Mr. Lupin and Miss Ilsa

Anton's room was in the southeast section, the master bedroom of the house.

It contained a spacious bedroom, a washroom that was not particularly large but big enough for a bath, and a walk-in closet nearly the same size as the bedroom.

Anton did not own many clothes, and the large wardrobe in his bedroom was more than enough for them.

This place had been converted into a study.

The bookshelves were piled with all kinds of materials.

After several months of studying and research, Anton's handwritten parchment notes had nearly caught up to the Old Wizard's collection of materials.

A huge hand-drawn diagram hung on the wall.

The Old Wizard began a new round of lessons. "I've already explained the basics of potions to you. Now, we'll begin a new course filled with mystery."

He smugly waved an arm. "A course on potion knowledge that only Fiennes understands in the entire world."

Fiennes was the Old Wizard's name, and Anton was full of anticipation.

"The Eye of the Wizard Potion is far too costly to make. Otherwise, you ought to drink it and practice while listening to my lessons."

He pointed at the hand-drawn diagram. "You drank it a few times while treating Lupin recently, and you saw the Magic Image inside the Werewolf's body. So, do potions also have Magic Images?"

"They do!"

The Old Wizard wore a mysterious expression. "These Magic Images are dynamic. Take the leech in this picture, for instance. When it's alive, its image looks like this, in a very stable state."

"When we crush it, it changes into something else. Most interesting of all, the emotions brewing in your heart while you crush it will affect its properties."

Anton instantly understood and exclaimed, "It's just like casting a spell!"

"That's right." The Old Wizard cackled. "The leech-extracted Felix Felicis may seem like nothing more than putting Felix Felicis into a leech, but if the person handling it harbors malice—extreme malice—then the Felix Felicis released afterward will become fraught with unknown dangers."

"Brewing potions is casting spells."

"So, you little bastard, do you remember the first lesson I taught you? The foundation of our spellcasting."

Anton's eyes shone brightly. "Wizard is God. A wizard's will commands all things."

The Old Wizard solemnly placed his head on his neck, straightened his expression, and said gravely, "This is also the foundation of Fiennes' Potions Theory."

"Teacher, you really are a genius!"

"Cackle, cackle, cackle..."

The magical patterns on the door lit up, and it quietly opened a crack.

The great snake flicked its tongue and crawled out through the gap.

Its twelve-foot body slithered continuously across the floor. Its nimble tail gently lifted the handle of the neighboring room's door, opening another crack.

The great snake slipped inside.

There was a huge four-poster bed in this room. Lying on it was a burly yet short figure—Pedro the Goblin.

The great snake stared at the Goblin for a long while before turning and leaving.

Then it crawled onward again and opened another door.

This room looked warm and cozy, filled with a faint fragrance. On the vanity by the window stood a glass bottle embossed with an angel, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers. In the sunlight, droplets of water on the flowers gleamed with rainbow halos.

No one was in the room. Only an open suitcase lay on the floor.

The great snake slithered over and stuck its head into the suitcase.

The suitcase was enormous inside, like a massive mechanical factory. A small figure operated a giant gantry crane, moving a huge mechanical structure over a machine.

Then the girl put on Dragon Hide gloves, laboriously dragged an oversized wrench from a shelf, climbed up an eight-meter-high frame, and used her own strength to tighten each massive nut securely.

Sweat dripped from the ends of her black hair. The girl wiped it away, leaving a smear of grease on her face.

Her expression was utterly focused and serious.

Just like the snake's head hanging in midair inside the suitcase, staring at her with the same focus and seriousness.

On a morning like this, everyone seemed full of energy.

Lupin styled his hair with gel in front of the mirror, then dabbed some moisturizing cream onto his face.

Next, he lightly sprayed himself with perfume, took a finely tailored cashmere wool coat from the hanger, and put it on.

Lupin looked at himself in the mirror with a strange expression.

This person...

Was so unfamiliar.

But just as Anton had said, he did not look half bad like this.

He smiled faintly and said to his reflection, "A new life, a new beginning, isn't it?"

He made a silly face at himself, chuckled, walked to the large oak table across from the bed, turned off the television, then carefully removed the disc from the player and placed it in its dedicated plastic case.

Only then did he pick up an exquisite cane with an alloy lion-head handle from the corner, puff out his chest, raise his head, and walk out with the elegant bearing Anton and Anna had trained into him together.

He exited through the back door of the building, entered the first-floor lobby, and went up the stairs to their company office.

Chada Information Consulting Company.

In one corner stood a row of half-partitioned cubicles, each occupied by an employee with several telephones in front of them.

These information gatherers constantly made and answered calls, recording the information in files. Some were even handling two calls at once.

Two female colleagues repeatedly took the documents placed beside them back to their desks for sorting and organization, then distributed them to the information processors at the desks in the center of the lobby.

Everyone was busy.

Someone spotted Lupin, hurriedly greeted him, then quickly left with an armful of documents.

Clearly, the company had begun operating.

These people were elites recruited from all walks of life. All they needed was a leader who could bring them hope, and they could unleash limitless potential.

Anton had been right. There was actually not much he needed to do.

For instance, whenever something happened, he could not show panic or anxiety. He had to be elegant, calm, and keep smiling.

Then he only needed to gather everyone, hold a meeting, and let them discuss a solution themselves.

All he had to do was make the final call on the plan most likely to succeed.

Simple, wasn't it?

Lupin encouraged himself, nodding and smiling at the people he passed.

At last, he reached his very own manager's office.

However, not long after he sat down, someone gently knocked on the office's wooden door. When he looked up, it was that troublesome Ilsa.

Lupin instantly tensed up.

Anton had said that she was the company's only wizard. Yesterday, she had deliberately used the Full Moon Night to test him and had even summoned Aurors from the Ministry of Magic.

His hand tightened around the armrest, gripping it hard as he fought the urge to run away.

Smile. Smile as hard as possible.

"Good morning, Miss Ilsa."

The young and beautiful woman set a fragrant cup of coffee on the desk and looked at him somewhat ingratiatingly. "Good morning, Mr. Lupin."

Her pale, slender fingers clutched each other, and she was clearly a little nervous. "There was a small accident yesterday..."

Lupin let out a deep breath.

He elegantly raised a hand to the desk, propped up the side of his face, and said with a smiling gaze, "It's fine. Just focus on your work."

Perfect!

He had perfectly replicated the pose and tone Anton had taught him. He had done it!

According to expectations, this capable elite of the company would breathe a sigh of relief, then go back to work properly.

Yes, that was how Anton had analyzed it.

But clearly, something unexpected had happened.

Ilsa did not leave. She merely smiled sweetly, revealing adorable little canine teeth and a dimple on one cheek.

"Then, Mr. Lupin, would you like to have dinner together tonight?"

"Huh?"

"Can't we?" Ilsa's beautiful golden hair swayed in the breeze. Mist gathered in her jewel-like blue-green eyes, as if they were saying—are you really unwilling to forgive me?

Good grief. How could Lupin, an eternal shut-in, possibly be a match for such a high-level player? For a moment, he completely panicked.

"I... I..."

Ilsa blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering. "Then it's settled."

With that, she swayed away with her slender waist.

Lupin remained there, utterly at a loss. "I... I..."

What was he supposed to do?

Anton, where are you?