Thought and the Second Inheritance

"Is there no reason?" Regulus interrupted him, offering an argument. "The principal contradiction and the secondary contradiction will transform into each other, and the principal aspect and the secondary aspect of a contradiction will also transform into each other."

The main conflict now is likely between Pure-bloods and Half-bloods, but when that stage comes, internal power consolidation will become the new main conflict.

Orion abruptly raised his head and stared at Regulus.

His eyes held shock, confusion, and a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back.

After a long pause, he spoke slowly, his voice low even in this private setting. "How did you learn about that book?"

This time it was Regulus's turn to be stunned; he hadn't expected Orion to know.

I just quoted it subconsciously, thinking that the theory could most concisely explain the logic he wanted to express, but I didn't expect my father to actually understand it.

"Just browsing," Regulus said vaguely. "Political Philosophy; some of the ideas were quite interesting."

Orion stared at him for a long time, then shook his head, a look of almost wistful emotion on his face.

"That person's work is indeed... insightful." He softened his tone, with a hint of reminiscence.

"I stumbled upon it in Muggle bookstore when I was young. At the time, I just found it novel. Later, after experiencing more things and reflecting on those ideas... I finally understood why some people can achieve great things."

A strange feeling welled up in Regulus's heart.

He never imagined that in this Magic world, in the Pure-blood supremacy Black family, his father would have read those books and even understand their value.

The thought flashed through my mind.

Orion steered the conversation back on track. "How likely is your theory?"

"I don't know," Regulus said honestly. "Maybe thirty percent, maybe fifty percent."

But even if there's only a one percent chance, we should be prepared for one hundred percent. If something really happens to Abraxas, it means the tide has turned."

"Wind direction..." Orion repeated, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"From cooperation to control," Regulus said.

"The death of Old Malfoy, if true, would mark a shift from courting allies to eliminating dissidents."

Tell all Pureblood families that it's either complete obedience or elimination; there is no middle ground.

Orion remained silent for a long time.

He walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a thick family tree, turned to the pages recording modern family relationships, his finger traced the Malfoy family's entry, and then paused at the Black family's entry.

"If it's really as you say," he asked in a low, deliberate voice, "What should we do?"

"Wait," Regulus said firmly.

"We'll make our move when things happen, when Lucius takes over the Malfoy family, when he feels the pressure, when he realizes that money alone isn't enough, and he also needs true allies."

He added, "Narcissa is my cousin, and with that relationship, Malfoy and Black were natural allies. It's just that when Old Malfoy was alive, the two families cooperated more as equals."

If it were Lucius, we could provide him with what he needs.

"What do you want to offer?" Orion asked, already understanding his son's intentions.

"Wisdom, experience, strength, connections," Regulus said.

"And most importantly, we have a way to protect the family during a storm. Lucius doesn't have this now, and he'll likely find it difficult to acquire it on his own in the future, but we do."

Orion closed the family tree and put it back on the shelf.

He walked back to his desk, looked at Regulus, and a hint of pride flickered in his eyes.

"Lucius," Orion began slowly, "Is shrewd and sociable, but as you said, he lacks his father's foresight."

He prioritizes immediate gains and lacks long-term strategic planning. From the family's perspective, he hasn't done anything too outrageous, at least not publicly, but...

He continued, "Last year, the Ministry of Magic had a proposal on the Care of Magical Creatures that could have been passed, but Lucius spent ten thousand Galleon to lobby and got it rejected."

The reason was that several families were smuggling those animals and had agreed to let him participate.

Another Muggle-born Ministry of Magic employee was promoted, but he sabotaged the promotion, ultimately forcing the man to resign.

There's no particular reason, I just feel that Muggle-born shouldn't be able to climb so high.

Orion shook his head. "These things aren't a big deal, but they're not insignificant either. In the Pure-blood Circle, they might even be praised for knowing how to protect their own people, but if they accumulate, they'll always sow the seeds of future problems."

Regulus nodded. "That's why he needs allies even more. One person making a mistake may have consequences, but when a group of people make a mistake, the consequences are shared."

"You know a lot about these things." Orion didn't know how his son knew these things; it was a kind of thinking that Magical Education could never cultivate.

