House-elf Toby

After Dumbledore left, Tom also went back to his room to pack his things.

Naturally, Li Weide did not stay idle either.

He did not have much to begin with; he did not even have any spare clothes.

However, once the owl from Diagon Alley delivered the goods he had bought, his belongings suddenly multiplied.

Li Weide found a large bag and packed all those things into it.

Then he picked up Complete Book of Low-Level Spells and began reading quietly.

Perhaps because he had drunk some potion in Diagon Alley that strengthened the body, he still was not the least bit sleepy when midnight arrived.

"Ding! Hourly announcement: 12:00 a.m. New items have appeared in the shop!"

Suddenly, the familiar notification sounded in his mind.

Li Weide put down his spellbook and, as usual, looked at the System Shop.

Come to think of it, the System Shop had not offered anything Li Weide could use right away for a long time. He wondered whether tonight would bring him a surprise.

Item One: "Complete Book of Transfiguration" (Unlocked) 1,000 Merit Points

Item Two: House-elf Butler (Unlocked) 300 Merit Points

Refresh countdown: 23 hours, 59 minutes, 35 seconds

Merit Points: 1,400

Dark Lord Achievement: Not achieved

"Finally, something good..." Li Weide looked at the two items with delight.

"Complete Book of Transfiguration": This book recorded all the foundational knowledge of Transfiguration and included the insights and experiences of every Transfiguration Master from ancient times to the present.

Li Weide stared at the system description in shock.

It included the insights and experiences of every Transfiguration Master throughout history? No wonder a single book cost 1,000 Merit Points!

Li Weide turned his attention to the next item.

House-elf Butler: An experienced House-elf who once served a pure-blood Dark Wizard family. Because the last member of that family died half a month ago, the House-elf tragically gained his freedom. Once the host chooses to purchase him, the House-elf's master will be changed to the host, and he will never betray them.

This was the first time a living creature had appeared among the system's products! Still, Li Weide was satisfied with this "product." Who would not want an experienced House-elf?

This was an invaluable helper! What was more, this House-elf was so cheap, costing only 300 Merit Points.

Li Weide did not hesitate. He first purchased "Complete Book of Transfiguration." Drawing on his previous experience, he exchanged the book for a simplified Chinese edition once again.

The next second, a novel titled The Count of Monte Cristo abruptly appeared in his hands.

Clearly, this "Complete Book of Transfiguration" had the same disguise as Complete Book of Low-Level Spells!

After putting the book away, Li Weide began purchasing the second item.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully purchasing the House-elf Butler!"

"Ding! Please locate the House-elf!"

As the system notification ended, a translucent minimap appeared in Li Weide's field of vision.

There was a highly conspicuous red dot on the minimap, along with a small arrow.

After examining it carefully, Li Weide understood.

The small arrow represented himself, while the red dot should indicate the House-elf's location.

Li Weide realized that the red dot was actually not far from him.

But the red dot remained completely still on the map, which struck Li Weide as strange.

Was the House-elf asleep? Otherwise, why was he not moving at all?

Still, Li Weide did not waste any time. He casually grabbed a kerosene lamp and quietly left the Orphanage.

Comparing his surroundings with the map, Li Weide walked along the muddy main road for a little over two hundred meters eastward, then turned into a side alley.

The alley was narrow and filthy, with a nauseating stench drifting through it from time to time.

Li Weide trudged through the waterlogged ground, stepping deep and shallow, until he reached the end of the alley.

Under the dim light of the kerosene lamp, Li Weide saw a battered old trash bin.

Beside it lay what seemed to be a small figure.

"Ding! The host has arrived beside the House-elf."

As the system notification ended, the minimap in Li Weide's vision vanished as well.

Li Weide set down the dim kerosene lamp and took his wand from his pocket.

"Lumos!"

The light at the tip of his wand illuminated the dark alley.

A House-elf lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.

He wore a filthy scrap of cloth so dirty that its original color could no longer be seen, and his tennis-ball-sized eyes were tightly shut.

Li Weide noticed injuries of varying severity on his face and body.

It seemed he had only recently been attacked with some sharp weapon. He appeared to have fainted from excessive blood loss.

With injuries this severe, the House-elf had somehow not died of blood loss. He still had one last breath in him.

Li Weide guessed that after he had purchased the item, the system's power had temporarily kept him alive.

No wonder he was so cheap. So he only had half a life left...

Thinking of this, Li Weide did not delay. He first used a Cleaning Charm to clear the grime from the House-elf's wounds.

Then he took out the Essence of Dittany he had exchanged from the system earlier and carefully sprinkled it over the wounds.

The system-produced Essence of Dittany was indeed remarkably effective. The moment it touched the wounds, they began healing rapidly!

After treating the wounds, Li Weide took out the bottle of potion he had not finished drinking earlier that day.

Because the potion replenished energy and temporarily strengthened the body, Li Weide had not been as exhausted as Tom when he walked back today.

But it seemed it could come in handy now.

Li Weide held his wand between his teeth. In the wandlight, he lifted the little elf's head with one hand and slowly poured the remaining half-bottle of potion into his mouth with the other.

A little while later.

"Cough, cough, cough..." The House-elf slowly opened his bloodshot eyes, and the first person he saw was Li Weide right in front of him.

"Kind sir... was it you who saved Toby's life?"

Toby struggled to sit upright, staring in amazement at the injuries on his body, which had already healed.

When he looked at Li Weide again, his eyes were already filled with fervor.

"Yes. I found you lying here, covered in injuries, so I gave you some basic treatment." Li Weide removed the wand from his mouth and spoke calmly.

"Thank you, kind sir. But Toby is a shameful elf, unworthy of making a kind sir waste potion to treat him, because he is free..."

At this point, Toby could not help but sob sadly.

"Even though it was not Toby's fault. Toby's last master died in a duel..."

"Toby became shamefully free without even knowing how... Kind sir, would you take Toby in?"

"My name is Weide, Li Weide. If you are willing, I can become your new master," Li Weide replied calmly.

Of course Li Weide would not refuse Toby's loyalty. He was not Hermione.

Besides, this had cost him 300 Merit Points and two bottles of potion.

Toby struggled to his feet and dropped to one knee before Li Weide.

"As you wish, Young Master Weide. From today onward, Toby will become your most loyal servant, forever!"