"Hahaha! What's so surprising about that?"
The robust man's laughter rang out, bright and hearty, just like the first time he had met Tom. It carried that same radiant, upward striving spirit.
"Tom, don't overestimate me, and don't underestimate yourself."
"You carry limitless possibilities within you. No one can predict how far you will go. Perhaps you will become the God of Magic in the future."
He clenched his fist excitedly.
"When that happens, how many years would I remain with you in this space? One hundred? Two hundred? Ten thousand?"
"In that case, instead of staying confined here, I would rather truly come back to life. After following you for so long, I've grown deeply curious about the modern world. As for those rules?"
He grinned.
"Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are?"
"Maybe you're not a good man in the traditional sense, but to your own people, you've always been beyond reproach. So what do I have to worry about? Whether this contract is signed or not makes no difference."
"When I return to life, anyone who dares block your path, I'll smash them to pieces with my Patronus!"
Yes.
Andros agreed without hesitation. He accepted the system's conditions and became Tom's affiliated soul.
His decisiveness startled even Tom.
After hearing his explanation, Tom could only sigh helplessly. "Even so, you should at least take some time to think about it."
"What if one day you regret this impulsive choice and blame me? Wouldn't that damage our relationship?"
Andros shook his head in displeasure.
"I, Andros, have never regretted my choices. And I would never shift the blame onto you."
"Oh, and Tom," he added with a crooked grin, "make sure you craft my body properly this time. I don't want to be crushed to death by my own magic again."
Back then, Andros had died in his prime without leaving behind a single heir. His magical power had exceeded the limits his body could endure.
The heavens had gifted him legendary magic, yet saddled him with a body unfit for it. A tragic irony, as if even fate envied his brilliance.
"I will study it carefully once I'm done with this busy period," Tom promised.
"Your trial comes first," Andros replied with a knowing nod. He was well aware of what Tom had been occupied with lately.
"Ha…"
Grindelwald let out a long sigh.
"I envy your decisiveness, Andros. If I were dead, perhaps I would make the same choice as you."
"But I am inconveniently alive, and I cannot quite summon your courage."
He turned his gaze toward Tom.
"Sorry. I need time to consider."
Andros and Ariana were souls returning from death.
Grindelwald, however, was very much alive. And proud. Too proud to willingly place shackles upon himself, even if the reins were held by Tom, whom he had already come to acknowledge.
Tom understood perfectly and waved a hand dismissively.
"I already said, whatever you choose, I will respect it. There's no rush. Take your time. Even if you die one day, your soul will still remain here."
Grindelwald's expression darkened.
Annoyingly, Tom was right.
If he died, his soul would still reside in the Learning Space.
In that case, why not agree sooner and enjoy the benefits earlier?
The temptation of restoring both soul and body to their peak condition was no small lure.
Still, Grindelwald did not respond immediately. He leaned back in his chair, silently weighing the pros and cons.
Tom, meanwhile, began experimenting with the new features of the space.
Time acceleration came first.
Whether set to double or triple speed, he felt nothing unusual when his entire consciousness entered the space. However, if he left a portion of his awareness outside, a sense of distortion crept in.
Two times speed was tolerable.
Three times was obvious. It affected efficiency.
Then came the true luxury.
Five hundred learning points for ten minutes of Cognitive Leap.
Tom gritted his teeth and activated it.
With the Learning Space upgraded, the unique magical fluctuations recorded in Kel'Thuzad's notebook had been fully manifested. Tom even stepped into the meditation chamber.
The moment Cognitive Leap activated, his mind ignited.
Forgotten memories and buried flashes of inspiration surged forth from every corner of his brain, colliding, merging, evolving into entirely new insights.
If Transcendent Mode was like driving a car onto a highway, then Cognitive Leap was like a plane lifting off the runway and soaring into the sky.
Ten minutes later, he had filled two full pages of notes, pushing his research into flesh magic significantly forward. Soon, he could hand the results to Grindelwald for experimental verification.
"So that's why it costs so much…" Tom muttered.
He had not triggered the "Flash of Genius" effect. That kind of random miracle depended heavily on luck. With his current learning points, he dared not recklessly burn attempts just to gamble for probability.
From now on, he would need to allocate his points carefully.
Under normal circumstances, Transcendent Mode would accelerate steady progress.
Cognitive Leap would be reserved for crucial breakthroughs.
At present, the highest priority was undoubtedly flesh magic.
Bloodline fusion. Body creation. All of it relied upon this field.
Staring at the dwindling number of learning points on his panel, Tom clenched his jaw and activated Transcendent Mode once more.
The grind began.
For a long stretch of time, Tom practically operated without pause. Learning points drained like flowing water.
At night, he set the Learning Space to maximum triple speed. Whenever he hit a bottleneck, he activated Transcendent Mode. Efficiency above all.
During the day, mornings were spent with Fleur. In the afternoons, he devoted himself to Poppy and Pixie.
After mastering most of the necessary knowledge for caring for pandas, Newt rarely appeared before the two cubs anymore, unwilling to hinder Tom's progress.
Raising their affection levels was not difficult.
As long as their bellies were full every day and he gave them comfortable massages until they hummed contentedly, things went smoothly. At this rate, by the end of summer, they would likely meet the trial's requirements and officially begin the competition.
Occasionally, Tom found time to guide Cassandra as well.
As expected of another wealthy heiress. She had handed him fifty thousand Galleons in tuition without hesitation.
The money undoubtedly came from her family. Tom had no idea what excuse Cassandra had used to secure such a staggering sum for a mere child.
What he did not know was that after her careless slip of the tongue that day, Cassandra had nearly sworn her innocence with her life to prove it was only a verbal mistake. In the end, Eloise had not entirely believed her.
But she had still given her the money.