This is pure wisdom, and has nothing to do with Magic.

That concludes our conversation; we've gone deep enough.

Orion said he would keep an eye on the Malfoy family ' situation and would begin making corresponding preparations.

Orion told him, "Go and rest, school starts tomorrow."

"Good."

Regulus pushed open the door and left.

Back in his room, Regulus was lost in thought; the conversation he'd just had was rather intriguing.

This caused a rare fluctuation in his mood. He sat down at his desk, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink into the depths of his mind.

The Star Orbit Meditation began, and the chaotic thoughts were soothed by the grand imagery.

After his mind had completely calmed down, he opened his eyes and began to think.

I've said everything I can about the Malfoy family; Father will handle it.

What he needs to focus on now is something more practical: improving his capabilities.

With only half a day left of the holiday, he had enough time to do one thing: acquire a second inheritance.

The first Natural Magic gave him a new direction, but lacked immediate combat effectiveness.

What he needs now is something that can be immediately effective in actual combat, and Space Magic is a good fit, and there just happens to be relevant content in his family's heritage.

<Spatial Anchor Charm>.

Regulus clasped his hands and headed toward the Family Secret Chamber, where he now held most of the authority.

Regulus proceeded unimpeded, pushing open the Obsidian Door and entering the spacious and solemn Chamber of Secrets.

On the Stone Platform, a dozen Memory Crystal Ball gleamed faintly Silver Light under the light of the Magic torches.

His fingers touched the cold sphere, and a vast amount of memories and Magic Power instantly flooded his consciousness.

That ancestor lived in the fourteenth century, an era when the study of Space Magic reached its peak.

The Spatial Anchor Charm she left behind is not essentially an offensive or defensive Magic, but rather a Magic for stabilizing Spatial Structure.

The principle is to set up invisible Magic Anchor Point in the void to fix the structure of the surrounding space.

It has two effects: first, it can resist Apparition attacks, but it is different from the current Anti-Apparition Charm.

The space within the anchor point becomes abnormally viscous; forcibly Apparition into it is like jumping into solidified cement, causing severely sluggish movements or even failure.

Secondly, it stabilizes the Spatial Structure, resisting Magic that attempts to distort, tear, expand, or fold space, thus greatly reducing its effectiveness.

Regulus saw scenes of his ancestors' battles in his memories.

When facing a Dark Wizard skilled in Apparition attacks, she first set up three Spatial Anchor around her.

The opponent attempted to teleport behind her to launch a sneak attack, but as soon as his body appeared, he got stuck in mid-air, as if trapped in an invisible quagmire. She then finished the fight off with a single Cutting Curse.

In another scene, the enemy attempts to tear her apart with space-warping Magic, but the anchor point stabilizes the surrounding Spatial Structure, and the warping only occurs outside the anchor point's range; she stands unharmed in the center.

The transmission of memories lasted for about half an hour.

As Regulus withdrew his finger, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Acquiring two inheritances in a short period of time was indeed a great mental burden. He could feel a faint swelling pain deep in his consciousness, as if his brain had been stuffed with too much stuff and needed time to digest and absorb it.

But he had already grasped the core principles of Spatial Anchor.

Use Magic Power to tie a knot in the Spatial Structure, making this space stable, solid, and unshakeable.

The anchor point location can be freely selected, the number can be stacked, and the range can be adjusted.

In theory, if enough anchor points are set up, and if they are densely packed enough, it is even possible to create a domain that completely prohibits Space Magic.

House-elf and Portkey don't work, and we don't know if Phoenix will work, but Starry Sky Kite is unlikely to be an option.

Regulus left the Chamber of Secrets and returned to his room.

He sat on the edge of the bed, letting the knowledge in his mind slowly settle; there was too much content, and it would take time to organize it.

The London nightscape outside the window was serene, with Big Ben chiming at ten in the distance, its sound coming through the Magical Barrier, deep and resonant.

Regulus lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

The experiences of the past few days replay in my mind: the darkness of the Knockturn Alley, the practical test, the conversation with my father, and the acquisition of the second inheritance.

Everything was pushing him forward, everything was increasing his strength.

My holiday is over. I'm heading back to Hogwarts tomorrow.

sleep.