"Of course there are no restrictions!" Lily declared. After all, magic in Great Britain had evolved solely for combat. In battle, no one cared what weapons or methods you used—victory was victory, and defeat was defeat.
Lily then introduced her five magic wands, each about the length of two fingers and intricately carved with ornate patterns. They were clearly custom-made, not mass-produced.
The first wand amplified elemental magic and permanently housed a Fire Arrow spell. Its operation was remarkably simple: just pick it up, channel your magic power, and a fist-sized fireball would burst forth at lightning speed.
In essence, it was more like the wand casting the spell, with the magician merely serving as a living power source, providing the energy.
The second wand amplified defensive magic and permanently housed a Shield Spell. The third amplified support magic and contained a Haste Spell. The fourth amplified restorative magic and contained a low-level Healing Spell. The fifth amplified enchantment magic and contained a Mental Interference spell.
After hearing Lily's explanation, Herta was speechless. With gear like that, how can you still lose in practical combat competitions?
As it turned out, Lily really couldn't win. Despite her top-tier equipment, she had spent her entire childhood buried in books, becoming almost "academically ruined." She knew nothing beyond her studies.
Lily's combat experience was woefully inadequate. She fought timidly, her movements clumsy and panicked, while her opponents were the elite of the elite, drawn from every corner of Great Britain.
(Note: "Every corner of Great Britain" here refers to regions like Australia, India, Canada, and others that were part of the British Empire, meaning they were all British citizens.)
"My dad says he's working on getting me an even more powerful magic wand," Lily said dejectedly, "but I don't think even with better gear, I could beat those big bosses."
Herta raised an eyebrow. "And your father is...?"
Lily paused, surprised. "Huh? Did I not mention it? He's the CEO of BAE."
In short, Lily's family owned the largest magic wand manufacturing company in Great Britain.
To elaborate, they produced forty percent of all wands in the country.
"Well, well, a wealthy young lady indeed."
Of course, even Lily's fortune couldn't compare to Herta's. Robin possessed countless assets, while Elysia effectively controlled half of the White Eagle Corporation. For them, money was simply a number.
Herta pondered for a moment. "That simplifies things. When are your final exams? I doubt I could teach you magic in time, but I can spare some time to craft a 'Magic Wand' for you—one that uses 'Otherworld magic.' I guarantee you'll crush your opponents in the practical combat simulations."
Lily's face lit up with anticipation. "R-really?! My exams are in a month! But... 'Otherworld magic'? What kind of magic is that?"
As for what this "Otherworld magic" would be, Herta's initial concept was "Excalibur," the Sword of Promised Victory.
Yes, she planned to create a golden, longsword-shaped "Magic Wand." After all, they were in Great Britain, and Lily's name was strikingly similar to that of a certain ahoge-sporting king. Even her appearance—golden hair and blue eyes—ticked all the boxes. With all these stacked buffs, it would be a crime not to let her cosplay as Saber, wouldn't it?
During the practical exam, everyone else would be wielding Harry Potter-style wands, but Lily would undoubtedly show up with the Sword of Promised Victory, shouting "Excalibur!" as she unleashed a light beam. It would be absolutely hilarious!
The proctor would surely agree.
With that in mind, Herta now had three main tasks: first, to create a Herta Puppet; second, to forge the Sword of Promised Victory; and third, to develop a potion to revive the Prophet.
Originally, the third task should have been Lingsha's responsibility, but her research progress had been slow. If Herta took over, progress would undoubtedly be much faster.
One step at a time. First up was the Herta Puppet. This handy creation could not only help her with bathing, hair care, and daily chores but also assist with her research. The sooner she finished it, the better.
Herta pondered: should she delve deeper into magical knowledge to create a magical-style Herta Puppet, or start learning physics, chemistry, and mathematics to build a scientific one?
But in the next instant, she had an epiphany: children make such choices. She... wanted both!
Herta eagerly opened her shopping bag, but her fiery enthusiasm was instantly doused like a bucket of cold water when she saw the junior and senior high school magic textbooks inside. A groan escaped her lips, as limp as a dead fish:
Ugh, I don't feel like reading these.
Her mood perfectly mirrored that of any ordinary student dreading English vocabulary practice.
But this was easily solved. If she wasn't interested in these books now, she'd just switch to something else!
Before long, a thick stack of math, physics, and chemistry textbooks materialized beside her. It was clear they had been sent through the Chat Group. In Great Britain, the most advanced subjects available were primary school-level National Language and arithmetic; anything beyond that simply didn't exist.
Herta devoured the books, skimming ten lines at a glance. Meanwhile, Lily, who hadn't gone home, stayed with Herta to review her own studies.
It's worth mentioning that when the Dragon Nation textbooks materialized out of thin air, Lily's face lit up with astonishment as she peppered Herta with questions about what they were.
Herta casually replied, "I stored them in my Personal Space—they're magic textbooks from another world."
To Herta's surprise, Lily actually believed her. Staring at the completely incomprehensible Chinese characters and the complex mathematical symbols in the book, she exclaimed, "This... this is Otherworld magic? Amazing!"
Herta was speechless. "..."
Amidst her exasperation, Herta realized that Lily was likely not an isolated case. Great Britain was giving her the unsettling feeling that it was slowly drifting away from the rest of the world.
It was easy to see why. Children born in Great Britain now grew up entirely in the Inner World. Most might never venture into the Outer World in their lifetimes.
Their elementary school curriculum consisted of National Language, mathematics, and magic, with no foreign languages taught at all. By middle and high school, they abandoned National Language and mathematics entirely, focusing solely on magic.
Prohibitively high tariffs made foreign goods unaffordable for ordinary people, forcing them to rely on outdated domestic technology.
In such an environment, how many would actively seek to understand what the outside world was like?