Not English, not Latin, not ancient Hebrew. But complex, strange patterns. He looked at these patterns, feeling increasingly certain he'd seen them somewhere. And definitely recently. After pondering for a moment, something glinting suddenly flashed through his mind. "This is... Similar patterns on the little silver bucket?!" (TL NOTE: Unfortunately, my LOTR: Playing Minecraft in Middle-earth book was mistakenly flagged as spam on Webnovel and removed. I'll re-upload it under a different title by tomorrow at the latest. Thank you for your patience!)