Wand Bonuses

The adults inside were still arguing, while Luan and Brad quietly listened outside.

Ever since seeing that Night Owl knocked unconscious in the cave last night, Brad had figured out most of what had happened.

"You're a Spellcaster, aren't you? That Night Owl yesterday was defeated by your magic, wasn't it?!"

Brad had completely forgotten how terrifying the Night Owl was. All he cared about now was the miraculous little wooden stick in Luan's hand.

"More precisely, I'm a wizard. Though you can call me a Spellcaster too."

Luan had not been accepted into the Federal Military Academy, so he did not consider himself a proper Spellcaster.

However, people in the Federation all called wizards Spellcasters, making it difficult for him to clearly define his own identity.

"Luan, I never thought I'd have a Spellcaster friend. You're incredible."

Brad's voice still echoed in his ears, but Luan did not hear a single word.

He kept replaying the moment when he had told Neil everything.

He had never seen such a complicated look in Neil's eyes before.

Fear, uncertainty, resolve.

It was as though the name Night Owl should never have appeared in any conversation within the Scarlett household. At most, it could only be mentioned briefly after a few drinks.

The voices inside soon fell silent, and everyone began preparing supplies according to the plan they had just discussed.

"Brad, go back first. Remember, keep what happened yesterday a secret."

Hearing Neil's instructions, Brad nodded firmly.

He knew full well what a Night Owl represented. This was not something a mere stable hand should know about.

After Brad left, Luan was called into the room where the meeting had just taken place. The smell of tobacco had yet to disperse, and the doors and windows remained tightly shut.

Huff—

Neil slowly exhaled a long stream of smoke before turning to look at Luan.

"Luan, I need to know everything."

This was the first time Neil had spoken to Luan as an equal.

Even if Luan had wanted to keep hiding things, he could not help but reveal every secret when he looked into those eyes.

"It happened on the night of my birthday. Crimson Moon appeared that day, and then I arrived at—"

"All right. Though it really is hard to believe."

Neil exhaled another cloud of white smoke, and his breathing gradually steadied.

What Luan had just told him had made the hand holding his pipe shake uncontrollably. Several times, he had failed to put the pipe accurately into his mouth.

"But strange as it sounds, I believe you."

No one understood the weight of those words better than Luan did at that moment.

For those words, it no longer mattered that he had spent half a year alone in an unfamiliar world, that he had needed to earn money by himself or go hungry, or that he had lived beneath a damp, freezing bridge.

None of it mattered anymore after Neil said he believed him.

"All right, child. Wipe away your tears. And you should know what a Night Owl represents."

Neil exhaled another heavy breath of smoke.

"I know these past few years must have been hard for you, but I hope you can continue hiding your secret."

The abrupt shift in Neil's tone caught Luan off guard.

He had revealed so many secrets precisely to prove that he was already grown up and could help handle some matters.

"But—"

"No buts. Remember this, Luan. No matter what you've been through, you are still only an eleven-year-old child. These matters have nothing to do with you."

Knock, knock, knock—

Neil tapped his pipe against the corner of the table, his expression grave and earnest.

"Also, I'll notify Zalan and have him stay here for a while, until we figure out exactly what is going on with the Night Owl."

Neil left after saying that, leaving Luan alone in the smoke-filled room.

Luan realized that he had misunderstood.

Secrets, abilities, even magic.

None of those things could make an adult treat an eleven-year-old child like an adult.

Neil's attitude was beyond Luan's understanding, but that confusion was quickly replaced by something else.

Luan discovered something worth celebrating.

The new wand really was different.

Just now, by the water tank in the kitchen, Luan had seen the Wizard Bar above his head change noticeably again while holding his wand.

In fact, when he created his first wand at Hogwarts, Luan's Wizard Bar had already gone beyond the halfway mark.

Now, with the wand in his hand, the Wizard Bar had increased to three-quarters full.

It was already faintly approaching the length of Hermione's Wizard Bar.

Yet once he put the wand down, the Wizard Bar returned to just over half its length.

The only explanation for this difference was that the wand temporarily enhanced Luan's Magical Strength.

This gave Luan a deeper understanding of the new wand in his hand.

Its shaft was made from the magical Great Willow Tree, which had lived for who knew how many years, while its Wand Core was made from the core material within a Unicorn's golden horn.

A wand crafted from such a combination would surely exceed many people's understanding even at Hogwarts.

Of course, holding the wand also gave Luan a far greater sense of security.

Especially since Xilin might become even more turbulent in the days ahead.

That evening, all the supplies purchased throughout the alley were gathered together.

The veterans had adopted this most extreme method of distributing survival resources. Though many people disagreed, none could resist the violent enforcement of the thirty-three veterans.

Luan did not care about any of that. His only concern now was being discovered during tonight's anomaly.

He needed to leave for Hogwarts for three minutes.

But Neil had prepared for this long ago. He had Luan sleep in the same room as him, so no one would disturb him no matter what happened during the night.

That night, Luan returned to Hogwarts once again. Everyone in the dormitory was sleeping peacefully, and even Bouncing's breathing was steady.

This tranquil environment left Luan unable to adjust at first.

It was not until the sun rose in the morning that Luan, who had not slept a wink all night, habitually got up early again.

The Common Room seemed to have just been cleaned, and dust still floated through the air after the sweeping.

Luan sat down once more in the spot where he had originally practiced Wand Making. His wand had only just been completed, yet he had already found the next thing he needed to do.

Improve his ability to survive in war. That was the most straightforward lesson a group of veterans had taught Luan.

And to achieve that goal, Luan had to increase his strength.

The simplest way was to learn spells.

So, after sitting down, Luan immediately began listing every spell he currently knew.

Lumos Charm, Unlocking Charm, Softening Charm, Fire-making spell.

After writing them down, Luan realized that they were all support spells related to daily life.

The Lumos Charm was used to see in darkness, the Unlocking Charm solved the problem of forgetting one's keys, and the Softening Charm softened hard objects.

The only spell that could deal damage was the Fire-making spell, but the damage it caused still fell short of what Luan needed.

Just like this time—if Luan had not happened to cast wand-opening magic, then with only the Fire-making spell, he would have had no way to avoid being harmed.

After all, setting someone's hair on fire could not inflict much damage on a Night Owl.

Therefore, what Luan needed most now was to learn spells that could quickly restrain enemies or strengthen his own defenses.

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